Family adorableness and giggles

Yuletide ramblings about the consumer culture of Xmas and an attempt to refocus on Gifting & the birth of Christ Consciousness within us all.
LINKS:

http://www.hugnation.com

http://www.eggnography.com

http://www.heifer.org

Lots of great family & nephew time.

FULL SET

Thursday at 1pm, We had a special Hug Nation & moment of gratitude. We went around the table/chatroom and shared something we are thankful for.

http://chat.hugnation.com
10 years ago was the 1st Virtual Grace. The second one was hosted by Grandpa Caleb. And the event morphed in to what is now Hug Nation.

FEEL THE LOVE again this Thanksgiving!

The tree outside my bedroom window is a fruit-laden loquat tree. Blish mentioned that we should harvest them and make something. So we did!

We ordered some canning jars and found a recipe for loquat salsa & loquat chutney. Loquats taste a little like apricots and are the size of large cherries (with big seeds inside.) Since it was mothers day, we made some fun labels and gave our treats as gifts. Fun experiment, but I don’t think I will add “canning” to my list of hobbies.

pics

Ingredients

2 T green onion( chopped)
1 jalapeño
1 tomato
1⁄2 bell pepper
2 T cilantro(chopped)
1 lime juice
ds salt
ds pepper
12 loquats
Instructions

Wash the Loquats, pit the seeds and chop the fruit. Chop the green onion, jalapeño, tomato, bell pepper, and cilantro and bring together in a bowl after squeezing in some lemon juice. Add a dash of salt and pepper and serve. It’s a colorful, fresh and exotic salsa. It goes very well with baked fish similarly like the mango salsa.

___

http://www.food.com/recipe/loquat-chutney-260773

1.43 lb loquats (after removing stones)
4 large apples
0.66 lb dried apricots
0.18 lb gingerroot
4 tablespoons mustard seeds
1.10 lb raw sugar
3 1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons crushed chilies
Change Measurements: US | Metric
Directions:
Prep Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 2 1/2 hrs
1 Trim the stem and flower end of the loquats. Remove the stones and any membrane between the stones. The loquats brown a little on the cut edges but regain their colour when cooked. Loquats do not need to be peeled.
2 Peel and cube the apples.
3 Cut the apricots into strips.
4 Peel and cut the ginger into julienne strips.
5 Crush some of the mustard seeds to release the flavour but leave the majority whole.
6 Put all the ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about an hour and a half until the apple is cooked to a pulp. Stir occasionally so that it doesn?t stick to the bottom of the pan.
7 Heat some clean jars in a hot oven to sterilise them.
8 Pour the hot chutney into hot jars. Put the lid on while still hot.
9 Store in a cool dry place for up to 9 months.
10 Opened jars should be kept in the fridge.

Me, my brother, & a green screen.

and look at what was in the Sunday funnies! Apparently Beer Hunts have gone mainstream!

Already have everything on Oprah’s list? Here is my list of gift suggestions:
Halcyon’s Favorite Things:

• Etsy.com - Nothing wrong with consumerism. But when possible, buy non-corporate. Support artists.
• Contigo water bottles. Don’t get me started. I love these water bottles.
• “Love more. Fear Less” The Book!
• Spreadshirt, CafePress, Zazzle – Instead of a designer logo, why not design a custom shirt with an inside joke catch phrase!?
• custom laptop sticker. Take a favorite memory (I like to use images from Burning Man) and make your laptop a conversation starter.
• Super Hero Outfits!
• donation to charity of choice. – Heifer.org, 1stSaturdays.org, etc. (It’s what Grandpa did.)
• Custom Coupon Books. (I still have a backrub to cash in from 1987)
• External Hard drive & backup your loved one’s data – I have several Iomega 2TB drives. Or try an online backup service if you have less video files.
• Sharpie Pens, Uniball pens, watercolor paper, or anything else that sparks creativity..
• Books or MP3s for growth (here’s my list of recommendations)

And me going over this list during HugNation:

