Coming Up on October

"October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight." -

Thoreau, "Autumnal Tints"

Another year is closing, we are forewarned by the crisp breeze, the leaves, the squash, the apples, the pumpkins...Parker Palmer writes that times of deep rest are necessary for us, but there is so much to accomplish before that deep rest can set in, so much I'm trying to build that must be finished, metaphorically and physically, before winter sets in.

Lots of Delicious Things

Somewhere near Herald Square, I met Korean BBQ.





OB (pronounced obi) beer from the Oriental Brewery. YES.

Thanks, Katharine & Chris!

On the Road Again: Upstate NY

Before the weather got so humid that we couldn't leave the house without a fine misting of sweat, we made it out of the city. We didn't know at the time it was going to be our last trip out before fall officially fell. Striking up northwest, we aimed for High Point State Park, in New Jersey. It contains a part of the Appalachian Trail. It was a lovely hike, up over High Point (the highest "mountain" in NJ - East Coast mountains are different than West Coast mountains. I maintain the West Coast alone has 'real' mountains). We climbed the ridge, a sudden quick ascent with a lovely tree cover, hiked across the bouldered ridge, and then half skidded, half fell, and kind of rockclimbed (without gear) down the other side - on the "trail," it must be said - to the lake. We turned around at the lake, feeling a little cheated by the fact that there's a road for cars, campers and boats to come in without working themselves over the ridge like we did.


Back in the car, we headed back into New York state towards the Catskills. Driving along the gorgeous, winding Delaware, we stopped to see an early bridge by John Roebling, the German-born engineer who, later in his career, designed the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was beautiful, beautiful enough that E managed to lose his wallet in the parking lot.

Of course, we didn't realize we were short some identification and purchasing power until we made it to our B & B, the Pura Vida outside of Bethel, NY.

The B&B was off an alley, on a creek, with a lovely hammock - peaceful. We were a little thrown by the teenagers who were staffing the place in the owner's absence, who despite their sweetness made us feel like babysitters. The TV and internet, which were "for guests" to use "any time" were always dominated by them, and we had to ask them to get off the phone to use it to call out (no cell reception!) to cancel all of E's cards. They had no recommendations for dinner either, so E and I tried a bbq place with horrible food (if driving through Bethel, do not put any south in your mouth!) but a lovely view of the lake. When we got home, they asked where we had been, and upon hearing, said, "Oh that place is awful." Well, it's why we asked you before we left, but ... ok...still some lessons about hospitality to be learned here. Not feeling comfortable watching bad Lifetime TV with the teenage boys and their lady dates, E and I went upstairs and hid out, taking a luxurious bath in the great bathtub and then playing Trivial Pursuit. To the place's credit, the owner did upgrade us for free as her other guests hadn't made it. We thank her for that! Our privacy upstairs was much needed, as the teenagers got into a shouting fight shortly after 11p and we were thankful to have a locked door and some stairs between us & them.


Sunday was not as gorgeous as Saturday, but lovely in a mournful, autumnal way. After our teen hosts made us breakfast of eggs and about 30 pieces of toast, we went driving through the Beaverkill Valley in the Catskills, and made it one third of a soggy hike around Alder Lake before turning back (too many piles of bear poop means there are bears nearby)!

Alder Lake has an abandoned mansion on its shores.

We finished the day off with a lovely meal and a drink at the Dancing Cat Saloon. Our waitress was cheery and positive, and we enjoyed the rustic, quirky atmosphere as well as the sandwiches and healthy pub food made on local Flour Power Bakery bread!

The Dancing Cat Saloon in Bethel was the best food we had in the area. I highly recommend it; if you're ever in the area, stop by - the waitress is charming, the food healthy and delicious, and the live music vibrates the wood floor so you can feel the beat in your feet.

Experiments in Cooking: White Bean Chili with Jalapeno Bulgur

Yes. Real Simple, again.

Lots of delicious ingredients.



My coworker who was heading out of town gave me her leftover jalapenos (among other delicious vegetables). So, I found this recipe: handy since we bought organic bulgur up in the Catskills (more on that coming soon). The bulgur is cooked almost all the way, with the jalapeno, lemon juice, and garlic added at the last minute.






Aside from the jalapenos, this is a moderately spicy menu anyway. We used up all the bulgur into two servings, but have about two servings remaining of the chili - so this recipe makes 1/2 the bulgur needed. It's really healthy, takes about half an hour, and is a spicy twist on regular chili. We'll definitely make this again as we head into winter and the hibernating season!

