Thursday, July 26, 2007

Thing #3 - A hundred pairs of wings

"They left then in the morning, a hundred pairs of wings in the light moved together"

When my brother and I were kids, our parents surprised us one early Saturday morning and packed us up in the car. They drove us to the Horicon Marsh, a natural wetland in central Wisconsin that is a preferred stopoff for thousands of migrating birds.

"In the colors of the morning I looked to the clouds in the cirrus sky and they'd gone."

The Marsh is the sort of place that isn't advertised, isn't structured to be kid-friendly, and has none of the amenities of a tourist trap. But for anyone able to appreciate it, it is truly one of the most amazing natural locations in the United States.

"Across the marshes, across the fields below...if only to take me with them there"

My brother and I munched our Bugles snacks, a rare treat provided by our parents, as we looked through binoculars upon the birds soaring and landing. What seemed like thousands of feathered creatures cascading and rising against a perfectly sunny blue Midwest sky. A cacophony of birdsongs and calls, filling the air with sound but not noise. The day was a memory of family and nature, one held close to my heart and never to be forgotten.

"Tell me the song that you sing in the trees in the dawning...tell me the part that shines in your heart and the rays of love forever...please take me there"

Monday, July 23, 2007

Thing #3 - 22 squats

Keeping active is an important part of anyone's life. As I work in an office with little need to be active, it's incumbent upon me to find ways to stay healthy and in good shape. Walking the dogs, playing tennis, and getting up from my chair to take breaks at work are all critical to keeping a fresh, creative mind.

One of the easiest and best exercises for my body type is squats. I try to do a set of 22 squats, at least 5 times a week. This is a great exercise for leg muscles, of course, but it is a surprisingly good core exercise as well. Squats are well-known for being a tried-and-true method of keeping your glutes firm, which is a nice additional plus. I truly recommend squats to anyone who hasn't tried them before. Stand near a wall when you start out, in case the up and down motion makes you dizzy. You can then use the wall as a stabilizer. The only squats caveat I have -- if you're a guy -- is to wear somewhat snug shorts or pants, so you don't find yourself in an unpleasant situation when you're at the lowest motion of the squat.

22 squats, along with whatever exercise best suits you, helps get through 23 things!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Thing #4 - Guacamole's superstardom notwithstanding...

Those were the first three words of a paragraph lauding the avocado, in the cover article of this month's Saveur magazine. Avocadoes are delicious. Their incredibly high monounsaturated fat content is perfect for keeping the right cholesterol level up. And Giant has them at an everyday low price of 99 cents each, which keeps my addiction to them going.

I could eat guacamole every day. There are a lot of various recipes for it, but one thing that doesn't belong in guacamole is sour cream. Some add garlic, subtract cilantro, include more jalapeno, no jalapeno, select lemon juice or lime juice, even omit the tomato. But don't dilute the creamy goodness that is avocado with sour cream.

I have two recipes, one for guacamole, and the other for avocado halves:

1) Take 3 Hass avocadoes, gently mash them in a bowl. Dice a tomato and add it to the avocado. Finely chop 1/2 a medium yellow onion and add it to the mix. Juice a lime and add that. Grind 1/2 teaspoon or so of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of Lawry's Lemon Pepper (never McCormick's lemon pepper, which is inferior and somewhat disgusting). Sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve with cheap tortilla chips, like from Aldi.

2) Cut an avocado in two halves. Remove the pit. Spoon the buttery flesh into your salivating mouth.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Thing #1 - Nature

Cedar trees.

Dragonflies.

Bumblebees.

Sage.

Mockingbirds.

Revisionist historians.

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23 Things is an interesting concept to get librarians statewide more up-to-speed on Web 2.0 concepts. I have no unrealistic expectations that I will be using all of these tools in the future, but being aware of their existence is half the battle.