Music Monday: Lesson Learned

Now you act so surprised
To hear what you already know
And all you really had to do was ask
I'd have told you straight away
All those lies were truth
And all that was false was fact

have a listen----------------->

Ray LaMontagne [Website]
Ray LaMontagne [MySpace]

WE: What would you rather not hear right now?

My answer...

Show me the right way ..., originally uploaded by ~Lianne~.

The Weekend Exposure Project is a weekly community event, sharing thoughts through imagery. Read about the Weekend Exposure Project and play along.

Proof that I have been ohsoverynice.

In less than three months I am flying back to Salt Lake for a three week visit. I am (overly?) excited for a great number of reasons, the most obvious being that I get to hang with my family and friends. During the holidays, no less. There are numerous other reasons to get excited which results in me making lists.... stuff I want to do, see, make, and who I want to experience these things with. I also have my christmas stocking wish list. That's right. And one of the top items on the list, without me having so much as whispered it in my mom's presence, was sent to me today. Burt's Bees lipbalm! And in three different varieties. It's my absolute favorite and is sold nowhere here, that I have found. Thanks mom for the most perfect gift. Now I get to make a few more cozies. Geekery at it's finest, people. See, dear readers, it is really the small things in life that just make me swoon.

Oh! And on a related note: Cheddar Cheese! I think I drove my family batty on our vacation as all I could talk about when we got to the supermarket was cheddar cheese. Was it on our list? How big of a block did you get? Will that be enough? And then I proceeded to make a cheese sandwich each day. It's not that the cheese here isn't good... it's just, well, boring. I love cheese that's sharp and has a distinction about it. Enough of this sissy Edamer, Gouda, and Butterkase. Blech. So today I was browsing the isles of a seldom visited super store and found aged cheddar. Woot.

And one last, and only barely related note. For a bit of time wasting go play this silly game: Cheese or Font. Can you tell the difference?

Music Monday: You and I are a Gang of Losers

We've got the same heart....

The Dears Website
The Dears MySpace
Press play in the sidebar >>>>>

A Plum Good Idea:::Plum Cardamom Coffee Cake

I was browsing the most drool inducing website on the net and came across a recipe for this lovely coffee cake. Plum cake is something of an early fall staple here in Germany so I got totally stoked on this more Americanized version, making a coffee cake. You know I always like to get my bake on and darlings, this one is divine. The sweet and spicy caramelized sauce balanced nicely with my slightly tart pears and the cake... oh the cake! It was moist and light and had a nice balance to it.

No photos of the finished product as it's getting dark earlier and earlier. And flash is not a friend to food photography. Want the recipe? Just go ahead and continue reading...


CARDAMOM PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN COFFEE CAKE

FOR SAUCE:

• 3 tablespoons melted butter
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  
• 15-18 small-medium plums such as Italian, quartered
  

FOR CAKE:

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment paper a 9” or 10” round tall cake pan.
  
• SAUCE: In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients (melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground cardamom) and cover the base of the cake pan using a pastry brush. Starting from the outside perimeter and working your way towards the center, line your cake pan with quartered plums.
  
• CAKE: Combine flour through salt in a bowl, set aside. In a medium-large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light – approx. 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Gradually flour mixture and orange juice to butter mixture, alternating. Mix well for 3 minutes scraping the sides and bottom down half way through. Add cake batter to the top of plum pan and spread the batter evenly.
  
• Bake for 1 hour or until done. When cake is done, allow the cake to sit on the countertop for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the pan with a knife and flip it onto a plate. Remove parchment paper. Serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!

The recipe was originally found HERE.

WE: When I'm afraid...

My answer...

El Rei D. Sebastião, originally uploaded by Cracas.

And my second answer, because they both fit for different reasons.

The Weekend Exposure Project is a weekly community event, sharing thoughts through imagery. Read about the Weekend Exposure Project and play along.

I heart Fauxlaroids

And I heart fun webby toys.   I have been playing with Poladroid, a fun program I found on the web, which transforms your photos into a polaroid.  It also has some kitschy features.  Instead of using a regular window, it's a cute little polaroid camera on your desktop.  Just drag and drop a photo and it even takes a few minutes to slowly develop, just like the real thing.  And you have to "load new film" (restart the program) after every 10 shots, just like the real thing.  I am such a sucker for those kind of details.  So go off and have some fun with Poladroid.  

Some of my fauxlaroids can be found here on Flickr.

A Session at the White House

My vacation is now weeks gone by, but I still have piles of photos and stories I could share with you.  Our first evening getting into Kinsale we stopped in at a little cafe then took a short stroll around the small town.  We discovered, or my brother did, that one of the pubs was having a traditional music session that evening.  A gathering of musicians playing music because they love it.  And I must say, it shows.  It was some of the most amazing music hear on the trip (aside, of course, from the world bagpipe championships).  Here is a small clip of what we experienced.  We were close, but my view was at the back of the guitarists... sorry.

