Archive | August, 2011

Dekapentavgoustos

15 Aug

Today, August 15, is Dekapentavgoustos, the Assumption of Mary or the Dormition of the Theotokos.  Most Protestants don’t celebrate it, but this is the third most important religious holiday, after Easter and Christmas, in Greek Orthodoxy.  It celebrates the day the Panagia — the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus — was bodily taken up to heaven.  According to Greek Orthodox beliefs, Mary died a natural death and her soul was received by Christ when she passed away.  Three days after her bodily death, her body was resurrected and taken up to heaven.

To commemorate this, Greek Orthodox believers fast for the two weeks leading up to August 15.  This is called the Dormition Fast.  The first day of the fast, August 1, is called Procession of the Cross.

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Writing Wednesday: The Shrinks Are Away

10 Aug

If you ever get a chance to take a writing class with Susan Shapiro, do it.  I took a Saturday personal-essay workshop with her last semester, and even though it only met twice I got so much out of it.  Unlike most of my classes, which have focused on the Art and Craft of writing, Shapiro understands that as much as we enjoy writing for writing’s sake, we also want to get published.  She gives helpful tips on how to do so, and even provides editorial contacts for newspapers, magazines, and print publications.  Talk about generous!

The Lighting Up author also puts together a reading series every August called The Shrinks Are Away.  When Susan Shapiro mentioned it to me in an email, I knew it would be too good to miss.

The lineup was impressive: Molly Jong-Fast (The Social Climber’s Handbook), David Goodwillie (American Subversive), Lindsay Harrison (Missing), and poet Harvey Shapiro (The Sights Along the Harbor). This is what serious literature looks like.  It reinvigorated my hope for the current state of literature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all the writers had given a speedy reading, there were a few minutes left for Q&A.  I always love hearing writers talk about their process because their honesty is so encouraging.  I feel like in other industries there’s this unspoken rule of putting on a façade of perfectionism, but writers openly talk about their failed manuscripts, their false starts, their grappling with the industry.  The writers in The Shrinks Are Away reading opened up on how their books came to be.  Harrison revealed that she wrote about her mother’s passing not long after it happened, and that writing was part of the cathartic process.  Goodwillie talked about being part of a generation that doesn’t find its career callings until late 20s or early 30s, and that it was only after trying on a number of jobs—and getting fired from them—that he took writing seriously, renting a maid’s room at the Chelsea Hotel to spend a year working on his manuscript.  Harvey Shapiro, who worked for years and years at the New York Times, confessed that he’s seen that it’s not always the most talented writers who succeed—rather, it’s the ones with the most persistence.

The Shrinks Are Away event took place at McNally Jackson Books, a wonderful bookstore in Soho (52 Prince Street), where the literature section is broken up by country.  For upcoming events at McNally Jackson, click here.  To sign up for a class with Susan Shapiro, click here.

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Clip: Church Hopping LIVE: St. Patrick’s Cathedral

9 Aug

 

Burnside posted the recap of Church Hopping LIVE: St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Thanks so much for all who came out and to those who’ve been following along virtually!!  I hope to come to your city or town one day to view the beautiful churches in your neighborhood and meet you.

Here’s the St. Bart’s recap in case you missed it.

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Sunset at Lagouvardos Beach

8 Aug

 

 

 

I took these photos on my last trip to Greece.  They’re pictures of the sun setting over Lagouvardos Beach in the Peloponnesus.

It’s rare that I catch the sunset in any meaningful way in the States, but watching the sun set into the ocean is the Greek way of life.  A lot of homes are built with large balconies and a lot of tavernas sit ocean-side so watching the sun set is a natural part of everyday Greek life.  We watch the sunset with the same awe that we watch fireworks.  It captivates our attention as it slowly sinks deeper and deeper into the ocean.  We try to guess when the last sliver of it will disappear until morning.  We savor the color-shifting sky, full of wonder.

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Tasty Tuesday: FAGE Greek Yogurt Topped with Fresh Raspberries and Blackberries

2 Aug

What I love about summer is fresh berries!  Raspberries are probably my favorite food.  (Well, along with brownies and coffee ice cream!  And pasta!)

Lately, I’ve been eating a lot of FAGE Greek yogurt with fresh, organic berries for breakfast and a cup of hazelnut coffee.  It tastes so good and makes me feel happy that I’m being healthy.

According to the nutrition benefits page of the FAGE yogurt website:

FAGE Total Strained Greek Yogurt is an extraordinary source of nutrition. Made from an authentic recipe that dates back to 1926 and using 100% natural ingredients, it contains no added sweeteners, thickeners or preservatives and no powdered milk, powdered cream or powdered protein.

Just whole milk, cream and cultures go through our unique straining process to create this blissful, low-calorie taste experience. In fact, approximately 4 pounds of raw milk are needed to make just one pound of FAGE Total Greek Yogurt.

FAGE Greek yogurt is vegetarian and gluten-free.  The 0% and 2% are also diabetic-friendly.

Meanwhile, raspberries are full of all sorts of antioxidant goodness.  Check out what Wikipedia has to say about raspberry health benefits:

The aggregate fruit structure contributes to its nutritional value, as it increases the proportion of dietary fibre, placing it among plant foods with the highest fibre contents known, up to 20% fibre per total weight. Raspberries are a rich source of vitamin C, with 30 mg per serving of 1 cup (about 50% daily value), manganese (about 60% daily value) and dietary fibre (30% daily value). Contents of B vitamins 1-3, folic acid, magnesium, copper and iron are considerable in raspberries.

Raspberries rank near the top of all fruits for antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of ellagic acid (from ellagotannins, see for instance raspberry ellagitannin), quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferol and salicylic acid. Yellow raspberries and others with pale-coloured fruits are lower in anthocyanins.

Due to their rich contents of antioxidant vitamin C and the polyphenols mentioned above, raspberries have an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of about 4900 per 100 grams, including them among the top-ranked ORAC fruits. Cranberries and wild blueberries have around 9000 ORAC units and apples average 2800.

As for blackberries, Wikipedia simply says:

Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid – a B vitamin, and the essential mineral, manganese.

Do you prefer raspberries or blackberries?

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Clip: Church Hopping LIVE: St. Bart’s

1 Aug

 

Check out Burnside for a full recap on Church Hopping LIVE to St. Bart’s.  Part 2 to St. Patrick’s will post later this week so keep your eyes peeled!

And, don’t forget: the next Church Hopping LIVE event is August 20.  Details here.

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