American Style

"Baseball, Mom, and apple pie."

Obviously, there's more to America than this. We find ourselves in an ever increasingly diverse country. More and more citizens are non-European. More and more are not Christian. More and more are not comfortable being blue or red.

I'll leave the politics and religion alone as I wish we'd all adopt a more "live and let live" philosophy. People should keep their faith to themselves. Politics should be fair and be about helping everyone. Yes, I have pie-in-the-sky dreams; let's call them apple pie-in-the-sky dreams.

But when it comes to style, many Americans adopt a similar look: Traditional. Preppy. Classic.

This is not about snobbery or anything Ivy League. It's more about working hard and enjoying life. It's about being practical not pushy. It's about bucking trends and buying and wearing things that are made to last. Some will say that bucking trends is trendy, but that's usually stated by those that have a closet and home full of things that they wish they'd never purchased.

Katharine Hepburn was the queen of this. She was practical and hardworking and classic beyond words. She often bought her clothes at hardware stores and thrift shops. Her home was full of found-objects and comforting collections. Her wardrobe wasn't all thrift but it was practical. Formal wear was black and went with about everything else in her closet.

My college buddy Matt M. embodies this style. His wardrobe is timeless as are his tastes in food, decor, and music. He doesn't follow trends but rather honors history and the sturdiness of well-made objects and attire. Matt always looks good even when he's schlepping around town running errands. He rides a bicycle and not a scooter. He's about value over vanity. I admire that.

American style is not about being "in." It's about being comfortable and being able to switch from work to play in an easy manner.

That's at least one thing many Americans can agree with while people fight over being red or blue. As for me, I don't care for solid reds or blues. Give me tartan, a Cubs game, apple pie, memories of mom and let me be. I'll grant you the same courtesy. With style, of course.

Winter

Winter is far too often ostracized for its cold and ice. I love it. I prefer the crisp cold air over summer's heat. The long nights and glittering snow do much for my spirit whereas the humidity of summer and its heat shut down my senses.

In the summer, I like to close myself off in my studio, shut the blinds, and turn down the air conditioning. Working on art in a dark chilly room thrills me and it brings me closer to the winter I love.

Winter is not for everyone. I know this all too well with the complaints I hear during these cold months. I ignore them.

I long to go sledding and wear layers of cotton and wool. I enjoy cocoa sitting by a fire. The moon light making the snow glitter and sparkle leaves me in awe. I believe there's magic in that moonlit snow. I feel it in my bones and soul.

Winter is my friend and my counsel. It clears my thoughts and sharpens my instincts. I'm in love with it.

Simple

I'm a simple man. That's something else I'm embracing about myself.

Stories with too many characters and plot lines confuse me. I don't like puzzles. Math escapes me. Languages are lost on me. Other than plaid or tartan I like things to be in solid colors. Too many spices in a recipe make me ill. I don't walk through the fragrance section of department stories. I do art one piece at a time. When something is ready to rest and dry, I rest before I move to the next board or canvas. Multitasking is beyond my comprehension. My senses weren't made for bombardment.

I've always been this way. I want to be focused on one thing at a time. Distractions often throw me off course in remarkably bad ways.

The current age of humankind shuns the simple. It requires multitasking, distraction, gadgetry, complexity...

I'm simple.

And that's okay.

The New Year

2011 has arrived with a renewed sense of self and my place in this world.

I've spent far too many years being something I'm not. I'm not one to wear black, smoke, or wax on about poetry or indie films. I don't care for roller derby, or raves, or wearing matching t-shirts for any reason. I don't get "hip." It's not that I'm too old, it's just that these things aren't me.

I want to wear boots from L.L. Bean and plaid shirts. Eating pizza brings me happiness and as much as I want to be more fit, I'm not going to eat celery all day and starve. I want to hear Christmas carols sung by Bing Crosby not the latest pop group that will be forgotten in a few months. I'm tartan not mod. I'm burgers over fillet. I'm primary colors over neon.

Making art brings me joy at every level. Making MY art; not what others want to see. Trends in arts are not for me. I'll create what I like and you should do the same.