I Dream (Read) of Africa, Part 2

My Africa book streak has continued, and I finally picked up Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I enjoyed her writing early this year in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but hadn't ventured into her fiction. Poisonwood is gripping, from start to finish; I eagerly devoured it. At first, I felt a little nervous about Kingsolver's ability to maintain 5 distinct voices and narrators throughout the the novel (after all, my version is 649 pages long). My fears were unfounded: the girls and Orleanna are all fully delineated, believable, consistent, lifelike...when the parrot Methusaleh is released and dies, I felt the weight of the book's prophecy and tone. The simple, perfect parable of caging an animal, raising it domesticated, and then releasing it into the wild portrays the evils of colonialism so perfectly. The deliberate, malicious thoughtlessness in this act, along with that inherent in colonialism, reminded me of the US' current situation in Iraq. US forces toppled Saddam, who didn't much take care of his own country anyway, ran the country into the ground while exploiting its resources and playing factions of the population off one another for our gain - and now we are just going to leave. We haven't learned our lessons as a nation. There are still naysayers, just as the Prices record Americans at home not understanding the CIA's role in Mobutu's reign. We are unwilling to believe our own complicity. There is no accountability for cleaning up one's own messes. There is no peace love and equality - just exploitation of other people.

Kingsolver's book resonated with me in other ways, aside from validating my master's classes on the horrors of colonialism and, well, neo-colonialism and imperialism. Leah speaks to marriage as well, speaking of hers to Anatole: "Our union has been difficult for both of us in the long run, but what union isn't? Marriage is one long fit of compromise, deep and wide. There is always one agenda swallowing another, one squeaky wheel crying out. But hasn't our life together meant more to the world than either of us could have meant alone?" I think this is a lovely summation of the goal of marriage, one I aspire to. It's not that I couldn't survive without Emile. But I am better for being with him.

I found the character of Adah so compelling, and I admit to being drawn to her over the other girls, even though I think others would place me closer to Leah. After everything, she admits,"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes." Injuries - not failures - a much kinder way to frame our attempts and lives.

On Collecting and Curating

I recently read an article that touted the importance of curation and curating in an increasingly overwhelming world, noting that the ability to select and discriminate is a valuable skill for the 21st century world. We have read quite a bit recently about the information overload the internet has brought us, and the generations of citizens who now grow up more accustomed to visuals and the proliferation of people with media and tech savvy. But what does this all mean? There are broader social implications of this shift.
Authority
This is not an original point - that the proliferation of knowledge and information has led to many nontraditional experts, the inclusion of voices previously silenced or obliterated, and the emergence of "internet" celebrities - selfmade, in true American fashion. One can make oneself an authority on a subject, now - there is no authorizing, validating figure or institution necessary, anymore. There are the obvious drawbacks to this - look at Wikipedia, for example - the "you never know who could be writing this" phenomenon, and with this comes the necessity of extensive cross-referencing. You can't believe everything you read. Especially on the internet. This is the price we have to pay, it seems, to leave the floodgates open for the occasional, unknown gem to be discovered, the missing, unheard voice to echo in a space of reception.
So, these new curators appear to be more democratic than their predecessors. They will be chosen, become popular based on their merit and ability to appeal to their audiences, rather than standing on an empty throne, chosen by experts who want a descendant to promulgate their worldviews into the coming generations. Individuals can choose who to listen to - and that person's choices, recommendations, worldviews become then paramount in determining or reinforcing one's own. Are we about to witness an age of despots, tyrants? The few individuals who are cunning enough to filter (and filter well) the torrents of information charging at the public, and wield them, will stand powerful on the wilyness of their own choices (in the past, they have been powerful by having been merely placed in positions of power). Or will these new voices allow us to juxtapose and make meaning in new places? My mother explained to me once that Einstein's brain was very heavy, because the synapses in his brain connected physically, which formed ponderous bonds. The more connections our brain has, allowing us to link seemingly unconnected thoughts, the heavier our brains (but not necessarily heavy thoughts!). I find connections like Faulkner and Common delightful, because it is a way of relating to deep meaning behind art and surfacing it in its various iterations at the hands and words of different meaningmakers.

The Psychology of Collecting
My master's seminars on museums taught me about the way museums came into being. They are descendents, however now far removed, from curio or curiosity cabinets. Cabinets full of things that were curious, odd, beautiful. Europe's wealthy assembled them from their travels, as a way of demonstrating their power - to visit places others couldn't, and take for themselves pieces of that place (sometimes paying for it, sometimes not), putting these objects into boxes showcasing their uniqueness, freakishness, representativeness of another culture or place. Collecting is an act of possession, an act of making meaning or selecting a predominant meaning for an object, despite or because of the other adherent meanings. Objects can be selected for their sentimental value - just look at any child, who gathers and keeps stuffed animals, toys, sports league trophies. These things are brought together because of what they represent - they are tangible memories. Collecting is thus subjective, personal, possessive.

If collecting is subjective and personal, and if modern individuals become self-made authorities based on their collecting of objects, ideas - their curating ability - are we not witnessing a popularity contest? And, is a popularity contest not the actual essence of democracy? If so, collecting and curating might transition from one of the most authority-sodden practices to one of the most democratic...