Playdate

Find your happy Zen place

Maybe I never had it, but I've misplaced my Zen.  I must have had some sort of Zen.  My parents are Buddhist so they have Zen.  But, I don't meditate so mine is definitely lost.

I certainly feel lost lately.  Perhaps it is the January blues and my throat cold/infecion isn't helping matters.  It very well could be the state of limbo many women experience between careers that is a direct result of motherhood.  Yeah, it's the third one.

Since I was twelve years old, I knew exactly what I wanted to be.  I started drawing plans of houses that I designed on any little note paper I could find.  By Junior High, I was pumping out mechanical drawings and doing axonometrics.  By High School, I was in a drafting class and making scale models for college credits.  There was no question.  I was going to be an Architect. 

I earned my professional degree, I nailed a job right after gradulation and I LOVED my clients and projects.  I even married an Architect.  On paper, it sounds so glamourous...so why, after 24 years, am I questioning my path?

The answer is kids.  What worked before doesn't always work under different conditions.  Women (and men) make such difficult decisions for the sake of their families.  Circumstances change yet again, and more decisions must be made.  Balance...flexiblity...limbo.  What I didn't know at 12 years of age is that my career would not be definite.  It's so hard.   

Zen (ˈzen) noun: Japanese, religious meditation: a Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation.

I need to find some Zen.  Enlightenment.

Our kids love getting books from the library.  A recent find is this book by Jon J. Muth called Zen Shorts.  You must read it to your kids.  Hell, read it for yourself. 

I got such an amazing reaction from Rob after he read it to the kids.  One of the stories REALLY hit home for him.  Essentially, there is a young monk and an old monk.  They come across a woman in a sedan being held up by her servants.  They were stuck in mud and had packages in their hands, therefore could not help her down.  The young monk walked past them but the old monk walk through the mud and carried the woman on his back.  She complained and didn't even thank the monk.  Several hours later, the young monk couldn't contain himself.  He asked the older monk why he helped that awful woman.  The older monk replied, "I put her down hours ago.  Why are you still carrying her around?"  There are two more stories in the same book.  They are equally wonderful.  Any children's book that has a life lesson to be applied to an adult gets my praise.

Coincidentally, Rob just bought this book for me based on a recommendation from a fellow blogger.

So far I've just read the first chapter and although I had to put the book down momentarily to yell at my son, I did it calmly.  Maybe my Zen isn't that far away... 

Maybe I should order one of these...a Sad Lamp...to en-lighten me.  Sorry couldn't resist.  Until my lamp arrives, I mean, in the meantime,  I'll keep searching for my happy place. 

Oh, and I'll get my daily Zen here!

Brooklyn Brewery

Recently, we had the amazing opportunity to go on a private tour of the Brooklyn Brewery in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.  Rob and I took a few college friends to walk through the brewery with the Brewmaster, (that's gotta be an awesome way to introduce yourself..."Yes, I'm the Brewmaster") Garrett Oliver.  He described the brewing process, let us peek inside the drums and gave us a condensed history of beer, all of which is outlined in his book, "The Brewmaster's Table".  Below is a picture of a few hops used for their beers. 

Along the way, we got to sample some of their fine selection of beers; the first was "Pennant", then.... uuuhhhh...who am I kidding.  I got way too drunk to remember any of the beer names.  BUT what I DO recall is "Local 1".  Honestly, I'm not sure why I went on a beer tour because I really don't like beer, BUT this Local 1 is THE BEST BEER I'VE EVER HAD.  It's in a champagne bottle...or as I learned that night, champagne stole the bottle shape and cork from beer!  A bit of history was revealed.  Anyway, I need to get my hands on this beer.  It's incredible.  And, that's not the alcohol talking, it is REALLY amazing.  If I can't get the local stores to stock it, I will have to drive to Williamsburg and get a few cases.  It's THAT fucking good.

As the night progressed, I got red in the face (many of you know what that means) and we were all having a great time.  Here's some of what I retained from the tour...

The Brewmaster described how beer paired with cheeses is better than wine.  It's just that most American beers are so bad, you wouldn't THINK of having it with a a fine dinner.  He is part of a movement to bring GOOD beer back to America and introduce Americans to the idea of savoring beer, like wine.  Did you know that Brooklyn Brewery's beer is the best selling American beer in Europe?  Mr. Oliver does classes on pairing beers with different dishes and recently held one at Murray's Cheeses.  On our tour, we got to sample six different beers, light to dark, each with a distinctive taste.  The last and darkest beer was described to us as "almost an espresso", and indeed it was rich like coffee and could be paired with desserts.  Fascinating!

The brewery tour ended with (1) the rest of our party arriving late and (2) happy hour starting.  The brewery opens its doors at 6:00 for happy hour!  As we continued to get sloppy drunk on this fantastic beer, we noticed the 20-somethings chowing down some gourmet pizza (and that we were the only 30-somethings).  The pizzarias deliver TO THE PUB!  This might have been one of the best nights of my life!  I don't even remember what the toppings were...there was definitely some cured ham on one of them...but it was fantastic.  And that's not the alcohol talking either. 

