my mind is a sieve

cookies are delicious

2009-12-20T04:46:39Z

So I have three eggs left in the fridge. Plan? BAKE COOKIES.

Some recipes:
Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Spice Cookies
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Nutella Lava Cookies
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Obviously I am not planning on baking all these cookies...but I'll decide what exactly to bake tomorrow.

Also, I recently baked these peanut butter chocolate chip brownies and they turned out really well. Go forth...and eat peanut butter.

help me pick a thank you card

2009-11-26T03:48:32Z

So...I'm going to send/give Karen a thank you note when I finish my internship, and since it is the Print Department, I figure a really nice letterpress/handmade card would be awesome. I know Black Ink in Harvard Square sells letterpress cards, so I could always buy one there. But I found some cool ones on Etsy.

byvikink

papertigerdesigns

tinaspaper

modernmanifesto

So, what looks good? Or give me links to people who sell awesome cards...I need to buy them soon.

WOOO EAT LOTS OF FOOD TOMORROW EVERYONE.

P.S.
This tea towel by slidesideways is adorable.

Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Suprise You!

2009-11-15T16:04:28Z

article from The Anarchist Library

Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Suprise You!
Author: David Graeber

Chances are you have already heard something about who anarchists are and what they are supposed to believe. Chances are almost everything you have heard is nonsense. Many people seem to think that anarchists are proponents of violence, chaos, and destruction, that they are against all forms of order and organization, or that they are crazed nihilists who just want to blow everything up. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Anarchists are simply people who believe human beings are capable of behaving in a reasonable fashion without having to be forced to. It is really a very simple notion. But it's one that the rich and powerful have always found extremely dangerous.

At their very simplest, anarchist beliefs turn on to two elementary assumptions. The first is that human beings are, under ordinary circumstances, about as reasonable and decent as they are allowed to be, and can organize themselves and their communities without needing to be told how. The second is that power corrupts. Most of all, anarchism is just a matter of having the courage to take the simple principles of common decency that we all live by, and to follow them through to their logical conclusions. Odd though this may seem, in most important ways you are probably already an anarchist — you just don't realize it.

Let's start by taking a few examples from everyday life.

•If there's a line to get on a crowded bus, do you wait your turn and refrain from elbowing your way past others even in the absence of police?
If you answered “yes”, then you are used to acting like an anarchist! The most basic anarchist principle is self-organization: the assumption that human beings do not need to be threatened with prosecution in order to be able to come to reasonable understandings with each other, or to treat each other with dignity and respect.

Everyone believes they are capable of behaving reasonably themselves. If they think laws and police are necessary, it is only because they don't believe that other people are. But if you think about it, don't those people all feel exactly the same way about you? Anarchists argue that almost all the anti-social behavior which makes us think it's necessary to have armies, police, prisons, and governments to control our lives, is actually caused by the systematic inequalities and injustice those armies, police, prisons and governments make possible. It's all a vicious circle. If people are used to being treated like their opinions do not matter, they are likely to become angry and cynical, even violent — which of course makes it easy for those in power to say that their opinions do not matter. Once they understand that their opinions really do matter just as much as anyone else's, they tend to become remarkably understanding. To cut a long story short: anarchists believe that for the most part it is power itself, and the effects of power, that make people stupid and irresponsible.

•Are you a member of a club or sports team or any other voluntary organization where decisions are not imposed by one leader but made on the basis of general consent?
If you answered “yes”, then you belong to an organization which works on anarchist principles! Another basic anarchist principle is voluntary association. This is simply a matter of applying democratic principles to ordinary life. The only difference is that anarchists believe it should be possible to have a society in which everything could be organized along these lines, all groups based on the free consent of their members, and therefore, that all top-down, military styles of organization like armies or bureaucracies or large corporations, based on chains of command, would no longer be necessary. Perhaps you don't believe that would be possible. Perhaps you do. But every time you reach an agreement by consensus, rather than threats, every time you make a voluntary arrangement with another person, come to an understanding, or reach a compromise by taking due consideration of the other person's particular situation or needs, you are being an anarchist — even if you don't realize it.

Anarchism is just the way people act when they are free to do as they choose, and when they deal with others who are equally free — and therefore aware of the responsibility to others that entails. This leads to another crucial point: that while people can be reasonable and considerate when they are dealing with equals, human nature is such that they cannot be trusted to do so when given power over others. Give someone such power, they will almost invariably abuse it in some way or another.

