Brig Feltus

Send-A-Pyrate-To-Camp 2012 Fund

2011-05-05EST15:01:48.766-07:00

SO VERY much going on right now, my friends.... much of which I can't talk about yet because it would spoil the surprise.nbsp; But I'm working on a couple of things together with some newly discovered allies and... well, just you wait!!! You will be pleasantly surprised!br /br /br /In the meantime, that kid of mine, The Pyrate, is doing thangs too!nbsp; This semester, which should have been his second semester of 8th grade, has been challenging for him because, he's been advanced to 9th grade after completing 8th grade in ONE SEMESTER!nbsp; 9th grade has been more demanding of him in terms of organization, and we've had to go through some real exercises in self discipline and independance and learn some lessons in making decisions for the big picture instead of the little one.nbsp; He's doing really well.nbsp; Grades are great and he's chugging along.nbsp; For more on his fantastic school, check outa href="http://www.k12.com/" K12/a now!br /We went to a college fair a month or so back and that alerted me to the fact that since he is accelerating through two years of school in one, I might want to ummmm.... perhaps facilitate the beginning motions of planning for college.nbsp; We started researching and have the beginnings of a solid list of schools that have solidly funded marine biology programs.nbsp; It's been fun and very exciting to start exploring each school and it's different pros and cons.nbsp; On his list are schools of every size and ranking... some state funded and some private, and a couple of the Ivy Leagues even.nbsp; He's been really gaining perspective about the big picture since we started that exploration.br /br /During this exploring we looked at requirements and admissions strategies for both the state-run colleges and the Ivy Leagues so that we would be prepared with a well-rounded resume to be not only eligible for admission, but that the next 3 years represent him appropriately as a rockstar and what that means to the admissions officers at the different schools.nbsp; You can read about what I'm finding out on my notes tab on facebook.nbsp; It's interesting stuff.nbsp; Especially when it comes to the Ivies and their admissions process.nbsp; These days, you have many options... You can go straight down the middle or shoot for the stars and save the middle for your backup and, armed with the right information set out on a master plan to make your aims pay off.br /One of the things the Pyrate is doing is applying to volunteer in his field of interest.nbsp; He will hopefully be accepted this summer to work as a volunteer docent at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium's aquatic nursery and as a youth counselor at the Long Beach Marine Institute's summer camp.nbsp; He's also applied to begin the L.A. Zoo's youth docent program in the fall.nbsp; All of these are pretty exciting tidbits.br /In the fall, he starts 10th grade with honors and ap courses and will take two courses at a local community college as well.nbsp; If this sounds like a lot, you don't know the Pyrate.nbsp; Today he finished his entire day's worth of school work by 11am.nbsp; This kid has the opposite problem from my own... he has TOO many hours in the day.nbsp; We are attempting to fill some of them with things he will enjoy, learn from, and build confidence socially.nbsp; His summer will be full with these adventures!br /Can you believe we are already planning for next summer?nbsp; There are two summer programs he wants to apply to.nbsp; One is thea href="http://www.giftedstudy.org/residential/berkeley/index.asp" Summer Institute for Gifted Learners/a... an academic program that takes place on the campuses of the countries top universities, and the kids stay for three weeks (!!) on campus, and attend academic classes in their subjects of interest and fun supplement classes to help them with different sorts of study and learning practices.nbsp; He is aiming to attend the program at UC Berkley next summer.br /The second of the two programs is the a href="http://brown.edu/ce/pre-college/leadership/environment/"Brown Environmental Leadership Lab in Rhode Island./anbsp; This two week program is right up the Pyrate's alley, as attendees will stay in tents right on the shores of a beautiful bay, and study issues related to the environment, shoreline ecosystems, and more!nbsp; It looks like a wonderful program.nbsp; We hope to send him to that one too!br /These two camps are extremely expensive so we are establishing a fund to raise the tuitionnbsp; and airfare to send the Pyrate to them.nbsp;nbsp; If we get 50 people to donate $200 each (you could do a lump sum, or that's $20 a month...), we would be able to send him off on this voyage!nbsp; We invite you to participate via the link to the right in the column or visit the a href="http://www.pyratedreams.bbnow.org/"website/a we've set up for the purpose of raising funds.nbsp; All donors will receive a monthly newsletter directly from the Pyrate with updates on his fundraising progress, school work, summer volunteer adventures, and more.nbsp; And the best part is that you'll receive a personal and exclusive invitation to a donor appreciation/bon voyage party in May 2012.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Whatever amount you are able to donate is appreciated!br /Well, I've got to get back to this secret stuff I'm cooking up over here.... My news is coming soon!!!!br /Til then love and light... xoxoxodiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-145538150308123882?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Repost: Deacon Fielder Strikes Again...Boston Fielder and his Muthawit Orchestra

