The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie: A Review

Well, I renewed this book with the specific purpose of having it on hand while I wrote this review.  It was due yesterday but I didn't get a chance to return it so it will incur late fines.  This, at least, motivates me to get this review done.  

I honestly wish I could write as in-depth a review as I would like but the life of a mom with two kids dictates otherwise.  Instead of calling this an official book review, I will just write about how I felt about the book.

If you know me, you know I just *loved* Adichie's novel Half of a Yellow Sun.  Now, I have always realized that I am biased in my love for the work because I am Igbo, my father fought in the Biafran War and my mother lived through it.    Her book served as a segue into a discussion with my parents about the war.  For some reason, we really do not talk about their history in Nigeria much.  I sometimes feel as if life started over from scratch for them when they immigrated to the U.S.  Or, more accurately, that life started for them when it started for me--that's how history starved I am.  So Half of a Yellow Sun became a great opportunity to learn about my family's history, the history of Igbo people and the history of Nigeria.  Some of it was painful to hear indeed but some of it was fascinating.  Aside from that, it was just a riveting read.  Adichie, in my opinion, is a gifted writer.  It's an opinion that Chinua Achebe shares as well so that's saying something.

I've also read Purple Hibiscus, her freshman novel, which though not as captivating as Half of a Yellow Sun, was beautifully written and established Adichie as one of my favorite authors.

The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of short stories which is one of my favorite styles of writing: literary instant gratification is right up my alley.  Right off the bat I will say that I think Adichie is more of a novelist than a short story writer but that is not to detract from her.  The stories in this book are very interesting to read and written in her characteristically charming style.  The plots have as protagonists Nigerian men and women--some in Nigeria and some newly immigrated to the U.S. and some who've been living here for ages, some born here.  I mean, the variety of the stories is stunning.  There's no two ways about it:  Adichie is a creative mind and force to be reckoned with.  I was held by every story and thoroughly savored reading each one.  If forced to pick my favorite story, I'd have to go with "Tomorrow is Too Far" which is about a girl who accidentally causes the death of her brother--a brother who was the favorite child, who elicited laughter from their mother in a way she never could, who was pleasing to everyone.  She (and her cousin) carry the truth of her brother's death.  A runner-up would be "The Shivering" where we catch a glimpse of something very taboo in Nigerian society: homosexuality.  This theme also comes up in "On Monday Last Week".  I was excited to see the topic being handled although since these are short stories, the topic was just broached.  "Ghosts" was also a really interesting read. 

I discovered that two of the other stories in the book I had read before in the New Yorker  Magazine  (and re-read again while reading the book).  The first is "The Headstrong Historian" and the other one is "Cell One".  These were enjoyable as well (worth re-reading) but not the best stories in the book, in my opinion.

Long and short, The Thing Around Your Neck was a fantastic read and highly recommended. 

Whipped Deodorant Butter

I've been using my homemade deodorant butter for over a year now and I love it.  Usually to make it I melt down the shea butter and mix in the other ingredients then let it harden in the fridge.  This works okay but usually the ingredients are not evenly distributed throughout the butter and it's hard.  The last time I made it, I decided that I would use a different method:  my stand mixer.  I got the idea when I was researching curly hair pudding.  [I (briefly--very briefly) thought about growing out my hair. ] So to make the stuff (and I was quadrupling the recipe), I dumped in softened shea butter and started the mixer up (using the whisk attachment).  I then added in all the rest of the ingredients one by one--just as if I were making frosting for a cake.  I let the machine run on high for about 5 minutes and the result was the fluffiest deodorant butter ever.  Everything was evenly distributed and it was light as air.  The clean up was a little intense and required lots of soap and hot water but the product was well worth it.

I wish I had a good picture to show you but I don't.  But here's a site that shows exactly what it looked like.  I'm so pleased with stuff!!

No Exercise Today

The boys have been sick with a cough and runny nose/sneezing and I kind of knew it was only a matter of time before I came down with it. I went to sleep last night feeling a little bit funny in my chest but thought I might be okay this morning. I really wanted to get a strong start to my workout week since last week I was kind of slacking (due to the start of my moon cycle). I popped in Jillian Michael's Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism even though I was coughing quite a lot this morning and I had that feeling in my chest (like something was stuck). My breathing was (and is) wheezy too but I thought working out would maybe help to break stuff up. I was mistaken. I could hardly breathe while trying to do the workout and I kept having flashbacks of my recent bout with bronchitis. I pushed for a bit . . . but only made it through one and a half circuits before I called it a day and sat my behind down.