•Do you believe that most politicians are selfish, egotistical swine who don't really care about the public interest? Do you think we live in an economic system which is stupid and unfair?
If you answered “yes”, then you subscribe to the anarchist critique of today's society — at least, in its broadest outlines. Anarchists believe that power corrupts and those who spend their entire lives seeking power are the very last people who should have it. Anarchists believe that our present economic system is more likely to reward people for selfish and unscrupulous behavior than for being decent, caring human beings. Most people feel that way. The only difference is that most people don't think there's anything that can be done about it, or anyway — and this is what the faithful servants of the powerful are always most likely to insist — anything that won't end up making things even worse.

But what if that weren't true?

And is there really any reason to believe this? When you can actually test them, most of the usual predictions about what would happen without states or capitalism turn out to be entirely untrue. For thousands of years people lived without governments. In many parts of the world people live outside of the control of governments today. They do not all kill each other. Mostly they just get on about their lives the same as anyone else would. Of course, in a complex, urban, technological society all this would be more complicated: but technology can also make all these problems a lot easier to solve. In fact, we have not even begun to think about what our lives could be like if technology were really marshaled to fit human needs. How many hours would we really need to work in order to maintain a functional society — that is, if we got rid of all the useless or destructive occupations like telemarketers, lawyers, prison guards, financial analysts, public relations experts, bureaucrats and politicians, and turn our best scientific minds away from working on space weaponry or stock market systems to mechanizing away dangerous or annoying tasks like coal mining or cleaning the bathroom, and distribute the remaining work among everyone equally? Five hours a day? Four? Three? Two? Nobody knows because no one is even asking this kind of question. Anarchists think these are the very questions we should be asking.

•Do you really believe those things you tell your children (or that your parents told you)?
“It doesn't matter who started it.” “Two wrongs don't make a right.” “Clean up your own mess.” “Do unto others...” “Don't be mean to people just because they're different.” Perhaps we should decide whether we're lying to our children when we tell them about right and wrong, or whether we're willing to take our own injunctions seriously. Because if you take these moral principles to their logical conclusions, you arrive at anarchism.

Take the principle that two wrongs don't make a right. If you really took it seriously, that alone would knock away almost the entire basis for war and the criminal justice system. The same goes for sharing: we're always telling children that they have to learn to share, to be considerate of each other's needs, to help each other; then we go off into the real world where we assume that everyone is naturally selfish and competitive. But an anarchist would point out: in fact, what we say to our children is right. Pretty much every great worthwhile achievement in human history, every discovery or accomplishment that's improved our lives, has been based on cooperation and mutual aid; even now, most of us spend more of our money on our friends and families than on ourselves; while likely as not there will always be competitive people in the world, there's no reason why society has to be based on encouraging such behavior, let alone making people compete over the basic necessities of life. That only serves the interests of people in power, who want us to live in fear of one another. That's why anarchists call for a society based not only on free association but mutual aid. The fact is that most children grow up believing in anarchist morality, and then gradually have to realize that the adult world doesn't really work that way. That's why so many become rebellious, or alienated, even suicidal as adolescents, and finally, resigned and bitter as adults; their only solace, often, being the ability to raise children of their own and pretend to them that the world is fair. But what if we really could start to build a world which really was at least founded on principles of justice? Wouldn't that be the greatest gift to one's children one could possibly give?

•Do you believe that human beings are fundamentally corrupt and evil, or that certain sorts of people (women, people of color, ordinary folk who are not rich or highly educated) are inferior specimens, destined to be ruled by their betters?
If you answered “yes”, then, well, it looks like you aren't an anarchist after all. But if you answered “no”, then chances are you already subscribe to 90% of anarchist principles, and, likely as not, are living your life largely in accord with them. Every time you treat another human with consideration and respect, you are being an anarchist. Every time you work out your differences with others by coming to reasonable compromise, listening to what everyone has to say rather than letting one person decide for everyone else, you are being an anarchist. Every time you have the opportunity to force someone to do something, but decide to appeal to their sense of reason or justice instead, you are being an anarchist. The same goes for every time you share something with a friend, or decide who is going to do the dishes, or do anything at all with an eye to fairness.

