crapstain: blog entry # 2: holy stinking !@#$%

Friday, February 29, 2008

blog entry # 2: holy stinking !@#$%

okay, so my package of various Indian spices arrived and before even picking up the package, i noticed a fetid (which would be зловонный in Russian) stench emanating from it. it smelled like durian. if you have never had the great misfortune of tasting a durian, you absolutely have to, no matter the cost or inconvenience. (thank you, Betsy, for bringing me one back in our raw food days; i will never forget it, no matter how hard i try).

anyway, i open the package and begin pulling out packets of spices: black cumin seeds, nigella seeds, then a jar of tamarind paste (which had some sort of animal hair stuck to the outside), some pomegranate seeds, the mango powder...then, the source of the noxious fumes. it was the asafoetida, which on Wikipedia's website, is also described as: devil's dung, stinking gum, asant, food of the gods, hing, Hilteet, and giant fennel. i vote for "devil's dung." being the brainiac that i am, i lifted the container up to my innocent nostrils and took a fairly large sniff. i nearly fell down (which is what happened when i smelled durian). the smell was so obtrusive that i could actually taste it, and now, an hour and half later, i can still taste it. i can't wait to try it in a recipe.

so who's coming for dinner?

Quotableness

"This above all: to thine own self be true." -Wm. Shakespeare

"Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away." --unknown

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WHOO HOO what a ride!'" - unknown

"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Enneagram

Type Seven in Brief

all info from http://enneagraminstitute.com

Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over- extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.

We have named this personality type The Enthusiast because Sevens are enthusiastic about almost everything that catches their attention. They approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure, like “kids in a candy store” who look at the world in wide-eyed, rapt anticipation of all the good things they are about to experience. They are bold and vivacious, pursuing what they want in life with a cheerful determination. They have a quality best described by the Yiddish word “chutzpah”—a kind of brash “nerviness.”

Although Sevens are in the Thinking Center, this is not immediately apparent because they tend to be extremely practical and engaged in a multitude of projects at any given time. Their thinking is anticipatory: they foresee events and generate ideas “on the fly,” favoring activities that stimulate their minds—which in turn generate more things to do and think about. Sevens are not necessarily intellectual or studious by any standard definition, although they are often intelligent and can be widely read and highly verbal. Their minds move rapidly from one idea to the next, making Sevens gifted at brainstorming and synthesizing information. Sevens are exhilarated by the rush of ideas and by the pleasure of being spontaneous, preferring broad overviews and the excitement of the initial stages of the creative process to probing a single topic in depth.

Sevens are frequently endowed with quick, agile minds, and can be exceptionally fast learners. This is true both of their ability to absorb information (language, facts, and procedures) and their ability to learn new manual skills—they tend to have excellent mind-body coordination, and manual dexterity (typewriting, piano playing, tennis). All of this can combine to make a Seven into the quintessential "Renaissance person."

Ironically, Sevens' wide-ranging curiosity and ability to learn quickly can also create problems for them. Because they are able to pick up many different skills with relative ease, it becomes more difficult for them to decide what to do with themselves. As a result, they also do not always value their abilities as they would if they had to struggle to gain them. When Sevens are more balanced however, their versatility, curiosity, and ability to learn can lead them to extraordinary achievement.

Take the test and find out your number :)