Archive for February, 2009

Yesterday our house was robbed by a man who came up and knocked on the door, offering to help with some gardening. He began the job he had pretended he wanted to do,  removing the weeds from the front and then I had to go out to an appointment and when I came back, we had been robbed. This left me with an aching question: why did I agree to hire someone who I knew from the beginning I didn’t like, who the kids thought was sketchy? Some missplaced pity of his story of being out of work moved me to answer the door and agree to let him have the job of cleaning up the front flower bed.

When I got back to the “crime scene,” my home, the back door was ajar, and my computer and a guitar and a mandolin were gone, along with two computer screens.  Drawers all over the house were open where he had looked for cash. He took the kids allowance money they had left on their dressers. As I walked through a little before noon and surveyed the damage, I wondered: was it something I did or failed to do that caused this violation?

I know this is far from the greatest injustic ever seen in Fort Worth. I realize this happens every day. But nevertheless, I had to wonder as I surveyed the mess, what was the purpose of this in the cosmic scheme? Why would someone hurt another, unprovoked? Would he ever be caught? Punished? What gave him the idea of doing such a deed?

What did such a person feel that justified, in the criminal mind, doing something like this? Resentment, that great negative emotion, must be the true motvation for such acts and many greater wrongs. Larceny of any type is somehow tied up with an infantile cry of “mine.” The idea that we had something that others did not is the justification for theft. No complaint on my part that we have little enough would make sense to some people. We have enough to make us a target.

I have turned this over in my head all day: bad things happen. What can we do except call the bank and delink the computer from the account, order new deadbolts, give the kids a lecture about never answering the door when strange people knock, swear never to give anyone without a reference from someone I know the time of day ever again,

I am not Job. But I do feel afflicted, when my computer with all my stories and letters and pictures of three years of children is gone. What can this theif have known of how much these materials meant to me? Unless the computer is miraculously recovered the value of the items will be destroyed forever, because no one but my family understands them. The computer, meanwhile, 4 or 5 years old, could hardly be worth $50. And the mandolin the thief carried off, which my husband played to the children, what price that loss?

The only answer I can find is the answer God gave to Job, which is, it is not man’s path to know the answer.

The Amon Carter, February 14–May 10, 2009

A study of found objects and found life

I have an idea that a good are review allows readers to decide whether they should go  to the exhibit, and even if they do not, to discuss the larger ideas presented by the work intelligently if it comes up in conversation.

What ever the theme of the exhibit, it apparently didn’t jump right out at you. The Crane exhibit has so far been described as “indulging in curiosity instead of a linear consistency,” and ”voyeuristic” but this didn’t quite explain it for me. It’s photography, yes, it’s eclectic, sure, but there is a theme, isn’t there?

The first room you enter holds polaroids, some arranged side by side under glass, others printed in red and black and an array created of heir orignal packages, which makes one think of the Andy Warhol polaroids still being exhibited at TCU. This is not, actually, typical of the body of work in the exhibit, so don’t just veer off from this exhibit and hit the Remington bronzes one more time. There is more to Barbara Crane than geometry.

Crane revels in the photographing of strangers. Her polaroids from the set entitled “Maricopa County Fair” are shot from behind people walking arm in arm, and quite evocative of the emotion of camraderie. Surely, one might think as the photos are studied, we have seen these people somewhere ourselves. One particular polaroid in that set, featuring a woman wearing a buttery-soft brown leather coat, hugging her daughter, is sumptuous and poignant, catching a parent child embrace and a moment between childhood and adolescence as fleeting and lovely as the purple hour of twilight.

Still, much of the art just left me confused. “Wipe Outs,” a set of images that were overexposed by flash photography and looked like nothing so muchy as the stuff that normal household photographers throw in the garbage, left me more unsure of my reaction, even as the face of a baby bright white on the print both made me feel unsettled and sympathetic to the subject.

