NPR : getting kids interested in poetry

fun story

Moth Radio Hour

Moth is great, this story about Navajo weaving is amazing

Nice radio story about kids gardening

this brightened my day

brisket a la mexicana, canned salmon fish tacos, NPR Christmas

two good meals. no pics. probably better that way anyway.

had a 1.5 lb brisket in the freezer for a while, also some roasted hatch chilies. took my cue from 'Mexico One plate at a Time' by Rick Bayless. Brown brisket 5 min on each side. You're supposed to take it out, don't remember if I did. Add an onion and 6 cloves garlic. Cook. Add ~2lb roasted chilies. Add ~2c tomato puree. Salt, pepper, oregano, meat back in. Bottle of beer. 325 3 hours. I ended up adding a second bottle of beer half way through. Let it cool and refrigerate a couple of days before you eat it. Shred meat, warm it. Eat with good bread or brown rice.

i gave Lizzy the cat some canned salmon today but there was no way she could eat the whole thing, so brought home the rest. wanted to cook it in some way so that the small bones would be disguised. they freak me out even though they are totally edible and good for you. warmed up some refried beans, threw in some salmon and some cheese. italians don't mix fish and cheese in recipes, but cal-mex food definitely does. chileans do, too, in seafood empanadas, for instance. anyway. delicious with little organic corn slider tortillas and some emeril salsa.

the NPR Tinsel Tales (1, 2 & 3) are so good; santaland diaries of course, there's a cool wolf one in #2 . the pink martini christmas show was great, too.

On Point (NPR); seed saving

nice radio piece on seed banks

Yogurt is an anti-depressant

So many interesting tidbits in the Radiolab story 'gut feelings.' The weight of all of the bacteria in our body is equivalent to the weight of our brains (3 lb). The bacteria that convert milk to yogurt, when they reach our stomachs, can send signals through our nerves to our brains that act as anti-depressants! Someone did a test on mice, "They never panic, they never burn out, and they never fall into despair." They also referenced an article in PNAS, "They're talking about treating psychological disorders with yogurt." Fascinating. Plus yogurt tastes good.

RIP Al Feldstein

I didn't recognize the name, but Mad Magazine was a huge part of my childhood. RIP. Also, there are some more great covers here.

walking around the world / npr

 great story. the above photo is admittedly a bit confusing, check out the caption

NPR Throwback Weekend

Last weekend was interesting on NPR. Sunday morning the host was Susan Stamberg, who has been with NPR since 1972, not that I've listened to NPR for anywhere near that (since 2002 for me, more or less), but still pretty cool to hear her re-taking the host's chair. Prairie Home Companion was a re-broadcast from May of 2000 and was awesome. Randy Newman is great. ALSO, it was the first appearance of Nickel Creek on Prairie Home, they were 18-19 years old. Really fun to listen to.

Some throwback pics while I'm at it.

Bittman / On Point

Great interview. He's out and about cause of his new book Vegan Before 6. He's such a good ambassador for healthy cooking, more accessible than Michael Pollan, who's heart is in the right place but could use a sense of humor...

Scwinn Stingray / NPR

good story, and they end with the Queen song...

Gingerbread Pigs

I think she's got the recipe wrong, but good story

Killing Bees

interesting

Tempeh / NPR

nice story

Sweet Spinach Pie

hmmmmm

Southern Big Sur Overnighter

We went up willow creek road a bit. Did some of the willow creek trail and in the process found some chanterelles! My first wild mushroom find. They were good last night alongside a Hearst Ranch beef burger. Found a sweet campsite for the future, camped down at the bottom of the road to watch the epic sunset. Next day we stopped off to check out the elephant seals near San Simeon. Had lunch at Sebastian's Store, a Hearst Ranch beef burger from cows eating grass right there. Divine. Also got 3 lbs of ground beef for a very reasonable price. Beer at the micro micro brewery in Cambria is good, too! I took my D200 (with a 300mm lens) and D600 (switched between the 24-85 kit lens and the 16mm). LOTS of pics at the links, here are a couple of highlights:

Ninjas / NPR

heck yeah

as a side note, when I lived in Kommetjie way back when, the house of one of my classmates was used for filming the 80s classic American Ninja 2. The fights on the beach were also near his house. Motorcycle chase was on the highway on the west side of the Cape Peninsula.It's already a classic 80s camp movie, but the South Africa connection puts it over the top for me.

Kris Kristofferson / NPR

good interview

classic NPR x2

cyclocross, and gnomes in Oakland

Neil Gaiman / NPR

good little article with Neil Gaiman suggesting some tv/movies to check out