JELLYFISH LAVALAMP

These Jellyfish are part of an installation at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA. The jellyfish reside in a large cylindrical tube that lights up with changing florescent colors in the center of the room. With their slow swimming movements and the bright colors, this exhibit has the same hypnotizing effect of a psychedelic lava lamp.

I want to tell you the ocean knows this,

 that life in its jewel boxes

     is endless as the sand,

 impossible to count,

 pure,

     and among the blood-colored grapes

time has made the petal

     hard and shiny,

made the jellyfish full of light

     and untied its knot,

letting its musical threads fall

     from a horn of plenty made of infinite mother-of-pearl.

     I am nothing but the empty net which has gone on ahead

     of human eyes,

 dead in those darknesses,

     of fingers accustomed to the triangle,

longitudes

     on the timid globe of an orange.

     I walked around as you do,

investigating the endless star,

     and in my net,

 during the night,

 I woke up naked,

     the only thing caught,

 a fish trapped inside the wind.

(excerpt from Enigmas by Pablo Neruda)

SUMMER SANGRIA

My poison of choice will always be wine so it isn't surprising that this delicious drink is my favorite to make/consume during the summer months. I remember the first time I tried Sangria, I was 17 years old and on an excursion with my high school to France and Spain for the summer. It was my first time ever visiting Europe and I was more than willing to drink up every bit of culture I could find. On one of our last nights in Madrid the teachers took us to watch flamenco dancing and we were served Sangria during the performance. I remember sipping on the sweet beverage while watching the two dancers intertwine eachother to the rhythm of the guitar. I don't know if it was from the sensual dancing or the fact that I not only finished my glass but my friend's as well, but the whole experience was dream-like and hypnotizing.  For me this memory and beverage go hand-in-hand together. To make your own Summer Sangria you will need the following ingredients, red wine (I prefer the sweeter dessert wines), summer seasoned fruit such as strawberries, lemons, watermellon, mixed berries, and brandy. Soaking the chopped fruit in the brandy overnight adds an extra kick, and then mix in the wine when ready to serve. This drink is best consumed cold while lounging by the poolside :)