Sleep...and more sleep. I spent most of the weekend sleeping.
Highlights:
Gardening on Sunday morning. Lots of weeding in the back yard. Next: I must tackle the balconies.
Two days of spaghetti. Delicious nr.12 with olive oil and green peppers on Saturday. Linguini with seafood in tomato sauce on Sunday.
F went with her friends to see Alice in Wonderland. She was smitten. I love this tale, eventhough it seems absurd to everyone I know, but my eldest daughter. The sequel of the story looks quite up to the standards of absurdity set by the original story.
You know how Greek people are. You don't? OK, let me tell you. We are historically quite few in numbers. We never breeded enough, unlike our eastern neighbours, and that accounts for much of our troubles in History. Also, due to the Odysseus particle living inside of us, we are scattered around the globe, always curious for new lands and new adventures, and always nostalgic of our own little piece of dirt to which we want to come back one day.
We thus feel that, when one Greek succeeds in something, we all share in his victory. That is until jealousy gets the better of us and we begin finding flaws in the lucky bastard. But we are not there yet. For now, let us rejoyce in last night's Oscar Awards, when The Cove directed by Louie Psyhoyos won in the Best Documentary Feature category.
The film, narrates the annual slaughter of dolphins inside Japan's Taiji National Park. According to official estimates by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, atotal of 13,080 cetaceans were killed throughout Japan in 2007, the year many portions of the film were shot, using underwater microphonesand high-definition cameras disguised as rocks, although the numbers are estimated to be closer to 23,000. The migrating dolphins are herded into a hidden cove where they are netted and killed by means of spears and knives over the side of small fishing boats. Quite barbaric by any standards, except perhaps kosher which is less of a hunt, but equally disgusting as the poor victim is left in agony, bleeding to its death. Hopefully the Oscar Awards will make people more sensitive as to what goes on around them.
Louie Psihoyos was born in Dubuque, Iowa in 1957, the son of a Greek immigrant who fled communist occupation of the Peloponnesos region near Sparta after World War II. Psihoyos took an interest in photography at the age of fourteen. He attended the University of Missouri, majoring in photojournalism. In 1980, at the age of twenty-three, he was hired by Natioanl Georgraphic and remained with the magazine for seventeen years. During this time he married his wife, who danced ballet with George Balanchine's NY City Ballet and had two children. Psihoyos received multiple awards for his photography, including first place in the World Press Contest and the Hearst Award. In addition, he has worked with magazines such as Smithsonian, Discover, GEO, and Time.
See the official The Cove website here. Read more about Louie Psyhoyos and view his photography here.
P.S. The name Psyhoyos runs in my maternal grand-mother's family. We also come from the same region. And our ancestors were anti-communists. What are the chances of us being related?
I'd love to see Julie and Julia, mainly because of Meryl Streep that I love. It seems to me that we won't be seeing it in cinemas, although there is a release day of October 15. This is not the kind of film that lasts on the big screen. But then who knows? It will probably come out on DVD for the fall/winter season. We'll see.
Here is what I found out today, though. In the movie's website, there are recipes to be enjoyed now. Oh Joy!
Like this recipe for Chocolate Souffles.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, plus more for ramekins
7 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons warm water
8 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Brush 6 (6-ounce) ramekins with soft butter, then coat with sugar. Put the prepared ramekins in the freezer. (This can be done a day ahead.)
Set an oven rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.
Combine the egg yolks and warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer or large bowl and beat until frothy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue beating until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Very lightly fold the yolks into the chocolate mixture. (Rinse the bowl well, if using for beating the egg whites.)
Remove prepared ramekins from freezer. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer, or large nonreactive bowl, add the lemon juice. Beat on medium until frothy; then gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and increase speed to high. Beat until the whites hold a stiff but not dry peak.
Working quickly, fold about a third of the egg whites into the chocolate to lighten; then fold in remaining whites until blended. Gently ladle or spoon the souffle mixture into the ramekins, and place on a baking sheet. (Level off the surface with a straight edge, scraping any excess mixture back into the bowl.)
Immediately bake until the souffle rises about 1 1/2 inches from the ramekins, and the tops are touched with brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.
Think of what might happen if all computers were to shut down! At times I think it will be olde-time peaceful, relationships truer, life easier. But no, no, nope! Shut the computers down and most of us will go nuts! Me, for example: My computer does not upload the photos from my camera or my mobile. The computer boy is nowhere near. And there is no phone line yet at home. See?
I have spent the past few days opening boxes and trying to figure out where to put what. We deep cleansed our old apartment, sorting out stuff. You don't want to know what I found, but suffice to say I have been hanging on to disposable napkins from the maternity ward, ten plus years ago and nail polish that I used to like ten years ago, and which I meant to ask someone to bring to me from the States.
The outlaws as a friend calls them are arriving TO-MOR-ROW, although they had said they'd come on Thursday. That means they will be staying one more day and we have one day less to get ready for them. AND they are staying till the end of July, no questions asked! Please, PLEASE send good, positive thoughts my way. If you read this long enough you know how intruding these people are. So please, say a prayer for me and cross your fingers that I do not freak out completely ON OUR ANNIVERSARY for sakes!
The highlights since my previous post. One, was having a shower after the clean up at the old apartment. In our new home we have water shortages in undefined hours of the day and/or the night, so we basically rush to the shower whenever we see the taps running. It was great! Ah the small things in life!.. After that we headed to a restaurant for a meal that took ages to arrive. However this had its benefits as they brought F the wrong plate. She had ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce. The waiter pressed the wrong code and there arrived a huge dish with spaghetti and lobster! They did not leave it on the table (silly people), but as preparing her meal would take another 15 min, they suggested they serve her a portion of the lobster dish. Oh well!
The other highlight: We went to see Mamma Mia! You absolutely MUST go and see it! You'll certainly leave the theater with a huge smile, although I did cry when Streep was singing to her about to be married daughter. Time does run fast... Meryl Streep is such a lovely surprise, it was so brave of her to be part of a musical/ movie, and so is the mighty 007, Pierce Brosnan and the rest of the cast. The film is shot on location in Skopelos and Skiathos, two pine covered islands in the Aegean. I haven't been there, but they look fantastic. The Abba songs are fabulous, the Mamma Mia!soundtrack is out and we are dancing to it at home. I loved Streep and Julie Walters, as always. A great feel good movie. You may read reviews here and here. You may also visit the official website and have a look at the trailer below.
, and there is also the book that isnpired the movie,
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soundtrack is out and we are dancing to it at home. I loved Streep and Julie Walters, as always. A great feel good movie. You may read reviews