When I think back to my favorite pieces of art—those that have stayed with me over the years—I realize that each painting, novel, and song connected me to the world at large. They might have made me feel less alone, or that there was someone out there who “gets” me. They offered me perspective by taking me out of whatever situation I felt ensconced in at the time, and reminding me of just how big the world is. Vox does the same thing for me every day. In that sense, I celebrate Vox as a constantly evolving, worldwide collaborative art piece.
Vox is my daily dose of fiction, non-fiction, photography, life instruction, art, music, crafts, memoir, and more. The self-expression is virtually boundless. It’s pretty amazing that a bunch of previously unconnected people from San Francisco to Tokyo and back have gathered together in this place-without-a-place to share something meaningful of themselves. This amalgamation of posts, this multimedia collaboration, has made me think, laugh, change, learn, and sometimes just say “Amen to that!”
Like any typical 20-something, I have a bunch of responsibilities, personal goals, and hobbies that keep me focused and busy. But I also have a need to reach outside of my own space, to connect with people and ideas beyond my immediate sphere. I need to create and share. I watch the news and feel connected in a certain way. I learn about the war, stock prices, car bombings, and the weather. But I need more than this. I need to connect on a more basic, elemental level. I want to hear about a friend’s day. I want to hear about what it was like growing up in the Midwest, or what it’s like being a scientist. Vox gives me a chance to exchange ideas or step into someone else’s shoes for a moment, and it helps keep me from living an insulated life.
Most of the posts I read on Vox are refreshingly personal—intimate, even. This is stuff I couldn’t find in a newspaper or on TV. A few weeks ago I ready about AmyH’s loss of her dear cow and it made me think about the special connection people and animals can have. Earlier this month I shared what I’m truly passionate about—it felt good to remind myself. A couple of Sundays ago, Swaingrass gave me some new fiction and poetry, and I get to track the work in progress. At Vox I’ve found people who think and feel, and do so much more than just put up a façade. In a time when you have to question the truth and reality of everything around you, sharing a real connection with people is priceless.
It would be easy for this type of medium to degrade into a cheap blogger competition of who has the most friends, comments, and bling. We’ve all seen it before, I’m sure. Yet what I read on Vox today is strikingly real. My fellow Voxers aren’t afraid to reach out, tell you what they think, and give encouragement. People treat each other with respect . . . what a concept.
Vox is many things: a creative outlet, virtual gathering place, and a shared space for slice-of-life posts from around the world. My favorite thing about Vox, though, is the perspective it offers me. By sharing ideas with people that live outside my zip code and come from diverse life experiences, I am more connected and less insulated. For the Vox experience of reaching out and reflecting inward, I am a deeper person. That’s what I love about Vox.
Well, today's the day - Friday before the holiday weekend! I love the excitement at work. Anyway, to all the friends and neighbors I've met or virtually met here, good tidings to you and yours, and travel safely. I've really enjoyed bantering with all of you, and checking out your cool photos and stuff. Stay warm!
~Tracey
aka. HapaLove
I don't usually talk politics with anyone unless I know them very well. But today I read just one more thing that confirms my opinion of Wal-Mart (as being the most evil corporation I've ever heard of). I have never bought anything there and I never will. This is from Walmartwatch.com:
"A leaked memo confirmed that executives know company health insurance offerings are "expensive for low-income families, and Wal-Mart has a significant percentage of associates and their children on public assistance." It goes on to admit that, "in total, 46 percent of Associates' children are either on Medicaid or are uninsured.
You read that right. While Alice takes her cut of record-breaking profits, Wal-Mart's reliance on public health care costs the rest of us real money. In every state that has done an audit -- 24 states in total -- Wal-Mart leads the list of companies with the most employees and dependents in state-funded health care programs."
Read the memo here.
In Bad Lingo: Blog-Media Cliches, Gawker warns us not to fall into a rut with sloppy English. I will only admit to occasionally resorting to "lol." I'm sorry, I'm sorry, geez!
Are you throwing or attending a holiday party this year? Any ideas/tips to share?
I am not throwing a holiday party this year, but party planning parties is a part of my job, so I thought I'd post some ideas.