Now, you might object that all this is well and good as a way for small groups of people to get on with each other, but managing a city, or a country, is an entirely different matter. And of course there is something to this. Even if you decentralize society and puts as much power as possible in the hands of small communities, there will still be plenty of things that need to be coordinated, from running railroads to deciding on directions for medical research. But just because something is complicated does not mean there is no way to do it democratically. It would just be complicated. In fact, anarchists have all sorts of different ideas and visions about how a complex society might manage itself. To explain them though would go far beyond the scope of a little introductory text like this. Suffice it to say, first of all, that a lot of people have spent a lot of time coming up with models for how a really democratic, healthy society might work; but second, and just as importantly, no anarchist claims to have a perfect blueprint. The last thing we want is to impose prefab models on society anyway. The truth is we probably can't even imagine half the problems that will come up when we try to create a democratic society; still, we're confident that, human ingenuity being what it is, such problems can always be solved, so long as it is in the spirit of our basic principles — which are, in the final analysis, simply the principles of fundamental human decency.

Source: http://nymaa.org/surprise_anarchist

Design Research

2009-11-13T02:23:52Z

So, I've been eying this place in Harvard Square for quite some time...every time I walk by I think how dangerous (for my bank account) it would be if I actually went inside.
Glancing through my blogger feed today, and what do I see? It's that mesmerizing building, with all its pretty colors and cleverly hung umbrellas!

Except...oh...wait...you can't go in.

Apparently it's an installation of Design Research, the store for which that space was originally built.

Well then, I guess I better stare at it all I can since it's coming down in April :(

I want to make this; it sounds yummy. Creamy Red Wine Risotto.

some prints on etsy

2009-11-12T04:25:57Z

byvikINK

aliaschman

Corn Chowder!! (and African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup +links)

2009-11-07T01:27:38Z

I plan on making this tomorrow or Sunday. Hopefully it's tasty!

3 cups of fresh sweet corn kernels - 7 to 10 ears depending on size
(Jersey corn is my preference but then again I'm partial)
1 large red or yellow onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
6 new potatoes, cup up into small cubes
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
Salt, to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy bottomed soup pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the chicken stock and then the potatoes. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Now add milk, the grated corn pulp and juice only, and thyme and pepper. Let this simmer for about 8 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Add the whole corn kernels that you removed from the corn cobs and the heavy cream. Let this simmer for 5 or 6 minutes until the corn kernels are cooked. Be careful not to overcook them.

Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

From The Reluctant Gourmet.

Unfortunately I will be using frozen corn...I wonder if in place of the grated corn pulp I could just put some of the corn in a food processor...? Oh well, I'll figure something out.

Also, this recipe looks interesting...
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

And...I think I'll be making this with my left over chicken drumsticks...
Onion Smothered Chicken

potentially going nuts next semester

2009-11-04T21:44:12Z

Today for Natural History Drawing we went to Gemma's studio and made monotypes (well, the class did...I just walked around, ate cookies, and hung up prints on the wall...) I'd have loved to do a print or two (even brought some drawings to use just in case!) but the studio was pretty packed to begin with so I didn't even suggest it.

Anyway, being in the monotype studio and seeing all the awesome prints people were making reminded me that AIB has a monotype class. I'd really like to take it, but I also want to take Intaglio II next semester. I don't really want to give up either one, but I also don't want to kill myself (hmm...2 studio classes, thesis, French, plus 2 writing/reading intensive art history classes...?) I don't know if I want to go there, but it's also my last semester and I'm determined to squeeze everything I possibly can out of it while still retaining my sanity.

Anyway, potential schedule for next semester, if I do indeed decide to take Monotype (which is, thankfully, only 1.5 credits).

MONDAY
1:00-2:15 French II

TUESDAY
12:20-3:05 Intaglio II

WEDNESDAY
1:00-2:15 French II
6:45-9:15 Issues in Visual Culture

THURSDAY
12:20-3:05 Intaglio II
6:30-9:15 Monotype I

FRIDAY
12:20-3:05 Curators, Critics, and Collectors

+Thesis, with periodic meetings throughout the semester.
+January mini-semester class Yoga: Theory, Culture, and Practice

I have a feeling I'll end up dropping something. Almost every class I'm taking next semester is an elective...I don't need any more Art History credits or Gen Ed credits, I only need 1.5 credits for my Visual Studies minor, and the only two classes that are absolutely necessary are French II and my Thesis (6 credits worth of requirements)...so there's some wiggle room in there...I'm just stubborn (and kind of dumb)...