And almost everything is black and white. I asked my husband, who was attending with me, about this. “Until recently, when digital came along,” he said. “Art photographers really stuck to black and white. It’s difficult to manipulate color film in a darkroom.”

That explained the black and white preponderance . Still I wasn’t sure I completely understood what was driving the Crane photographic engine, which has been running now for over 60 years.  On the far wall, a black and white image of a huge wasp nest confonted me. I didn’t think it was ugly or dangerous, I just didn’t know what it meant. And when I don’t understand things, I feel anxious.

I was wandering around in the main exhibit room wondering about all this when I saw a woman I know. She called out ’hello’ and began to enthuse: ‘Barbara Crane, I just love her stuff!”

“Really?” I asked her. “Why?”

“She’s just so into the little things, she studies it all and she accepts it all. You know a lot of the stuff she found on the grounds. She’s just a little 80 year old woman, she never gives up, she just keeps going.”

We looked at a black and white print of a cat’s hairball. “That’s what I’m talking about,” my friend said. “Like, to her it’s not just something to thow away, she looks at it and she makes something out of it.”

An idea began to come into focus.  What I had seen initially as a fixationon the blurred and indistinct, the unclear, the puzzle could be reinterpreted as Crane’s window, her “take” on  the world. Puzzling, but intriguing. Perhaps she turned her lens to whatever she saw as an attempt to preserve and instruct.  In that case, the portraits of everyday people become not voyeuristic but sympathetic, the images of unusual objects are an attempt to preserve the forgotten in life … and the laying of negatives to produce effects I initially found confusing could be clarified into a commentary on the confusing nature of the modern life.

Crane’s first photographs are from the late 50’s and she is still working today. She is every inch a modern. But she is modern not only in her technique, but in her philosophy. She seems to want to stop the lens on the everyday, the commonplace, and say “look! This will never happen again in quite the same way!”

It reminds me, in a strange way, of Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegone Days published in the 80’s, when the recording of the very commonplace became popular. But Crane’s lens on the common was much wider than Keillor’s radio show and books.

In this Facebook generation, where everyone promotes themselves like they were a movie star, the commonness of the people in the portraits can seem antique, old fashioned, taking shots like these is somehow hopelessly dated and thus the pictures become more valuable. Today, when digital photography makes you shoot until you get one that looks good, the unflattering photograph is truly an anomaly.

I couldn’t help, I told my friend, but feel that there was some disrespect in displaying peole this way.

“She wouldn’t see it like that,” my friend told me. “She’s upbeat, funny and fun. Someone asked her why she took so many photos of things that were found, she was like, ‘because I’m close to the ground.’ ‘Cause she’s short.”

The signature photo, the one that’s on the posters, is a little bit different than most of the photos we have in the exhibit, I pointed out to her. For one thing, it’s in color. For another, it’s printed with a laserjet printer, not in a darkroom.

“She’s always wanting to try something new,” my friend told me. “Someone asked her if she was intimidated by digital, and she said it’s just a new medium to learn.”  The bright green of 20 individual leaves, shot through a fisheye lense and arranged on a black ground, are almost grahic design more that photography. They would make a good web site background. Each leaf could be hyperlinked somehow.

I looked at the individual leaves. “Maybe your’e right,” I said. “Maybe what she’s inviting us to do it look closer, and with more affection, at whatever is in front of us.” If that’s the case, I give the exhibit my wholesale stamp of approval.

This is my avatar

“Avatars” are those little pictures that appear beside what you write on social networking spaces like Facebook and Twitter. The question of when to change your avatar is a hot topic. People are searching for a “best practices” answer but the truth is no one is really sure. Some say you shouldn’t change too often, because readers “scan” posts by looking at the faces they know. Others say changing your avatar shows you’re active, aware and engaged. There is some sense that it’s “cooler” to change your avatar frequently, but that if branding is your goal, changing is a negative.

Chris Brogan changes his avatar frequently; Robert Scoble does not. So there’s no answer to come from copying the Social Media Gods.

