Tulula's Blog

This picture brings me great joy

2008-06-07T11:01:00.002-05:00

Proud of My Homestate

2008-02-09T19:53:00.000-05:00

I've been reading blog reports of Seattle area caucus-goers, and it has been giving me such a high. I was chased away from the Pacific Northwest by the rain and gray skies, but would want to move back there for the political climate and the fabulously friendly people.

The reports of the turnout are incredible, like double what they saw in 2004. How exciting!

Super Tuesday in my present homestate did not favor my candidate, however I was very delighted to read in the neighborhood paper that my neighborhood (which I canvassed) and city, Boston, favored him, along with surrounding towns Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline.

I was so grateful to all those inland states that I've never visited for keeping his candidacy alive. I need to go to those states and pay them homage someday.

His candidacy, these turnouts, the positive results in so many unexpected places are all working together to drive away the pessimism that the war generated in this country.

Enjoying the Moment, Even if it's Brief

2008-01-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

The exit polls in South Carolina are telling me what I want to hear. After the 2000 election, I've learned not to trust the projections of polls and the media, at all. But I think for these few moments, before the actual returns come in, I'll savor this victory, even if it is still but a dream. And enjoy that justice was delivered upon those who were willing to sacrifice dignity and honesty just to win. If just for a few moments.

My Map of Survey Markers

2007-09-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

Click on the map below to see where all the survey markers that I've visited are located.

If you click on teach tag, a picture of the marker pops up.

View Larger Map

Mount Cardigan

2007-09-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

A quick post in English, or this will never get posted.

For Labor Day weekend, we went camping near Mount Cardigan in Alexandria, New Hampshire. The mountain was glistening with seams of marble and sparkling mica. Very beautiful hike. When we got there, a stag was prancing around and almost jumped in our car! I also saw wild turkeys and a slithering black and yellow striped snake.

See the pics below:

Our tour guide

Scarecrow

The mush we ate -- Trader Joe's ready to eat rice in a bag, plus some garden cherry tomatoes

Atop Mt. Cardigan
Some ancient graffiti

Ahhh . . . these gems of survey markers -- the real reason I go on these hikes

Tower atop of Mt. Cardigan -- look at that marble!

Some toadstools.

California Chronicle

2007-08-12T07:31:00.000-05:00

Mas temprano este mes, fui de vacaciones en la hermosa region de California nortena. Fui de camping, estuve de pie en el labio del crater de un volcan, comi demasiados malvaviscas, subi otro volcan durmiente, cuyo unico ojo vigilaba, atravese el Eden de los lupinos y baje al Infierno Bumpass. Surgi y llege a la tierra de leche y miel, y alli fui transportada espiritualmente a uno plano superior por la cocina del restaurante Chez Panisse.

Ahora la experiencia esta dos semanas en el pasado y toda la comida aqui sabe a madera, no obstante la memoria de estas aventuras perdura en mi cerebro como un sueno bonito.

Earlier this month, I was on vacation in the beautiful region of northern California. I went camping, stood on the lip of the crater of a volcano, ate too many marshmallows, hiked another sleeping volcano whose sole eye kept watch, traversed the Eden of the lupines and descended into Bumpass Hell. I arose and arrived at the land of milk and honey, and there I was spiritually transported to a higher plane by the cuisine of Chez Panisse.

Now the experience is two weeks in the past and all food here tastes like wood, however the memory of these adventures linger in my brain like a beautiful dream.

Los Genios del Mar

2007-04-24T20:04:00.000-05:00

Si hay algo que me haga querer superar mi miedo al agua y por fin aprender a nadar, seria la criatura increiblemente inteligente y bonita llamada a sepia. Aqui tiene un video con muchos experimentos interesantes que investigan los comportamientos curiosos y poderes de las sepias.

Me pregunto si las sepias pueden ver sus espaldas para conformarse el piel a las formas, los colores y las texturas de sus alrededores, o si pueden controlarse los cromatoforos por instinto. Supongo que seria dificil de mostrarles a las presas esos exhibiciones hiptonizantes si no por instinto o por lo menos por practica muy diligente.

If there is something that makes me want to overcome my fear of water and at last learn to swim, it would be the incredibly intelligent and beautiful creature called the cuttlefish. Here is a video with many interesting experiments that investigate the curious behaviors and powers of cuttlefish.

I wonder if cuttlefish can see their backs to conform their skin to the shapes, colors and textures of their surroundings, or if they can control their chromatophores by instinct. I guess it would be difficult to put on those mesmerizing displays to their prey if not by instinct or at least by very diligent practice.

Delicia Turca

2007-03-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Este miercoles pasado, asisti un concierto maravilloso y gratis en Jordan Hall del Conservatorio Nueva Inglaterra -- "Lale ve Kilic/El Tulipan y La Espada" por El Conjunto DUNYA Ince Saz, El Mehterhane Nueva Inglaterra de Tambor y Viento, y MAVI BAILE. Habia muchos instrumentos hermosos y ritmos raros y apasionante que nunca he visto o oido. Para mi, escuchar a esta musica era como entrar una dimension inexplorada. Cem Mutlu y Engin Gunaydin atravesaron los contornos vibrantes con precision, claridad y vitalidad. El cantante (y el lider del grupo, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, tenia una voz suntuosa que recorria por las notas (incluso tonos que cayeron entre esos que estoy acostumbrada a oir) muy expresivamente. Habia varios momentos cuando las caras de los musicos se iluminaron con alegria exuberante, especialmente mientras que el clarinetista, Mal Barsamian, tocaba con brillantez y energia. El set final era extremadamente impresionante; evoco un procesion magnifico y majestuoso. El grupo que organizo este concierto tiene un sitio web con noticias de conciertos futuros: http://www.dunyainc.org/. Disfrutalos!