Why am I, party-lover, not throwing a holiday party? It's such a busy time of year. I prefer to throw them in January or February, when people have fewer commitments. Besides, it keeps people from post-holiday depression. So tip #1 - pick a date that doesn't have a lot going on.
Check out Apartment Therapy's "Party Architecture" posts - Great tips on party density, structure, lighting, etc.
IMHO, the three most important ingredients to a party are (in this order): People, Food, Music & Lighting.
- People. Every party needs some outgoing people to get it going. If you're having a dinner party, seat the outgoing people next to the shy people. Seat any drama queens or other unpleasants at the edge of the table. If you're hosting with someone else, the hosts should split up - one on each end, with the one responsible for the food seated closest to the kitchen. Don't let one person monopolize your time. Think ahead about some topics that would get people talking, just in case. I like to highlight things people have in common, things people might not know about each other. When in doubt, just ask people questions (where did you grow up, where'd you go to school, how was the vacation, etc.). When introducing people, it helps to say something interesting about them to start them talking -- e.g., "This is Dan. He's really into surfing..."
- Food. Prepare as much as possible before the day of the party, so at the party you can focus on the people instead of the food. Set the food in multiple places throughout the room, to keep people circulating. Prepare a variety of food so there's something for everyone. I like to prepare food that's good enough to be a conversation piece, but I also buy some of the basics from the store to save prep time. Usually I buy things like vegetable crudites, cut fruit, hummus and pita - and always take it out of the store box and put it on your own plates so it looks presentable.
- Music & Lighting. Start the music off slow, let it get louder and faster as the night goes on. Leave the lighting soft. White Christmas lights or candles work great.
Finally, a few last tips. Always put extra toilet paper in the guest bathroom, so they don't have to ask you for it if it runs out. If you're not sure people will talk and mingle, have an activity or theme party. For example, a sushi-making party can be really fun. Just set out the ingredients, give the party-goers a quick lesson on sushi roll assembly, and let them have at it. You could try a wine-tasting party, cheese party, game night, etc. I don't do a lot of costume parties because it's hard to get people into it unless it's Halloween.
Viva la celebracion!
On Sunday, a couple of friends had the idea to come over and make tamales. None of us are Mexican, but I like to embrace any Christmas tradition that involves large amounts of good, homemade food. If you'd like to try this at home, heed this warning: it will take you all day. We started at 1:00 pm and finished around 11:00. There is a lot of downtime, though, so it's fun to do with several people. And, if we knew what we were doing, it would probably go faster - next year will be a cinch (meaning, less than 10 hours for a measly 45 tamales).
So, here are the instructions, along with some helpful tips. We followed Tamara's recipe. First, get your desired ingredients. You can make a tamale out of virtually anything. Our tamales were: chicken mole, pork and tomatillo sauce, vegetarian (peppers, cheese, and mushrooms), chicken/tomatillo/mushrooms/cheese, and the sweet ones (rum raisins, pineapple, dried papaya, and walnuts).
The most important ingredient, of course, is love. (awww....)
Soak the corn husks (to make them pliable).
And husk the tomatillos.
Put on some jammin' music. (For you eagle-eyed details people: yes, that is a Bee Gees album. Oh yeah). Pour yourself a tasty refreshment. Make it something good. (Life is too short to drink cheap beer).
Trim fat off the chicken and boil it whole, with a large onion, some celery, and garlic. Tear a husk into small strips - these will be used for tying off the tamales. We dyed the strips into different colors so we could identify the tamales (brown for chicken mole, orange for pineapple, red for pork, etc.). For the tomatillo sauce, put all the tomatillos, two medium onions, and the jalapeno peppers into a pot, cover with water, and boil for 15 minutes.
Roast the remaining peppers (we used pasilla and anaheim). Best to do over an open flame. Peel the skin off. Put them into a blender, with the boiled tomatillo mixture (including the water). Let cool, and add salt and pepper to taste. You must, of course, have some tortilla chips on hand to test the sauce as you go.
Prepare the masa. This is the hard part. You should do it by hand, gently adding the corn flour and the chicken stock alternately. If you use a beater, it gets too crumbly. The end result should look like spackle.