I put the question out on Twitter last week, and got some faces in the crowd to respond to the question: when do you change your avatar? I’ve hyperlinked to their twitter profiles; and the Fort Worthians are asterisked*.

@aranarose  “Sometimes I don’t think people realize just how important those tiny little pictures are. They are US when we are online.  People are visual. They see the avatar before they see the name. We know who is tweeting by the picture, and so when the picture changes too much, it can get confusing. It looks like we’ve suddenly got somebody brand new in the stream.

@vedo* I switch my avatar when I grow tired of looking at it. I do change it every so often, but I make sure it’s easily recognizable as a picture of myself or I take a little bit better picture. Lately more often, since I got new camera!

@shika* I am no friend to the camera so mine only change to toons during certain holidays. xmas, halloween, etc…  I am only in favor of changing your avatar for special things, definitely not changing it regularly…my husband keeps changing his, though … so guess I’m into a cool twitterers lmao…

@msbeeee I hate it when avatars change – I think I “bond” with the picture and then I can’t find my fav tweeps! oh, I think it’s perfectly legal. and probably fun to switch them. If I had a pic I liked better, I might change it… …but it still throws me for a loop at first when others change theirs

@susan_s_smith ME TOO! I thought I had missed some of my fav tweeters and their avatar had just changed!

@Gadget Virtuoso* I change it when the mood strikes but I try not to do it very often some people can their avatars like they breathe.

The answer? You should change your avatar when you feel like it. You’ll know when you know. And yes, that is my final answer. Some links on the topic:

Chris Brogan blogs: What do Avatars mean to us?

Randomly Nicole discusses her use of cartoon avatars

Matty P discovers that yes, there is a scientific method of choosing an avatar … if you trust it.

U Stand Out blogger decides to use a real image of herself, despite discomfort, because of  branding

I’m off to my first day of teacher training this morning. I feel excited. We’re supposed to take a practice test of the elementary teacher exam. “Don’t worry about the results,” the letter from the teaching college said. “This test is just to help your instructors know what to work on most.”

Taking tests is one of my best subjects, though I haven’t covered this material, so I don’t know if I’ll do great on this one. I realize as I sit here this morning I feel afraid to be a “real” teacher. Of course I was also afraid to become a substitute, and afraid of a lot of other things that turned out okay, including being a mom, but fear has been one of the  biggest challenges in my life.

Fears: What if I finish the course and no one wants to hire me? What if  when I start teaching I can’t relate to my class? What if I inadvertently become embroiled in some kind of administrative problem? What if my students don’t do well on the TAKS test? What if I go crazy because I have to work 5 days a week? What if the after school care arrangement for my kids suddenly doesn’t work in the middle of the year, what then? What if I can’t get my kids to to their doctor appointments?

What if I do a good job and it turns out no one notices? Oh come on, I tell myself, don’t be ridiculous. If you do a good job, someone will notice.

It’s 6:50 a.m., and I’m going to put my best food forward, step out in faith. I read, I prayed, I filled out the forms, I’m making the best choice I know how. And what eles does even the finest person ever know how to do?

Mini-greenhouse setups make it a little easier to start tomatos inside

The goal date for planting tomatoes is in a couple of weeks now, and it’s getting pretty warm these days and so you might think you can just start your tomatoes outside. I personally recommend against this. Tomatoes are usually started inside, for a number of reasons, and only one of those is that you can get them started earlier.  The other reasons are:

1. Emerging tomato plants are very fragile and are often eaten by snails or other vermin, or fall victim to withering.

2. Gemination of tomato plants takes a warm temperature,  close to that inside the house (65 degrees) whereas if you try to start them outside you’re at the mercy of the elements. And if it freezes they’re dead.

3.  Having them inside gives you better scrutiny of the plants to watch for overwatering, drying out, or anything else that threatens your plants.

