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The Knife and Fork style

If you are dining with someone important such as your boss or the president. To use this method hold your fork in your right hand and the knife in your left. Use your fork to stab the part of the pancake you wish to eat. Then proceed to cut of a piece of pancake. Make sure you do not cut a piece that is too big to fit into your mouth. A piece that is too big causes you to look like a pig as you try to fit it into your mouth.

Monkey style

In the casual hand style you pick up the pancake with your hands. This method is best used in the presence of people you know well and don’t really care how you act at the table. First you take the pancake and let it cool off on a plate for a while (if it is hot). After the pancake is cool enough for you to handle you can either decide to hold it in your hands and take bites or rip it into smaller pieces that you eat individually.

Slob style

This is probably the funnest way to eat a pancake. You should only attempt this method if have closed all the curtains in the house and have locked all the doors. This way of eating should never be seen by anyone. To use this method take a pancake and cover it with as many toppings as you can. Then put your hands behind your back and shove your face into the pancake and start chewing. When you are done eating all your pancakes make sure to take a shower.

Conclusion

Eating pancakes a special and specific way makes pancakes more interesting to eat. I hope that soon you will come up with your own methods of eating to have fun with and enjoy.

Image via Wikipedia

The Knife and Fork style

If you are dining with someone important such as your boss or the president. To use this method hold your fork in your right hand and the knife in your left. Use your fork to stab the part of the pancake you wish to eat. Then proceed to cut of a piece of pancake. Make sure you do not cut a piece that is too big to fit into your mouth. A piece that is too big causes you to look like a pig as you try to fit it into your mouth.

Monkey style

In the casual hand style you pick up the pancake with your hands. This method is best used in the presence of people you know well and don’t really care how you act at the table. First you take the pancake and let it cool off on a plate for a while (if it is hot). After the pancake is cool enough for you to handle you can either decide to hold it in your hands and take bites or rip it into smaller pieces that you eat individually.

Slob style

This is probably the funnest way to eat a pancake. You should only attempt this method if have closed all the curtains in the house and have locked all the doors. This way of eating should never be seen by anyone. To use this method take a pancake and cover it with as many toppings as you can. Then put your hands behind your back and shove your face into the pancake and start chewing. When you are done eating all your pancakes make sure to take a shower.

Conclusion

Eating pancakes a special and specific way makes pancakes more interesting to eat. I hope that soon you will come up with your own methods of eating to have fun with and enjoy.

Did you know there is a magazine devoted to the artistic side of blogging? Neither did I until a blog I was reading mentioned Artful Blogging, a magazine devoted to creative blogs. I've been super immersed in craft and art blogs lately and, as a result, been spending a great deal of time posting and redesigning my art blog, Deep Space Sparkle. So, to keep the inspiration at peak levels, I went to Borders and looked for the magazine. I found it quickly, mostly because the cover was extraordinary. Inside, there were endless pages of beautiful blogs, featuring exquisite photos and inspiring stories.
If you've ever wondered why you blog (you know the feeling) then this magazine will help justify your passion. There are helpful tips and nuggets of info that can help make your blog better, more appealing and even reach a bigger audience.
This post wasn't meant to serve as a review of the magazine. If it was, I'd mention that there were too many beautiful photos and not enough nuts 'n bolt instruction.

Just came off a five day weekend and let me tell you, it was exactly what I needed. I literally pounded through my Greenwood Girl revisions. I was on fire. Rain drops pattered against my window. My husband brought me tea. The kids were off with their friends. Nothing like five days of uninterrupted time.
God, I love my life.

I didn't write for the entire weekend. For Valentine's Day, I made individual hazelnut soufflé's for my family. All I can say is that it is the best damn dessert I've ever made. Here is the recipe. It's from the television show, Everyday Italian. I can't recommend it enough. It's a dessert worthy of special occasions but it was incredibly easy. I can still taste the Frangelico....oh, so good.

Ashley- Intern Extraordinaire

It is estimated that 1-3% of young adult women and one tenth that number of men suffer from the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, which involves binge eating followed by purging and feelings of guilt and shame. The goal of treatment is to unearth the factors that trigger such a disorder. The Treatments That Work series offers effective ways to combat various medical issues, and in Overcoming Your Eating Disorder: Workbook, by Robin F. Apple and W. Stewart Agras, patients are presented with ways to conquer bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorders. The following excerpt talks about keeping a Daily Food Record, a method that allows patients to connect what they eat with how they feel.

Common Concerns About Keeping Records

Despite the value and usefulness of keeping food records, it is not uncommon to be somewhat hesitant about self-monitoring.

