there was a little girl, who had a little curl...

we'll just glide, starry-eyed

2011-07-25T21:51:00.011-04:00

It may not look like much, but this is potentially the best invention since air conditioning:

Actually, it's not much, which makes it even more impressive (why didn't anyone else think of this?!). It's just a panel with wheels that you strap to the back of your carseat.

Then, rather than lugging said carseat through the airport, you can wheel it -- and your youngun -- around like this!

Voila, happy toddler and free hands! Thank you, GoGoBabyz.

We did a plane trip over a long weekend and this thing totally saved the day. We buy tickets and have the kids in their seats on the plane for safety's sake, and we use the carseats back on land too.

As for keeping busy, obviously airports and planes are fairly busy places, and flying is pretty fun, The babe was mostly occupied with the Nuby teether

and a handmade stuffed cat from Tibet we found at Ten Thousand Villages -- perfect for chewing.

(Side note: everyone always mentions how babies are upset by the altitude change with take-off and landing. One reason we take the carseats on board is to do what we can to help with their safety during these two portions of the flight, so the wee one was strapped in (not nursing and not having a bottle) and didn't seem to mind a bit...maybe we were lucky, maybe it helped that she is producing buckets of drool to go along with the teething...)

Our other child was once again busy with books! This seemed perfect for a map-obsessed toddler on his first flight

reusable stickers were a big hit too!

And snacks for everyone, of course.

It was by no means easy for us to travel with two, but we did manage pretty well -- and without checking luggage to boot!

New Respect for the Pioneers

2011-06-21T14:32:00.010-04:00

I've never thought I would have made it far on a wagon trail. The East is such a nice place, anyway. But even up and down the Right Coast requires some supplies when traveling with the little ones. Got some great recommendations from friends and had to pass along the best of the best.

Pix are links. Facilitation of shopping obviously a high priority.

All hail the Magna Doodle!
This little puppy got us at least three hours down the road. Three. Hours. When interest waned, I took and drew a story picture by picture, which bought us at least another 20 minutes. Not bad for $12.

One of our favorite rainy day books was a brilliant distraction, too. So many pictures and stories to explore! (Warning if you're reading it out loud, there are a few pages I skip. Not quite time for a Hansel & Gretel story for us.) Love the "what will you be when you grow up" pages!

This lap tray was bought on a lark.
Coloring has been a favorite activity lately and I thought it would be great in the car but for the whole "where do I put my crayons" and "how do I hold this flimsy book" problems. We used it without strapping it around, since some claustrophobic genes run in the family, and it still worked just fine. As hoped, very helpful for coloring and nice for snacktime, too.

Jumbo crayons were particularly perfect for travel. Many thanks to the ever-fabulous Amusing Pursuits for providing them!

I'd never played Crocodile Dentist, but several blogger mamas had this on their travel lists, and it was a fun little game. The bite is definitely not a dangerous chomp, despite some reviews seen here, but the action of the jaws closing was just exciting enough to make getting it out and watching Mama play a 20 minute activity, followed by getting up the nerve to try it oneself, and then playing...another hour down the road!

I was quite surprised when other moms of tots suggested books on tape. I thought we would seriously miss the book. Perhaps it was this specific set of stories (who doesn't want to hear Jack Nicholson talk about how the rhinoceros got his skin?!) but they were definitely well-received.

Obviously, frequent stops (note to restaurant chains near the highway: more playgrounds!), music CDs (I'll have to do another post on those) and snacking in the car get you a long way, too.

Happy trails!

I made this?

2010-01-27T21:43:00.003-05:00

Are you sure?

In my little ol' kitchen?

God bless you, Jim Lahey.

AMOUR POUR HAÏTI

2010-01-17T22:36:00.011-05:00

We were so grateful for the opportunity to drop off relief supplies at the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, DC today. It was an amazing experience to drive in heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic and hear not one horn nor have one driver try to cut around as we all inched along.

Police were allowing people to park right outside the embassy, to double-park, to park on the nearby traffic circle, to pull in or block neighboring embassy driveways...unheard of.

Volunteers were helping people unload bag after bag from their trunks and carry things up to more volunteers who were stuffing everything into plastic bags to protect it from the rain.

