Day 91 - August 13, 2010 - Chopin

“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” -Frederick Chopin

Charles Schultz is amazing. I love reading peanuts comics because, really, Schultz and I think a lot alike. He's so interested in the complexities of childhood, yet he recognizes the simplicity of it as well. There's so much to learn when you are young. So many things you have yet to experience.

This particular comic strip reminded me of the first time I heard Chopin... and the first time that I began to appreciate classical music. They are two distinct events, yet they are related. When I was small, I didn't really understand classical music. I thought it all sounded similar. I had no idea!

Chopin is entirely different from Mozart. Mozart is different from Beethoven. Beethoven is different from Bach. Each one wrote from the soul. Chopin, for example, created short, specific, and beautiful scenes. He painted pictures with his music. When I saw this comic, it make me happy to know that Charles Schultz felt the same way about Chopin. You just have to hear the music; take it in. Just let the music paint a picture in my mind.

Day 90 - August 12, 2010 - Black and White

“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” - Alfred Hitchcock

It has been great having my aunt around recently. It has been so long since I've been able to hang out with her. I forgot how many things we have in common. One commonality we share is the love of black and white movies. We're both pretty much convinced that they just don't make movies like they used to and that men in old movies are much more handsome than current actors.

We watched a movie about Madame Curie the other night, and I've got to say, it was a GREAT movie. It was nice to share the experience with someone who is equally appreciative of old films.

Day 89 - August 11, 2010 - Monster Squash!

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." ~Og Mandino

My mother has decided to become a farmer this summer. Farmer Gail, my aunt has affectionately dubbed her. She's completely redone the backyard and added a small planter box where she has begun to grow vegetables. Squash has always been a staple veggie in my household. When I was little, my grandma would cook summer squash with onions, garlic, and olive oil. I have yet to taste a better squash recipe. My mother makes it too. Delicious.

Currently, we have about 6 giant squash plants taking over the wall. There's a tomato plant buried somewhere in the back. We've been trying to create space for it, but the squash is simply enormous! While my parents are away on their cruise, my aunt and I are responsible for caring for the monster plants. We found this lovely veggie after about 5 days of not harvesting (I know... we are BAD). We've dubbed it the "State Fair Winner" and we're probably just going to let it keep growing.

Good times.

Day 88 - August 10, 2010 - A Cuppa Tea

Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. ~Henry Fielding

There's nothing better than a hot cup of green tea mixed with a little honey and lemon. Fantastic! It is particularly wonderful when your nose is completely filled up and your throat is sore!

Tea seems to be something that everyone around the world enjoys. I've been to a few places and all of them have different flavors and kinds of tea. From England to South Africa, everyone seems to like tea. So, what's the big deal, huh? It's hot leaf juice (as one of my friends told me). The big deal for me is the subtlety. Each kind of tea is a little bit different, and you really have to savor the drink to taste the variation.

Life is kind of like that too sometimes. Days can seem mundane, but if you give it a little time and thought, you can see the variations. Every day is different after all.

I think I'll go make myself some more tea!