At last

Thanks so much to the New York Times Magazine for choosing food allergies for its cover on next Sunday's edition. A most important issue that yet is most incomprehensibly ignored by Health and Education departments in most places, the media... So people in general are clueless or, worse still, full of mistaken ideas thinking they know when they don't.
This is specially sad in this case because that ignorance is these children's biggest danger. If people were aware of a few simple facts they would be so much safer. And they deserve to be.
Thankfully there are parents, doctors like Nadeau and organizations fighting hard to raise awareness and making big advances. FARE (formerly FAI) is one of the most active organizations, its youtube channel here. Pls get informed. Chances are that sooner or later you'll interact with these parents and their children (after all it now affects 1 in 13 children, ranging from mild to severe), pls take them seriously. And please bear in mind that unfortunately, and contrary to general judgement, when talking precautions they (we) are not exaggerating. This is kind of how it is.
While the NYTM piece mainly talks about a new trial, it still provides a very good insight into the world of children with severe food allergies.
Read the whole article, The allergy buster, here.

Marshmallow pops

Jeez, how difficult is it to post after so long? Most, so I will this once. It's Valentine's and for those in the US who still have time, anyone want an idea for a quick easy treat? I've done these today and they've turned out quite ok, thought I'd share (well,  I've had to make them egg and dairy free - always harder). Recipe here, much nicer ones than my sloppy version in the pic. Otherwise these pancakes are amazing. There's so many terrible recipes out there, you can't tell, but these are great.
It's the day for sharing and stuff so..music: my favourite cd of 2012: Julia Stone, "By the horns", wouldn't have predicted it but she's really taken a huge leap with this one (a grower, takes a lot of listens to get to the bottom and the first few times most of it may not even seem any appealing, but it's fantastic -half the songs). Video I liked best probably Knots, by Dan Michaelson, most simple and yet...
2013 now, it has started with enjoying a few perfect pop songs off the new Tegan and Sara (with the help of mighty omnipresent Kurstin, now busy with Sia  -btw so happy to see a sheet music shop in their website, finally someone doing that!-), the cosy if this time too diluted Dido (she's giving away a reallly good acoustic of an oldie today, check out her facebook. Not one of my favourites though), the This is 40 soundtrack (Fiona's ace back in 2012 but Norah's now, bravo-h) and this and that like Blackbird Blackbird's It's a war -last year's though. And old The Kills (Sour cherry, a natural reaction today to so many hearts and marshmallows I suppose! -and to other things other days). Oh, and Solange!!, Losing you is fantastic (Rice-Oxley recommended, really surprised to love it  and later found out someone familiar is behind it: Dev Hynes!: that explained it, long time no see, a music genious). Lots of my favourites preparing releases these days, may be a good year.
The other day I set out to discover new blogs, thought I'd do so with a search of  my two favourite songs of 2012 "with quotation marks", see which blogs/websites were in the same "niche". Got only one hit: me!!! (the lastfm I use now, that is). Unexpected, gets you thinking...

Back to my cave now :P To the people like me out there may patience, temperance, resignation be with you in the most unreasonably huge amounts.

February 21st: Went to Madrid fashion week today, managed to attend one of the fashion shows, Sita Murt (you can watch it on the link). One of the three songs they used was Solange's "Losing you", serendipity!. Took the bad camera so bad pic:

The experience of going to the Cibelespacio was somehow bitter, seeing too many people around trying too hard and failing miserably, not a nice sight. But there certainly are bigger issues out there.
27th: And on second thought I need to mention Kathleen Edward's Voyager as another one of my favourites from last year if it took me quite a while, but again half the songs are just gorgeous, and inevitably she always ends up being my most played. She's just released a new video.

Not pretending to be what she's not, thankfully. But again, some absolutely don't need to.

March...here, again...saw this Solange (+ Dev) performance, flawless, wanted to include it. Another fabulous song. I should finish this post at some point though. Because otherwise I'd also want to talk about Brooke Waggoner's Originator (with last lines like Be wise, you fool..), and Solange's page of vibes on Soundcloud -very original!-and then about this free download of SXSW artists that includes the fantastic Haley Bonar... -listened to her wonderful ditty Raggedy Man yet?-  And I'd never end. So I'm going to try now, seriously. With crisis of every colour and shape out there inspiring music is ... good.