THIS is What a FEMINIST Looks Like!

This is me from the neck down. I'm 7 months pregnant. Caroline liked the juxtaposition of the "This is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt over my large pregnant belly. I have to agree. This is what a feminist looks like. My face looked pained so I had to cut it off. I've had this t-shirt since college.

I'm not going to talk about being pregnant much here. This week, I've been consumed by two news stories - the Siberian tiger, Tatiana, who killed one person and mauled two others in San Francisco, and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

I'm not going to pretend to know a lot about Bhutto. I just know that her death is a huge set back for Pakistan and the Middle East. More importantly, I'm frightened by the fact that Musharref is one of the U.S.'s greatest "allies" against terrorism in the region, yet his own relationship with democracy is pretty poor. How alike are we to him? It gives me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. It's not just gas.

The story of Tatiana is a truly sad one. We can't be shocked that the animal was vicious or barbaric. She's a tiger for goodness sake. They are instinctual and they prey on and kill other animals. Just because we stick them in a pretty "enclosure" doesn't take their natural desire to hunt away. But it is a tragedy. Those poor boys are maimed and one dead at seventeen. Can you imagine dying that way? Unfathomable. Zoos can be a good place. It allows us to learn about other animals and respect their need for survival as well as our own. Zoos have become a place of sanctuary for near-extinct animals like the Siberian tiger. I don't have anything profound to say about this. I wish I did, but I'm just saddened for both the victims and the tiger.

My last random thought will be about Facebook. I was hesitant to join yet another online community (aside from MySpace) and I couldn't figure out how to use it. But after several invitations to view profiles, etc. I gave in. It's been very interesting. And provides for hours of trivial amusement. Not many folks my age are on it. If you've heard of it, you know it was designed for colleges and that is the major user. But it's catching on worldwide and I've found some folks I haven't talked to in years. That's fun. It's not that I have to find these people. I'm happy with my current friends. But it's nice to catch up with people and see what they are doing now. Natural curiosity. Check it out. I like it better than MySpace because you don't get random friend requests from people you don't know. Somehow, that seems to make it more "intimate."

Cookies and Coffee

This is been the weekend of cookies. Caroline and I are having some friends over for a Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow, so this weekend, I was chained to the kitchen. It's been fun. I am really enjoying it. I found some new cookie recipes on the internet (Myrecipes.com), and for the last two days I've been baking up a storm. The first cookie I made was actually a biscotti, cranberry and chocolate chip. I have never made biscotti before so this was a treat. Actually, I've never made any of the cookies I made this weekend. The biscotti turned out pretty yummy. The next cookie I made was pinolli. Caroline found this recipe in some Martha Stewart Magazine called Blueprint, which she will apparently stop publishing some time soon. We had some pinolli at Iggie's Pizza in Mt. Vernon. Mine didn't come out as good, but I was still impressed with myself nonetheless.

I also made two drop cookies - Oatmeal, chocolate chip, pecan and cranberry coconut chews. Neither of my cookies seemed to come out the way they're pictured on the website, but they both taste good. Frankly, I can't see how either of these cookies could be considered "drop" cookies. I thought the dough for both was very crumbly and I had to mold it into cookies before I put it on the baking sheet. However, they taste good and I hope they'll be a hit with the guests. It's really satisfying to try out new recipes. I haven't enjoyed cooking in a long time so it felt good to get back in the kitchen and cook things from scratch.

My other "from scratch" accomplishments for the weekend are cranberry sauce (I grew up eating that jello stuff from the can) and corn bread (to be used for the stuffing). However, what I am most proud of is the chocolate covered strawberries! Yum! Another new experiment for me.

You may be wondering if we're going to prepare any food that isn't dessert. Well, we have a full menu, most of which will be made tomorrow by Caroline, with the exception of the turkey and the stuffing. Caroline is making all the vegetable dishes, of which there are 4 or 5. She's also making yummy savory scones. I'm making the turkey (cross your fingers for me), the stuffing, and kugel. It should be a yummy feast.