Local companies donated the trucks -- God bless people who have a solid understanding about resource allocation and doing the right thing.

It wasn't raining hard, but it was enough of a sprinkle that if you were feeling lazy, it could have kept you inside. But from the looks of the crowd and the piles and piles of supplies, that didn't happen.

We took so little -- tshirts, packets of tuna, raisins, shampoo, conditioner, soap, diapers, onesies, baby blankets, baby hats. My heart is heavy with those babies.

Thank you to the Embassy for being a collection point today in addition to all the other work they are doing night and day right now.

Please donate to UNICEF or the Red Cross. $10, $20, whatever you can do. Do not worry about the amount. Empower people who are in a position to help. Show the people of Haiti that we care, that they matter to us. Love for Haiti.

AMOUR POUR HAÏTI.

PASS

2009-07-23T21:33:00.011-04:00

Ever see something, like a particular issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, that makes you want to go back and redo your whole wedding ceremony just to incorporate one particular thing? If I could go back, I would undoubtedly incorporate more peonies.

AND THIS:

THIS was totally worth a wedding rehearsal.

We love Whole Foods!

2009-05-06T20:55:00.004-04:00

And we got a mention on the Whole Foods blog -- woo hoo! (Scroll down to "Moms love oats!")

It's all thanks to Mama and her fabulous Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars.

If they don't recommend them for breakfast, I guess maybe they won't be so pumped about SmallBean's Breakfast Cookies, huh? Well, that's okay: more for us.

sometimes you just can't pause mid-meal

2009-03-06T16:28:00.002-05:00

Me, "Also, I---" (chomp chomp)

Husband, "Did you just interrupt yourself?"

Me, "Yes."

Husband, "THAT'S a good biscuit."

well that's unfortunate

2009-03-02T23:22:00.004-05:00

Me, reading the bag while I enjoy some Smooth & Melty Mini Mints: "What is propylene glycol?"

Lovely husband: "Um, why does that sound familiar as some sort of TOXIN?"

According to Wikipedia, it is the main ingredient in deodorant sticks. And it is used to de-ice airplanes.

According to me, it is DELICIOUS.

(And a little worrying, admittedly.)

who knew?

2008-07-16T11:22:00.005-04:00

There are other things going on in my life. I promise. I'm reading lots of different books, enjoying summer cookouts, and seem to be seeing a new superhero movie just about every weekend. The farm box is just so much fun, though!

The best find from last week was this recipe for beets. Never thought about beet latkes, but I suppose you can grate any root vegetable you please, and of course everything tastes better fried. Delicious and pretty on a plate.

And this week's box just arrived!

Cucumbers disappear rapidly around here, whether in a chopped salad with feta and tomatoes, or raita. Green beans, too. But yellow beans are something new -- are they the same as wax beans?

Of course, Epicurious to the rescue with a handful of delicious-sounding options. And according to Google, you can pickle them, too. The Swiss chard is already crying out for garlic and olive oil. And the pattypan squash might need the same treatment.

has it already been a week?

2008-07-02T22:43:00.005-04:00

So I got all those fabulous veggies last week and got to cooking and forgot to blog!

Most of the celery is still in the fridge, as I cannot eat it (allergy) and the lovely husband can only eat so much. I used the broccoli first, blanched and then tossed with Ina Garten's Szechuan Noodle Salad . Yum - hot or cold.

Next were the herbs: threw a handful, and I do mean a handful, of chopped oregano, mint, and dill from the veggie box, along with parsley and a zucchini (shredded) from the store, into 6 beaten eggs with 1/2 cup of milk. Baked in small ramekins at 350 for 45 minutes. Got the idea from this delicious number.

Also, highly recommend you try some mint lemonade! Muddle the mint as you would for a julep or mojito, etc. and then pour in the lovely, lemony goodness. Trader Joe's has gallons of organic lemonade for something like $3. Unbeatable.

I was excited about the beets, and could ordinarily come up with half a dozen uses for them, but the fact that we had only two added a little pressure. Ina to the rescue with a tasty Summer Borscht:

I was cucumberless and scallionless at the time, so made it without those. Also, omitted sour cream and used plain Greek yogurt. Entirely worthy of your food processor, not to mention beets.

