well, have you?

and, have i?
have we?
.smiled.

[foto circa june 2008: stockholm, sweden. click to make bigger.]

known by her name.

i love taizé. love, love. two different visits, in opposite seasons -- summer and winter -- have shaped me. tremendously. in following the updates from taizé sites around the world, i came across this beautiful portrait of community. read it. soak it in. such truth about humanity! and sharing life! may we too live in such a way... wherever home may be.

One of the brothers living in Bangladesh writes:

"When we as brothers welcome others, we welcome a great diversity of people. Little by little, we have learned to understand that we are not welcoming "the poor", "the disabled", or "a beggar"; we are welcoming persons. We are not welcoming "a station boy", but someone, and he is happy when we call him by his name. A woman who comes often, who can hardly walk, and who begs, is not "a beggar". She is "Mrs so and so". She is happy when she is known by her name.

And when we eat together - it is often at the midday meal that we welcome - each person introduces himself or herself. Sometimes there are thirty of forty of us, and we pass the plates, and one or two decide how much to put on the plates. And when everyone has their plate in front of them, sitting on the floor (we eat with our fingers), those who do not belong to the fraternity or to the group of young adults who live with us, introduce themselves, and give their names. Little by little we have discovered that these moments when each person says their name are moments of joy, moments that are quite different from times when we do something for others, or when we speak. It is someone who says, "I am so and so", and we are sitting here together."

we are sitting here together.
thanks be to G-d.
joy indeed!

crepes perfected.

if you want to enjoy some sweet or savory crepes, then follow this link below.

basic crepes, baby.

i've perfected this recipe in the last year, and the only substitution that i recommend is vanilla soy milk instead of dairy milk. it just gives it this subtle little yum! believe me.

i also like this recipe because you can adjust the measurements (u.s. or metric) based on which continent you're currently crepe-ing-it-up-on. in addition, you can adjust the servings amount, and it recalculates it all for you. easy-peasy.

for savory ingredients i typically go with: onions, garlic, mushrooms, & eggplant sautéd in olive oil (add some spice too!). then add to warm crepe, along with your favorite shredded cheese.

for sweet ingredients: nothing beats nutella and bananas. but jam, honey, peanut butter, or other fruit varieties are good too.

bon appétit!

meatless meals.

must give a shout-out to the september issue of real simple. they're featuring a story about the benefits of eating meat-free (such as: the health risks associated with meaty diets, how much money one family could save by replacing a meat-focused meal with beans, etc.) really yummy recipes are featured too. besides following the link below, be sure to check out the hard copy where they go into more detail about various protein sources for vegetarians. way.to.go real simple!

6 Meatless Meals for Meat Lovers
By Virginia Sole-Smith
Simple, hearty vegetarian dinners that will satisfy even steak-and-potato stalwarts.

a time to love.

i think we could all benefit from takin' a look
at the times which presently surround us.
the u.s. news is chalk-full of stories about
so.much.name-calling.and.bickering.
and.finger-pointing.and.blame-gaming.
just all-around negativity goin' down.
my daily podcast reel (thank you AC360)
continues to show how divided people are.
on all fronts. on all issues. on all 'isms'.

but stevie is here to remind us (& ms. india.arie backs him up)
what time it really is.
please read. and ponder. and act.
let's.act.in.love.
it's the time.

We have time for racism
We have time for criticism
Held bondage by our ism's
When will there be a time to love

We make time to debate religion
Passing bills and building prisons
For building fortunes and passing judgments
When will there be a time to love

At this point in history we have a choice to make
To either walk a path of love
Or be crippled by our hate

We have time to cause pollution
We have time to cause confusion
All wrapped up in our own illusions
When will there be a time to love

We make time to conquer nations
Time for oil exploration
Hatred, violence and terrorism
When will there be a time to love

At this moment in time
We have a choice to make
Father God is watching
While we cause mother earth so much pain
It's such a shame

Not enough money for
The young, the old and the poor
But for war there is always more
When will there be a time to love

We make time for paying taxes
Or paying bills and buying status
But we will pay the consequences
If we don't make the time to love

Now's the time to pay attention
Yes now is the time... to Love...
A time to Love... Love...
A time to Love
Please, please won't you tell me
When will there be a time to Love...

