daily life

an owl i made for josh out of an old skirt.
phat grrl
lulu
war protest
a lovely tree that i see everyday.

life is funny.
i've been feeling strange but i like it.
i feel hopeful.

war poetry

Two nights ago I had the great pleasure of meeting and hearing poetry read by soldier/poet Brian Turner. His book of poems called Here,Bullet has garnered numerous awards around the country and rightfully so. The book is full of honest and raw observations of the war in Iraq, where Turner served as a Sergeant.

Brian Turner did things a bit backwards. He received his Masters Degree in English Lit. before joining the military. He has been writing for some time but the experience in Iraq seemed to charge his poetry with something else, something that language can't define. He says in one of his poems, "I have no words of war". Although he so eloquently paints a picture for us, you get the feeling that what he witnessed is, after all, unspeakable. This book is just a slice of it.

I had such a huge, passionate reaction to his poems when I first read the book. Hearing them read aloud sent shivers down my spine. You know why? Because we, citizens of America, never get to hear the soldier's voice or the truth for that matter and when we do hear it, it is shocking. We hear pundits on TV all day long arguing this and that, playing games with each other, saying that they know what's going on in the war. Well, they don't know shit about what's going on. Until you hear it from a soldier's mouth or you go there yourself, you will never know the horrors that come of war.

Brian Turner struck me as a strong and thoughtful man whose eyes hold deep wells of sad memories. A man, not physically wounded in battle, but wounded nonetheless. It would be impossible to come home after seeing the things he saw and not be changed, not to be hurt in some way. Because that is what's human. That is what we are missing in our national discussion. The humanity. There is a massive disconnect going on with this war and I think that it will be a great downfall for the next generation of Americans because they are inheriting a country that has been made to fear their own government, distracted and brainwashed. This is a sad day not just for our country, but for the world.

If you are sick of hearing what everyone thinks they know about war and you'd like to hear some truth you should read Here,Bullet. It's not a political book. It's an observation. You can take what you want from it but it will change you. Mr. Turner posed a great question to a group of students at the poetry reading. He asked, "Just as there are bombs exploding in Iraq, are there not bombs exploding over here, in our minds and in our hearts? If not, why not?"

almond milk!

Since June of this year, I've been making my very own almond milk. It's so very easy, especially if you have a kick-arse blender. I recommend a vita-mix. They are quite pricey but are so damn powerful. I make soups and all sorts of concoctions containing nuts and hard stuff and my blender is always like, "Really? is that all you got?" Seriously. I heart my vita-mix.


Almond Mylk

1 cup raw almonds
4-5 cups of cold, filtered water
2tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)

(other variations: make chai, or chocolate almond milk, anything you like can be yours!)

You will need a blender and something to filter your milk with (I use a paint strainer bag from home depot, it's re-usable and durable)

*I put the cup of almonds in first, then add about 1 cup of the water(enough to cover almonds) Blend this until creamy(at this point it's almost like almond butter which is also very easy to make)

*Then add another couple cups of water and blend for 20 seconds or so.

*Add some vanilla if you wish and perhaps another cup of water and blend. The water amount really depends on if you want to make creamy milk or not. More water will equal less creamy.

*Line a pitcher with the filter bag and pour the milk in. Most of the milk will go straight through but you will need to do some squeezing to get it all. You will have almond pulp left in the bag. You could save this and use to make a pie crust!

*enjoy on granola, in coffee, whateva you like!