insta-novel

so, my sisters laura & ruth and my brother joe and i are going to write a novel in 30 days.  (50, 000 words)  i have no idea what to write about.  anyone got any ideas?

two words

beatles rockband

play day

today i saw ian mckellan, roger reese and a couple other guys in a little play called "waiting for godot."  ever heard of it?  it's kinda a big deal.

did i mention i was in row 6?  that's kinda close.

quote time

i haven't posted quotes in a while, so here you go:

"Nothing is insignificant if it is done out of love" .mariusz hodyr

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice that thorn bushes have roses" .abraham lincoln

"Treat your friends like your best pictures, and place them in the best light" .jennie jerome churchill

"How many cares one looses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone" .coco chanel

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." . jimi hendrix

"The Holy Prophet Mohammed came into this world and taught us: 'That man is a Muslim who never hurts anyone by word or deed, but who works for the benefit and happiness of God's creatures. Belief in God is to love one's fellow men.'" . abdul ghaffar khan

"If we are going to stop wars on this earth, we are going to have to make war on hunger our number one priority." . david w brooks

"All ideologies end up killing people. If you separate love from nonviolence you turn nonviolence into an ideology, a gimmick. Structures that are not inhabited by justice and love have no liberating or reconciling force, and are never sources of life." . jean goss (i really like this quote.  "nonviolence" can be replaced by any number of words: invasion, religion, missionary work, welfare, etc.  if love isn't our foundation, all we believe in becomes a gimick.)

"At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love." . marting luther king jr

"Truth is my God. Nonviolence is my way of realizing Him." .mohandas k gandhi

"One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwine with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other." . "an inspector calls"  (honestly, folks.  go out and read this play.  it's AMAZING!)

have a lovely day folks.

Around the Well

has anyone listened to the new iron & wine album?  i am in love with it.  literally.  whenever i listen to it, i get in this weird romantic mood:  i want to cuddle, hold hands, and be vulnerable. (i have no idea why) i've always that when i felt like this, i would know it was love.

sam beam is a genius.  listening to his work, i even think his beard is attractive.

stupid universe

today, mom and i were suppossed to see "cat on a hot tin roof" with james earl jones, but when we got to the box office to collect our tickets, we realized that the company we ordered them through had made a mistake.  the tickets weren't at the box office. 

stupid universe.

alright, the universe isn't all stupid... the manager at the theater said that the company had been having some problems with the tickets, so she gave us tickets for next week, a row closer.

i forgive you, universe.

politics

i don't really like blogging about politics, because i am generally much more liberal than many of you, my dear readers.  but i am very interested in what you think about the supreme court ruling on unlimited corporation contributions...

any thoughts? 

i disagree with it, but i am curious to see your guy's opinions.... so don't hold back

boo

the universe hates me. seriously, it does.  i just found out that TOAST had a huge sale on 90% off of their older seasons, including these boots.  i got already to order them, but as soon as i got to check out, THEY WERE SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!! seriously.  i was five minutes away from incredible bliss.  stupid universe.

he he

british chav - excuse the language:

Money Can't Buy Me Love

“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.” . benjamin franklin

"Money often costs too much." . ralph waldo emmerson

 

 

yuck

so, my little puppy is sick.  poor guy.  i think he has irritable bowel syndrome.  basically he makes messes a lot and they are smelly and gross... poor me.  but he woke me up this morning -an hour ago- to go outside.  now, i can't get back to bed. 

poor  me.

just some thoughts on love

image from here.  i want this print hanging in my future home.

so, i've been thinking a lot about love.  what is it?  why do people fall in love and how do they know that what they are experiencing is actually love.  is there such thing as soul mates?  or could anyone fall for anyone?  can you be in love more than once?  

i don't think i've ever been in love, so answering these questions is a little hard for me.  it's all speculation.  but, i think i'm a good enough observer to understand a little bit about what love is.


here i go:  (remember, this is all just my opinion and it is in no way fact)

. love is sacrifice.  the more you love a person, the more you are willing to sacrifice for them.  you truly love someone when you are willing to give your entire life for this person.  


