Storytelling is an art form that has moved and inspired people for centuries. Whether its fiction or non-fiction, people become captivated by the exploits or the misfortunes of others. Tales of goodwill and great evil are even included in stories that we tell our kids. Television shows, musicals, books tell stories that people listen to or watch everyday. People become attached to these adventures, wondering how the ending will play out or what will happen next. And for that reason, I believe video gaming may yet be one of the strongest forms of storytelling ever.
When you enter a game it is like opening the first page of book you just bought. Your mind fills with excitement and wonder as you browse the opening menu. You leap with fear with every surprise and wrestle with your own mind at every puzzle. Your brain is constantly at work deciphering every piece of the abundant information in your surroundings. With games you may sometimes enter a deeper state of interaction that cannot be found anywhere else. I sometimes find myself looking back on a game I played with a great deal of nostalgia running through my head. Had I not slain the dragon that captured the princess and saved my village from sheer destruction? With video games you can be presented with topics of great imagination and wit and play through them as they become your own adventure. And they really are your own. It is a unique experience that you define with your own actions, the story that includes you. The reason good games have such rich stories and background is because of the people who create them. The gaming industry is by far one of the youngest in the entertainment industry and the fastest growing. This can be attributed to the richness of the story.

Every game is like an open canvas for artists and writers alike, a place to spill out a more uncensored art style than one you could produce with movies or TV. To appease gamers you have to be original and separate yourself from the flock as well as taking the best ideas from other games and implementing them into your own. So what happens is that these artists and writers are allowed to design something that they truly pour that heart into, a world full of detailed environments and rich characters. From start to finish you are playing something that a group of people spent every inch of their thought and creativity to make. Sometimes I find myself wanting to play many games not because im attracted to the game play, but to the back-story and characters the game presents. You can feel a greater connection to allies or enemies in video games due to the fact that you’re interacting with them on a more personal level. Whether you’re completing a task for a friend or even deciding someone’s fate you always experience more emotional reaction when something happens to those characters.

My own imagination runs wild as I ponder the events of a video game story, and the fact that you will be the one playing it out and possibly deciding the fate of the entire game makes completing it all the more sweeter. The stories of games like The Legend of Zelda, Mass Effect and Dante’s Inferno have rang louder and longer in my ears than any other story tale of Fantasy, Intergalactic peril or Retribution has. These video game stories and others thrive on the imaginations of users playing them, making them the most powerful stories one can experience.

photo credits - Sherry Page/Culinary Getaways

The local strawberries are out in force at the farmer’s market, on the street corners (those little tarts!) and in the produce section. Mine are delivered weekly via my CSA. The strawberries are the first lot out of the bag and always the first to be eaten. And man, they are delicious! I was inspired to do a lil something different by my friend Sherry Page of Culinary Getaways, whose recipe for Balsamic Strawberries with Cracked Black Pepper was too intriguing to pass over.

I had received a bottle of Fig Balsamic Vinegar as a gift and I thought this would make for a good base for the dessert. No crème fraiche in the house, so I just enjoyed the strawberries over ice cream with a nice glass of Vino de Mocha from Kirigin Cellars on the side.

The vinegar smelled sweet and had a slight acidic burn as I breathed it in. The sliced strawberries bathed in the vinegar, releasing their juices and soaking up some of the balsamic, I think that is what is known as macerating. I let them sit on the counter for about 45 minutes . Then I scooped some into the bowl of vanilla ice cream and topped it all off with a good twist of black pepper. I  settled down to watch the season finale of “Fallen Skies”, no spoilers here, but the equivalent of light summer reading, you should check it out!

 The strawberries were amazing, the acid of the balsamic drew out every drop of sweetness they had to offer. The sugar from the strawberries tempered the vinegar and the black pepper taste quickly dried out in my mouth, leaving me ready for the next bite.

My only problem with the recipe was what to do with the remaining strawberry sweetened balsamic at the bottom of the bowl. It was too delicious to toss –but I didn’t think drinking it was an option. There were a few remaining strawberry slices floating in the brew – what was I to do? I threw it all into a container, stuck it in the fridge and hoped inspiration would strike.

Well, today for lunch – I had a Chicken Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Almonds and Feta Cheese, topped with a glorious dressing that I based upon the leftover Strawberry Balsamic Juice sitting in the fridge. Amazing!

Here’s the recipe for Sherry’s Balsamic Strawberries and below is my recipe for the dressing that it inspired. I have enough dressing left that I am going to baste some jumbo prawns and grill ‘em up.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

 All measures are approx. depending on how much strawberry balsamic vinegar you have leftover, how much oil and salt you choose to use.

¼ c. Strawberry Balsamic vinegar and any floating strawberry slices (leftover from the Balsamic Strawberries)

2 T. Fig Balsamic Vinegar (or nice smooth aged Balsamic)

 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

 A small pinch of kosher salt

 A couple of twists of ground pepper

 Using a hand blender, whip together any macerated strawberries and strawberry balsamic vinegar until smooth. It will be thick. Thin out with balsamic vinegar and stir in the olive oil. Blend together well. Season with ginger, salt and pepper to taste.

