Common Thieves and Thomas Ruff's Portrait Work

Time over the roofs of what has nearly been
Circling, a migratory, static bird,
Predicts no change in future's lancing shape,
And daylight shows the streets still tangled up;
Time points the simian camera in the head
Upon confusion to be seen and seen

Philip Larkin, a stanza from "Disintegration"

Potato Salad

boiled fingerling potatoes
white wine vinegar
olive oil
spicy mustard
salt
pepper
parsley or dill

serve warm

Escaping Societal Pressures in 8 1/2

After awakening from a dream the man is under a black cloth and is lost to himself. This private space assures no one can penetrate his gaze, but this also means he is blind.

When he's alone he avoids himself through distraction.

Apparently, these woman are bent on destroying him with careless eye contact and wet hankies.

Is "The Red Balloon" just a friend? Or Jesus?

The balloon is a bright contrast to the bleak tones of Paris.

A friendship begins between boy and balloon. It is a loving relationship complete with dependency and separation-anxiety issues.


Disbelief turns to faith.

His belief, that the balloon will be near him always, engenders fear and anxiety.

The boy finds he has similarities with a girl from another era; she only has one friend and it is an inanimate plaything: a wheel and rod. Could that really have been as much fun?

Meanwhile, the balloon finds perfection in the mirror.

Jealous boys kidnap and lead the Christ-balloon up the hill towards death.

Dressed in Sunday togs, the boy still has faith that the balloon hasn't left him for another.

The envy of the boys makes them destroyers of what they cannot own. They find joy in their violence.

Some thoughts of war exacerbate the feelings of Good vs. Evil and the adventure picks up pace.

Rescue and chase.





Pure evil.

The boy risks bodily harm to save the balloon.

The balloon's death reveals fleshy human-like skin.




Ascension and reward.

Wales' Gorwydd Caerphilly and Ireland's Ardrahan

Gorwydd Caerphilly
This unpasteurized cow's milk cheese is handmade on Gorwydd Farm outside of Llandewi Brefi, Wales. I garnered this information from the London buyer and seller of fine cheeses Neals Yard Dairy. Wonderful photos of the farm and the Trethowan family making the cheese can be found at the link above. A strong earthy odor emanates from the rind. It smells mostly like mushrooms, but on the underside of the cheese where the rind is not as thick one can detect some lighter citrus elements. It tastes rich and earthy near the rind, but becomes much lighter in texture and taste in the middle of the cheese. The lighter part of the cheese almost has that squeaky dry curd quality. It's slightly acidic and fruity and all I can think about is eating it with figs and then taking a nap.




Ardrahan
This is an Irish washed rind cows milk cheese. Handmade by Mary Burns near Kanturk, Co Cork, Ireland (this info also taken from Neals Yard Dairy). The Ardrahan literally stinks! It has a lighter pungency than I thought it might, less ammonia smelling and more sweet. The texture is as it looks in the picture. Soft and ripe around the edges and crumbly and bright near the center. The Ardrahan is not scary at all. A full bite tastes like an extra bitter Hefeweisen beer. It's smooth as it goes down and has that fermentation that clears the tongue of the milk and lingers for a couple of minutes. It's a great experience.

Bayley Hazen Blue and La Tur

Bayley Hazen Blue
I love blue cheese! I have a suspicion that I am slightly allergic to penicillin which gives me a slight high after eating a wedge, but probably not. It's just that good. I picked up Bayley Hazen Blue, a raw cow's milk cheese made by Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Virginia. I was first impressed by the many veins of blue and the raw milk (I have not tried many raw cheeses). It smells like dry grass, dandelion root and, near the rind, honey. The texture at touch is sticky and soft. In the mouth it will crumble along the veins and then melt. The taste is smooth and dry. It's not too salty with the earthy blue veins being slightly mild, not astringent, and mixing seamlessly with the sweet Ayrshire cow's milk.



La Tur

This mixture of cow's, sheep's, and goat's milk hails from the Piemonte region of Italy. This is a young, soft rind cheese that yields the tastes of mushroom, acorn and sweet milk. It is soft and gooey around the edges and is perfect with some rustic bread or baguette. My favorite part of La Tur is the texture. It changes from light and fluffy to rich and gooey as you move from center to rind. The sheep's and goat's milk adds a brighter tone to the cheese and this allows one to eat far more than expected. That's a good thing.