Making Each Little Move Count

Here's a great Supremes clip, courtesy of Pags. I find I want to learn more and more about the movement that was midcentury Motown. We grew up with these sounds, and I'm fascinated by both the hit machine that was Hitsville and the "refinement" of soul. Great video, love the tune.

Worth the Click

Thanks, Cormac, for this German link to Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The aspect ratio is a little funky on my machine, but it's refreshing to hear this song and see the performance again. If you click, enjoy!

Christmastime Is Here Again

Christmas ain't about the presents, but here goes. I think I finally have my shopping LIST done, anyway, and I'll be ready for Christmas. Here are a few ideas for Mom and for me:

for Mom

• anything apricot -- jam, dried fruit, even toiletries!
• great country or easy listening tunes, CD format
• anything Christmas -- tunes, eats, ornaments -- you name it
• anything shiny
• COAL (just kidding!)

Oh, and I'm sure she'd crown anybody who bought her laundry soap or coffee, but she sure does go through a lot of both!

for me

• Barnes & Nobles gift cards = fun AND textbooks
• pretty beads of any kind
• love and devotion from my friends and family
• somebody to spot for me while I finish painting the bathroom

And, yes, this simple shiny woman likes simple shiny things, too -- but only from the family and the sweetie. If there's anything else I need, I'm sure Amazon has it!

Just Rattle Your Jewelry

John Lennon, you are missed.

... And Give!

Here's another great opportunity to give, this one centered on a program right in Norristown.

It's Great To Give

With December comes the official season of giving. Please consider starting it off by giving a hand to those who need your help the most.

One easy way to do that is to support WMMR's Camp Out For Hunger. Despite the name, I gather these folks are actually pretty serious about working to end hunger (couldn't resist!) -- and you can help. You can bring nonperishable food items to the Metroplex Shopping Center on Chemical Road in Plymouth Meeeting, buy a prepackaged bag of food from the Giant in that shopping center to donate -- or just point and click to donate on the 'MMR web site. The camp out goes on 'til mid-morning Friday for those who like to do their donating in person.

Whatever you decide to do, please enjoy playing Santa in your own community, and enjoy the impending holidays.

The Muppets -- Bohemian Rhapsody

Thanks, Janine, for just the smile I needed today.

David Byrne: Playing the Building (BBtv)

Just in from Cousin Jeff. Interesting concept, creepy sounds.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub

Word from Bottlebee, and a gift, too!

Many thanks for the cooking spice he sent along from one of his favorite Manhattan shops!! Apparently, that busy man has been thinking about recipes for the blog and dreaming up a few new ideas. I told him I may try to help him along if he can jot down an idea or two.

In the meantime, here's a non-turkey gift for you on Thanksgiving Day, just in case you missed it the first time.

x-x-x

OSSO BUCCO

This stew of marrowbones is a family favorite, made for guests or just us two. It serves 3-4, or 2 with plenty left over. Find yourself a good butcher and take it slowly, and it may well become one of your favorites, too.

Ingredients:

4 2-inch thick cuts of veal shank

Balsamic vinegar

Flour, salt, pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 rib of celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup low-salt chicken broth

1 cup white wine

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

I bought the meat at the Pennington Market for $9.99/lb. Many recipes call for using tomatoes, but my wife prefers not to -- she dislikes the way the tomato flavor dominates. Instead, we add winter vegetables (parsnip and turnip, both $1.99/lb), and sometimes mushrooms. She also insists, as she always does with any meat, that the veal be marinated in balsamic vinegar, even if only for a few minutes.

Sometimes I use a cast-iron Dutch oven for this recipe, as it can be used on the stove top for browning and in the oven for baking. If I’m making too much to fit in my Dutch oven, I’ll do the browning in a cast-iron skillet and the baking in a ceramic dish with a lid. It is important that the shanks fit in the vessel in one layer.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Tie the shank pieces with butcher’s string to keep the meat on the bone. Marinate the meat in balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and flour. Brown the shanks in batches in the butter & olive oil over medium-high heat; this should take about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate. Cook the vegetables in the fat until the onions start to turn color. Add the garlic to the vegetables. Pour in the can of chicken broth and the wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. (Transfer the mixture to the oven-proof vessel, if what you’re using on the stove top is not oven-proof.) Arrange the veal shanks in one layer on top of the vegetables. The liquid should cover the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the shanks. Bake in the oven, covered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Done properly, the meat will be very tender, falling off the bone. Remove the bay leaf and carefully cut off the twine with scissors; try to keep the shanks intact. We like to serve it over couscous, with a gremolata topping.