Components of the Salad:

- Well washed organic spinach, rinsed well and patted dry

 - Leftover shredded chicken breast

 - A couple of fresh strawberries, sliced

- Slivered Almonds, lightly toasted

- Crumbled Feta Cheese

Proportioned to what you have on hand and how many people you are serving. Top with dressing and toss well. Finish off with a bit more cracked pepper and enjoy!

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-defend-your-coffee-habit.html

Monday Morning Moral Dilemma:I registered a Starbucks card awhile back and have no idea what happened to it. I don’t think there was any money on it when I lost it. Recently, I have started getting free drink coupons in the mail. This has been going on about every two weeks for the past six weeks. It seems the person who is using this card has a serious Starbucks habit. Do I unregister the card or do I just appreciate an occasional gift from the coffee gods?

More info: Today, I checked my account online and they have reloaded the balance and obviously haven’t registered the card for use. Do I have a weird moral compass? Should I be bothered or grateful? Am I taking advantage of someone? I can’t decide if this bothers me or brings a smile to my face.

Discuss please.

Update: I unregistered the card about 10 minutes after I posted this. It occurred to me that I had access to someone else’s money, which is obviously not right.  Although, I will still be using the free coffee drink card. I think that is fair. Thanks for being my moral sounding board!

Summer Bounty Salad #1

Serves 2.

Credits to www.cherrygal.com

This salad came together as a “leftover salad” from our cookout the night before. The lone ear of grilled corn and two halves of grilled zucchini came together with some leftover brown rice from an Asian feast a couple of nights before. Most of the veggies came from my CSA. (YAY Eating with the Seasons!). And the black radish was a little bit of a surprise vegetable. On a lark, I had picked it up at the farmer’s market. I convinced a stranger to split the bunch with me because I didn’t think I would ever use more than two! It is definitley black and sort of frightened me. (I mean, is food supposed to be black?) But it turned out to not have as strong of a bite as regular radishes and now I wish I had kept the whole bunch to myself!

I served grilled Blenheim Apricots on the side, drizzled with honey and dusted with a pre-packaged Moroccan spice mix. Heavenly!

Salad:

1 ear corn, grilled
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise and grilled
1/2 c. brown rice
1/2 small avocado, cut into small pieces
1 medium black radish, chopped
1 c. arugula, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Dressing:

3 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 1/2 t. Dijon Mustard
2 tsp. Rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Raw Honey, or to taste

Salt and Pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan

Cut kernels off of the cob into your salad bowl. Chop zucchini on into smallish pieces and add to the bowl. Do the same for the avocado and the black radish. Rinse the arugula well and pat dry, chop and add to the salad bowl. Lightly salt and pepper and toss.

In a separate bowl, mixture together the ingredients for the dressing until well blended. Pour over the salad.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve.

It is high tourist season in Yosemite, so as I was sitting on the steps of the tram that was taking us back to Wawona from the Mariposa Grove, I struck up a conversation with schoolteacher from Ohio. She was there with her husband and their two children. It was their last day of a 10 day tour of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Yosemite Valley. They were fortunate because they had friends who lived in Hollister and that provided them with a little extra cushion on their travel budget. This was their 3rd trip to Northern California and they hoped to return in a couple of years. Their next trip would focus on the Monterey Bay and south to Santa Barbara. They really wanted to tour Highway One along the Big Sur coastline. I suggested that they make time to visit at least one mission and they should pick up some ebelskivers in Solvang. I asked her if I were to go to Ohio, what natural wonder should I see. She proudly described the shoreline of the Lake Eerie, but she and her husband said that there was nothing like Yosemite there. As the tram pulled into the stop at the Wawona Market, we smiled and said farewell.

Just a couple of days earlier, I had said farewell to my latest group of program attendees. Each month, over 100 different people from around the globe come together to learn about the company that they just joined. They were so EXCITED to be in California. EXCITED to ride the cable cars in San Francisco (or as they refer to it as SanFran) and take snaps of the Golden Gate Bridge. EXCITED to see the sea otters cavorting in the Monterey Bay and experience coolness of summer in Northern California. I had sent a group north to San Francisco on the prior Saturday and south to Monterey on Sunday. They were entranced by everything they experienced from the sourdough bowls filled with chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf to the twisted trunks of the Cyprus Trees. And I lest forget to mention the thrill of the visits to the Apple stores and the number of iPads purchased. Oy!

So where am I going with all of this? It is so easy to not see all the wonder around me, but each of those folks I met last week reminded me to see it. It seems that I get so lost in the daily drills that I forget to step back and revel in all that I have and where I am. I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, yet, I forget. I forget to soak it in. I forget to share it. I forget to be grateful.

Not today. Today, I will appreciate all that is around me. As I encourage you to do as well. Appreciation and gratitude are two of the easiest choices we can make, yet we forget.