. the foundation of love is respect.  you can't love someone without respecting them.  in my opinion that's what separates love from lust.  respect.  when you respect someone you do what's best for them, even if it hurts you.  think of that old cliché, "if you love someone, let them go."  you will always want to do what is best for them.


. people might say that love is everything BUT the physical.  i disagree.  i think that physical chemistry is necessary for people to be in love.  i don't think it's shallow to want to be with someone who you find attractive.  i think looks constantly change.  beautiful people can be really ugly once you get to know them (and if they turn out mean).  plain people can look really pretty.  everyone deserves to be with someone who thinks they are beautiful.


. overall, i think love is something that is mostly experienced.  for those of you who've seen "500 days of summer" will remember the part when summer tells tom that she didn't expect love to come along, she just felt it.  i doubt she sat down and examined herself.  i think she just woke up one day and felt "love." 


. in the jason mraz song, "life is wonderful,"  he says, "it takes no time to fall in love, but it takes years to know what love is."  i totally agree.  love should be a continual learning experience. i don't think any couple, even my parents, have reached the cap of their love.  love grows and grows.  

. i'm just going to finish off this post with some quotes on love. (i just love quotes!)

“love is a chemical reaction in your brain versus the heart. we feel this euphoria… somehow there is a little bit of magic in it, too.”

. "paper heart"

"i need to know that it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever."

. "juno"

"if you aren't good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you'll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren't even giving to yourself."

. barbara de angelis

"all love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand."

.ella wheeler wilcox

"i think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. if we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time."

.calvin and hobbs

"love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear."

. john lennon

that's all.

just some quotes

i thought i'd share with you just some of my favorite quotes:

"we don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night." .inspector goole "an inspector calls"

"he said, if you allow yourself to be enchanted by the beauty to be seen in even ordinary things, then all things prove to be extraordinary." .dean kootz, breathless

"you have done what you could — some blunders and absurdities have crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense" .ralph waldo emerson

this

"people, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone." .audrey hepburn

"he who opens a school door, closes a prison." .victor hugo

"think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." .anne frank

"so many gods, so many creeds, so many paths that wind and wind, while just the art of being kind is all the sad world needs." .ella wheeler wilcox

"you cannot live on hope alone. But without hope, life is not worth living. " .harvey milk

"we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." .oscar wilde

"when you say a situation or a person is impossible, you are slamming the door in God's face." .charles allen

"my creed is that; happiness is the only good. the place to be happy is here. the time to be happy is now. the way to be happy is to make others so." . robert green ingersoll

"being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. it just means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." .unkown

"i did what i did. and mother did what she did. and the rest of you did what you did to her. it's still the same rotten story whether it's been told to a police inspector or to somebody else." -eric, "an inspector calls"

"i have decided to stick with love. hate is too great a burden to bear." .martin luther king jr.

the likes and dislikes of leslie ostler

i'm bored, so i am going to share with you, dear readers, my likes and dislikes, or at least some of them:

LIKES:
. '60 protest folk, oh, and modern folk, oh, and bluegrass folk
. the color grey- i know it's more like a shade, but i like it
. the color navy
. wearing only neutral colors
. not shaving my legs for months (sorry, that's a little gross, but you should still know)
. 19th century art
. autumn
. the east coast
. blue cheeses
. indie music, but the true indie, not the mainstream indie (an oxy-moron i know)
. dogs who snore
. dogs who don't snore
. dogs
. wedding blogs
. true love * *
. life changing novels
. the 20s and 30s (Art Deco)
. funny tv shows
. love *
. quotes (emphasis on quotes)
. baking/cooking (honestly, what's the difference)
. rainy days
. remembering dreams
. silence
. wearing cardigans and sweaters
. photography
. cool gold jewelry
. traveling
. train rides
. packing
. good plays

DISLIKES:
. hate
. war
. ann coulter
. guns
. cutting my fingers
. being overheated (give me the cold any day)
. people who don't realize that we're altogether in this world
. the "acting" skills of kiera knightely and nicolas cage
. rage metal
. admitting i'm wrong- i'll do it, but believe me i won't like it
. being sentimental

that's basically all i can think of.... if you read this, good job.