Perhaps you have used food records previously and were unsuccessful. Even if prior attempts to record your eating were ineffective, we encourage you to give record keeping another chance! We expect that you will find food records helpful when used as part of this treatment…

Maybe you think that closer examination of your eating problems will only make matters worse. You may feel that you already spend too much time thinking about eating anyway. But there are many reasons for becoming even more vigilant about your eating, particularly when your goal is to improve it. As explained, the process of keeping track of your eating, and also the product of record keeping (a long-term food diary) can bring substantial benefits. When you monitor your own eating behavior, you become more ware of the context in which your eating problems occur, particularly the thoughts, feelings, and situations that place you at “high risk” for binge eating and purging. By noting the association between these types of factors and the occurrence of binge-eating episodes, you will be better able to identify and anticipate these difficult, triggering situations and to work out strategies for avoiding or responding differently to them. Retrospectively, you will be able to learn from past problems and successes with your eating by reviewing the contexts in which these types of eating episodes tended to occur and the coping strategies you attempted to implement. Noting long-term patterns will help you view your eating problems as more predictable and controllable…

The Importance of Timely Recording

Many individuals with bulimia or binge-eating disorder often acknowledge having a poor memory for the details of their binge episodes. They commonly describe “spacing out” while eating; even those who remain “aware” tend to reconstruct their eating patterns in a manner that reflects a global, overly negative, and black-and-white thinking style (e.g., overestimating the amount of food consumed, exaggerating its effect on their body weight and shape, viewing any departure from rigid rules about what should and should not be eaten as gross violations, and interpreting a small overindulgence as having “ruined” the whole day). For these reasons, we recommend that the most effective strategy for recording food intake is to do so at the time of or as soon as possible after eating. The advantages to this are considerable. First, the information obtained is most accurate and least vulnerable to distortion or poor memory. Second, the food record, when used in this fashion, can serve as a tool for planning meals and snacks in advance. When used in this way, the Daily Food Record can actually prevent or reduce the extent of overeating and purging by fostering a sense of commitment to sticking with a regular eating pattern and healthy food selections. Third, looking back over your records can help correct the types of perceptual distortions just described (e.g., the sense that you overate or “blew it,” without actual data to support that feeling or impression). Reviewing your food record daily may help you stay focused on the positive, reminding you that you are still on track, even when you are ready to give up. Likewise, an accumulation of food records over time will provide data about your rate of progress and level of improvement during the course of treatment.

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Manuel Ramos

DÍAZ IN BOULDER
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead, 2007) has picked up more buzz than my old transistor radio. Example -- The N.Y. Times review raved that the novel is "a wondrous, not-so-brief first novel that is so original it can only be described as Mario Vargas Llosa meets Star Trek meets David Foster Wallace meets Kanye West. It is funny, street-smart and keenly observed, and it unfolds from a comic portrait of a second-generation Dominican geek into a harrowing meditation on public and private history and the burdens of familial history." And that's just the first two sentences of the review.

As noted by Daniel Olivas in his Bloga post last week, Time Magazine also loved the book and concluded that it was "astoundingly great."

Díaz is scheduled to read and sign at the Boulder Book Store on September 20 at 7:30 PM. Here's the publisher's take:

"This is the long-awaited first novel from one of the most original and memorable writers working today.

"Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuk -- the curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.

"Díaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. A true literary triumph, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao confirms Junot Díaz as one of the best and most exciting voices of our time."

Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302, Tel: 303-447-2074



VIRAMONTES IN BOZEMAN
Another book on fire is Helena María Viramontes' Their Dogs Came With Them (Atria, 2007). The author has made several appearances recently as a result of the book's publication. Example -- The Montana State University News Service announced: "Well-known Chicana writer and activist Helena María Viramontes will be the first speaker in the Borderlands lecture series, sponsored by Montana State University's College of Letters and Science and the Bozeman Public Library. Her talk, titled Border Culture: The Streets of East L.A. will take place at 7:00 PM on September 27 at the Bozeman Public Library. All lectures are open to the public and will be followed by a reception with the speaker.

"Viramontes, whose most recent book is titled Their Dogs Came With Them [reviewed by La Bloga here], has written extensively on the experiences of Chicano and Chicana farm workers in the U.S. She grew up in East Los Angeles, one of eleven children born to parents who met when they were working as farm laborers, and spent many childhood summers picking fruit in northern California. A professor of English at Cornell University, she published her first novel-- Under the Feet of Jesus --in 1995 and has also written several collections of short stories. She won the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature in 1995."

Read more about this lecture series and the Viramontes event by jumping to this page. La Bloga's interview of Viramontes is at this link.

CERVANTES IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO
On September 13th, 4:00 PM, Lorna Dee Cervantes accepts the 2007 Balcones Poetry Prize for her volume of poetry Drive: The First Quartet (Wings Press, 2006), at Austin Community College, Rio Grande Campus Mainstage Theater. This is a free event and is open to the public. The Balcones Prize is sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Division.

