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December 29, 2004
Gold, Frankincense and Myrr
Well, I'm officially back from Texas. What a great trip it was for me! I got to spend some quality "tia time" with my niece. She is such a joy. And I think I worry way too much about her. I know she has two very able parents and doting relatives and friends, but I can't help but want some kind of insurance that she will live to a ripe old age and get a college degree and not get aids and be responsible about sex and drugs and never get in a car with strangers. I'm at a point where I'm really wishing we can go ahead and get on with it as far as the second niec-ew is concerned. We'll be used to this whole next generation thing once two are around.
Christmas this year seemed particularly spectacular. I had such a great time with my massive family (It was mom's Christmas this year so we were in Houston for the annual Christmas Eve event complete with Cherries Jubilee and a White Elephant extravaganza.) With every passing moment, I watched in awe and humility as my cup continued to runneth over...without bursting from the weight of such gifts. We have a new baby, everyone is healthy and not only loves each other, but also loves each others' company despite some very diverse opinions on a variety of topics, and we can afford to spend a small fortune on presents without worrying about how we are going to feed our children or pay for their education. For the completely mercenary, I received so many wonderful presents; a sewing machine, a sushi set, a slightly worn flash for my Canon Rebel G, a much-coveted mosaic lazy Susan, Soaps and sweet smelly trinkets, and a raindrop oil lamp with an elephant and palm tree scene in the middle. The lamp is a smaller, slightly updated version of the Grecian raindrop oil lamp which still sits in my Grandma Lupe's house. You know the kind; a naked lady sits in a cage of wire. When you turn on the lamp the oil comes down the wires in droplets. It is possibly the cheesiest piece of decor in my Grandmother's house (and that is saying alot.) But it's magic to a growing-up girl, soothing to a woman who sometimes misses her Grandma. I gave some great gifts too. An Ipod for Lita Rita, a great poker set for my brother (It's first use was during the first ever Christmas Day Poker Tournament in which 16 of my family members participated,) Ove-Gloves for my BIL and tamales for a few people. My house this Christmas was full of Gold and Frankincense. And then there was Myrr...
I'm sure by now everyone who reads this is familiar with the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The last time I checked the death toll was over 155,000. Tourists and locals alike were swept away with no warning whilst I was most likely sleeping off a satiated belly and dreaming about the big "Lenox sale" at the mall.
It's an awesome thought to ponder how I got to be so lucky. I'm American so I have a certain amount of freedom and opportunity. This is a doubly awesome fortune when coupled with the fact I am female. I'm educated. I have family. I have a future. I can pay my bills while living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. And this year my Christmas was fantastic...while others fought for their lives.
In the end, I've come to realize that perhaps I can do without the after Christmas sales this year. Do I really need to sock away a Christmas tree because it was half off? Do I need this year's latest boot style, or coat or...whatever crap I would end up spending my money on this post-holiday season. The truth is. I really, really don't. What I do need is to be grateful and to be a part of this world. Even the part that isn't so lucky. So instead of checking out Macy's, or Bloomie's, or Sak's Fifth, I'm going to check out Lutheran World Relief and Doctors Without Borders and try to do a little something to help my fellow human. I've researched both of these charities and they have received excellent ratings from charity watchdog groups. (The Lutheran World Relief organization only spends 2 cents of every dollar for administrative costs.)I can even donate through JustGive.org, an organization which promises to keep my name and information off annoying mailing lists. I think it's the thing to do.
Posted by mermu at 01:12 AM | Comments (1)
December 27, 2004
Rolling some Fat Ones
I made tamales this year for Christmas with my father and mom and my father's wife. This year's meager batch of 17 dozen marked the third time I've made tamales ever and the second time I've made them as the "head chef". They are a family recipe. My grandmother and family and friends used to gather at Christmastime and make thousands of tamales. My grandmother's tamales were considered the family gold.
