Manna of Legend!

Included in the realm of shortness (yes I was once short) were the toys and books passed down from my older sisters in all their faded and wonderful glory. "Hipstamatic" colors were incarnate in full 3 dimensional glory with every article of playtime enjoyment. One such article of fun-time was a little book with a jacket of full faded glory called "How to make Possums's Honey Bread". I have fond memories of digging this book out and making some great bread with the help of mom and below is the long lost recipe!

1 1/2 cup hot water

2 tsp. salt

1 stick butter

2 packages dry yeast

6 cups flour

1. Stir all ingredients, except flour, until butter is melted.
2. Add flour 2 cups at a time.
3. Knead a few times
4. Dump into a greased bowl
5. Turn over until all sides are greased
6. Cover with a damp cloth and let raise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours
7. Punch dough down, cut in half and put in a greased baking dish
8. Let reaise 1 hour
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
10. Enjoy

Fast Pizza-Dough Kinda Night

When you want pizza fast the best way I found to get it is to make it from scratch which is as simple as 1, 2, 3. First you mix 2 cups of flour in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. While also having heated 1 cup of water to 100 degrees then quickly adding the package of instant yeast you have on hand with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix the liquid into the dry ingredients slowly using an additional 1-2 cups of flower to produce the desired consistency.

Now had I done this all correctly, I would have been eating a nice thin crust pizza out of a 475 degree oven (in about 35 minutes) however there were other ideas afoot. Having measured out the dry stuff into my food processor and added the liquid it was a comical realization that the flour wasn't flour when it just wouldn't thicken up!

Needless to say the dough wasn't but rather a milkshake like yeasty soup with powdered sugar. Yes the canister that I pulled from the cupboard was in fact 10x sugar and not flour which of course does not make dough. Doh!

The quick fix was to use the flour and wheat tortillas smeared with garlic, crush tomatoes and spinach topped with jack cheese (10 mins in a 475 degree oven).

Suzanne Vega I am Bummed

Today was to the the culmination of a ridiculous amount of man hours spent getting ready to host the first recording of The Folk Scene Radio Hour of Suzanne Vega this afternoon in the space I have been building. Instead we all were dressed up with nowhere to go once we found out that due to circumstances unclear she had missed her flight from the east coast to get out here in time. All was not lost however we had a great time sitting in the new room talking about music and life and getting to know each other all the better which in my book is fine.

Miss Vega is someone who I have had the pleasure of listening to since I was a young boy and was very excited to have the chance to meet her in such an intimate setting that I had a hand in creating. I am sure there will be many more such disappointments going forward in life I just hope someday I can meet Suzanne Vega.

Ya know... like drywall...

<----This is a pile of sheetrock....

This is a pile of

sheetrock on walls...---->

That is all thank you.

Werkin

The day is fast approaching that the rooms that I have been building will be filled with the fresh sound of music reflecting off freshly painted walls and absorbing into foam wall treatments. For now though I have fingers to the bone with just enough skin to finish the job and face the "devil in the details". I hit the hay at 3 am was up at 9 am and now will get back to sanding so that the painting crew, i.e. the band Like Baboons, can get to it.

The New Year

Fresh on the page of my notebook are the two columns that make up my resolutions for the work that is ahead of me in this next year. In the first are those things that need tuning up in my personal life such as exercising more which includes starting the practice of yoga, something that I preach people to do but as of yet have not made part of my daily or weekly life. The second are my musical resolutions such as writing one new song, learning one new song and the practice of scales on a daily and weekly basis.

Discipline is the operative word for this year. Looking forward there are some amazing opportunities that are out there and buckling down my ethic, harnessing it to the things that came into my life in the last year, will be my challenge. In the past I have at times felt like Sisyphus in my imaginary uphill battle with self-discipline and this year I think a flat spot is up ahead.

In conclusion I will say that the events that lay before me this day include a tangible reminder of what self-control can and should be namely fiberglass insulation. I will now try my best not to touch my face or other exposed skin as I install the last of the itchy sound-proofing material in a studio that will help me and the many other very talented musicians/ writers/ producers fulfill all of our New Year's Resolutions. I pray that you will also attain the best that you can be in this next year.