Then, Cervantes goes down the road to San Antonio's Esperanza Peace & Justice Center for a reading/performance on the 14th, 7:00 PM. Then back to Austin to participate in the opening of the new Mexican American Cultural Center on September 15.



SÁENZ IN ALBUQUERQUE
Benjamin Alire Sáenz reads and signs In Perfect Light (Rayo, 2005), on September 13 at 6:00 PM at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 17701 4th Street SW, Albuquerque, NM. Free in the Sálon Ortega.

Also at the NHCC, and part of the Big Read series (La Bloga, August 10, 2007), Healing with Herbs & Rituals: A Mexican Tradition by Eliseo “Cheo” Torres. September 12th 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM call 246-2261 x 148 to register. Here's some of the official announcement of this program:

"One of the great traditions of folk medicine and healing in the Southwest is Mexican Folk Healing, and the fact that this is a tradition that has largely been transmitted as oral history makes it all the more remarkable.
...

"The presentation will include a brief description of the “hot” popular herbs and other traditional herbs and their usage for illnesses such as hypertension, stress, arthritis, etc.

"A central element in Rudolfo Anaya’s novel Bless Me Ultima is the healing and protective work done by the curandera, Ultima.

"'There was a bitter taste in my mouth. I remembered the remedy Ultima had given me after my frightful flight from the river. I looked at my arms and I felt my face. I had received cuts from tree branches before and I knew that the next day the cuts were red with dry blood and that the welts were sore. But last night’s cuts were only thin pink lines on my flesh, and there was no pain. There was a strange power in Ultima’s medicine.'
- Bless Me Ultima, page 25."

______________________________________________________
And now, for something a little different, I present one man's view about this crazy world. This piece was written by a pal, and I thought I would lighten up the week by posting it (don't shoot the messenger.)

Ironic, Oxymoronic, Spumoni or Why Can't a Paradox Save My Life?
By De La Ventana

As I lie here on my deathbed waiting for the lights to go out and wondering what is at the end of the tunnel of light, I watch the sunset high in the mountains. I await that long lonely trek of solitude to that better place with millions of other souls.

I sat up in my reclining years to take stock of my life as a chicken rancher. I have often reflected in the dark as I lie awake half asleep in my bed.

As a young man I was promiscuous so that others might remain chaste. I joined the army, killed thousands in foreign lands so that we can continue our way of life. I have been enlightened by infomercials and touched by the blind.

I rushed through my life. "Haste" was my second middle name, "Pokey" was my first. I was on my high school year book staff but I dropped out my freshman year. My mother is Finnish. My father is from Mexico, here illegally. He couldn't swim. I only have one brother, he's a half-brother.

His name is Nelson. Nelson went to college and was in the Weather Underground. He now lives in a pent-house. Everyone in my family were world-class marathon runners. I took up the sport late in life. I was the first in my family to finish last. It was almost a penultimate achievement.

My love life? I was the man women loved to hate. In the army, I was a fighter not a lover. I loved to fight. In the army, they told me "hurry up and wait." I fit right in. I got a dishonorable discharge. I thought they were asking me to rejoin. I was disgraced.

Chickens are my only friends except for Nelson who was a conscientious objector, but he wasn't chicken.

I didn't date much because I couldn't dance so I listened to music. I would waltz over to the record shop to pick up big band music recorded live so that I could listen to it alone.

When I divide my life into its parts, the sum total isn't all negative. I'm positive I was a failure but I can't dwell on the negatives. Sure I got high with low-lifes. Sure when I got busted my crooked attorney straightened me up when he fixed the trial. Life isn't just black and white. That's what Sister Negra Blanca told me she read in the newspaper. You can't judge a book by its cover in the used book store. Don't judge! In prison, people come in all stripes unless they're issued blue scrubs. Your boss puts pants on one leg at a time just like you do or at least that's what she says. I once worked for Paul McCartney's second wife.

So now I watch daytime dramas. Why doesn't the fat lady ever sing on a soap opera? They don't want it to end.

Yo soy Chicano. I am a Mexican-American who loves two countries that don't love me. I am a mere mortal, but I could go on forever about that, so I just stop for now...and go.

Later.

Manuel Ramos


EL LABORATORIO AND LORNA DEE CERVANTES
Here's an announcement about a new project I recently joined and a plug for the project's first event featuring Lorna Dee Cervantes -- an excellent beginning.

