Poem: After

In honor of the Vernal Equinox, here's another one of my favorite Octavio Paz poems. I really love the raw sinewy visuals contained within his words.

After the journey of emotional compression in the earlier verses, the ending is such a relief that my heart is filled with tremendous hope and assurance that no matter how dark it ever seems, sunshine will always prevail!

Since the powerful symbolism seems harsh on the first read, I encourage multiple readings to allow it soak in fully.

after

~ Octavio Paz ~

after chopping off all the arms that reached out to me;

after boarding up all the windows and doors;

after filling all the pits with poisoned water;

after building my house on the rock of no,

inaccessible to flattery and fear;

after cutting off my tongue and eating it;

after hurling handfuls of silence

and monosyllable of scorn at my loves;

after forgetting my name;

and the name of my birthplace;

and the name of my race;

after judging and sentencing myself

to perpetual waiting,

and perpetual loneliness, I heard

against the stones of my dungeon of syllogisms,

the humid, tender, insistent

onset of spring.

Tuesday is National Clean Your Computer Day!

In case you didn't know, Tuesday is "National Clean Your Computer Day". And since I'm a “techno-geek”, I thought I’d do my part and assist you as best as I can.

I found a VERY simple, safe, quick and easy way to clean up your computer. It takes just a minute to achieve a spotless well maintained computer, simply click here and you’ll be well on your way to having a super clean computer!

Feel free to call/email me if you have any questions :) Oh, and be sure to spread the word to your friends and help them out!

Tom Yum Soup Recipe

This is my favorite soup when I eat out. I can't believe how easy and quick it is to make! The delicious warmth thawed me out from a day of playing in the snow and my house smells marvelous with all the different spices.

Since I've been receiving requests for the Tom Yum Soup recipe, I thought I'd post it here. Here’s the link the original recipe if you want to follow it “verbatim”.

I listed the specialty items by brand and price to give you an idea of how economic this soup is.

Deb’s Modified Tom Yum Recipe:
1 49.5 oz can (6 cups) of chicken broth
2 chicken breasts (sliced thin strips)
2 stalks of lemongrass* (local Asian grocer, $2.99 for 3 stalks – frozen whole) * How to prepare lemongrass.
4 lime leaves (local Asian grocer, $2.59 a bag with about 50 leaves – frozen whole)
2 tsp of Tom Yum paste (Por Kwan brand, 8 oz jar for $3.59 from local Asian grocer)
2 tsp basil (fresh would be better!)
2 tsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 8 oz can bamboo shoots
2 oz pea pods (this time of year, I found a 6 oz bag and used about 1/3 bag)
4 oz mushrooms (petites). Original recipe calls for shitake, but I used fresh white mushrooms without discernable taste difference (much cheaper!)
2 medium tomatoes (cut into 8 wedges each)

Optional:
Broccoli
Carrots
Coconut milk (next time I will use coconut milk for richer flavor)

1. Put broth, lemongrass and lime leaves in pot. Bring to boil with lid.
2. When the broth starts boiling, drop the chicken in to cook. If you add it before water is hot, the chicken will get rubbery.
3. Let simmer 2-3 minutes with lid.
4. Add chili paste (add more or less to taste, I used 2 tsp and it was pleasantly hot)
5. Add basil.
6. Add bamboo shoots (and any other hard veggies like broccoli or carrots).
7. Let simmer 2-3 minutes with lid.
8. Add mushrooms. Simmer another 1-2 minutes with lid.
9. Add pea pods.
10. Add tomatoes.
11. Turn off heat. Leave with lid for 1 minute. (you don’t want to overcook the tomato or pea pods)
12. Serve and enjoy!