Mario, Luigi, Lightning McQueen, The King, and Ari...best pals.

The boy sure does love his Cars and Mario Bros. toys. Who can blame him? He got his love for Mario and Luigi from me. I am a bona fide Nintendo fan; and I haven't met a Super Mario game I didn't like. I remember being 5 years old and playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Those were the days.

Ari has been playing some of the old Mario games we have downloaded from the virtual console on our Wii. We just completed Super Mario World together and he is working on the original Super Mario Bros. right now. So far, he has been able to beat world 1-1 all by himself. He's getting better and I think he is doing pretty good for just turning 3.

It's fun watching him play these games for the first time. I have played them so many times, I still have all the secret exits and warp zones etched in my brain. Scary...

Go away

I like winter just fine, but enough is enough. I'm ready for at least some 50 degree weather, and not the kind that comes with 25 mph winds and rain.

I shouldn't complain. I will do my best to find and appreciate the beauty of the season.

Fall On Me - Embryonic

Fall On Me is one of my favorite R.E.M. songs. I might go as far to say that it is my favorite song. The melodies, music, and lyrics are so powerful and inspiring, I get chills every time I hear it. It has also become a favorite bedtime song for Ari. I sing it to him almost every night when I put him to bed. We have a rotation of about 10 bedtime songs, and he gets to choose two songs for me to sing each night. Just about every night, to my delight, one of the songs he wants me to sing is Fall on Me.

The song was first introduced during the Reconstruction Tour in 1985. It went through a massive transformation by the time it was released on Lifes Rich Pageant in August of 1986.

This video from 1985 also includes the song Green Grow the Rushes. Enjoy!



Here is the album version for the sake of comparison.

And so it begins...

I recently became inspired to start quilting. My dad still has a quilt his grandmother made him when he was young. The back side is made entirely from his old blue jeans. It is a wonderful quilt and he cherishes it. The memories that must exist within the fabric and the love and care that went into making the quilt are evident every time he wraps himself up in it's warm embrace. So, I thought that I must have a quilt of my very own!

I decided to make my quilt out of my old R.E.M. shirts. I have many memories of those shirts, and I wore most of them quite often; especially when I was around 16. I can remember where I bought most of them, which one's were given to me as gifts and by whom.

Alas, over the years, I have outgrown all but two of the shirts. They sat, neatly folded, on my closet shelf for about 10 years, only to be disturbed a couple of times so my wife could were them as maternity shirts. I wanted to give them a new life, so that they could be loved again.

I developed a pattern the size of a queen size comforter by laying out the shirts so they would all fit. After I had the layout, it was time to cut the fabric. The hardest part was that first cut. It seemed wrong to cut all of my shirts, but I knew it was for a greater good. Now, I have all the blocks cut out, and I have now started sewing the blocks together. I will give more updates and pictures as I make more progress.

I am not doing all this alone, I have had a great deal of help from Eva and Katie; I really couldn't have gotten this far without them. Katie has quilting experience and I like to bounce my ideas off of them. So far, they haven't steered me wrong. We get together every week and work on our quilts and other creative projects. It's really a lot of fun, and I know these wonderful memories will last forever within my quilt.

Mirepoix

Visually, what a thing of beauty. Even better, though, is what this aromatic heavenly combo can do to the soul when indulging in a dish graced by it's presence. I have been making many soups and stews this winter, and have used my fair share of these three ingredients in the process. I was so inspired by them on night, I decided to take a picture.

So, what are you waiting for? Dice up some onion, carrots, and celery; and make yourself some soup. It's easy, and your body and soul will thank you!

This message brought to you be the National Mirepoix Counsel.