Halloween was my favorite holiday for many years.
Not sure when my love of Halloween started. It may have been the first year that I dressed up as a woman.
I went out to a few parties, in drag, with my girlfriend at the time. I was terrified when we left the house. But I got more attention from women on that night than I had in my entire life previous.
WTF?
My whole life I had been trained that allowing any femininity to penetrate my macho-ness would be disastrous to my attractiveness and social standing.
But the opposite happened. Maybe it was because my drag choice was seen as a move of confidence. Maybe it was a way that women could dabble in bisexuality without getting their fists wet. All I know is that the results were so dramatic that I dressed up drag the next 4 years when it came time for Halloween.
I briefly dabbled in dressing in drag non-Halloween events, but discovered there is a huge chasm in people’s minds between “feminine-embracing Halloween costume” & “Sexually deviant cross-dressing.” What a difference a few days makes.
So when I see women interpret Halloween as “Let Out Your Inner Slut” Day, I totally get it. It is quite a gift to be able to experiment with an identity without social consequences. You get all the flirtatious attention with none of the reputation tarnish.
I’m always fascinated by the choices people make for their costumes. I’m not talking about ideas that are motivated by ease of assembly, current events, or attempts at humor. I’m referring to the fantasy roles that people embrace for that one special night.
We are given permission to color outside the lines of our socialized identity for one night. We can let our freak flag fly – and have the safety net of Halloween.
It’s the one night when cleavage is acceptable from Mrs. Cleaver.
Role play comes out of the closet. I even heard someone on Twitter refer to it as “Hetrosexual Pride Day.”
While I was experimenting with dressing in drag, I was able to avoid ridicule and physical harm. There *was* one drunk Navy guy who, after mistaking me for an actual woman, toyed with the idea of pummeling me. He wanted to confirm his non-faggot-ness in front of his friends. But in the context of a costume party, it was a non issue. Again, the Halloween safety net protected us both from judgment.
With the ability to be whatever you want, I’m always puzzled by the desire to be grotesque.
Being a sexy nurse/maid/cat makes sense. Being a Jedi/fireman/childhood hero makes sense.
But being an eyeball-dripping, flesh-hanging, blood spewing atrocity?
Perhaps it is my vanity speaking, but I can’t imagine EVER wanting people to be disgusted by me when I approach. Especially when I am given a free pass to dress up as anything!
This touches on something much larger.
I’m baffled by the Horror genre, in general. In a world filled with atrocities, my instinct is to go AWAY from horror whenever I am given a choice.
Towards beauty. Towards smiles. Towards Joy.
So If I am choosing between a sexy unicorn costume or a zombie, that’s a no brainer. (Or I should say, “no BRAIIIIIIIIIIINS-er.”)
To be fair, I recognize that the original Samhain intention was NOT an excuse to wear French Maid outfits. And for people who embrace the macabre work of warding off evil spirits, I salute your traditionalism. Thanks for all your efforts. (You don’t see much “warding” these days.)
But for me, Halloween was always about letting out hidden parts of myself. And that is why it no longer holds the same importance that it once did. There was a time when excuses to boldly express myself were precious and rare. But I rarely feel inhibited any longer.
There is no pressure cooker of expression building up during the year to explode in the form of a Chippendales costume or shirtless cave man.
When I think about “whose shoes would I want to walk in for a night?” The answer isn’t a cop, a woman, or even a slutty cat. The answer is, “Mine.”
My daily persona and my fantasy persona have, for the most part, merged.
It’s why I stop people at Burning Man or elsewhere whenever they say to me, “Nice costume!” Even though it may seem like a minor point, I feel the need to correct them.
“Actually, this is an ‘outfit,’ not a ‘costume.’ A costume implies that I am pretending to be someone I am not. But an outfit is simply an expression of who I am.”
And it is from that place that I have rekindled my love of Halloween. It is no longer a needed break from the oppression of the status quo. Now it’s just a good excuse to role-play in public, encourage those who are ill-at-ease with raw expression, and marvel at the endless ways a non-erotic costume idea can be made sexy.
Now, has anyone seen my fake lashes!?

-John
Oct 30, 2010

Benito took this awesome Easter shot of me yesterday.

It’s the perfect thing to get you in the mood for an EASTER BEER HUNT!

My favorite “year in review” posts:
The decade in review… in icons:

And top 25 hits of 2009 all mixed into ONE. Amazing.

For Xmas, I had Matthew Gehrett create a themesong for my nephews. “It’s Caleb! It’s Carter!”

LYRICS:

They like anything with great big teeth

They like dinosaurs, but they hate toy thieves

They like Spiderman and they like to rock

They like Mary Jane, but they hate Doc Ock.

For Xmas, I had Matthew Gehrett create a themesong for my nephews. “It’s Caleb! It’s Carter!”

LYRICS:

They like anything with great big teeth

They like dinosaurs, but they hate toy thieves

They like Spiderman and they like to rock

They like Mary Jane, but they hate Doc Ock.

