White (ish) Christmas

Here it is, my Christmas miracle:




That's right, it's snow! In Portland! On Christmas Day! Thanks, Santa.

I'm a bit late, but I wanted to post my top 10 non-traditional Christmas/holiday songs (random order):

1. Christians and Pagans by Dar Williams

2. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey

3. 25th December by Everything but the Girl

4. Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band

5. Christmas Dragnet by Stan Freburg and Daws Butler

6. The Peace Carol by John Denver and the Muppets

7. Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon

8. River by Joni Mitchell (lots of other fab version of this song, including Indigo Girls and Sarah McLachlan)

9. Christmastime (Oh Yeah) by Barenaked Ladies

10. Song for a Winter's Night by Sarah McLachlan

11. Donna & Blitzen by Badly Drawn Boy

Okay, so it's a top 11. I was just listening to the last song and it's pretty great, so I added it on a whim. Number two is cheesy and annoying, but it's about hippos, so there you go.

If you're looking for a whole album of festive fabulousness (maybe for next year?) might I recommend Christmas Caravan, Barenaked for the Holidays, Wintersong, and of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

I hope everybody has had/is having a super holiday season!

Do you really need that Thneed?

So I wanted to post something about the environment for Blog Action Day. Which was yesterday. D'oh!

But I didn't forget...I actually spent a lot of time thinking about the topic and rejected several preliminary drafts. I just came to the conclusion that I didn't have anything new to say about global warming, having already posted about it here (check out the comments on that post for some super suggestions from my sis). The Blog Action topic was not global warming, of course, so I could have just as easily posted a stunning photo-essay about the awe-inspiring National Parks I grew up visiting: Capital Reef, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Yosemite...

But I didn't. I got stuck on the global warming theme, and I ran out of time and I ran out of inspiration. One thing that I kept thinking about was this quote from Dr. Seuss's The Lorax (my earliest foray into environmentalism):

UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not.

This morning, I started to feel a little more optimistic. Because now, finally, a whole bunch of people DO care a whole awful lot. Global warming has been THE hot issue this year, and awareness seems to be greater than it's ever been. Al Gore(and some other people) just won the Nobel Peace Prize!

The thing I enjoyed most about An Inconvenient Truth was that it wasn't all doom and gloom: it offered actual solutions that regular people could integrate into their lives, without spending tons of money. Humans may have caused the current global warming crisis, but we can fix it, and I feel like we are making some progress.

And now, some more links! Stuff I've enjoyed reading and looking at lately, by people much smarter and more literate than me...

My sister knows a lot about taking care of the Earth
And she didn't miss Blog Action Day like I did

Carbon-negative fuel? Inconceivable!

Eric3000 on Solar Power
And on Carbon Footprints

Kora in Hell on Live Earth

No Impact Man

EPA Environmental Kid's Club

Tiny Houses

Chris Jordan's Trash Art

Beauty and Crime

Whew! It's been a busy summer. I just watched my baby brother get married (congrats, K & L!) and I am feeling very, very old.

It's been a good summer for music, though. I was able to attend two great shows: Crowded House and Toad the Wet Sprocket. Plus, I finally got my hands on Suzanne Vega's new album, Beauty and Crime. It's as fantastic as I hoped it would be.

You may remember Suzanne Vega from of the oft-remixed Tom's Diner (you can listen to a snippet of this and many of her other songs at her website). Her new album is slightly more pop-y and less folksy than I expected, but in the best possible way. My favorite song is the first one, Zephyr & I, followed closely by Edith Wharton's Figurines. I also just learned from Wiki that Vega has the same birthday (different year) and same degree (English Lit.) as me. Love her!

I'm also really enjoying The Underdog (as far as I can tell, the song has no connection to the crappy Jason Lee Underdog movie which I've expressed my disgust for previously) by Spoon. I just can't resist a band with a good horn section.


(And that, of course, is a runcible spoon)

Potpourri for $100

Hi. I haven't been motivated to put together an awesome, inspiring post in the last few days, but here are a few little tidbits, from my brain to you:

***Warning: contains spoilers from Harry Potter and also from The Simpsons Movie***

* So I saw The Simpsons movie this weekend and I liked it fine. I thought a few things were thrown in just for shock value (i.e. naked Bart, lots and lots of cursing, Otto smoking a bong), but on the whole the story was reasonably well-crafted and I laughed a lot. It also made me want to move to Alaska. What ever happened to Spider Pig, though? And why didn't Al Gore make a cameo?