To start tomatoes indoors, first get the seeds and the planters. You can use anything to plant them in from Park Biodomes (my favorite) or Gurney Mini-Greenhouses to cut down-milk cartons or a baking tray full of dirt The only really important detail is to use soil free of germs and microbes. Usually this is accomplished by buying planting kits like the aforenoted, but occassionally the “old timers” will just dig up some garden dirt and sterilize it in the oven.  It takes 180 degrees for 30 minutes to kill the germs.

Once you’ve got your planters ready, plant the seeds in the medium according to directions on the package and keep warm and covered with celophane or mini-greenhouse cover 5-10 days until germination. Once the seeds are germinated, they will need light. The ideal would be to keep them under a skylight or perhaps a south-facing window.

It may be challenging to get them enough light. If they don’t get it, they become “leggy” or too-tall which can make them vulnerable to disease and unthrifty. Planting them extra deep once they get outside, so the dirt covers part of the tall stem, can correct this, but if the legginess gets too out of control the exposed stems may break or become diseased. Try to get the plants enough light. A lot of well-organized garderers use a grow light, if you don’t have one you can approximate the effect by carrying the plants outside to a protected spot, covered, on a warm day. Just bring them in at night to prevent freezing.

When the plants are big enough, about 4-6 weeks, you can begin hardening them off but putting them outside uncovered each day for a few hours, longer and longer each time.  This process takes about a week. When it’s time to plant in the ground, use inverted cut-off milk cartons to cover each plant in its place in the garden, or another similar protection sceme, to protect the young plants from bugs and the elements. With these “mini greenhouses” the tomatoes will get aclimated well and in a week or two you’ll be able to see that it’s time to remove them; the plants are outside and exstablished. 

Resources:

Video: How to Grow Tomatoes inlcudes instructions on sterilizing soil and how to get seeds to germinate

How do I start Tomatoes Inside?

Guest Post by Lynn Smith, Fort Worth Health Coach and Co-author of The YES Diet: A New System for Permanent Weight Loss, Written by Women for Women.

Editor’s Note: After my review of Lynn’s book, which she co-wrote with Debbie Schroeder, I was intrigued by the claim they made that you didn’t actually need to belong to a gym to get into shape. In fact, they said that for some the gym took so much time as to be counter-productive. I asked Lynn to expand on this theme in a blog post, and she generously complied. She’s changed my thinking about this matter. I’m even wondering if I should let my gym membership go. Of course, we don’t have a sauna in the house, and I dearly love that sauna … so I’m still on the fence. Now if I could only run like 5KandCabernets.

1. Why do we find it so hard to exercise? To what degree does belonging to a gym address this?

I think many people see it as something they must to do rather than want to do. We get tired of having things on our list of what must get done. If exercising is something you really dread doing, work at finding an activity you really enjoy. For some people, that may be dancing or playing a sport. Exercise doesn’t have to be all about working out on a machine. Try doing something outside like walking or biking. The point is to get moving.

2. Is having enough money really stopping people from getting in shape?

No. That might be an excuse they’re using: “I’ll start working out when I can afford the gym.” A gym is not necessary for a healthy lifestyle.

3. How hard is it, really, to get in shape without the help of a gym?

It’s not as hard as you’d think. There are plenty of ways to workout at home. And with the internet, it’s very easy to find information. We have decent weather for a good portion of the year here, so being outside can be very enjoyable. A person could walk, or run or ride a bike. Strength training can be done at home with the use of free weights. There are plenty of DVDs for those who want to follow an instructor’s moves.

4. If you had to choose a gym or a personal trainer or health coach, what are the different issues each one can address?

With a gym you have the advantage of scheduled classes and professional advice, if you should need it. There’s always someone there you can ask if you need help with proper posture on a machine. With scheduled classes, it might make it easier to commit to being there. I would say that a big advantage to belonging to a club would be the variety at your disposal. Between the machines, classes and other activities, a person could have a lot of different types of workouts.

With a personal trainer there is the advantage of one-on-one expertise. Every workout is customized with your specific goals and abilities in mind. And one is less likely to skip a workout when they have an appointment to do so. The problem with that can be the cost. Any time you get one-on-one attention it is going to cost more.

