His spells portrayed the spirit as a frail thing, constantly under attack and in need of strength, always threatening to die inside you

Thursday Tea via Beth Fish Reads.

Here’s how it works: Tell us what tea you are drinking (and if you like it). And then tell us what book are you reading (and if you like it). Finally, tell us if they go together.

The Tea

Gunpowder Green Tea My oldest son, the tea afficianado, introduced me to gunpowder green tea and since then,I consider it one of my favorite teas. The tea leaves are rolled into pellets ,resembling gunpowder that unfurl when steeped. The tea itself is a darker,richer green tea than typical greens and has a more robust flavor.

The Book

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. Set against a backdrop of the thick of the Civil War, Joe Inman struggles to get back to Ada (who isn’t exactly having a fun  time on the farm herself) in North Carolina. I’m not far but I’m enjoying it so far.

A Match?

Tea named after gunpowder. Brutality of war. Yep.They go together.

[blog title from the book, page 14.]

Darth Maul can’t stop me (I’m on fire tonight) Boba Fett can’t stop me (I’m on fire tonight)

Wednesday Media Mix, 1.21.09

Listen: What was the last concert you went to, and what was your experience like?

I think the last concert I went to was MC Lars. The show itself was awesome .Of course. I have the biggest, geekiest crush on MC Lars. It’s sad.I can’t help it though. It’s the brains that gets me.  But anywhore…being there in itself was an interesting experience. I went alone (probably the last time I will ever go to a concert alone) and right away, a security guard started giving me shit. Was barely thru the gate and this guy was like, “Hey, shouldn’t you be home in bed?Are you here with someone?” . Apparently he thought I was 12 or something (I know…looking like I’m 12 when I’m nearly 36 should be a huge compliment but it’s mostly just a pain in the ass. And honestly,I’m a little offended! I have curves like a woman,dammit! ). THEN, this old,very inebriated guy started hitting on me…and I kept thinking back to the security dude who thought I was 12 and was just like, “EW.Awesome. Pedophiles think I’m hot”. Oh…and he offered me a small round white object he tried to make me believe was a breath mint. Wow.I ended up hanging out with 2 lesbians and some guy who didn’t speak English and was even more creeped out as Mr. Creepo Pedophile tried talking to young boys about how their summer vacation was going.

Watch: Is there a movie that inspires you? If so, which one?

some of that German amateur porn I watch sometimes . Now that is inspiring. However, I tried our own version the other night and I’m not quite ready to pull off the German accent …nor do I speak German well enough yet to make it authentic. It just ended up sounding like a dirty remake of Fargo.”oo,yahh…”

Read: What was the last time you read a book and saw the film adaptation afterwards? What was your reaction?

It was A Man Called Horse .It was an excellent short story by Dorothy M. Johnson and for whatever reason, I thought I must see the movie afterward. I’m usually sorry when I watch the film after reading the book. I get way too annoyed with all-wrong casting,plot changes and even itty-bitty details no one cares about. Really, I should just look at the book and the film as two separate art forms but my brain doesn’t let me do that.

Bonus points go to the movie though  for accurate depiction of Sioux culture and traditions.

[blog title from "Space Game" by MC Lars]

I’m only a woman Of flesh and bone

I was tagged by Stella to list 7 facts about myself.

1. I’ve never watched Battlestar Gallactica
2. I’ve never eaten at Taco Bell
3. I’ve never been to a Dave Matthews concert
4. I’ve never left this continent
5. I’ve never owned a llama
6. I’ve never sold a child to gypsies, even though I’ve been tempted to
7. I’ve never had a manicure

[title from "I Never" by Rilo Kiley]

Live till you die,I know

Music Memoirs

10 songs that sum up your weekend…or were on your weekend playlist…and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did

1. “Fairytale of New York”, The Pogues  ………one of my favorite Christmas-time songs
2. “Through to You”,Cute is What We Aim For………..“Mom, listen to this song! Isn’t it soooo  good?” ,said my nearly-12 yr old.  Uh,yeah…sure
3. “In The Fade”, Queens of the Stone Age….”Mom, listen to this. I never really listened to this one before. Isn’t it good?”, said my 18 year old. Yes. Yes, it is.
4. “Hello,I Love You”, covered by The Cure ………. it makes me happy when a favorite band covers another favorite bands songs. Unless they fuck it up. Which they did not.
5. “Faithfully”, covered by Claudio Sanchez….”Here,honey…listen to this! Isn’t it good?”, said by me to Carlos, who hates both Journey & Coheed.Fun stuff to do to your hubby on a Saturday night!
6. “Ghetto Love”, Spinnerette….my latest eargasm material. I want to have Brody Dalle’s baby. Please don’t bother me with the biological impossibilities of this goal. There are no boundaries when creating an imaginary love child.
7. “Crazy Train”,sung by me, while pretending to BE a train with the 3 year old. It was indeed a crazy train. It needed the appropriate music
8. “Sympathy for the Devil”, Rolling Stones…..inserted into my head while reading V is for Vendetta, which I am re-reading after failing to have a coherent conversation about it. I hate when I forget things about what I read.
9. “She’s Mine”, Brett Dennen…..the only song in the background I was aware of during Saturday night’s tear-the-room-apart sex fest. There must have been a lull in the moans  when it played. But what great words to hear while having great sex with someone you love     the music fills the space between
   the deities and the prophecies
   of our bodies pressed seamlessly
   silent in the shade
10. “To Live Is To Fly”, Townes Van Zandt….played in Six Feet Under during the scene where  Maggie & Nate make love and he has a brain hemmorage(written in white for those who haven’t watches Season 5 of Six Feet Under yet and don’t like spoilers. You can highlight it to find out…). I doubt I would have recognized the song if it wasn’t for my oldest kid who is  a huge Townes Van Zandt fan and got me to start listening a couple of years ago. This musical education  thing goes both ways in the parenting/offspring relationship

[title from "In The Fade",QOTSA]

And I wanted you to know It was you that we were thinking of as we quietly died in the snow

Wednesday Media Mix, 12.3.08

Listen: What decade does most of your favorite music come from?