2011-04-21EST23:52:23.572-07:00

div style="text-align: justify;"bnbsp;ORIGINALLY POSTED 3/30/2010/bbr /bifinally, a release cometh...so i'm reposting.../i/bbr /br /div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206747_10150168454450480_672675479_6642959_7991024_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="400" src="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206747_10150168454450480_672675479_6642959_7991024_n.jpg" width="390" //a/diva href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVcoSxujjts/S7KhNyUb2NI/AAAAAAAAAec/qnijlZwfqME/s1600/BostonWasted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"/aspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"I came to be acquainted with the inimitable /spana href="http://www.myspace.com/muthawit" id="aptureLink_VME4pmb5Mv"Boston Fielder/aspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;" about half a decade ago, believe it or not, on Myspace.nbsp; I'd been writing a blog there while promoting my music and building up a following which consisted of myspacers worldwide.nbsp; We were mutual fans of each others music.nbsp;nbsp; /span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"At some point I'd posted a blog chronicling a particularly challenging period in my journey and the next day, in my inbox there was this message from him... It was raw, straightforward, scolding, as if he'd ordained himself an authority on the subject of Brig Feltus, and it was a profound moment for me.nbsp;nbsp; I'm telling you this up front because there's no use in pretending to be unbiased when it comes to Boston Fielder, the /spana href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IiTcVQIunU" id="aptureLink_776sANiwzv"Muthawit Orchestra/aspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;", or Underground Railroad Broadcasting Alternatives, aka /spana href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwdm1JmdY00" id="aptureLink_ISVEzTPIjK"URB ALT/aspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;".nbsp;nbsp; We have been devoted friends for longer than linear time can define.nbsp; We knew each other in another lifetime even.nbsp; I'm sure of it.nbsp; I am a proud member of the URB ALT Family.nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: small;"/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_crf46dBZ9VI/S7KfLTpxsEI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ot1sTJTqFAg/s1600/3305_75457457163_834077163_1602876_6346620_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_crf46dBZ9VI/S7KfLTpxsEI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ot1sTJTqFAg/s320/3305_75457457163_834077163_1602876_6346620_n.jpg" width="320" //aspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"nbsp;I'm telling you up front because though this is meant to spread the word about the art this man creates, it is unabashedly personal.nbsp; Let my honesty about this fact represent my confidence that what you will experience will more than justify my love of all things Muthawit!/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"So by all means, explore for yourself when you're done here.nbsp; You'll find me to be an honest report on the virtues of the man and his art.nbsp; I am confident of that much.nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"The music of a href="http://www.myspace.com/muthawit"Muthawit Orchestra/a will not be contained in the structure of conventional musical genre descriptions.nbsp; But, oh... it is in every way music, encompassing all genres and none all at once... neo-classic, jazz, rock, funk, bluegrass, gospel, experimental, metal, psychedelic, blues, electronica...and it's own indescribable something-or-other which can only be experienced and never explained.nbsp; You can forget about trying to put this man's art into a box and tying it up in a nice neat bow.nbsp; If there is any thematic, that be it.nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"You will be challenged.nbsp; You will be challenged to free your mind, to let go of your own preconditioning, break loose of the chains of stereotype, archetype, and cultural characterization.nbsp;nbsp; The Muthawit orchestra's sound is beautiful noise that will touch your most guttural conscience and your most ethereal dream scapes as well.nbsp; It is frightening and sexy and comforting and confusing truth all wrapped up in compositions you can relate to despite your own conditioning.nbsp; If you are afraid of your tail feathers shaking, do not listen.nbsp; If you are afraid of arousal, do not listen.nbsp; If you fear your own emotions, this is not music for you.nbsp; Go and have a cup of tea and carry on.nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215560_10150170242730480_672675479_6658061_4820487_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="640" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215560_10150170242730480_672675479_6658061_4820487_n.jpg" width="624" //a/divspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"Every time I listen to this music I rejoice.nbsp; lol... I choose my friends wisely, you see...nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"URB ALT is also Mr. Fielder's brainchild... a community of artists, filmmakers, photographers, poets, musicians, and their admiring relatives and friends, all attempting to live on the cutting edge of free thought and inspiration.nbsp;nbsp; For me personally it has been a place where I can get to know others like me... alternative thinkers who don't quite fit the manufactured grooves of this groupthink society we all live in.