Listen! And Asian Ribs

From time to time I suffer a bout of insomnia. Sometimes I can't fall asleep at all and other times I fall asleep, but wake up continuously. A few years ago I found a solution that works well for me. It's a form of self-hypnosis, I suppose, because it involves keeping your mind on something other than the fact that you're not sleeping.

It works like this. I make lists in sets of ten. It doesn't matter what the topic of the lists is, but ten seems to be the magic number (and you must be laying down with your eyes closed; sitting in a kitchen chair and writing them on paper won't work). I will list ten songs I like, ten places I'd like to go, ten foods I hate or anything else that comes to mind. When I start needing my fingers to keep track of what number I'm on, I know I'm on the verge of sleep. I can't remember ever making more than three lists before drifting off.

Recently, I tried making a list of ten sounds that I like. It took quite a bit of concentration because, think about it, how much do you pay attention to sounds? Other than music or listening to others speak, sounds tend to be in the background. You hear them but you don't pay much attention to them. Singling out the ones you like best isn't easy, but here's what I came up with, in no particular order:

1. The whirr of a fishing pole being cast and then the lure plunking into the water.


2. The ringing of church bells.


3. A cat purring.


4. The clip clop of a horse trotting.


5. The pop of a cork being removed from a wine bottle.


6. The sizzle of food on the grill.


7. The pop and crackle of wood burning in a bon fire.


8. The roar of the ocean.


9. The patter of rain falling.


10. The tinkling of the seashells rolling against each other as the tide rolls out.

What sounds do you enjoy?

Asian Ribs

I've made all sorts of barbeque style ribs, but yesterday, I made Asian style ribs for the first time. They were so delicious that I just had to blog about them. The recipe comes from Allrecipes and can be found here.

They were falling off the bone tender. I served them with sesame noodles and green beans. We got a little crazy and sprinkled sesame seeds (which I should have toasted, but forgot) over everything.

I don't think I could ever get sick of barbeque style ribs, but these were so delicious that I will definitely make them again and again.