Music of the Week: Father and Son (Cat Stevens)

Do you know that song by Cat Stevens called "Father and Son?" I love that song. Of course, I love the lyrics and the melody and the arrangement. But, I LOVE the way Cat Stevens sings the father parts different from the way he sings the son parts. It reminds me so much of the differences between adults and children. The children are always in a rush to get into things, but the adults try to step back, gauge the situation, and mull it over before diving in. What a constant struggle it is between parents and children! The risk averse and the risk takers--both wanting the same thing, just with different approaches. It's too bad that each side feels alone, even though they are probably working toward the same goal. This song just verbalizes this situation for me.



Father
Its not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
Youre still young, thats your fault,
Theres so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy,
To be calm when youve found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything youve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.

Son
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
Its always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.

Father
Its not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
Youre still young, thats your fault,
Theres so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.
(son-- away away away, I know I have to
Make this decision alone - no)
Son
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
Its hard, but its harder to ignore it.
If they were right, Id agree, but its them you know not me.
Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
(father-- stay stay stay, why must you go and
Make this decision alone? )

The Feline Revolutionby Sushi Cat (guest blogger)

Hello, everyone!

My days of retirement have not been wasted. As you all probably know, we felines always have something cooking. Momma and Daddy have always understood that I have deeply rooted Catmunist ideals. Well, today, I have finally accomplished my first act for The Feline Revolution! Check it out, folks:




Long live Chairman Meow!

Best regards,
Sush

[edit] I have reported to Chairman Meow the following:

Most Benevolent Chairman Meow,

Your wisdom confirms what my inner kitty has been telling me all along. I am happy to report that I have accomplished my first act for the Feline Revolution. I have spread the Revolution to the human-run Netflix headquarters, located at 100 Winchester Cir., Los Gatos, California. I thought that would be the most appropriate location for my first contribution to the Revolution. The humans here are wonderfully enlightened to the superiority of the Feline. Everywhere, there are feline-friendly establishments. We are welcome here.

Yours sincerely,
Sushi Cat

Happy Birthday to ogunsgirl and Sushi!

Join me in wishing happy birthday to ogunsgirl and Sushi!

Did you know that ogunsgirl and Nonny Nu have a lot in common, other than their birthdays? A few common things are: we both previously drove green cars, we both recently had a cat who we LOVED but who became lost or passed away, and we both got two new cats when we really intended only get one! There are other common things that happen to us that would really blow your mind, but they're not really fit for public consumption. I hope that you will like this daisy-encrusted cake that I baked for you, ogunsgirl!



Next is Sushi cat! Honestly, we don't really know when the bestest kitty in the world was born, since she was a stray, but June 22 seems to be a good date. For Sushi, I have selected a lemon jelly donut. She's such a card! I had heard recently, however, that Sushi has been quite busy taking over the world. No joke, people. I believe she has started her own blog under the pen name "Chairman Meow." I have already purchased some CM stickers and will try to stick them on prominent SF landmarks. Mr. Nonny Nu and I have always known that Sushi is a pinko commie. But, she's our favorite pinko commie!! We love you Sush!

Boston (Day 2)

Rise and shine! It's only 5:00am and we are already getting ready to go out the door. Yep, 5:00am EST. Now, what would get us West Coast night owls up at this time of the morning? Only one thing other than food--live reenactment of the Battle of Lexington! The Battle of Lexington is reenacted each year on April 19 to commemorate the April 19, 1775, battle that started the American Revolutionary War. And, it starts on the dot at 6am. We called the Lexington City Hall beforehand and they advised us to arrive by at least 5:30am to find parking. So, we hit the road a little a bit after 5am.

We were a bit worried that we wouldn't know exactly where the reenactment would take place. But, we needn't have worried. We drove into town as the sun was coming up, and we saw herds of people making their way in the same direction to Lexington Green. We parked and joined the throng of people, many of whom were carrying ladders. We figured out what the ladders were for when we got to the green.

The area in which the reenactment would be performed was roped off. It was a path that ran from a street onto the green and through the houses that bordered the green. It was kinda hard to find a good spot to see (since we didn't bring a ladder) but we finally found a pretty good spot right in front of a house. Unbeknownst to us, this turned out to be the center of a key scene in the reenactment. Of course, I failed to video that part.

Several colonists were hanging out in front of the house. All of a sudden, a colonist rode up on horseback and asked for the lieutenant living in the house. The lieutenant was summoned from the house, and the colonist on horseback reported that the British were coming! (Okay, he didn't use those words but that was the gist of what he said.) The lieutenant instructed the surrounding colonists to assemble on the green. A drummer appeared from the side of the house, started drumming, and led the way to a spot farther away on the green and out of our line of vision:


Not long afterward, we heard the drumming of the British and we saw the redcoats come marching down the green. They were even pushing a couple of colonists who had been captured along their route:


The redcoats marched passed us and there wasn't anything we could see anymore, but we could hear gunshots, shouts, and sounds of scuffling. MP and I moved to another location and got a better view of the battle:


What community participation! There were so many people walking with us and who were already there before us. It was really neat to be a part of such a group and you could really feel the energy in the crowd. We had such a blast!