-- Stevie Wonder, "A Time To Love"

i want to be.

...a better blogger.
it's true.
also.
...a more intentional foto-sharer.
...a more driven language-learner.
...& a more consistent letter-writer :: snail mail, baby.

what i'm looking for is a bit more.
structure.more discipline.more routine.
which kinda' goes against my nature.
and while there is something terribly appealing about routine,
it also scares.the.spontaneity.out.of.me!
nonetheless, i think i am seeking new rhythms, please.
if i say i am going to do something, i want to do it.
follow-through.
and through.

will you help me grow in these aforementioned areas, dear ones?
i know it'll take some help from friends.
keep bugging me. reminding me.
merci. merci.

a.path.about.love.

thanks goes out to my dear friend soph who reminded me of the brilliance that is bell hooks. here's what bell hooks (her name is intentionally spelled without capital letters!) has to remind us all about today,

"If I were really asked to define myself, I wouldn't start with race; I wouldn't start with blackness; I wouldn't start with gender; I wouldn't start with feminism. I would start with stripping down to what fundamentally informs my life, which is that I'm a seeker on the path. I think of feminism, and I think of anti-racist struggles as part of it. But where I stand spiritually is, steadfastly, on a path about love."

word sister.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judi-jennings/womens-rights-and-human-r_b_269775.html

"

g-funk will always be home.

coming back to my ultimate home sweet home is just.so.good.
something about it fits juuust right.
much like the old pair of birkenstocks
that i haven't worn for nearly a year.
when i slipped my feet into them this morning,
the shape still fit like a glove. a glove for my toes.
it felt like, aha! -- this is what i've been missing.

.deep gratitude for stateside travel.
.and brothers and sisters throughout my lil' u.s. tour.
.but also deep gratitude to be back in colorado.
.even if just for a week.
.i will treasure this fit.

i dig these fresh beats.

i just can't get enough of this live set from the oh-so-delightful esperanza spalding. she tore it up at the newport jazz festival last month. she's been one of my new fav women of jazz/soul/rhythm [she plays the upright bass and sings!] ever since i discovered her music last winter, but this live set has been quite the show-stopper to top all that i've heard from her so far.

please listen in. all the way through. and then repeat.
she's great. reeeally great.
as always, thank you npr for providing such treats and sweet jams. you're my favorite.

a brilliant recycle dude.

you simply have to check out the fotos linked below:

Home & Garden

The Recycled Houses

Michael Stravato for The New York Times

Published: 02.09.2009

A few of the homes in Huntsville, Tex., that Dan Phillips has built using old picture frames, wine bottles and other salvaged materials.

i love that the new homeowners are a part of the building process.
so very empowering.
and every home is just so brilliant. and be-a-utiful.
what creativity. what ingenuity.
three cheers for dan phillips, the brilliant recycle dude.

i love it. love it. love it.

pale september.

my oh my.

how on earth is it september already?
to where has the time gone?

i'm a bit sad to see summer and sun and heat being ushered away.

"the embers of the summer lost their breath and disappeared..."
-- pale september, fiona apple

but anyone who knows me, knows i relish in the changing of seasons.
and i especially love the start of autumn.
it is nearing. i feel its presence.
like fiona, apple that is, i'm excited about a pale september.
i'm eager to discover what lessons and new growth will come.

afterall, there's still growth in the fall;
it just looks different than the spring and summer.
time is ordered differently in the autumn months.
and i'm so ready for new rhythms to take root in my life.

pale september, i wore the time like a dress that year
the autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on my skin...
-- pale september, fiona apple

mmm-hmmm.
it's prose like these that get me extra excited about this time of year.
.happy to enter into a new season.