This past Wednesday, I attended a marvelous and free concert at Jordan Hall of New England Conservatory -- "Lale ve Kilic/The Tulip and the Sword" by the DUNYA Ince Saz Ensemble, the New England Drum and Winds Mehterhane and MAVI DANCE. There were many beautiful instruments and unusual and riveting rhythms which I have never seen or heard. For me, to listen to this music was like entering an unexplored dimension. Cem Mutlu and Engin Gunaydin traversed the vibrant contours with precision, clarity and vitality. The singer (and the leader of the group) Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, had an sumptuous voice that traveled across the notes (including tones that fell between those I am used to hearing) with brilliance and energy. The final set was extremely impressive; it evoked a magnificent and majestic procession. The group that organized this concert has a website with news of future concerts: http://www.dunyainc.org/. Enjoy them!

Blue Hills

2006-12-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

Al fin de noviembre, dimos nuestra ultima caminata del ano. (Pero, quiza no, porque este invierno hace mucho calor). La Reservacion Colinas Azules se situa al sur de Boston. Abajo esta una mapa -- nuestro camino es marcado en puntos rojos.

At the end of November, we took our last hike of the year. (But, perhaps not, because this winter it is very warm.) The Blue Hills Reservation is situated to the south of Boston. Below is a map -- our path is marked in red dots:

La Torre Eliot/Eliot Tower

Senal de dedicatoria acerca de la Torre Eliot

Dedicatory sign near Eliot Tower:

La vista de la ciudad desde la reservacion

The view of the city from the reservation

Otro senal

Another sign

Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory.

La luna del crepusculo

Dusky moon

Alien invasions

2006-12-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

An obsessive alien from the planet Bloglodyte has executed a hostile takeover of my blog. Said alien transmutated a topic of my conversation and converted it into a blog entry, against my will. To protect alien's identity, said entry has been run through spellcheck.

Highway 110. This beautiful stretch of road connects Lawrence Mass to Lowell Mass. This satellite photo doesn't do it justice:

The highway follows the Merrimack River, a magestic stream. I wish I had a camera. But I guess you'll just have to trust me, go see it for yourself, it's worth the trip! (Not really worth the trip, but if you have to get from Lawrence to Lowell in a jiffy, much better than the 495 ~ Tulula).

Mount Monadnock

2006-11-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

Otro fin de semana, otra excursión a las montañas -- esta vez a Mt. Monadnock en el estado de Nuevo Hampshire. Esperaba un fácil paseo, pero me encontré agarrandose a las piedras para mi supervivencia. Por supuesto, habían varios niños pequeños subiendo la montaña sin miedo para avergonzarme. Confieso que a veces quería sentarme en una piedra y llorar. Ahora sé que padezco acrifobia. No obstante, la panorama de la cumbre era fantástica -- 360 grados. Aquí tienen unas fotografías:

Another weekend, another outing to the mountains -- this time to Mt. Monadnock in the state of New Hampshire. I was expecting an easy walk, but I found myself latching onto rocks for dear life. Of course, there were various little kids running up the mountain without fear to put me to shame. I confess that sometimes I wanted to sit on a rock and cry. Now I know that I suffer from acriphobia. Nevertheless, the view from the summit was fantastic -- 360 degrees. Here are some photographs:

Una osa atando los cordones de zapatos.
A bear tying her shoelaces.

El camino rocoso de la montaña.

The rocky mountain path.

Otra marca del Servicio Geologico de los Estados Unidos en la cumbre de la montaña.

Another U.S. Geological Survey marker on the summit of the mountain.

La Caminata del Fin de Semana Pasada

2006-11-10T20:51:00.000-05:00

El fin de semana pasada, fui a Middlesex Fells Reservacion, una corta distancia de Boston. Aqui tienes una mapa del parque. Nuestro excursion esta indicada con los puntos rojos:

Last weekend, we went to Middlesex Fells Reservation, a short distance from Boston. Here is a map of the park. Our route is indicated with the red dots:

Aqui tienes unas fotografias de nuestra caminata:

Here are some photos of our hike:

A photo from Pine Hill (you can see downtown Boston in the distance).

Una foto desde Colina de Pino (se puede ver el centro de Boston a lo lejos).

We found this US Geological Survey marker on a rock on Pine Hill.

Encontramos esta marca del Servicio Geologico de los Estados Unidos en una piedra en Colina de Pino.

La sombra de un arbol que se parece a un ser humano (solo una broma).

The shadow of a tree that looks like a human being (just kidding).

Autumn leaves.

Hojas de otoño.

El Embalse Fells. Una panorama tranquila.

The Fells Reservoir. A peaceful scene.

Sensorium

2006-11-03T20:29:00.000-05:00

Este sabado pasado, fui con un amigo al museo "Sensorium" en el MIT List Centro de Artes Visuales. Si tu estas en la area de Boston/Cambridge o planeas visitar aqui pronto, te recomiendo que no leas mas adelante. Vale la pena visitar este museo, y no quiero estropearlo para tu. Desde aqui, voy a escribir de mi experiencia alli.

Primero, dimos un paso en una estacion espacial inspirada por la pelicula "2001: Una Odisea Espacial" -- una obra por el artista frances, Mathieu Briand. En una pared, habia una gran pantalla con una vista de la Tierra desde la perspectiva de espacio. Habian cascos que nos pusimos en grupos de 4 personas: tienen lentes que eran pequenas pantallas de television, y auriculares cubriendo las orejas. En las manos, llevamos aparatos de mando -- cada con un boton. Cuando empuje el boton, la vista en las pantallas cambio desde mi propio perspectiva a la perspectiva de mi amigo. Cuando empuje el boton otra vez, la vista cambio a la perspectiva de una tercera persona, etc.

