zazucity

cheek to cheek

2010-03-01T10:55:00.005-05:00

Last week we went to a small blues show at the local public library (please don't judge me for the overt nerdiness of that statement). It was an odd place for a concert. I'm a girl bound by rules, so it was hard for me to adjust to being noisy without fearing the librarian hush, finger to mouth, eyes scowling at me.

The crowd didn't seem to struggle with any of the same challenges. The demographics trended a bit older and funkier than me. We could have easily been mistaken for a convention of awful winter hats and ill-fitting jeans. But they all bopped and swayed to the music, unaware and without precept.

I noticed an awkward pre-teen girl on the other side of the room, her long legs stretching beyond her jeans, trying desperately to fit in her father's lap. Her head nestled against his shoulder while her gangly limbs failed to find a suitable landing. Two much smaller girls, maybe three years old danced at the back of the room with their dad, twirling, screeching, arms flailing. If the music paused, they stopped immediately in their tracks, confused and dismayed.

Suddenly I remember dancing with my dad, cheek-to-cheek in the living room to old blues and country western songs. We could cover any mistake in our steps with a spin to the other side of the room.

In the moment, it is so hard to notice how or when we evolve from these tiny girls, flitting around, to awkward, nervous things, to reserved appropriate adults and back to carefree, ugly hat-wearing fools.

peach cobbler

2009-07-19T21:52:00.011-04:00

Just finished a second bowl of peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream that I made for a family cookout this afternoon. I have a hard time showing up to chow down on other people's food without bringing something. I've got a double whammy combo of good old fashioned Irish Catholic guilt and Southern Tradition spurring me on to do more and to make it look perfect.

The lure of summer in Georgia was too much to overlook so I decided on an easy to impress peach cobbler. I am certainly not above going by the recipe, so I headed straight to my favorite recipe site. I was pretty surprised at how complicated folks wanted to make a peach cobbler. Leave it to my friend Paula to leave it simple enough to bake even after sipping on mint juleps on the side porch all afternoon. After a late brunch we wandered over to the grocery store for ingredients and I found a huge stack of local peaches from Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, GA.

The cobbler was super easy to make, very simple ingredients and a very simple process. It is important to note that the only complication with this recipe is the type of flour you use. You must use self-rising flour or you'll get a goopy, flat mess. I wasn't sure what I had in my pantry so I added a tsp of baking powder for safety's sake. If you're not sure adding baking powder will only make your dough a bit more fluffy. Fluffy = good, so no loss there. With the rising flour keeping down the amount of stirring/mixing is super important to make it all fluff together the right way.

Overall the cobbler worked out very well. The dough was a little much - maybe I had self-rising flour after all! I think next time I would either cut down on the amount of dough or increase the amount of fruit. This said, I still ate two bowls of the stuff, so it wasn't that much of an issue. I'm glad to have put some local, seasonal fruit to use the way god intended (i.e. mixed together with sugar and butter).

menus

2009-04-20T18:32:00.005-04:00

Every week I simultaneously dread and look forward to making a grocery list. I love planning meals and even love making meals once I get started. But the reality of most days is tired and drab and tasteless and forces me into jammie pants way before bed time so that dinner doesn't get made but purchased and that keeps me in jammie pants instead of getting me into a bikini where I belong.

So I thought I might try posting my menus here not because they are exciting or remarkable, but as a way to monitor and discipline myself. I'll make a few interesting things this week, so I will do my best to blog about them and take pictures.

Monday - Shrimp tacos with avocado and Green Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad
Tuesday - standing night out at trivia
Wednesday - Tofu Lo Mein
Thursday - Pasta (I'm working late, so it has to be a boy-friendly recipe)
Friday - Veggie Burgers and Roasted Cauliflower
Saturday - Black Beans and Rice (my favorite slowcooker recipe)
Sunday - I might be passed out from all the cooking, so I'm not making any promises

oooh pretty!

2009-03-13T15:52:00.005-04:00

We are very slowly, let me emphasize slowly, putting our little house together. Between both of us working all the time and very inconvenient break-ins, we don't feel like we've had a lot of time to devote to putting our stamp on 1049. But today, a light breaks in the clouds... We just ordered the best print from Bold and Noble to hang in our bedroom. Between this and getting our mattress off the floor and onto an actual bed frame, we're starting to feel like we actually live in this place.

For me, art always makes a room feel more complete. Growing up and in college, I had some posters on the wall, but never many and those I did have were of paintings or photographs I liked. I hated the impermanency of the brittle paper, held up with thumbtacks or tape. Buying actual, grown up art, even inexpensive prints, makes the house feel more cultivated. We deliberately chose this house over lots and lots of others so my philosophy in decorating the house is equally deliberate. This is the first home we've ever owned and there will never be another one like it, good or bad.

snow!