I WANT PUMPKIN COFFEE. I hope Dunkin Donuts isn't out like last time :(

Feliz dia de los muertos

2009-11-03T02:55:07Z

click for many cool pictures

Unfortunately the site that I saved this picture from didn't credit the artist. Looks like Ronald Kurniawan to me.

YUMS

2009-10-16T23:51:23Z

Nun's Revenge Italian Hot Chocolate
Mexican Style Sweetened Black Coffee

wtf

2009-09-30T21:48:42Z

Simultaneously funny and sickening: The Rape Tunnel. My answer would be "no" to the "is it art?" query.
Buddha Shaped Pears from China. BUDDHA-FRUIT.

recipeeees

2009-09-18T15:25:15Z

Looking at recipes because I have a sudden desire to make pasta salad...I quickly got distracted by other things, however, since recipezaar posted a list of "Top 25 Freezer-Friendly Recipes." I found a really tasty looking mac and cheese recipe that looks much simpler (and cheaper) than the recipe I normally use. So I'll probably try that out. Also found some turkey meatloaf recipes--someone suggested cooking it in a muffin tin to make mini-meatloafs (GENIUS!) Also found something called "Poverty Meal" (lol). Looks yummy, I might try to make it. As for pasta salad, I'm intrigued by "Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad."

My keyboard keeps getting worse and worse -_-

Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad
Poverty Meal
Turkey Meatloaf
Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Top 25 Freezer-Friendly Recipes

lots and lots of pictures

2009-09-07T00:14:10Z

I've been saving a lot of images from Illustrivo.

FANTASTIC

2009-08-19T02:10:31Z

!!!! Fantastic Mister Fox (and all of Roald Dahl's books) was one of my favorite stories when I was little. Just watching that trailer makes me want to dig it up out of my piles of old books, and read it again (hell, I might do just that). I'm excited to see this movie. EEEEEE.

Rock Candy: The Art of Femke Hiemstra

2009-08-12T23:19:15Z

OH MAN. This book looks amazing and I will definitely be purchasing a copy. Femke Hiemstra does beautiful work and Fantagraphics publishes gorgeous, luciously designed books so it's like a match made in heaven and enough to make an art+book nerd like myself drool profusely.

I made a post about Hiemstra quite a while ago, when she was featured in Hi-Fructose Magazine. You can see that post HERE.

YESSSSS!

some links

2009-08-07T21:26:47Z

I Love Letterpress
Studio on Fire
Indexhibit (web building tool)
Monsieur Boudin

picture time

2009-08-07T04:23:11Z

I haven't made an inspirational image post in forever, although I've been accumulating pictures and stuff on my desktop (as usual). Here are some pretty pictures to look at, prominently featuring random awesome things and beautiful women (especially Ulorin Vex <3 Photobucket will likely delete the photos with boobs but what ever, I'll fix that later.

Will add image credits later.

Lunch Bunch Raffle and Fundraiser

2009-07-15T03:56:41Z

I am so ridiculously exhausted right now but I just wanted to post about this awesome cause that you guys should help out if you have a spare $10:

The Lunch Bunch

This month they are holding a raffle for a limited edition print by Ana Bagayan (one of the Lunch Bunch creators/volunteers). To enter, donate $10 through the link on this blog post. You can also find some more info there. The drawing is being held July 25th, and there will be two winners.

Book Blog

2009-06-27T03:59:41Z

Reviews and Ramblings of a Bibliophile

I post stuff about books here, but it's a lot more organized in that blog. Also I will probably write some longer reviews of books that I don't bother posting here, if you care what I'm reading or what I think about it (lol).

The reason I even bothered making this blog is because I zip through books fairly quickly, and unfortunately they tend to slip from my mind not too long after that, unless it was a totally life-altering book (which, let's be honest, most aren't). I figure, if I'm going to devote a few hours/days of my life to reading something, I should probably document it SOMEHOW. Also, this is the first summer in a long time that I've actually had enough free time to do tons of my own reading, which means I can make a dent in the ridiculous to-read pile that's been accumulating forever. If I have time to keep it updated after summer, I'll continue to post, but for now I'm just making it a summer project.