Oh, and the salad. That has probably been the most surprising thing for me. We eat quite a lot of salad, and love lots of different greens, but the crunchiness and flavor of these makes my frozen spinach addition look a little sad. (Sadder?) Aaah, well, no need to fret, for this arrived today:

So, for dinner tonight, Crunchy String Bean Salad with Red Onion (I omitted the prosciutto), roasted fingerling potatoes, following this recipe (sans crème fraîche and caviar, after all, it's only Wednesday), and Chicken with Goat Cheese and Rosemary. (After all, it is Wednesday.)

Enjoy!

where HAVE i been?

2008-06-25T10:42:00.004-04:00

I know. I know. We went to Italy, then Christmas happened, and now it's summer. But what better reason to get back to blogging than the delivery of a box of goodness on your doorstep!

I've wanted to get a share from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm for awhile now, and it finally worked out this year with the Virginia Green Grocer. This week's offering includes herbs (dill, oregano, and mint), beets, salad mix, broccoli, and celery. (Good thing my lovely husband likes celery - and we might have to foist some on the neighbors, too.)

Time to get cookin'! Happy Summer!

how you know you just got back from Italy

2007-11-16T10:04:00.000-05:00

Lots of people add water to the coffee we make at home. We like a nice strong cup! But this morning, I actually pulled the machine out to check the amount of grounds in the filter...and on the way in to work after simultaneously taking sips, we agreed: it tastes like water!

even better than the hippopotamus

2007-08-29T22:10:00.001-04:00

fantastic onomastics

2007-08-14T16:18:00.001-04:00

I've always been interested in names and name meanings. And the blessing that is the Internet opens up so many new possibilities for research and perusal.

One very good site is Behind The Name. I like their meanings (which I think are largely accurate), and the Related Names feature, which shows nicknames, root names, and names from other languages/places that share the same meaning.

Laura Wattenburg has created some of the most highly addicting sites ever to exist. Her Name Voyager could keep me occupied for hours. And the Baby Name Blog, in which she shares her latest revelations, is equally as enticing for the reader comments following each post. Laura has also partnered with the people at Nymbler to create a name generator based on your preferences and her analysis of styles and trends.

And just today, I found the Name Nerds, who have done great work with Celtic name translations, and who are currently conducting their own Middle Name Survey. Have a go!

i do not think it means what you think it means

2007-08-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

Ingredients list: Wheat flour, Milk, Eggs, Sugar, Vegetable Margarine, Baking Power [sic], Salt

All power and no cheese does not a quesadilla make.

adventures in accents

2007-08-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

I think I know what happened here:

"Just run down the street and have a sign made!"

but will he get along with my new hippo?

2007-08-02T16:50:00.000-04:00

"Chocoholic squirrel steals treats from shop"

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A Finnish squirrel with a sweet tooth heads to a Finnish grocery shop at least twice a day to steal "Kinder Surprise" chocolate-shelled eggs.

"I named it the Kinder-squirrel, after the treats. It always goes after them, other sweets do not seem to interest it as much," the manager of the store in Jyvaskyla, central Finland, told Reuters.

The confectionary, which is intended for children, has a toy inside.

"It removes the foil carefully, eats the chocolate and leaves the store with the toy," Irene Lindroos said.

Unfortunately, the bushy-tailed thief does not clean up after itself, but leaves the wrappers behind, she added.

Squirrels have a well deserved reputation for being clever and adaptable animals. Many a home owner has seen the small rodents raiding their supposedly "squirrel-proof" bird feeders.

***********

It eats the chocolate and keeps the toys! I should hope my future children will be this smart!

this is about the cutest thing I've ever seen!

2007-08-02T09:16:00.000-04:00

Now I totally want a hippopotamus for Christmas.

what we eat

2007-07-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

I find this really fascinating: A list of America's top grossing restaurants. And just for fun, here are their menus.