The Neo-Traditionalist

it might just be my new fashion bible. it makes me smile every day. i love the quotes, and i love the fashion pioneers that it spotlights.

all around, it is just lovely.

Little Updates

1. mom left today for hawaii. boo. london mourns her lost, no joke. it's crying. fine. raining.
2. i'm getting really far along with my scarf. i've made a couple of mistakes (a lot), but i still like it.




3. london has been snowy. (not anymore) but earlier this week.

Two Things

1. i saw the best play today. it's called "an inspector calls." you know ms. marple? she was in it. that's right the adorable woman. seriously though, this play was spectacular! it really emphasized the hypocrisy of 19th Cent., Victorian Britian, but it could easily be applied to today's society. the play was so well done. i just want to talk about it, but i don't want to give anything away, so i won't, but go out and find it and read it. trust me. it's amazing!

2. by my 21 birthday, i'll already be an old maid, just like ophelia.* yes, i've taken up knitting. i feel like an old lady. i started working on this gorgeous scarf, but i had to give it up, because it was too hard, but i've found a much easier pattern and am now doing that. i'm only on the 9th row, so i'm not going to post any pictures, 'cause there isn't much to see, but don't you worry, i will add them as soon as i am further along.

* a special bonus for anyone who can name from what that comes. no cheating. (some one please applaud my grammar!)

World vs. Mr. Rogers

If you dear readers are like me, you grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. I think everyone who watched that program took something. I took away how he had an outdoor sweater and an indoor one, and he always hung them up. My friend Darrik told me that he was influenced by the way Mr. Rogers always put away his shoes. I'm sure you all have similar impressions.
Mr. Rogers was a great man, and he tried so hard to teach us children to love ourselves. He ended each show with a sweet message: "I like you, just the way you are." Below is a video that compares Mr. Rogers to the world. I hope it makes you think.



I wear makeup. 'Tis true. I worry about if people will like the clothes I buy. I worry about if guys will think my eyelashes are long enough. (why would they care? i don't know, but i still worry about it.) The point that I am wanting to get across is that you should like you, no matter what.
Dear Future Children- you will grow up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood [if i can find it on DVD]. x leslie
These are lessons that I want burned into my children's minds.

here's a last video of Mr. Rogers. i dare you NOT to tear up.

Global Warming?

So, apparently it's supposed to be getting warmer.... yet, it's more snowy and icy than it was last year....

the world is so complicated.

at least the snow is quite lovely.









lovely photos from london

Count the Churches: Rome Edition

all photos from my christmas trip to rome 2009.

It's Official

I've officially decided that my favorite Jane Austen stories are "Emma" and "Persuasion."

My least favorite: Mansfield Park
the most overrated: Pride and Prejudice (sorry ladies. maybe it's because there hasn't been an AMAZING version of it that makes me want to watch it 14 times over. i love the Colin Firth one, but I don't like the Lizzie in that version. I love the filming and the music of the newer one, but i didn't like the adaptation or kiera knightly. sorry.)

"Northanger Abbey" and "Sense & Sensibility" are also good ones, but still not my favorites...

that's all.

just another chick flick

confession: i enjoy the stupid, predictable, lusty chick flicks. (maybe lusty is the wrong word. i'm not a scank... but you know what i mean.) this trailer for "leap year" starring amy adams (my girl crush) and the guy from "brideshead revisited" looks really charming and chick-flicky. i know it's cheesy, but using my friend liana's term, it looks "cheestastic."