2009-03-01T13:17:00.009-05:00

Portfolio!

2009-02-24T18:04:00.007-05:00

I've created a portfolio of some of the work I've done over the past few years including examples of writing, photography, logo and collateral design. Check it out! Hopefully I'll be adding more to it soon.

Click here for larger views for reading ›

Home Sweet Home

2009-02-10T12:43:00.007-05:00

Home ownership has been so different than what I imagined it to be and not in a really anecdotal way. We moved into a small post-war cottage in July. We moved into an intown neighborhood not because we wanted to yuppify or gentrify our southeast Atlanta neighborhood but because we believe in supporting sustainable urban growth and development.

That hope and aspiration has been shattered. In the last three months, our house has been broken into twice. The first time was the Saturday before Thanksgiving and the most recent the first week of February. Both times the burglars were able to kick in our front door despite taking extra security measures after the first break-in.

They have taken two TVs, two laptops, two Wiis, an Xbox, many hours of sleep, more money than we can afford and our sense of autonomy and security. What is most disconcerting is knowing that someone is watching you and waiting for the right time to invade your home and disrupt your life for trivial material items.

I don't think enough voices can say how terrorizing it is to know that you, your way of life, your peace of mind is being pursued by an unknown force, individuals and groups that are seemingly unstoppable. On top of that fear, to be told that you are hysterical or exaggerating, makes you feel frustrated and hopeless. The overarching feeling is a lack of control over my life, my safety and the safety of the ones I care about.

hey look at me!

2008-10-17T17:40:00.003-04:00

New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden
Originally uploaded by zazufoto

It's not much, but a picture I took a couple of summers ago in New Orleans has been included on Schmap's New Orleans Guide. I'm proud of myself.

Check it out:
Schmap's New Orleans Guide

*it's teeny-tiny in the upper-right hand corner

occasional linking

2008-01-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

Chief Sustainability Officer at GA-Pacific - More and more corporations are including sustainable efforts in their organizational structures and planning. My only question is if the assimilation of green practices as a response to a popular cultural trend will be sustained (ironically) so that effectual change and growth is possible.

Suing the Beltline! - Financial hurdles continue to plague the Beltline's progression. A striking example of how one person can have an incredible impact on a city's growth, for good or for bad.

GreenDimes - We gave the gift of GreenDimes to all of our parents this year as a Christmas gift. The service will stop a large portion of junk mail delivered to your home and ALSO plant 10 trees on your behalf. A simple, cheap way to lessen your environmental impact, and doesn't require any work on your part!

Baggu bags - There seem to be endless options out there for reusable shopping bags. I like these because again, they're cheap (noticing a pattern?), they come in nice colors with no logos or branding and have seemingly endless expansion capabilities.

*Note to my small band of faithful readers. If you click on the fancy "Bookmark" icon at the bottom of any post you can add zazucity to your browser favorites or any of several social bookmarking sites so I can become increasingly popular all over the Internet and you can keep up with new posts. Thank you! Thank you!

neighborhood 1: ormewood park

2008-01-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

Last year, we decided to buy a house together in an attempt to become more grown-up, financially stable, etc... but also to establish our partnership and relationship a little bit more concretely. As I write this, it seems so American and consumerist to base a move in our relationship on a large financial decision and the incursion of significant debt. But in a different frame, choosing to bind ourselves to something more permanent, something owned, protected and cherished is kind of a big deal. We are claiming a piece of the world in our names and becoming responsible to a community as a pair. This next phase of our lives, in dual-form and part of a collective pursuing a common success (of the neighborhood and city, etc...) makes us something more than we ever were as individuals. The force of our movement in the world is stronger together than apart. That's pretty freakin' cool. Recently, we took a big step and decided to take our search from the Internet Super Highway to the streets of Ormewood Park. We visited a couple of open houses, which we liked. Since we're just window shopping for the moment, our critique meters are set pretty low. Our plan is to buy something this summer when our lease ends at the rental. Ormewood Park was surprisingly quaint, tightly-knit and established for a South Atlanta neighborhood, especially without an older village center. While Ormewood Park technically has a "square" which features, Little Azio Pizza & Pasta, Fitness Factory, Helmet Hair Studio, Salsa Havana, E2 Coffee House and H&R Block, it sits on the eastern edge of the neighborhood, and is pretty new, as opposed to the older, more centralized East Atlanta Village or Grant Park. The houses are mostly bungalows and older ranches, many lovingly restored and maintained. The median price range is just over $200,000, making it accessible to first-time buyers like ourselves but is within walking distance to Grant Park and the newish Glenwood Park, an eco-friendly development with restaurants like Slice and Vickery's, salons, spas, coffee shops and really cool (but expensive), EarthCraft homes. I have to admit that Ormewood Park is so far our favorite neighborhood. We were relieved to find a nicely established neighborhood with loads of charm not overrun with McMansion prospectors (yet). In an added bonus, we frequent Vickery's in Glenwood Park for brunch and my salon is also in the little development. We could be equal walking distance to both good highlights and tasty brunchskins! Taking on a venture as big as the financial and personal commitment of buying a house with someone requires the fortification of cute hair and a belly full of comfort food. This new adventure is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying, but knowing that I'm forging ahead with someone next to me, making our imprint on the great wide world is comforting. For more information about Ormewood Park, the surrounding area and neighborhood resources, check out SAND - South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development.

