I have made a mellower soup. It still has lentils and rice and many other ingredients but it's calmer. Every bite is not a new and strange sensation. I salute you goose! You held back when you wanted to throw all the spices into your soup. Good job.

The Yukon is only 1500 miles away. If I had a car, I'd leave right now and drive half way today, and half way tomorrow and spend all day Saturday in the wonderful yukon, then drive back on sunday and monday and be in to work tuesday. IT would be awesome. oh well.

The day has grown long, and I have grown weary. Yesterday was like a wonderland. For some reason everything delighted me and I had a fire in my stomach because of it. Know what I mean? Well, today, is a normal-land. And my hands hurt. But I have to admit that I feel proud of my hands and my knee and the bump on my head. Even though last night wasn't exactly fun, I keep thinking back to it, and wanting to do it again. We played capture the flag with strangers (in the woods) and it was stealthy and dangerous, and I ran into a tree and went tumbling at one point, and today I have bloody scratches on my hands and my knee and my shoulder and a bump on my head. But I feel primal and dangerous. And I want to do it again. I will do it again. Beware, enemys! I can only become less clumsy.

Bluegrass music, the winding nostalgic giddy sounds of banjos and guitars and harmonicas and washboards is something special. It can turn an ordinary day upside down for me, in the best possible way. Or an ordinary thought into something extraordinary, like there is this song about mountain dew, not the wet stuff on grass in the morning, but mountain dew, the drink, and it is as intensely passionate and joyful as any love song ever was.

should the winds of sorrow sweep over your emotions passion strong and deep to carry you just remember my love is here to guide you safely through the night to any ocean if you ever think of me as your button, think of me as your button.

I don't think he said button, but thats what it sounded like, and it sounds good to me! ok, arevua!

Note: Don't try to prove the following equations. Just take my word for it.

1. Canned creamed corn + Honey mustard = bad + stomach ache
2. (4 cans of diet caffiene free Root beer Shasta brand soda/day * 4 days) + 4 packages of gum = Massive bloating of tummy + weird tongue bumps

I made bad soup last night. I mean, it's not terrible but it's not very good either. Let me explain. I followed this recipe for "Egyptian red lentil soup" that I found on the internet, but I couldn't find red lentils at the grocery store so I used ordinary brown lentils. Well, after I made it, exactly as the recipe said, I tasted it and it was bland. So I do what I normally do in those situations and I started having fun with spices. A handful of brown sugar! More cumin. A bit more turmuric.... how about some rosemary? No, thats a bad idea, some more salt sounds good. Now some more sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. And now, I have a very sweet, but also very salty, greenish yellow lentil and potato soup. Its also very garlicy because the recipe called for 10 cloves. And, since I have a habit of cooking giant pots of soup, I have a giant pot of yellowish brownish green gross soup that I have to eat. Oh well. I guess there is probably a moral wrapped up in all of this, something that could be extended into the rest of life, but I can't put my finger on what that big main idea is. Don't use too much spice seems like a good moral, but it's not broad enough. Maybe if something doesn't taste spicey, you should just enjoy it for what it is - lentil mush.

I ate a great peach this weekend. It was unspeakably good. The best culinary experience of my life! Juice dribbling down my chin, a sunny curb in the open air at a market in Seattle, street music coming from my right, the sounds of people everywhere, and nothing but joy in my heart and sweet, orgasmic peach juice and pulp in my mouth and on my hands and all over my face. It was messier than a ripe mango and sweet as a handful of brown sugar, and more watery than a watermelon. Best peach ever.

Here is a very long quiz. You should all take it. It's one of those "have you ever" quizzes, and I tell you, it is funner to take it, than to read other people's.