Okay, I admit that my chest really does hurt because of the cough and this tight sports bra is not helping in the least and maybe I should have never even started to workout today. (((Sigh))) So much for my plan to kick it into high gear. I'm disappointed and wondering what this means for the rest of the week.

I really do prefer head colds.

P.S.  Turns out that using all but 10 of my 35 weekly Weight Watchers points and not consistently exercising last week translates into three pounds of weight gain.  Great. 

I-Cord

An i-cord, which is basically a knitted tube with a tiny diameter, can have all kinds of uses. Mainly, I use i-cords as drawstrings. I've always really disliked making i-cords because I've always had to do them using my 8" double pointed needles. Working on only 3 or 4 stitches on a 8" needle is quite awkward. As such, I avoid making i-cords and generally crochet a string. As a person who has no qualms about mixing knitting and crochet, this has always been a fine solution.

I'd heard, though, about French knitting (or spool knitting) a while back and never really looked into it. But when I (finally) visited the new Michael's that opened up five minutes from my house, I decided to pick one up. It took a little while to get the hang of it but once I figured out what was going on, the work flew! Whereas i-cords used to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r., I was able to churn out one of considerable length in 20 minutes. Not bad at all. Another nice thing I learned while figuring out how to use it is that that there are all kinds of neat projects made using I-cords. Just google French Knitting! It's amazing.

The added bonus is that it's kid-friendly so as Z1 gets a little bit older, I can probably teach him to use it.

Photo Credits:
"iPod cozy prototype I-cord" by lasuprema on Flickr.com
"Handcrafted oak leaf with acorn knitting spool" on Grizzly Mountain Arts

Hysteria

I know I'm not the only one that gets a little annoyed at all the hysteria surrounding impending snowstorms. The news gets everybody so incredibly hyped up--as if we all just moved here from Nigeria yesterday. It's the northeast, folks. We get snow! It's pretty much a guarantee. It may snow a lot. It may snow a little. Either way, we could keep it moving, pretty safely and smoothly at that, if these news people would just stop playing on peoples fears and emotions. If it's an issue of preparation, we live in the northeast. One of our hazards is blizzards. Snow should not be a surprise. As such, everyone should have some kind of preparation for a blizzard in the event that our movement is severely impeded. Enough food to keep you for a few days, at the very least. I mean, be prepared so you don't have to scramble around getting prepared. That's stressful. That causes hysteria. And it's never a good look.

Personally, I'm done with the snow and hope this is the last major snowstorm for the season. It's a great day for lots of tea and hot chocolate and some wonderfully warm baked something.

Photo Credit: "Mendon Ponds in a Blizzard" by Dalboz17 on Flickr.com

A helpful discovery

Actually, something the hubby discovered: Manuka Oil. After reading everything we could on it, we ordered a small bottle on Amazon.

While the hubby doesn't see how it's any better than tea tree oil, I have to say, it is great. I've been using tea tree oil to take care of my scalp especially when I have flare ups (which I think are caused by some kind of bacteria or fungus. and yes, it helps. But manuka oil? Manuka oil takes the cake! It really helps-- tremendously--and very quickly. I think if I continue to use manuka oil, I can cut down on the number of times I have to wash my hair weekly, which is great in this cold weather.

I just had to blog about when I realized that it also helps my skin recover quickly from pre-period acne breakouts. It's not too harsh (at least it doesn't feel so) and is very effective (more so than the benzoyl peroxide I tried and, as a wonderful plus, more natural).

Photo Credit

Cranberry Walnut Waffles

I found this recipe I posted eons ago on VegWeb

Cranberry Walnut Waffles

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

l cup unbleached white or whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 cup organic sugar or 1/3 cup sucanat
1 cup soy or rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer powder
1 tablespoon lukewarm water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup sugar-free applesauce
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: flour, baking powder, vegan sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Mix well. In a different bowl, combine the egg replacer with water and beat until frothy. Add the oil and continue to beat. Next add the vanilla and applesauce. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold in the cranberries and the walnuts. Batter should be thick but not too thick, i.e. mixing should be rather easy by hand.

Spray waffle iron with oil (Spectrum Natural makes a good cooking spray). Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the waffle iron and let cook for about 8-10 mins. each or a little past the light on the waffle iron goes off.

Can be made into pancakes by adding a little more milk.

Note: precise measurement ensures that the waffles come out perfectly.

Serves: 5 belgian waffles

Preparation time: 30 mins

These are simply delicious and I'm a little bummed that my waffle iron is not working all that well lately. They are so good they could be use for desserts or eaten for breakfast without syrup.