1) Tao Las Vegas Restaurant & Nightclub, Las Vegas
2) Tavern on the Green, New York City
3) Joe's Stone Crab, Miami Beach
4) Tao Asian Bistro, New York City
5) Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC
6) Gibsons Bar Steakhouse, Chicago
7) Bob Chinn's Crab House, Wheeling, Illinois
8) miX in Las Vegas, Las Vegas
9) Fulton's Crab House, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
10) "21" Club, New York City

Such different foods and such a range of price points. And now I'm hungry.

reading between zee lines

2007-07-25T14:09:00.000-04:00

"A black day for the Tour de France"

excerpt from the International Herald Tribune

GOURETTE, France: Let no one mistake it: This was one of the blackest days in the 104-year history of the Tour de France.

Less than 24 hours after Alexandre Vinokourov, and his team, were thrown off the Tour, the mood was grim as the riders lined up in Orthez in southwestern France for the start of the 16th of 20 daily stages on Wednesday.

Dozens demonstrated their anger over repeated doping scandals by staging a silent protest.

The Associated Press reported that some fans booed the leader, Michael Rasmussen, himself under suspicion.

And the French sports daily L'Equipe reported on its Web site that cycling officials would announce later Wednesday that another rider had failed a doping test, after the 11th stage on July 19.

***********

There is a DAILY French paper just about SPORTS? Do we even have that here?

I really don't know what to think with all this doping nonsense. I do believe that part of the problem stems from the (literally) Olympic shift away from amateur athletes to people who, even if not all professionals in the Michael Jordan sense, train and compete in their sport on a year-round basis. And maybe the shift was critical to the continuation of the Olympics, but I see doping as a side-effect of the push to be the best at only one particular thing.

I say all of this, of course, from my own perspective as a globally-competitive...mmm...shoe-buyer.

also, I hear the queen of england has some major jewelry

2007-07-25T12:30:00.001-04:00

This headline is from Yahoo! Entertainment News:

"Oprah tops list of highest paid TV stars"

???!!!

Can we have a conversation about what NEWS means?

"News" is that I watched the Victoria Bechkam special last week, and -- guess what?! She's funny! She actually seems nice (despite the perpetual wearing of six-inch heels that would lead us to think otherwise). And I particularly enjoyed her use of the word "major." (Though I do think that if I and anyone else on this side of the pond are going to use it, we will have to imitate her accent...MAY-jah...and wear big sunglasses, but I've been doing that anyway.)

a message to my fellow fans

2007-07-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

In case anyone is waiting to call or communicate: I'm done.

And in case anyone else is not, I'm not saying a word.

pleasingly palatable

2007-07-19T23:42:00.000-04:00

Last summer, when I visited the farmer's market, I procured pounds of peaches, and posted the cobbler recipe.

This summer, I remembered to take pictures!

For you, my pretty...

veddy tasty

2007-07-19T23:23:00.001-04:00

If you happen to be the general vicinity of western Virginia while it's happening, I highly recommend you stop by the Green Valley Book Fair. We went while on vacation last summer, and made a detour on a trip home earlier this month. It's rather like Barnes & Noble for dimes on the dollar. This time I picked up, among other things, a copy of The Best American Recipes 2001-2002. The cover snagged me right away.

Though many recipes look very promising, I tried this one first:

Blueberry Bannock Scone
from Martha Stewart Living
by cooks Hannah Milman and Susan Spungen

makes one nine-inch scone; serves 8

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 cup blueberries
1 tsp water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly sprinkle a 14x16 baking sheet with flour, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, pecans, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and two tablespoons of the sugar.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until it has the consistency of small crumbs.

In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and one of the eggs. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. The dough will be quite wet and sticky; work it as little as possible.

Divide the dough in half and shape one piece into a nine-inch circle on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the blueberries evenly over the circle and sprinkle with two tablespoons of the sugar. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, form a nine-inch circle from the remaining dough, and gently slide it onto the berries. With the backside of a knife, score the top into eight wedges.

Beat the remaining egg with the water and lightly brush the egg was over the top of the scone. Sprinkle with the remaining one tablespoon sugar.

Bake until the scone is golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. When cool, cut into wedges and serve.

I followed those last directions (cut into wedges and serve) before I remembered to take a picture.