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; He will say differently but for me it is a movement, by pure definition of the term.nbsp;nbsp; You see, I have been moved more than once since becoming a member of URB ALT.nbsp; Movement is the nature of the beast!nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#996633" flashvars="backgroundColor=0x996633amp;textColor=0x330033amp;config=http%3A%2F%2Furbalt.ning.com%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxg_source%3Dbadge%26size%3Dlarge%26username%3D1yww09cxjqpng" height="242" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" scale="noscale" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=201003221300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="206" wmode="opaque"/embed br /span style="font-size: small;"a href="http://urbalt.ning.com/"Visit iURB ALT/i/a/spanbr /span style="font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/207278_10150166984765480_672675479_6627275_7098085_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="400" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/207278_10150166984765480_672675479_6627275_7098085_n.jpg" width="380" //aspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"Boston's orchestra ensemble Muthawit releases its next album soon and I am honored to have been one of the first to hear its jewels pre-mastering and I couldn't wait til the proper time, so I'm telling you all about it now and getting a jump on all the promotional hype that's coming down the road closer to release date.nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"As far as I'm concerned, the character of the artist will tell you a lot about their art.nbsp; This man is extraordinary in every way that I know him, and has many layers of depth, not to be digested all at once.nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"Being his friend is a constant temptation to be greedy. There's stuff I just intuitively know about him but don't have to think about most of the time because it's beneath the surface.nbsp; His surfaces, when you meet him, are slow, and easy going, and gentle, just like his southern drawl.nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"But don't be deceived.nbsp; Every now and then he says something or does something and I'm reminded about that other stuff beneath his skin... things that can be intimidating when one considers to look straight on.nbsp;nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"ispan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"(Do you think people understand you? Not really. If they did they'd run...) /span/i/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"I gotta look with sunglasses, because he's like the sun.nbsp; Most know the sun is strong, so we resist the urge to look at it straight on.nbsp; The timid don't bother looking at all, won't even stand naked in its rays for fear of getting cancer, and in the process end up with vitamin deficiencies because of it. The foolish, in their greed, forget and try to look straight into it, and end up with scorched corneas.nbsp;nbsp; /span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"That's what he's like.nbsp; Seductive ease on the surface, and raging nuclear energy underneath!nbsp; His music is evidence of all that stuff beneath the surface, organized a bit, and recorded for posterity, which is a good thing because his sub-surface stuff evidently doesn't like repeat it self in order to keep you on your toes!/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"As if to prove my point, while I was writing this last bit a minute ago Fielder emailed me a disclaimer warning me not to hold him to his answers because he plans to contradict himself regularly over the next few months... Schizophrenia Convenia he calls it apparently.. ( one of a thousand Bostonisms I've had the pleasure of cracking up over all these years.)nbsp; THENnbsp; a minute or two later, a post-post-disclaimer requesting to add Igor Stravinsky, Samuel R. Delany, and Jack Kirby to his influence list... Did I ask for an influence list? Perhaps he was referring to his heroes... Uncle Baldy, and Co...nbsp; He also informed me that this is one of a handful (literally) of interviews he's ever allowed.nbsp;/span/divdiv style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: small;"br //span/divdiv style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: small;"What? I haven't said much of anything about the new album? Perhaps you should go back and read this posting again and pay attention this time.nbsp;/span/divbr /div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: small;" /span/divspan style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"Other than that? span style="font-size: large;"iba href="http://urbalt.bandcamp.com/album/men-women-la-revenge-de-uncle-baldy"Have a listen here/a/b/i/span and then you'll just have to wait!/spanbr /span style="font-size: small;"br //spanbr /span style="font-size: small;"br //spanbr /span style="font-size: small;"Below is a quicky email interview I sprung on him today without warning.nbsp; These are his off-the cuff answers.nbsp; Thank you Boston for your friendship, for your music, for your wisdom, and for your most admirable existence!!nbsp;nbsp; May your purse reach you... /spanbr /div style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;" /span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"br //span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat is Muthawit?/b/span biA loving homage to my elders, peers, children and folks who use common sense./i/b nbsp;/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"bspan style="font-size: large;"When did you start Muthawit?/span/b biWhen I was 7 years old./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat was your inspiration for its creation?/b/span nbsp;biMy grandmother's singing voice and my grandfather's speaking voice./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat is the Urb Alt Movement?