Lit Bits-7/2/2014 Saga, graphic novel

Aleathia says:

We go to the library at least once a week and often times I have to go over to the Young Adult section to find my kid when it is time to go.  They have a decent array of manga there and a handful of graphic novels. The cover of one of them has caught my eye over the last year, but I never checked it out.  Maybe because it was in the YA section or because I would then have to admit I loved a graphic novel or two in my day. I thought the art was pretty stunning on this one.

This graphic novel is called Saga and is created by Brian K. Vaughan with Fiona Staples providing the art.  It has some fantasy components and these characters look pretty tough and interesting.  Since the rest of the family was checking out manga I decided to go for it.

The story is self described as Star Wars meets Game of Thrones meets Romeo & Juliet.  I am not very familiar with Game of Thrones, but I can see the space influence and before reading about this graphic novel I definitely pegged the Romeo and Juliet.  I told Michael that it was funny that even in the comics all roads lead back to Shakespeare.

What I didn't expect from this award winning GN was the content.  This is by no means a comic that belongs in the young adult section.  It opens with a graphic birth and then to illicit sexual content.  It uses some pretty heavy language and later in the book there is even prostitution and hits of child sex trade.  It doesn't show anything, but you know exactly what they are referring to.

I was pretty shocked through the entire book and a bit disgusted that the library filed this in a kid's section. I'm definitely going to show them the sections that have graphic sex and child sex slaves.  They might have to refile it in an adult section.

Having said all of that....I really want to read the next one.  Once over the shock I do enjoy the social commentary on mixed race relationships, the love story, and the struggle to survive in a world ravaged by war.  It is a love against all odds sort of story.  I would say take the chance and read it....just don't let the under 16 set read it.

Let's Go Somewhere-7/1/2014 Homer, Alaska

Aleathia says:

Years ago when I first moved to Seattle I got a job at a place called The Urban Bakery and Cafe.  I was hired to work the lunch counter as I had no skills making baked goods nor could I make a latte to save my soul.  On my first day behind the counter I was greeted by an amazing woman named Mikela.

She hugged me. What?  I came from small town Northeast America. We didn't hug. We sneered at people behind their backs and tried not to make eye contact.  I sort of thought she was weird, but as time when on she would become one of the most influential people of my life. She brought me out of my shell and her pure joy for living rubbed off on me. She introduced me to the world of food beyond my tiny menu, she introduced me to new music and people. She encouraged creativity. She changed my life and helped me learn to love myself.

In 1999 or 2000, life was changing and she was ready to leave Seattle. She thought of going to London, but changed her mind and went to Alaska instead. Ha. Just like her to do something crazy and off the wall like that.  She has been there ever since.

What does all of this have to do with travel? Well, I have always wanted to go to Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula looks pretty damn awesome. She lives at the very end of the peninsula near a town called Homer. I can tell you from all the pictures she posts that this is a happening community full of crazy creative people and food lovers. These folks aren't afraid to have fun.

If you are a skier and female, you should consider finding out when the Annual Ski for Women is and get your best costume together and party with these great ladies. If you like regular type skiing they have that too, but doesn't this look fun?  I don't even ski and I'd consider it. There is also hiking, kayaking, and boat rides to see wildlife.  You can go on a guided tour through the forest or learn about the coastal wildlife at the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies.

It seems like the lodge there is outrageous in price....$1,800 for three nights, so you would be best served to rough it and camp. Get the full Alaskan trip.  If your back truly can't handle sleeping on the ground there are some decently priced simple cabins from a place called Dandy Cabins and you can rent one for around $750 a week.

It seems Homer has a cultural landmark called the Salty Dawg Saloon.  It was an old trapper's hut where tourists can hoist beers with the locals.

But most importantly you have to stop by and see Mikela and Gabe at The Bagel Shop!!!

Mikela has always been passionate about food and we spent much of our friendship over the stove or investigating foods of the world, so it didn't surprise me when she and Gabe decided to open this bagel shop. They started out selling bagels in the farmer's market and would sell out in 2 hours. As time went on they made the idea for a shop a reality. If you are in Homer you HAVE TO GO THERE!  If you do, tell her Aleathia says Hi.

And eat one of these for me! (It's called "The Frenchie")

Music Monday-6/30/2014 Neko Case

Aleathia says:

Ok.  So I am dreadfully behind on the times when it comes to new music.  I can be a creature of habit.  I will listen to the same 10 bands for a long time or make mixes of my favorite songs and be content, so from time to time I like to branch out and see what else is going on in the world.  I try to be hip. Pffft.

I went to the library this week and they usually get "new" CD's in fairly often.  This time around I found an album from Neko Case called Middle Cyclone.  I thought it was new and it turns out it is from 2009. Ha. I'm still behind the times.

From what I have read about Neko Case she is an Indie darling and labeled in the "Alt Country" area of music.  I listened to songs from this whole album, both studio and live, and couldn't find the country part of that label anywhere.  The studio versions fall flat on their face and were particularly unmemorable.  She has a lovely voice, this much is true, but the mixing of this album leaves it feeling pretty two dimensional.  I was feeling like I wasn't going to be able to say one damn nice thing about this album, but then I found some live clips of her singing these songs.  Oddly enough, the best song was one she had nothing to do with. She covers Harry Nilsson's Don't Forget Me:

This song is called Vengeance is Sleeping and it is from a live performance from a Bumbershoot Concert:

The quality of sound on this one isn't the best, but it is from a live show in Toronto and it is called Polar Nettles:

And lastly, I sort of dug this studio version of The Pharaohs:

I am pretty sure I won't be uploading this studio album after listening to it, but I would definitely see her live. Her sound is much better when it isn't over worked in the studio.  Maybe some of you will enjoy this sound. Have fun!