Dear Santa,
We at the Eggnography Institute for Yuletide Research are dedicated to maximizing the Xmas experience for all good little boys and girls (plus related icons and subsidiaries.)
Due to recent climate change research we can no longer endorse the current “Father Christmas” uniform that has been used consistently in recent decades. (With the noted exception of the “Neon Santa” outfit that was used briefly during the 80’s.)

While the fashion statement is still effective, the world temperatures simply make a full body winter suit to be uncomfortable in 2009, and no doubt dangerously hot in coming years.

So we have had our researchers use the latest in computer simulation technology (as well as cutting edge weather forecasting software) to design the ideal apparel for your future world-wide toy runs.

2009 (Current.)
We know it will be warm, but let’s stick with this look for the time being.

2010
Starting next year, let’s take the obvious steps towards shorts and lighter fabrics.

2020
By this time, any fabric will be mostly symbolic. But we think it will be important to wear the red speedo to maintain brand consistency (and avoid scaring toddlers.)

2030
By 2030 we plan to have our genetic fashion modifications deployed and see Santa Inc. a leader in underwater dwelling. The webbed fingers, gills, and merman tail are all shown in figure 4.

We hope you are as excited as we are about our aquatic Yuletide future! Thanks for everything and enjoy the rest of your night!

Merry Xmas,
Jimmy & Johnny, Eggnography Institute for Yuletide Research.

p.s. Please leave some spit, sweat or semen in the glass so we can begin working on your genetic modifications.

********* SANTA’S RESPONSE *********

Dear Jimmy and Johnny,
Boy, you researchers are really on top of things. I like next year’s fashion statement, but I’m a little concerned after that. As your illustration shows, I’m not exactly svelte.
Now your 2030 idea of genetic modification shows some real promise. Can you work out some super power to go with the new Santa MerMan image? I think the world is ready for a new Super Hero. I’m ready to give up my one day a year gig and start saving the world. The “Naughty List” I’ve been keeping should give me plenty of bad guys to annihilate.
I appreciate the Eggnography Institute for Yuletide Research being so far-sighted.
Here’s my specimen.
This is SO exciting!

Have a Merry Christmas and be nice to your mother.

s

It’s that time of year to be counting down the 12 days of wacky Styn-family traditions! Below is last year’s letter (and Santa Response.) For the all archives, check out Eggnography.com or the Eggnography Facebook page.

(letter & gift out on Xmas eve 2008)
Dear Santa,
The economic downturn has been tough on all of us. And while we’re not privy to your financial statements, the number of kids asking for ipods and cell phones can NOT be making things any easier for you.
But not to worry!
We have been tossing around some ideas and we think we have some rock-solid ideas to help you maximize profits and avoid any Elfin layoffs.

We’ve come up with 2 new revenue streams for you:

1) Leverage your good name.
(Not in a tacky way, of course.) We have a couple suggestions right off the bat and have initiated talks with Procter and Gamble (for a “Candy Cane” scented line of hair and beard grooming products) as well as the Nestle corporation (see prototype candy packaging attached to this note.)

2) Hire out the Elf workforce during the off season.
There are hundreds of options, but the obvious one to start with are as stunt men for children (duh! Maybe you are already doing this?) We also have some interested parties who would like to get started on some miniature re-enactments of Civil War battles.

Look, we love you and don’t mean to tell you how to do your business. But times are tough and we hate to see you (or any Elf families) suffer.

Humbly,
Jimmy & Johnny

AWESOME Reply from Mom…er…Santa after the cut

Dear Jimmy and Johnny,

I appreciate your concern. The economy has really tanked all over the world. At least the North Pole is not as affected by the downturn since no one seems to know in which country it’s located. Pretty cagey, huh?

Our biggest problem has been trying to keep the reindeer out of sight. That Sarah Palin is a wicked sharpershooter.

Actually Mrs. Claus has been taking correspondence courses for her MBA and has come up with some ideas of her own.

1) Since sequels have been so popular in Hollywood, she’s trying to peddle the idea of a Wizard of Oz-Part 2. This could get the elves some off-season work and cut down on our unemployment costs.

2) She’s suggested I write a children’s book. I’m one of the few “strangers” that kids are encouraged to know and trust. I could warn them about “bad” strangers or tell them things to really warp their minds. We could go either way.