ALSO, come August/September I'm going to have a sizable pile of books that I'll probably want to give away. I could pretty easily list these on bookmooch, but I'll also probably post a list of facebook or something. If you are interested in one of the books I post about and would like to borrow/have the book, let me know and I'll reserve it for you. I'm also down for trading, if you have something you think I'd like (in fact, trading would be super nice).

:)

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf

2009-06-26T19:40:56Z

I just received this info in an email from Papercut Zine Library. Very cool. Read below for info about the zine and details about submitting a comic for the next zine.

----

Hello!

Last year, we compiled the first issue of a sex education comic book
called Not Your Mother's Meatloaf. We are two ladies currently living in
New York City. Not Your Mother's Meatloaf is a collection of comics drawn
by various artists that address issues of sexual health and sexual
experience. This project is an attempt to challenge hetero and gender
normative practices in sexuality education, and provide alternative
narratives. Currently, we are collecting submissions for the next issue
of Not Your Mother's Meatloaf. You can learn more about the project on
our blog, sexedcomicproject.blogspot.com We would like to reach a broader
audience and were hoping that Papercut Library and members of the
community there would like to be involved. We are contacting a variety of
Bookstores, Distros, Health Centers, Youth Centers, Schools,
Organizations/Collectives and Magazines, and we see your mission aligned
with ours.

We would like to mail your library a complementary copy of the first
issue. If you are interested in stocking Not Your Mother's Meatloaf, it is
currently available through Microcosm Publishing for 3 dollars. Check it
out here: http://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/2774 We will also
include fliers asking for submissions for the second issue. The theme for
the second issue is "FIRSTS." First experiences in all realms of sexual
health. This can include anything from first sexual experiences to first
experiences with abuse to a first time standing up to street harassment to
a first break-up or any (and many) other ways one could interpret
"FIRSTS." You can check out the blog for more information, including
submission guidelines. THE DEADLINE IS AUGUST 1ST

If you are interested, please send us your address. We look forward to
hearing from you!

Thank you,
Saiya Miller and Liza Bley
The Not Your Mother's Meatloaf editors

Super Simple Brownies

2009-06-23T20:44:43Z

Baked some brownies today. Super easy, and super tasty:

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Grease an 8 inch square pan.
3 In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
4 Add sugar and mix well.
5 Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
6 Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).
7 Fold in additional stuff like M&M's or what ever you want
8 Spread in pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
9 DO NOT OVER-BAKE -- your brownies will come out dry. Adjust time/temp accordingly for your oven. If you do the knife/toothpick test, it should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.

For double recipe, bake in 9x12 pan and add 5 minutes to baking time.

Source: Recipe Zaar

My brother wanted marshmallows, so he cut up some big ones and we pressed the pieces into the batter after it was in the pan. Didn't work out quite as planned. So, while our brownies look like they have some sort of nasty fungus growing on them, trust me, they are taaaaasty.

small press, fine art press, books

2009-06-15T02:14:27Z

I think my computer is becoming very unhappy because of all the tabs I have open right now, so here's a link dump.

These were found through this website: Vamp and Tramp, Booksellers, LLC

Bird Press (also on Vamp&Tramp)
Delphius Press
Kat Ran Press (also on Vamp&Tramp)
The Lone Oak Press
Parula Press
Crown Ring Press (also on Vamp&Tramp)
Warwick Press (also on Vamp&Tramp)
Oak Knoll Press

Miscellaneous Recipes

2009-05-14T01:58:45Z

I have a million tabs open right now and my bookmarks are like a black hole, so I will post them here.

All found via Tastespotting.com

Cakes, breads, muffins, and other sweet treats.
Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Cranberries
No Knead Bread
Mini Chocolate Cake Donuts
Nutty Bread
One Hour Wheat Bread
Chocolate Banana Bread
Black Sesame Milk Bread
Nutella Chocolate Brownies
Zucchini Chocolate Muffins
Peanut Butter Quick Bread
Healthy-ish Zucchini Bread
English Muffins
Cinnamon Rolls
Travelers Chocolate Muffins

Various entrees.
Pork & Garlic Chives Dumplings
Spicy Sausage Pasta
Firecracker Grilled Alaskan Salmon
Peanut Chicken Burger
Spicy Beef Stew with Kale and Pinto Beans
Spicy Chicken and Lettuce Wraps with Garlic Yogurt Dressing
Baked Lemon Thyme Chicken Wings
Poulet a L'Indien
Grilled Garlic-Lime Chicken on Greens and Pasta with Broccoli Pesto
Wasabi Chicken Noodle Patties
Roasted Honey Chicken Wings

Sort of random.
Honey Butter

fruit, nut, and seed bars

2009-05-07T02:54:41Z

I took a lovely walk to Trader Joe's this evening so I could get some licorice. I ended up also buying Trader Joe's Five Seed Almond Bars because they looked too delicious to pass up, and I needed something to eat for breakfast until the end of the semester anyway.