La segunda exhibicion era muy divertida, un poco asquerosa. A primera vista, la obra consistio de nueve paneles de pared blanca. Casi pase al proximo cuarto, porque pense que este cuarto no contuviera nada. Una pancarta en la pared explico la obra: la artista, Sissel Tolaas de Noruega, habia analizado la composicion quimica del sudor de nueve personas en un momento de miedo. Entonces, recreo versiones sinteticas de los sudores, las mezclo con pintura blanca y pinto las paredes con la mezcla. El resultado era paredes "Scratch 'n Sniff", pero con los olores de varios sudores. Uno de los sudores olio de almizcle, otro de basura, otro de cilantro. Despues de varios horas, empezamos tener un poco de nausea del hedor que impregno todo el museo. Pero valio la pena!

La quinta exhibicion era una produccion musical de los canadienses artistas Janet Cardiff y George Bures Miller. El escenario era una cabana remota, no lejos de la via del tren. Con todadiscos, varios altavoces y la grabacion de un hombre con una voz aspera y respiracion pesada, los artistas podian crear el sentido de un pinchadiscos vivo, con discos fonograficos de varios tipos de musica. El resultado -- un concierto impresionante y espectaculo de luces.

Habian otras exhibiciones, pero esta descripcion te da un vislumbre de las maravillas del Sensorium de MIT.

This past Saturday, I went with a friend to the Sensorium museum in MIT's List Center for the Visual Arts. If you are in the Boston/Cambridge area, or plan to visit here soon, I recommend that you read no further. It is worth it to visit this museum, and I don't want to ruin it for you. From here, I'm going to write about my experience there.

First, we stepped into a space station inspired by the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" -- a work by the French artist Mathieu Briand. On the wall, there was a big screen with a view of the Earth from the perspective of space. There were helmets that we put on in groups of four people: they had lenses that were small television screens and headphones covering the ears. In our hands, we held control devices -- each with a button. When I pressed the button, the view on the screens changed from my own perspective to the perspective of my friend. When I pressed the button again, the view changed to the perspective of a third person, etc.

The second exhibit was very fun, a little disgusting. At first glance, the work consisted of nine panels of white wall. I almost passed to the next room, because I thought this room contained nothing. A placard on the wall explained the work: the artist, Sissel Tolaas of Norway, had analyzed the chemical composition of the sweat of nine people in a moment of fear. Then she created synthetic versions of the sweats, mixed them with paint and painted the walls with the mixture. The result was "Scratch 'n Sniff" walls, but with the scents of various sweats. One of the sweats smelled of musk, another of garbage, another of cilantro. After several hours, we began to feel a bit nauseous from the stench that pervaded the entire museum. But it was worth it!

The fifth exhibit was a musical production of the Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. The scene was a remote cabin, not far from the train tracks. With phonograpsh, various speakers and a recording of a man with a gruff voice and heaving breathing, the artists were able to create the feeling of a living disc jockey, with records of various types of music. The result -- a spectacular concert and light show.

There were other exhibits, but this description gives you a glimpse at the marvels of the MIT Sensorium.

Pink Senoritas

2006-10-25T22:13:00.000-05:00

Un fin de semana en septiembre visite con mis amigos en Nueva York, todavia mi ciudad favorita. Pasamos el sabado en DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Overpasses) en Brooklyn, donde habian varias esculturas modernas, incluyendo esta senorita rosada y sus cinco companeras. Las fotografas que estaban con ellas tenian "Ouf!" en sus camisetas. Aparentemente, participaban en un truco publicitario para Teatro Ouf! Era divertido, porque habia una boda en el parque alli, y las senoritas rosadas corrieron hacia la pareja. Una de ellas puso su bigote de fieltro debajo de la nariz de la novia!

One weekend in September, I visted with friends in New York, still my favorite city. We spent Saturday in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Brooklyn Overpasses) in Brooklyn where there were various modern sculptures, including this pink lady and her five companions. The photographers who were with them had "Ouf!" on their t-shirts. Apparently they were participating in a publicity stunt for Theater Ouf! It was funny, because there was a wedding in the park there, and the pink ladies ran towards the couple. One of them put her felt mustache under the nose of the bride!

New Guys on the 'Sill

2006-10-14T18:20:00.000-05:00

Wow -- these are spectacular! It's fun to get a plant and be surprised by what its flowers look like. Thanks to J & B out west!

Canoe Camping

2006-09-10T18:17:00.000-05:00

Una nota breve para recordar este fin de semana: Era maravilloso. Era un fin de semana lleno de "10" momentos. Altamente recomiendo que vayan de camping con canoa algun dia en su vida.

Fuimos al Rio Saco, en el estado de Maine. Alquilamos una canoa y un kayac de Northern Extremes en North Conway, New Hampshire. Remamos por tres o cuatro horas, entonces montamos el tienda. Al acabar de montar el tienda, una gigantesca nube negra vino hacia nosotros muy rapidamente. Deprisa pusimos todos nuestros equipos en la tienda. Tuvimos suerte.

Algunos "10" momentos:

-- Escuchando al trueno y la violenta tormenta en la comodidad de nuestra tienda.

-- Cocinando pasta debajo de un cobijo improvisado en la lluvia.

-- Remando por el rio tranquilo, oyendo la musica de flautas dulces tocadas por otros campistas, con una libelula aterrizada en la punta delantera de la canoa.

-- Mirando los halcones volando por lo alto.