Photo Courtesy of digiyesica on Flickr.com

Getting Rid of Baby Stuff

I thought it would be psychologically healthy for me to start to clear out the baby stuff and the stuff that Z2 outgrows. In the next few weeks, the decision to keep Z2 as our youngest will be final and I thought getting rid of stuff would help me to close that door mentally .

So today, my Moby Wrap sold. It took a little while but the money's been sent and it's packaged up and ready to go. That wrap holds so many memories and I'm sad to see it go. Sad that it won't hold any other children. But I'm going to have to be okay with the it.

I've freecycled a lot of baby stuff but I still have a lot more stuff around here. I think it will all really sink in then when I sell off my newborn/infant diaper stash.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/toyskids-stuff/

Brown Skin

If only my skin looked as good as the woman in this picture that popped up when I googled "acne prone skin"! {{{chuckles}}}

I always attributed my acne to the fact that I had oily skin. Supposedly, it was the oil clogging up my pores and causing the pimples and cysts. But after having two children, my skin is completely different. It's pretty dry and often kind of dull. The complete opposite of what it once was. And yet, I still have acne!

I usually have a clear complexion until the time I ovulate or a few days before the start of a new moon cycle. This month's bout of acne is quite severe--more severe than it's been in a while. I'm trying my hardest to leave my skin alone but I'm pretty sure that there will be a lot of bad scarring once this is over. I even bought acne medication (a cream with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide) to try to improve things more quickly but it doesn't seem to be doing much.

So I'm not quite sure what to do. I've been cleansing with knock-off Noxzema and following up with a mix of shea butter and jojoba oil. I can't say it's working like a charm but it's all right. And cheap. I picked up a book at the library called Brown Skin by Dr. Susan Taylor and I'm hoping that it may shed some light on what I'm doing wrong and maybe how to do it right. I'm sure I'll be dealing with acne for the rest of my life since my mother still is and I'm okay with that. I just need to find a way to lessen the severity of breakouts and recover from there without any major scarring/hyperpigmentation. And I need it to not cost a lot.

FO: Sideways Grande Hat

I'm on a roll!! I finished my Sideways Grande Hat!!

It's a really beautiful hat knit with a luscious yarn (Knitpicks Cadena in Cranberry). It is incredibly warm and cozy. But it is also massively huge for my little head. (((Sigh))) Not to mention that I think it's a bit too stylish for me, if that makes sense. My style is kind of nondescript/mellow bordering on bland. So it's a little too flashy. I don't know why that didn't occur to me before I cast on but whatever. It was a fun knit (getting to do the funky twist/mock cable was well worth the effort) and I got to practice my seaming (using mattress stitch). I hate seaming and generally avoid things that are not knitted in the round. But this pattern was cute enough for me to abandon my rule just this once.

Here are the specifications:
Start Date: January 29, 2010
Finish Date: February 2, 2010
Yarn Used: Knitpicks Cadena in Cranberry (1 and a half skeins)
Needles Used: 6.0mm, 5.5mm, 5.0mm and 4.5mm
Here it is on Ravelry.

Next up: Old Shale Scarf for one of my good friends.

You know it ain't nevah gonna die, right?

The discussion about Black hair, I mean.

Me personally, I'm weary of it but it seems like as a collective, we'll never get tired of talking about our hair. It's that complex so I know, like most every Black woman, that this won't be the last time I talk about it--whether I'm tired of the topic or not. We seem to like to sit around remembering what went on with our hair as children. The trauma mostly, although some folks have fond memories of bonding with their mothers or whoever took care of their hair. And because of all the emotion we have tied up in a hair we protest vehemently when someone says, "It's just hair" and insist but . . . but . . . how can it be "just hair"? But, If an individual decides that to them it's just hair, why can't it just be?

I'm one of those folks who say that it is, after all is said and done, just hair. This is the most balanced and sane approach for me. If I lost all my hair today, admittedly it would be difficult but because of the journey I've been through, it wouldn't be some earthshaking event. I'd be okay. I've learned the hard way not to tie up my identity in what my hair is doing. According to some, me wearing a lowboy right now is speaking volumes about who I am and what I think. It's not simply how I am choosing to wear my hair. It just has to be more. Fundamentally, though I am who I am. Whether anyone who's looking at me thinks so or not.

I don't think it's healthy for me to have all this energy balled up in something as fragile and non-living as hair. I know. I've been there. Automatically thinking brothers with locks had some kind of consciousness going on. Sisters with natural hair were natural sisters. Thinking if I were going to wear natural hair, I shouldn't do x, y or z. I've been there watching locks thin and break. Starting over and getting filled with hope only to have it happen all over again. If the first set of locks I ever started had stayed with me, I would have had them for 7 years this year. And again I'm only speaking for myself. That place of worry and angst about what will people think. What will they say? What does it say about me? What am I saying? It can turn into a real deep well of sorrow and frustration especially if what you want to happen with your hair won't happen with it. When what you wish to see ain't what's going on. It can turn into a cage when you want to do something with it but can't because you don't know how it will be received, how folks will react and what they will assume and how they will treat you based on their assumptions.

