AliThinks

Aly Answers

A couple of weeks ago I posted a Q & A I'd done. So many of you asked to be interviewed in turn! It was quite surprising, really, and I turned a couple of you down while I was on vacation last week. (Suzy and Mel, I will interview you now if you'd like. You are the "lucky" two, though. After you, I'm done with this meme.)

My dear friend Aly, who does not have a blog even though she should, lamented this fact in the comments to my original interview. I wrote back and told her I'd interview her and post her answers here. She sent a quick response:

ALLRIGHT!  I'm heading out of town this SECOND, but I want to do it!  I would be honored (and really excited) to be a guest on your blog.

Aly has already been a guest on my blog. I haven't seen her for about six or seven years, but we are better friends now than we ever were in France. And I'm not sure she knows how much I appreciate her.

Anyway, she went out of town and so did we; therefore it was just yesterday that I interviewed her. Her answers to my questions appear below the fold. Do click through. Aly's pretty special.

You Needed To Know

Catheroo was the first to guess correctly: I listen to KISS's "Rock-n-Roll All Night" while I brush.

I rock. So does Catheroo.

You Need To Know

I'm usually pretty serious about oral hygiene. It only took me until I met Allan to floss daily, but other than that, I was good! One of my dentists in France (I saw five in the span of thirteen years) told me I only needed a check-up once a year, because I had "une bonne hygiène." (Yeah. Whatever.)

So, you know, I replace my toothbrushes regularly. And I switch around brands. I just threw away a brush with "Alison" printed on it. I got it at We Be Toys, because anytime I find a neat little thing with my name spelled correctly, I have to buy it.

Now I'm using my Tooth Tunes. If you haven't already heard me say it, you need to know that I'm a sucker for a neat idea, good packaging, or slick marketing. The idea with Tooth Tunes is that you can hear a 2-minute song while you brush.

Okay, so it's for kids (the bristle head is pretty small), but I couldn't resist. I don't always turn on the music while I brush, but when I do, I brush harder in order to hear the song better.

If you click the Wikipedia link above, you'll see a list of songs that are available. Guess which one my Tooth Tunes plays?

Let Me Clarify

In my last post, I complained that the older I get, the more I dislike flying. It has nothing to do with age and everything to do with the changes in the airline industry and our post-9/11 world. The terrorists really did a number on us.

Security in the Sea-Tac airport is a real fustercluck. I have NEVER seen anything like it. And when you disembark in Cincinnati, you have to go through security, even though you've just gotten off the plane. (Yeah. I don't get it either. Welcome to Ohio.)  Also, people? Don't wear lace-up shoes when you fly. Please. And why do we have to remove our laptops from their cases? Why can we leave our cameras wrapped up?

I first flew domestically when I was 12, internationally when I was 16. Things are MUCH different today. There's no element of fun or excitement left in travel. Boo. Hiss.

While I'm complaining, let me ask this: why is it so hard to find a car with a manual transmission these days? All I want is a car I can feel. Yeah. We're looking around for a new car. The Jetta is tired.

The Older I Get...

...the more I dislike flying.

Sigh.

We're home safe. Time for a hot shower and bed.

R & R

Allan and I decided to Get The Hell Out Of Dodge™ last week. We came to visit our friends BlueHeronDruid and hobbitt in the Pacific Northwest. It was quite a spontaneous trip, and we had no agenda.

Today Allan and I went to Seattle to meet up with a couple of friends from Radio Paradise. I also have a couple of blog friends from Seattle: Margaret and Sizz, and I don't think Karan is too far away either.

I really thought about contacting my blog buddies while we were in the area. But then I thought about why we were here. And I didn't want any stress in planning*. Today was easy because Tommy isn't working at the moment, and Saundrah just met us for lunch at a tasty place she suggested. Tommy took us around the city, as much as you can do in a few short hours.

We visited Pike Place Market, Post Alley, the Sculpture Park, and Kerry Park. We also got to walk through a bit of Capitol Hill.

Today was a great day. And it's been a great week. This is a gorgeous area of the country. We'll be back. And you can see some photos of our trip here and here, although as I write this, most of the Seattle photos have not been uploaded to Flickr.

*Forgive me, blog friends.

They Were Mussels

They Were Mussels, originally uploaded by Alison.

...cooked on a grill. They were smoky, a bit chewy, and delicious.