A short note to remember this weekend: It was wonderful. It was a weekend full of "10" moments. I highly recommend that you go canoe camping someday in your life.

We went to the Saco River in the state of Maine. We rented a canoe and kayak from Northern Extremes in North Conway, New Hampshire. We paddled for three or four hours, then set up the tent. When we just finished setting up the tent, a gigantic black cloud came towards us very rapidly. We put our gear in the tent in a hurry. We were lucky.

Some "10" moments:

-- Listening to the thunder and violent storm in the comfort of our tent.

-- Cooking pasta under a makeshift shelter in the rain.

-- Rowing down the tranquil river, listening to the music of recorders played by other campers, with a dragonfly alighted on the front tip of the canoe.

-- Watching falcons flying overhead.

New England Candlepin Bowling

2006-09-03T18:13:00.000-05:00

El pasado fin de semana, descubri "pino de vela" bolos (?). Tipicamente, no disfruto bolos mucho, porque mi bola siempre va en la alcantarilla y no es divertido. Pero con "pino de vela" bolos, a veces incluso cuando la bola vaya en la alcantarilla, todavia es posible ganar puntos.

Las diferencias:

En bolos regulares, la bola es grande y tiene tres agujeros en que se inserta sus dedos. En "pino de vela" bolos, la bola es del tamano de la palma, y no hay agujeros. Pienso que es mas facil dirigir la bola pequena, porque los agujeros en la bola grande desequilibran el angulo de la muneca.

En bolos regulares, los bolos tienen una forma como un reloj de arena. En "pino de vela" bolos, los bolos tienen una casi uniforme anchura.

La mejor parte de "pino de vela" bolos es que despues de cada tiro, la maquina no elimina los bolos derribados, pero los deja en la posicion supina. Si un bolo derribado esta obstruyendo la alcantarilla, una bola alli puede derribar otros bolos. Es mucho mas gratificante que bolos regulares para individuos (como yo) que no sean habiles en los bolos.

Si ustedes visitan a Boston y tienen un carro, recomiendo que vayan a Helado y Bolos de Vigesimo Siglo de Ron en Hyde Park. Los helados son caseros y deliciosos, y el lugar tiene un ambiente anticuado y autentico.

Last weekend, I discovered candlepin bowling. Typically, I don't enjoy bowling much, because my ball always goes into the gutter and it's no fun. But with candlepin bowling, sometimes even when the ball goes into the gutter, it is still possible to win points.

The differences:

In regular bowling, the ball is big and has three holes into which you insert your fingers. With candlepin bowling, the ball is the size of the palm, and there are no holes. I think it is easier to aim the small ball, because the holes of the big ball throw off the angle of the wrist.

In regular bowling, the pins have the shape of an hourglass. In candlepin bowling, the pins have an almost uniform width.

The best part of candlepin bowling is that after each shot, the machine does not remove the knocked-over pins, but leaves them in a supine position. If a knocked-over pin is blocking the gutter, a ball there can knock over other pins. It is much more gratifying than regular bowling for individuals (like me) who are not good at bowling.

If you visit Boston and have a car, I recommend that you go to Ron's Ice Cream and Twentieth Century Bowling in Hyde Park. The ice creams are homemade and delicious, and the place has an old-fashioned and authentic feel.

Mi Comida Favorita

2006-06-07T18:11:00.000-05:00

Recuerdo con felicidad mi viaje a Andalucía, dónde comí mi comida favorita, gazpacho. Aquí en Boston, está un poco demasiado temprano en la estación por ese delicioso plato, porque está lloviendo -- una gran tormenta. Deseo que pudamos enviar el extra agua de aquí a España, dónde hay una sequía ahora.

Recientemente, cuando hacía más calor, lo hice. Mezclé varias recetas juntas, y resultó bien.

Entonces, necesita dos libras de tomates frescos (tomate ciruelas), dos pepinos, un pimiento verde, una cebolla (o polvo de cebolla, si su estómago tiene problemas con cebolla cruda), un diente de ajo, un pedazo de pan duro, sal, vinagre (prefiero vinagre de vino rojo), y aceite de oliva. Remoje el pan en agua. Corte los tomates (salvo uno), un de los pepinos, mitad del pimiento, la cebolla y el diente de ajo en pedazos. Usando una batidora o batidora manual, licúe la mezcla de legumbres y pan completamente. Añada una taza de agua poco a poco; lo mezcle y probe. Pues, añada poco a poco unas pizcas de sal; lo mezcle y probe, y pues, dos cucharillas de vinagre. Próbelo. Cuando los niveles de sal y vinagre son correctos, añada poco a poco cuatros cucharillas de aceite de oliva. Lo mezcle y probe. Sirváselo frío, con una guarnición de pedazitos de tomate, pepino y pimiento verde.

I recall with happiness my trip to Andalucia, where I ate my favorite food, gazpacho. Here in Boston, it's a bit too early in the season for this delicious dish, because it's raining -- a big storm. I wish we could send the extra water from here to Spain, where there is now a drought.

Recently, when it was warmer, I made it. I mixed several recipes together, and it turned out well.

So, you need two pounds of fresh tomatoes (plum tomatoes), two cucumbers, one green pepper, an onion (or onion powder if your stomach has problems with raw onion), a clove of garlic, a bit of stale bread, salt, vinegar (I prefer red wine vinegar) and olive oil. Soak the bread in water. Cut the tomatoes (except one), one of the cucumbers, half of the green pepper, the onion and the clove of garlic into pieces. Using a blender or hand mixer, liquefy the mixture of vegetables and the bread completely. Add a cup of water, gradually; mix and taste it. Then add some pinches of salt little by little; mix it and taste it, then two teaspoons of vinegar. Taste it. When the levels of salt and vinegar are correct, gradually add four teaspoons of olive oil. Mix it and taste it. Serve it chilled, with a garnish of pieces of tomato, cucumber and green pepper.