With health coaching, there is the accountability factor. When you tell your coach what goal you want to accomplish before the next session, you are more apt to follow through. When we tell ourselves we are going to be at that Pilates class but no one else knows that, it’s easy to let ourselves down. The coaching relationship keeps one more on track.

5. Are there some people for whom joining a gym is going to be more beneficial? Some for whom it really doesn’t make sense?

There are those that prefer a more social setting. The idea of working out alone for some may seem unappealing, so therefore, they aren’t regular with it. For someone like that, a group setting is ideal. They’d probably enjoy the classes.

But then there are those that don’t enjoy the social setting. I fall into that category. I don’t have a gym membership. I’d rather be outside, so I run. I found I am more likely to exercise if I can be outside. When I had a gym membership, I could never motivate myself to go. But give me a sunny morning and I’m lacing up my shoes!

6. What are the types of exercise that are easiest to do at home?

There are plenty of cardio workouts on DVD. Check out the selection and choose whatever looks more fun to you. And then there are all those outside activities, running, biking. Strength training can easily be done at home with free weights. They’re easy to find and pretty inexpensive. Yoga is also good for strength and flexibility.

7. What record keeping tools should be used for a home-based exercise program?

Depends on how much detail you want to record. I write my running and weight days on my daily planner, that helps me know how regular my workouts are. Some people may prefer to keep a journal. This can be something as simple as a notebook – I’ve done this type of record-keeping before – or you may choose to invest in a nice bound journal to make it special.

8. Any books or reading materials (in addition to your own) you’d recommend for those who are planning a home-based exercise program?

The most important recommendation I could make would be to choose something you are excited about. There are plenty of exercise books and magazines on the market, each with different types of workouts but if you aren’t thrilled with them, you won’t use them. Choose what you’re attracted to rather than what’s popular. If everyone at work is talking about some new workout but it doesn’t move you, you won’t do it. Let me give you an example. I was standing in the store check-out a few weeks back. My eye caught a headline in some fitness magazine. It was a free weight workout. I’ve never read the magazine before but I bought it for that workout. I’ve been doing that workout regularly since I got it but still haven’t read the rest of the magazine. Go with what moves you.

9. How do we know if we’re exercising enough?

How much exercise is enough will depend on each individual and their current fitness level. If you don’t move at all, any physical activity is fabulous. Of course, when it comes to exercise, I always defer to the recommendations of the physician, but in general 30 to 45 minutes of vigorous physical activity 4 to 5 days a week is the minimum once you have worked up to that level. The body also does best with mixing up your workouts. A combination of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training during the week will keep you in top physical condition.

Follow Lynn on Twitter: @lynnsmithtx

To get your free report: “10 Energy Zappers and How to Eliminate Them” visit Lynn’s Health Coach Team website.

Name: Dwan Perrin

Dwan Perrin is a mom of 3 and blogger who talks about work at home options and keeping hope for the future.

Twitter Handle:  @MommaDJane

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Blog:  Momma DJane: Climbing the Ladder to Success She writes about being a single mom, moms in business, and yes she gives away stuff. Right now giving away a bluetooth headset.

Bio:   Single Mother of 3, working from home while loving the social media world!

Followed by: About 1900 people; following almost as many.

How long have you been on Twitter? Since October of 2008.

Who or what got you started, and why? I had been reading blogs for a while and had recently decided to jump into the blogging world. I read on a blog about twitter so checked it out.  A week later there was a twitter party going on using hashtags so from that point on I was hooked.

How did you come up with your Twitter “handle?”  MommaDJane is what I go by in the virtual world.  D is my first initial and Jane is my middle name, pretty much has been my username on everything for years.  It just fits, it’s me!0

What twitter applications do you use?  I recently discovered twellow to make my twitter profile fall into the correct categories for searches and reach those who have similar interests.  I use tweetchat for twitter parties in order to keep up with the conversation using a specific hashtag.  In order to search something on twitter I use search.twitter.com and I have TwitterFon installed on my iPhone.

