A Tomato Worthy of Praises

The Tennyson's have discoved an amazing heirloom tomato called Kellogs Breakfast Tomato. This tomato is truly fantastic and has changed the way we view this fruit staple (yes, tomatoes are fruit...). It has a firm texture and slices into wedges quite well. Dipped into humus this mild, slightly sweet flavored Tomato is TOO DIE FOR. Needless to say, we will be including Kellog's Breakfast Tomatoes in all future gardens. For other horticulturists out there, check them out!



P.S. I will be enjoying these luscious beauties as soon as I hit submit on this post!!!

Loving Support

So the other day I was bemoaning all my personal failings to Maranda, something I do on a regular basis. At one point I paused and said, "well, at least I am not a serial killer!" In autopilot mode, Maranda quickly responded, "Not Yet..."

Ouch...

Honey, the house may be on fire...

This is how Maranda greeted my on the phone today at 4:30pm. She followed this statement with, "yeah, the fire department is here and there are men on the roof and in the basement." Yikes, talk about getting your attention! As I raced out of work she was talking with the firemen and the whole story slowly came out.

Apparently our boiler is past maintenance and had built up a lot of oil vapor due to misfiring, and then when the vapor combusted the boiler "belched" a ton of soot and smoke out the chimney. As Maranda was scrambling upstairs to get Kieran in case something was going to blow, the neighbor saw the black smoke and called the firestation.

By the time I was halfway home the fire department had verified that there was no actual fire, just a lot of soot. Our oil company is sending someone out tonight to do maintenance on the boiler, so we will have hot water again. Sheesh...what a scare!

Update: Kieran is now asking "fire trucks again pleeeese"

Compassion for Luddites - Part 1 (Blogs)

I absolutely don't claim to be on expert on web technology. Indeed, things change so quickly that I am always feeling behind. However, there are many things in the world of the web that are taken for granted by those in the know, and thus rarely explained to the neo-luddites lurking amongst us! I know this to be true, because I have been in these shoes!

So for this initial post I thought I would focus on all things blogging related (since I assume that as your are reading this, you are interested in blogs...)

Blog - Start with the basics, a blog is a shortened form of "web log," basically an online journal of your thoughts and ideas that is shared on the web. The word blog was first coined in 1999 and has become a permanent part of online culture since. For a thorough definition of blogging and other associated terms, see the wiki entry.

Thread - A thread is a "string" of posts or responses from a single initial post. The most simple type of thread is an e-mail discussion, where individuals reply back and forth on a subject, resulting in a history of the discussion. Google's GMAIL now calls threads "conversations" for this reason.

RSS - RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It is a way to easily publish updates to a blog, website, or other online content. This allows regular readers to keep abreast of any new posts without having to check the site on a constant basis.

RSS Reader - If you are not using an RSS Reader, you are still in the dark ages of blog browsing!! ;) Seriously though, RSS Reader's have been a huge breakthrough in the way an individual can monitor content on a number of blogs, websites, etc. Instead of keeping track of many different sites, a person can simply subscribe to the "feed" for that site in a common RSS Reader, and then access a single site to read all new posts. I personally use BlogLines, although I am sure there are better Readers out there.

Podcast - Podcast was created from the words "iPod" and "broadcast." A podcast is a multimedia file that can be downloaded or viewed online. Similar to a traditional blog, a podcast is often audio or video reflection about ideas, information, etc. A person can subscribe to podcasts in much the same ways as to blogs. I currently use iTunes to subscribe to Podcasts (requires an iPod).

VLOG - A fairly new term is "VLOG," which means video blog. This is different than simple embedding a clip on a blog post (as I often do), rather most (if not all) of the content is contained within a video clip. Video blogging has become extremely popular in recent years with the soaring interest in YouTube, now one of the largest websites in the world.

First Steps
If you haven't already, the first thing I would do is sign up with an RSS Reader and add your top blogs. This will revolutionize your blog reading experience and you will never be able to live without a reader again!

Ain't No Reason

This song has touched my soul over the past week, it captures so much of what I have been going through and what I see in the world. I am very thankful to my dear friend Tara for sending Brett my way. The lyrics are below, they are powerful and poetic just by themselves. However, do check out the song on Brett's myspace page, it is amazing.

Ain't No Reason - By Brett Dennen

There aint no reason things are this way
Its how they always been and it intends to stay
I can't explain why we live this way, we do it everyday
Preachers on the podium speaking of saints
Prophets on the sidewalk begging for change
old ladies laughing from the fire escape cursing my name

I got a basket full of lemons and they all taste the same
A window and a pigeon with a broken wing
You can spend you whole life working for something,
Just to have it taken away

People walk around pushing back their debts
Wearing paychecks like necklaces and bracelets
Talking bout nothing, not thinking bout' death
Every little hearbeat, every little breath

People walk a tight rope
On a razors edge
Carrying their hurt and hatrid and weapons
It could be a bomb or a bullet or a pen
Or a thought or a word or a sentence

There Ain't no reason
Things are this way
It's how they've always been
and it intends to stay
I dont know why I say
The things that I say
But I say them anyway
But love will come set me free
Love will come set me free, I do believe
Love will come set me free, I know it will
Love will come set my free yes.