I know I can get mussels in Lexington, but these were "picked" yesterday morning, a few hours before I got to eat them. It's good to be on vacation.

The Interview

A few days ago, Dave from Rattling the Kettle did a pretty cool meme. Since it's been ages since I've participated in a meme, I signed up to be interviewed. Dave asked me some pretty interesting questions. Mind you, while he'd consumed Fat Tire before answering his questions, I've only had one cup of coffee. And I have to go to the dentist in a bit to have a temporary crown put on (yes, it's the same tooth). So, you know, I might not seem all there. Because I'm not.

1) Does Lexington have a passable French restaurant?  And, if so, do you speak better French than the chef?  If so, have you ever told him that you could make better food at home?

Lexington has Le Deauville, named after its sister city in France. I've never eaten there; the menu looks more like standard (read: ubiquitous) bistro than upscale restaurant. Here's a link I found (warning: it's an ugly, old-fashioned webpage). Oh, and duh, the page says it's a bistro.

That said, if the chef is French, I probably don't speak the language better than he (she?) does. I'll give anyone else a run for their money. (That includes in the preparation of food.)

2) Who is a better photographer, you or Allan?

Allan, hands down. Need proof? Check out his macro shots, or his flowers, or his photos that have been in Flickr Explore.

3) I first came to your blog through your Beaujoulais Noveau review.  What do you have against cheap wine, anyway?

Nothing, actually, as long as it tastes like wine. If I'd let that Beaujolais air a bit before tasting it, I probably wouldn't have made that face. Wine is so much cheaper in France than it is in the States, and I got used to paying 3-4 euros for a decent bottle. The wine I drink now would probably be considered "cheap" by some people, but I don't care. As long as it tastes good and is not white Zinfandel, I will drink it. (Funnily enough, I can't abide cheap beer.) Edit: Budget Vino is a blog after my own heart!

4) Those twenty seconds in the middle of that video, when the camera is focused on your chest: that was on purpose, yes?

Actually, I was just trying to show off my aptitude at opening a bottle of wine. But wow. I have a nice rack, don't I?

5) Which of your photos on Flickr has gotten the most views?

Hmmm...I was going to say it's my self ass-trait, with 947 views, but Flickr is telling me that No Name Kitty has 3117 views. Which is totally bizarre.

__________________________________________________________

Well, that was fun. No, really. Thanks, Dave! If you'd like to play, ask me to interview you in the comments. Oh, and here are the rules:

Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. 
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your the answers to the  questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Street Scene, Lexington, Kentucky

This afternoon we went to Street Scene, after reading Jamie Gumbrecht's recommendation of the place. There is so much to look at; the half hour we spent there was barely enough. But I spotted and bought a set of four camping mugs, "Made In Poland," two of which are pictured above.

If you're in Lexington, do check out Street Scene; it's next to Coffee Times near the corner of Regency Rd. and Moore Dr.

On Domesticity

When I published my blog entry the other day, I could not think of a single thing to say about the article I linked to. I was horrified that this kind of curriculum could be condoned -- even by Southern Baptists -- in 2007.

Since then, I've had some time to reflect. Yes, I did some thinking, and this despite the heaviness of the past 10 days. And I have to clarify that I find cooking, sewing, and child-rearing skills to be admirable ones. I love to cook, and I've raised a couple of kids (who haven't turned out half-bad, if I may say so). My sewing skills aren't great, but I can fix a tear, sew on a button, and hem a pair of trousers.

In fact, I'd say we ALL need to learn these skills, regardless of gender. In middle school, boys and girls all took Home Economics and Wood and Metal Shop. I'll admit that I preferred Home Ec (I even got an award in the subject in 8th grade), but I think mostly I was frightened of the Metal Shop teacher. He was a scary dude.

I don't know if Home Ec and Shop are still in school curricula. Apparently not, since the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary feels the need to offer courses in what is essentially Home Economics to its female students: the homemaking degree is one of 10 women's programs at the seminary and is "only targeted to women whose heart and calling is the home."

Fine. But if they are so concerned about preserving the home and family, how about opening the courses to men. Why not make it mandatory for all seminary students? Last time I checked, it was not unheard of for a man to bathe a baby or prepare a meal. (As I write this, Allan is cooking dinner. Go, parity!) In addition to cooking, sewing, and childcare, how about some instruction in basic home repair? Car repair? Maintenance of home and car shouldn't just be a man's job.