Any advice for newbies who want to grow their network? Just be yourself, engage in conversations on twitter and never be afraid to jump right in.  Make sure you don’t make all your tweets about business and advertising but truly try and build relationships with other tweeple.  Also I strongly suggest not using auto-DM’s for welcoming new followers.  I have not met many who do not hate those.  They are very impersonal and not a good first impression.

Dallas Opera February 13 15, 18, & 21, 2009
By Dean Cassella

This production of Puccini’s most beloved work is one of the finest I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. It is one of those rare moments in opera when the casting works, not only for each individual role, but the singers’ voices, acting, and even their physiques blend naturally together. Top this off with exciting, dynamic conducting, and you have the making of a night to remember.

The real star of the show is lyric tenor James Valenti, who pulls off the role of Rodolfo, the lovable impoverished poet, without missing a step. Valenti, a native of New Jersey, is performing with the Dallas Opera for the first in this production of La Bohème.  He has a full, fresh voice that is matched by a tall figure and handsome features. Valenti’s face has ‘leading man’ written all over it. His expressive range is broad, and he adeptly pulls off moments that require great vocal power, as well as the subtlety and refinement to handle those tender moments that are inevitable in romantic tragedy.

Now in his sixth year on the boards, Valenti’s personal story is one that may prove increasingly common in the fine arts. He does not seem to have had a background in classical singing. But the nurturing of a astute music teacher led him into opera at age 18. Valenti then became obsessed and seven years later found himself on the professional stage. I haven’t had as much fun listening to a tenor live since Antonello Palombi sang the lead role in Pagliacci at the Dallas Opera in 2005 (oh, how I wish I had a DVD of that production!). 

Kanyova singing in the 2005 production of Pagliachi. NY Times photo.

Speaking of the 2005 Pagliacci, the prima donna of that production, Maria Kanyova, is back in the role of Mimi.  I hate to use a worn out cliché, but from the moment Ms. Kanyova opens her mouth, it sounds like a bird has flown into the theater. Her voice is sweet and rich, and possesses a pleasingly lilting vibrato. She also can act. Kanyova and Valenti are perfectly matched in their duets and the result is thrilling. 

Also worthy of note was Valentina Farcas’ performance as Musetta, the coquettish sometime-belle of the painter Marcello (this time performed admirably by Dwayne Croft).  Like Kanyova, Ms. Farcas has all of the goods, and delivers not only in the voice department, but also in her acting.

The production also marks the U.S. premiere of guest conductor Pietro Rizzo. Although Maestro Rizzo hails from Rome, Italy, he is no stranger to the Metroplex: he is a graduate, in violin performance, from SMU. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the orchestra was bristling with energy, mixed with occasional forays into Levinesque slow pacing. He really seemed to have a natural rapport with both the orchestra and the cast.

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle must hold some kind of world record for the most number of set designs still in use after death.  Ponnelle passed away over 20 years ago, but his beautiful sets just keep coming back (to Dallas and the world). In this case he made use of a raised platform in the middle of the stage for most of the action, around which various backdrops serve as changes of scene.  Kudos also to Thomas C. Hase, whose lighting was unusually effective in this production.

As is usually the case, I took along one of my children.  This time it was my son, a pre-teen opera hound, if there ever was one. He had never seen Bohème before, and genuinely seemed to enjoy it. In particular he enjoyed the finale, with all the reprises of the various themes found throughout the work. He also got a kick out of the clowning around done by the artists in the swinging bachelor pad. La Bohème is, in a way, a tragi-comedy. 

Editor’s note: If you want more of James Valenti singing La Boheme, there’s another, longer YouTube Video, of 4.45 minutes of “che gelida manina” but it doesn’t have action, just stills.

Next up for Dallas Opera: The Italian Girl in Algiers.