planning

2007-10-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

It has been a few days since I last posted, more than I feel comfortable with. I am, at all times, a planner and a perfectionist. This doesn't mean that I'm successful with all of my endeavors, and while we're being honest, my definition of success is pretty far-fetched. I do however, love to makes lists with occasional sketched renderings and attached magazine articles. This is all to say that I have lofty hopes for this blog and for myself.

I had originally planned, for a long time and in a very methodical manner, to make this blog mainly non-personal, information-based, dry and to the point. I quickly got bored; and if I'm bored, then you're probably bored. So, very early in the game, I'm going to glibly change the rules and not think twice about it.

zazucity will still be about Atlanta, about this city's struggles to find itself beneath miles of overly-widened streets, poorly-planned strip malls and the scattered, beautiful neighborhood and village oases. I am particularly interested in how urbanism and sustainability affects my life in a very detailed way, right down to the food I eat. So zazucity will explore the balance of growth in my city and my attempts at maintaining my own balance.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll try some different kinds of posts and I am foolishly welcoming any feedback you have to offer. You can leave comments on this site or reach me at zazucity[at]gmail[dot]com.

Community Profile: Farmers' Fresh

2007-10-11T11:55:00.000-04:00

Every week, I would like to profile an organization or company I think contributes to the Atlanta community. This week, I was absolutely tickled to chat with Cory Mosser, General Manager of Farmers' Fresh Food Network. I have participated in their CSA program for a couple of years and while I don't always love every veggie I get in my weekly bag; I feel more connected to the food I eat and more aware of how eating well affects every aspect of my life. Cory generously answered some questions about Farmers' Fresh.

How do you think CSAs in general and Farmers' Fresh specifically support urban growth and sustainability in Atlanta?

"CSA's started in post WWII Europe and Japan as a way for communities to find reliable, affordable produce against a backdrop of scarce resources and increasing prices. Communities partnered with farmers who could provide a safe, steady supply of produce to meet the basic needs of the community. Today, the situation is almost the opposite. Food is plentiful and cheap. The advent of industrialized agriculture means that you can find on any given day, exactly what you are looking for. What is interesting is that given all this choice, people are increasingly searching out local options, because they want a connection with the food that they eat. They want to know how it's grown and who grew it. Our farmers (and other local farmers) are dependent on people who make their choices based on these desires. So I would say Farmers' Fresh doesn't, per se, support sustainability in Atlanta, but rather the urban sustainable movement in Atlanta makes a company like Farmers' Fresh possible. Local agriculture by its definition promotes sustainability. CSA's are simply a vehicle for those interested in sustainable living to realize their goals."

Why should people sign up for a local CSA? What are the individual benefits?

"CSA's aren't for everybody. It requires a commitment, a trade-off. It is difficult to reorganize your eating habits from convenience to seasonality, but it is a sacrifice worth making. In exchange for not having a tomato in December, you get to taste everything that a tomato should be in July. Besides experiencing the true taste of food, you also get incredible health benefits from eating freshly harvested produce. During the fall and winter, your body calls for nutrient-dense food that is specifically high in iron. Well, guess what's in season? Collard greens, broccoli, kale and spinach- all very high in soluble iron. When summer comes around, your body craves foods that are high in phytochemicals to protect you from free radicals in the environment. Highly pigmented blueberries, watermelon, and peppers come to the rescue to meet your body's needs. The benefit of buying locally is amplified by the fact that your food is, on average, 1-2 weeks fresher than supermarket produce, which means that all those essential nutrients haven't leached out while languishing in a storage cooler. There is also the benefit to the local economy, food security, and farmland preservation, but I've gone on long enough..."

Why is Farmers' Fresh relationship with local and regional farmers so important to the mission?

"Farmers' Fresh is a farmer owned cooperative, which means all the "big" decisions are made by the farmer members. Farmers' Fresh was created to ensure local producers could sell their products at a price which would allow them to keep farming. There is a cautious relationship between the farmer and the urban dweller. On one hand, local farmers are almost completely dependent on customers who have the education, the resources and the desire to contribute to a local food infrastructure. On the other hand, the swell of our urban areas generates enormous pressure on development driving land costs skyward, which in tern makes starting as a new farmer cost-prohibitive, as well as making it extremely tempting for a farmer facing mounting debts to sell out. To say that the life of a small farmer is tough is an understatement. Security is something rarely found. This year, farmers in our region experienced the worst drought, latest freeze, and longest heat wave in recorded history. Despite all these pressures, our farmers continue to plant fields for next year, hoping that it will all balance out. No one is looking to get rich, but to at least be able to continue to do what they love. Some might call that stubborn, or even foolish. In my estimation it comes from a contrarian spirit, which only a farmer can have that has no other option than to answer every 'you can't' with a 'watch me'."