Before he left, Garrett Oliver was nice enough to sign a few copies of his book (that a friend bought for me) and give us the beer glasses as souviniers.  Sadly, in my drunken stuper, I decided I no longer wanted to carry my glass.  It was getting too heavy for my drunken fingers.  It may still be in shards along the brick wall I threw it against.  And as Karma would have it, my friend lost the books on New Jersey Transit.  Someone will turn signed books to the Lost and Found, right?  Uuuhhhh, now that's definitely the alochol talking.

I'm your nemesis. No wait, your archenemy...

Chuck Klosterman (in IV) has a great essay on how everyone needs to have one nemesis and one archenemy.  OBVIOUSLY they can't be the same person (DUH!), but how do you tell who is who?  He wrote this for men, it seems, but I think it applies to women too, don't you?

(original article: "Nemesis," Esquire, 2004)

Recognizing Your Nemesis

• At some point in the past, this person was (arguably) your best friend.
• You and this person once competed for the same woman, and you both failed.
• You have punched this person in the face.
• If invited, you would go to this person's wedding and give them a spice rack, but you would secretly hope that their marriage ends in a bitter, public divorce.
• People who barely know the two of you assume you are close friends; people who know both of you intimately suspect you profoundly hate each other.
• If your archenemy tried to kill you, this person would attempt to stop him

Recognizing Your Archenemy

• Every time you talk to this person, you lie.
• If you meet someone who has the same first name as this person, you immediately like them less.
• This person has done at least two (2) things that would be classified as "unforgivable."
• The satisfaction you feel from your own success pales in comparison to the despair you feel from this person's personal triumphs, even if those triumphs are completely unrelated to your life.
• If this person slept with your girlfriend, she would never be attractive to you again.
• Even if this person's girlfriend was a hateful bitch, you would sleep with her out of spite.

Okay, so... people?  Nemesis?  Archenemy?  Discuss.  I'm boldly keeping out of the fray.  You know me, I'm just happy when people can make me laugh with definitions of things.  I am digging Chuck.  He is neither my nemesis nor my archenemy (and I guess that would be hard, as he is blithely unaware of my exisitence).

Mmmm Mmmm Good!

My sister-in-law gave me this book for Christmas in 2001.  I read it back then and I brought it up to the cabin because it's some fun, light reading.  I had forgotten all about it until I picked it up again today and immediately I was laughing.  Basically, the author, James Lileks, critiques the cookbooks of yesteryear, but in a very, um, unique (and hilarious) fashion.  These are not the timeless, classic cookbooks that are passed down from generation to generation, but the marketing-driven, propaganda-like cookbooks in the manner of 101 Things to Do With Cream of Chicken Soup. 

This is the online version of the book.  Some of what's in the book isn't on the website and vice versa.  If you want to borrow my copy, let me know.

Lileks' website also has a number of other sections worth checking out.

I'd blog more, but I'm reading...

Gone Baby Gone

So I just read this book a couple of weeks ago and now I see they've made a movie of it.  I've actually read several of the Patrick Kenzie-centric Dennis Lehane mysteries, and I just have to say... Casey Affleck?

Don't get me wrong, I liked him fine in that Zach Braff movie, The Last Kiss.  He's all right.  But as Patrick Kenzie?  I don't see it.

Of course, I was wrong with another Boston boy, Matt Damon, who I totally thought couldn't pull off the Bourne movies.  So maybe I'm wrong with this one.

Yes, I know Ben Affleck is directing.  Do you think there will be a lot of talk of nepotism in his casting choices?

P.S. If you're wondering about the book, it was decent.  I like Dennis Lehane, especially Shutter Island.  But Gone Baby Gone would have been better if I hadn't read... uh... some book just like it 2 weeks before.  Now what was the name of that one? 

...Oh right, it was Beautiful Lies, by Lisa Unger.  Amazon lists that one as one of the best books of 2006. 

My review: Enh.  Shrug.  It was okay.  I mean, I couldn't remember the name of it, so... 

Though, to be honest, I'm looking over the list right now, and I had problems with a lot of them.  I really liked Suite Francaise, but I couldn't make it through The Places In Between (though I thought it sounded interesting), Lisey's Story, a couple of others.  I have Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Fiasco and Absurdistan, but haven't gotten around to any of them.

No One Belongs Here More than You

I don't know Miranda July -- I'd actually never heard of her before yesterday -- but I love her website.  If is indicative of how her stories will be, I'm definitely reading them.  According to my 17 seconds of internet research, she also wrote Me and You and Everyone We Know, which I haven't seen (but is in my massive Netflix queue), so I have no idea if it's any good. 

I'm helpful, right?  I just really liked the website.  It made me giggle.  So thanks, Miranda July, whoever you are...