Gremolata Topping: 3 tablespoons parsley, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Mix ingredients in a serving bowl and place it on the dinner table to spoon on top of the osso buco.

This recipe can be scaled up to serve larger groups, as long as you have enough covered baking dishes. Make one veal shank piece for every diner, plus a few spares: You don’t want to run short. It yields delicious leftovers, too.

What do you like best about the Athenaeum?

from my alma mater, Goucher College

T Rox

It may be rock and roll heresy to say so, but Mick Jagger doesn't have much on Marc Bolan in this 1972 performance of Jeepster. Thanks, Pags!

Staying in the Pink

Note to self while straightening papers up: Having a bunch of Susan G. Komen bookmarks all around the house does not ward off disease. Finish scheduling routine health-care screenings.

Music, and Wonderful Roses

Here's a little sugar to sweeten everyone's dreams. G'night, all.

Believe It!

This just makes me smile. Thanks for posting, Cormac.

Ain't No cure for the Mid-Semester 'Flus

This break brought to you by our sponsors, intermediate algebra and H1N1. If you're the praying sort, please say a short one for Mom, who definitely has H1N1 influenza. And I wouldn't mind if you crossed your fingers that I got through this academic year unscathed and healthy, too.

I'll be back at ya with 'tude and tunes when things ease up a bit -- or if somebody posts a great video online I can't help but share.

The End of Two Glorious Seasons

Here's to all those who voted, and all those who rooted!

What Time Is It??

It's election time -- Election Day, to be exact. We're been in the seasion for a while, but this is when we need you to turn out and vote.

I ask for your support for Pennsylvania's entire GOP judicial slate -- candidates remarkable for both their excellence and their diversity -- and I ask you to turn out in support of terrific Republican candidates for local office if you happen to live in my tiny burg of West Norriton. We've got a tremendously hard-working team here.

In response to recent ads I've seen calling for "balance," I'd ask that you consider the way our federal government is structured with three separate branches. While I appreciate the right of each party to make the case for its candidate, nowhere is it written that the bench must swing politically with each election. In many cases, such as this, it can be beneficial to have that balance be ensured by retaining existing judges and considering other candidates according to one's voting criteria. As a Republican I am happy to support a Republican slate, but I would be impressed with our ticket even if I were not.

Whatever your political stripe, I ask you to read up (cramming may be necessary), ask questions and -- as always -- vote once and vote well.

Here Come the Judges!

Hey, Pennsylvania. Yes, you Southeast Pennsylvania ... as we roll into the final weekend before Election Day, we all have so much on our plates. The World Series and Halloween add to the hubbub and hoopla of daily life. I'd just like to ask a minute of your time to consider Montgomery County's Republican slate for the big swoop of judgeships voters will be filling Tuesday.

Please remember our "magnificant seven" -- Wendy Demchick Alloy, Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio, Patricia Coonahan, Joanna Cruz, Garrett Page, Gary Silow and Kelly Wall. Please be sure, too, to vote for Joan Orie Melvin for Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.

And, of course, please speak up if you have any questions, or know of anyone who would like to vote and might not be able to make it to the polls.

Thanks. Back to baseball, y'all.

Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want - Live

Seems the perfect song for the night. Let's get what we need, y'all.

Elvis Costello - Pump It Up

How about we keep it lowkey tonight, Elvis -- and PUMP IT PAST BELIEF for Game 1? Ride it all the way to Election Day. Thanks for tapping this, Tara Baney!

A Witness Tree Will Live On

I commend this simple and moving story about Anne Frank's beloved -- and now 150-year-old -- chestnut tree to your morning reading list.

Back on Track ... and Thinking About Derailing

Two growing thoughts swim in my gourd, unbidden.

One: I am oddly smitten with the urge for healthier food. Real cravings. Grains, beans, vegetable curries. I am hit also with the occasional revulsion for meats. For me, it's odd, odd, odd. Something my doctor would love, too, given my zaftig form and dairy obsession. (Mmmmmmmm ... my illicit love of cheese remains unhealthily strong.)