Gently dry the corn husks. Prepare the ingredients.... Grate the cheese. Shred the chicken and pork (which we broiled, since the grill ran out of gas). Make the mole sauce, and cook the mushrooms. Soak the raisins in rum, if you so desire.
Whew. Make yourself a tiki drink.
Spread a thin layer of masa onto a corn husk (the thinner the better). The masa should cover just the middle latitude, and go all the way to one side (but leave some empty husk on the other side - which will be the top fold). Fill your husk with ingredients, then tie off the ends. (I like to tie off both ends, some people just tie off one end). Practice makes perfect. Place the tamales into a steamer, so they're standing vertically. Then, steam them for an hour. Make sure there's always water in the pot - sometimes it completely evaporates and you could start a fire. (Ooopsie! Don't worry - no fire, just set off the alarm a few times).
Enjoy your tamales with friends and family!
If you're feeling (very) brave, try a piece of the habanero pepper.
Voila!
Where do you do your online shopping?
Here are some places where I find non run-of-the-mill stuff. Happy clicking!
Gag gifts - Archie McPhee
Ideas for homemade gifts - ReadyMade magazine
Stuff with good design
Apartment Therapy (I think Sarah passed this one on?)
Modern Motive
Velocity Art & Design
Flax Art
Toys for people who like science - Edmund Scientific
Strange things - Strange New Products
Gift ideas, for any type of person - Surprise.com
Cooking stuff - Culinary Institute of America
Food gifts
Made in Napa Valley
IGourmet
Williams Sonoma (also have good cooking tools)
Gifts for winos
Local Wine Events - tastings, classes, festivals, etc. in your area
Pizza Vino - the wine that goes great with pizza (only available in stores)
Photo gifts
Pictopia - really large digital prints
MyPublisher - photo books, calendars, etc. Both MyPublisher and Shutterfly have great print quality. Mac has a nice program for arranging photos, but I found the print quality a bit inferior - the photo book I got looked grainy.
Shutterfly - the only thing I hate about Shutterfly is that they will not give you free access to your full-size photos after you upload them to their site. So if you put your digital pics on there, keep a copy; otherwise, you can't get the full size photo without purchasing a CD.
Collectibles, odds and ends - Goodwill has their own ebay. It's hit and miss.
What's on your holiday wish list?
Actually, I'd like my friends and family to ease up on the gifts this year. I'd rather everyone didn't feel the need to spend some of their precious holiday season in the malls. I mean, I'm at the age that if I want something bad, I just buy it. (Not that I'm rich, I just prioritize).
Recently, I've been informed that I'm "hard to shop for." Which was a surprise to me, because I always thought I was quite easy to shop for. I like things - a lot of things - and I have a lot of interests. Here's the short list:
- Robots
- Tiki
- Cooking gadgets
- Fine food
- Shoes
- Clothes
- Weightlifting/fitness
- Doo-dads with good design
- Not to mention my huge Amazon book list.
What could be easier? But my honey brought it to my attention that although I like things in many categories, I am picky about the actual item. He said to me, "You've been looking for 'the perfect' salt and pepper mill for 6 months. And you just now found one. That makes you hard to shop for." Ohhhh... I guess the man has a point. Well, what can I say, I am a taurus to a 'T'. Which means that I rely on my senses for a lot. So while I don't really care much about having a lot of stuff, or the newest gadget, it's heavenly when I savor a tiny bit of the finest, darkest chocolate, or when I use stationery that feels crisp, with a heavy weight and texture. Oh - by the way, the pepper mill was the perfect blend of form and function. Sleek and steel without being too modern, and it had a salt grinder and a pepper grinder whereas most only grind pepper (I like sea salt).
Alrighty then... I've been tagged by Steve for this. The idea is to post five things you don't know about me.
- I dropped out of high school, but I have a college degree...in Anthropology (useful!)
- I was nearly hit by a train when I was five. It was kind of like the scene in Stand & Deliver - I was stuck on a bridge, and couldn't run to the other side in time.
- Most of my front teeth are fake, thanks to near-death-experience #2.
- I would like to start my own company eventually.
- I've visited 15 countries, and am dying to see more. South Africa, Kenya, and Ireland are big on my list.