Prison walls still standing tall
Some things never change at all
Keep on building prisons, gonna fill them all
Keep building bombs, gonna drop them all
Working young fingers bare to the bone
Breaking your back make you sell your soul
Like a lung its filled with cold, sufficating slow

The wind blows wild and I am not moved
The politicians lie and I am not fooled
you don't need no reason or a three piece suit
To argue the truth
The air on my skin and the world under my toes
Labor is stiched into the fabric of my clothes
Chaos and comotion wherever I go
Love I try to follow

Love will come set me free
Love will come set me free, I do believe
Love will come set me free, I know it will
Love will come set my free yes.

There ain't no reason things are this way
Its how its always been and it intends to stay
I can't explain why we live this way,
We do it everyday.

As Is - By Ani Difranco

this should have been sung at my wedding...

you can't hide
behind social graces
so don't try
to be all touchy feely
cuz you lie
in my face of all places
but i've got no
problem with that really

what bugs me
is that you believe what you're saying
what bothers me
is that you don't know how you feel
what scares me
is that while you're telling me stories
you actually
believe that they are real

and i've got
no illusions about you
and guess what?
i never did
and when i said
when i said i'll take it
i meant,
i meant as is

just give up
and admit you're an asshole
you would be
in some good company
i think you'd find
that your friends would forgive you
or maybe i
am just speaking for me

cuz when i look around
i think this, this is good enough
and i try to laugh
at whatever life brings
cuz when i look down
i just miss all the good stuff
when i look up
i just trip over things

and i've got
no illusions about you...

False Bottoms

One of the most bitter parts of depressive periods are what you might call "false bottoms." Places of descent that feel final, only to stare up wistfully at that place later on...

Ethical Dilemma

So I have an interesting situation that has recently developed at work....I have befriended one of our cafeteria workers who is a recent immigrant to the US. Befriended is perhaps an overstatement, I have just engaged in polite conversation each morning and afternoon and gone out of my way to go through her check-out line. She works ten hour days, 6/7 days a week! Her name is a challenge for an english speaker, so she always shows delight when I get it right. My interaction with her and a few other cafeteria workers has become my favorite part of each day.

So, in the past two days she has intentionally not charged me for my milk at breakfast (I always get a bowl of oatmeal and raisins, milk, and a cup of instant coffee (yek). The free milk is a small token of appreciation from someone who has very little to give. But here's the rub, its not her milk to give away! I really appreciate the gesture, and the impact on the food service company is clearly insignificant, but should I be accepting such an offer, especially if it becomes a regular occurrence?

Now I know the obvious answer here is to politely decline, leading to a moment of embarrassment on her part, and a rectified situation. For me, her warm greeting is worth many, many times more than the free milk, but I can't think of a way to graciously communicate that.

So, do I refuse such a small gift from an overworked, underpaid worker who likely comes from a culture where gifts are highly valued, with the alternative to basically aid and abet stealing milk from our cafeteria? Or should I find a way to reimburse the cafeteria coffers while continuing to accept her token gift of a free milk (thus reinforcing that this behavior is acceptable)? Or am I just being silly and should look a gift milk in the carton?

I for one do not think there is an easy answer here, but would like to get your input. What do you think I should do?

Long Beach Island NJ - Pics

Here are a few pics from our time on Long Beach Island. Also shown in some of the pictures are our friends Nidhi and Shreya (just turned two).

Eggs Aplenty

We returned home from our vacation on the NJ shoreline to find a good store off eggs awaiting us! Between the eggs we collected prior to leaving and what the hens had laid, we had 74 eggs!!!

In this pic Kieran is helping Mommy wash the eggs (our free range chickens are not too particular where they step...). So our illicit egg trade is going quite well (and its a good thing we all like boiled eggs, scrambed eggs, egg benedict, egg sandwiches, egg ala-mode, etc....).

Pastor Wanted

This is a very sad, but true to life satire of how Pastor's are viewed in the traditional church. As most of you know, I grew up as a PK (pastor's kid), and many of these ring far too true. TBNN did miss a few though, particularly janitorial work and church finances (maybe that is only in a small church?).

It is a shame that many churches still operate in such a way that responsibility for the spiritual health of the community is placed on a pastor(s). Instead of being vibrant fellowships for spiritually healthy and growing individuals, many churches are more like nursing homes for the spiritually tepid and infirm. Of course, at the end of the day, who gets the blame? I have a particularly low regard for denominations that treat Pastor's as dispensable, discarding them when they are no longer useful (normally due to age). The role of a pastor is very similar to the role of a therapist/counselor, and should only be enhanced with age (experience and wisdom). Clearly churches that want young, energetic Pastor's are looking for something other than spiritual guidance.

New Jersey Shoreline

Maranda, Kieran, and I just returned from a relaxing long weekend on the NJ coastline. We were on Long Beach on the ocean side. Our neighbors had rented a beachfront townhouse and were kind enough to invite us along! It was a nice time of R&R, with very little on our agenda. I did manage to get a little fishing in, but only managed to catch sand sharks, a small rock bass, and a skate. I am interested in heading back up to check out the Striper Bass fishing later this fall.

For our drive home we took the scenic route along Highway 40, which cuts across most of southern New Jersey. It is quite rural, as we quickly discovered when we started watching for a resturaunt to stop and eat. We finally found a place called "Good Vittles" that was still open at the late hour of 7:30pm. It became very clear that everyone in the resturaunt knew each other, reminding both of us of our rural roots.

It was a fun trip, I realized that it was my first vacation on the East Coast since our move (Maranda enjoyed a trip to Virginia Beach earlier in the year)!