1. Buy everyone in the pub a drink - no, I haven't.
02. Swim with wild dolphins -no, I haven't
03. Climb a Mountain - Yes, I have! I have climbed many mountains.
04. Take a Ferrari for a test drive -no I haven't.
05. See the Pyramids at night - No, I haven't
06. Hold a tarantula - no.
07. Take a candlelit bath with someone - no! Goood god, no.
08. Say 'I love you' and mean it - Yes.
09. Hug a tree - Yes. There was a really huge tree on Moscow Mountain and I hugged it for a picture.
10. Do a striptease - No one has ever asked.
11. Do a bungee or parachute jump - No. Seems a bit risky to me.
12. Visit Paris- no
13. Watch a lightning storm at sea - again, this seems very risky!
14. Clean behind the fridge - Yes! oh my goodness, I have done this one alot.
15. Stay up all night long, and watch the sun rise - I have done this one alot too.
16. Ask the/a question you've always been too embarrassed to ask. - Oh dear lord, yep.
17. See the Northern Lights - No I haven't, but that seems fun.
18. Go to a huge sports game - football, rugby, baseball, American football, etc - I am going to a baseball game this weekend.
19. Create your own masterpiece - YES! It's called Fantastic Soup
20. Grow and eat your own vegetables. Yes, tomatos with my parents.
21. Touch an iceberg - no, but I've closed my eyes and touched ice cubes, so I think I know what it is like.
22. Have an office relationship - doesn't everyone?
23. Sleep under the stars - yes. It wasn't as fun as I thought it might be because of sand and wind and bugs and an uncomfortable sleeping bag.
24. Compromise - I am good at compromising.
25. Change a baby's nappy/diaper - Yes, a long time ago.
26. Take a rip in a hot air balloon - no.
27. Watch a meteor shower - I've tried.
28. Get drunk on champagne - I haven't tried.
29. Take a luxury holiday - I don't think so, but I'm not sure.
30. Give more than you can afford to charity - I can afford it.
31. Look up at the night sky through a telescope - yes! alot.
32. Have an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - it was the best moment.
33. Have a food fight - no
34. Bet on a winning horse - i'm not a betting man
35. Take a sick day when you're not ill - i don't think so
36. Get a pet - oh the pets i have gotten!
37. Ask a stranger out - i'm the sort who thinks alot about it and almost does it but never does.
38. Have a snowball fight - yes.
39. Photocopy your bottom on the office photocopier - No, that seems kind of juvenile.
40. Scream as loudly as you possibly can - No, this too seems juvenile.
41. Hold a lamb - I had a lamb! I fed her milk in the morning, her name was Cleo.
42. Enact a favorite fantasy - I don't know.
43. Take a midnight skinny dip - I have not done this one.
44. Hear the words 'I love you' - Yes.
45. Fly on Concorde - I don't know what that is.
46. Take an ice cold bath - no no no
47. Have a meaningful conversation with a beggar. - yeah.
48. See a total eclipse - no
49. Ride a roller coaster - The texas giant, about 30 times
50. Hit a home run - no
51. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days - yes, unfortunatly.
52. Dance like a fool and not care who's looking - well most of the time.
53. Adopt an accent for an entire day - I am not that disiplined.
54. Visit the birthplace of you ancestors - No not yet. But that would be a lot of places.
55. Have a grand romance with costumes and everything - No.
56. Made up a screenname to stalk someone. - Yes, my brother.
57. Gone shopping for no reason. - nope.
58. Actually feel happy about your life, even for just a moment. - Yes.
59. Just be held - Yes.
60. Have an adventure where nothing goes as planned. - Yes
61. Kissed someone you truly wanted to kiss - Yes
62. Went clubbing and thought to yourself "I could out-dance them if I wanted to" - I have never been clubing.
63. Called your relatives by their relationship in another language - i think so
64. Have two hard drives for your computer - yep!
65. Cuddled - WITH MY CAT! and a few others and MY DOG!
66. Visited all 50 states - no not yet.
67. Love your job - yes.
68. Taken care of someone who was shit faced - yes. But I don't think shit faced is a nice thing to call someone.
69. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - money doesn't give true satisfaction.
70. Have amazing friends - Yes. They amaze me every day with their wiley ways.
71. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - no country is foreign to the free heart! So, yes. At midnight rodeo.
72. Swim during a formal - no
73. Stolen a sign - no
74. Backpacked in Europe - no
75. Taken a road-trip - no
76. Rock climbing - yes! In
77. Nose piercing - no
78. Midnight walk on the beach - yes, in idaho
79. Sky diving -no not really
80. Visit Ireland - no not this one either
81. Saw what you wanted and did all it took to seize it. - No, but I wish I had that kind of intensity.
82. Fell in love then fell harder and faster from heartbreak. - Thats too private a question to ask mister.
83. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had lunch/dinner with them - no I haven't.
84. Visit and/or tour Japan. - no
85. Benchpress your own weight. - no, but i could! i really could!
86. Stolen from your parents - no
87. Alphabatized your records/ cd - nope
89. Pretended to be a superhero - yes
90. Sang karaoke - yes, not good though
91. Made someone cry for no good reason - just once, on accident. I felt horrible.
92. Lounged around in bed all day. - no i'm too uptight.
93. Posed nude in front of a room full of strangers. - no, i'm too uptight for this one too.
94. Dressed sexy for no reason. - I ALWAYS have a reason
95. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye - I think so, I think so!
96. Kissed in the rain - I don't know, I don't know! Maybe.
97. Played in the mud - no
98. Played in the rain - yes
99. Gone to a drive-in theater - no i've never even seen one.
100. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it... - I am filled with regret, but I don't think thats good.