La Gran Manzana

2006-03-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

Esta noche vi el final de la serie de los documentarios sobre La Ciudad de Nueva York por Ric Burns. El tema fue la concepción y construcción de Las Torres Gemelas, y incluyó una historia conmovedora sobre un hombre francés que al leer sobre Las Torres en una revista, se decidió a aprender la arte del funámbulo y caminar en una cuerda floja encordada entre las dos torres. A la gente que estuvieron pasado por casualidad las torres por la mañana del 7 de agosto 1974, la visión inesperado y espectacular les dio mucha alegría.

El documentario fue también sobre la destrucción de las torres y exhibió en nítido y traumático detalle visual los acontecimientos del 11 de septiembre. Pero el anterior gobernador de Nueva York, Mario Cuomo, expresa unas emociones y lecciones constructivas que mucha gente comparte de esa experiencia.

Tonight I saw the final of the series of documentaries on the City of New York by Ric Burns. The theme was the conception and construction of the Twin Towers, and included a moving story about a French man who upon reading about the Towers in a magazine, made up his mind to learn the art of a tightrope walker and walk on a tightrope strung between the two towers. To the people who happened to be passing by the towers in the morning of August 7, 1974, the unexpected and spectacular vision gave much joy.

The documentary was also on the destruction of the towers, and it showed in sharp and traumatic visual detail the events of September 11th. But the former governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, expresses some of the emotions and constructive lessons that many people share from that experience.

Brooklyn Follies

2006-03-24T18:44:00.000-05:00

Anoche leí el nuevo libro “Brooklyn Follies” por Paul Auster, un autor de Nueva York. No leo ficción con mucha frecuencia, pero me divertió este libro muchísimo. Fue tan apasionante que me costó dejar de leerlo. Entonces, seguí leyendo hasta el final del libro.

En una entrevista con el periódico El País, el autor Paul Auster dice que su novela es “un elegía a una forma de vivir que desapereció de un plumazo el 11 de septiembre.” La historia es bellísima, y me pone nostálgica de ese tiempo y ese lugar. La novela sigue las vidas de cuatro personajes principales, que comienzan de circunstancias bastante descontentas – relaciones fracasadas, carreras fracasadas, decisiones descaminadas – luego encuentran felicidad en reestableciendo los vínculos de familia, amistad y amor. Al encontrarse, se aguarran el uno al otro y saborean el placer del momento.

Last night I read the new book “Brooklyn Follies” by Paul Auster, a New York author. I don’t read fiction very frequently, but I enjoyed this book very much. It was so gripping that I had difficulty putting it down. So, I continued reading until the end of the book.

In an interview with the paper El País, the author Paul Auster says that his novel is an elegy to a form of living that disappeared at a stroke on September 11th. The story is very beautiful, and makes me nostalgic for that time and place. The novel follows the lives of four principal characters, who start from rather unhappy circumstances – failed relationships, failed careers, misguided decisions – then find happiness in reestablishing bonds of family, friendship and love. Upon finding each other, they cling to one another and savor the pleasure of the moment.

To Bil and J

2006-03-19T18:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Spring! Here is your baby in bloom! Its sister is in the lab lunchroom and is spectacular!

Espanol

2006-03-15T18:38:00.000-05:00

Desde hoy, voy a intentar practicar espanol en mi blog. Ahora puedo leer espanol bien, pero escuchar, hablar y escribir es mas dificil. Si encuentra errores, no dude en corregirme por favor.

Hoy voy a escribir sobre un de mis temas favoritos -- comida. Hace un mes, una amiga mexicana me introdujo al mundo maravilloso de chiles. Ella me mostro como hacer un plato delicioso usando picadillo, cebollas, papas/patatas, tomates, y chipotle. Chipotles son jalapenos ahumados y secados. Puede comprar chipotle enlatado en muchos supermercados.

"Picadillo"

Tome una mezcla de carnes molidos -- carne de res, carne de cerdo, carne de pavo -- cualquier carne molido que tiene. Fria estos carnes con cebollas cortadas in pedacitos. Si hay mucho liquido, lo drene o lo hierva hasta esta desaparecido. Despues, anada comino en polvo, sal y pimienta, y mezcle.

Usando un robot de cocina o una batidora manual, haga un pure de una gran lata de tomates con dos chipotles enlatados. Tenga cuidado, porque si usa demasiados chipotles, va a sufrir -- chipotles son muy picante. Ponga algo de la mezcla de tomate en la mezcla de carne.

Corte papas in pedacitos, sin o con piel, segun su preferencia. Ponga las papas/patatas en la mezcla de tomate y carne, y anada agua, si es necesario para hervir los papas/patatas. Hirva hasta que las papas/patatas estan blandas. Lo probe y salzone segun su preferencia. Sirva con tortillas o arroz.

From today, I am going to try to practice Spanish on my blog. Now I can read Spanish well, but listening, speaking and writing are more difficult. If you find errors, please do not hesitate to correct me.

Today I am going to write about one of my favorite topics -- food. About one month ago, a Mexican friend introduced me to the wonderful world of chilis. She showed me how to make a delicious dish using ground meat, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and chipotle. Chipotles are smoked and dried jalapenos. You can buy canned chipotles in many supermarkets.

Take a mixture of ground meats -- beef, pork and turkey -- whatever ground meat you have. Fry these meats with chopped onions. If there is a lot of liquid, drain it or boil it until it is gone. Then add ground cumin, salt and pepper, and mix.