And now for topic #2 - Coffee. I'm on a coffee tasting exhibition with our local roast masters, Zeke's. I've switched up my habits a bit. During the week, we set up our coffee to brew in advance of our waking. For this, we use Peet's. They deliver. But on the weekends, I wanted no shortcuts. We grind whole beans right before brewing. So for my whole bean fix, I've been patronizing Zeke's. They do their own roasting and I'm impressed with their selection of organic fairly traded coffees. What I'm even more pleased about is how they package the beans. I mean, they package it like everyone else, BUT they offer a half and half blend. Half regular, half decaf. Let me tell you what a pain in the ass it is to do that yourself at home. Getting two bags of coffee, one regular, one decaf, scooping some from each, etc, etc. It is a real treat. I recently tried their Ethiopian Sumatra and found it just wasn't dark enough for me. Today I broke into a French Roast. I enjoyed it, but I'm still looking for something a little more full bodied. Whatever is the next blend, it's sure to be good. Zeke's has really brightened my weekends. I highly recommend checking out their website or stopping by their store. They also have a great stand at the Waverly Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

Happy brewing!

I'm Back... and Just In Time

Hi all, I'm back from a hiatus. This has been a challenging month, one in which blogging the randomness of my mind just wasn't going to happen. Basically, I've been preoccupied with my friend's family crisis. I didn't want to blog about it, but I will a bit today.

My best friend, T, had a family emergency in October. Her husband had a stroke caused by a large brain tumor. He has brain cancer at 43. The surgeons didn't expect him to survive the surgery, but he did. His prognosis for the cancer, however, is uncertain. And the stroke itself caused significant damage. He's lost all mobility on his right side. He's been in the hospital since the stroke, though he could be released any day now. He's currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for the cancer. They have two children, 6 and 3.

I can't believe T has to go through this. My heart is breaking for her. I can't imagine what it is to have life change so drastically and so permanently in a moment's time. She's trying to make sure her husband gets the best treatment while also keeping life as stable and normal as possible for their children. A 6-year old and 3-year old can't be expected to understand what's happening to their father. For them, it must be the worst feeling in the world to see him in the hospital, head shaved and unable to talk.

Caroline and I went to see her the week of Thanksgiving. T lives in California and I'm here in Baltimore. I feel so helpless being so far from her and the kids. My brief visit wasn't all that helpful. What can I do in a few days to help with a lifetime of changes? I struggled with my need to be helpful and T's need to be independent, strong, and normal. She deals with this day in and day out. She knows she has to find time to go to the grocery store, do the laundry, play with the kids. She can't rely on me who's only there a few days. It was hard.

I love them all so much. But really, what could anyone do? One of the worst things that could happen has happened, not to me but to her. I will be here however she needs me and I hope that brings her a little bit of comfort.

So as I bring myself back to my here and now, this situation makes me think about universal healthcare. It's what the Democrats want to bring to the table if they are elected president. Most of the major candidates have a universal healthcare proposal. Paul Krugman has recently criticized Barack Obama's plan (read this column and this one). The basic flaw in Obama's plan is the lack of a mandate stating everyone must buy into the plan. He's throwing out some Republican garbage about not having mandates, but the effect is to weaken the plan. He says you don't have to buy into the plan if you don't want to but the plan will be there when you need it. So many folks won't buy the insurance until they need it shifting the cost of the plan onto those who buy it now.

This has given me some pause with Barack. A few months ago he was saying all the right things about gay marriage. I was almost ready to settle on him as my candidate. But then he invited this anti-gay minister to speak at one of his rallies and now there's this misguided anti-mandate in his "universal" healthcare proposal. He's heading down the same path Howard Dean did for me four years ago. I was a Deaniac. I liked him a lot. But then Howie stuck his foot in his mouth over and over again on some foreign policy issues (long before the infamous Iowa screaming) and I became disappointed in him. I didn't care for Kerry or Edwards and so I was left without a candidate.

The same is going to happen this time around. I'm not thrilled about Hillary. Not at all. She certainly won't advance the gay agenda very far, if at all, and that's important to me as I bring a child into the world with my partner. It doesn't really matter what I think though. The nomination will be wrapped up before Maryland has its say.

However, if you want some help picking your candidate, the Washington Post has crafted this handy Candidate Quiz. It takes a little time to work all the way through it, but it's comprehensive. It's based on candidate answers to a bunch of questions. I quit a little over half way through since it seemed like there was one candidate that was standing out above the rest. Turned out to be John Edwards. Thing is, I don't really believe Edwards is genuine. I think he's just saying what he's saying to win the nomination. His "son of the working class" theme just hits me the wrong way. That's the flaw in the quiz. You have to take all the answers at face value. By the way, there's a quiz for the Republicans too. I'm thinking about trying it to see who the least detestable candidate is.