christmas again. yea.

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.

 Erma Bombeck

A screensaver designed by Susan Hiller.  Jesus seems to have an affinity for appearing on bread products.

To perceive Christmas through it's wrappings becomes more difficult with every year.

E.B. White

And so my little flirtation with odd Christmas trees and weird presents for that special someone comes to an end again this year.  Maybe by next year my cynical button will be rubbed off and I'll get more in the mood.  Maybe after so many years of Christmas frenzy I have lost any spirit forever-  guess we will have to stick around and see what happens, eh?

But what I really DO mean, and want to convey in a non-cynical manner, is how much I wish all of you the best of the season.  I hope having your families and best friends around for the holidays is a fulfilling and happy experience.  May none of your ornaments get knocked over by the cat, may you make the best hard sauce for your puddings, and may there be some actual things to unwrap under your tree.  Or on your table if you're more of the blue persuasion. 

Horrors:  Today starts on a stressful note with numerous demands being made on your time, but other people's expectations may be exactly what you need to get your motor going. You have plenty to do and it's challenging to make the best choices if you just wing it as you go along. Instead, create a list of what you want to do and map out a rough schedule for the rest of the year. Even if you deviate from your plan, organizing your thoughts steadies your nerves and moves you in the right direction.

And with that I am starting to make the annual seven-fishes dinner for some good friends coming over tonight.  This year I have simplified it from seven different courses to ONE by making a fish soup that includes it all:  shrimp, scallops, a huge spiny lobster, cod, squid, mussels and clams.  I made a spicy rouille to smear on the sourdough toasts, combining recipes from several sources and encompassing both cioppino and bouillabaisse which are really quite similar.  My own includes chorica, a lesson I learned from a Portugese soup at Cookie's restaurant in Provincetown years ago.  Dessert is roasted pears with marscapone, homemade biscotti, and espresso.

                   
                                                    The International Banana Museum

                         
Roy Denim, handmade denim video