Dancer In The Dark

Dancer In The Dark is absolutely my favorite movie, and is where I got the title for my blog. I have to be in a certain mood to watch it, though. If I haven't mentioned this before, I'm a cryer. There are a few movies that make me cry every time I watch them. This one, however, is different. I spend the last half hour of the movie bawling, sobbing, grieving for this young mother in an impossible situation. Every single time I watch it.



This independent film has an exceptional cast. I'm trying to come up with more to say about this amazing film, but having just watched it (and still pretty teary), I think I'd better just link you to the wikipedia article. The link at the top of this post will take you to the netflix page where you can watch the film online if you have a netflix subscription.

Shel Silverstein

I just got a new Shel Silverstein book in the mail today, so I had to share.



I remember reading a lot of Shel Silverstein's poems in elementary school, but I didn't know who he was until I was in my 20's. At that point, I started collecting his books. They've come to some use when reading to nieces and nephews (and when I'm just having a down day...you can't frown while reading "Backwards Bill"). But lately, my Shel Silverstein books have been gathering a lot of dust.

*whimper* I want kids.

Enough with that. This book was a lot of fun. It reads a lot like a Dr. Suess book. Very cute.

Hazelden

Another post straight from my inbox. This one is just so cool because I've been in a major funk for a few weeks. I haven't been in a depression like this in years. It's one of those deep depressions where I feel like I'm walking in a fog. The good news is, I know this is only temporary. I have a hard time sitting with my "negative" phases, and I have this overwhelming desire to change it. But this time, I think I'm just going to stop resisting...it's ok to struggle sometimes, it's ok to walk in a fog for awhile, it's ok to not be ok all the time. Without further ado:

Today's thought for Hazelden is:

"Depressions are transition times for me," an older fellow stated. "I look at my lows as a preparation period, an inner time to grow and change even though I'm not consciously aware of what's going on inside me. But I didn't always think this way.

"I used to get terrified when I got into one of those low periods. Every time I did, I questioned everything I ever believed in. I doubted myself and my abilities, my opinions and values, my friends and my boss. Nothing escaped my painful questioning. I thought for sure I was going insane. The pain was so unbearable I wanted to drink, work harder, anything, to distract me from my anguish.

"Now when I get low, I take it more in stride. I think of my depression as part of a natural cycle. Just as nature has its fall, winter, and spring, I, too, have a period of shedding old growth for new growth. I just endure my grey days knowing the sun will shine again just as the trees will bloom after winter. As part of the natural world around me, I, too, have my seasons of joy and sorrow."

Today I will remember that my lows are as natural as my highs. I will not become overwhelmed and exaggerate the significance of my depressions. I will endure patiently, knowing that whatever faces me will pass in time.

You are reading from the book:

The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes

You can get these daily reflections here.

Letting Go of Fear

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Fear is at the core of codependency. It can motivate us to control situations or neglect ourselves.

Many of us have been afraid for so long that we don't label our feelings fear. We're used to feeling upset and anxious. It feels normal.

Peace and serenity may be uncomfortable.

At one time, fear may have been appropriate and useful. We may have relied on fear to protect ourselves, much the way soldiers in a war rely on fear to help them survive. But now, in recovery, we're living life differently.

It's time to thank our old fears for helping us survive, then wave good-bye to them. Welcome peace, trust, acceptance, and safety. We don't need that much fear anymore. We can listen to our healthy fears, and let go of the rest.

We can create a feeling of safety for ourselves, now. We are safe, now. We've made a commitment to take care of ourselves. We can trust and love ourselves.

God, help me let go of my need to be afraid. Replace it with a need to be at peace. Help me listen to my healthy fears and relinquish the rest.

Rasputina

I just discovered a new Rasputina song (ok, it's probably far from new, but still), and I thought I'd share it with you all. And maybe one or two others while I'm at it. ;-)





Rasputina's cover of Led Zepplin's Rock and Roll

Biscuits!

So, I came home tonight and decided to do some actual cooking. As in, not the quickie stuff I've been doing lately. I had the opportunity to try the baking mix from this post. At first, I tried the baking mix using whole wheat flour...but it just didn't work out. So, I took the leftover baking mix, and mixed it with a new batch of baking mix that I made with white flour. So, without further ado...

BISCUITS

Spoon 2 cups of the baking mix into a bowl.



Make a well; add 1/2 c. cold milk, all at once. Working quickly, stir vigorously with a fork just until dough follows fork around the bowl - this should take 30-40 seconds. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for another half minute (about 10 folds) to remove stickiness.



Roll or pat dough out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Dip a 2-inch cutter or an inverted glass tumbler in flour; cut dough straight down - no twisting - to form biscuits.

(I decided to be a dork and use a cookie cutter to cut the biscuits...Jason picked a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter.)



For soft biscuits, place dough rounds close together in a shallow, ungreased baking pan; for crusty biscuits, place the rounds 3/4 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Prick biscuit tops with a fork. If you wish, brush tops with milk or melted butter. Bake in an oven preheated to 450F for 10-15 minutes. Makes about 12 biscuits.



Yep, the half white, half wheat flour combo is very yummy.

The Office

I've turned into a complete couch potato this weekend. I rarely watch tv, but I have wanted to do pretty much nothing else the last few days. I've been watching episodes of The Office on the computer, pretty much back to back, the whole weekend. It's been a good weekend.

Liz Murray

I could learn a few lessons from her.

Chair

I don't know if any of you has seen this, but I've been following the "chair" themed posts over at It's Lovely! I'll Take It!

There was a new one today. Let me see if I can track down the whole story line for you. It's pretty hilarious.

Here is the original chair post.

And here is the link to the rest of them.

Here's Chair catching some rays.



I especially like this picture because, at first, I thought it may have been taken at the same place as my title picture. After careful inspection (the deck is different), I've determined it wasn't the same place...but still a very nice, relaxing view.

Beltaine

This is my favorite of the holidays. Directly opposite of Samhain (Halloween), Beltaine is the day when the veil between the world of the faeries and our world is the thinnest. (I'm sure most know that Samhain is when the veil between our world and the world of the dead is the thinnest...but I'll save that for a Samhain post.)

In honor of our tiny guests, I'd like to pay tribute to some of the finest faerie artists of our time. Beginning with two who I have met in person.

Brian Froud



Toby Froud (the son of Brian and Wendy Froud...and the baby Toby from Labyrinth)




Amy Brown




Jessica Galbreth



Tricky Pixie

Tricky Pixie is a music group, and you can have a listen here.

Amira Mudfaery



And NO tribute to faeries is complete without the...

BASTARD FAIRIES!