/b/span nbsp;biFollowing the North Star is a movement that inspires me personally but I wouldn't call URB ALT a movement. nbsp;The financial component would make that hypocrisy./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat makes the Urb Alt Movement important in these times?/b/span nbsp;biI don't know that URB ALT is important. nbsp;Is making people feel good about themselves and others enough to say that it's important? nbsp;Hmm.nbsp;/i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWould you compare Urb Alt with other movements in music history?/b/span biPouring glass as slowly as possible into a pitcher./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat kind of people are participating in your movement?/b/span nbsp;biPeople who probably don't consider it a movement because movements tend to have a head, the head is lopped off by history and then it dies, is placed in a museum or cryogenically frozen in a state of mediocrity./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"bspan style="font-size: large;"Who are your musical heroes past and present day?/span/b nbsp;biUncle Baldy, Marvin Gaye, Alice Coltrane and that old dude who used to sit on the front row of the church is Tupelo and chanted "Yap, Yeah, Yap, Yeah" during Reverend Pulliam's sermon./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bIn 10 lines of PROSE or less, describe your musical compositions in poem./b/spanib "Beauty. Booty. Baby. Bounty. BOOM."/b/i/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"bspan style="font-size: large;"Do you think people understand you?/span/b nbsp;biNot really. nbsp;If they did they'd run./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bDoes being understood matter to you on a personal level?/b/span ibnbsp;It means everything and nothing. nbsp;Too much to do./b/i/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bDoes it (being understood)matter to the successful spreading of the music?/b/span ibnbsp;Only if the music is good does it matter and even then pirates will hijack it on the seas of change before the purse reaches the hands of the chosen./b/i/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat do you believe your art contributes to the world?/b/span binbsp;Joyful cacophony and a good reason to get out of bed or stay in bed depending on the situation./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bIs there a subject matter you are afraid to write about?/b/span nbsp;ibNo./b/i/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bIs there a subject matter you love to write about?/b/span nbsp;biNo./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat is thenbsp;story behindnbsp;your new album's title Men and Women?/b/span nbsp;biThe death of individualism, the rise of the IRS in the micromechanics of governing and the joy of watching tadpoles swim downstream./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat was the most joyful moment in creating the music on this album?/b/span nbsp;biMixing PMS Junkie. nbsp;It was a bloody good time./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat challenges did you face in making this album? /b/span nbsp;biTenant revolt./i/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"bspan style="font-size: large;"Is your music influenced by any esoteric or ethereal experiences?/span/b nbsp;ibMainly dead people who walk with us and share our experiences. nbsp;They like to dance and eat popcorn./b/i/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: large;"bspan style="font-family: Arial;" /span/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: large;"bspan style="font-family: Arial;"span style="font-family: Arial;" /span/span/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: large;"bspan style="font-family: Arial;"span style="font-family: Arial;"span style="font-family: Arial;" /span/span/span/b/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"span style="font-family: Arial;"span style="font-family: Arial;"span style="font-family: Arial;"bDid you have any experiences of transcendancenbsp;during the creation of the music on Men and Women?/b span style="font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bIf so, explain./b/spanib nbsp;I got regular sleep for the first time in well over a year due to roommate overhaul. nbsp;It released a torrent of positively kinetic energy./b/i/span/span/span/span/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhich song is your favorite and why? What's it about? /b/spanibnbsp;My favorite didn't make the album cause it hasn't been written yet. nbsp;It'll be the greatest song ever written in history. nbsp;Better than anything Lennon and McCartney or Liberace could produce on their best day./b/i/span/span/span/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"bspan style="font-size: large;"When will the album be available in stores? /span/bnbsp;ibMay 9th. nbsp;Mutha's Day./b/i/span/divdiv style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat are your thoughts on overcoming incomplete paradigms in life? /b/spannbsp;span style="font-size: x-small;"biA paradigm by nature is complete. nbsp;It's a simple signpost of change that has served it's purpose./i/b/spanbr /span style="font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat are you dreaming up for the near future artistically? /b/spanibnbsp;Children./b/i/span/divdiv style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"span style="font-size: x-small;"span style="font-size: large;"bWhat are you dreaming up for the near future personally?/b/span ibnbsp;Protection/b./i/span/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-8855441684887430938?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Introducing SALUMAXIMUS: The Great Sea