Using a food processor or hand mixer, puree a large can of tomatoes with two chipotles from a can. Be careful, because if you use too many chipotles, you are going to suffer -- chipotles are very spicy. Put some of the tomato mixture in the meat mixture.

Chop potatoes, with or without peel, according to your preference. Put the potatoes in the tomato and meat mixture, and add water, if it is necessary in order to boil the potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are soft. Taste it and season according to your preference. Serve with tortillas or rice.

Enjoy!

Jared Diamond, Forward Thinking Guru

2006-03-11T18:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday and today, my friend and I went to see Master Diamond speak on the collapse of societies (the subject of his recent book) and thoughts he's formulated since then on avoiding collapse. Yesterday's talk was pretty much a summation of his book -- a framework of five factors that contribute to the collapse or survival of a society, applying these to Easter Island, Montana, Iceland, the Mayas and Native Americans of Arizona. These factors are environmental damage, climate change, enemies, friendly trade partners, and the ability of society to respond to its problems. He talked about how Easter Islanders over several hundreds of years shortsightedly cut down all their trees, the wood of which they used to help erect those mysterious and extremely heavy statues and to build canoes in order to hunt tuna and dolphins on the open seas.

After they cut down the last tree, they lost their ability to fish, had no friendly neighbors to whom to turn for help, had nowhere to which to escape, so they starved to near extinction. The example of Easter Island attracted the most interest, he said, for its similarities to Earth: we are isolated in this universe and have nowhere/nobody to turn to if we are careless in managing our resources and end up depleting them. He concluded by reminding us to remember above all else the number 32 -- i.e., the number of times of resources that first world nations consume over third world nations.

The topic of tonight's talk was his thoughts since writing Collapse comparing individual and society survival of crises. Drawing on his wife's clinical psychology background, he began talking about coping factors that enable crises victims to and survive. These were: the ability to fence in a problem and tackle it while preserving what's not problematic outside it, I guess, like compartmentalizing; "ego strength" or self-confidence/self-love, which he likened to cultural pride and preservation on the societal scale; flexibility/rigidity in adapting to deal with crises; exposure to of alternative models of coping or something like that; the ability to reappraise one's core values in order to cope with a crises; and a bunch of others in between that I can't remember. He interspersed societal examples rather than analyzing them systematically under these factors -- for instance, marveling at how a tribe of Papua New Guinea in first learning the existence of helicopters asked all sorts of questions about them, then quickly decided to charter their own in order to import birds of paradise from elsewhere and sell them in their own villages for a profit, yet maintaining their culture (wearing grass skirts) throughout. As for implications for our own society, he quoted Dick Cheney saying something to the effect that our core values as Americans were nonnegotiable -- implying that we ought to redress our rigidity, unwillingness/inability to adapt if we are to survive future crises.

Whether or not Diamond's approach is novel or earth-shattering, or he is repetitive or long-winded -- some criticisms made of him -- I find his problem-solving approach systematic, useful and applicable to many areas of life. Whether or not he is unique in doing so, I like very much that he puts "us" -- Americans and humankind -- to the same analyses as to societies in history, warning us of some fairly dire implications of our attitudes and behavior now while it is not too late for us to change course and take control of our destiny. Many of us are hard-pressed to think beyond our households, let alone our lifetimes. He would make a great advisor to leaders -- enlightening and shaping our policies to strategize and plan for the long-term -- alas, if only they would listen.

Snowy Sunday

2006-02-12T18:33:00.000-05:00

The snow is coming down heavily; sometimes it seems to be going sideways. This afternoon, we are going to hear a talk by the wonderfully insightful Frank Rich. Hopefully it's not cancelled due to the snowstorm. I've been craving inspiration and am often impressed with Mr. Rich's powerful summaries of social trends and politic affairs. His column usually appears in the New York Times Weekend Review on Sundays, but he's currently off for a while, writing a book.

Well, the telephone just rang -- the event is postponed. But that gives anyone who is interested here and within driving distance of Boston an opportunity to attend, as the event is being postponed. The date hasn't been set yet, but I imagine that it will be reposted here. Hope to see you there!

Festive Pyromaniacs

2005-12-19T18:30:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are some photos of the blazing rum concoction that Julia the Pyromaniacal Gourmet created at Thanksgiving.

Massive Food Orgy

2005-11-25T18:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we made so much food that I feel really guilty for our gluttony. From our end we had a 27 lb. turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, a bottomless pit of artichoke/spinach dip with cut vegetables, parsnip soup, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, these fried rice/cheese balls that our friend Michael helped fry, and the baked fennel. Thankfully I didn't have time to do the orange tart or mixed crostini, because it was already way too much. Our guests brought lots of sweet potatoes, apple strudel, pumpkin, pecan and sweet potato pies!

It made me think of this fable about a king (I think?) for whom the clouds were all food, and he reached up into the sky and pulled down a gigantic drumstick -- more than he or his entire kingdom could hope to finish. He was punished in some way for his gluttony, but I can't remember -- maybe he had a terrible bellyache or worse.

In order to avoid punishment, we'll have to make sure to eat turkey and other Thanksgiving leftovers for every meal for the next several months or pack it as meals for the homeless.

La Gran Manzana

2005-11-23T18:27:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we visited La Gran Manzana, the city of my heart and the place I consider home.

After buying a sage plant and bay bush at the Union Square green market, we stopped in The Strand, and guess who happened to be there? Fellow Seattlite and fabulous Italian chef, Mario Batali. He happened to be there, signing his new cookbook, Molto Italiano. When we had cable, I used to love to watch his show and try making some of his dishes. We got his cookbook, which he signed "Spaghetti is Truth." Just in time for Thanksgiving, we're going to try several of his recipes on our dinner guests tomorrow night -- Mixed Crostini, Fennel Gratin and Orange Tart. I'll let you know how they go!

