RSSIMHRN for January 11

Remember these? :)

Ever since an impromptu Dan Zanes jam session in Ormond with Dad, Mike and LSB over the holidays, I've had the happy zydeco rhythms of "Wonder Wheel" stuck in my head.

It was a lot of fun to learn -- Mike pulled up the chord progression from the Dan Zanes site (how cool that Dan makes the chords for his songs available online!), and we all sat in the studio at Dad and Bunny's place and sang along. The funniest thing was that Addie, for whom this little performance was intended, seemed far more interested in the picture of Mr. Zanes on Mike's laptop than in the music. She kept pointing at it and saying happily, "Da Zane!"

RSSIMHRN, August 9

After reading the NYT's review of the B.B. King/Al Green show at Madison Square, which culminated in a description of Rev. Green's take on "Amazing Grace," the Blind Boys of Alabama are gracing my inner soundtrack this morning. Their version of the hymn -- with the traditional lyrics layered over the chord progression to "House of the Rising Sun" -- has long been an iPod staple for me, particularly after we were lucky enough to hear them perform the song live when opening for Peter Gabriel a few years back.

RSSIMHRN, August 7

One of the things we really like about Netflix is access to TV shows that we'd otherwise miss because they're on cable. There's been quite a bit of positive buzz about HBO's "Big Love," so we Netflixed it and watched the first two episodes the last couple of nights. I wasn't sure at first how much I'd like it, given the ostensible creepiness of subject matter, but it's incredibly engaging -- starting with the opening credits. They're beautifully shot and introduce the main characters and their relationship(s) in a very dreamy and slightly trippy way-- all set to the happy harmonies of Mssrs. Wilson et al. So that's the source of today's RSSIMHRN, which is fine: I could do a lot worse than having "God Only Knows" in my head for a couple of hours.

What Would I Do Differently ...

... in the garden, that is. It's late July, so everything's reaching a pretty mature size, giving me a better idea of what I could have done differently from a planning/layout standpoint. I'm not unhappy about any of the choices I made, but all gardeners are constantly thinking about next year, right?

So, what would I have done differently?

• I love how well the tomato plants are doing, but they've sprawled all over everywhere and have been a little difficult to coax into place. So next year, maybe I'll plant them inside the trellis, instead of planting them outside and then trying to lash them to the trellis.
• A similar idea: I might do a little more pruning early on to make sure the main stem of each tomato plant is plenty strong -- I've lost a couple of branches in storms or wind.
• I'm also kind of wishing that I thought more about which bed I put the tomatoes in. I'd forgotten that you're not supposed to plant them in the same place two years in a row because rotating them helps prevent disease. But because all the other areas of the garden have perennials, there's not much room to add tomatoes to them next year. So that's something to ponder.
  
• Next year, I'm definitely trying some more vegetables. I love my tomatoes and all the herbs, and I'm waiting for my red peppers to ripen, but the Awesome NeighborsTM are already starting to see zucchinis and cucumbers, and I'm jealous. :)
• As I'd mentioned previously, I planted a number of sunflower seeds. I put them in the back bed (near the driveway), but when they emerged, their leaves were so huge that they didn't look good with some of the more delicate foliage in that area. So I moved them to some of the corners near the house. That's all well and good, but in transplanting the emerging plants, I also accidentally transplanted a couple of sunflower-sized weeds with remarkably sunflower-like leaves. (This was the day I got the heat exhaustion, so that's my excuse.) I realized my mistake and yanked the weeds up a bit later, but one goal for next year is not to mistake weeds for the real thing. Oy.

Here's one of the three spots where the sunflowers were moved.













And here's one of the weeds I accidentally transplanted in with them. It was only after these weird little buds formed that I realized what I'd done.

