10 Tweets Worth Sharing

So many tweets roll across my phone each day. Here are a few that I particularly liked.

In My Face

My husband takes lots of photos of me, especially double exposures of my face. Above is a double exposure that he took of me in a flea market. I was annoyed (as usual) that I had to pose and hold up a black shirt behind my head...in the middle of a store. Of course, I love the result. 

The second one is another film photo that he took of me just moments after we said our vows. He loves it and so do I.

 

Paranoia Kitchen

 

photo by digitpedia 

 I see why codes and regulations are so much more stringent in California. Those people are paranoid about everything. My husband, a native, is no exception. Last night, I was told that steaming broccoli in the microwave would kill the nutrients. I was also told not to use the new bowls in the microwave because "you can only microwave dishes that say 'microwave safe' on the bottom" and that the bowl was "clay and may have lead in it".

I dropped what I was doing and turned to Google to rescue me from "paranoia kitchen". Within minutes I found that he was wrong on both counts. 

Claim #1 - Microwaves Kill Nutrients 

Microwaves may actually maintain more nutrients in vegetables than other cooking methods because of the quick cook time. "The factors that determine the extent [of destroying nutrients] are how long the food is cooked, how much liquid is used and the cooking temperature."

Claim #2 - Dishes that don't say "microwave safe" on the bottom aren't microwave safe

I found this WikiHow on testing dishes for use in the microwave. Following the instructions, I found that the unlabeled bowls that were accused of containing lead passed the test.

photo by DavidErickson
 
After the research and testing, I was able to resume my meal and thoroughly enjoy my micorwave steamed broccoli. Yum.

Someone is looking up to you

 photo by Capt Kodak

I don't know what kind of mother I'll be but I'm going to try my best and hope that there will be some fun along the way.

I’d Rather be the Father

by Faith Shearin

Right from the start, it's easier to be the father: no morning
nausea, no stretch marks. You can wait outside the

delivery room and keep your clothes on. Notice how
closely the word mother resembles smother, notice

how she is either too strict or too lenient: wrong for giving up
everything or not enough. Psychology books blame her

for whatever is the matter with all of us while the father
slips into the next room for a beer. I wanted to be

the rational one, the one who told a joke at dinner.
If I were her father we would throw a ball across

the lawn while the grill fills with smoke. But who
wants to be the mother? Who wants to tell her what

to wear and deliver her to the beauty shop and explain
bras and tampons? Who wants to show her what

a woman still is? I am supposed to teach her how to
wash the dishes and do the laundry only I don't want

her to grow up and be like me. I'd rather be the father
who tells her she is loved; I'd rather take her fishing

and teach her to skip stones across the lake of history;
I'd rather show her how far she can spit.

"I'd Rather be the Father" by Faith Shearin, from Moving the Piano. 

© Stephen F. Austin University Press, 2011.  Posted on Writer's Almanac.

Kingcake Monsoon

 I'm a fan of kingcake season and have been to enough kingcake parties to be ready to host my own. So three weeks before Mardi Gras we threw a kingcake bake-off/tasting in our courtyard. I've been so busy lately that this was the only window of opportunity that I could find to host such an event and knew that it would be a hit to host before the Krewe de Vieux parade began to role. Because of this tight schedule, I had no choice but to keep the scheduled date despite the weather forecast warning of a 50% chance of thunderstorm.

Needless to say we had a downpour, but everyone had a good laugh while we moved 20 kingcakes under cover. The rain only lasted about 30 minutes so we continued on to eat, drink and parade.

These are the categories that were judged:

Best Gourmet Kingcake  

– flavors other than cream cheese, strawberry, and apple  

Best Traditional Kingcake  

– plain/cinnamon, cream cheese, strawberry or apple 

Best Homemade Creation  

– king of cakes….anything goes 

Most Creative Costume 

– get out your glue gun

Our neighbor, Angela, won two categories 

(Best Gourmet and Best Homemade) 

with her Bacon Maple Kingcake.

 It was a clear favorite!

Eve and I tied for best costume because 

she dressed as a kingcake baby, and I have one in my belly.

Lessons from Lyrics #6

My brain is trained to fall asleep when this song is played on repeat. It only takes one or two runs before I begin my descent into dreamland. This phenomenon is a combination of nostalgia and the soothing melody.

When we first started dating, my husband sent me songs that reminded him of me or would relay a romantic message. I cherished these songs and if memory serves me correctly, this was the first song that he sent me.

It was so perfect...introduced me to a new artist yet had lyrics good enough to be written by Bob Dylan. These lyrics showed me that I had left an impression on him yet he expected nothing in return.

Lessons from Lyrics #5

"You can move the pieces

I just want to push the start button"

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"