* I read the Harry Potter book the day it came out and am now doing a second, more leisurely, re-read. I wasn't sure if I even liked the book at first, but I've concluded that I do. It wasn't perfect, but it was acceptable, and (for the most part) a fitting end to the series. Most of my predictions were dead wrong (as I predicted they would be!), and the book went an entirely different direction than I expected it to, but that was okay. The ending was too rushed, and I had really hoped Snape would get a glamourous, heroic death, but there you go. However, I didn't think the epilogue was successful, even though Rowling said in interviews that it was left intentionally vague.

* In case you were wondering if it's possible to cut a big chunk out of your index finger with a butter knife, it is. Don't try it at home.

* I'm increasingly distressed by the previews of Underdog I keep seeing. I typically enjoy Jason Lee, but he may have just gotten on my bad list (see also the ill-advised Alvin and the Chipmunks movie). This is what underdog is supposed to look like:


Why oh why do film-makers insist on making animated, cartoon-length shows into full-length, live-action movies? No good can come of it.

* I had the strangest dream that I was competing on the Bravo Reality show Top Chef. The challenge was to create some kind fabulous salad, and all I could think of was a chicken salad, with packaged lettuce and pre-cooked chicken. And truffles, because if I have learned anything from watching Iron Chef, it's that using truffles guarantees victory. The show was being filmed in Manhattan (though I've never actually been there) and I had to keep running up and down a very hill-y street to a grocery store to pick up ingredients I'd forgotten. I woke up before the judging, but I have no doubt that I lost horribly and was thoroughly mocked and browbeaten by the judging panel. It was one of those dreams that leaves you feeling anxious and distressed for the rest of the day, even thought you know it's not real. I mean, I like to cook things from time to time, but I'm not a chef by any stretch of the imagination. What's up with that, subconscious?

* In case you were wondering, that's a Jeopardy reference, up there in the title line. Specifically, a reference to the Weird Al song.

And now for a word I don't like...

from dictionary.com:

kill-joy [kil-joi]

–noun
a person who spoils the joy or pleasure of others; spoilsport.

(for other synonyms, see buzzkill, party pooper, marplot, wet blanket, depreciator, and stupidhead)

I am referring, of course, to the people who have allegedly obtained early copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and have posted plot details, the ending, and in some cases scans of the entire novel, online.

Come on, people. You have to be the first one in the world to have a copy of the seventh Harry Potter book, I get that. Somebody always has to be the first. But why ruin it for everybody else?

I'm pleased the see that Scholastic (the US publisher of the Harry Potter books) is already pursuing legal action against the people who have posted supposed scans of the book online, and against an online distributor that accidentally (or accidentally-on-purpose) shipped the books out early. Some of the text that appears on the Web seems to be an elaborate hoax, as a spokeperson for Scholastic has said that "she was aware of at least three different versions of the file 'that look very convincing' with what she described as 'conflicting content.'"

I'm particularly disappointed with the New York Times which, after reporting several stories about the alleged book leak, apparently obtained their own copy and posted a review of the book online. Today. Three days before the official release. I haven't read the review, and won't post the link here, but it is supposed to contain many spoilers. Even the brief teaser I glimpsed on the main New York Times home page was more than I wanted to know.

This is ridiculous, unprofessional, and showcases the very worst in human nature. Seriously, guys. Christmas is only a few days away, don't tell me what my presents are. Just give me a chance to open them, okay? Please?

(Disclaimer: the links in this post link to articles about spoilers, never to the spoilers themselves. Also, in spite of the bitter tone of this post, I have not yet read anything that I consider a legitimate spoiler, and I hope I can keep in that way until Saturday.)

Inchoate

from dictionary.com:

in·cho·ate [in-koh-it, -eyt or, especially Brit., in-koh-eyt]

–adjective
1. not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
2. just begun; incipient.
3. not organized; lacking order: an inchoate mass of ideas on the subject.

[Origin: 1525–35; < L inchoātus, var. of incohātus ptp. of incohāre to begin, start work on, perh. equiv. to in- -in-2 + coh(um) hollow of a yoke into which the pole is fitted + -ātus -ate1]

I just learned this word today. Or more likely, I've seen it before but glossed it over without bothering to look it up, assuming that I already knew what it meant.

As I try to get back into writing, I'm making a point looking up words I thought I already know the definitions for, only to discover that I'm always slightly wrong. Using words more precisely will help me write more precisely, so this is probably a good thing.