2011-04-20EST00:19:19.393-07:00

Nothing makes me prouder than my kid.nbsp; He's the one thing I've been responsible for that I KNOW I'm doing the best I can, and that my best is pretty darn impressive!nbsp; I allow myself that even in those times when it feels like nothing else I do is right.nbsp; Part of raising this beautiful, brilliant child, has included nurturing his passions.nbsp; I've been nurturing his passions since he could demonstrate he had them.nbsp; Starting at about 3 or 4 years old when he would scream and holler bloody murder because he didn't want to get out of the tub without me reading the Little Fish book to him one. more. time.nbsp; "I'm a little fish, I like to get all wet, I have a little octopus, he's my little pet, we swim swim swim, we swim swim swim, we swim swim swim some more,nbsp; we swim swim swim, we swim swim swim, until we reach the shore!"nbsp; Every bath time he made me read that padded waterproof book at least 20 times.nbsp; It will forever be imprinted on my brain... every line, every picture.br /He has been in love with water and marine life since at least that far back, and I made it a point to feed that love as often as possible.nbsp; It would not be far into his first years of elementary when he told me he wanted to be a marine biologist.nbsp; That seems like a million years ago....way back when we were members at the L.A. Zoo and the Long Beach Aquarium, and, yes, platinum card holders at Sea World San Diego and we milked those memberships for all they were worth and then some.nbsp; He had ocean themed birthday parties year after year, and as he got older they became Pyrate parties, because how many times can you really have whales and dolphins for a party before it starts to be uncool to your son and his friends?nbsp; We took vacations that were always near a body of water where we could snorkel and explore the ocean, including Puerto Vallarta, Florida, and the Bahamas.nbsp; We took a spring break road trip up the coast of California and visited every aquarium, marine life rescue center, marine life reserve, and university lab/aquarium we could find between L.A. and San Francisco.nbsp; One of the highlights of that trip was a beach near Santa Cruz where we walked 3 miles down a series of bluff and cliff trails to the ocean where and saw hundreds of enormous elephant seals basking on the beach in the sun.nbsp; A couple of years ago, for his birthday he requested a high school marine biology text book from a homeschool website, and marine specimens and a dissection kit from a science education website. We've been contributing to his personal library of books on related subjects since he began to use words.nbsp; He has swam with dolphins, manta rays, and 2 years ago we had the unforgettable opportunity to swim in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico with Whale Sharks bigger than a large school bus!nbsp; br /This year has been an exciting time for the Pyrate.nbsp; He's managed to complete a full year of 8th grade in a semester, and was advanced midyear to 9th grade.nbsp; By the fall he will be starting 10th grade, with almost all AP classes, and taking 2 courses at the local community college.nbsp; He's really excited and has the best kind of confidence building.... the kind you get when you work hard for something and finish it well and with acclaim.br /Soon he will begin training to be a camp counselor at the Long Beach Marine Institute where he'll assist in teaching younger kids about the ocean, ecology, and marine life.nbsp; He has also applied for a position as a docent at the Cabrillo Aquarium in the Aquatic Nursery, and the youth volunteer program in the fall at the L.A. Zoo.nbsp; We've also begun the overwhelmingly complex business of college exploration.nbsp; So far there's a couple of Ivy League institutions, and one UC institution on his favorites list....oh yeah, (selective amnesia) and Alaska University of the Pacific.nbsp; And somewhere in the midst of all of that, he'll be taking his first ever scuba certification course and training.nbsp; A very exciting time indeed.nbsp; Which brings me to the purpose of this post...br /The Pyrate has just launched a href="http://maxrecke.blogspot.com/"SALUMAXIMUS: The Great Sea/a, a blog where he will share things he's doing, articles about marine life and ocean ecology, and anything else he feels like sharing related to the topic.nbsp; If you have a teen child, please share his blog with them.nbsp; But it's not just for teens.nbsp; The information he will be posting is interesting for people of all ages.nbsp; So check it out soon, and join us on this amazing ocean voyage!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-1610938724066286966?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Ginger Mint Lemonade