When the Lexington portion of the reenactment was over (there was a similar reenactment in Concord), it was about 7am, a perfect time for Dunkin' Donuts. We got some kwawfee and donuts and drove to Concord. We went to Walden Pond State Reservation and made our way toward Walden Pond. What a wonderful idea, don't you think? Lexington battle, followed by an early breakfast walking along the trails surrounding Walden Pond. Here is the map, but it is unfortunate that *someone* lost the map while we were deep into the woods. Nevertheless, we charged on--we don't call ourselves "Thelma and Louise" for nothing.

Anyhow, let's just focus on what we saw before and after the map disappearance. We found Walden Pond. It was very tranquil and there was someone fishing. Apparently, the tide was still high. Even though it was mid-April, Spring was only just beginning to show up at Walden Pond. There was some vegetation that reminded me of my goal to have hot pot in our hotel room. There was also some moss that I had never seen before. We also saw some ducks who were building a huge nest. Then, MP commented that, only in America would the state run electricity into the middle of a forest so that a small shack could partake in the utility. We also found the site of Henry David Thoreau's cabin where the chimney foundation was marked. Here was the view that Thoreau would have seen from his cabin. When we got back to the parking lot, we saw a replica of Thoreau's cabin (inside), and we took a group photo.

What happened next in Salem can only be described as "uncomfortable." MP felt that all three spots that I had chosen to visit sucked (pirate museum, witch museum with reenactment, and witch museum 2). I will admit that the pirate museum was a dud. However, witch museum with reenactment was great. These people reenacted a portion of the Witch Trials directly from the transcripts, and they really got into it. However, because these two points of non-interest were so dull, according to MP, that we decided not to visit the third, even though we had already paid for it in a combo tour purchase. Now, this is a big deal ("this" = MP not consuming what she has paid for). So, instead, we went to visit Nathaniel Hawthorne's house and also the house upon which he had based his novel, The House of Seven Gables.

MP was unimpressed. We drove to visit a lighthouse of her choosing, but even though we didn't get to see the lighthouse, we saw some falcons for the movie, The Proposal, which was being filmed near the lighthouse at the time. (Those falcons were so cute--they looked like they were wearing pants!) We didn't see any stars, though. MP was so unimpressed with my planning that she made sure to set the agenda for Day 3 before going to bed that night (only she and Hermie talked it over and excluded me).

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Did you know that Chinese people don't eat salads? Well, by that, I actually mean that salads are not authentic Chinese cuisine. Vietnamese people eat all sorts of salads though, and since my family is half Vietnamese and come from Vietnam, we grew up eating this salad (which I am having for lunch today).

Ingredients:
1 cup cabbage shredded
1/3 cup shredded chicken (just plain chicken, no spices)
1/8 cup onions sliced thinly
10 leaves mint coarsely cut

3 tablespoons water (warm)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce (to taste)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon Sambal Oelek ground fresh chili paste (the one with the green plastic cap and rooster)

The ingredients for the dressing are listed in the order in which they should be added. Combine the sugar and water first (the water should be warm so that the sugar will melt easily). Then add the lemon juice and vinegar. You should taste each step to see that it tastes right, but most of you will not know what it's supposed to taste like anyway so I'm really only talking to my sisters, who already know how to make this dish. *sigh*

But, the point is that when you get proficient at this, it's really a dressing that is to your taste, so the amounts won't really matter. In fact, I don't really know if those are the correct amounts or even the amounts I used. I only approximated what I used, so you will have to experiment on this yourself.

Please remember to TOSS THE SALAD, and then lit it sit for about 5-10 minutes before you eat it so that the veggies soak up the flavors.

I was invited to Green Thumb McGillicutty's house for dinner a couple weekends ago and this is what I brought! There was a lot of leftovers, though.

Boston (Day 1)

MonkeyPig and I are each others' favorite sister. It's true. We love to hang out with each other even more than we love to hang out with our other sisters, if that is even imaginable. It has been a while since we went on a road trip, so we went to Boston for a 6 day, 7 night, Thelma and Louise-style extravaganza. I even got a brand new camera. It worked out great!

MP arrived in Boston late Saturday night and I arrived early Sunday morning (around 5am). But, even though MP was only in Boston for a few hours, she had already located Chinatown. Our first stop, in fact, was at a Chinese bakery (since it was so early, that was the only thing that was open. We got a few "Big Baos" (they really were big), and we went on our way back to the hotel for a couple hours of sleep before the festivities began. That's MonkeyPig to the right, refreshed from her beauty sleep.