Anyway, inchoate is a word I will need to begin using immediately, to describe myself, to describe this blog, and to describe any of several projects I'm trying to complete right now. I like the fact that it looks and sounds so similar to incoherant.

I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition...

[JARRING CHORD]


NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!


(Sorry...it's my birthday and I couldn't resist a bit of random silliness. Watch the videos here and here).

Warning: Extreme Harry Potter Content

I usually try to keep my inner Harry Potter geek contained, but she will be out in full force for this post. If you are not interested in the Harry Potter books, if you don't like the Harry Potter books, if you think the Harry Potter books promote Satanism and the decline of Western civilization, you should stop reading right now. Go entertain yourself here instead.

That said, I never expected to get so involved in the Harry Potter books. I got started slowly, but by book 3 (my favorite!) I was completely sucked in. No surprise, really, since I've been reading various epic fantasy and science fiction series my whole life. In elementary school, it was the Oz books and the Chronicles of Narnia. In junior high I discovered the Wrinkle in Time quartet and the Anne McCaffrey books. In high school I read the Lord of the Rings and the Shanarra trilogy, and recently I have been catching up on the Ender saga. After Harry Potter I'm sure I will find another collection of books to obsess over (Phillip Pullman has been suggested to me recently).

But I digress. I wanted to post my official predictions for book 7, so that in the unlikely event that I'm right about something, I can feel smug about it. And in the much more likely event that I'm way off base, you can all laugh and point. I'll probably be updating this post as more things occur to me.

* Harry, Ron, and Hermione will survive. Not without injuries, (and I'm thinking burns, serious cuts, maybe even loss of limbs), but they all will be alive at the end of book 7.

* Voldemort will be vanquished, but Harry must find a way to finish him off without killing him, for Harry must not split his soul. I believe Harry will destroy the horcruxes (with a lot of help, I'm sure), but I think a dementor will be what finishes Voldemort off in the end, sucking the final bit of soul out through his mouth and leaving him in a state "worse than death." I have no idea how this will happen, since the dementors are supposedly on Voldemort's side. Harry's ability to produce a corporeal patronus is an important plot point, maybe the patronus will be strong enough to deflect a dementor from attacking Harry to attacking Voldemort instead?

* Lots of people will die, including at least two main characters (JKR has said so). For deaths, I am predicting Snape, Percy Weasley, possibly Mrs. Weasley, Wormtail, and Neville. Maybe Charlie Weasley, or Fred and George. I hope Neville will be the character who gets the reprieve, but I have a bad feeling about him. Of course, I assume that most of the Death Eaters and various other secondary characters will die as well.

* I think the book will end the way it began, with somebody giving their life to save Harry's. I believe it will be Snape or Wormtail. Possibly Neville.

* More likely, Neville will die attempting to revenge his parents and destroy Bellatrix Lestrange. I think he will be successful in vanquishing her (again, I'm not sure if he will actually split his soul by killing her or if he will find another way), but that he will die too.

* Dumbledore is really dead. At least, one of them is. I don't know if I believe that Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore switched places, but I find the idea intriguing. Regardless, I think they will both be dead by the end of book 7. As an aside, I think the idea that Dumbledore had a horcrux of his own (which I've read on several Harry Potter forums) is absolutely ludicrous. It doesn't make any sense, given what we know about Dumbledore and what we know about horcruxes.

* If Percy dies, he will die doing something heroic to redeem himself for the way he's been acting in the last few books.

* Wormtail must also die doing something heroic, and will repay his life debt to Harry (most likely by saving Harry's life).

* Harry will return to the Chamber of Secrets and find something important there, either a horcrux or some important revelation about Salazar Slytherin.

* Harry will re-visit the Room of Requirement, and find something extremely important to his quest; maybe a horcrux.

* I don't think Nagini is a horcrux, but I do think that Voldemort used the murder of Frank Bryce to create his sixth horcrux. My pet theory is that he used something Frank Bryce had on his person: the key to the Riddle House. Frank's spare key is mentioned several times in chapter 1 of book 4 and I think it would have had enough significance (the key to his father's house!) for Voldemort to use it as a horcrux. If this is the case, the key has most likely been magically concealed in the Riddle house.

* I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the wand in Ollivander's shop window (mentioned once, in passing, in book 1) is just a wand. I've read some crazy theories about this wand, from it being a horcrux to it belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw or even to Grindelwald, but I just don't find anything in the text to back them up. The theory seems to be based on the idea that the four founders' artifacts (and potential horcruxes) align with the four suits of the tarot (swords, cups, coins, and wands), but I find this much too big of an assumption to make with no basis in canon. Ollivander's a wand-maker, he displays a wand in the window of his shop. Sometimes a wand is just a wand. There's definitely something funny about Ollivander and his subsequent disappearance, though. I just can't fathom what it might be.