2011-04-19EST20:50:05.864-07:00

This recipe, (sorry there's no picture) is my favorite anytime beverage to make when we have company.nbsp; I pull out my fancy 1940's punch bowl to serve it in and it reminds me of my grandma Elee Hollins and how she'd have the entire family... about 20 of us over on Sunday afternoons after church for family Sunday "dinner" (which was really like an early supper at around 2pm).nbsp;nbsp; There was almost always roast chicken, steamed rice, gravy, sweet dinner rolls fresh from the oven, either green beans or greens straight from grandma's garden, and a big punch bowl full of lemonade, made from fresh tart lemons, usually from a tree in the backyard, squeezed by hand.nbsp;nbsp; Hers didn't have mint or fruit floating around in it, and she used regular granulated sugar.nbsp; Mine is an updated, organic, sparkling, and has a slightly herbaceous taste which goes well with all kinds of foods.nbsp;nbsp; On a hot summer day, it's hard to resist and from what I've found, keeps party guests coming back to the punch bowl over and over and over.br /br /This recipe yields about 12-16 servings depending on the glass size.nbsp; You can make the syrup ahead up to 4-5 days, and add the rest the day you'll serve it.nbsp; Multiplying the recipe works great too.nbsp; I usually triple or quadruple it at the syrup stage and lemon squeezing stage so that at parties I can quickly refill the punch bowl when it is inevitably empty.nbsp; br /br /FOR THE GINGER SYRUPbr /1 cup of Waterbr /2/3 cups of Evaporated Sugar Cane Juice, Turbinado, or Raw Sugar (or 1 cup of honey, maple, etc)br /4 inch piece of fresh Gingerbr /br /Heat all 3 ingredients in a saucepan til boiling.nbsp; Reduce fire and simmer for about 10 minutes.nbsp; Cool completely.br /br /FOR THE LEMONADEbr /1 recipe of Ginger Syrup (see above) br /1 cup of fresh squeezed Lemon Juicebr /1 bunch of fresh Mint leaves br /1 cup of Blueberriesbr /5 cups of Sparkling Waterbr /4 cups of plain Waterbr /br /Mix syrup, lemon juice and waters in the punch bowl or other beverage vessel.br /Break the mint into small sprigs and crush them in your palm to release the flavor.br /Add mint and blueberries to the liquids and mix everything together.nbsp; Add ice and serve!!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-1754435382319810258?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Sparkling Peach Sangria

2011-04-06EST18:28:53.622-07:00

div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/files/2010/08/sangria_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/files/2010/08/sangria_low.jpg" //a/divbr /div style="text-align: center;"/divbr /br /div style="text-align: center;"br //divdiv style="text-align: justify;"As spring arrives, I thought to myself, "Self, it's time to add some refreshing beverages to the readers' arsenals".nbsp;nbsp; To start off, I'm sharing a super-easy recipe for Sparkling Peach Sangria because people are still talking about the batch I made last summer for an all ladies pool party I hosted at my house.nbsp; So, here it is, ladies! (and Gents...)nbsp;nbsp;/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"You'll need the following ingredients to make 4 drinks, however you can feel free to add other types of fruit as well.nbsp;nbsp;/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"br //divdiv style="text-align: justify;"2 Firm Ripe White Peaches/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"1 bunch of Green Grapes/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"2 Granny Smith Apples/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"1/2 cup Peach Schnapps/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"1/3 cup Superfine Sugar/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"3 cups chilled Rose' or White Zinfandel wine/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"2 cups Sparkling Water or Lemon-Lime Soda (such as 7-Up)/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"1 cup pineapple juice/divdiv style="text-align: justify;"br //divdiv style="text-align: justify;"Cut up peaches and apples into bite-sized chunks, add all fruit and sugar to the peach schnapps, mix and cover for at least a couple of hours, but ideally overnight.nbsp; When ready to serve, put schnapps mixture in pitcher or serving vessel and add wine, pineapple juice, and sparkling water or soda.nbsp; Mix well. /divdiv style="text-align: justify;"Serve over ice!nbsp; YUM!/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-4350085394079113405?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Thai Spice Cupcakes

