novita-love in action on a sunday afternoon

words of wisdom

"I do not know how to avoid the conclusion that a man who is capable of taking the illusions of religion so literally and is so sure of a special personal intimacy with the Almighty is unfitted for relations with ordinary children of men."

-Sigmund Freud, on Woodrow Wilson

nights out on the town

politics as usual

Three out of the eight potential Republican presidential nominees participating in last night's debate do not believe in evolution. And one of them believes that employers should have the right to fire their gay employees because, you know, it's an individual choice.

The White House asserts that Congress is attempting to wrest control of the war in Iraq from the commanders on the ground. Nancy Pelosi says no, Congress is attempting to wrest control of the war in Iraq from the White House. Bush's response: "The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm the commander guy."

Last but not least, a South Korean dry-cleaning store in Washington, D.C., is being sued for $65 million over a missing pair of pants. The person bringing this ridiculous lawsuit to trial? A judge.

Go America.

my 'hood hits the bigtime

You wouldn't think that Washington Heights would ever become an alternative rock musical mecca, and yet it seems to be happening. More famously known as the home of Rev. Ike (at least to those of us in the know) and owned by the United Christian Evangelistic Association, these days the Palace is hosting such folks as the Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and Bjork. Strange world this is.

I recently discovered that the New York Times online offers their Times Select for free to anyone who registers with an "edu" email address. Go Times.

ruminating

It's funny, how you can miss a person so very much that it sometimes seems to taint your days and nights, and yet at the same time be in many ways happier than you have been in years, if ever. I should get rid of the you and lay claim to the I in all of this. I miss Chris enormously, even after more than a quarter of a year, and yet today, on this second day of May, the world seems brighter than it has in much longer even than that. I've been reading more, and writing more, and spending more time on my own, and oh so slowly beginning to discern more intricate knitting patterns, and spending more time with friends, and, after indulging in a digital camera last week, taking pictures of the things and the people that I love. There is a certain power in all of this, in learning to cherish the time I have alone; in relearning how to be a friend fully and entirely on my own terms and not as a couple, as only one half of a pair, half of a whole; in carrying around my very own camera and, however slowly, learning to look at this world around me and truly see beauty in it, in a street sign, in a dead tree, in the evening light on a building, in a flowering geranium, in the warm faces of people dear and close to my heart. There is a certain sense of solidity, of an internal balance, that I, in some ways, am discovering for the first time and am growing to love.

in the gloaming

bff :)

bridge, 4.29.07

brooklyn botanic garden, sunday afternoon

evening in hell's kitchen

As always, C & A threw a lovely dinner party last night. Delicious food, good wine, not so good port, excellent company, and a spare bed for those of us who were daunted by the prospect of a late-night, local-train commute home, especially given the need to be down at Penn Station at 9:30 this morning.

My contribution to the evening? Brussel sprouts. I'd never have believed it possible when I was a kid, but yes, brussel sprouts. Weird.

Brussel Sprouts:

Peel and roast a whole bunch of garlic cloves in a toaster oven at 400 for about 40 minutes, wrapped in aluminum foil and drizzled with some olive oil, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and lavender salt (or regular salt if you don't happen to have any lavender salt on hand...).

Rinse and halve a whole bunch of brussel sprouts.

Remove garlic from toaster oven and mash up in a bowl with some more olive oil. Add some finely chopped candied ginger (just a couple of pieces). Pour mixture over brussel sprouts in a tupperware container and shake vigorously to coat the sprouts. Let marinate for an hour or so, shaking every so often.

Pour sprouts into a glass baking dish, season with some more salt and pepper, both black and cayenne, and bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, covered in aluminum foil. Give 'em a good stir about half way through.

wrap for me

and yet more news today...

Guantánamo Detainee Charged
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 25, 2007

A Canadian detained in Afghanistan and held at Guantánamo Bay since 2002 was charged with murder. The detainee, Omar Khadr, 20, is accused of throwing a grenade that killed a Special Forces soldier while fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and planting mines aimed at American convoys. The military charged him with murder, providing support to terrorism, attempted murder, conspiracy and spying.

Can you imagine being arrested at the age of 16 and imprisoned with no charges brought against you for four years? Me, neither. On the other hand, at 16 I probably couldn't have found Afghanistan on a map, nor recognized a real hand grenade if it landed at my feet.

On a final note, three years ago today more than a million people descended on Washington, DC to participate in the March for Women's Lives, in a demonstration of solidarity to protect women's health and women's futures. Last week, five men decided they know better.

snap

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, responding to Dick Cheney's accusation that he's changed his position several times on funding for the war in Iraq: "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating."

-- Tim Grieve
Salon/War Room