This life is short. I want to fill my days with people and things that I deem to be uplifting and full of quality. As the saying goes, "Quality not quantity." I've looked into the past and have seen things I don't like. No regrets, per se, but too much time spent with people that don't feed me on an emotional or spiritual level. As others have told me, I'm an emotional sponge. My "sponge" has absorbed too many bad emotional habits and I'm ready to break free. Bad habits are for teenagers and I need and want to embrace being a man.

Saying I want to be a man has so many connotations. I fought for too long not to be "manly." I shaved my chest and dressed too young for my age. That was a mistake. I like my bald head and my hairy chest. I love the fact I can hang out at bars or in a bookstore any time I want. I'm thrilled that my voice gets deeper the older I get. I'm even okay with a few extra pounds when I used to hate feeling fat. I enjoy the fact that I can be anything as a man: masculine or feminine. Rough or soft. Playful or serious.

I like me. Maybe I like being me for the first time in my life.

Happy New Year, indeed.

Christmas Pudding

After years and years of putting it off, I finally made Christmas Pudding.

I used the recipe from Malcolm Hillier's Christmas, which was published in 1992.

 His recipe isn't as complicated as most, and he uses butter instead of suet. I replaced the candied fruits with dried cranberries and kept the golden raisins. After steaming the pudding for 3 1/2 hours, I removed the pudding and allowed it to cool. As soon as the pudding was cool to the touch, I doused it in brandy, wrapped it, and stored it in a cool dark place.

The pudding can rest this way for months as long as it gets occasional baths in brandy. This particular pudding will be eaten on Christmas Eve with joy and lots of hard sauce while sitting close to a roaring fire.

The Holidays

Celebrate what you will, but my celebrations surround elements of Christmas and Yule. Give me Dickens over myths, and Santa over Saints.

I collect Father Christmas, ornaments shaped like stars and snow flakes, and all kinds of sleigh bells. I crave fruit cake and rum, roasted root vegetables and goat cheese, chocolate, spice, and apples.

Things that are old and brassy appeal to me. I don't enjoy the modern decorations that want to make this festive season into a design contest for the Winter Olympics with stylized trees and snow flakes. Give me old and gaudy over new and plastic in all things.

I like late winter nights looking at the lights reflecting off snow, buildings, and ponds. White string lights should be up all winter, not just between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

My decorations for this season are often left up late into January. I don't understand those who literally rip everything down the morning of the 26th and act like the season never happened. I also don't understand those that drift from mall to mall and sale to to sale. Give me a gift that will last over something cheaply made and bought at 4:00 am.

Call me "trad" or old fashioned; I don't care. I know what I like in my holiday celebrations and respect your celebrations in all their forms.

Enjoy the season.

On having plans and planning to read.

We fall into things when we don't have a good plan. I'm very bad about this. I can't fully blame my mental issues because I've never had the goals that I see others have. In high school, I heard so many talk about wanting to teach or go into medicine. I just wanted to read more books. I knew college was what I wanted, but I didn't have a clue about majors and minors and grad school and this and that. I just wanted to read more books.
After a failed attempt at college, I came home and worked in a library. I got to read more books.

In 1994 I went back to college and declared an English major so I could read more books and graduate with something other than a degree in liberal arts. I still didn't have a plan.

I worked in libraries three more times after college. I got to read more books.

The last library job ended on a sour note. The management changed and things became tense. I worried and stressed and lost sleep. I left that job as soon as I could. I went to work for a corporation. It wasn't a dream job, but the pay was a little better and my weekends were free again. I could have a social life and read more books.

Management changed two years ago. I knew things were going to be difficult when I was called on the morning of Christmas Eve to answer a question about work. Mind you, I had my gallbladder removed the day before and had someone staying with me to make sure I didn't have any complications, pain, or bleeding. The manager on the phone never asked about my health or the holidays. I knew I should have started job-hunting then, but I didn't have a plan.

Things happened that kept me in place: my mother's illness and death, the need for my benefits to continue, and excuse after excuse for staying and thinking it will get better. Sometimes things don't get better. I don't read like I used to. Stress has eaten away at me.

Now there is a plan. I'm learning to cope. I fall a lot and there are no training wheels unless you count therapy. I need to finally learn how to deal with difficult situations and difficult, even cruel, people.

This lesson will only make me stronger and make the move to Chicago easier. As for Chicago, I'm planning on reading more books.