• This is something I'm trying yet this year: no gardening when it's too hot. It wasn't just me that needed lots of recovery time after I did all that transplanting on a 90-degree day -- some of the plants took weeks to bounce back. I pruned some of the annuals back really hard and gave them extra water, and they're finally starting to rebloom. So next year -- and for the remainder of this season -- I'll be much more cautious about doing any real gardening during or just before a hot spell.
• Then there's mulch. Up here, the rule of them is to mulch around June 15. The soil is warm enough by then, and a good layer of mulch really helps hold soil moisture and subdue weeds. Unfortunately, the garden sort of has to be "set" before I can mulch, and I'm still moving stuff around. I think I only have a little more rearranging to do, but until then, I can't mulch -- and that means I'm missing out on some of the weed-fighting and moisture-retention benefits of mulch. So the goal for next year: have everything in place by June 15.
  
• Finally, I think I'll spread things around a bit more next year, as opposed to having them as compartmentalized as they are now. For example, all the flowers and shrubs looking great in the corners right now, which makes the tomato beds look really boring, despite my having added some thyme as an ornamental groundcover in those areas. So next year, I think I'll include some smaller flowers (maybe Gaillardia?) around the base of the vegetable plants. I'd also like to spread out the alyssum a bit more. It's spilling beautifully over the bricks surrounding the beds, but I only planted them in patches. Next year, I think ring everything in alyssum.
  

So this winter, when I'm making a bunch of new gardening spreadsheets (I wish I were kidding), I'll have to look back at this post to remember what I need to do for 2008.

Oh, and the RSSIMHRN for today: nothing -- and I'm kind of enjoying the peace and quiet, actually. :)

RSSIMHRN, July 21-23

I suppose it's not really a "random" song stuck in my head if it's not random, i.e., if I specifically sought out the source of the song -- which, in this case, I did. I saw "Hairspray" (the film) on Saturday afternoon, and for the last three days, my toes have been tapping to what's left in my head of "Good Morning, Baltimore."

"Hairspray" puts you in a good mood that lasts all day. And if you're expecting blah "Broadway-style" tunes, guess again -- the music is fantastic in a very Ronettes-meets-Martha-and-the-Vandellas sort of way. Everyone in the theater was dancing in their seats.

I realize this film's not for everyone, but between the terrific tunes, amazing cast (I was bawling by the end of Queen Latifah's "I Know Where I've Been") and the surprisingly substantial story (it pays homage to the optimism of the early 60s, which promised to be a decade that finally welcomed outsiders, and to those willing to take chances to affect change), I think most folks will find something in there to enjoy. :)

Separately, I've been meaning to finish posting about my goofy squirrel adventures, but last week was pretty icky (the merger for which I'm working on communications/training/support got pushed back a couple of months), so I appreciate your patience. :)

RSSIMHRN, July 17

Seza, this is sooooooo your fault! ;)

RSSIMHRN, July 11

Sometimes, things hit you harder than you anticipate, don’t they? When I listened to the 30-second iTunes preview of this song, I immediately loved it and purchased it right away. But the first time I listened to the whole thing (I remember it was on the train, coming home from work) was also the last. It’s just too sad. Don’t get me wrong -- I totally appreciate melancholia in pop songs, but this one takes it all the way to painful, so I just prefer not to listen to it. Unfortunately, I caught a little of it while flipping stations this morning, and it’s now been stuck in my head for hours. I think I’m going have to blast it out of there with some Gnarls Barkley or The Shins or something.

Cool Treats for Hot Days

It was another scorching weekend, and while that annoys the crap out of me in some ways, it's a fun meal-planning challenge. I love that I can't remember the last time I turned on the oven, that recipes for crisp salads and cold treats abound, and that all the fresh produce makes "improvisational cooking" -- something I often enjoy -- even more fun and colorful.

Here's what we've been eating lately.

Chicken Salad Wraps

• Chopped fresh chives and parsley from the garden
• Slivered almonds
• Diced red onion
• Canned chicken breast
• Light mayo mixed with a little horseradish for bite
• And here's the best part: chopped dried cherries

Mix it all together, and spoon it onto tortillas that have been drizzled with honey mustard. If you'd like, boost the antioxidants by throwing in a few leaves of baby spinach.