I wanted to tell you more about my trip, but Thanksgiving duties beckon.

Bread and Puppet Theater: The National Circus and Passion of the Correct Moment

2005-11-18T18:25:00.000-05:00

Last night our friends brought us to a fantastic, thought-provoking play entitled "The National Circus and Passion of the Correct Moment" by the Bread and Puppet Theater, headed by Peter Schumann, showing at the Cambridge YMCA. Click here for more information. The performance featured larger-than-life paper mache masks and puppets in surreal "passion plays" providing commentary on ancient and recent history with beautiful, sometimes painful imagery.

I recommend that you go see it should it come your way. After the end of its run in Cambridge, MA on November 20th, the show will be heading to New York.

Iberian Adventures cont'd

2005-08-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've written, and although much has happened in between, the sights, sounds and spirit of Andalusia are still seared onto my mind's eye, ears and soul. How I long to return to Cordoba!

Here are additional photographs of La Mezquita of Cordoba:

Later that day, my travel companions and I took a walk through the gardens of El Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. The gardens had beautiful pools, flower beds and shrubs grown in interesting patterns.

Most impressive perhaps were the gigantic and dense cedar columns surrounding the gardens. Here they are pictured with statues of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella receiving Christopher Columbus on the eve of his departure for the New World.

What made our stay extra special was our late night walk through Cordoba's narrow, winding streets and happening upon a moderate-sized square, filled with people -- a free flamenco concert was taking place! As we grabbed seats, a male singer accompanied by a very skilled young guitar player belted out his pangs and passions, undoubtedly about his lost love. Next came a singing/dance quintet -- they clapped and stomped their feet to the sizzling music.

I was charmed by the intimacy of the event. In the back, I caught a glimpse of the fellow who was our waiter at Hostal Deanes, also enjoying the concert.

The next morning, before we left, we ate at another beautiful courtyard restaurant/guesthouse. We had a delicious breakfast of cafe con leche and toast with a meat spread that tasted very much like pureed soppressata, one of my favorite foods. One of my travel companions had a luscious apple tart that we all helped her devour.

I will never forget Cordoba, especially for the delicious gazpacho I ate there and the Andalusian cookbook that I bought! Until next time . . . I'll let your mouth water.

Iberian Adventures

2005-08-08T16:22:00.000-05:00

Just back from some very different and wonderful worlds -- Portugal and the Andalusia region of Spain, I'll have to fill you in little by little, because I have a lot of obligations competing for my attention these days.

First -- Andalusia -- which I think will always hold a special place in my heart. We visited first Cordoba and then Granada. We meant to go to Seville too, but unfortunately didn't make it.

The Andalusian countryside. The area we drove through was surrounded by hills that were parched yellow, almost like a desert, but planted efficiently with rows and rows of olive trees. We also passed lots of vineyards and safflower fields. The interesting thing about these farms was that they were pretty much devoid of structures or traces of life working them, giving an eery, desolate feel. Perhaps its just too hot to be out there.

Cordoba. We stayed in the coolest place, the Hostal Deanes, which is just steps away from La Mezquita, the Great Mosque, perhaps Cordoba's most frequented monument (see a satellite view of it here). The Hostal Deanes was fabulous for the warmth of its service, its beautiful courtyard and its delicious (although slightly salty for American taste) food. The structures in Cordoba are fantastic. At the center of the hotel is a beautiful courtyard, with a fountain in the middle.

For the ceiling, we had the bright blue sky (see below), with a retractable tarp for rainy days (if there are any).

In the courtyard, they had a tapas restaurant, where I ate my first Andalusian gazpacho, perhaps my favorite food of all time. I love it so much that it deserves its own entry at a later date. Surrounding the courtyard are their very affordable and charming rooms -- all of five.

La Mezquita, the Great Mosque, began life as a Visigothic church in 780 A.D. It was then transformed into the religious center of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus in 987 A.D., and then was converted to a Christian church in 1253, after Cordoba fell to the Christians in 1236. There I saw for the first time the intricately designed geometric tiles of Moorish craftsmen, with some impressive, somewhat gaudy Christian craftsmanship as well.

I need to continue my tales of La Mezquita on another day, with lots of pics that I don't have the patience to upload now. Until next time . . .

Treasures at Boston's Prudential

2005-06-20T16:17:00.000-05:00

I never thought a mall could have anything this cool, but the treasures at the Prudential are beyond anything anyone could imagine. Walking around in my old neighborhood in Washington Heights helped train me to discover these hidden beauties: to avoid stepping in all that doggy-do, I had to constantly look down as I walked! So I looked down as I walked through the Pru -- and lo and behold! What did I see? Hundreds of ammonites staring up at me! Check 'em out the next time you're there!

They are all over the place. What a jackpot quarry the Pru builders hit! And the best part is . . . .

. . they're cephalopods! They're closest living descendant is the nautilus. With their swirling shells, from the outside they resemble snails. However, unlike snail shells, inside of the ammonite consists of distinct chambers. (You can see the chambers in some of the Prudential ammonite pictures here.) All of these creatures are molluscs. Apparently, both ammonites and nautiluses regulate the air in their chambers in order to float and swim. This page by Neale Monks of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London has a wonderful wealth of information on ammonites and nautiluses.

So even upon our man-made castles, Mother Nature leaves behind her indelible imprints.

In Search of Wildlife

2005-06-01T22:37:00.000-05:00

. . story continued from yesterday:

So on Sunday evening, we went on the moose tour. We first passed a ski slope -- and climbing up it was a black bear!

