pre b-day

this weekend
two lovely pre b-day parties

sometimes i seem to forget
the joy of spending time
with good friends

and today i found this
very old Tom Waits song
from his Early Years



and some blue skies
to go along

Friday fine mist in San Diego

Just yesterday morning
It was all fine and sunny
your voice sounded warm and friendly
And the fluffy clouds at me smiled
Opening their bellies after a long night of rain dropping



palms, clouds, streets, cars,
they all encompassed to make me feel glad



But the today came
And fine gray mist
Covers the sidewalks this morning
Fine gray melancholy
Rests my tired soul too this morning
Rain, drops, tears, an afar affair revisited
Brings back old fears, suspicion, and sadness,
Or something like that
I don’t want to see the rain again on my patio
Without feeling protected somewhere



so yes this Friday grayish morning
Don’t know why, but i suspect why, all of a sudden
I feet like the rain:

Falling lonely

D'oh!

USPS revealed today
the Simpsons stamps design

the stamps will be on sale on May 7

it's a great way to commemorate
the longest-running American sitcom,
20 seasons and still going on!

you can vote here for your favorite stamp

a blast from 1987
when they 1st appeared
as shorts at the Tracey Ullman Show

and sure the Simpsons had
a make-over... look at them!
they were so spiky/spunky
in their beginnings
and Homer looked angrier!
I guess as he's been eating donuts
through the years and gained more weight
has become more content...
although still has his outbursts
as he shows in one of my favorite episodes
Angry Dad
where Bart made an 'internet' cartoon
based on Homer's anger...

[a sentimental note apart]
I truly thank the creators of the Simpsons
and specially of Homer... many nights
and days, when things have gone wrong
in many nights of anxiety and/or insomnia
(not lately btw, i don't sleep a lot but i sleep
very well, ahhh *yawn*)
but also in sunny afternoons
or late nights coming back from a party
munching on a late snack, I have relied
on the Simpsons, I keep at least 10
episodes handy on my TiVo... for
those required moments...
23 minutes of Homer and family adventures
and one feels restored
[to Homer, with love]

watch more cartoons & laugh!

mis amigos los gatos

So my friendship
With the 2 furry gatos is coming along



they have some good and some bad days
but always hectic ones
always doing their strange feline things
trying to make sense of them
I got this 'holistic' book
The Holistic Cat
by Jennifer A. Coscia

Rather interesting facts about the life of cats
their health and behavior all written nicely
along with true stories with photos of cats
that illustrate different cases and heartfelt stories
it is sort of quirky and sometimes i feel
like the Simpson's crazy-cat lady but
I like to read about the little things that happen
Around me, I am a bit (or a lot) of a nerd
trying always to understand
i remember some months ago
I was a true a-fish-cionado!
When my dear Kiyo was swimming along here
and i tried to find out all about Betta fishes

These days, I try to understand these furry creatures
‘cause surely they have some rather mysterious ways
cats are so unpredictable and although resilient
hence the '9 lives' they are very delicate
when it comes to health, food, behaviors,
and, yes to feelings, and to their environment

For example, can you explain how this seemingly
Adorable sleeping creature can become
An ‘arm shredding’ machine?
as the author describes it in figure 1.
(see figure 1)


'Gato' formerly known as 'Coco' aka Herr Katze

He looks so innocent and harmless!
But when he’s mad, he surely displays it



The scratches inflicted were because of a bad-tasting medication
He got the prescribed drops down his throat
And I got my dose of scratches too

also a couple of days ago I found out thru my neighbor
that the blond cat's prior name was 'Coco'
very cute name for such a rebel, but he can be very sweet
at times (mostly while sleeping, not much while awake...)
i call him now just 'Gato' and he comes most of the times
for how bad he's sometimes with me, I am surprised
that 9 out of 10 times I call him, even if afar
he comes around...

And oh well, I am not the only one trying to figure them out
As the graphic of this mapping of Cat Brain explains
They are not easy creatures to understand

figure 1 - Mapping of the Cat brain



and here the black and with kitty
she's much calmer than Gato
but has her collection of feline quirks too
she responds cheery to just 'kitty'
and her other names are 'gatita' and 'Frau Kitty'
since sometimes I practice mein Deutsch with them
then 'Gato' too becomes Herr Katze


black & white kitty also known as kitty and Frau Kitty

April dormant

from this weekend
another April dormant
weekend alley photo



sunny and fine
pleasant atmosphere
doesn’t fit my suspended
frame of mind
strange numbness
stupor of the head
and an almost mechanical force
the past weeks
carry on with me, my soul

a bit of shallow endurance feeling
no ups, guess ‘cause
afraid of the possible downs

another world

last night
i had a nice dream
i dreamt of another world
as in 2005, this was too
in the city of New York
when all these colors, i saw



at the Guggenheim museum
and now this Antony & the Johnsons song
seems go along
with memories of dreams
where turbid but happy skies unload



I need another place
Will there be peace?
I need another world
This one's nearly gone

Still have too many dreams
Never seen the light
I need another world
A place where I can go

I'm gonna miss the sea
I'm gonna miss the snow
I'm gonna miss the bees
I'll miss the things that grow
I'm gonna miss the trees
I'm gonna miss the sound
I'll miss the animals
I'm gonna miss you all

I need another place
Will there be peace?
I need another world
This one's nearly gone

I'm gonna miss the birds
Singing all this songs
Been kissing this so long

re-posting: milk & sky

[intro]
came back to
type type type
again -
the stubborn
clack clack clack
& go & go, of the hands,
their tips, their ends

to write a little poem
they clumsily
attempt

but then
they've forgotten
the way

later
the white milk
trapped in the tall glass
seems to be clearly
mocking them

mmm, milk?
milk?
and poems?...

