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Chattering Mind

Ever wonder why the miso made from store-bought miso paste isn’t as good as the miso you’re served in Japanese restaurants? Not long ago, I asked the man behind the counter of our local sushi carryout about this, and he said, “Well, some restaurants use this seasoning salt.” I studied the bottle and passed it…

The other afternoon, I was walking in Manhattan and the large handbag I carry everywhere suddenly felt incredibly heavy. Oh God, what was in there anyway? I’d been out all day. So I opened my bag and peered in. Aooohhh… scary. It’s pretty cluttered in there. So I started to dig and then to my…

So I showed up on time for my yoga class, feeling down in the mouth and fat. Class began and I moved through the sun salutations, focused on my unattractiveness. Too heavy. Too old. Oh woe, woe, woe. It’s amazing how focused a woman can be when she’s hating herself. Then I spied a younger…

Here’s why I love CyberHymnal.org: * It boasts 6,100 Christian hymns and gospel songs, and can play any one you want to hear immediately upon request. * Its web pages are sweetly under-art-directed. * Its computer-generated piano playing is straight-laced and nearly expressionless, but the beauty of the music shines through. Cyberhymnal.org can play hymns…

This NYT article about messy desks (and closets and basements) possibly being a symptom of a creative, lively existence is of some comfort. I still want to unload more of the clutter in our basement come 2007, and help you feel more in control of your possessions. This churning cycle of wanting, suffering, and unloading…

The folks at Beliefnet who watch over me and push the buttons to publish Chattering Mind will be off next week. This means that no matter how much I want to blog, I’ll have to enjoy my children, do some yoga, and see some holiday movies at the theaters instead. But here’s what’s really cool:…

Here’s a shot of a recent, large Santa Rampage in New York City’s Central Park. Santa Rampages (also known as Red Menaces, SantaCons or Santa Conferences) are exuberant expressions of the holiday spirit. Folks wearing rented or purchased Santa suits simply gather to spread good cheer, sing and have fun. Wikipedia calls the gatherings “bawdy”…

I have great love for a writer who calls himself Corax (after the first teacher of rhetoric in Greece, I guess). Corax was the author of the now defunct Buddhist blog “Ow, My Blog” (where did it go? I can’t find it!), and in 2004, he published “The Scrooge Sutra,” which chronicles the personal journey…

Please attend to the marvelous posts about December 21st and the Winter Solstice that Waverly Fitzgerald has on her site, SchooloftheSeasons.com, as well as the excellent solstice summary she wrote for Beliefnet. This day in December is the feast day of St. Thomas as well as a time some honor the Roman God of silence…

Did you know that on one Christmas Day during World War I, German and British soldiers on the Western Front crawled out of their trenches, shook hands, shared cigarettes, and then played soccer for one peaceful hour, improvising when they didn’t have a proper ball by kicking jam jars and balls of straw? What an…
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