Lessons in Building a Website

I liked this piece in the Guardian on why we should all registar a domain name.

GoDaddy felt like a rip off and I appreciated this Lifehacker list of the five best domain registrars. The site also has reader poll generated lists for best web hosting and other fun things.

The Journey Continues

About a month ago I relaunched my quest to get diagnosed with Lyme disease. I finally found a PCP who listened to me, after years of being ignored, and this morning I embark on part two of my journey: specialists.

I've come back to the blog both to process my own experience and to help others learn a little more about this controversial and complicated disease. I will post more as time goes on but I wanted to start by sharing this comprehensive article by the president of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS). There's some medical language to parse through but it's still very useful and includes a symptom list that I found both haunting and magical. I was surprised to learn that some of the things I've been experiencing for years can be attributed to Lyme.

http://www.lymenet.org/BurrGuide200810.pdf

GF Chocolate Banana Cookies

I just made this gluten free cookie recipe. I used almond meal, quinoa flour and added banana slices. They are a little crumbly but holy crap they're delicious.  Originally posted here on Cookieandkate.com. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup almond flour or almond meal, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup coconut flour, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• dash cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup (preferably grade B) or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, or 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter (or coconut oil), maple syrup (or honey) and vanilla extract, and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate.
3. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes so the coconut flour can absorb some of the excess moisture (or let the dough chill in the fridge for 10 minutes if you want fat cookies, like those shown here). Scoop dough, one tablespoon at a time, in mounds onto the baking sheet, leaving a couple inches around each cookie.
4. Bake for about 11 minutes, until golden brown.

Shake it 'til you make it

It's been almost five weeks since I left my day job but today was the first day I felt able to relish my new freedom. The chilly but sunny bike ride from Southie to Jamaica Plain after yoga this morning was simply delightful. I forgot that one of my favorite things about not having a real job is the opportunity to enjoy the city in the weird hours when most folks are at work. The streets and sidewalks are clear, save for the dog walkers and delivery folks. It's dreamy.

Life in general is treating me well. If it wasn't for lingering illness and drama amongst some of my favorite people, I would be stupendous. Since finishing yoga teacher training, I know now that I can separate that crap from who I really am and dance like the happy hipsters in this video, and that is an especially liberating feeling.



I've never thought of myself as a dancer. I took ballet as a child, probably for less than six months. Actually, I think I stopped because I wasn't allowed to wear a tutu during practice and I thought that was bullshit. Why else would one do ballet? Later in life, my friend Suzanna told me something like, "I love that you have absolutely no rhythm but you dance anyway. It's great." I decided to embrace my role as the goof ball dancer. At some point in teacher training this past month, my yoga teacher decided I was a dancer. I looked at him cockeyed and confused. Me? A dancer? Are you sure? I was even more surprised when some classmates told me they were impressed with my moves and urged me to include dance in my sequencing.

Perhaps it's three years of Afro Flow Yoga or the endless string of kitchen dance parties at 34 Robeson, but it seems I'm not JUST a goof ball booty shaker anymore. I'm going to run with that as long as I can.  Pretty or not, it makes me feel alive and helps me forget all the bullshit in my body and my struggles to change the world.

As David Longstreth says, "There is an answer. I haven't found it but I will keep dancing until I do." 

Banging Little Soup

When I Googled "soup" this picture of Obama and Al Sharpton sharing soul food appeared. 

I found myself home sick yesterday without anyone to bring me chicken noodle soup. Also, I've been trying not to eat meat and I'm gluten free. Using what I had in the house, I was able to whip up this tasty little ditty and wanted to share.

What you need:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- red pepper flakes
- yellow curry
- handful spinach
- handful kale
- vegetable stock
- water
- olive oil

Gettin' 'er done:
Heat up some olive oil with the red pepper flakes and curry. Once it smells good, add the onions and garlic. When those get squishy, add a few cups of vegetable stock (depends on how much soup you want). Bring that to a boil, let it boil for a few minutes, then add the greens and beans, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Once you let it cool a bit, use a hand blender, regular blender or food processer to smooth it out. Good stuff and seems to be even tastier the next day.

Fave Albums of 2012

Dirty Money by Antibalas
Since we can't see Fela Kuti anymore, Antibalas is the next best thing. Their live show in Boston was unbelievable and the album is a dance-your-pants- off explosion that belongs in the Afrobeat Hall of Fame.

Bloom by Beach House
It's no Teen Dream but still delicious and addicting.

Fear Fun by Father John Misty
I just love this album. I think J Tillman should have gone solo a long time ago. I'll take his sound over Fleet Foxes any day.

O' Be Joyful by Shovels and Rope
This is a Southern folksy masterpiece. Every song is a gem. I'm partial to "Birmingham" because it mentions one of the best dive bars in Nashville, and the BQE, which I walked over at least twice a day when I lived in Brooklyn and always dreamed of writing songs about.