I like your suggestions and Mrs. Claus and I will discuss them. I just need to get this night over with first. You know, there are a lot more kids around now than there used to be. You’d think some people had never heard of birth control. It’s becoming a really difficult job.

I guess I shouldn’t complain. I really only work one night a year.

Be good to your mother and continue to care for the planet and its inhabitants.

Santa

It’s that time of year to be counting down the 12 days of wacky Styn-family traditions! Below is last year’s letter (and Santa Response.) For the all archives, check out Eggnography.com or the Eggnography Facebook page.

(letter & gift out on Xmas eve 2008)
Dear Santa,
The economic downturn has been tough on all of us. And while we’re not privy to your financial statements, the number of kids asking for ipods and cell phones can NOT be making things any easier for you.
But not to worry!
We have been tossing around some ideas and we think we have some rock-solid ideas to help you maximize profits and avoid any Elfin layoffs.

We’ve come up with 2 new revenue streams for you:

1) Leverage your good name.
(Not in a tacky way, of course.) We have a couple suggestions right off the bat and have initiated talks with Procter and Gamble (for a “Candy Cane” scented line of hair and beard grooming products) as well as the Nestle corporation (see prototype candy packaging attached to this note.)

2) Hire out the Elf workforce during the off season.
There are hundreds of options, but the obvious one to start with are as stunt men for children (duh! Maybe you are already doing this?) We also have some interested parties who would like to get started on some miniature re-enactments of Civil War battles.

Look, we love you and don’t mean to tell you how to do your business. But times are tough and we hate to see you (or any Elf families) suffer.

Humbly,
Jimmy & Johnny

AWESOME Reply from Mom…er…Santa after the cut

Dear Jimmy and Johnny,

I appreciate your concern. The economy has really tanked all over the world. At least the North Pole is not as affected by the downturn since no one seems to know in which country it’s located. Pretty cagey, huh?

Our biggest problem has been trying to keep the reindeer out of sight. That Sarah Palin is a wicked sharpershooter.

Actually Mrs. Claus has been taking correspondence courses for her MBA and has come up with some ideas of her own.

1) Since sequels have been so popular in Hollywood, she’s trying to peddle the idea of a Wizard of Oz-Part 2. This could get the elves some off-season work and cut down on our unemployment costs.

2) She’s suggested I write a children’s book. I’m one of the few “strangers” that kids are encouraged to know and trust. I could warn them about “bad” strangers or tell them things to really warp their minds. We could go either way.

I like your suggestions and Mrs. Claus and I will discuss them. I just need to get this night over with first. You know, there are a lot more kids around now than there used to be. You’d think some people had never heard of birth control. It’s becoming a really difficult job.

I guess I shouldn’t complain. I really only work one night a year.

Be good to your mother and continue to care for the planet and its inhabitants.

Santa

I am not a huge fan of Xmas trees. In past year’s I have been a bit of a brat about it.

Xmas Tree Genocide

*Check out my Thanksgiving post from last week.

After a week of funk, I finally pulled out and had a wonderful time last night…as some sort of Pink Wild Thing.

I re-post this photo every year. It continues to inspire me.

My grandpa (GrandpaCaleb.com) worked with Martin Luther King Jr. during some “Baptist Week” activities in 1962 in Denver CO.

This video explains the picture and what it has come to represent for me:

For my whole life, the real world and the world of myths was connected through the above picture.

The image of my grandfather, working with MLK as peers…it had a profound impact on me. It showed me that great men were not the creations of story books. But were the very same people as you and me. The picture was a reminder to me of the potential of every one of us.

This is the first year that both the people in the photo are no longer here physically.

Thankfully, the lesson is burned deep in to my core.

May you remember the lives of the giants whose shoulders we stand on. And may you remember your brilliant potential today!

Love,
-john halcyon

p.s. My Grandpa wrote the following in his blog a few years ago:

I have been asked:: “Who is the greatest Person you ever met? In my 88 years on this Planet the answer for me is ‘Martin Luther King, Jr.’ None of you heard him but he preached in our First Baptist Church of Denver. When Carol and I were pastoring there.

In one of his closing sermons he said:

"If I died tomorrow I would like for people to say I tried to clothe the naked and visit those who were in prison. I tried to be right on the war question. I tried to love everyone. If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major For justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for justice, and for righteousness. All of the other shallow things will not matter. I wont have any money to leave behind. I wont have luxurious things to leave behind. I want to leave behind a committed life:

“If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or a song, if I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong, then, my living will not be in vain. If I can do my duty as a Christian ought, if I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, if I can spread the message as the Master taught, then my living will not be in vain."

