Cheap and Romantic - The Best Valentine's Day Plans

I should have started planning months ago, at least if I was industrious and thought I would have options I would have. As it was, my mind was occupied with other things.  It's for this reason I've only recently started thinking about it. 

That's right.  After February 6, I have another celebration I have to plan - Valentine's Day.  I've made Christian come up with plans too often in the past and I think I'm long overdue to come up with our celebration plans.  Seeing as I have a limited budget with which to work, I have to be a little more creative.

This will be our sixth Valentine's Day together, and our third as a married couple.  The last few V days have involved anything from watching the sunset from the Santa Ynez mountains complete with wine and cheese, to dressing up and going to a movie theater where they serve dinner in several courses.  This year I think we're going to have to do something different.  Because Christian has been making the plans, he's largely tried to do things that would impress me, sweet as he is.  I guess this year it's time for me to return the favor.

In the urban Northeast, where I grew up, there were very few people who went camping.  Sure, I went to summer camp.  Summer camp consisted of a week along a finger lake in upstate New York with a single night in a sleeping bag under the stars, the rest in cabins with full bathrooms. I had fun, but I wouldn't say it was roughing it by any means.  I haven't really done any kind of tent camping ever.  Having a pop tent in your basement with all your stuffed animals at the age of four doesn't really count.  So you can imagine my reluctance to allow Christian to take me camping.  Unfortunately for me, he went backpacking with some friends a couple years ago which required him to get some camping gear.  Since then, I've warmed to the idea, at least for short outings, if not full months in the wilderness armed only with anti-microbal underwear and a camping stove.

So what will we do this Valentine's Day? Well, we'll go camping of course!  Wine, aged cheese, some veggies and dip, and a little fire under the stars.  The cost will be minimal and we'll be able to do something nice - getting away in a beautiful place - which is perfect considering the resources at our disposal.  While this may have seemed unappealing three years ago, now, it sounds like the perfect way to celebrate my husband and my relationship this Valentine's Day.

Samhain - The Real All Hallows

Since I've been doing all this odd-ball research I figured I would share some of my findings with you. 

I grew up in Albany NY.  Albany used to be the second stop of Sinn Fein right after Boston.  I remember the free concert series in parks in Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Troy, Albany, and the surrounding area as primarily consisting of fiddles, accordions, harps, and bodhrans. Even to the south of Albany, when I attended Bard College, we visited a Celtic Mountain Festival where there were traditional Celtic games.

In 9th grade my family visited Britain for a month.  One week was entirely devoted to Scotland where we learned about my father's clan.  I have to say, it was the first place I actually felt at home in my soul.  Keep in mind, Celts are one of the last groups of white people to still have something like tribal affiliation.  Anyone in the US who has Celtic pride will likely also have a tattoo somewhere on their body depicting their clan coat of arms.

Why do I tell you all this? Because unlike some pre-Christian holidays, the Celtic New Year is alive and well.  I would go so far as to say it is thriving. The only problem is, most people don't know what they're celebrating.

Samhain, the Celtic New Year, marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark part of the year.  Villages would start the celebration by lighting a great bonfire (which incidentally, is a part of all Celtic festivals).  All the families in the village would symbolically take a bit of the fire back to their homes to light their way through the darker days of the year. Villages would cull their herds to ensure the health of their livestock through the dark months.   The festival itself could last anywhere from three days to a week.  During that time, a lot of effort was spent on lighter pursuits because the work for the land was over.  This meant young people would spend their time courting.  A good bit of divination went on in order for young people to discover the name of their future partner.  They would peel and apple completely, throwing the peel over their shoulder to see what letter it would form - this was to be the first letter of their spouse's first name.  They would put nuts in the fire and attempt to divine letters and names that way.  Even cracking eggs and pouring the contents into a cup was supposed to help guide you to your husband or wife.

Because Samhain marks a transition time of year, the veil between the spirit world and the world of the living is very thin.  It is important to note, that any place where there is transition in Celtic myth and customs is a time where connections between the Otherworld are more likely.  The other holiday of similar transition is Beltane, or May Day.  Being that Samhain is marking the transition to the darker portion of the year, there is greater emphasis on spirits (dressing in costumes) and keeping them at bay (carving turnips into lanterns).

My guess is these two holidays are the most important because Celtic traditions originally derived from the Gauls.  In Gaulish, there are only two seasons, winter and summer.  These are delineated by Samhain and Beltane. 

The conception of Halloween now involves candy, wild costumes, and a whole lot of commercialism.  While I'm glad that one of the old holidays is still alive and well, I'm sad it has turned into what it has when its history is rich and beautiful, about community and family. Maybe someday it will come back around closer to what it used to be.

Since we're still within a week after the date, let me just wish you a happy Samhain.

"Bio-Crack" Breakfast of Champions

Last night we averted disaster in our kitchen. We had an oil fire, which we put out, and filled our apartment up with smoke.  Even though we cleaned the kitchen thoroughly, I am dusting and going through the house finding pieces of ash everywhere.  I imagine this is similar to what happens when there is an outdoor fire (having never lived through one myself).

Last night the place smelled awful, even after all the fans and windows had been moved or opened in such a way to create maximum airflow. I took a decongestant so I would be able to sleep.  We woke up late this morning, and I knew I was going to need a little pick-me-up.  Normally my breakfast ritual involves some kind of hot drink with lots of caffeine.  I have tried lesser drinks, but always I return to a stiff black tea or a French roast.  This morning was different.  I chose instead to abstain from caffeine and go for something a little more intense, though many might say it is less.

Protein shakes are the health drink of the day.  Any trainer (especially for men) is going to tell you to drink them to "reshape" your body, overcome muscle fatigue, and any number of other things.  Thanks to South Beach, that is even more so because everyone is into a high protein diet which supposedly jumps starts weight loss. 

I have two giant tubs of whey powder, one vanilla and the other chocolate.  I use them to supplement homemade smoothies (usually adding some flax) which generally have a lot of fruit in them.  My personal favorite is a mixed berry.  The chocolate whey powder doesn't really go very well with the fruit... so how could I use it? I decided to have that for snacks and things.  It wasn't until the last couple days I realized a whole new dimension of chocolate whey powder.

Almonds are likewise the nut of the gods at the moment.  Research has shown all kinds of health benefits from eating almonds (though just as many more are claimed).

So why couldn't I mix chocolate whey powder with almonds? I decided to experiment.  The result was this recipe:

1 scoop chocolate whey powder
2 spoonfuls of raw almond butter (any would likely work)
2 spoonfuls of plain yogurt
1 spoon of malt (optional, for flavor)
5 regular icecubes
1-2 cups milk (depending how watery you like)

Put all this in a blender, blend for 30 seconds (or until smooth) and prepare for deliciousness! Yum!!

The downside (or plus side depending on how you look at it) to this type of breakfast is you might be crazily energized (read: bouncing off the walls) for several hours.  If you are prepared for that (and whoever you live with is also) then get to it!

But speaking as a caffeine addict, honestly, you will still need that as well so maybe put the kettle on to be safe. :-)