Mutt by Cory Branan
Even though I've seen Cory more than any other artist, I generally don't listen to his albums. They feel too shiny. Too produced compared to his gritty spare live performances. Mutt on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air, illuminating his stellar songwriting rather than distracting from it. As a long time fan, this was a big "fucking finally" moment. And, the album includes "Yesterday," a song I've been waiting for years to have on record so I could listen/sing to it over and over again.

Swing Lo Magellan by the Dirty Projectors
People like to hate on the DPs but you have to give them credit for being innovative and creating new sounds in an age when most music is recycled. They do pretty crazy stuff and it works, especially in "About to Die." That said, a couple of the songs on the album sound like Dylan rip offs. I like them anyway.

The Idler Wheel... by Fiona Apple
Wow. This one left me speechless at first. Then I told everyone I talked to to listen to it. Accompanied by just her piano and some percussion, Fiona really lets her voice go wild on this. I love how raw it is and how honest she seems to be with herself and audience alike.

Other fun things that got a lot of play at Robeson Labs:
- Beastie Boys (RIP A Rock)
- Mary J. Blige Pandora
- YACHT Pandora
- Donna Summer
- Kermit Ruffins' "It's later than you think."
- Fela's "Opposite People"
- Odissee
- The Secret Spot, Sunday nights on WERS
- Touch FM, "The fabric of the black community"

Happy New Year to all!

And a happy new year.

I’m pretty sure 2012 has been my best year yet. Maybe it was my magic birthday last December, turning 27 on the 27th, or rediscovering my passion for grassroots organizing and training, or being single, or the fact that I wasn’t in pain for most of the year. I live with a chronic pain condition and for reasons I haven’t yet put my finger on, this was my best year healthwise since I was 20, even accounting for a significant flare up this fall. This year was able to travel, exercise, work, play and, most importantly PARTY, like I hadn’t in years. It was marvelous and, like cheese, it made everything so much better. Here are some of my favorite moments from the 12 months of 2012:

My roommate Veronica and I rang in the new year elbow to elbow in a packed yoga class in South Boston. The city fireworks started above our heads just as we said “namaste.” Later in JANUARY, my friends threw me a surprise soul-themed birthday brunch. I was told only to go away for awhile and come back to the house with Amy Winehouse hair. I did as I was told and it was an absolute blast.

FEBRUARY took Veronica and me to Belize to visit our friend and former roommate, who runs a socially and environmentally conscious cacao exporting operation called Maya Mountain Cacao. I’m pretty sure Southern Belize is my soul place. I felt like I was in an alternate universe. Later in the month, we saw soul singer Charles Bradley, a.k.a. The Screaming Eagle of Soul. It was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life (and I saw James Brown twice).

MARCH was sort of a throwaway month but we listened to the Charles Bradley album every single day, so that made it okay.

In APRIL I got to attend my first gay wedding. My cousin Fred married his longtime partner in front of an orange tree in Ojai, California. I saw all my California family, many for the first time in 10 years, one for the first time ever, and I danced my face off. April also brought the first of five volunteer trainings I led for the Boston Cyclists Union this summer, where I taught folks how spread the gospel of safer cycling in Boston.

MAY brought my college roomie Melanie to Boston for an epic Memorial Day party in my backyard. It proved to be the first of six consecutive backyard bashes that started with grilling and ended with boozy late-night hootenannies. I experimented with making cocktails and caipirinhas quickly became the drink of the summer.

JUNE was filled with bike work. I spent as little time as possible at my real job, hired 10 interns for the Union and ran around town with them, fixing bikes and raising money. I got really tan. It was awesome.

I got a concussion on the Fourth of JULY after getting doored by a parked car. I was dizzy for nearly two months and don’t remember too much but I’m sure it was all great. After I got him fixed, I took my bicycle on vacation. We took the ferry to Provincetown then biked to Truro to stay in a hostel right on the shore. The beach was virtually empty for three days. I read the paper in an old baseball cap and a green bikini and felt like a rock star. Or maybe a retired rock star.

Despite a pitiful tomato harvest, AUGUST brought a lot of tasty vegetables into my life. Between the garden in my front yard, a community plot and a CSA, I was swimming in absurdly healthy food. I’ve never eaten so many salads or fresh green beans. Other harvest highlights included butternut squash and several heads of heirloom Siberian garlic. It’s purple!

SEPTEMBER took me back to California, this time to Long Beach. I got a scholarship to attend the Alliance for Biking and Walking Leadership Retreat. It was on the historic Queen Mary cruise ship and I got to meet a butt-ton of amazing bike advocacy leaders from around the country. When I got back to Boston, I channeled all my new knowledge and enthusiasm into the Bike Union’s second annual meeting, where we raised more than three times as much money as in the year before. I was lucky enough to be the person on stage asking for big contributions, auction-style. There’s nothing like raising $12,600 in five minutes.

