I hope your Fourth is the Bomb!

I'm going to be looking forward to BBQ and caipirinhas! I use Ypioca cachaça (rated 86 by Wine Enthusiast) and only $16.99 with a ClubBev card at Beverages and More.

Right after I graduated from high school I moved to New York to live with my boyfriend. One of the hot spots at the time was The Coffee Shop, on Union Square. That was where I first encountered the delicious caipirinha. It's truly the perfectly refreshing drink for a warm summer night. Lime, sugar and rum... delicious. I don't drink very often, and I made one each for me and Brian last night. They were pretty heady! They tasted really smooth, but I felt it. It must be all the sugar, vodka drinks do not make me feel like that. I could see how these could end up giving a massive hangover, which in my case would certainly mean a migraine. I made sure I had plenty of water before bed! With the warm, possibly hot weather tomorrow, coupled with sun, I'm going to make sure that we bring a LOT of club soda to drink tomorrow....

Caipirinha

I love the Lugano table

I don't even have a house, but I already have a big table picked out, and this is it. I love how solid it is, the details, and even better, the price point, $499.
Of course, the bench adds another $199, but it'll be perfect for really wiggly bottoms. won't it?


Adults can sit in these, I believe there are even armchairs that match. All of this is available at Cost Plus World Market.

Cover Up! Satisfaction Edition

I introduce to you a new feature on A Rollerskating Jam, Cover Up!. It will include great cover songs and the originals, if they can be found in video form.

DEVO was an amazing group, I remember hearing them for the first time as a kid, and thinking that they were so fricking cool, nothing like I had ever heard before. Even my Dad was into them, and thought that they had a great concept. I love it when they pop up on my iPod (it's always on shuffle). When (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction came on today I suddenly came up with the Cover Up! concept. I have always wanted to make a bunch of cds using the same theme, there would be so many...

Enjoy!

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
DEVO



"Satisfaction"
Rolling Stones

Just totally cool

This video features some of Banksy's fabulous graffiti work. I definitely had a difficult time tracking this version of the video down, but it was totally worth it. It's far more fun than the newer version.

I had originally begun searching for this video in response to a blog post of Karey M's in which she used some of Banksey's art, but it took me much longer to find this video than I thought it would. Imagine my delight though, today, when I found that she mentioned my blog on hers today. To be mentioned on her blog, one I hold in such high esteem, was a real honor. Thank you ever so much Karey, you're a true gem!

Lovely Lilies

I took these photos very early in the morning in Grass Valley. For some reason I couldn't sleep, so I was up at 7 am. I decided to put the morning light to good use, and ended up with some pretty decent photos, at least for me. I have no training.




I tried to frame the shots better than I usually do so that the composition would look somewhat decent. I love how this lily has just a very tiny tinge of pink in the right lip.




These pink lilies were so pretty that I took several different shots of them. Lee, Brian's stepmother, has a vast garden, and grows many beautiful things.



I can't wait to have a house of my own so that I can put in a garden with beautiful flowering plants. I have so many people to turn to for inspiration!

Orange you glad to meet me?

This orange beauty visited me and Brian in the garden in Grass Valley. Lee, my mother in law (I'm lucky, I have two), has an amazing garden, and this little guy was a fan of her landscape. He would politely pose atop this finial for Brian, fly off for a moment, and then return for a couple more close-ups. He's ready for America's Next Top Insect Model.




The camera really loves that color he's wearing, don't you think?

(click on the photos for an even better view)

Hazy bay

The Chronicle titled this photo "Smoke on the Water" . Naturally, I picked the Deep Purple tune to accompany it. More than 800 fires were started in the last few days in Northern California due to a combination of dry weather, winds and a unusual dry thunder and lightning storm on Saturday that ignited fires all over.

It smells just gorgeously smoky out. I'm not kidding, I like the smell. I know it's bad for me. I can't help it.