101. Visited the Great Wall of China - no
102. Fell in love with a job that has nothing to do with the degree you're pursuing. - things are usually more beautiful from afar.
103. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog. - no not yet.
104. Dropped Windows in favor of something better. - i don't think so
105. Started a business. - no
106. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken. - yes so far so good.
107. Toured ancient sites around the Mediterranean - no
108. Taken karate. - yes! I am the master.
109. Swordfought for the honor of a woman. - yes. well, no, but i would.
110. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight. - no, but i had the opportunity, and i blew it.
111. Gotten married - no
112. Been in a movie. - no
113. LARPed - i dunno what that is
114. Loved someone you shouldn't have. - i don't believe in "shouldn't have"
115. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy. - i will.
116. Gotten divorced - no.
117. Had sex at the office - no
118. Surprised yourself with a talent you didn't know you had - I am the master of all my talents.
119. Been to Macchu Picchu - no but I think i know where that is.
120. Gone without food for 5 days - no
121. Never left the continental United States. no
122. Made cookies from scratch. - of coursee
123. Won first prize in a costume contest. - no
124. Ridden a gondola in Venice. - No but it sounds fun!
125. Gotten a tattoo - no, i am a wimp.
126. Got another tattoo the next day because you didn't feel balanced - no, but i could see myself doing that.
127. Find that the texture of some materials can turn you on - oh yes.
128. Rafted the Snake River - almost!
129. Blazed it up at Burning Man Flipside. - i don't know what that means.
130. Gotten flowers for no reason. - i always have a reason!
131. Masturbated in a public place. - no, that would embarass me.
132. Gotten so drunk you don't remember anything. - no i haven't
133. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug. - no
134. Traveled the world. - no. but this is a long quiz.
135. Performed onstage with a famous symphony orchestra. - no
136.Been to Las Vegas - no
137. Met Madonna - no
138. Recorded music - yes
139. Eaten Shark - no, i haven't.
140. Had a one night stand - oh the one night stands i have had!
141. Gone to Thailand - no
142. Courage to speak my mind - a few times.
143. Saw Robert Smith and Siouxsie live - i haven't
144. Bought a house - no.
145. Earned my degree - workin on it
146. Broke my neck - NO! don't ask again.
147. Been in a combat zone - yes! many!
148. Buried my father - no
149. Earned a *living* through my creativity - i hope i can do that some day.
150. Visit the remaining continents on my list - no, i don't think so.
151. Took more than a month long vacation from a job. - no i don't think so.
152. Gotten so stoned, the fabric of the universe becomes visable. - no. but once I was very tired and walking home at 3 in the morning from the library, and I stopped and looked at the sky, and felt deeply happy.
153. Moved 2000 miles away from 'home' and never moved back. - that was my dad.
154. Move to a foreign country to live. - no country is foreign if you are a child of the earth.
155. Learn to fly an airplane/ helicopter. - learn? I was born a pilot.
156. "Win" a fistfight - ALL THE TIME
157. Go horseback riding in the rain - no. sounds terribly exciting though.
158. Brag about your prowess in a geek activity - How else, can you feel good about being a geek?
159. Earn an advanced degree - yes! high school diploma and associates in science.
160. Play to a live audience - Yes, piano lessons.
161. Rescued a pet from the pound. - Yes, his name is Rex. He would be insulted if he thought that anyone was "rescuing" him.
162. Created a piece of art for someone - Yes! I made a german chocolate cake for nida for her birthday, and I've made plenty of pretty cards. And I write odes sometimes.
163. Signed with a record label - No, not yet.
164. Touched a giraffe. -Yes, when I was young and wild and free at the wildlife park.
165. loved someone from afar - Yes, many times.
166. gotten the role you've always wanted - lead monkey, 5th grade! I was very happy.
167. been whitewater rafting - Yes! It was very fun.
168. dyed your hair green No. I do not have the bravery.
169. gotten published - yes! In a community college poetry magazine.
170. sprouted wings - I don't think thats possible.
171. Dress the part - probably
172. Lie to a complete stranger about absolutely everything for absolutely no reason. No, because I would be giggling like a hyena the whole time.
173. Make an outfit out of duct tape. No, but I'd like to.
174. Changed a dream while still dreaming it. Yes, I have wild dreams.
175. Drank tequila in Mexico. Yes. With my bird class.

Ok, here is a post. Every once in a while, a person gets struck by a bolt of pure creative genius, the sort that doesn't happen very often, and when it does, you stand there so dumbstruck by what you have done that the only thing left to do is to laugh at the ceiling with your hands on your hips like you're the world's greatest dictator and you just realized how cool you are.  For me, that day was today, and that lightning bolt of pure creative genius was a huge pot of soup.  I played the kitchen like a violin, the notes tumbled out of my fingers as rosemary, and thyme, beans and tomatos, and zuchinis and raisins and apples. It was very much fun, and I highly recommend it. I call it Fantastic Soup and I will give you the recipe here.
 
Fantastic Soup
12 kinds of beans
wild rice
2 ears of corn
zuchini
tomato
onion
garlic pepper
bell peppers
2 cans of diced tomatos and green peppers
a can of tomato sauce
a carrot
an apple
raisins
chicken bullion
chicken saucage
parsley
rosemary
thyme
(but no sage!)
oregano
brown sugar
honey
cloves
cinnamon
lime juice
basil leaves
 
You can mix all this stuff together however you like and with as much of each ingredient that you think would be good.  Just be sure to taste it along the way.