Updates from August, 2010 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Daniel Greene 7:23 am on August 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: bird, cat, , , humor, morbid, , neighborhood, , pigeon   



    Here today, gone tomorrow
    Originally uploaded by Daniel Greene

    My husband Andy found these two baby pigeons in our planter by the front door yesterday. This was not a cause for rejoicing. We have already been conducting a long egg disposal campaign in the backyard palm tree for the past two years (the dogs love to lap up the raw eggs). Just when we thought the egg laying was easing up in the backyard, we see these two ratlets with useless wings in the front. We wondered why they hadn’t been eaten by cats yet. We thought about taking them and putting them in the cat food bowl our neighbor puts out twice a day. That would give the kitties a real feast. But we laughed that off to sick humor and left them alone, hoping the neighborhood cats would finally notice them and eat them. Maybe the cats were waiting for them to fatten up a bit first? We should see…

    Well, it doesn’t distress me to tell you that the little vermin were gone in the morning. I guess the cats decided they were finally plump enough. The cats probably already knew they were there, right? I mean, two birds in the bush…

    Andy went looking around the yard and found the signs of carnage accounting for one bird. The other, I guess, was hauled away to another cache in the sharp-toothed mouth of a feline filcher.

    I guess it just goes to show: here today, gone tomorrow. As much as I may morbidly gloat over Nature’s predation over these creatures, the truth is "you could be hit by a bus" any time so you might as well live, love, and laugh– even if it is sick laughter about poor little baby birds!

     

  • Daniel Greene 10:38 pm on August 9, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , ,   

    Homemade chicken Caesar salad – a product of love 

    Some people make fun of me for posting photos of my food (my husband included). No, wait– people make fun of me for taking photos of my food. The posting part is beyond belief. Other people say, "I love your food pictures!" Or, "Thanks a lot, Daniel. Now I’m hungry!"

    I like taking photos of food because food is beautiful, food is delicious, food is comforting and nourishing. Eating is not being hungry. Eating healthy food is being healthy. A good plate of food is supposed to delight your eye and make your mouth water. A good plate of food is an accomplishment– it means you earned your food, you planned your meal (or improvised it), you prepared (and/or cooked) your food, and you plated it with love and gusto.

    This meal was a collaboration between me and my husband. He marinated the chicken while I was at work. After I came home, he grilled the chicken while I soaked some croutons in Caesar dressing, tossed in some bagged romaine lettuce, and shredded some parmegiano reggiano cheese. While I was slicing the rind off part of the cheese, I nicked my thumb and drew a bit of blood (it didn’t get on the food). Andy put a bandage on my thumb and I put it up to his lips so he could "kiss it and make it better." I smiled and said, "That was almost worth getting a boo-boo for." And then we ate our meal together.

    So I take this photo to celebrate the glory of food, to express thanks for the food I receive, and to remember the love, humor, and partnership that went into making this simple meal. It is a blessing.

     

  • Daniel Greene 9:10 pm on August 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , chicken, , eating, , , , , pizza, wings   

    We didn’t go out to a fine French restaurant or the Compass Room with its 360º view of the Valley. No. This year we just got Pizza Hut stuffed crust pepperoni pizza and chicken wings. We watched Bounty Hunter which, little did we know, ended with the phrase "Happy anniversary, darling." And we took a walk around the neighborhood. A nice simple afternoon / evening together.

     

    • Andy 11:16 pm on August 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Well I am blessed that we can just enjoy simple things that life offer us. Pizza and wings were great. The conversation on our walk was so sweet and heart felt. I love my husband more than ever today and I can’t wait for tomorrow.

    • Philip 8:50 am on August 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Happy Anniversary, guys! ;)

  • Daniel Greene 6:09 pm on August 4, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: civil liberties, constitutionality, equal rights, , , ,   

    U.S. Judge Overturns Prop. 8 In Gay Rights Victory! – Heard on NPR 

    U.S. Judge Overturns Prop. 8 In Gay Rights Victory : The Two-Way : NPR.

    When I heard this on the radio in the car this afternoon, I could not help but beam with joy. I didn’t mean to have such an emotional reaction to the news; it just bubbled up from within. Regardless of whether or not the inevitable appeal against this ruling is upheld in the next hearing (which I don’t think it will be), this is a great step forward for equal rights.

    Andy & I were legally married in California the first Saturday same-sex marriages were performed: June 21, 2008. Our marriage was upheld even after Prop 8. Still, it is meaningless where we live in Arizona. I have hope that this new ruling will set a precedent for similar rulings in other states.

    I think the gay marriage argument is simple: opposite-sex couples have nothing to lose by same-sex marriage while same-sex couple have much to gain. The idea that “marriage is between a man and a woman” is Biblical at best and arrogant at worst. There is simply no reason a man and a man or a woman and a woman shouldn’t be allowed to marry if they want to. Separation of church and state; equal rights for all. That’s the American way.

    Related posts from Smithers–Greene:

     

  • Andy Smithers 4:28 pm on August 4, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Prop 8 is Overturned! 

    My faith in justice has prevailed! No longer will I worry if my marriage to Daniel Greene will be made invalid or less than that of a heterosexual couple.

     

  • Daniel Greene 12:09 pm on August 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , groceries, , international, , middle-eastern,   

    Halva floss, yogurt soda, and sesame bread sticks from Aziz Market. We’re pretty adventurous eaters here at the Smithers–Greene.

    Review? The halva floss tasted good, but I thought halva necessarily meant made with tahini (sesame butter) as many "halvas" are. Now I guess it just means candy. The yogurt soda was unique– pungent, goaty, and tart. Very strong flavor that would probably go best with Greek or Middle Eastern food. The sesame sticks are, well, less sweet than your typical breadsticks. They are heavily coated with sesame seeds which gives them a slightly bitter taste. Good though.

     

    • carlos benjamin 12:47 pm on August 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Dang it! No wonder I’ve had to have so much dental work. My Dentist told me to floss after every meal and now I find out I’ve just been eating candy?

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