My modifications:
- I used 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 whole wheat flour
- I put a piece of parchment paper on the sheet pan (to make it easier to move the scone to the cooling rack)
- I did not use a separate egg for the egg wash. I just kept the container that had held the buttermilk and the one beaten egg, added a little water, and brushed away. (You can also brush with milk instead.)
- I think it would be pretty easy to make this wheat-free. Bob's Red Mill has a great gluten-free flour. Be sure to add 1 tsp of xanthum gum to balance things out. As for the wheat germ, you might need a few more pecans or tablespoons of the gluten-free four to get the mixture to the right consistency.

Won't you have just a tiny bite?

summer and the whistlestop cafe

2007-07-18T21:34:00.000-04:00

We went blueberry picking a few weekends ago, and picked up a few other things at the farmer's market affilated with the patch. (Well, patch is rather a misnomer, since this place also does blackberries, strawberries, apples, Christmas trees...) Among the prizes at the market was a green tomato, ripe for frying!

I thought I should serve the fried goodness with something healthy, so I paired it with baked tilapia with lemon olive oil and tarragon. Being just a tad hungry by the time I got things done, I forgot to take a picture right away. Oops!

I'm not sure why I got it in my head that I wanted a Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade to go with it, but I did and there began a rather enormous recipe search. In the end, no one recipe sounded just right. There were some things I thought that the remoulade should not have (ketchup!) and some that it should (horseradish and cayenne).

I'm pleased to say that my homebrew turned out to be pretty tasty! We had it on the fried green tomatoes, but I think it would also work well on chicken, sausages, steak, eggs (if you like it spicy), maybe anything but ice cream.

CurlyHairDay's Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade

1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Put all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend away to achieve desired consistency. Done!

The only thing I didn't add that I will next time is Worchestershire sauce. I think a dash of its spicy, smoky, salty flavor would be delicious. Maybe start with 1/2 tsp and taste.

I like a smooth remoulade, with dots of the herbs. I also like it thick...you could add a touch more lemon juice or olive oil if you'd like it to be more of a sauce. There's not very much of any one thing in here, but then, I'm not sure anyone needs jars and jars of remoulade...well, maybe...

this could keep me busy until around midnight on Friday

2007-07-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

Partial Face Transplants

Mexican Second Breakfast

2007-07-08T15:47:00.001-04:00

Maybe this is what we should do with movies -- rewrite the script to make it work with the original action! (See the original dance below.)

it's called "Mexican Breakfast!"

2007-07-08T15:46:00.001-04:00

people I'm adding to my list of friends/desert island comrades

2007-06-29T21:39:00.000-04:00

Dorothy Parker, who suggested her epitaph read, "Excuse my dust."

Oscar de la Renta, "If you want to establish an international presence you can't do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris."

Nigella Lawson, "I'm not someone who's endlessly patient and wonderful."

what? me? shoot you?

2007-06-29T21:19:00.000-04:00

Reuters
Wed Jun 27, 12:17 PM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida man awoke with a severe headache and asked his wife to drive him to a hospital, where doctors found a bullet lodged behind his right ear, sheriff's deputies said.
"The nurse looked at him and said, 'It appears that you've been shot,'" the Fort Pierce Tribune quoted St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara as saying. "And he said, 'No way.'"

The wife, April Moylan, fled the emergency room when the bullet was discovered but later told deputies she had accidentally shot her husband as he slept early on Tuesday. She was jailed on a weapons violation charge while deputies pursued additional charges.

The husband, 45-year-old Michael Moylan, woke up with a head pain so severe he suspected he was having an aneurysm and asked his wife to take him to the emergency room, deputies said.

They arrested the wife after obtaining a search warrant and finding a gun and bloody rags in the couple's home near the Atlantic coastal town of Port St. Lucie. The husband was hospitalized in stable condition.

Their headline:
Florida man's headache mystery solved by a bullet

My headline:
Man asks doctors to reverse diagnosis, prefers aneurysm

Y'aint from around here, are ye?

2007-06-19T10:47:00.000-04:00

Quite a lot of people, upon meeting me, ask where I'm from, and are somewhat surprised when I say North Carolina. I am an avowed user of the word "y'all" but evidently, the "y'all"s and "ma'am"s and such are overshadowed...

