Sometimes, It Is About The Nail

In just over a decade since its publication,  concepts from “Men Are From Mars, Women are From Venus”  have embedded themselves deep in our social consciousness.  The stereotypical complaints of the sexes are so familiar that we can joke about them.  And we do.  (Quick recap:  Women complain that rather than listening and understanding, men try to fix everything.  Men complain that Women aren’t really interested in solving problems,  they just like talking about them.)

We get the Mars/Venus postulate.  We’re informed.  We know  that our differences are intrinsic and logical.  We’ve swallowed the prescriptive paradigm that helps us see and validate one another.  And yet, we’re still arguing.  Some of us still resent the opposite sex; some are still contemptuous.  Some of us (ladies, I address us) refuse to let it ever be about the nail, though sometimes (sometimes) it is.

httpv://youtu.be/-4EDhdAHrOg

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Taby at A Closet Intellectual invited her blogging friends to join her in a get to know you post round.  Sounded good to me… I’m imagining a round table with five topics for conversation.

Five Among Friends.

Taby posed five questions to get us going.  Her husband wrote on their blog yesterday, addressing the five questions/topics in his first Man Cave post.  A revelatory and entertaining read.  I’m looking forward to more man cave-ness (particularly recipes).    And I liked the glimpses he offered of Taby and their family.  I love that she says things that make him laugh so hard he cries.  In my world, making anyone laugh that hard would make my day (or night). [continue reading…]

Found a Cool French Vietnamese Place in Salt Lake.

Oh Mai.

I read about it in a local magazine. Traditionally, northern Utah’s cuisine tends to be…well, sustaining. Comfortable. Buffalo steaks, great slabs of heavily frosted carrot cake, fried pickles, and Aunt Mable’s dinner rolls (which are truly delectable by the way, and addictive) have long endured as the most exciting culinary developments. Revolutionaries go for American Chinese, or The Olive Garden. But I understand that there is a growing movement amongst some restauranteurs here and there: they are becoming more adventuresome. Using fresh, local produce, and faraway concepts. Cooperating a bit with each other to get their hands on really great ingredients.  Creating less-conventional establishments.  Oh Mai was touted as just such a one. So it went on my restaurant fantasy list. [continue reading…]

Sweet Memories: The Easy Creme Brulee

Spring and earliest summer were largely about savoring.  Always conscious of our upcoming Goodbye, my family and I made memories we could relish later.  This easy creme brulee moment has become just such a memory, and though it’s only been a couple of weeks since my daughter embarked on her epic adventure, I want to relive it. [continue reading…]

More From the Family Gathering Album: Mothers and Daughters

So many possibilities for recreation on a big ranch in Wyoming with a beautiful, perfectly appointed lodge.   So many possibilities, in fact, that with two dozen plus people assembled and expectations running wild, it might be impossible to settle on an activity that everyone could agree on.   As unpopular as the notion generally is, my mom insisted on family pictures (she is a gentle soul, also quietly gritty).  Amazingly, our morning photo session ended up being one of the most fun and memorable moments.  My personal favorite.  And it included (loosely) everyone.  Though not in this post, of course.  This one is supposed to be about mothers and daughters.  I can focus. [continue reading…]

Tiny Dancers:  Are We Human, Or Are We Dancers?

(A line from a song that I hear a lot when I’m hanging out with my boy Ez.  I like the tune.  Anyway).

I took these photos a few weeks ago when we visited the hospital to say hello to a brand new baby cousin (and congratulations to his exhausted mama).  Here, in the hospital hallway, my youngest daughter is one of the four tiny dancers.  Her cousins (each a new big sister) are the other three.  It seems a magical combination.  Nora loves these cousins, and they love her.  I think they need one another.  They’re ecstatic in each other’s company. [continue reading…]

I Beg Your Pardon.  I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. But a Girl Garden… That I Can Do!

(Remember This?)

(Look Again. Ta-Da!) [continue reading…]