* Albus Dumbledore will continue giving Harry advice and guidance in book 7, either through his portrait, letters, memories in the pensieve, or some other means. I am certain that Fawkes will return to help Harry out as well.

* Many people have speculated that Harry will have to go through the veil in book 7, and I agree. I believe Sirius will be his guide and the key to him returning from beyond the veil. I just discovered this quote, which is very mysterious and seems to support the idea of going through the veil:

[JKR discusses the fact that you can't reverse death]"That's a given. Without it the plot would fall apart, though in Book Seven you'll see just how close you can get to the dead."

* Harry is willing to sacrifice himself to destroy Voldemort, and will probably do something he believes will result in his own death (i.e. going through the veil), but events beyond his control and outside of his knowledge will allow him to survive.

* Snape is good. Well, maybe "good" is the wrong word, but he is not working for Voldemort. He will redeem himself in the end, possibly dying to save Harry's life.

* I find this quote fascinating, but I can't even being to speculate on who might be married to whom:

"Have any of the Hogwarts professors had spouses?"
JKR: "Good question - yes, a few of them, but that information is sort of restricted - you'll find out why..."

* Snape is related somehow to Madame Pince, the librarian. She may be Snape's mother, in disguise (or in hiding), or another relative (aunt?). Maybe even Snape's wife, wouldn't that be scandalous? I base this theory entirely on the fact that Madame Pince's name, Irma Pince, anagrams to "I'm a Prince" (Snape's mother was Eileen Prince) and that their physical descriptions (sallow and hook-nosed) are similar.

* On www.jkrowling.com, under the Rumours section (5/13/05) JKR debunks the rumour that Snape is Luna Lovegood's father by saying "Mr. Lovegood, the editor of 'the Quibbler', really is Luna's father and Snape does not have a daughter." This seems awkwardly phrased...why wouldn't she say Snape doesn't have any children? Because he does? I find the idea that Snape has a son very interesting indeed. However, I do not think that it is Harry, or Neville, or even Draco.

* Many Harry Potter fans believe that Snape was in love with Lily. I definitely think there was some kind of connection between them, whether they dated or worked on potions together or were just good friends I'm not sure. This article about the French play Polyeucte (featuring a character named Severus) makes me think it was likely that Snape did have feelings for Lily, although I do not believe that they had a child (in reference to the prediction above).

* I do think it's possible that Snape entered into an Unbreakable Vow with Lily at some point in the past. I do not, however, believe that he had an Unbreakable Vow with Dumbledore. Dumbledore puts too much emphasis on the power of our choices to put somebody in a position where they have no choice.

* I think we will see, in the pensieve, somebody's memory of what actually happened in Godric's Hollow the night Voldemort killed Harry's parents. The memory might be Harry's, or it might be somebody else's...somebody else who would have been present that night. My guesses for who might have been present are Wormtail, Lupin, or one or both of Neville's parents. I also think we have been slightly mislead about what actually happened during that confrontation.

* Neville has been subjected to a memory charm, which is beginning to wear off. We will find out why and who put it on him.

* Petunia, with her "horsey" face and teeth, might have something to do with centaurs. I don't think she's part centaur (is that even possible?), but there is certainly more to Petunia than what we've seen so far.

* Harry will, of course, get back together with Ginny in the end. Ron and Hermione will, of course, be a couple in the end.

* We will see the mirror of Erised again, and other mirrors (including Sirius's mirror), will play an important role in book 7. I believe Voldemore used a (cracked and spotted) mirror to communicate with Draco (and who knows who else) in Book 6. The mirror hiding the collapsed secret passage on the fourth floor of Hogwarts will come into play, and we will find out why that passageway was blocked and where it leads. I suspect it has something to do with the Chamber of Secrets.

* The occupations of Harry's parents are supposed to be important to the plot (read quote here). I suspect that one or both of them were Unspeakables, who worked in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort must have had some compelling reason for allowing Lily to live (he asked her to stand aside, so he could get to Harry, when he could have just as easily killed her first). It seems like giving Lily the choice to live (and allowing her to sacrifice herself to save Harry) was Voldemort's one big mistake.

* Moaning Myrtle will be back in book 7, and will have some critical information for Harry, probably about Voldemort (since she was at school with him).