I ran a conference in mid-OCTOBER for my real job. The prep for it nearly killed me but it turned out to be a phenomenal experience. Seeing high level foreign policy leaders from the U.S. and the Middle East actually talking with each other about how we might address issues like the conflict in Syria gave me a lot of hope for the future of the MENA region. I also dressed as Ann Romney for Halloween.

NOVEMBER: Obama. Warren. Victory. Yes.

DECEMBER has been a month of resetting priorities before the end of the year. I submitted my resignation at my job, not because I hate it but because it feels like it’s time to move on. I signed myself up for a yoga teacher training at my favorite studio, which will start in early February.  I don’t yet know what will come next but I’m trusting it will be awesome.

Especially in case the world ends tomorrow, I want to thank all my amazing friends for helping me have such a productive, hilarious, and FUN year. I really appreciate all of you and the joy you bring into my life on the regs. Thank you so much.

Quote of the Day

Sometimes dealing with my body's challenges feels like trying to achieve peace in the Middle East. I mentioned something about headaches to a colleague today and he sent me this lovely quote:

"The church says: The body is a sin. Science says: The body is a machine. Advertising says: The body is a business. The body says: I am a fiesta."

                                      -Eduardo Galeano, journalist and novelist (b. 1940)

I want my body to be a fiesta.

Live Review: Darlingside in Somerville

Check out page 38. http://performermag.com/current-issue/

How a woman's orgasm can save a man

This is too great not to share. Ladies and gentlemen alike will appreciate it.

The Spanish Inqusition of Bicycle Crashes

This is a nice piece on dooring by Bike Safe Boston.

Song of the Week: Politics in Space

My girl L just introduced me to Kate Miller-Heidke. This song is super neat.

Reflections on being doored

From the Urban Dictionary:
v. to crash into and/or over a driver's side door(of a vehicle) while riding your bike. A painful biking experience where two conflicting world-views collide.

What dooring looks like. It is illegal in Massachusetts to door a cyclist.

It's been exactly two weeks since I crashed into a gentleman's car door on Washington Street, on my way to watch the Fourth of July fireworks at a friend's house. There are a lot of things I should have done the night of and in the days after that I didn't, either because I was in shock or because I was trying to be tough. I learned a lot from the experience about how to be prepared and what to do when something like this happens. So, in case its helpful for other cyclists, here are my four recommendations:

1. Call the cops
The guy who hit me gave me a fake number and at the time of the accident, I didn't think to take a picture of his license plate or anything like that. When in car accidents, folks always call the cops and let them deal with getting all the info. Why not do the same for a bike/car collision? It didn't even cross my mind. 

2. Carry the bicyclists accident report
I give these to people all the time but for some reason I didn't have one in my wallet the night of my accident. The report was created by Josh Zisson, a local lawyer specializing in bike law, who also launched Bike Safe Boston and has been making accident reports for cities across the United States.

3. Go to the doctor, even if you think you're okay, especially if you have health insurance.
I felt pretty banged up after my accident. I was initially dizzy and was in a lot of pain but nothing felt broken and it didn't feel like I'd hit my head. Later that night the dizziness went away so I thought I was fine. I was covered in bruises and it hurt to laugh for nearly five days but that's what happens when you smack pavement, right? Nearly a week after the accident I started feeling dizzy again I started having tiny panic attacks, something I've never experienced before. I went to the doctor Friday and learned that I had a concussion. I have had a couple before, but I didn't realize that you don't have to hit your head to get a concussion, even whiplash can cause head trauma. I also learned that mood swings, irritability and other psychological abnormalities can be symptoms of a concussion.

4. Ask for help
Trying to be tough is stupid and crashes are scary. Don't be afraid to ask friends or loved ones for help and hugs and whatever you need. Crashes are traumatic and I didn't allow myself to process the trauma until just a few days ago. My instinct was to tell myself and everyone around me that I was fine but I suffered as a result and missed out on the moral support and guidance I really needed.

What we really need in Boston is cycletracks, bike travel lanes that are physically separated from traffic. Luckily this is something the Boston Cyclists Union is working on and Boston may see it's first cycletrack before the end of 2012. Maybe someday we'll even get our own bicycle superhighway.

Rad music video

I'm proud to say I know the woman who directed this kick ass video. It's super gay and there are bikes in it. Enjoy.

Fourth of July & Beadazzling Bicycles

I had a surprisingly lovely 4th thanks to some good friends and roomies. We started out with a loose plan to bike to Walden Pond, and ended up going to Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-sea. I got to ride a tandem bicycle for the first time (and watch my housemates master it), we enjoyed some wicked good ice cream, ate all kinds of good food (mozzarella-stuffed burgers and potato salad), and then we got to watch many, many fireworks displays from a balcony in Fort Hill in Roxbury.

