Rainer Maria Rilke on Freedom, Togetherness, and the Secret to a Good Marriage

Discovered via Brain Pickings

“It is a question in marriage, to my feeling, not of creating a quick community of spirit by tearing down and destroying all boundaries, but rather a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of their solitude, and shows them this confidence, the greatest in their power to bestow. 

A togetherness between two people is an impossibility, and where it seems, nevertheless, to exist, it is a narrowing, a reciprocal agreement which robs either one party or both of their fullest freedom and development.

But, once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole and against a wide sky!Therefore this too must be the standard for rejection or choice: whether one is willing to stand guard over the solitude of a person and whether one is inclined to set this same person at the gate of one’s own solitude, of which they learn only through that which steps, festively clothed, out of the great darkness.”

This text has been edited to make it read as gender neutral. See here for the original.

Boundary Stones in Washington D.C.

East Corner Boundary Stone, 100 feet southeast of intersection of Eastern Avenue and Southern Avenue

 Photo by Stephen Powers, 2016

A bit of DC trivia I had not yet encountered: Apparently there are boundary stones still in existence all along the border of the city (and not just the one in Bloomingdale, which is, as is now obvious to me, of course named after them).

From BoundaryStones.org:

"The Residence Act of July 16, 1790, as amended March 3, 1791, authorized President George Washington to select a 100-square-mile site for the national capital on the Potomac River between Alexandria, Virginia, and Williamsport, Maryland. President Washington selected the southernmost location within these limits so that the capital would include all of present-day Old Town Alexandria, then one of the busiest ports in the country. "

Check out all the boundary stones in Google Maps, below.

Alfred Kazin on embracing contradiction

"Trust to the contradictions and see them all. Never annul one force to give supremacy to another. The contradiction itself is the reality in all its manifoldness. Man from his vantage point can see reality only in contradictions. And the more faithful he is to his perception of the contradiction, the more he is open to what there is for him to know. “Harmony” as an absolute good is for the gods, not for man."

Read the whole Brain Pickings article here. 

Seth Godin on keeping ideas to yourself

Do not tell your friends about your nascent idea, your notion, the area you hope to explore next.

Do not seek reassurance from them.

Do not become vulnerable about your tiny new sprout of an inkling.

It will be extinguished by people who mean well. They are trying to protect you from heartache.

There is a very, very tiny group of fellow travelers who can amplify your inkling. For the rest, keep it quiet. Trot out a make-believe idea instead, a pretend Potemkin Village of a project, let them dump all over that one instead.

Keep the other one in the incubator for now. There will be plenty of time for sharing later.

From Shields Up, a post on Seth's Blog

"Why Do We Teach Girls That It’s Cute to Be Scared?"

“When a girl learns that the chance of skinning her knee is an acceptable reason not to attempt the fire pole, she learns to avoid activities outside her comfort zone. Soon many situations are considered too scary, when in fact they are simply exhilarating and unknown. Fear becomes a go-to feminine trait, something girls are expected to feel and express at will. By the time a girl reaches her tweens no one bats an eye when she screams at the sight of an insect.”

— Caroline Paul

Read the full article here.

"Don't be fooled by the name — LaCroix is from Wisconsin, and it's pronounced 'la croy'"

Interesting read from Vox about La Croix and how it has become a lifestyle brand.

Javier Zarracina/Vox

Lambrusco

Photo Credit: Marco Carboni

Kevin and I went to Dino's Grotto in Shaw for dinner last Friday night, and I got to try something I had never heard of before - sparkling red wine! It's called Lambrusco, and it was so weird and good. I really liked it! 

I had never heard of it, but apparently Lambrusco has developed a bit of a bad reputation - Dino's Grotto writes on their website:

"No other wine has been so bastardized as Lambrusco...Real Lambrusco is made from any of the family of Lambrusco grapes such as Grasparossa, Sobrara & Salamino, + other grapes like Lancellotta. Real Lambrusco is dry to off dry, 11% alcohol; tart & lively. Lambrusco is a refreshing sparkling red, perfect w/rich antipasti & pasta; & the best wine for cheese & cured meats Listed from assertively dry to soft & off dry to sweet-ish"

Not quite understanding what they meant by "bastardized", I wanted to learn a bit more about this type of wine. I came across an article from Serious Eats, in which the author writes, "Like its compatriots Riesling and White "Cougar Juice" Zin, much modern Lambrusco has nothing to do with its '70s reputation of cheap, candy-sweet fizz."

Glad to know that "Cougar Juice" is apparently, a thing...

It would seem that the Lambrusco's reputation suffered at the hand of Riunite, and these ads from the 1970s and 1980s:

Riunite is the fun, everyday wine that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere!

What's more romantic than a gondola ride while enjoying delicious Riunite!

And my personal favorite:

The fun, refreshing taste of Riunite livens up any party.

But, Lambrusco must be having a comeback, as the New York Times, LA Times and Washington City Paper have all written about it in the past few years. That has got to be a good sign for this sparkling wine! See what I did there ;)

I'm definitely looking forward to incorporating more Lambrusco into my life this summer, and also potentially planning a "Black Tie and Barefoot" party (see 0:25 of "Anything Goes" TV ad ICYMI).

Beautiful scenes from...video games?!

Check out Daniel Dalton's Buzzfeed article here, and illsnapmatics.com for more captures from Grand Theft Auto V.

If I were to have seen these images on their own, I would have NO idea they were scenes from video games. I am seriously amazed at how beautiful some of these are. I also love the idea of being a "photographer" by taking screen shots within a video game environment. It reminds me of my N64 and Pokemon Snap!

Food as Art?

I really enjoyed reading this essay. The author (Jill Neimark) sums it up nicely in the excerpt below:

Can we have a canon of taste? Can we approach cuisine as we do architectural restoration, classical music or great masterworks of art? Above all, can [we] bring lost flavours to people who consider the culinary pursuit an art?

Read the full essay here.

Pikkpack

I'm totally digging these quirky DIY shoes from Hungarian shoe company, Pikkpack. You can pick out custom colors on their website (sort of like Nike ID -- or at least what I remember of it from my sneaker-obsessed high school years), and then they mail you the components so you can assemble them at home. While $99 is a bit pricey for shoes you still basically have to make yourself, I'm intrigued by the idea of involving the consumer in the process of manufacturing.

Check out their website here.