…I rejoice in the memory and example of this great man. Thanks for scrolling and I hope you will squeeze every day making meaningful and fulfilling relationships.

I re-post this photo every year. It continues to inspire me.

My grandpa (GrandpaCaleb.com) worked with Martin Luther King Jr. during some “Baptist Week” activities in 1962 in Denver CO.

This video explains the picture and what it has come to represent for me:

For my whole life, the real world and the world of myths was connected through the above picture.

The image of my grandfather, working with MLK as peers…it had a profound impact on me. It showed me that great men were not the creations of story books. But were the very same people as you and me. The picture was a reminder to me of the potential of every one of us.

This is the first year that both the people in the photo are no longer here physically.

Thankfully, the lesson is burned deep in to my core.

May you remember the lives of the giants whose shoulders we stand on. And may you remember your brilliant potential today!

Love,
-john halcyon

p.s. My Grandpa wrote the following in his blog a few years ago:

I have been asked:: “Who is the greatest Person you ever met? In my 88 years on this Planet the answer for me is ‘Martin Luther King, Jr.’ None of you heard him but he preached in our First Baptist Church of Denver. When Carol and I were pastoring there.

In one of his closing sermons he said:

"If I died tomorrow I would like for people to say I tried to clothe the naked and visit those who were in prison. I tried to be right on the war question. I tried to love everyone. If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major For justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for justice, and for righteousness. All of the other shallow things will not matter. I wont have any money to leave behind. I wont have luxurious things to leave behind. I want to leave behind a committed life:

“If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or a song, if I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong, then, my living will not be in vain. If I can do my duty as a Christian ought, if I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, if I can spread the message as the Master taught, then my living will not be in vain."

…I rejoice in the memory and example of this great man. Thanks for scrolling and I hope you will squeeze every day making meaningful and fulfilling relationships.

this was sent to my exclusive email list. (want on?)

Merry Xmas!!!
(substitute your faith of choice for “X”)
I love the Xmas season.
For me, this is the time I can use my fireplace in Southern California without guilt and reflect on the wonderful memories of the past 12 months.

The fact that we have a big Santa-based holiday to enjoy on Dec 25th makes it all the better. I say “Santa-based” because there seems to be much more energy invested in gift giving & decorating than anything Christ-focused. I don’t say that critically! In fact, it’s a shame this season still has the attachment to a specific faith. It would be great to be able to enjoy a celebration of love without feeling like it was excluding Jews, Hindu’s or Ninjas.

Not to be a blasphemous Scrooge, but does anyone else find it ironic that people celebrate the birth of Jesus (a man who said worldly possessions could keep one out of Heaven) by buying each other material goods? It’s totally backwards. Shopping for Jesus is like Killing for Christ. It’s like we’re living through the “Commerce Inquisition.”

Of course, to most people (myself included) Jesus is not the main reason for the season.
For many, it is the time of year when we see family.
For others it is the only time we can get peppermint ice cream.
For retailers, it is the time to fill their trees with enough nuts to survive the lean months.
For eggnog & fruitcake fanatics, the month of December is a time of Burning Man-esque indulgence.
For all of us, it can be a time when, no matter what terrible things are happening in the world, we put up shiny lights, dress up pretty packages, sing terrible old songs about mutant reindeer, and try to look on the bright side of things.
Before you attack my heathen thoughts, know that much of my appreciation and love of the holidays I learned from my Grandpa – the most Christian man I’ve known. To him, the holidays was another profound opportunity to focus on our blessings.
You know what Grandpa gave his grandkids for Xmas the last few years of his life? Farm animals. Yep, he purchased goats for impoverished 3rd world families in our name. One year, he even bought a woman out of slavery in Thailand. (That was a weird one to explain, ”Grandpa bought me a baseball mitt…and a Sex Slave.”)
I guess my point is that the reason for the season is un-important.
Just as the name of your prophet or mentor is unimportant.
What matters is the Love – how we feel and how we treat each other.
So as I reflect on the past year, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the love in my life, and the love I experience in the world.
This wonderful year-end season gives us permission to forget the darkness in the world and focus on the light – whether that be a new-born baby, longer days, or a fresh start in a new year.
The weather outside may be frightful. But the fire is so delightful.
Thanks for being part of the warmth that makes MY life so delightful.
Happy Holidays.
Love,
-john halcyon styn