La Lune

I see the moon,
The moon sees me
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.

-A nursery rhyme
I was born on July 13th, which makes me a Cancer, a moon child. Ever since I was a little girl, the moon has had a positive, calming effect on me. I recall late nights staring up at the sky, and having quiet conversations with that lovely beam of light. I would feel a soft, soothing glow fall upon my body. It made me feel loved. Many times I felt the moon was the only thing aware of my presence on this entire planet. Nowadays, I still smile when I'm under the dreamy moonlight. The hypnotic glow will always make me feel alive, and loved by something greater than anything on this little planet. The moon stills gives me hope that something incredible is heading in my direction.

A Very Short Movie Review

I blame Vincent Price for the majority of the nightmares I had as a child. In this movie he plays host to a group of people invited to a mansion. If they make it through the night alive and well they will each be given $10,000! (I guess this was a lot of cash in the late 1950’s.) The group chosen are the typical bunch - let’s see, there’s the doctor, a pretty boy, the untainted virgin, a boozer, and a creepy old fool. Vincent is married to a bodacious blonde bombshell who is only with him for his fortune. This movie has some shocking special effects - hanging skeletons, vats of acid, bloody heads hidden in suitcases, creepy looking servants, and even pianos that play by themselves. This is scary stuff I tell you! Who lives? Who dies? Who cares? It's definitely a party movie. Invite your buddies over, blend up some margaritas, make some popcorn and get ready for some scary fun.

Click here for more information about this cult classic.

Bon Appetit

I've always loved to cook. My Great-Grandma Hicks and my Grandma Mamie began teaching me the family recipes at the tender age of three. I was fortunate to live with both of them for the first 5 years of my life in Columbus, Ohio. Then our family moved out to California when my father got transferred to Vandenburg Air Force Base (about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara, CA). That's another story I'll share someday.

The first dish is chicken breast with red peppers and leeks. It was seasoned with 5-spice powder, sesame oil, some fresh ginger, white pepper, and minced garlic. Serve with some wild rice and a simple green salad.

The second dish is my Pork & Garlic-Pepper Tofu Stir-fry (with fresh ginger and leeks). It's pretty basic - sesame oil, minced garlic, some sesame seeds, 5-spice powder. I usually cook with plain firm tofu but thought I'd give the favored one a try. The taste was ok, but I still prefer it plain. This allows me to do my own experimenting with the seasoning. I served this dish with Thai Jasmine rice and with some Wasabiyaki sauce on the side.

For me, the kitchen is the heart of a home. Some of my fondest memories are of my grandmother's kitchen. The smells, the chatter, the laughter, the radio slowly playing in the background. Such wonderful memories, and as I think about it, both my grandmothers prepared our food without using a cookbook. It was always a pinch of this or a handful of that. To this day I cook the same way, even though I own over 50 cookbooks. I'll follow a recipe for the most part but I definitely make it my own.

There's nothing better than breaking bread together with family and good friends. Toss in some board games after dinner and you've got a wonderful evening full of laughter, good conversation and yummy food in your belly. Life is good.

Innocence Lost

This is my class picture of me in the 2nd grade at Franklin Elementary School. I was 9 years old and life seemed so sweet and innocent back in 1963. About a month after this picture was taken President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I heard the new from our principal who came into our classroom and told use our President had died. Then he told us all to go home. No details about how he dead or how it happened. It was the first time I ever experienced such loss and sadness in my life. When I got home my mother and father were watching the shooting and never discussed his death, even though they showed the murder - over and over again. I always found it strange that my parents didn't take the time to talk to me about the event. It was so upsetting. It was my first real encounter with death. We didn't even have a discussion at school. It's like my great-grandmother Hicks said, "Children should be seen, but not heard." That's truly the way kids were treated back in the early 1960s. How sad is that? I continued to watch the television footage for the next few days crying silently to myself, and listening to the only voice that seemed to try to help me understand, Walter Cronkite, CBS newscaster. That man truly was "the voice of America" back then. He was the only one who took the time to try and explain this tragedy to me.

After awhile we learned what happened on that horrible day, or at least what "they" wanted us to believe. There have been so many theories (some crazy, some that made you think) but honestly, I don't think we'll ever know why my favorite president was gunned down.

My innocence died on November 22, 1963, and that was just a preview to future assassinations and shocking murders to assault my young mind before the 1970s began.

Down Below

Here's another painting that intrigues me. I often wonder what's going on underneath my feet. I felt this way as a child. Even more these days as an adult. Having some X-ray vision would be fun. Oh wait, I might not want to see what's actually lurking around down there. (I wish I knew who painted this.)