Can you tell us about something new and exciting for Farmers' Fresh coming up soon?

"This weekend (Saturday, October 13th) we are hosting a Farm Field Day at one of our member farms. This will allow customers to meet the people growing their food face to face, and have the opportunity to try some amazing dishes. One farmer will be barbecuing one of his heirloom breed pigs for the event; you have never tasted BBQ until you've eaten pork from an animal that didn't have the flavor bred out of it. Next year we'll unveil a new model that will provide customers with the option of ordering what they want, when they want, in the quantities they want. We are basically starting an online farmers' market, where customers can place orders at their convenience and gradually immerse themselves in local food. One problem we've identified is that urban customers want local food, but they want it to be somewhat flexible with their schedules. Signing up for a season means you get a set bag of produce every week for 14 straight weeks. It's very hard for most folks to plan meals around that type of schedule. We want to find a way where everyone wins. The farmer gets to sell their produce, and the customer can support them and enjoy the benefits of eating locally without 'CSA burn-out'."

What is your favorite community spot in metro Atlanta or regionally and why?

"I don't get to experience the metro area as much as I would like to, so as far as a community spot though, I would have to go with what I know, and that's Carrollton. We have a nice square with good places to eat, we have a growing university. There is a strong sense of community, and a diversity that keeps things interesting. It can almost be considered a young, slightly pubescent Athens We are far enough off the major thoroughfares that rampant development hasn't sucked the uniqueness out of the town (yet). The person who graduated high school here 10 years ago and couldn't wait to escape would kick me for saying this, but Carrollton is kind of a cool place to live."

If you are are interested in signing up for Farmers' Fresh or would like more information about the program, visit www.farmersfreshfood.com. Cory noted, "The price listed on the website is for the full 14 week session. We are currently in week 5, so you would be paying roughly 2/3-1/2 of the price you see on the site. If you sign up, I will send a confirmation email with the correct price." You can also contact Cory directly at freshtastesbest [at]gmail[dot]com.

what about the rest of the country?

2007-10-09T10:36:00.001-04:00

While this blog will be primarily focused on local Atlanta developments, I think it's important to know what's happening around the nation with cities facing similar dilemmas or cities and communities doing really extraordinary things. This week I'll combine local and national news links, but going forward they'll be in two seperate posts.

National News

Green tax credits taking a hike - two steps forward, one step back.
Ticky-Tacky Westlake - fantastic pictures of one of the first planned post-war suburbs. A mid-century extravganza.

Local News

Charter schools in Decatur? - how or would this affect the disparity in schools across redeveloped neighborhoods? Consider the difference between Decatur City's affluent schools like versus Dekalb County's more mixed bag.
Are we making the same mistakes again? - can Atlanta break its bad habit of excluding less fortunate neighborhoods from city-wide windfalls of good fortune and good design?

to begin

2007-10-08T23:50:00.001-04:00

I want to begin with my general thoughts about communities, cities, my city and my intentions with this blog. This is the part where I woo the Internet masses with daises and lemonade on the front porch. A few weekends ago, we left the comfort of our in town Atlanta neighborhood, with myriad options for coffee, drinks and gourmet pet treats within walking distance, for the unruly and unpredictable hills of Tennessee. We packed up our low-emission, compact city car with camping gear to visit my sister at the intentional community where she lives. The community is generally billed as a haven for transgender or queer artists. This was a special weekend, the group was hosting an annual music festival. After traversing winding country roads with no signs and rocky, dry creek beds, we were welcomed with the unusual performance of "Oklohomo: How Musical Theatre Ruined My Gay Life." Men dressed as women, women dressed as men dressed as women and generally bizarre costumes. The protagonist told a woeful story of being ostracized from the gay musical theatre crowd and searching for a home and respite from the cold, harsh world. The outcast found a wandering group of queer and bedraggled minstrels. Cuddled around queer campfires, singing jubilant songs, newly founded friendships were formed and all was good. In our search to define ourselves, we pull from our experiences with comrades, friends and family to create our unique, complexly wonderful voice. This is how I see Atlanta, as a city with a deep, rich history, incredible diversity and potential to become a new kind of city in the south. With zazucity, I'll explore the facets of Atlanta's spurts and fits of urban growth as well as the moments of clarity and beauty and hopefully find my voice in the process.