Have I made myself clear? I realize we are talking about a sect of Christianity here, and that it may not be worth getting upset about. But this coursework is sexist. It intends to send women back in time, and it excludes men (because face it: some men stay home with the children while their wife works).

What do you think?

Proudly Entering the 20th Century*

Southern Baptist seminary to offer academic program in homemaking

Coursework will include seven hours of nutrition and meal preparation, seven hours of textile design and "clothing construction," three hours of general homemaking, three hours on "the value of a child," and three hours on the "biblical model for the home and family."

Seminary officials say the main focus of the courses is on hospitality in the home - teaching women interior design as well as how to sew and cook. Women also study children's spiritual, physical and emotional development.

 

I have no words.

*Or, The Subjugation of Women

Jo Ann

Allan and Mike's sister passed away this morning. She couldn't beat the cancer, but she died the way she wanted to: on her own terms and with all her dignity intact.

Jo Ann was so loved, and she will be missed.

Meaningful, Schmeaningful

So Anne reminded me that "meaningful" is just a matter of perception, and it's way over-rated anyway. I was stressing about writing something "good" here, and she kindly made that point in her comment to that entry.

Right. I really need to stop worrying about my audience here. There is no audience anymore. There's just a handful of faithful readers (bless you, all of you). So, faithful readers, here's a little tidbit of information, a slice of my life, a snippet of my day.

Our dear friend A. holds a second job with a liquor company. She does promotions for different brands in bars and liquor stores. Tonight she was promoting a certain vodka (from Finland, where they sure do know how to drink; I've been to Helsinki and have witnessed Finnish debauchery), so she invited us and her boyfriend J to have a few drinks on the corporate tab.

The Finnish vodka thingy was held at a bar/restaurant downtown; it is not a gay bar, but as J said, "It's a gay bar." He said that because the music. sucked. ass. Somebody put in an American Idol CD, so we got to hear bad covers of "Superstition," "Wanted, Dead or Alive," "I'm Every Woman," and -- oh hell, I've blocked the rest out of my brain.

The four of us enjoyed a delicious dinner (despite the shitty music, which we asked to have changed when the CD started over), and then A had to work. The bar was pretty empty, though, so she had an easy time passing out samples. The downside to the empty bar was that Trivia Night was canceled, so Allan, J, and I talked about laptops (I know! So exciting!) and I took a few photos with my Fronch cell phone:

Pretty, isn't it? I know I said it's not a gay bar.

The evening was a wonderful antidote to the melancholy in the air. And really, it was so simple: dinner with friends. Delicious carpaccio. Tuna steaks. Strip steak with lump crabmeat. Kind servers. Wilma, a local fixture, staring at us through the window. And a Jon Heder doppelganger. And free vodka.

Did I mention the free vodka? From Finland? Where they really know how to get their drink on?

There it is. Something not "meaningful," but which (by its very nature) means a lot. Thanks for the reminder, Anne.

Empty

It's quiet here.

My mind isn't quiet, however. Once again, I cannot seize even the slightest piece of it in order to write something meaningful in this blog.

But I can tell you that I finished Harry Potter on Saturday night. And I really enjoyed it.

I can also tell you that my children arrived in France safely and are now on separate vacations with different aunts (and uncles, and cousins).

Chaque chose en son temps. Patience is key, here, in this unquiet mind of mine.

Cryptic, isn't it? I just can't put the cart before the horse, as I am wont to do.

Page 252

The kids are almost in Paris; one hour and twenty minutes until landing. You gotta love flight tracking. After Allan and I got back from the airport and ate dinner, I started reading the latest Harry Potter book. (No link, because really.) I'm thinking of the French word for "the latest," le dernier, which is also the same as "the last." It really is le dernier Harry Potter. And dayum, it's GOOD!

Speaking of good, the four of us saw The Simpsons Movie last night. You have to be impressed by a movie that can make a Nine-Year-Old, a Twelve-Year-Old, a Hurtling-Toward-OMG!-Forty-Year-Old, and an AARP member all laugh. And at the same stuff!

OK. It's 2 am. I've got some wizards to attend to.

This Is What Happens When Boys Invade Girls' Night.

This Is What Happens , originally uploaded by Alison.