Verdict on the almond bars: they are downright TASTY. I want to find a good recipe for fruit, nut, and seed bars (these ones are mostly nuts and seeds, but fruit is good too!)

Some googling led me to various recipes, some better looking than others. Here are a few that I thought sounded test-worthy. I'm looking forward to cooking/baking over summer break and discovering lots of new (hopefully cheap) recipes.

Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bars via myrecipes.com

Nigella's Breakfast Bars via eatingoutloud.com

Breakfast and Snack Bars via veggiemealplans.com

Bird Seed Energy Bars via allrecipes.com

Apple Pear Sunflower & Flax Seed Almond Date Snack or Breakfast Bars via goneraw.com

Pumpkin Granola Bars via sparkpeople.com

Mucho Seed and Cereal Bars via grouprecipes.com
(this one has an excess of ingredients..but..it looks tasty, and does say MUCHO after all)

So yes...I'm looking forward to trying some of those out and maybe figuring out a concoction of my own. Until then, I'm just going to munch on these Trader Joe's almond bars...

P.S. I just realized that I never made a "recipes" tag so I guess my previous recipe links have been lost in the depths of my LJ archives :[ Maybe one day when I'm bored I'll sift through everything and tag the appropriate entries...

"Nine Ways to Disappear" by Lilli Carre

2009-05-01T00:18:59Z

via Little Otsu!

Lilli Carre is one of my favorite mini-comics artists. Her work is just beautiful--lyrical, poetic, well-paced and just plain nice to look at. It looks like this book includes a few stories that were previously published as mini-comics, so it's nice to see them printed in a more widely accessible collection (since most of her mini-comics are out of print and impossible to find).

The charmingly peculiar short stories collected in Nine Ways to Disappear revolve loosely around the theme of disappearance and mark a new form for Lilli Carré. Skillfully drawn single panels explore a rich imagined world where actions have unexpected consequences and loneliness pervades, but not without a sense of the absurd. The stories read like vignettes that can span a day or decades, all drawn within a bordered page in intimate detail.

Each story unfolds quickly and features characters that run the gamut: joke-writing sisters gone awry, a wandering sleepwalker, a pearl with curious properties, an elusive coughing neighbor, a wide-eyed girl of questionable appeal, even a storm drain. Whether animate or inanimate, sweet or monstrous, Lilli has the ability to infuse them all with pathos, humanity, and humor.

* printed in Oakland, CA by a family-run printer
* soy-based inks on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
* interior pages blue ink on natural paper
* 5.25” wide x 5” tall, 192 pages
* recommended for mature readers

Fir Tree Found Growing Inside Man's Lung

2009-04-29T22:48:46Z

Source

A man who complained to doctors of severe chest pains was stunned when told his suspected tumour was actually a fir tree growing inside his lung.

Artyom Sidorkin, 28, from the Urals region of Russia, is believed to have inhaled a seed which then sprouted inside him.

Doctors were convinced he had cancer after he came to them complaining of agonising chest pains and coughing up blood.

An X-ray showed what was believed to be a tumour, and he was rushed to the operating theatre.

"We were 100% sure," said surgeon Vladimir Kamashev from Izhevsk in the Urals.

"We did X-rays and found what looked exactly like a tumour. I had seen hundreds before, so we decided on surgery."

Before removing the major part of the man's lung, the surgeon investigated the tissue taken in a biopsy.

"I thought I was hallucinating," said Dr Kamashev.

"I asked my assistant to have a look: 'Come and see this - we've got a fir tree here'."

"He nodded in shock. I blinked three times as I was sure I was seeing things."

The 2in (5cm) spruce, which was said to be touching the man's capillaries and causing severe pain, was removed.

Mr Sidorkin, now recovering after the op, said: "To be honest I did not feel any foreign object inside me. But I'm just so relieved it's not cancer."