Yum, Yum in my Tum Tum

yes, i am very mature.
so, another baking extravaganza! yay! both recipes are from the TOAST recipe book that i got for christmas. yum yum. the first is a Turnip, Parsnip and Carrot Mash. it doesn't sound super yummy, but trust me it is. it can also be made into a soup, which i will explain in the recipe. the other is heaven in your mouth: Granola! Seriously, though, it is the best granola i've ever tasted.

TURNIP, PARSNIP, and CARROT MASH: (sorry no pic)
serves 4 to 6
300g (1 oz) carrots peeled and chopped
300g (1 oz) parsnips peeled and chopped
300g (1 oz) turnips peeled and chopped
50g (2 oz) butter
flat leaf parsley for garnish
sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup of milk or single cream
optional seasonings: vegetable or chicken stock; mustard; nutmeg; brown sugar or extra butter

1. cook veggies in a pan of boiling water for 10-12 mins (veggies should be soft).
2. MASH: drain water well and add butter, salt and pepper
SOUP: skip this step
3. put veggies into the blender or mash by hand
SOUP: put the water, veggies and butter into the blender
4. add extra seasonings to taste. serve. garnish and milk and cream

it sounds tricky, but it's really easy, and really yummy. it's also great for leftovers.



GRANOLA:
this made a good amount, but you might want to consider doubling it, because it is so easy to snack on.

60g (2 oz) honey or pure maple syrup
4 dessert spoon (or 2 teaspoon) sunflower oil
2 TB water
60g (2 oz) light brown sugar
220g (8 oz) jumbo oats
110g (4 oz) almonds smashed slightly
60g (2 oz) hazelnuts broken in pieces
60g (2 oz) pumpkin seeds
(add seeds and nuts as you wish)

preheat oven to 235 F or 120 C
1. mix the liquids with the light brown sugar until blended.
2. break up nuts in a pestle or something hard (book, side of a knife blade, etc)
3. mix dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture. stir well.
4. line a shallow baking tray with tin foil. spoon the mixture on, flattening it down until even. bake for 1 hour. after 1/2 hour, take out, mix and around and re-flatten, so all will be evenly cooked. after an hour, remove and let cool.

this is a great snack, topping on yogurt, cereal, or side with fruit. and it stores well.

enjoy!

this is my favorite killers song. i don't really know why. perhaps it's the emotion behind it. i tried to find the article i read this in, but i couldn't. anyways, the article was saying that brandon flowers wrote this song for his mother who suffers from a brain tumor, and probably will die. after i read that, i could really hear the emotion in flower's voice. the clip below is the david letterman performance, and at about 3:30-3:50 you can really hear the emotion and see actual tears in flower's eyes. you think about how many time he has to preform that and how much he has to fight back tears... at least, i do.



another really good version is the abbey road live:


but the music video is pretty good, too:


well, enjoy the listed versions. i get goosebumps everytime i hear this song. that ability to project emotion proves that these guys are talented guys.

happy monday!

Ruins

Colesseum



the Forum







Triumphal Arch of Constantine



Inside the Coleseum

So...

this man is attractive, no?

I, Leslie, Cook

True story. Last night, I cooked halibut breaded with oat. It was delicious, healthy and so easy. I don't really like fish, mostly the smell, but I didn't smell it with this recipe. (Also, I had the stove fan on for the whole thing.)

Here's the recipe if you want to try it at home:

(makes 2)
200 g (7 oz) white fish fillet (cod, haddock, halibut, etc)
1 egg beaten with 1 TB mustard
4 heaped TB oat flakes with 1 TB mixed dried herbs (Herbes de Provence)
1 TB olive oil

.combine egg and mustard in one bowl. blitz oats in blender until they become a powder. combine with herbs in a separate bowl.

.heat oil in frying pan.

.coat fillet in bowl then oats. then fry (each sides for 3 minutes)

.serve with lemon wedges.