Two: I have been tempted to shift my blogging to something a bit more culture, less political vulture. Since I've been on near hiatus I've slapped up only occasional links to music and quick links to news pieces. I don't like neglecting the blog, but I must say I like forcing myself to post music and food much more than I want to forcefeed rants down readers' throats. Thus, I'm taken with healthful food and sweet, sweet music. Both deserve more time and space: both will get it from me.

I suspect I will either crosspost between here and a new, more focused, blog once my current writing course is done -- or abandon this addy altogether for new digs. If Bottlebee is willing, I may pull up stakes and move across town (say, to WordPress or TypePad). If you'd like to follow, just give me a shout.

Beslan, One Year Later

Please click through to read -- and view -- the entire BBC story.

Russia marks the fifth anniversary of the Beslan siege in which more than 330 people died after a school was seized by Chechen rebels.

The rebels, who held more than 1,000 people hostage, demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. The siege ended three days later when security forces stormed the building. Those killed in the ensuing battle included 186 children.

Five years on, the people of Beslan are still haunted by what happened there.

A Fave For a Fave

Happy birthday, Luther, and good luck back at school, young man! Thanks for the funky links.

Little Feat - Oh Atlanta (Live) - WLIR, Hempstead 1974

A "Small" War Anniversary

Please click through to read the entire Associated Press story.

TBILISI, Georgia – Georgia marked one year since its war with Russia on Friday with quiet moments and somber ceremonies — a nationwide minute of silence, a human chain in a war-battered town, a soldier's small son gazing at his father's tombstone.

The brief war killed at least 390 people and left a legacy of animosity between leaders and fears among civilians that more fighting may erupt. About 26,000 people displaced by the conflict still live in temporary housing in Georgia, many on less than $3 a day, according to aid group World Vision.

Legends

Truth be told, I reached saturation on the constant pounding refrain of Michael Jackson mania in the media pretty quickly. But believe the hype about Ne-Yo and Jamie Foxx' BET Awards performance: It was pretty darned good. Thanks, Mary Huhn.

Ne-Yo & Jamie Foxx - I'll Be There

Tom and Janis

Credit goes to Bill Shaw for bringing my attention to this one. I didn't know Janis Joplin had appeared on Tom Jones' 1969 telecast "This Is Tom Jones." Without further ado ...

Tom Jones & Janis Joplin - Raise Your Hand

All That's Left

Set the wayback machine for a Saturday afternoon in the early 1970s. The cartoons have just ended and here comes "SOOOOOOOUL TRAIN!"

Freda Payne - Band of Gold

Thanks, Paul Cantin, for a trip back to when lip-synching was so new it was barely even faked.

NY Times: Journo Escapes Taliban Custody

According to the New York Times and an email alert from the Washington Post, Times reporter David Rodhe, missing since November 2008, has escaped Taliban kidnappers and is under U.S. military protection.

Traffic Jam

It was a good day to hear this tune: Makes me feed so bad I feel better. And I'd never noticed, but in the opening seconds of the clip doesn't Winwood bear a passing resemblance to John Lennon? (But I guess more than a few people did back then.) Thanks, Paul Cantin.

Traffic - Mr. Fantasy - Santa Monica 1972

Who's Your Mummy?

Thanks to the (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier News' Ed Pagliarini for this:

The Mummies - High-Heeled Sneakers

Message in A Bottle

As a bit of an offering while I knock out a couple of English courses, please accept these periodic links to music videos. A couple of my friends have a way of posting the best ones to facebook, so I'll do them the tribute (and you the favor) of publishing them here. Sadly, blogger won't let me embed YouTube videos anymore, but do enjoy the link!

Police - Message in A Bottle - Tokyo 2008

The Ramp Goes Up

Today marks two milestones at the World Trade Center in Manhattan: both the issuance of its first quarterly report on post-9/11 progress at the site and the removal of of the last piece of the large ramp leading down into "the pit."

The ramp was used in rescue and recovery efforts -- and it allowed survivors of those who died in the attack to travel down to ground for memorial services.

It's an end and a beginning. If you're in Lower Manhattan today, maybe go mark it by taking a peek into the construction site around 11:30.

A New Year ...

... and Still Silence.

Until I know how intense my Spring semester will be, please don't expect regular postings. School comes first: Period. I've crashed and burned big-time over break, and may manage to squeak out an open-minded post or two to greet a new administration taking over in terrible circumstances. Try not to be too appalled if I do -- and try to forgive me if I don't.

Thanks.