time and goals and headaches

Last night I watched one of my favorite movies, Before Sunrise, for the like, millionth time. Towards the end of the movie, Ethan Hawke recites lines from a W.H. Auden poem:

But all the clocks in the city
Began to whirr and chime:
'O let not Time deceive you,
You cannot conquer Time.

'In headaches and in worry
Vaguely life leaks away,
And Time will have his fancy
To-morrow or to-day.


I have some time on my hands this evening, and I'm trying to put it to good use. I trapsed up to the bookstore, and now am sitting at a coffee shop, thinking, and attempting to write a bit. I went to plug in my computer at said coffee shop, and slammed my head really hard into a big metal sign that was hanging from the ceiling. Man, I am still seeing bright colors flash!

Maybe it's the bump on my head, or maybe it's the poetry, but I'm contemplating lots of goals...little ones: commenting on some book pages for a friend. Big ones: thinking about going to Europe with the hubs. Meanwhile, the long evening stretches, empty and full at once, and I will try to chip away at these goals.

improvising and keeping cool...

When triple H conditions strike, what's a girl to do but strike back with frozen snacks?

Behold, the chocolate-dipped frozen banana bites I created with help from my trusty Bon Appetit. I didn't have any candy bars on hand, which is what the recipe called for to create the coating, so I improvised. I used a mix of espresso powder and cocoa for one variety, coarsely chopped sesame seeds for another, chopped dried cranberries, and chopped crystalized ginger~which ended up being my favorite!

The frozen banana centers are delightfully cool and creamy, almost like ice-cream.

Frozen grapes are another, super easy, fun frozen thing to eat. Just give 'em a rinse, and toss 'em in the freezer on a sheet pan covered with wax paper. Delish! I hold 'em on my wrists for a second before popping them in my mouth!

home sweet home, and lots to do!

I am glad to be back in the mitten.

Last week we had a marvelous time in Washington state; we hiked and swam, drank wine and ate really fresh food, wandered around the city. Of course, there was really, really good coffee.

For all the great experiences, I am shamelessly glad to be home again. It was a much longed-for vacation, with a much-longed for homecoming. You know when you just get tired--not in your body, but in your mind? My mind was tired, and ready to come home and rest.

For now, I am excited about the freshness of summer! There is lots to be done, adventurous transitions to be made, glorious books to be read. Here is the sum-up:

Projects:
The tomatoes are doing well--growing quite tall, to my delight.

Thinking:
About ways to incorporate 'ZINEs into my summer class. Anybody have good examples?

Reading:
Possession by A.S. Byatt. Just finished it, actually, with a satisfied and deep sigh. It was thick and twisted with language, but with a racing quality that pulled me through to the very last page, which was heart-rending and poetic. Highly recommend.