ah!
and they remember then
those deeper
and sadder
yet writer-er
days
when little poems
came easily
yes! ... those days

and instead of a poem
the tips lazily
don't write but

re-post, so then
from June 17 of the
Two Thousand and Seven
this came

milk & sky

Morning &
I’ll walk out the door of my existence
facing a bright blue sky
&
Spilled like hot milk
On a warm morning stove
minute white clouds hop around

dazzling blue cuts this sorrow
the milk melted, was your eyes

from two Sundays ago, an outdated belated post

i've been unfashionably late
always,
but it seems that so much more lately

i owe so many people [& myself]
late replies, comments, uploads,
posts, photos, outlooks, e-thoughts
and forwarded songs...
not to speak of
phone calls
and self-mind reminders

but not sure why
i got stuck in this abandoned place
that existed only before this wide world web

do you remember what you used to do
before you surfed the web?

alas! if after spending over 8 hours daily
behind one of this legendary machines
with keyboards and screens that suck,
share and shape our
attention and lives, i come home
to do the same again...

and yes, oh, i do!!
here, on a shadowy photo attempt
from not this past Sunday
but one before that one
i break the silence from this side
of the keyboard and salute
this world wide web...

here we go again!
sorry, but yes, we're late

a week in the life of a little flower

little flower on March 7th, 10.20am
[noticed the this-morning fresh-opened petals]



little flower on March 13th, 8.21 AM
[blooming in all her splendor]



little flower on March 15th, 12.36 PM
[last photo taken at the sight of her imminent death]



“To create a little flower is the labour of ages.”
-William Blake

woo-hoo!-whole wheat pancakes (from scratch) & rooibos tea

cooking has always been one of my pleasures
and therefore... eating!

these days i am cutting in a lot of pre-made food
'cause of the migraines, i am glad i like cooking
'cause most of my meals most be fresh-cooked
and free of preservatives and/or chemical additives

but i must confess i do find a peaceful pleasure
on setting myself to cook
nothing like chopping tons of veggies or
garlic on my sunny kitchen
i get 'in the zone' and disconnect from daily stresses...
if you don't cook in a rush or a dirty kitchen
then you can find real pleasure on mixing ingredients
and smelling the fragrances of fresh cooked dishes...

one thing that i have understood a while ago
is the importance of eating whole grains and also
i have always loved pancakes, who doesn't?
or 'hot-cakes' as we call them in México
but they are usually made with white flour

the pre-made mixes i've found for making
whole-wheat pancakes at the supermarket are OK
but usually the pancakes come out too thick, not fluffy
and not so tasty... also i don't use pre-mixed flours anymore
because of the preservatives and chemicals they add
it's scary to read the list of ingredients of most food
that you find in the supermarkets! lots of names of
chemicals that we don't even understand

so i took over the challenge of making the perfect
woo-hoo!-whole-wheat pancakes, and i think now i got it!
for a couple of months now, i've been 'perfecting' this recipe
i found the original recipe online for making pancakes from scratch
Charles' Pancakes from scratch
but i substituted the cup of all purpose flour with
3/4 of a cup of whole wheat flour + 1/4 of white flour

in case you want to make them at home
and i invite you to! well,
here the ingredients:

1 egg
1 cup of low fat milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt

optional:
1/2 cup or more of berries or any chopped fruit

now the secret to make the whole wheat pancakes
really fluffy was given to me by my friend Tina
a couple of weeks ago

First, you mix all the dry ingredients together,
that is the flours, baking powder, and salt

Then, on a separate container, you mix the wet ingredients,
the milk, the vanilla extract, and ONLY the egg yolk
you keep the egg white apart and beat it well until is
white, fluffy, and hold a stiff peak

Now you can mix the dry and wet ingredients
(do not add the egg white yet!)
mix the ingredients slightly, you don't want to beat
the batter, if the batter is a little lumpy is OK!
do not over-mix the batter or you'll get bad pancakes

and at the end, once you are ready to cook the pancakes
just then, you fold in the beaten egg white
with rest of the batter, again do not over mix!

i usually add another 1/2 or 1 cup of blackberries
or blueberries, strawberries, or chopped peaches
or bananas
(not so many bananas lately since they are a migraine trigger too!)

also, if you prepare batter and want to refrigerate
the left overs, do NOT add the fruit until you are ready to
cook another batch of pancakes

here the result, some delicious, tasty, light, and fluffy
woo-hoo! whole wheat pancakes



top with Maple Syrup, grade B, which is less processed
than grade A, and thicker, tastier, too!
it tastes almost like you are biting on a Canadian tree!
and if you didn't mix the fruit with the batter
you can always put it on top of your pancakes
delicious stuff!

also, since i've been asked to cut on caffeine
(not that i don't drink now & then a sip of coffee,
but shhhhh, don't tell my neurologist... i just drink
about a 1/4 of a cup, or little sips of black gold
when i am too tired, sleepy, or can't hold the cravings
but for me these days a sip of coffee is enough...
i haven't drink a whole cup in about 3 weeks!)

so now i've been drinking now more Rooibos tea
this tea comes from South Africa originally
it's naturally caffeine free but it doesn't taste
like an herbal infusion, the flavor is a little sweet
and nutty and it has many health benefits
give it a try too!



another sunny picture of my morning Rooibos



now enjoy some healthy snacks
or unhealthy ones if your body can afford it