How to Get the Dishes Washed With an Active Toddler in the House

The Bairn doesn't usually get screen time (because it will ruin his brain or something; I didn't have time to actually watch the TED talk about it), but I let him watch this video one day and then I realized it was my ticket to 12 minutes of uninterrupted productivity (he likes to watch 3 or 4 times in a row).

 

It's Cold Outside

It's currently -13 C outside (8 F) and snowing. The Bairn and I may not make it to the going-out-of-business sale across town that we were planning to scout out today. We may stay inside and pick out paint colors (me) and yell until all the ceiling fans in the house are turned on and running to our satisfaction (The Bairn). Then we may pull our mother's hair (also The Bairn) and listen to this beautiful song by Ruth Moody of the Wailing Jennys (me) entitled 'Cold Outside' (appropriately).

This is a Really Good Song

I've been listening to this on repeat whenever I have an Internet connection (which will be EVERY BLESSED DAY after we move into our friend's flat for the holidays on Wednesday).

(It looks like you have to click over to the blog to actually listen--sorry.)

What I Like Today

1. Higher Love

I'm finding this song terribly satisfying this week.


2. Little Kid Drawings

I just stuck my hand in my pocket and found a drawing that a little girl sitting in front of me in church a few weeks ago drew of me.  I'm not offended by the incredibly fat legs she gave me in the picture, because my pregnancy book (Ready, Steady, Baby!) tells me that the ankle-swelling starts this week.

I Recommend STORYHILL

Having a job that ties me to the computer for 4 or 5 hours a day and needing a steady stream of podcasts and radio broadcasts has sent me back to my beloved Prairie Home Companion and I am recalling how much I love the music on the show. Last night I was listening and was delighted to discover Storyhill, a fantastic singing duo. On PHC they sang "Better Angels" (the video below) and "Love Will Find You." I'm really grooving on them right now.

I Do Like Vegetarian Haggis

There is a serious lack of Mexican food in Scotland. In fact, the whole food scene in Scotland is fairly grim. When we first met, Steve kept praising a certain Chinese restaurant chain, claiming that the proprietor deserved to be knighted for bringing the best Chinese food Scotland had ever known to the UK. Then we ate there. It was not good. We chose the buffet, so I tried just about every dish Steve's dearly-loved proprietor had on offer and it was uniformly disappointing. All of my lunch companions (two Scots and two Canadians) assured me, though, that it was absolutely the best Chinese food in Scotland and that if I had tried the other Chinese food available in the country, I'd be singing its praises too. Hmph.

Anyway, this week (except for a surprisingly GORGEOUS day yesterday) is cold and rainy and I found a recipe for tamale pie that seems so utterly warm and comforting that I insisted we track down the ingredients at the grocery store this week. When I asked Steve if they carry canned green chilies in the stores here, he had no idea what I was talking about. They don't have them here and they don't have them in Nova Scotia either. We found some pickled chilies that we're attempting as a replacement, but I have my doubts about their suitability in a tamale pie. We did manage to find a bottle of enchilada sauce in the tiny international section of the grocery store and some cheap turkey (because chicken is outrageously expensive) and we located cornmeal in an African market, although it's white and not yellow. We'll see. I may be making Mexican food equivalent in quality to the best Chinese food in Scotland, which is not saying much.

Completely unrelated, E recommended Dala for the Song of the Day a while back, and I am loving them!

Gospel Music

Steve and I like listening to AM radio when we travel. It's especially satisfying when traveling in Tennessee and Virginia, because the stations are full of gospel music and old men advertising yard sales.

On this last trip, we heard "Moses Smote the Water" while we drove through Tennessee, and it reminded me of "Holy Manna," a song I discovered in my sister's Sacred Harp songbook back when she and MarmotDad still had time for shape note singing.

The first video is a performance of "Moses Smote the Water." The next three are versions of "Holy Manna." Mom likes the last version best. I like the second version, which is an example of shape note singing (the actual singing of words comes in the middle).

What I'm Eating
Salads. Greek-style yogurt (made by Steve). Oh, and Saturday I ate my first Scottish Chinese food. Hmmm.


What I'm Reading

This book has gotten good reviews and, fortunately, I was able to find it in our library system.












What I'm Listening To

Today's Recommendations

I'm eating this.

I like a happy cow.

I'm reading this.
Only about a quarter of the way through, but I'm fascinated.

I'm listening to this.

It is SNOWING Outside

Yesterday I grabbed an album by the Decemberists for our teen volunteers to listen to in our meeting. Except that our teen volunteers are not so much listeners as they are shriekers and texters and awkward conversationalists. Bless their little hearts. I enjoyed the music, though, and I'm still enjoying it today, especially these two songs.

The Crane Wife Part 3




The Engine Driver

What I Like Today

1. The Weepies
I think Lady Susan was the one who mentioned The Weepies in a comment last summer and sent me off to find them. Excellent recommendation. Today I like these two songs of theirs.

All That I Want


Can't Go Back Now
(I like puppets.)


I also like their song, "Nobody Knows Me At All," but there are no puppets in that video.

2. Cake Batter
Pour some boxed cake mix into a mug. Add a TINY bit of water. Mix until you have a nice, thick sludge. Toss in some walnut pieces. Eat and feel sick. I find this immensely satisfying under the proper circumstances. (Today the circumstances happen to be that I really want pad thai and I have no way of procuring it for myself.) Straight cake batter is so sweet that you may as well just inject an IV of corn syrup directly into a vein, if you don't have cake mix handy.

Valentine's Day Songs

I had some fairly amusing experiences today, but they were in the midst of an eleven hour work day, so I'm tired and will post about them later. In the meantime, I was listening to Lesser-Known Love Songs on All Songs Considered and recalled how much I like the Magnetic Fields, especially these two songs.

This is "The Book of Love," a love song of theirs that I enjoy. The video's not fantastic, but I like the rhinoceros.

This is "I Don't Want to Get Over You," a break-up song, in case that's what you're into this Valentine's Day week. The video's a little trippy.

Musical Selections

These were my songs of choice today.

1. Be Okay by Ingrid Michaelson



2. Booker by Milton - Courtesy of NPR's Song of the Day