* What's up with: wardrobes, grandfather clocks (particularly the one in the Gryffindor common room), clocks and watches in general, the Giant Squid, cracked and spotted mirrors (see my mirror prediction above), Neville's Mimbulus Mimbletonia, pigs (hogs, winged boars, boarhounds, etc.), the Draught of Living death (I don't think Dumbledore took this to fake his own death, but maybe Harry will take it at some point?), house elves, and Harry leaving his invisibility cloak lying around? I think all of these things will have a role in book 7. I just don't know what that role will be.

* Like most fans, I believe R.A.B. is Regulus Black (Sirius's dead brother). I will be thrilled if it turns out to be someone (or something) different, though.

* I have been haunted by the following three passages from the books, but I'm still not sure how I want to interpret them:

"Professor Trelawny was now teaching them palmistry; and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen."
(Prisoner of Azkaban, ch. 12, pg. 235 US paperback, italics mine)

"[Harry said]'But if I'd dropped dead every time she's told me I'm going to, I'd be a medical miracle.'
'You'd be a sort of extra-concentrated ghost,' said Ron, chortling..."
(Goblet of Fire, ch. 21, pg. 372 US paperback, italics mine)

"[Draco] looked back at at Harry and said in a low voice, 'You're dead, Potter.'
Harry raised his eyebrows. 'Funny,' he said, 'you'd think I'd have stopped walking around...'"
(Order of the Phoenix, ch. 38, pg. 851 US paperback, italics mine)

For a while I had a theory that Harry had really died that night at Godric's Hollow, and something else had inhabited his body. But how would a dead body continue to grow? I admit, that theory doesn't make any sense. The theory that Harry is a horcrux, or that his scar is a horcrux, seems more plausible, but I don't really believe that. What if Harry died but someone (Snape?) was able to "stopper" death, allowing Harry to survive (but not live, as per the prophecy) for a set period of time? And what exactly was Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets? A memory? A sort of extra-concentrated ghost? He became more solid (more like a real person) the more life he took from Ginny. Things to ponder.

* We will find out at least one of the 12 uses of dragon's blood (one more, that is; the 12th use is oven cleaner), and it will probably be something that saves Harry and others from dying in certain situations.

* As for the dragon pictured on the cover of the deluxe editionof book 7, I think it can only be a grown-up Norbert.

For some interesting notes about connections to alchemy in the Harry Potter books, click here, for a discussion of the Celtic wheel click here, and for a great editorial (not by me) about the ancient Egyptian links throughout the series click here. Oh yeah, and here is some info about the sacred hallows of Ireland (certainly at least one of the inspirations behind the title phrase "Deathly Hallows").

(edited 7/11 to add a few new predictions, some quotes, and clean up my egregious spelling and grammatical errors.)

(edited 7/16 to add my final thoughts.)

Presto!

Step 1: Fresh Basil


Step 2: Fresh Basil in Blender


Step 3: Fresh Pesto in Bowl



Okay, I may have skipped some steps, but is there anything better than a bowl of fresh pesto sauce? I used to make it from a packet, but in the last year or two I've discovered that it's just as easy, and much tastier, to make it myself. I don't have a specific recipe (because it depends on what I have on hand at the time), but here are some guidelines:

MY PESTO FORMULA

2 cups basil, give or take

Juice of 2-3 lemons

1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I like a lot of cheese)

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/4 - 1/2 cup nuts (I usually use walnuts, but pine nuts are more traditional. Alton Brown has a great recipe using pistachios. In a pinch, I've used pecans and even raw almond butter.)

Splash of apple cider or other vinegar (optional: if you need more acid but have run out of lemons)

Cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce, to taste

Tamari, soy sauce, or sea salt, to taste (if you use a lot of cheese, you won't need much salt)

Pinch of ground mustard or actual mustard (there is some chemistry going on here, as the mustard helps emulsify the olive oil and lemon juice)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Throw everything in the blender and blend the heck out of it. Use a silicone spatula if necessary to help the mixture turn over. Be careful! Wooden spoon not recommended: chunks of wood do not enhance pesto's texture.

I think that's it! Spread finished pesto on pasta, salads (add a bit more lemon juice to make a yummy dressing), bread, crackers, sandwiches...


And of course, ugly, misshapen pizzas! I probably should have done a better job rolling out the dough, but they tasted great.

My New Car

How cool is this cubist car?


I wonder what it runs on. Do you think I could get it in blue?