OM-6/29/2014 The Importance of Pain

Aleathia says:

The Importance of Pain

"Before we can know what natural warmth really is, often we must experience loss.  We go along for years moving through our days, propelled by habit, taking life pretty much for granted.  Then we or someone dear to us has an accident or gets seriously ill, and it's as if blinders have been removed from our eyes.  We see the meaninglessness of so much of what we do and the emptiness of so much we cling to.

When my mother died and I was asked to go through her personal belongings, this awareness hit me hard.  She had kept boxes of papers and trinkets that she treasured, things that she held on to through her many moves to smaller and smaller accommodations.  They had represented security and comfort for her, and she had been unable to let them go.  Now they were just boxes of stuff, things that held no meaning and represented no comfort or security to anyone.  For me these were just empty objects, yet she had clung to them.  Seeing this made me sad, and also thoughtful.  After that I could never look at my own treasured objects in the same way.  I had seen that things themselves are just what they are, neither precious nor worthless, and that all the labels, all our views and opinions about them, are arbitrary."

Pema Chodron, Taking the Leap

This passage was especially helpful to me when my own mother passed and I faced looking through her things.  Many of the items sent to me were of no meaning to me, not like they were to my mother, but I could sense she loved them.  Loss is the great equalizer.  It sets the balance in the world and it wakes you up. There are still moments that catch me off guard for no apparent reason and I am put to tears.  Life is precious. Be thankful every day for the world around you.

Quills and Frills-6/28/2014 Aleathia Drehmer, fiction

Aleathia says:

This story I am going to share was one that was written with a specific prompt in mind for a flash fiction website called Doorknobs & Bodypaint.  This story never made the cut, but I enjoyed writing it.

Love is Never Black and White

Barnabus stands there with his hands covered in moist soil.  He can feel it gather beneath his fingernails; feel the mass of it building pressure there. The smell of it is musty and cloying having been fertilized by the flesh of his dead cat, Iago, for nearly a decade.  Barnabus has stood here at Iago’s grave every morning with his black coffee thinking of their time together.  Sometimes he would tell Iago the contents of the upcoming day, not today. He isn’t quite sure why he has risen so early this morning nor why his fingers are gripping the sod and dirt in apprehension.

The dorsum of his right hand is littered with lines of red.  Tiny beads of blood form like a row of men along the wall at the Inquisition.  They lay there oozing from the bite of thorns on the old Abraham Lincoln rose bush.  Barnabus looks down into the earth where he had dug a hole years ago that was once covered and now reopened.  The terra is devastated by deep scars ravaged from the different plates of his life colliding at high rates of speed with great force.  A certain perplexity swirls about his face like the smoke from the cigarettes he quit smoking several years ago.

He kneels down, jeans soaking up the morning dew from the grass, and pries at the golden blanket containing the remains of Iago—his once true friend.  He pauses. The bones feel disconnected in his hands; they feel limp like a sleeping infant and he is unsure now of what he has done.  Barnabus is afraid to peel back the silken edges frayed with time and filled with insect holes; he’s afraid of what he might find. He questions his needs.  He questions his motives for being in this particular time-space continuum.

The bones gleam against the blanket like burning stars.  He has to squint his eyes against their beauty lying delicate in his hands. The succulent soil in mounds at his feet dives into the hole, a progressively angry time warp.  Iago’s body is curled like a bass clef in his hands.  A simple song constructed of bones. They are Barnabus’ remnants of a friend and a sad reminder of a love he lost the ability to feel.  His fingers touch the skull gently.  He will do unmentionable things.

Aleathia Drehmer

Art Bomb-6/27/2014 Peter Paul Rubens

Aleathia says:  

Peter Paul Rubens.  Our birthdays are a day apart.  Enjoy.

Foodies-6/26/2014 Carla's Comfort Foods

Aleathia says:

Hello again.  It is time to try out a new cookbook.  This week we are going to look at Carla Hall's new cookbook called Carla's Comfort Foods.  You might know Carla from Bravo's TV show Top Chef.

Carla's cooking is all about healthy, nutritious foods that are also bursting with flavor.  This book in particular is set up in sections like normal cookbooks, but in the upper left corner near the name of the recipe she also lets you know what country the recipe is inspired by or where it comes from.  Today we are going to look at a Chinese dish that features eggplant.

Hot and Sour Eggplant Stir-fry

5 small, stripy eggplants (Chinese or Japanese), trimmed, cut in eighths lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise

Kosher salt

3 quarts warm water

2 serrano chiles, stemmed and minced, with seeds

1 T sugar

1.5 T soy sauce

1 T red wine vinegar

1 tsp cornstarch

2 T canola oil

2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 T sliced fresh basil leaves

Sprinkle egglpant with 1 T salt and then immerse in the warm water in a large bowl.  Let stand while you prepare the other ingredients

In a small bowl, stir in the chiles, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch until the sugar dissolves.

Drain the egglpant very well and press dry between paper towels.  Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot.  Add 1 T of the oil and then half of the eggplant.  Cook, tossing and stirring, until browned and just tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant and then return the first batch to the wok.

Add the scallions and the chile mixture.  Cook tossing and stirring for 2 minutes.  Toss in the basil and serve immediately.

Note:  Have your rice in the rice cooker and time it to be done around the same time.

Serves 4

This cookbook is full of wonderful dishes from around the world and the recipes are very simple and easy to follow so this would be a great way for a new cook to try out more fancy dishes.  Have fun.  Cook often.