This quiche was cooked in a springform pan, which was then removed before serving.

Back when I was a kid, there was a joke, “real men don’t eat quiche.” I never was sure why. My husband was a little bit worried when I first cooked it.  He could have relaxed. I didn’t mean anything, I just thought it looked good, a way to dress up bacon and eggs and get dinner on the table in about an hour without sacrificing sophistication.

You’ll need a nine-inch pie plate, a tart dish or a springform pan of about the same size for this recipe. Start with a standard, single pie crust. You can use your own recipe or use half the recipe used for Cherry Pie.  Once the crust is rolled out and laid in the pie dish, or pressed into the tart plate, fill it up with 1 lb chili beans or any type and put it in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Prebaking the pie crust makes it crisp, and putting in the beans keeps the crust from falling in on itself during the baking process. If you don’t have any beans you can try putting the crust in the ‘fridge for half an hour before cooking, but generally it will puff up and cave in anyway. You can press the crust back into shape after removal from the oven if needed. During the baking of the crust, fry up 1/4 to 1/2 lb bacon and grate 1/2 lb. swiss cheese. Pull the baked pie crust out of the oven. Let cool for a couple of moments and then pour the beans out. You can still use them for something else if you were planning to, or just keep them around for the next time you make a single crust pie.

Now you should have a baked pie crust dented with the imprints of the beans. Don’t worry no one will see the imprints. Put the fried bacon in the bottom, the cheese over that, and then fill up with a mixture of 6 eggs and 1 cup milk or cream.  The richer the liquid, the richer the quiche, but I usually use 2% milk with no bad results. Sprinkle or grind a little nutmeg on the top of the quiche for decoration. You don’t need any salt because you just used all that bacon, remember?

Bake the quiche for somewhere between half an hour and 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  The quiche will puff up as it cooks, then right before it is done, you will see it fall back down to its original size. A knife inserted in the center will come out clean, similar to checking a cake or a pudding. Cool for a few minutes before serving or the melted cheese will run everywhere.  Serve with rice and brocolli or salad.

And yes, real men do eat it. Voice of experience.

Spring is here, and in spring householders hearts turn to thoughts of … getting other people’s stuff on the cheap and feathering the nest a bit. The search queries on my sitemeter stats tell me that more people are looking for garage sales these days. One of the more general and practical queries was “where to find garage sales in DFW?

There are three ways to find garage sales, in DFW and I assume the rest of the country, maybe foreign countries too:

1. Try going on Dallas Craigslist (or Craigslist of your region if you’re from somewhere else) and look under the For Sale column. Click “Garage Sales.” Now you can search for “Fort Worth,” (or Dallas, or Plano, or your zip code, “guitars,” whatever.) Most of the adds do not have zip codes on them, however, so you really will have to read through the whole list if you want to see everything in your area.

2. You can go to the local newspaper (in our case the Star Telegram) and  look under “Merchandise” for Estate Sales or under the main heading “Garage Sales.” The best thing about the Star-Telegram adds is that they are grouped under zip codes. So you don’t have to sift through the entire town if you don’t want to. Estate sales are not grouped, but there’s not that many of them. 

3. Let’s not forget the old standby: you can drive around your neighborhood and look for flourescent garage sale signs. This is actually the way we find about half of the sales we attend every year. But if you haven’t made a list of advertised ones, this technique tends not to work by itself. Perhaps this is because of Garage Sale Momentum, a phenomenon where if one person sees their neighbor getting a sale together, they put out their stuff too, seeing as everyone’s going to be stopping by.

Your task list for before you go to bed tonight, for a good garage sale morning tomorrow:

1. Make list of sales
2. Get the cash you need from the bank
3. Put out your garage saling clothes
4. Secure consent of spouse or other garage saling partner to head out early enough that not everything is gone by the time you get there
5. Set up coffee pot (if desired)
6. Tomorrow, wake up, turn on the pot, get your friend, your coffee, your list, and go, go, go!