How about you? What kind of accent do you have?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
The South
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

further affirmation of my individuality

2007-04-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

My mother will be so pleased (by the affirmation, not the color)!

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you.
Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible.
While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks.
Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

old married lady

2007-04-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

We just had our second wedding anniversary! I alternate between incredulity that we've been married for that long already and amazement that we haven't been together for twenty...or is it thirty?...years somehow. Either way, my sweet husband sent me a bouquet of calla lilies - my very favorite flower - and I have been swooning over them (the husband and the flowers) all week.

I come by my interest/obsession in flowers naturally. My mother is a woman who has in her yard a rose bush that belonged to her great aunt, not to mention hundreds, literally hundreds, of lilies that were originally in her mother's yard. I feel like all those women are looking over my shoulder every time I admire a flower.

Incidentally, these are amazing flowers. By the time calla lilies make it to market, much less your door, that little piece at the top of the spathe is almost always gone. And every one of these flowers is still wholly intact! I wish I knew the name for that little squiggle...anyone?

Huge thank-yous to B and C for, respectively, lending me the camera and recommending your wedding florist!

Also, please note the dining room walls! Though we might have a few touch-ups in our future, I think it's FINALLY done! For the record, the paint is C-2, which is lovely to work with, and the color is "Lavish" (of course).

While I'm at it with reminiscing and what an old friend used to call "shouts-out":

That lovely gathering of blossoms is my bridal bouquet. Of course I'd met with the florist several times, discussed specifics, brought in pictures, everything you do...but every bride wants something different and it can be incredibly difficult to voice your "floral vision," even if you have my botanical genetics. When Jo, the florist, handed me this bouquet on my wedding day, I said, sincerely, "It is perfect." And she said, in the voice of a fairy godmother, "Of course it is darling, it is supposed to be."

Also, I hadn't wanted to be terribly obsessive with planning, so I didn't mention that I really wanted the groom's boutonniere to be made in the traditional way, which is to say with a flower removed from the bride's bouquet. (I mean, no one would even know.) But I noticed later that day as I kept adoring the flowers that that was exactly what Jo had done. Of course. Please note that this website does not fully showcase her talent.

The photograph was taken by Diane Hughes, whose brilliant work is overshadowed only by her entirely wonderful personality. I will always be grateful to her for being the person who gracefully and skillfully captured our wedding day. I'm not going to post more pictures of the wedding here, because, well, as one of my friends noted when she got her proofs, "Now I have 200 pictures of myself!" But trust me, Diane is magical. And an extra little dose of magic is always a good thing!

outta my head

2007-04-04T14:38:00.000-04:00

Spring Fever + Stuck At My Desk = An Even More Peripatetic* Brain Than Usual!

Should I be worried that there is a smear of mustard on the inside of the wrapper of my Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich, especially given that mustard is not a standard condiment on that particular sandwich?

mrawf mrawf mrawf what? can't hear you. too busy. spicy goooood.

***********

I got a haircut today! I love getting my hair cut. Love the girl who cuts my hair - she let me expand my horizons with her copy of US Weekly today! Love that the salon is on U Street. Love that I ride the bus to get there. Have I done a post about how different the bus is from the Metro? WAY DIFFERENT.
1. No biggie if you don't have your fare ready when you get on. Just sort it out and step back up front.
2. You can ask questions! Most drivers will answer them!
3. People talk! And not just to themselves, but to each other!
4. Lots of people say thank you to the driver as they exit the bus. Maybe the Metro train drivers wouldn't slam so many people in the doors if we had an opportunity to make them feel a little more appreciated.

***********

must keep eating. more in a minute. for now, amuse yourselves with Peeps for Passover

***********

*I did not know about that second "t"!

pull up a chair and sit a spell

2007-03-26T17:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I did something I have never done before: I, as the occupant of my very own home, made a pitcher of tea. One would think that this accomplishment would be minimized by this fierce triple-whammy:

1. I am from the South: North Carolina to be precise. Tea is not an afterthought in North Carolina. There was tea, there is tea, there will always be tea. Of course, you can have water or Coke if that's what you'd like this time, but really, what goes better beside a barbeque plate at Wednesday night supper than tea?