El Laboratorio: Thinking En Público, a new Latino arts and culture center housed within The Lab at Belmar, will host some of Colorado's most acclaimed Latino writers, artists and scholars for literary workshops, public readings, and conversations beginning in summer, 2007. Each event will feature readings by an award-winning author or artist who is reshaping or extending our understanding of the literary arts of the United States. Themes will include avant-garde poetry, experimental novels, drama, the spoken word, storytelling, and slam poetry. In partnership with Arte Público Press, the oldest Latino press in the U.S., El Laboratorio aims to be a premier space where both Latino artists and the general public can gain insights into the ways Latino culture is changing the landscape of the U.S.

Lorna Dee Cervantes, acclaimed poet, teacher, and author will read from her Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, Drive, followed by a conversation with John-Michael Rivera, the Creative Director of El Laboratorio, on June 23, 6:00 PM reception, 6:30 - 8:00 PM main event, $10 ($5 members). The Lab is at 404 Upham Street, Lakewood, CO 303-934-1777.

And I just read on Lorna Dee's blog that she is moving to Berkeley, CA. Our loss is the Bay Area's gain. I'm hopeful she will keep her ties to Colorado -- the cultural scene around here now has a big hole because of her leaving.



MIGRATIONS AND OTHER STORIES
Lisa Hernández
Arte Público Press, 2007
Speaking of the oldest Latino press in the U.S., the following message showed up recently on my computer screen and I pass it along to you.

This debut story collection explores issues of migration and identity from a Mexican and Mexican-American perspective. It is the winner of the University of California Irvine’s Chicano/Latino Literary Prize. Past and present are interwoven in the eleven stories dealing with migration across geographical and cultural boundaries. Set in California and Mexico, the characters in these stories struggle with all that life throws their way, including abusive boyfriends, separation from loved ones, and unfaithful spouses, all in an uneasy search for a balance between a Mexican past and a Mexican-American future. With vivid brushstrokes, Hernández paints a collage of Latinas who work vigorously to overcome drastic situations. A woman is convinced that her brother-in-law’s constant fooling around with co-eds caused her sister’s heart attack, and she obsesses about getting revenge even if it means turning to brujería. A young woman who has flunked out of college multiple times finally goes home to confront the memories of her father’s sexual abuse that she hasn’t been able to flee or forget. On her deathbed, Chata reveals to her daughter that when she was growing up in a small Mexican village, her first love was a beautiful prostitute. Themes of survival, identity, and cultural conflict are woven through the stories in this intriguing and entertaining collection. Publisher’s Weekly gave the book an excellent review, and said “Short and affecting, Hernández’s tales are as ardent as they are prosaic and unflinching.” Lisa Hernández is a native of Pasadena, California, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She teaches English at Los Angeles Community College and coordinates literacy programs for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

ART FROM ASHES
Time: Saturday, June 16, 2007 10:00 AM - all day
Location: Cultural Legacy Booksellers, 3633 W. 32nd Ave, Denver
Art from Ashes is a Denver-based, high-risk youth empowerment through poetry organization, and Cultural Legacy is supporting the group with a fundraiser on June 16, the date of the Highlands Street Fair. At 3 pm, there will be an Art from Ashes poetry performance.

Come to Cultural Legacy, meet local authors and enjoy their books! Wellington Webb, Christine Loomis, Charlene Porter and others will be there.
The entire event will run from 10 am until dusk. The fundraising will extend to purchases on-line until midnight. Join us to support this great organization.

I'm one of the "others" and will be at the bookstore signing books (even mine if you have them) at 2:00 PM.

MANITOU SPRINGS LIBRARY AUTHOR FEST
Author Fest of the Rockies 2007 in Manitou Springs, CO, to be held
October 19-20, at the Cliff House Hotel. The organizers are looking for authors,
illustrators, poets, editors, publishers, agents, and anyone interested in the business
of books. They have made a call for proposals from those wishing to
participate as a workshop presenter.

The Friends of the MSPL sponsor this event as a fundraiser for the Carnegie
building's preservation, restoration, and expansion campaign. The library building is almost 100 years old, and the Friends of the MSPL are attempting to update it to meet ADA
requirements, and to expand the infrastructure necessary to meet today's
library technological needs.

The theme of this year's conference is Writing As Art, and you can get an application to make a proposal for a presentation from the library's website.

FINAL NOTES
Rolando Hinojosa sends word that his article, De noche todos los gatos son pardos, con excepciones,will appear in Ventana Abierta (UCSB) Vol. VI, NMo.22, Primavera 2007/Inmigrantes.

Some of you may recall that in last week's column I challenged writers to write an ending to the first page of a story that I posted. Well, two of my comrades here on La Bloga accepted the challenge and wrote up a couple of imaginative endings to my little beginning. You can read how Lisa Alvarado and Michael Sedano ended the story in the comments to my column, here. Sad to say, however, no one else took up the challenge. Oh well.

Later.