"Smoke On The Water"

High grade

MIA announced that her June 13th performance Bonnaroo was her last. Sucky.
Where will I get my high-grade Sri Lankan rap from now?

This video is aces because MIA actually did all the art for this herself. She created the stencils, and the the director, MIA and the video crew spent hours stenciling together to make this video. I love that they all worked together to do it.


MIA - "Galang" from Ruben Fleischer on Vimeo.

Shirley you'd like some nectarines?

While in Grass Valley this weekend Brian and I went to the local farmers market with his father. I knew that I wanted to buy some fresh fruit, and we were knocked out by the flavor of the nectarines that were being sold. I bought a bunch. I also got some summer squash, a favorite of mine, some naan, and a teensy ceramic pot.

When we arrived back home, I was struck by a moment of genius. A crisp! I love to make things, especially when they are simple. This turned out so well. It's one of those things that will showcase summer fruit to perfection, and make you look like a genius, but doesn't require any special talent. You can even bring the ingredients along with you to someones home, and assemble them quick as a flash after dinner. The dry ingredients will all fit in a ziploc sandwich bag.

Nectarine Crisp

3lbs nectarines, sliced (enough to generously fill the bottom of a 8 x 8 x 2 pan)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream or ice cream, for serving a la mode.

1. Preheat your oven to 375˙. Butter bottom and sides of baking dish. Wash and slice the nectarines. Place in dish.

2. In a medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients (except cream/ice cream) until well mixed, then sprinkle topping over the nectarines until they are evenly covered.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with cream/ ice cream topping.

This recipe can be used for any number of fruits: apples, peaches, apricots, cherries…

This, below, was one of my favorites on Sesame when I was small.

"The Geefle and The Gonk"

Off to Grass Valley...

If I don't die of heatstroke, I'll be back on Monday!

Junk in my trunk

I'm not going to lie, my ride is a powder blue Lincoln Town Car. One of its redeeming qualities is the fact that it has an exquisitely expansive trunk. When the dude climbs in the trunk in this video, that's no joke. You can have a party back there. Or a morgue.

'Member how I hated my dancing lessons? When I was taking tap, I spent a good portion of the time across the street, shoplifting, then eating these babies (I loved the pudding version too).




I never did master much more than "shuffle off the buffalo".

"Black and Gold"

Put your dogs up

I scored these cute wedges yesterday at Marshalls for a cool $19! Schweet. My dogs rebel against me and shoes in general. Especially cute shoes. They don't like to be corralled, they'd much prefer to exist their entire lives in the wide open expanse of comfy, yet hideous flip-flops. I don't happen to have dainty feet. My husband told me he was going to bind them the other day, and my snort of derision was warthog-like. On a good day, they are a size 10, but I'm not kidding myself, they verge upon 11. My friend Sally and I were at Nordstrom once, trying on shoes, and she was snapping on me, telling me my feet were the size of Kleenex boxes. The shoe salesman just looked at me with pity.
I prefer closed toe shoes, for the most part, aside from my ubiquitous flip flops. I never get pedicures, and when you have big feet like me, there's a chance you have big toes. These shoes are the perfect solution to each of my requirements: I can wear them for a reasonably long period of time, they dress up and down, CHEAP!, cute, comfy. I only wish Marshalls had the yellow/grey ones. I obvs got the black.

Top: Matchstick Wedge orig $49.99 now $24.95 @keds.com Wedges
Bottom: Sailloft Wedge $49 @ keds.com Wedges

Portrait of a relationship

This photo is so very Vermeer, isn't it? Henrik Kerstens has made a career out of photographing his daughter, Paula.

I'm fascinated by the changes in her face.

I also love the reality in the photos, no exfoliation.

What is loneliness?

Listen, just listen with your whole heart and your ears wide open. Can you tell me what loneliness is?

I truly believe that you can never really be completely alone as long as you have the company of a good book.


And In That Moment, I Felt Infinite from Karen Abad loves Dinosaurs. on Vimeo.