Birthday

I've always loved this song, but this year lyrics are especially apropos.
Happy Birthday my love.

Late Summer Music

Today the Annapolis Sound features my favorite late summer songs.

Links

Boots that I badly want.

I once turned down a job a Trader Joe's, this article has me contemplating seeing if I can take it back.

Porn for neat freaks (Axon and Zeb, I'm lookin' at you).

I was completely moved by Christopher Hitchens' thoughts on being diagnosed with cancer.

Dreamy photos (film of course).

My sister had a very cool extra Interpol (the band) concert poster lying around that she gave to us. We don't particularly like Interpol but it was so beautiful it's now hanging on our bedroom wall. It got me thinking about other band posters we could use as art - here is a great selection.

More affordable art.

Lots and lots of good summer playlists.

Beautiful photos capturing rural Russian culture before it dies out.

A comic for font geeks (timely as I search for a perfect photography biz font).

A laugh for graphic design geeks.

A Winner

A winner. I found myself saying that phrase at least four times tonight in regards to this sandwich. We've had a bit of an eggplant explosion lately in our CSA. Unfortunately the boy isn't a fan of the eggplant. I've tried eggplant ragu with smoked mozzarella, disguising it on pizza with peppers and onions and he can still always pick it out. But this, this is a winner. Zeb said it's a 'wonderful combination of flavors' as he gobbled it down, my sister kept groaning which I know is a good thing. I want to eat it for breakfast. It's a winner.

Eggplant, Mozzarella, Prosciutto Sandwich

Not much to direct here.

Just slice the eggplant thin and grill it first (so that it's not mushy). Spread butter on pieces of bread and layer mozzarella, a slice and a half of proscuitto (not to overwhelm the other flavors) and the eggplant slices on the bread, top it with another buttered piece of bread and grill the whole thing.

Witchy Stuff Fail

Lest anyone get the impression that around here it's all natural sunshine and compostable rainbows, I'm here, today, to tell you about two colossal failures in the witchy stuff category. I'll get the most embarrassing out of the way first.

The story goes: I had a tiny blemish. In the past I have used tea tree oil or witch hazel to treat such blemishes - both are astringent and healing and slightly drying and regenerative and all sorts of good things. I figured both together would be doubly effective and certainly zap my zit. Instead it burned my face. A jumbo cotton ball sized burn that has taken two weeks to heal and incited countless 'What happened to your face???'s, every one totally deserved. I've heard it said, but now I believe more than ever that herbs are powerful. You have to know what you're doing. Now I know that tea tree oil and witch hazel should not be used, together, full strength, on bare skin. Don't do it! And if you think I have a photo to go along with the disaster you're crazy, I spent the week shunning everything with eyes, mechanical or human.

Next up, not quite so embarrassing but perhaps more costly. I saw this post about making one's own lotion, and since I've become a bit more concerned about what I rub into my skin lately (see Oil Cleanse Method) I thought it would be worth trying. It's basically just olive oil in a more manageable form. So I ordered the emulsifying wax and, admittedly jumping the gun, starting collecting a million little bottles that I could fill with wonderful herbal handmade lotion and give away as Christmas gifts (Yeah, you see the label right, almost every Friday night my boy brings home a pair of shots, and after enjoying my shot I rinse out the bottles and save them. Last year we filled them with flavored salts for all the fam. This year they've been saved for the handmade lotion).

On a rare afternoon that I was feeling caught up with life and ambitious I made up the lotion. It's as simple as the homemade deodorant, and takes about 5 minutes, and the cooling lotion looked so promising.

But I'm here, today, to tell you, that you might as well smear straight olive oil on your skin, that would be less gloppy and soak in better than this lotion. It was terrible, it coated my skin with an oil slick impenetrable layer on an already humid day, and I ended scraping it off because I couldn't stand it. I'm sure there are good lotion recipes out there. But this is not it. I'm going running back to my Trader Joe's Midsummer Night's cream, and I'm up for suggestions on what to do with my million whiskey bottles.

Tony

This is probably only of interest to Annapolitans, but the Annapolis Market House has become a real symbol of local government corruption and inefficiency. The Annapolis Sound has been covering the current saga and I did a photo essay on the all but abandoned market - you can see it here. This photo didn't get included but I love it. This gent's name is Tony, and he told me he lives on a bench outside The Market House. He also told me that if I sell this photo he would like a 10% commission and to be my agent. I told him I'll work on it.