Creamy Tomato-Cucumber Salad

• Diced fresh tomatoes (ours came from a road-side stand)
• Fresh cucumbers, skin and seeds removed
• Chopped red onion
• Fresh parsley and dill from the garden
• Marinade: red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a little Splenda

Marinate for up to three hours. Drain. Gently mix in cubes of sourdough bread that have been spritzed with olive oil and grilled (or toasted). In a separate bowl, mix a little more red wine vinegar with light sour cream and more herbs or salt to taste. Toss with the tomato mixture. Great with chilled Pinot Grigio.

Lemonade with Blueberry-Infused Vodka

• Dump a handful of blueberries into about eight ounces of vodka. Let steep overnight in the fridge.
• Prepare frozen lemonade according to the directions on the can, but substitute the blueberry vodka (including blueberries) for one can of water.
• Add a little orange liqueur for complexity (I like Patron Citronage, but you could also use Cointreau or Grand Marnier or even Triple Sec).
• If it's too tart, add a little Splenda.

This is soooo smooth that you have to be a little careful. You can barely taste the vodka, so it's easy to get carried away with this on a hot day.

RSSIMHRN: Did anybody else catch the Live Earth broadcast? We watched a little of it, and the Keith Urban/Alicia Keys version of "Gimme Shelter" was phenomenal. Unfortunately, that's not the song that got stuck in my head. This is. Bummer.

(Visual) Fruits of Labor

Here are some photos of all the gardening work I did last Sunday!

Updated Containers
The lettuce in the containers by the birdbath has been replaced by a "Red Beauty" pepper (I counted six peppers on the plant this morning!) and two kinds of mint.

Better Spacing for Back Bed
Here's a shot of the corner where I spaced out the perennials (particularly the Agastache) a bit better.

And here's a shot of the annuals, which now also have more breathing room. Having the red Salvia spaced out between the purple Ageratum (especially next to the chartreuse of the Agastache) just makes the colors pop a little more.
New Dianthus
This photo really doesn't do justice to how lovely the contrast is between the foliage and bloom colors.
Petunias Around Lamp
Yeah, I'm just not sure how crazy I am about this. Oh, well -- I can move them.

Relocated Sunflowers
Look at that wilt. :( Clearly, they didn't handle the heat any better than I did. They'll get extra water this week.
Oh, and RSSIMHRN: stupid Cardigans. Actually, that song isn't nearly as annoying as it used to be. Remember when the Cardigans played that big Roaring 20s party of Kelly's -- her birthday or prom or something -- and her dad showed up with her half-sister and she was mad all night and annoyed the hell out of Brandon? No? Surely I'm not the only one who watched "Nine-Oh" re-runs instead of studying, right?

Does it help that last night's RSSIMHRN was bit more substantial?

A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Just came across an article from JIVE magazine called "The Complex and Terrifying Reality of Star Wars Fandom." A small excerpt:

Star Wars fans hate Star Wars.

If you run into somebody who tells you they thought the franchise was quite enjoyable, and they very-much liked the originals as well as the prequels, and even own everything on DVD, and a few of the books, these imposters are not Star Wars Fans.

Star Wars fans hate Star Wars.

Tangent: Did you know that Luke Skywalker was recently named number eight on a list of the top ten wimpiest action heroes in movies? Says the L.A. Times:

Other characters got the immortal lines such as "May the force be with you" and "Luke, I am your father." But what did the ostensible hero of the original "Star Wars" trilogy whine in his first appearance? "But I wanted to go to Tacchi Station and get some power converters!" This is the son of Anakin Skywalker? No wonder his dad was trying to kill him.

ANYway, if you have any feelings -- positive or negative -- about The Force, you owe it to yourself to check out the JIVE article.

OH! And I've been thinking for a few days now about a new Sparklegirl feature. Introducing: RandomSongStuckInMyHeadRightNow, (RSSIMHRN). Currently, it's Ms. Underwood getting nasty, which is much better than a few days ago, when it was that song from the Pantene commercial.