So today, pick one thing. Spend some time with it. Admire it. Really look at it. And then, be grateful for it, really give thanks to whomever/whatever you say thank you to. You will carry that feeling of gratitude with you throughout the day. And each time you remember, you will smile. I promise.

Watermelon Gin Cocktail

1 c. watermelon chunks
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Handful of ice chips
Splash of grenadine to taste, dependant on the sweetness of the watermelon
Gin, enough to meet your need/want/desire

Blend watermelon chunks, lime juice and ice chips in blender. Pour into shaker with gin and grenadine. Shake and strain into chilled glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

OR: Blend everything well and pour into a chilled glass. Sip or chew as needed. (My preferred method)

Salud!

Thanks to Adele for encapsulating exactly how I felt.  She is an AMAZING lyricist and chanteuse!

Melt My Heart to Stone – Adele

Right under my feet is air made of bricks
It pulls me down and turns me weak for you
I find myself repeatin’ like a broken tune
And I’m forever excusin’ your intentions

Then I give in to my pretendings
Which forgive you each time
Without me knowing
They melt my heart to stone

And I hear your words that I made up
You say my name like there could be an us
I best tidy up my head, I’m the only one in love
I’m the only one in love

Each and every time I turn around to leave
I feel my heart begin to burst and bleed
So desperately I try to link it with my head

But instead I fall back to my knees
As you tear away right through me
I forgive you once again
Without me knowin’
You’ve burnt my heart to stone

And I hear your words that I made up
You say my name like there could be an us
I best tidy up my head, I’m the only one in love
I’m the only one in love

Why do you steal my hand
Whenever I’m standin’ my own ground?
You build me up and leave me there

I hear your words you made up
I say your name like there should be an us
I best tidy up my head, I’m the only one in love
I’m the only one in love.

Maybe one day, I will be able to write about this relationship without feeling emptiness and sorrow. Until that time, I’ll keep feeling and try to remember the lessons I culled from these lyrics.

A year has passed and the boys are coming to an understand what it means to be fatherless. What it means to not have him in their lives. They are coming to terms with the bitter disappoint that comes with an unexpected death. Coming to terms with what was left unsaid and unanswered.

And so am I.

But as who? I am no longer a divorcee nor am I a widow. Was I allowed to be publicly sad, to mourn the loss? People just didn’t know what to do with me.  And I didn’t know what to do with myself.

To say that he and I were on good terms during the last couple of years would be an outright lie. We hadn’t spoken for months. Yet, I was profoundly affected by his death.

When people first heard about his death, they would most often express their condolences to the boys. Inquire as to their well-being, express how sad it was that he died so young. Rarely, did the conversation turn to me and how I felt about it. Awkward might describe those moments the best, especially with people who knew us as a couple, but who had chosen his side over mine or who had simply falling out of touch with us both. The talk might center around how I was handling the boys’ situation, but it rarely was about what was going on with my feelings. And to be honest, I didn’t really notice that there was no conversation about them. My guess is that I didn’t want that conversation to take place.

One day, I introduced my son to our new spiritual director. They bonded over Harry Potter’s Wizarding World, it was great to see my younger son light up a bit. Later, when I thanked him for engaging with my son, I mentioned their dad’s death. And the spiritual director asked me how I was doing with it. I gave my pat answer about how we were handling the situation well, and that the boys were getting through the grieving process.

He stopped me, looked me directly in the eyes and asked how I was doing with my ex-husband’s death. I paused and started to cry. For as much acrimony as there was between me and my ex, at one time I did love him. Not only for being the father of my children, which had been my mantra for years, but for being the man whom I chose to marry. The man who taught me how to play video games. The man who took me to all the first-run movies on date night, the man who dug up our first garden and who refinished our floors and furniture. The man who swore ’til death do us part.

I had mourned the death of my marriage long before he died. I had tried to make amends with him and had really made strides in making amends with myself.

When he died, all of those feelings arose again. But who was I to tell? It is difficult to mourn someone you are no longer supposed to love. There’s no Hallmark card for the death of one’s ex-spouse.

I miss what I had in the early years with my husband. I mourned the loss of the potential of those times. Not only did I grieve for my children’s loss, but I grieved for my own.

From what little I have found on the internet, this is not an uncommon situation. Divorce is a bitch. Life with an ex-spouse, the trying to define that non-married, yet still have-to-deal-with-the-person relationship, isn’t any better. Being the surviving ex-spouse doesn’t have to be worse.

What is the lesson here? For me, I now know that I need to be more transparent, I accept that my friends/family accept whatever feelings I have.  I now know to ask after the person, not the situation. I now know to listen, wait and listen some more. I now know that to love, means that a part of me will always love, and that I am okay with that.

His birthday is this Saturday – the boys and I are going to go to his favorite breakfast joint and celebrate the good memories of the man I once called ‘husband” and they will always call “Dad”.