Nightly Ritual

Every night before going to sleep, I listen to podcasts I've downloaded earlier in the day.

Last night I listened to a podcast from the "New Yorker" magazine, called The Fiction Podcast. This particular episode was a short story entitled "Emergency", written by Denis Johnson, and read by Tobias Wolff. This story was originally published in the "New Yorker" magazine in 1991.

The story starts out in a hospital in 1973. It is about 2 friends that are employees of this hospital, and their adventures after ingesting hallucinogenic drugs stolen from work.

While this story is mildly disturbing in many ways, I absolutely loved it.

Click here to listen to, or download this story. I don't recommend listening to it as a bedtime story though.

After listening to Tobias Wolff read "Emergency", I was feeling a little weird, and decided to listen to some music to kind of help lull me to sleep. I checked out Juana Molina. I liked it, and hope to hear more from her in the future. You can find some of her videos on the side bar to the left of this post.

Recent Reads~ "Kabul In Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan"

Not long ago I read an interesting book written by Ann Jones (author of "Women Who Kill") entitled "Kabul In Winter: Life Without Peace In Afghanistan".

Ann Jones went to Afghanistan "after the bombing stopped" to train Kabul's "ill equipped" English teachers, and writes about her experiences in Kabul and the surrounding area.

This book is her report on the impoverished conditions that much of Kabul endures, the lack of women's rights, and how little US aid actually hits the ground.

Not a quick, easy read, but I found it very enlightening and worth reading.

I highly recommend this book.

Here's a great recipe for Cornbread

CREAMED CORN CORNBREAD

1 c. self-rising corn meal 3 eggs 1 c. sour cream Jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional) 1 c. creamed corn 1/2 c. cooking oil 2 c. grated cheddar cheese Mix meal, eggs, sour cream, creamed corn, and cooking oil. Make one layer with half of the mixture. Now sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese over this layer. If you choose to use the Jalapeno peppers, lay them all over this layer of cheese. I usually put the peppers on half of the pan and leave the other half without for the children. Spread the other half of the meal mixture over the top. Top this with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and set.