Oh, guys: I’m afraid this blog is dead. Now that Goddamn Cobra Collective’s blog is up and running, I’ll be posting a lot of north Brooklyn-related food/arts/theater/film stuff there. And, of course, I’m always babbling about something over at elizabethnolanbrown.com, my main Internet home. I may even begin posting more food-related stuff there as well … [...]

Months ago, Katie mentioned here that we were “starting a commune.” I’d like to amend that statement slightly, based on our now enlightened understanding of vocabulary: we are staring a compound, not a commune. Or have started, rather. [Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall; a [...]

Last week, I successfully sprouted some mixed sprouts for the first time. On my initial try, after a few days, I ended up with a moldy-smelling mess instead of fresh sprouts because I didn’t realize that—unlike when soaking, say, quinoa or beans—you don’t leave the seeds submerged in water. If you’re new to sprouting, or [...]

Last Thursday, after staring at a laptop for 8+ hours, I decided to ease my digitally-overloaded mind by flipping through Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener by Sharon Lovejoy, a recent birthday gift from a friend. It’s the kind of book you can read word for word or opt [...]

I a glutton for the sun, but it dries out my hair. Less moisture means limper curls or waves (my naturally full waves start to take on a a deflated-accordion crimpiness reminiscent of my mom’s hair in the 90s when she was overdue for her next perm). One of the ways I try to combat [...]

After my earlier seed-sprouting mishaps (I forgot which seeds were which and what needed what), I’ve come up with a system this time: If the powers that be were making a prequel book to “Seed Sprouting for Dummies,” the should ask me to write it. The amount of things I’m unsure about that you’d think [...]

Everything I read online about starting seeds had me convinced that only, say, 1 in 35 seeds I planted would actually sprout. For basil, I lined up a whole tray of peat pots (18 total) and sprinkled each one with a couple seeds and … they have all sprouted. I now have 18 pots of [...]

It’s seed-starting time, and I’ve gotten much more ambitious than I was last fall. I am attempting: spinach, two different kinds of arugula, sorrel, rosemary, thyme, lavender, dill, cat grass, chives, mugwort, feverfew and cornflowers! Oh my. The seeds I ordered either don’t come with instructions or the packaging is printed in Italian, so I’ve [...]

I suppose that I would be immediately outed as a witch during the Salem Witch trials of yore. I make secret brew in my house, write lusty plays about circus folk, and find myself enamored of both intentional communities & the magic of Apple computers. Mostly, I am just freakishly tall. Yet, after being stranded [...]

Trade School:  Barter goods, services and knowledge in pop-up LES storefront.  Through Feb. 28.

Our crumbly little railroad apartment is happy this winter. Its tenants lay shoulder to shoulder, grinning ear to ear. For awhile, I could not figure out why. Oh yes! Be a host and fill your space with creative people. Invite warm bodies over and often. The positivity is infectious and the ideas swarm like hungry [...]

Reading Craven Maven’s blog is worse than watching the Home Shopping Network when you’re home sick from work and have just downed too much Nyquil. Craven Maven – aka Saer – writes primarily about food and design, in posts heavy with photos. And I want to own (or eat) everything she posts. Just last week, [...]

We are [sometimes] zealous supporters of exercise. My body is my temple. My church. My ashram. My christian science meeting hall. In cold weather, the thought of traveling to a fitness center seems arduous. And the treadmills. Well, they donʼt seem to go anywhere, do they? I could chase after boys. I could set my alarm [...]

We are nomads. I have moved all over the United States, South America, and the UK. Each place, I have to part with most of the contents of my house. It is pleasant cleaning ritual, albeit a usually embarrassing one. (Glitter Dickies’ jeans?) These items find homes in Salvation armies, Craigslist, or freecycle, but occasionally, [...]