2011-04-06EST18:59:07.405-07:00

div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I5IFqn06O50/TX6VBjqzjYI/AAAAAAAAAfo/8ApSSMpUiEg/s1600/IMG-20110314-00026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I5IFqn06O50/TX6VBjqzjYI/AAAAAAAAAfo/8ApSSMpUiEg/s640/IMG-20110314-00026.jpg" width="472" /nbsp;/a/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"So, the second cupcake flavor we're planning for my sister's shower is a Thai Spice cupcake.nbsp; I wanted to make something unique that would go with the Thai menu theme... something more interesting that boring plain white or chocolate, and something that was more about the flavor than about doing something outrageous for the frosting decoration.nbsp; So far, I've settled on a Lemongrass Vanilla Cupcake (see "find it" section for recipe), and a this one which we did a test run of today and boy oh boy are these Thai Spice Cupcakes good!nbsp; The unexpected savory-sweet flavor profile of curry, mango, vanilla, mint, and jalapeno, upon first bite inspires a raised eyebrow, and an "oh wow!", the tangy mango curry filling sends you over the top and into a moment of ecstacy and the mango butter cream?nbsp; To diiiiie for.nbsp; Really.nbsp; You'll want to sit and savor this extraordinary treat for as long as you can stretch it out.nbsp; But enough of the foreplay, here's the recipe for making one dozen!nbsp; I suggest making the mango curd the day before so that it's already done and ready to use.nbsp; /divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Enjoy!/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Cupcakes:/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 tablespoons curry powder/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"2 tablespoons minced jalapeno/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 tablespoon minced fresh mint/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 cup finely diced mango/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (see "cupcakes" in the "find it" section to the right)/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"To Assemble:/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"2 cups Mango Curd (see Lemon Curd recipe with alternate instructions to make it Mango)/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Frosting:/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 cup Mango Curd (see Lemon Curd recipe with alternate instructions to make it Mango)/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"1 recipe Vanilla Buttercream (American Style)/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Make your Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe instructions then add the curry./divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Fold in Jalapeno, mint, cilantro, and minced mango gently.nbsp;/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Bake according to directions.nbsp; They will not be golden brown.nbsp; They're done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a cupcake.nbsp;/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KAMApXw0vxM/TX6VCY8JmcI/AAAAAAAAAfs/SwamicviM48/s1600/IMG-20110314-00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KAMApXw0vxM/TX6VCY8JmcI/AAAAAAAAAfs/SwamicviM48/s400/IMG-20110314-00020.jpg" width="297" //a/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Allow to cool completely.nbsp;/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Make the mango curd.nbsp;nbsp;/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Make the Vanilla American Buttercream.nbsp;nbsp;/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Fold 1 cup of mango curd into the buttercream.nbsp; If it's too thin, you'll have to add more sifted powdered sugar until it's thick enough to hold shape when frosting your cupcakes. /divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"When the cupcakes are cooled completely, push a finger down into each one leaving a hole./divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Using a turkey baster, fill each hole with some of the remaining mango curd./divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Then frost the cupcakes with the mango buttercream frosting.nbsp;nbsp;/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"Garnish with mint or cilantro sprigs./divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"YUM/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"br //divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pRkxLjaQJKI/TX6VAVa1yUI/AAAAAAAAAfk/WxjLfjnRo_Q/s1600/IMG-20110314-00025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pRkxLjaQJKI/TX6VAVa1yUI/AAAAAAAAAfk/WxjLfjnRo_Q/s640/IMG-20110314-00025.jpg" width="472" //a/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br //divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-5898478413160352768?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Lemon Curd

2011-03-14EST15:56:40.208-07:00

Here's a quick lemon curd recipe.nbsp; You will use it in some of my other recipes but it's also really tasty on toast, biscuits, pancakes, home-baked gingerbread,nbsp; etc... You will need a double boiler or a metal bowl that can sit on the rim of a large sauce pan. br /br /1 1/4 cups sugarbr /1 cup lemon juicebr /1/4 cup lemon zestbr /4 eggsbr /1 cup butter cut into 1 inch cubesbr /br /br /Fill a large saucepan with a few inches of water and boil.br /Set a metal bowl or double boiler on top.br /br /Add sugar and lemon juice to the bowl/double boiler and combine until well mixed.br /Add the lemon zest and eggs, wisking well as you add them.br /Continue to whisk while the mixture cooks.nbsp; You cannot let this cook undisturbed the eggs will coddle up on you.nbsp; So just keep on stirring/whisking until your curd is thick sort of like a thick creamy soup chowder.br /Run the mixture through a sieve and discard any solids and zest.br /Stir in butter then chill.br /br /br /TO MAKE MANGO CURD:nbsp; Substitute mango puree for the lemon juice, keep lemon zest in.br /TO MAKE IT GRAPEFRUIT:nbsp; Substitute grapefruit juice for lemon juice and eliminate the lemon zest.br /br /You get the idea... you can make many kinds of fruit curd this way!!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-2617947628860498793?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Lemongrass Cupcakes

