Mario Milosevic » quotidian

The Natives Here Are so Quaint and Friendly

mm — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:08:06 +0000

I’m sitting on a bench outside a restaurant in the little town where I live, soaking up the shade while waiting for my friend. We’re going to have lunch together. A guy I’ve seen around town, but don’t know, walks by. He’s showing his grandfather the sights. “Over here,” he says, “is the town ice cream parlor. And just down here is this restaurant that used to be a brothel back in the twenties. And right there—” he points to me “—is the guy who works at the library.”

Yup. I’m one of the local tourist attractions. And I am a happy people.

New Look

mm — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:33:42 +0000

First of all, that’s not a picture of me at the top of the page. It’s the penguin who appears in one of the illustrations for Terrastina and Mazolli. He and I extend a hearty welcome to everyone who has migrated from my blogger blog, and to anyone else who has stumbled on this little strand of the web. Most of the tabs at the top are under construction. I hope to have them in working order over the next few weeks. Until then, this blog will continue pretty much as it did at the previous site. Hope you all like the new look.

Spring Cleaning

mm — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:14:00 +0000

I’ve got a bunch of science fiction digest magazines I don’t want anymore. They have been in boxes for seven years and I have not once felt the urge to open any of those boxes, which reminds me of that rule for getting rid of stuff: If you haven’t used something in two years, you probably don’t need it. Or something like that. I’m not exactly quoting directly, but you get the idea. Anyway. There are about 850 of these things. I’ve got issues of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction going all they way back to the early 50s, I’ve got Asimov’s from 1982 to 1998 and a smattering of some Analogs and Amazings from the late 80s and early 90s. None of these are complete runs, but I do have many complete years for F&SF and Asimov’s.

What to do with these? Well, it would be nice to sell them. Are you interested? I’ll entertain offers. Know anyone else who might be? A collector? A kid besotted by all things science fictional? Pass the word on. I know if I got a big box of these things when I was about twelve or thirteen years old I would have been on cloud nine for months. Years.

Let me know in the comments. I can also provide a list of specific issues for anyone interested.

Shedding

mm — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:12:00 +0000

When I’m mowing the lawn I sometimes find a snakeskin nestled in the blades of grass in our front yard. The skin is usually about a foot long, translucent, and still bears the imprint of tail, scales, belly, jaws, nostrils, and eyes. It’s like finding the ghost of a snake haunting our yard. I always pick up the skin. It feels like tissue paper, dry and smooth, and I take it into the house where I can admire it. Molting is just an ordinary thing that snakes do, the same way we cut our hair or clip our fingernails. Nevertheless, encountering a snakeskin is always a highlight of my day. It feels like a close encounter with a secret of the universe.

Steamed Vegetables

mm — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Yeah, it sounds kind of boring, but this is a favorite dish in our house. Kim and I try to always have it around. Here’s how we do it:

1. Cut up 3 carrots, 2 broccoli heads, some cabbage, and half a cauliflower into bite size pieces.

2. Trim the ends off a handful of snow peas and sugar snap peas.

3. Steam the carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower for exactly two minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for another two minutes and no more. The timing is crucial. You don’t want to end up with mushy vegetables.

4. Immediately transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Toss with several minced cloves of garlic and a splash of olive oil.

That’s it. Serve with black beans and your favorite grain. We usually use rice or quinoa. Garnish with lime wedges and a few slices of avocado. These vegetables also go great with baked tofu or some salmon. This recipe is so simple even a writer can master it, and it’s so good I never tire of it.

Snow

mm — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:00:00 +0000

On Saturday and Sunday we got over two feet of snow in our little town. Everything was covered in clean whiteness. Our car looked like a giant marshmallow. Most of the snow is still here, although some of it has melted. On Monday morning I shoveled a path down our steps to the street. It was a meditative and contemplative activity I quite enjoyed. Last night, after work, I went out and shoveled more snow, making a path in the sidewalk in front of the house and also in front of both of our neighbor’s houses. Now people can walk on the sidewalk in our neighborhood instead of on the street. A little thing, but it felt good to do it.