Music Monday: Keep Yourself Warm and The Twist

Last week's music selection got skipped, so this week I am going to go with the band I wanted to feature and add two songs.  And add a second artist because I am nutty like that.  Lucky them and us.  First up:  Frightened Rabbit, a band from Scotland.  I am noticing a theme in both the songs that I have chosen.  Messages about loneliness, want, and feeling lost... 

Just noticing.

Second up:  Seeed, a German reggae/dancehall band, the lead singer being Peter Fox who I have also featured on Music Monday.  Apparently, the only german music I can stand comes from this guy.  I totally dig dancing to this ridiculous song.  The chorus:

Oohoohoo, you pretty thing
I hide my wedding ring
We could bring it
but we just sip our drink
Oohoohoo, you pretty thing
You are queen and I am King
When I see you then I sing '
"tingalingaling, you pretty thing"

Adultery is not the sort of thing I approve of, but when it's got a beat....

Push play in the sidebar for all three songs.  The previous playlist has now been removed, I will be creating a new playlist each season.  If you want to still listen to the old songs you can find them here.  Happy listening.

If I could record a scent..

The Long Room

I would have done so here, so I could hold onto the feeling of that first in-breath forever.  What does a thought smell like?  What about hundreds, thousands, even millions of thoughts, collected over hundreds of years?  There are few places I have visited in my travels that radiated such beauty as this one room.  I entered and paused in awe, my heart and gut overcome by a rush of warmth.  Tears came to my eyes.  It is the old books I will remember Dublin by.

Knowledge

The first stop in the old book tour was  Trinity College, Dublin.  The photos above are of the Long Room which houses the library's oldest books, some over 400 years old.  The college also has the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript dating from 807 A.D., in it's collection.  The exhibition was mad, full of so many people, but it was lovely to have a glimpse at the old pages and to learn a bit about it's origins and how it was made.

Trinity College Library

My brother and I also accidentally came across the Marsh's Library, which is Ireland's first public library.  It was smaller in scale, but that meant it was more quaint.  We were able to get a closer look at the volumes they had.  If you are in Dublin you really should stop by, it is located just behind St. Patrick's Cathedral.  It really shouldn't be missed.


The last surprise stop came after walking through a garden at the Dublin castle. Standing next to the garden was the Chester Beatty Library. Honestly, we were hunting for a toilet and had no idea what was in store for us. I am so happy that we stopped. The current exhibit is Arts of the Book and features books from the Middle East, East Asia, and Europe. I encourage you to look through their photo gallery. The oldest book I saw on display was from 650 A.D. The fact that a book that old still exists surprises me.

I had no idea what was in store for me in Dublin. Some people may take the pub tour, or the Guiness factory, or stop in at the great churches, or even do a Ulysses walk. But if you want to see something truly incredible, it's in the books.

WE: What are you getting from today?

My answer...

Serendipity, originally uploaded by nikki.jane.

The Weekend Exposure Project is a weekly community event, sharing thoughts through imagery. Read about the Weekend Exposure Project and play along.

THE reason I should always have my camera on hand

Two words: 

Beer. 

Bike.

Bier Bike.

I actually saw this first hand as I came home today.  Rent this bike-mobile with 14 other friends, get served draft beer, and pedal your way through the city.  Party on.

Photos: bierbike.de

WE: What have you left behind?

My answer...

Flaming desire!, originally uploaded by cattycamehome.

The Weekend Exposure Project is a weekly community event, sharing thoughts through imagery. Read about the Weekend Exposure Project and play along.

Stop #4: Kinsale

Renting a cottage for a week in a town like Kinsale is the perfect idea for a family vacation. Colorful, quaint, lively, and close to the sea.... this place was awesome.  See the [Flickr set] and to see more here





And almost perfect. The boy on these crossing signs creep me out.

Stop #3: Glasgow and the WORLDS

I loved the mix of industrial hard lines and the old building facades in the main train station.  Aside from the Glasgow Green, where the Worlds were held, and our accommodation at the university student apartments, this was all I saw of the city of Glasgow.  From what I have heard, I didn't miss much.  But the train station was simply lovely.


Glasgow must be a city devoid of common sense.  My memory fails me now, but signs of caution were posted everywhere reminding you of things that are generally a given, such as "no hot ashes" in the garbage bins.

This is just after Triumph Street played the morning qualifier and are marching off the field.  My brother is the second back on the left and one of his best friends from Utah, Ross, who has been there since the beginning, is on the right.  It was incredible to get to see them do this together.  They have been through so much.

Me (far right) and my family, proudly toting our band t-shirts.  My dad didn't make it, so his cardboard head cut-out counterpart stood in for him on this trip.  Dad, I hope you aren't reading this, because there is a surprise coming your way and I may have just sort-of ruined it.