Starbage

Starbucks considers the circulation of its logo on its to-go paper cups as the most effective form of advertising, as people carry them around en masse. As a matter of fact, Starbucks does not put out any commercials or ads.

So, what do we make of the to-go cups and cardboard sleeves once they are discarded and litter the city? Are they also a form of implicit advertising? Irooshka once told me that she thinks that discarded fast-food wraps and other packaging may indeed work as publicity.

Naturally, Seattle offers many many examples of Starbucks garbage or, as I renamed it, "Starbage" (which also points to the 'star' or 'luxury' quality of Starbucks' output, even if it's trash).

Here are some examples from the U-district. This one is at the bus stop by Schmitz Hall on 15th AVE NE:


Here it's in the alley between 15th AVE NE and the Ave, not far from Schmitz Hall:



And here it's right in front of my house...it's been there for a month now and I've been watching it:

Sundried tomato canners unite

So, we did it!

On Saturday a group of friends and I canned the sundried tomatoes that my Mom gave me this past Christmas.

First, the tomatoes had to soak overnight in a 1:1 combination of red wine vinegar and water. Then, before the rest of our tomato canners showed up, I rinsed the tomatoes and Irooshka and I laid them out to dry off on a towel-covered kitchen table. Here's a pic or Irooshka attacking the vinegar-oozing tomatoes as we lay them out on the table:


Around noon, the first batch of canners showed up, having diligently brought their own aprons for the session:


Well, actually Andy was wearing my white apron, which is too small even for me. I find that everyone's personality was sort of reflected in their aprons, though. Before we started canning, Irooshka took glamour shots of the tomatoes...here is one that I particularly like:


You can see some more of Irooshka's documentation of the tomatoes on her blog. After putting the now drier, yet still moist tomatoes in big bowls, I started demonstrating how to can them:


It's actually quite easy: a layer of tomatoes, then some capers, mint and chopped garlic, then another layer of tomatoes up to the top, leaving space for oil to cover the preserve completely and for some air between the lid and the oil.

I forgot to mention that we also had a ton of delicious food and Abe, Edith's adorable kid:


Among other things, we ate home-made red beet salad, rice with zucchini, spinach and beet greens, baba ghanoush, and lasagne.

Meanwhile, a few more people showed up, including my new Italian friends (Viviana made the lasagne):


Everybody got busy with the tomatoes...




At the end we were all very happy and in awe of the tomatoes' beauty, which was amplified by the extra-virgin olive oil that we poured into all of the jars:


The Italians, including my long-time friend Iole who arrived as we were canning, were especially proud (or made to look so, at least):


Here's another glossy magazine worthy shot of the canned tomatoes taken by Irooshka:


Yum! We all have to wait at least a week until we eat the goodies...some have told me that they are already counting the days.

I had a wonderful time.

A day with the Dalai Lama

Yesterday, I went to Qwest Field to be part of this group of people who danced an improvisational meditative score for the Dalai Lama. Our group was made of lots of dancers of all ages, shapes and sizes, mainly from the UW and the Seattle theater and contact improv community. It was a gorgeous day, and we all wore bright yellow, orange and/or red tops. It was a blast.

So, here are some pics of the Dalai Lama's Seattle visit that I took with my cell phone. They are not high quality, but they give you a sense of how crowded the stadium was and what an amazingly gorgeous day it was. I got to sit up on top of Qwest Field in the sun with an amazing view of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle, all the while listening to this amazingly wise man, who spoke incessantly about humanity rather than religion to a stadium crowded with people.




Finally, here are some of the key points that I brought home with me at the end of the day:

1) We need complete disarmament, which can only be accomplished through inner disarmament;

2) Women's role (which the Dalai Lama kind of pronounced as "women rule", which is awesome) is now more than ever key for spreading compassion. He said: "Some women are trouble-makers, but men are real trouble-makers", referring to what history teaches us in relation to men's role in creating and perpetuating structures of violence. In a nutshell, it is now key for women to take roles of leadership aimed at creating societal structures rooted in compassion;

3) Compassion is a secular value and a biological necessity. We are all born from a mother, not a lotus (or, for Westerners, under a cabbage) and are physically, emotionally and socially built to rely and depend on others as well as take care of others.

I loved it.

A time for crafting, meditating and dancing

So, as I have stated before on this blog, my dissertation is all written and, for the last few days, I was computer-less (or computer-free?) because my powerbook needed repair. With all this time suddenly on my hands (i.e. free from real hard work and obsessive internet surfing), I have developed a strong yearning for doing crafty things with my hands and doing something about my spirituality.

I have started knitting furiously again after over a year and am determined to move up the ladder, from being able to knit exclusively (stripy) scarves to introducing hats, socks and crochet into my repertoire. My mom - who, by the way, has made me four sweaters (plus a couple for herself) over the past two months (!) - has promised to give me hands-on workshops when I go back to Italy for Christmas. I recently found out that I suck at learning from knitting manuals, alas.

Here is a picture of my mother with one of the first scarves I made for her:



Please note that she was brave enough to model this for me in the middle of August in Southern Italy.

On the spirituality front, I have been reading two Buddhist books by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. To my own surprise, I find that simply reading about these teachings soothes and calms me, almost like a bedtime story. Oh, and yeah, tomorrow I will be part of a group of 300 people who are going to dance an improvisational score for the Dalai Lama's Seattle appearance at Qwest Field.

Powers of the sun

Yesterday my dear friend Iole came back from Mexico, where she had been invited to speak and mentor art students at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. I welcomed her back with some home made soup and we started talking about the amazing effects that being immersed in pure sunlight has on our perception, sense of embodiment and our souls. In Seattle we actually do reflect on these things...

This conversation about the powers of the sun reminded me that in less than two weeks, a small group of friends and I will be canning the sundried tomatoes that my Mom gets for me regularly from Salento, in Southern Italy. It also reminded me that, while I have gone back to Bologna regularly, I haven't visited with them in the South during the summer in two years now, and that it's been long due. I actually realize that being in Salento, however extreme the summer weather may be with its stark light and heat, that's perhaps the best climate for me.

I love the ways in which the wear and tear caused by the sunlight creates textures and shapes on external building walls:




And I love being in rooms which, just like my Southern Italian bedroom below, are kept as dark as possible and yet the light manages to enter in full force from the simple act of opening a door:



This summer I won't be able to go, as I am moving to Colorado, which is however known to be very sunny. Next summer, my parents plan to come and see me in Fort Collins. So, definitely, I need to plan to go in 2010.

Meanwhile, I found these photographs I took two years ago in Southern Italy, of the sundried tomatoes we buy from the market (the same kind which will end up in jars in two weeks from now) and fresh capers being soaked before getting pickled:

Lovely monkeys

Last night and this morning I spent some time with C and J's kids (and J), while C was away for work.



Before dinner we played outside, since it was a wonderful sunny day. I found out that big J is a great basketball player. Then we had dinner...


...including ice-cream for dessert! Then the kids took their evening bath and put on their extra-cute PJs.



J brushed little J's brand new teeth, all the while speaking in Swiss German with both of them.



The we read a story: Baba Yaga, the 'classic' which Irooshka and I are always expected to read when we visit. We had a good night of sleep and played some more this morning!