This year's batch turned out rather well. The masa was well cooked and the meat was the closest I've ever come to making it like Grandma did. I only had to call my Aunt Helen once to confirm something she had told me when I made 34 dozen two years before. I did have an issue with some burnt ojas but I blame that result on the tools provided. Even the ones with charred husks have a savory, unique if slightly smoky flavor.
This is the first year I feel I really have the whole process down. I feel like I could possibly teach someone (or a crew) how to make them on my own...and that's a big step. Rolling tamals is the best part of the whole process. For the better part of a day my grandmother and the women of the family and their friends would sit around and assemble tamales. Open the ojas, spread the masa, pack the meat and roll over and over again until they've made in the neighborhood of 150 dozen. While it seems tedious, and at times it is, this is the time when the women talk. Oral histories of generations of Lucios passed down from woman to woman, tamale by tamale. Perhaps this is the reason I think they taste so good. There are stories, anecdotes and secrets in that masa which unlike salt stays within the corn husk throughout the steaming process.
A book I read recently said that tamales traditionally were shared as an offering to gods and loved ones who have passed. This must have made some kind of psychic sense to me. After my first tamale making experience with my Aunt Helen, and dad, and Martha (an honorary Lucio) and others, I went to my grandmother's grave and shared with her my first tamale. I know she was pleased and saw in it what I did; a good start. This year's batch is the first I've made with which I think she would be truly unbiasedly impressed.
Thank you to all who participated in the project and to all who have accepted them to their table. If you get a chance, tell me what you think.
Posted by mermu at 01:36 AM | Comments (1)
December 24, 2004
What would Pru Do?
Prudence had a friend who asked her how to deal with an issue involving a recent breakup and another friend's response to said breakup. I thought Pru's response was perfect and it gave me an idea to include a segment called What would Pru Do?. Here's the first installment:
Dear Pru,
I recently told a friend of mine about a breakup with a girl I had been dating for the last 7 months. Said friend proceeded to bash me to other friends and demanded to know what I had done to screw things up. Said friend was furious with me and was certain that I done something heinous to ruin the relationship.
The truth is my girlfriend and I had a great relationship and I still care deeply for her but we have different religions and we've discovered that for us, this difference would get in the way of a future together. The break-up was amicable. While I still care for her a great deal, I am certain this is the best thing for both of us.
I know my "said friend" may not know all of the details of the breakup but I am doubly hurt that friend would think so poorly of me. I was looking for support and I got criticism and vitriole. What should I do?
Catholic girl's Jewish ex-boyfriend
Read on for Pru's response....
Dear CGJEB,
Tell "said friend" to shove off. She's rude, immature and no friend of yours if her immediately response is to blame you for something about which she knows nothing. Even if you were a lying, cheating bastard a true friend would have found a way to support you.
Pru
So that was Pru's response. What would you have suggested? If you have any questions for Pru send them to me at offers@mermu.net. I'll see that she gets them.
Posted by mermu at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2004
Rummy Cubed
Kudos to the soldier who used a Q&A session with Donald Rumsfield to ask an actual question. The soldier asked Rummy when they were going to get the much needed armor they deserved and needed to protect themselves on dangerous missions. After much hemming and hawing, Rummy's response was:
"As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want."
I suppose you can't really blame Rummy. It's probably the first time in a really long time any member of Bush's staff has been exposed to regular people that didn't have to sign an affidavit promising to be pro-BUSH. Still, I find it shocking that Rummy would go so far as to 1) bluntly criticize our Bush-led army in any way and 2)admit to putting our American soldiers in harm's way without the best possible protection in an American instigated war that was not imminent.
We certainly could have waited a few more months, or years to properly protect our soldiers before we invaded Iraq under false pretenses. Then again, if we had done so Bush might not have been a war-time president at the time of election and that's proved crucial to his successful bid for reelection.
In the end, I wonder what the mothers, wives, fathers, husbands and children of all of those red-state soldiers thought when they heard Rumsfield's inadequate response. Was it worth it?
Posted by mermu at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)