The hubby has locks that extend past his waist. When he complains of how hard it is to wash them, to exercise with them, to live with them, I never flippantly say, "So just cut it!" I know how important his hair is to him. If he says, "You know, I'm thinking about cutting it," you'll never hear me say, "Don't do it!" I usually say to him, "Babes, do whatever makes you the most comfortable." His locks are still on his head and probably will be for a long time to come.

I kind of see it like this. To a Muslim, the Koran is sacred and holy. To an Atheist, it's pretty much another book. It really doesn't make sense for the Muslim to keep shouting at the atheist about how holy the Koran is and it equally doesn't make sense for the Atheist to keep insisting to the Muslim that it's just another book. It's also equally ridiculous for the Muslim or the atheist to assume that everyone he meets holds the Koran in the same regard.

So if hair is not just hair to you, that's okay. But if it is just hair to someone else, that's okay too.

But don't misconstrue . . . I wish every Black woman could love every aspect of wearing their hair the way it grows out of their head. I personally believe Black hair in it's natural state is the most beautiful hair on top of a Black woman's head. But at the end of the day, it is what is. And it always will be.

Photo Credit: Olaf Hajek via http://www.ba-reps.com/blog/tag/books/

Super Quick and Easy Black Beans and Rice

Tonight I really didn't want to be bothered with a big production for dinner. So I put together this recipe and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Previous attempts at beans and rice have left me beans that were too mushy or rice that was overcooked. Tonight's attempt was perfection. So here's the recipe:

Super Quick and Easy Black Beans and Rice

1 tbsp olive oil
half of a large onion, diced
half of a large green pepper diced
2 cups cooked brown rice
one 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Saute the onions in the oil until they soften about 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and cook for about a minute till fragrant. Add green pepper and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked rice and stir everything till combined. When rice is warmed through and evenly coated with oil and spices, add the black beans. Add salt to taste and voila!

This recipe serves three (or 4 if you serve it as a side dish). It's 6 Weight Watchers Points per serving.

Oh, and of late, Z1 is completely and totally against tomatoes of any kind in his food so it's an added bonus that they are not featured in this recipe especially since so many of my other recipes rely on tomatoes. So yeah for something the kiddo will (potentially) eat.

He did not eat it, btw. But because there are no tomatoes, I'm positive he might give it another try.

I think it's so stupid

When folk's on these "Redesign my Kitchen" shows say that they eat out most of the time because their kitchen is so "outdated" and "non-functional" and "old". That is such American foolishness.

So what if your stove doesn't light without a match/lighter? Does it light at all? So what if you don't have a "working triangle"? You have a stove, a sink and a refrigerator. All within a few feet of one another no matter the configuration. One couple actually said they couldn't make a roast because of their "antique" oven--while they still had all the shelves in it. (((Sigh))). As if in the "olden days" folks didn't make roasts.

A nice looking kitchen doesn't make a good cook. A nice looking kitchen won't eliminate laziness. Sure, it's nice to have a nice looking kitchen but let's not blame the kitchen for the fact that these days, in this society, convenience and laziness rules the day.

That's all .

Great Score

Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

Usually about $3.50 per 70 count pack. Found two packs on the clearance rack at Super Stop and Shop for $1.15 each. That's $2.30 for 140 wipes. It will take me forever to use 140 wipes. I hope I don't have to ever buy another pack of wipes. That means I also hope Z2 learns to use the toilet soon. I believes in letting them go commando . . . that's the fastest way to help them get it! Oh, if the hubby weren't so squeamish! We'd have this done already.

FO: Hot Water Bottle Cozy

A quick and easy project. This hot water bottle cozy only took me 3 days to complete and it would have been shorter except I frogged it once because I wasn't following the pattern and my stitch count was way off. The design is clever--it's crocheted in one piece then folded over and stitched together. I added a button not because it really needed it but because I thought it was a nice touch. I added crab stitch all around because that's my favorite way to finish off crochet pieces.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the project. I used up some yarn that was just sitting in my stash and for which I couldn't think of any specific project. The yarn is variegated and therefore tends to be a bit busy for larger projects but lends itself well to such a small project.

I feel like completing it so quickly has added fuel to my crafting fire! I'm ready to move on to my Sideways Grande hat but I'm debating whether I should churn out another XL soaker before I do that.