So, first things first, right? Yes. We went back to Chinatown to get some breakfast. Of course, we wanted to go "yum tsa" (literally, "drink tea" meaning eat dim sum). So we walked around trying to figure out which restaurant to choose. Along the way, we found a Chinese McDonalds and a Dunkin' Donuts (left) and a fresh produce stand (bonus points to anyone who can identify this spiny fruit). Finally, we decided on Empire Garden. It was less than MMD--they couldn't even get the veggies right! Very disappointed.

OH, this might be a good time to introduce "Hermie." Hermie is a GPS device we call Hermie "Hermie" because Hermie is smart like Hermione in the Harry Potter series, but also because Hermie can be both female or male (Hermie has two voice options). MP just LOVES and TRUSTS Hermie. Here they are having a meeting to discuss plans before we head out from the Chinese restaurant.

We decided to take The Freedom Trail, which is a 5 mile long trail through the city of Boston where you can see a bunch of historical landmarks. It was very informative, but I believe a large part of it was due to our guide being awesome. Our guide played the role of James Otis. Yeah, that name didn't ring a bell with me either. Our guide told us all about him, though. Otis was the a lawyer in Boston in the 1700s and advocated that taxation without representation is tyranny.
He was a part of many of the discussions that formed the basis of the Declaration for Independence and Constitution. However, in an unsuccessful assassination attempt, Otis was bludgeoned on the head and he was never the same afterwards. Very unfortunate. But, his ideas and goals remain. So, off we went on the tour (you just follow the red line or the double bricks)...


Boston Commons We started at the Boston Commons, which is a plot of land set aside by Boston long ago for public use. Back in the day, anyone could just start making speeches here and lively debate would ensue.







Boston City Hall
Boston shows support for its home team. Of course, now that we are in the championships, Go Lakers!







Park Street Church
Built in 1809, this church is one of the oldest in the nation.











Historical Cemetary
This cemetary included the graves of many patriots and historical figures, including John Hancock, James Otis, Paul Revere, Mother Goose, Robert Paine, Sam Adams, and the "victims" of the Boston Massacre (more on that later).






North Church
This was the church where the lantern hung indicating that the British were attacking by land ("one of by land, two if by sea"). Also, there is a nice plaque in the sidewalk explaining the historical significance of the church (I was standing next to the plaque when I took the photo to the left). When we got there, there was another tour guide with his group. There was also a display for the current soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.




The Latin School
This was a very old school founded in the 1830s. Here's the front view and a close up of Benjamin Franklin's statue.










The Old Corner Bookstore
This is an old bookstore. The structure was built in 1711, and became a bookstore in 1829. Hawthorne, Longfellow, Stowe, Emerson, and Thoreau was published out of this bookstore.










Old South Meeting House
This is the meeting house where the Boston Tea Party idea was hatched.











Old City Hall
This is the old city hall building. Back in the mid-1900s, Queen Elizabeth came for a visit and stood in the balcony waving to people. At that time, she was presented a check for 33,000 pounds, the tax owed on all the tea that was dumped into the Boston Harbor (no interest). The check was never cashed.








Site of the Boston Massacre
Just across the street (not even, really, this is on a median in the middle of the street) from the old city hall is the site of the Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre described by the American (or, Colonial) press of the day as being a massacre of 6 children by British soldiers. According to the press, the British soldiers came upon the children and just mowed them down. But, fact is even stranger than fiction. The 6 children were really teenagers who were throwing snowballs laced with rocks and glass at three British soldiers. Soon, a mob of over 300 colonists arrived and were taunting the soldiers with shouts of "shoot, shoot, shoot." The soldiers raised their rifles to defend themselves but did not shoot. Unfortunately, at the same time, a fire had broken out at a nearby homestead and some people in the mob yelled "fire." That's when the soldiers, mistaking the colonists' screams of "fire" for a command from their commanding officer opened fire. The soldiers were later acquitted of murder, but this, of course, was not widely reported.

Paul Revere's House
Just around the corner is Revere Mall (and then the Old North Church). Here's MP serving as a frame. What was neat was that the sun was going down at this time, and we noticed that this area had working gas street lamps.






Old Ironside










Bunker Hill













We ended the tour and said goodbye to our wonderful tour guide. But, we were tired so we rested for a bit in a small park. MP, being the slut that she is, started flirting with some dude there. However, when he mentioned something about being a Starbucks fan and a huge discussion ensued. Eventually, they kissed and made up.

By this time, I almost lost my appetite, but not quite (it takes a lot for me to lose my appetite). So we headed to a Malaysian food restaurant (Layang). This place was AWESOME!