My Oyster

This seems about right...

You Are a Yule Log

While you do have holiday spirit, you have a secret, heathen past.

What Holiday Food Are You?

and then I did some looking around - as I didn't really know what a yule log is.

A Yule log, sometimes known as the Great Ashen Faggot, is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures.

It can be a part of the Winter Solstice festival or the Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Twelfth Night.

The expression "Yule log" has also come to refer to log-shaped Christmas cakes, also known as "chocolate logs" or "Bûche de Noël".

Yes, I Did...

I took the pledge.  Buying handmade things. That is very cool. 

I like the rationale. 

It makes for better gift-giving.  Handmade gifts are one-of-a-kind and made with care that can be seen and touched.  They are the result of skill and craftsmanship that you don't find in the world of large-scale manufacturing.

It's better for people.  Buying handmade helps us reconnect.  Otherwise, we end up all looking alike.  We end up losing our ties to the local and human sources of our goods. 

It's better for the environment.  Handmade gifts are not a major cause of global warming or the poisoning of our environment.  Small-scale independent artists and crafters don't contribute to the mess of mass production.

I would add a fourth reason.  Buying handmade is more fun.  It's like shopping in an art gallery.  All the pieces are unique and have an interesting story.

I will do my best to live up to the pledge this holiday season. 

In truth, I am very attracted to handmade arts, crafts, and goods.  My favorite part of traveling is to look for locally made goods to bring home with me.  I like doing that at home in DC and Maine too.  So taking the pledge won't really be a hardship.  It's closer to me.

If you want to take the pledge or learn more - go here.

If you want to discover cool places to buy handmade - go here.

Enjoy! 

Apparently, I am writing this blog for 8 year olds...

I did this cute little web analysis of my blog.  It determined that the reading level of what I write here is just perfect for elementary school kids.  Ouch.

I also did the Huffington Post.  Ariana's blog reading level is Junior High.  A bit more high brow than me.  I guess I don't feel so bad though, cuz Dr. Phil's blog also requires an elementary school education.

In case any of you out there are interested...here is a top 10 list of additional reading for elementary school readers.

• The Folk Keeper • Franny Billingsley
• Walk Two Moons• Sharon Creech
• Because of Winn-Dixie • Kate DiCamillo
• Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key • Jack Gantos
• Among the Hidden • Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Our Only May Amelia • Jennifer L. Holm
• The Lives of Christopher Chant (3 book series) • Diana Wynne Jones
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe • C. S. Lewis
• The Thief • Megan Whalen Turner
• Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief • Wendelin Van Draanen

Must Love Dogs...

This dog is so sweet.  His name is Gauge.  I am not sure what breed he is.  Maybe pointer or somesuch.

He hangs out at the bike shop here in Augusta.  As soon as you get out of your car, he runs up to you and sniffs you and wants to get to know you.  So friendly. 

He made my day today when I picked up my bike.  I think I may be a dog person.

And...apparently, there are lots of reasons why dogs are better than men.  See here.

This is just plain creepy...

bullshit, originally uploaded by Seligman's Dog.

I fly a lot.  I read the in-flight magazines.  I usually skip over the ads for steak houses and high-end matchmaking services. 

However, I seem to be, eerily, drawn to this ad.  I have to look.

When I am a 67 year old man, I don’t want the body of a 30 year old.  Strike that.  I don’t want to HAVE the body of a 30 year old.

I am sure this picture is totally photoshopped, but still…it’s a bit unsettling to me.

The name sounds legit though, doncha ya think?  Cenegenics Medical Institute.  Do you think they take Blue Cross?

What is the connection here?

The French Connection - French Onion Soup, originally uploaded by c r i s.

 

Yesterday I went to the Shaws Supermarket on Western Avenue to get some ingredients to make a beef stew.  Had it for dinner tonight.  Pretty good.

At Shaw's I found everything I needed but bay leaves. 

I don't understand what they do or why they are needed.  I mean, you just end up throwing out the leaf at the end anyway.  But I needed one.  Not a jar.  Just one.

