cars, books, and tabbouli, oh my!!!

it's been a stressful week. my car decided that regardless of how much i coaxed in, it just was not going to make it through another michigan winter. as soon as i can convince a bank that i'm not a loser, i'll be the proud owner of. . . something with 4 tires and an engine. until then, i'm begging rides to work at to the grocery store. i better figure something, i got books due at the library next week. maybe i can renew them over the phone?

good new on the book front. i got my advanced reading copy of "Dream of the Dragon Pool", by Albert Dalia. it is Chinese Hero Fantasy based on actual events in the life of historical Chinese poet Li Bo. looks very cool, and his very talented artist wife did the cover art. i know less than zero about Chinese history and myth. . . so hopefully i can keep up. but i did love Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

i finished reading Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, and if you're looking for a review, here or elsewhere, the next few sentences will have to suffice. this was the most readable Bradbury book i've come across, and Mr. Bradbury is so adorably sexist. really, it's quite cute. the short stories outline our first expedition to mars and first contact with martians, our martian colonies, the death of the martians, and the eventual nuclear death of the earth. parts of it feel like it is paralleling the Europeans discovery and colonization of North America, and how the natives were seen and treated. i wonder how many lit students have done that as a thesis?

what are your thoughts on the Martian Chronicles? i heard there was a movie made. do you know if it's any good?

so, no official review of The Martian Chronicles, but there is an official review of Greg Bear's Blood Music over at Scifi haven. I'd start posting reviews exclusively here, but i'm too busy being an attention whore over there.

time for food, i'm hungry.

Tabbouleh is a great summer salad, which is why i'm posting it in February, when it's getting up to a balmy 20 during the day, and dropping as low as -10 at night. too bad that 20 degrees isn't centegrade. i make as many batches of this as i can in the summer, because it's light, yummy, and pretty easy to make. it's divine in pita bread, as well.

you'll need:
1 cup bulgar wheat
1 cup boiling water
3-4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp dried mint leaves
about 1 cup chopped cucumber
an entire bunch of fresh parsley, chopped as fine as you can (you should have about 2 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
black pepper

optional:
can of chickpeas, strained.
garlic, to taste


how to make it:
put the bulgar wheat in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. cover, and let sit about 20 minutes. while the bulgar is busy absorbing all the water and softening up, you can chop everything else up. mix all ingredients well in a large bowl, cover, and let chill in the fridge for a few hours.

very easy, very fresh, and is delish in pitas, on crackers, or straight up. the chickpeas and cucumbers aren't part of the traditional recipes, but i love 'em, so i add 'em.