Unfortunately, I got doored on my way to watch the fireworks but I didn't break anything and my friends picked me up so it all worked out. I also didn't get run over and the woman driving the car behind me stopped and gave me all her contact info in case I needed a witness. And, the guy who doored me was very sweet and apologetic. In a weird way the experience made me appreciate my neighborhood more. As far as getting all busted up, I'm going to consider it a right of passage, like maybe I'm a real city cyclist now.

Speaking of cycling, here is a cute piece I wanted to share from local bike blog Biking in Heels about meeting the challenge of bringing home a CSA by bicycle.

BEDAZZLE.

Ryan and Aaron brave the tandem at Singing Beach.

V conquers her rapidly melting ice cream.

Living With Lyme

WBUR is running a series on Lyme Disease this week. It's really well done. So well done that it's hard for me to listen to. It brings up all the dark experiences that I've worked so hard to get past. Even so, I'm so pleased that people are talking about the disease, the legal boundaries to treatment, and the other extreme hardship faced by people who suffer from it. It's nice to think that maybe someday soon people like me will actually get treated rather than spending years feeling like they must be crazy.

While listening to the radio series this morning I was particularly struck by the story of Barbara MacLeod. She's local, a former anchor and reporter for New England Cable News. She described a moment when she was on the air, reporting on a storm from Logan Airport and she couldn't remember the word for runway. Hearing that was so affirming for me. While I think I've overcome many if not most of my symptoms, whether their caused by Lyme, Fibromyalgia, XMRV or something else entirely, the brain fog is one I can't seem to get past. I struggle with recalling words almost everyday. While I'd much rather forget words than live in excruciating pain, my recall problem causes some mild emotional trauma. I try not to let it get to me but as a high-strung college-educated East Coaster, I HATE feeling stupid more than most things. I just hope my friends and colleagues will continue to forgive me when I forget words, tasks, and, worst of all, names.

Stuff on Washington Street

Check out this sweet speedometer!

My long lost Yankee cousin?

New sweetness from Delicate Steve

It's summer! Almost!

I've been desperately trying to be more focused at work but since I haven't posted in a month, and I've learned about all kinds of fun stuff recently, I'm going to squeak in a quickie.

First, I'm not that big into watching silly youtube videos but I am happy to have learned about the Chloe Sevigny spoof videos by Drew Droege. Since I'm not a big celebrity stalker, I never noticed how strangely Chloe Sevigny speaks, or just how boring she is when she goes on about fashion. Droege does a brilliant job making me laugh at her expense, just with the way he says "toast." Many thanks to my friend Eric Smith for the introduction.



AND




After a lot of coaxing from people I love, I finally downloaded the Alabama Shakes album. They are responsible for my song of the week, "Heartbreaker." 


The whole album is pretty solid and I sense it'll be in heavy rotation at the Commune this summer.

Speaking of my house, this Saturday's house party will mark the sixth consecutive celebration at our place. Four of the last five have been outdoors so, fingers crossed, this rain will stop again for the weekend.

Something magical is happening on our street, largely due to some super fun new Robeson St. residents gelling with the groundwork my next door neighbor and have been laying for a couple years. It's like we built it and they're finally all coming. We may have finally achieved the perfect congruence of bros, hippies, musicians, master grillers, mixologists and cornhole champions. I love it. It means I don't have to leave my house to have an awesome time. Sweet party in Somerville, you say? That's nice but I think I'll stay here and drink a fresh caipirinha in my hammock, after eating a bangin' burger and dancing my pants off.

Apricot Coconut Energy Bars and Song(s) of the Week

My co-worker just handed me one of these. Delicious, gluten-free and full of Omega 3s!

Apricot Coconut Energy Bars (From Shutterbean.com)

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Line a 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, set aside. Place cashews in a food processor and process until nuts are evenly chopped, set aside. Put dried apricots in the food processor and process for 3-4 minutes to finely chop. Add coconut, oats, agave syrup, coconut oil, hemp seeds, ginger and salt. Process until mixture comes together. Add the chopped cashews and pulse until well combined.

Put the apricot coconut mixture in the parchment lined baking pan and firmly press into pan. Cover the bars and place in a freezer for one hour. Unmold bars, trim ends and cut into even rectangles. Bars will last up to one month if stored in an air tight container in the fridge.

Song of the Week: Two-way tie between "Why Is It So Hard?" by Charles Bradley and "Love in the Dark" by YACHT. Somehow I missed the latter when it came out last year. The (now) duo from Portland, OR has a super-fun sassy electro sound reminiscent of Le Tigre. Enjoy!