Skip To Content

Real Talk


Inner Vision for the Weekend of November 20, 2015


hand holding knife being forged
Bob Kramer is one of only 122 certified master bladesmiths in the United States and the only one who specializes in forging kitchen knives.

Functional Art: Bladesmith Bob Kramer is already a certified badass for crafting kitchen knives using traditional Japanese swordsmith techniques. But that he also makes his knives using solid chunks of meteorite, well, that's sorta crazy. “This process is so difficult and so long, it’s insane to work this hard to improve something as utilitarian as a knife, you’d think. But at the end of the day, what comes out is so unique and so beautiful, all I can say is that I want that kind of crazy.”

Reading as Medicine: Instead of a prescription of the pharmaceutical variety, a bibliotherapist diagnoses what's missing from your life and offers a literary prescription as therapy and guidance. It's a practice once made famous by a lord of the rings, and could be just the thing to shake up the dynamics of a reading group.

I Was Only Dreaming: New wave melodies aside, the best dreams are the ones when a dreamer transforms from actor into director, recognizing "it's all but a dream!" There are several techniques for awakening the ability to lucid dream, bringing forth all varieties of exploratory experiences not possible during our waking hours.

child hanging strings of mushrooms and greenbeans to be dried in a window
The Colonial-era practice of stringing vegetables and fruits to be dried can be both a beautiful and delicious tradition to revive during the holidays.

Tied and Dried: Almost any vegetable can be dried using a large needle, kitchen twine, and a dry, sunny spot in the house—it's an old-timey food preservation technique that seems perfectly attuned to the holiday spirit of autumnal produce, seasonal decor, and indoor family activities.

You Snooze You Lose: "Research has long shown that exposure to cold water—either through taking a shower or by drinking a glass of ice water—can activate the sympathetic nervous system (that’s the one responsible for your fight-or-flight response) and give you an eye-opening spike in adrenaline." Given those two options, I'll take the cold glass of water, thank you very much.

Jumpstart a Savings: Starting a retirement plan is very much like establishing lifelong fitness habits: Procrastination is the biggest enemy. But this idea—taking an annual tax refund and investing it in part or whole—seems an effective and simple mechanism for anyone wondering, "But how do I start?"

hand squeezing hand sanitizer into a stack of sticks set up to start a fire
When igniting a fire in less-than-ideal conditions, try using hand sanitizer as a fire starter.

Stupid Tent Tricks: Camping is all about preparation, packing the right gear, and a little trial and error. You can skip a few of those errors by checking out this list of camping tips and tricks compiled by the REI blog; I'll definitely be keeping a few of those bread tags in my backpack from now on.

Don't Worry, Take That Nap: The irony is that I catch myself too often in states of constant busyness, all the while extolling the virtues of appreciating and integrating idleness. It's something I'm working on improving with a nap here and a morning walk there. Small bites of meditation. Scientific American notes even those small moments of downtime matter, and we shouldn't ever feel guilty taking them.

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work: Alain de Botton writes, "How different everything is for the craftsman who ... can step back at the end of a day or lifetime and point to an object—whether a square of canvas, a chair or a clay jug—and see it as a stable repository of his skills and an accurate record of his years, and hence feel collected together in one place, rather than strung out across projects which long ago evaporated into nothing one could hold or see.” Recognizing that much of modern life/work revolves around the intangible (I'm looking at you, Google Drive), these words are a reminder that tangible endeavors of art, craft, or cooking can reintroduce the satisfaction of accomplishment.

ingredients for pho arranged in a white bowl
The 30-Minute Pho recipe is gluten-free and vegan, but you can easily substitute beef or chicken broth for more authentic flavor.

30-Minute Pho: I don't know if there's a cold weather food I like better than a big bowl of pho. Aromatic, swimming with freshly torn herbs and slices of jalapenos playing good cop/bad cop across the lips, pho is the ideal meal when I want to indulge in noodles without the heavy-stomach feeling of regret afterward. It's also easy to accommodate for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free eaters using this flavorful recipe open to further interpretation.
