I'm Joriel Foltz, a Seattle-based writer and reflexologist.
Ballsy is my blog about natural health, vegan food, sustainability, social justice, crafty recycling, literature, and other things that get me riled up.
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My holidays turned out delightful, although several people will have to wait for handmade stuff I haven’t had time to make yet! Here’s one thing I did finish, pear lavender sachets.
Inspiration for these can be found here.
I’ll post more about my holidays when I get back from Orcas Island, where I’ll be celebrating 2008 with a cabin full of dear friends. Happy New Year!
Recycled Christmas is not going so great. Much as I don’t want to get caught up in the consumerist BS of the season, I don’t want to give people gifts they don’t want. And while my loved ones have been very tolerant of the silly things I’ve made for them over the years (like the ice rink “sculpture” I once made for my aunt out of a piece of mirror glass, a lot of cotton ball “snow”, and various scraps of plastic, sequin, and paper), I’m having trouble coming up with great ideas for people who are not children, babies, or women with style at least tangentially similar to mine.
I’m now alternating my “free” time between buying stuff and desperately trying to finish the gifts I’ve already committed to making. Quite obviously my time is rapidly winding down. It’s true that last year I did most of my gift-making in a mad final week rush, but I really didn’t intend to do that this year. I’ve been tracking ideas and making lists all year. I have hundreds of bookmarked project inspirations. I just never got it all sorted out and focused in on the actual making of holiday gifts. I somehow let December completely sneak up on me. I’ve spent the whole year planning and never coming up with an actualization strategy. Only a handful of gifts are complete, and I’ve only got a few days left before I’m on a plane to Virginia!
Since this is the first Christmas ever when I’ve had a halfway reasonable amount of actual money (not credit) to work with, I’m comforting myself and avoiding total panic with a plan to make donations in the names of friends and family members who I really think will appreciate it. I’d welcome your feedback in the comments about this. For the most part don’t you think that grown-ups value the knowledge that somebody did something good in their name? Like my Grandma, for example. She really and truly doesn’t need anything. In fact, one of the major stressors in her life is trying to keep up with all the stuff she does have. So I’m hoping she’ll be happy with a little token gift and evidence of a donation in her name to a cause I know she appreciates.
This recipe was taste-tested by non-vegans on three separate occasions last week, and everybody agrees that it’s delicious. And so easy! Consider it a holiday gift from me to you, dear reader.
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Gently melt the following ingredients together, breaking the chocolate into small pieces:
In a blender, mix the following until smooth:
Pour melted chocolate mixture into the blender mixture. Blend thoroughly, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed.
Refrigerate at least two hours. Serve plain or top with pomegranate seeds and shredded coconut.
Alternatively, you can substitute a bag of chocolate chips for the recommended baking and eating chocolate.
I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams and goals. I’ve been a big planner most of my life, and I’ve also made quite a few leaps of faith. But I’ve slowed down over the last few years. I’ve had plenty of major changes to settle into — partnering, switching coasts, entering my 30’s, and various career shifts.
Lately I feel the change energy rising strongly again. I’ve been working to prioritize and follow through on some of my dreams outstanding, and when I came across this random meme I was inspired. Maybe it was the number 8, so ambitious and infinite. I like 8 almost as much as I like 12. Or 3. Or 9. Well, clearly I have affection for many numbers. Like 13. She always gets left out.
Ahem, yeah, so welcome to me me meme time:
8 Passions in my life
1. Ben and our life together
2. Friendship, heart connections of all kinds
3. The creative process
4. The natural world
5. Speculative thinking (what could be, how change happens)
6. Language and story, especially novels
7. Travel of the leisurely soak-it-all-in variety
8. Good food, especially if chocolate is involved
8 Things to do before I die
1. Be a mom
2. Write a book
3. Snorkle and hike in Hawaii (just happens to be next up on my dream travel agenda — this list could easily be nothing but places I want to go)
4. Finish learning to drive stick shift
5. Let go of useless fears
6. Live and learn
7. Love
8. Laugh
8 Things I often say
1. Arghhh!!!
2. Fuck (and frak thanks to BSG)
3. hey sweetie (Or honey, sweets, baby, sweetcheeks, poodle, etc. Used primarily in reference to Ben, but certain friends also forgive my liberal use of sappy pet names. This phrase is often followed by a request for the loved one in question to do something I’m too lazy to do for myself.)
4. “Who’s my fluffernut, my sweet boy, my mischakins, my most favoritest kitty kitty in the whole wide world?” (typically said while nuzzling a furry belly)
5. what if…
6. i miss you
7. i’m not sure, i can’t remember, maybe… (i would give a lot for a really sharp long-term memory. i hate when i’m flakey. I try to compensate with extensive list-making and google calendar manipulation.)
8. I should or I should have (I’m working on this one! I also apologize too much and too reflexively.)
8 Books I have read recently
This is tough because I’ve been in a weird holding pattern for a while. I keep adding ambitious new books to my pile, and I haven’t finished anything in a while. So the finished ones go back a few months and there are a lot in progress. Also I’m leaving out a few books that weren’t all that great.
1. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (in progress)
2. The Hoop and The Tree - Chris Hoffman (in progress)
3. Energy Medicine - Donna Eden (in progress for the long haul I think)
4. Peace Like a River - Leif Enger
5. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
6. Eat the Document - Dana Spiotta
7. No One Belongs Here More than You - Miranda July
8. The Ladies of Grace Adieu - Susanna Clarke
8 Songs that mean something to me
Most of these songs go back a while. The last couple years I’ve mostly been into music I can dance too and music that makes me feel happy or peaceful. But when I think of songs that mean something to me, it’s the ones that helped me get through sad times and the ones that make me think of special people in my life.
1. Massive Attack - Teardrop
2. REM - You are the Everything
3. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
4. Tori Amos - 1000 Oceans
5. Nirvana - All Apologies
6. Joni Mitchell - All I Want
7. Tom Petty - Wildflowers
8. Indigo Girls - Ghost
8 Qualities I look for in a friend
1. Honest and genuine
2. Kind
3. Open-minded
4. Chatty or comfortable with silence (I love friends who can keep the conversation going when I go blank. They take the pressure off. But I also need my fellow introvert friends. They’re the ones who often understand me best and get the most out of me. It’s a rare joy for me to be quiet with someone and feel comfortable. Usually I can only do that alone, and when it happens with others it often opens the door for deeper conversation.)
5. Willing and able to go deep (think big thoughts, share personal truths)
6. Unique or different experiences and perspectives
7. Ability to have fun with the silly and superficial.
8. Reasonably healthy boundaries and some degree of self awareness