From the bus, it looked like a little fuzzy dot making its way up the mountain. Thankfully, that was just about the right distance for my viewing comfort.

We proceeded along the highway and passed the Indian Head, New Hampshire's last remaining profile mountain after the demise of the Old Man.

We slowed down when we were approaching the various wallows by the side of the highway. Wallows are pools of mud and salt that is left over from the winter and washes to the side of the road during spring thaw. After a long, hard winter, the meese need to replenish their sodium levels and come to these mudpools to feed. It's best to look for meese at sunrise or dusk by the side of the highways.

We saw a scrawny female moose very intently licking up the salty mud at one of these pools. (She looked roughly like a donkey, similar to the one in this picture, only scrawnier).

After gazing at her for ten minutes or so, we decided to get out of the bus for a closer look. She began to leave, though very reluctantly. As soon as we made motions to board the bus, she returned to the wallow and continued to feed. After sundown, with Tony's spotlight, we managed to see a deer and a pair of other female meese.

Later we stopped at a small country store to fill up on snacks and fudge. While the door was open, in flew a cute little black bat!

My Weekend in the North Country

2005-05-31T22:29:00.000-05:00

My friend and I had a delightful trip to New Hampshire's North Country, home to the former Old Man in the Mountain and some 6,500 moose.

Our first stop was to make reservations with Pemi Valley Excursions, a small company that provides moose tours in the area. We disclosed to Tony, the tourguide, that we were in search of waterfalls, and on his suggestion, wound up at Georgianna Falls. At the entrance to the trail, we saw a yellow warbler (I think).

The hike was beautiful and cool, although at some point the trail seemed to disappear and we found ourselves climbing up some steep and slippery rocks. It was well worth it though, because at the top we sat on a nice flat rock with a fabulous view of the waterfall. The crevices of the rock held some leftover rainwater, and bending over, you could see what looked at first like tiny little fish, only they whipped around in circles instead of swimming. After doing some internet research, it appears likely that these creatures were mosquito larvae. I'm glad we got there before they were flying around and sucking blood!

Later that afternoon we checked into a bed and breakfast, the Northern Star Inn. This place is great, because the innkeepers, Debbie and Jimmy, allow guests to use their kitchen facilities to make their own dinner. Their shelves were well-stocked with stacks of pots and pans, and although I tried, they wouldn't allow me to wash the dishes after I cooked up a storm of stuffed peppers. I highly recommend staying there. The rates are reasonable and the rooms are clean and charming. We awoke to the scent of sausage and bacon, and I even got to play their piano.

The next day, we did the two-mile circular hike at Flume Gorge.

It was fantastic, because there was this wood walkway that went alongside the waterfall and then over it. Here is a picture of Avalanche Falls:

Well I must be going to bed now. But I'll tell you more about my trip and brief encounter with New Hampshire wildlife tomorrow.

Off to the White Mountains

2005-05-27T22:18:00.000-05:00

I'm off early tomorrow morning to the White Mountains of New Hampshire!

It looks like it will rain and storm all weekend, so most likely we'll be trudging around mud, but I won't let that dampen my spirits. I hope to see some meese

and breathe fresh air. Enjoy Memorial Day weekend! With love, Tulula.

Octopus Births

2005-05-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Check out these cool videos: Video of a octopus being born Another one

Cephalopods

2005-05-20T22:11:00.000-05:00

Cephalopods are truly the most fascinating creatures to roam the ocean floors. Octopuses in particular are experts at taking note of their environments and then focusing their energies to transform the color and texture of their skin to match! Check out the incredible video at the bottom of this page. Truly magic! They also mimic other animals. I love this picture -- I think our prototypical conception of an alien was designed after Paraledone octopuses:

I also love cuttlefish -- both to watch and to eat! They look so thoughtful as they swim. They also camouflage themselves, though not quite so precisely as octopuses.

My dream is someday to learn to swim well and scubadive, so I can visit cephalopods in their natural habitat, without getting eaten myself, of course. (This video demonstrates that this is a reasonable fear! WARNING: DO NOT CLICK IF YOU ARE FAINT OF HEART!!)

Plum Island

2005-05-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we visited the lovely Plum Island, off I-95 near Newburyport. We spent the majority of time scouring the beach for snail shells and other interesting sea carcasses. At one point, we came across a small grey and white bird that was scurrying at an impressive clip across the wet sand.

Curious, I chased it for a couple of yards, only to learn further down the beach that it was an endangered species, stupid human that I am! Later we went to the other end of the island, where there is a bird sanctuary. We heard the red wing blackbird sing and saw an assortment of bright yellow birds. If you ever get the chance, you must go there one day! It seems the perfect place to have a family picnic.

Yesterday

2005-05-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we attended the Harvard Arts Festival. The various societies at the college gave free performances in music, dance, comedy and magic. We heard a group of Franco-Flemish polyphonic singers in a beautiful stone atrium, a piano duo playing Rachmaninoff and a string quartet playing Brahms in the courtyard of the Fogg Museum. It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy day. Later we ate at Marcello's restaurant on Newbury Street, a hidden treasure of mixed Iranian and Italian cuisine. We tried to attend the Mariners-Sox game at Fenway, but unfortunately it was rained out and postponed for today. I can't make it, so a friend is going in my place to root for the M's. Instead we came home and played dominoes. We didn't have any dominoes, so I made some out of cardboard and whiteout!

My First Blog

2005-05-05T22:03:00.000-05:00

Thank you for visiting my blog. This is a blog about all the things I love that can be shared. As I come across them in my daily life, I'll post them here so perhaps you can experience it too, for better or for worse.