Muffaletto

1 cup black and green olives, pitted

1 cup roasted red bell pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

EVOO

Combine all (except oil and pepper) in food processor and pulse until chunky/well combined. Season to taste with pepper and drizzle with oil. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Smack on a pita chip or other dipper of choice and let your taste buds be delighted!

4 servings, 2 pts. each

Clean Food, pg. 41

the laughing heart

your life is your life don't let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can't beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

- charles bukowski

2011 Oscar Predictions

After a brutal upset last year, I feel confident I'm on the pole for this year's race, ready to strike for the win. Only time, and Helena Bonham Carter's hair can tell for sure.

Short Film (Animated): The Gruffalo, Jakob Schuh and Max Lang

Documentary (Feature): Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz

Short Film (Live Action): The Confession, Tanel Toom

Documentary (Short Subject): Killing in the Name,

Film Editing: 127 Hours, Jon Harris

Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Sound Editing: Inception, Richard King

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Foreign Language Film: Biutiful, Mexico

Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Sound Mixing: Inception, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

Makeup: Barney's Version, Adrien Morot

Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich

Music (Original Score): The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Visual Effects: Iron Man 2, Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland, Production Design: Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Music (Original Song): Coming Home (from "Country Strong"), Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey

Cinematography: Inception, Wally Pfister

Costume Design: Alice In Wonderland, Colleen Atwood

Writing (Original Screenplay): The King's Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler

Best Picture: The Social Network, Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin

Directing: The Social Network, David Fincher

brandbowl

another Superbowl has come and gone. wings were plattered, beer was tapped and couches were overutilized. at the end of it all, we have winners, losers and a few too many people getting hit in the head with refreshments.

my winners:

#3: Motorola Xoom (Empower the People). Sure, it's a take on Apple's 1984 and the tablet is being slated to sell for $800 (yowzers), but it's beautifully shot and would even make non-tech savvy curmudgeon grandparents interested.

#2: VW (The Force & Black Beetle). Had a tie on this one. Darth may have won out, but I'd seen it for a week prior to the Superbowl air, thus taking away some of the freshness. And Beetle gets in there not only for cleverness, but also for soundtracking Black Betty. Huge win.

#1: Chrysler (Imported from Detroit). Those who know me well, know that I have been a huge fan of the Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler commercial rebranding. Though I could have used a little less Eminem schmalztiness, I never tire of the strong images, deliberate slow motions, and moving voiceovers.

pause

did you ever hear the story of the christmas tree,
who just didn’t want to change the show.
he liked living in the woods and playing with squirrels,
he liked icicles and snow.

he liked wolves and eagles and grizzly bears
and critters and creatures that crawled,
why bugs were some of his very best friends
spiders and ants and all.

now that’s not to say that he ever looked down
on a vision of twinkling lights,
or on mirrored bubbles and peppermint canes
and a thousand other delights.

and he often had dreams of tiny reindeer
and a jolly old man in a sleigh,
full of toys and presents and wonderful things
and the story of Christmas day.

oh, Alfie believed in Christmas alright,
he was full of Christmas cheer.
all of each and every day,
and all throughout the year.

to him it was more than a special time,
much more than a special day.
it was more than a beautiful story,
it was a special kind of way.

you see some folks have never heard a jingle bell ring,
and they’ve never heard of santa claus.
they’ve never heard the story of the son of god,
and that made Alfie pause.

did that mean that they’d never know of peace on earth,
or the brotherhood of man.
or know how to love, or know how to give,
if they can’t, no one can.

you see, life is a very special kind of thing,
not just for a chosen few.
but for each and every living, breathing thing,
not just me and you.

so in your Christmas prayers this year,
Alfie asked me if I’d ask you,
say a prayer for the wind and the water and the wood
and those who live there too.

-the one and only john denver (and the muppets)

Merry Christmas, shiny and bright to all.
house of m

32 years. gone by in a blink.

let's hope that these continue to become rules rather than exceptions in this life of mine.

here's to a great 32nd year. to the friends i've lost, the more amazing ones i've gained.

to the blessings that i enjoy every day. even on the bad ones.

to the moments of this life that take my breath away, especially when i least expect it.

and to the laughter. oh, the laughter!

and to the love.

my cup runneth over.

push rewind

"Nostalgia - it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, 'nostalgia' literally means "the pain from an old wound.' It's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn't a spaceship, it's a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards... it takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It's not called the wheel, it's called the carousel. It let's us travel the way a child travels - around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know we are loved."