I couldn't find them.  So I grabbed a cute young store employee for some help.  He was adorable, but not very helpful.  He was a good companion as we chatted and roamed the store looking for bay leaves.  However, he did not really know where they were hiding either.  We eventually had someone else help us.

Fast forward.  Today, before eating the beef stew for dinner, I went to the local Circuit City to get a digital audio recorder.  I knew the one I wanted.  I just needed to find it in the big box store. 

Naturally, I couldn't find the recorders.  So, as is my nature, I grabbed a cute young store employee for some help. He was adorable, but not very helpful. He was a good companion as we chatted and roamed the store looking for digital audio recorders. However, he did not really know where they were hiding either. We eventually had someone else help us.

Now for the twist.

The cute, young, friendly, but not very helpful Circuit City store employee was the exact same cute, young, friendly, but not very helpful Shaw's grocery store employee.

Augusta REALLY IS a small world.  I think we are officially dating now.

   

I stopped stealing this magazine...

...from the waiting room of my doctor's office and finally subscribed to it myself.

Every time I visited his office, I found myself wanting to read every article in the magazine in the 5 minute wait.  And yes, a few times I did slip the magazine, always an expired edition, into my bag after my appointment.

To be honest, I am not even really that big of a yoga person.  I have done it several times and I am starting an intro class starting on Monday.  But the articles aren't just about how to strike a pose.  I have read articles on changing your relationship to time and clocks, on applying Vastu - the ancient Indian science of design - to home decorating.  I even saw an interesting article on knitting as the "new yoga" - both require that you stay present, in the moment, etc.

I am looking forward to getting it at home now rather than the waiting room.  I do hope they start slapping some pics of yoga men on the covers.  So far, I have only seen women...

The "Talents" of My Older Brother...

Mike is a school teacher in Maine.  A very good one.  By all accounts, that is perhaps his greatest talent.  But not his only one. 

Since Mike is a teacher, he tends to have a good deal of free time in the summer.  But rather than just fritter it away, Mike chooses to hone his craft (and make some extra cash). 

Mike is a very talented performance artist.  Some of the local restaurants and bars pay him to perform periodically.  He emcees the Queer Poetry Slam at Papa Joe's.  He has done some crooning at Hazel Green's Bottom.  And of course "Grand Wizard Mike" is the Howard Johnson's favorite deejay for its very popular 70s metal night - the last Saturday of the month.

However,  I think where Mike really nails it and gives his central Maine following just what they are looking for is when he dances at Slates (now Slates Outdoors since the fire).  Here is a little video clip from his "End of Summer" Tea Dance performance last night. 

Enjoy.  Make sure your speakers are on...

Oh. My. God.

OutlineBookcase3QF6.jpg, originally uploaded by dcjay64.

That was painful.  I ordered four of these Outline Bookcases from CB2.  They are for my "Zen" room.  Where I hope to go to read and relax in a warm, peaceful space.

Well, hopefully these bookcases will look and function more peacefully now that they are assembled.  It was not a peaceful process getting them together.  I think I swore regularly throughout the 3.5 hours it took Jean and I to put them together.  Why must this be so difficult?  Or maybe its just difficult for me.  I am so lucky I had help.

So now I have four of these across one wall of the Zen Room.  Tomorrow the fun part - unpacking my books finally...

You Are A Leader...

Desert Leader, originally uploaded by Hamed Saber.

My brother took some on-line personality test which compelled me to do so also.  The test said I am a leader.  See detail below.  However, I think the fact that I took it only because my older brother did calls into question the results...

My Results:

James, you are a Leader.

Individuals who are Leaders exhibit a high task-orientation while also enjoying people. They will typically be very good at recruiting people for teams or organizations. Leaders are friendly and like to involve others, but they also like to see the tasks done right. Because of their desire to do things correctly, they sometimes appear domineering and aggressive as pressure arises in a situation.

During this test you answered questions which measured four important aspects of your personality - Dominance, Influence, Stability and Compliance. Based on how you scored on each of these factors, we could conclude that your personality profile is that of a Leader.

If you want to follow my lead and take this test, click here.  Be warned, you have to sign up and they will try to sell you a full report.  Just say no - unless you want it.