2011-03-12EST08:48:19.918-08:00

div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wLAWp1fmPlM/TXrqFWO7ayI/AAAAAAAAAfY/V2pTxcy7S7c/s1600/197678_10150127645622164_834077163_6415175_7378634_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wLAWp1fmPlM/TXrqFWO7ayI/AAAAAAAAAfY/V2pTxcy7S7c/s640/197678_10150127645622164_834077163_6415175_7378634_n.jpg" width="480" //a/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br //divbr /br /These cupcakes are part of the plans for my baby sister's bridal shower coming up in a couple of months.nbsp; We are doing a Thai themed menu, so it was important to me that we don't just have some generic flavor cupcakes that don't fit in with the distinct flavors of the Thai food that will be served on that day.nbsp; This is the first of 3 different flavors planned for the cupcakes for that party.nbsp; br /The subtle exotic flavor of lemongrass infuses these cupcakes for just a hint of something different.... lending a bit of a tea-like flavor with a hint of citrus.nbsp; I think I am in love.nbsp; My first run of these was a bit too sweet but I think I'm happy with the alterations I've made and that you will love these as much as I do.nbsp; For this recipe you will need to look up my recipes for Vanilla Bean Cupcakes and Buttercream Frosting (American Style).nbsp; You can find them both in the Find It directory in the column to the right under several obvious categories, or perhaps if you're lucky the links at the end of this post! xoxobr /br /br /For the cupcakes you'll need:br /1 recipe of Vanilla Bean Cupcakesbr /1 1/2 cups of Lemongrass Simple Syrupbr /br /br /For the Lemongrass Simple Syrup:br /4 stalks of lemongrassbr /5 cups of waterbr /4 cups sugarbr /br /br /For the Frosting you'll need:br /1 recipe of Buttercream Frosting (American Style)br /1/2 cup of Lemongrass Simple Syrup (see below)br /br /br /Start by getting your Lemongrass Simple Syrup going...br /Chop up your lemongrass into half inch bits and bring with the water to a boil in a large pot.br /Once boiling, add the sugar, reduce the heat, and simmer for at least an hour.br /br /br /While that's going, make your cupcakes just according to the recipe directions and get them in the oven at 350 degrees to bake.br /br /While your cupcakes are baking and your syrup is cooking down, make your buttercream frosting and set aside.br /br /When your cupcakes are done baking, remove them from the oven, and while they are still hot, dip each one, for about 3 seconds into the lemongrass syrup so that it soaks a bit into the top, then set aside to cool.br /br /Return the remaining syrup back to the stove and cook again for another hour or more, then cool completely.nbsp; You can speed this by placing in the freezer for a while. br /When the syrup has cooled it should be a loose honey-like consistency.nbsp; Strain off the lemongrass and set asidebr /Once cooled you can fold 1/2 cup of this syrup in to your frosting til thoroughly mixed, beating again if you need to in order to properly incorporate it.br /div style="text-align: center;"Frost your cooled cupcakes and they're ready to go!!! I garnished mine with a bits of the cooked lemongrass that I strained out of the syrup. Enjoy!nbsp;br /By the way... SAVE THE EXTRA SYRUP AND REFRIGERATE.nbsp; IT IS RATHER TASTY IN COCKTAILS!! /divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-COJozj-LGGo/TXrtGDdxn7I/AAAAAAAAAfc/3Z6NcqlJP3I/s1600/188526_10150127600247164_834077163_6414937_6177243_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-COJozj-LGGo/TXrtGDdxn7I/AAAAAAAAAfc/3Z6NcqlJP3I/s320/188526_10150127600247164_834077163_6414937_6177243_n.jpg" width="320" //a/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br //divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-1020075661195527935?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus

Buttercream Frosting (American Style)

2011-03-14EST17:49:39.561-07:00

In our country, Buttercream is, for the most part, at bakeries, not at all made with butter.nbsp; It's usually vegetable shortening.nbsp; Although that may be a bit more healthy, I can't condone buttercream frosting without butter in it, so I have gone back to the roots of the matter and come up with my own comprimise... You can find the palm shortening used in this recipe in your grocery's organic foods section.nbsp; It may be labeled vegetable shortening, just check the ingredients to confirm it's palm oil that's used to make it.br /Other than that?nbsp; What can I say... when enjoying cupcakes for a special occasion, there's really no need to fuss around about things such as whether or not something is more healthy or not.nbsp;nbsp; So just enjoy and move on!!br /br /You have to make this the same day you intend to use it because of the butter and milk in it.nbsp; If you want to make it vegan then use vegan margarine and soymilk in place of butter and milk in the recipe... if you insist! :) It can be made in advance in that case.br /Makes enough frosting for a dozen or more cupcakes.br /br /1 cup palm shorteningbr /1/2 cup unsweetened butterbr /5 cups organic powdered sugar sifted (5 cups measured before sifting)br /1/4 cup milkbr /2 tbsp pure madagascar or bourbon vanilla extractbr /br /br /Mix the shortneing and butter in the bown of a stand mixer on high until smooth and fluffy.br /Slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer speed turned down low or you'll get it back in the face!br /Then add the vanillabr /Then add the milk last.br /Scrape down and mix on high for about 15 minutes til your frosting is smooth and fluffy.nbsp; If it seems like it's not thick enough, go ahead and add more sifted powdered sugar and mix until smooth. br /Voila!br /Make sure your cake is completely cooled before frosting!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6441850667037871240-7617515263103452076?l=brigfeltus.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

Brig Feltus