standard male

the gospel, according to the new york times

today, an important article about the role of exercise to get or stay thin (or healthy). i've always felt that body weight should be determined by diet and that exercise should determine body composition. even though the article does not address these thoughts directly, i do think it contributes! all that to say, people don't seem to like to exert self control with food and try to over-compensate by exercise (to a punishing degree). this sort of behavior is not sustainable over a meaningful period of time and it only works while you're young and reasonably healthy. it's a losing battle and harmful habit no matter how you put it. we all seem to have a love/hate relationship with both food and exercise. in reality, they are both innocuous and have no meaning until assigned.

the bottom line for me in the article was that health and fitness is cumulative over a lifetime and that being gentle toward yourself in both intake and output may very well be the best approach.

"Streaming through much of the science and advice about exercise and weight loss is a certain Puritan streak, a sense that exercise, to be effective in keeping you slim, must be of almost medicinal dosage — an hour a day, every day; plenty of brisk walking; frequent long runs on the treadmill. But the very latest science about exercise and weight loss has a gentler tone and a more achievable goal. “Emerging evidence suggests that ­unlike bouts of moderate-vigorous activity, low-intensity ambulation, standing, etc., may contribute to daily energy expenditure without triggering the caloric compensation effect,” Braun wrote in the American College of Sports Medicine newsletter."

article here

worth the weight

the kitchenaid professional 6 quart stand mixer is worth paying the extra 150$ for over the artisan 5 quart. i've never tried baking 8 loaves of bread or whatever it says it does, but the motor is much more powerful and will work through anything! i nearly broke a friend's artisan mixer once, but i stopped after i smelled smoke. today i made peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache (they didn't look like this, unfortunately), and they had a consistent taste and a lovely texture. yum...

house of cards

house of cards
in rainbows/radiohead

i don't want to be your friend
i just want to be your lover
no matter how it ends
no matter how it starts

forget about your house of cards
and I'll deal mine
forget about your house of cards
and I'll deal mine

fall off the table,
and get swept under
denial, denial

the infrastructure will collapse
carpet spikes
throw your keys in the bowl
cause your house burned tonight

forget about your house of cards
and I'll deal mine
forget about your house of cards
and I'll deal mine

fall off the table,
and get swept under

denial, denial
denial, denial
your ears should be burning
denial, denial
your ears should be burning
denial, denial

it's a girl!

this is winnie, she is a black mouthed cur (traditionally a cattle/hunting dog). she is shy but friendly and very sweet. jse thought she would be a good buddy for claire (he rescued winnie from a bad situation and has used her to work cattle since), so she is living with us now. i hope she likes it and will stay a while!

spring has sprung

i know i was supposed to take before and after photos, but i didn't. before was not so much to look at anyway...

japanese maplemy favorite, purple queen
asparagus fern
petunias
lavender, oregano and mint that survived from last year! more gardening to come...
more photos

fresh as rain

jim, mary and me at blue hill at stone barns in new york.

the unbearable lightness of being

marcy, claire and i are backpacking this summer in maine. marcy and i can take care of our own things but claire cannot, she does not have a driver's license, opposable thumbs or a self. so today we took the first step, which was testing for worms and lyme's disease.

she's a screamer! they had to close the door drawing blood because she was scaring the other animals. this is her best plea for pity.
trying to garner pity became "what the hell is this on my arm" and then she tried to chew it off.
the black and tan dachshund showdown at dr barkley's office. all sorts of psychological drama going on at this point. claire felt self conscious because her ears were too short and her fur was all wrong to be a "real" dachshund. she also did not like that the red gauze accentuated her cankles. the other one was just pissed because he was so fat and had to stare at his owner's cropped pants and orthopedic sandals for half an hour while she chatted it up with the vet tech.