Putting a face to our food.

I am not a vegetarian, nor do I ever plan on becoming one.  But just because I love fried chicken and chapli kabob doesn't mean I am apathetic to the plight of farm animals.

So, this post goes to all our yummy little friends- may we always treat them with kindness and dignity; and may we never forget the value of their lives and the gravity of their sacrifices.  

(can't forget to thank the laborers!) 

As American as Funnel Cake

In the great state of Maryland, there are funnel cakes and then there are GRAND CHAMPION FUNNEL CAKES.  It is with immense honor and pleasure that I introduce to you today,

      the supreme of sweetness,

      the daredevil of deliciousness,

      the grand freakin’ champion of the 2010 Montgomery County

      Agricultural Fair… 

         (drum roll)

            Caramel Apple Funnel Cake!

             

Putting the FUN back in FUNGUS.

DAY 1 - 8:00 am

NIGHT 1 - 12:00 am

DAY 2 - 10:00 am

NIGHT 2 - 9:00 pm

Can this Super-Mushroom get any bigger? Is it secretly plotting take over the world? How much longer till the neighbors start avoiding me?

Stay tuned...

Butterfly Effect--ed?

I watched a butterfly die today. It was a very strange experience. 

For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to just sit next to a butterfly and watch it be still. I really wanted to take advantage of this proximity and snap a few photos while I had the chance, but was torn about the intrusiveness and insensitivity of doing so as the little creature took its last breaths. I am sure it seems silly (and borderline PETA-activist-crazy) to many folks that I would worry about disrupting this one single butterfly when, in the grand scheme of things, I am responsible for causing far greater environmental harms. But I think this type of argument is misleading b/c it really confuses consciousness with responsibility- whether I am able to act responsibly and correct/avoid certain “bads,” should not negate my duty to be conscious of all that is “bad.”

Ultimately, I chose to take the photos and, as a result, must take responsibility for the impact of my decision. But, I also appreciate the rarity and honor of being able to capture the image of something so beautiful as it died.

Cookie Brownie!

What are the two greatest things in the world? Cookies and brownies.  Why has it taken Betty Crocker so long to put them together?? Oh happy day.

Home?

Some say home is where you lay your head.
But I think home is where your shoes always have a place to rest.

The World Outside Our Window(s).

Why don't we take more photos from our airplane windows?

It's strange to think that up until a hundred years ago, all our poetry,

fairy-tales, art, music were inspired by looking up at the heavens;

but now, here we are, looking down through the clouds at ourselves.

No matter how many times I fly, I always find myself amazed at how

visually striking the atmosphere.  So next time you fly, take a moment

before you put on that eye-mask or crack open that laptop, and peek

outside your window- what you will see is the stuff our collective and

historic dreams made of.