lost and found

not sure about you, but i'd love to know the story behind this note posted on foundmagazine.com.

perfect cookout

summer night + barbeque shrimp = heaven!

2 pounds large shrimp, unpeeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thread 3 to 4 shrimp on skewers (note: soak bamboo skewers in water first or they'll burst into flames when they're on the grill). Slather with marinade, which is all the other ingredients whisked together. Marinate at least 2 hours. In the interim, invite friends over. Have cocktails. When shrimp's ready, cook for about 2 minutes. Serve with killer guacamole.

paris

haven't written in a while but have been to paris for four, way-too-short days. i'm greedy. it wasn't enough, and i'm yearning for the beauty of paris and the possibility that travel brings, no matter where it that is our wanderings take us. i left my husband and kids at home for this trip, and though it's ugly to admit, i missed my children but not being a mom or a wife or an employee or all the other quotidian roles i play at home. so here's the stickler: how do we retain our dreams as part of our daily lives instead of living them out and squeezing them into four-day trips? and how am i ever going to learn to make vinagrette and coffee that tastes as divine as the salads and cafe cremes in paris?

on the bright side: found the PERFECT chandelier at the flea market. photos coming soon!

flower power

i love the spring peonies starting to bloom. think it may be time to plant some more.

state of play

saw state of play this this weekend, and it made me very homesick for newsrooms. russell crowe reminded me of an older, boozy reporter who told me on my first day at work: "kid, if your mother says she loves you, verify it." now, 20 years later, i've left journalism and am in a ridiculous, mediocre job, wondering why i left a profession i so adored. (can i say, "stupid, stupid, stupid me?" ) makes me determined to encourage my sons to follow their bliss, and guts, no matter what.

god and science

astronauts were asked to assemble the top ten photos from the hubble spacecraft and they are awesome. doesn't this image makes your head spin? i can't help thinking how miraculous it is that this tiny, fleeting earth and its living beings are, well, even here at all. as my wonder at scientific discovery grows (what a photo! how cool!) so, too, does my belief in god.

abc's...

just spent the morning at my children's montessori school. many of the children are learning to read, and it is amazing to see windows opening to them as jumbles of letters transform into recognizable words. today i hope all children have the opportunity to experience this awakening, this joy. an entreaty to grown-ups: read with a child today.