chromaculture blag

defying expectations

2009-04-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

today, i saw three of america's youth (complete with floppy clothes, big hair and skateboards) trying to help a floundering baby bird. the boys were carefully guiding it back into the grass and away from cumberland ave.
they should get an award for sweet.

march madness

2009-04-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

joe and i participated in march of dimes walk for babies this morning. we were up and at 'em with breakfast in our bellies by 8am - quite a feat for a saturday morning. we met up with some of the mba students by 8:30 and at 9am we were on a 2.5 mile walk around the utk campus. the weather was great and there was quite a crowd. the nawmba group raised $665 and overall the knoxville walkers collected about $116,000. thanks to everyone who supported this cause. special hugs for those who sponsored joe and me.
if you are interested in seeing more: amanda's march page

every young zombie girls rite of passage

2008-10-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

last night, world grotto hosted zombie prom. joe was engaged at a party at his employers house so i went to the dance without a date. i was very nervous that no one else would dress up and i would be the only one there in ripped formal wear and silly makeup.

however, when i arrived i was pleasantly surprised to see many people out-zombied me. as you can see they were very frightening while i was the new young zombie on the scene trying my best to look nice for my big night. undead, tattered and trimmed in grave dirt, twigs and leaves, i was still underdressed. the grotto had a cute little backdrop for prom photos and i had to get a shot with these crazy ladies:

several of us got together and did a zombie walk - it was more of a shuffle with groans and calls for brains really - through downtown. the cocktails were irresistible, the music was good and it was a lot of fun. the evening got me even more amped up for halloween.

props to everyone who came all decked out in taffeta and gore!

le soir de francais est le jeudi

2008-07-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

note: pardon inauthenticities and errors - we are just trying to have some fun here. do feel free to make corrections and suggestions for experiencing the culture and language.

ben and i are both interested in learning french. having taken 2 years of french and having spent manymanymany hours obsessing over translations, i should be ahead of the game or at least prepared. alas, i find myself right back at the beginning, attempting to pronounce the unpronounceable. unfortunately, my southern accent is more apparent in french than in english.

french night sounded like a good way to lazily attack the endeavor. we could watch a movie (if you turn the volume up you can quietly repeat the pronunciation of words you pick up without disturbing your fellow moviegoers), share delicious snacks and hang out with friends in a different setting. this installment, it ended up being joe and ben and sonja and i over at bens fabulous apartment. a great group - some of my favorites.

we picked up "a very long engagement" for the entertainment portion of the evening. how can you not be a tautou and jeunet fan? the movie was endearing in his amelie way although maybe not as ideal for repeated watching. there is a big overlap in actors between the two films and its good to see them in such different roles. although we should move in a different direction next meeting, i have had a few of his other films on my must-see list for a while. so i am sure i will come back around to jeunet (and tautou as well). the film was sweet and sad and beautiful as all great things are. the mystery was charming in its unraveling and the perspective switches were a great storytelling mode. my only problem with subtitles is that you occasionally miss the details that really need your eye roving all over the screen. if only i knew french, i could have enjoyed the movie even more.

i baked a sliced pear drizzled with local honey and a little cracked pepper, a box of camembert, and a baguette. the food was perfect. it took hardly any time to prepare and the fruit and cheese cooked up into wonderful textures. we took the suggestion of a fellow at downtown wine and tried the trimbach gewurztraminer. despite the very german name, it hails from alsace (the region traded hands between germany and france and the area has spoken primarily german for much of its history). the wine was a dryish spiced nectar, a little more syrupy than i would have liked but very appropriate to the summer evening with its delicious fruitiness. we might try it again with some hotter food.

it was a great night and we are hoping to meet again next thursday for dinner and another movie.

i need suggestions for foods, wines, and movies for our upcoming evenings.