I think it’s a good balance of each decade. I listen to too much classic rock, I start to feel dated. I listen to too much brand spanking new stuff, I start missing where it all came from.

Watch: Do you prefer to watch new movies at the theater or at home–or does it just depend on the movie?

When I build my new house, I have plans for a home theater. I’m a homebody…who loves the movie theater experience. With comfier seats , real food and good beer. I don’t go to the movies at the theater very often, mostly because it’s totally impractical, economically  and strategically .I have 2 choices when it comes to going to the movies: take alllll the kids with me to the movies (which hurts both my head and my bank account just thinking about it) or pay a babysitter for the evening. Do you know how much babysitters make nowadays, especially when it’s more than one kid???  Trust me. It’s easier to stay home.

Read: What’s the most bizarre book you’ve ever read?

Patty Reed’s Doll. It’s the story of the Donner Party from the perspective of a doll that belonged to a little girl in the Donner Party. It’s a kids’ book. It’s supposed to be educational but it turned out to be unintentionally creepy.To me,anyway.

[title from"Donner Party" by Alkaline Trio]

Jupiter’s Gigolo-meter

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Damn. Now I need to find someone willing to pay what I’m worth. I could really use the money.Kids need new winter boots, trips to the dentist & the optometrist and a decent Christmas.

Indians scattered, On dawn’s highway bleeding Ghosts crowd the young child’s, Fragile eggshell mind

Wednesday Media Mix, 10.29.08

Listen: See if you can come up with 3 songs with the word “ghost” in the title.

Easy.

1. “Is There a Ghost?”, Band of Horses
2. ” Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore”, The Mars Volta
3. “The Ghost Song”, The Doors

Watch: Are you planning on watching any horror movies this week? If so, which ones?

I have an 11 year old who claims NOTHING scares her. At the risk of traumatizing her for life, I am definitely planning on testing out her claim with some horror movies. I just haven’t decided which ones ,yet…

Read: Name a scene in a book that gave you chills.

Headless baby on spit,roasted to perfection.

[title from "The Ghost Song", The Doors]

(sidenote: that particular lyric refers to a time during Jim Morrison’s childhood when his family came across a car accident that involved Indians. It had a huge impact on him and is referenced often in his writing.)

Now this is a song to celebrate The conscious liberation of the female state

Wednesday Mind Hump

Tell us about your proudest “do it yourself” moment.

Baby-birthing, at home, no trained “professionals”,no drugs,no medicalization,no interference. Just my body and the birth.

[title from"Sister Are Doing It For Themselves", Annie Lennox (or was it as The Eurythmics?) and I think Aretha Franklin sang on that one...)

And Neil Young always claimed that Sweet Home Alabama was one of his favorite songs. And legend has it that he was an honorary pall bearer at Ronnie’s funeral… such is the Duality of the Southern Thing

I am in such a weird funk right now. All I can seem to manage is meme-ish things but hey, I pick good memes,right?

Wednesday Media Mix

Listen: What’s your favorite recent musical discovery?

Fleet Foxes I’m not all that impressed some days with Rolling Stone magazine but they recently said that Fleet Foxes was a blend of The Beach Boys, Band of Horses, Animal Collective and Crosby,Still & Nash. That nails it, right there so they got something right.

(Listen to: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by Fleet Foxes )

Watch: Which movie best reflects your romantic life?

True Romance? Ok,no. (That’s the first movie that popped into my head because the other night I had this weird ass dream that I had another baby. It was a girl and I named her Alabama. The baby wasn’t really a baby,though – she was already a little girl. I’m not sure how that works but I’m just grateful it was only a dream. It’s been awhile since I saw that movie but  it was I immediately thought of when I woke up because of Alabama,.I have no idea what sparked that dream but I have been listening to Drive-By Truckers a lot recently and that’s very Alabama-ish)

(Listen to :Three Great Alabama Icons)

All right,seriously, I’m going to say Bus Stop .Boy with blinders on meets Less-than-angelic Girl and decides she is IT for him. He pushes and pushes and pushes her to be his forever and always and she resists until finally she figures out that she’d be stupid to let him go.

Read: When was the last time you were in a library?

I live almost right across the street from our library and I go nearly every day.

[title from "The Three Great Alabama Icons", by Drive-By Truckers]

All, you old-time queens, from new orleans, who lived in storyville You sang the blues, try to amuse, here’s how they pay the bill

It’s Tuesday, where in the world are you?

Since I am a multi-book reader , I’m in a couple places at the moment.

I’m in New Orleans, trying to figure out what in the ever-loving hell is up with Ignatius J.  Reilly.

I’m also trying to build a fire using just my hatchet, a rock and beech bark shavings. I’m in pretty sorry shape…bit all to hell my mosquitoes,spiked by a porcupine, starving…all after surviving a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness

[title from "Farewell to Storyyville" , Billie Holiday & Louis Armstrong]