2. My parents are from the Deep South: Mississippi and Alabama. Tea is in my genes.

3. I've been making tea from the time I could boil water. My mother might realize she forgot to put on the kettle for the EXTRA pitcher of tea when company was coming. Or the regular pitcher might be running low...I have made gallons -- tankers -- full of tea.

Yet, even with all this, it was a momentous occasion.

Perhaps I should step in here for any readers who do not share my blessed ancestors: by "tea" I mean "iced tea."

Please do not ask if it is sweet.

Also, for reference, the best tea in the world, hands down, is made by my Aunt Mae. She told me her recipe once, and if you've ever made simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar), you get the idea. In the interest of avoiding, oh, diabetes, I thought I might better should come up with my own basic formula to fill the pitcher.

4 tea bags
4 cups hot water
(Brew for 15-20 minutes)
1/2 cup sugar
(Stir until dissolved)
4 cups ice
(Stir in one cup at a time)

Simple! Achingly easy. But such a milestone for me. And I am pleased to say that I was not alone in seeing it as one:

When my lovely husband got home from an errand yesterday afternoon I said, "I made tea!" He looked down (after many two-cups-of-mint-tea winter evenings for his wife), saw my glass and said, "Iced tea! WOW!"

I think this means I'm a grown-up now.

Call me when you pour yourself a glass. I'll be on the front porch.

P.S. Extra credit for anyone who didn't have to reread "might better should" to catch my drift.

the only thing missing is Libby Mae Brown

2007-03-20T11:53:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I haven't made it to a single meeting of the DC Stitch 'n Bitch group yet. But I have been enjoying the emails that fly around. A few weeks ago, Laura posted a link to an excellent video on You Tube. If you knit, crochet, or just generally enjoy Christopher Guest movies, have a look:

maybe it's the commercialization of art

2007-03-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

Or maybe Supply got up one morning and read the message boards and said, "Hey! I can answer the post by that Demand person!"

Not that I'm admitting demanding tendencies.

Or that it was me or anything.

But seriously, have you seen that show?! Didn't you want her clothes?!

Well now you can have it all.

Next: Mary Louise Parker, let's be friends. Come over for coffee. How do you do all that with your hair?

way better than a pinata

2007-03-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

This, my friends, is a chandelier made entirely of gummi bears:

Good use of candy!

The artist must have gotten any patience I should have been born with. And a good dose of logic. I probably would have tried to make a chocolate chandelier and ended up stuck in a (delicous) puddle in the dining room.

past the land of twirly-swirly gumdrops

2007-03-06T17:36:00.000-05:00

I have been handling the accounting side of the business all day at work today and I feel like I'm going blind. Why is it that numbers sometimes just simply do not add up? And more importantly, how do some people do this ALL DAY EVERY DAY?! It can't be healthy. I will now escape by emptying my brain of all the other thoughts that have be swirling around all day...

What's for dinner? I think macadamia-crusted mahi-mahi. Found some frozen at Harris Teeter last night and thought it sounded good. And easy. With what? salad -- ooh! I still have beets. Beet salad. And what else...not in the mood for rice...pasta doesn't seem right...maybe potatoes.

Speaking of Harris Teeter, I should really do a whole post on that grocery store. As my sister put it after having purchased some undesirable onions from another store recently, "They made me feel like it was my fault! I mean, at Harris Teeter, they APOLOGIZE for that sort of thing." This is what happens when you grow up in Charlotte and get spoiled by the store that happens to be down the street. I mean, I even know the cheese lady at my Harris Teeter. She gives me recipes.

I don't mean to leave Trader Joe's out of this, because I love them too and their stores are wonderful. The only downside there is that they don't have everything. What they surely see as the upside, though, is that their products are so cheap and nearly universally so fantastic that I will try anything they sell on a whim. Did you know they are the nation's largest retailer of brie?

I read everything. Including those little signs in the Trader Joe's cheese section.

...must remember to email sister for soup recipe...

I need a manicure. I keep breaking my nails and they look all raggedy! I need a pedicure worse.

I need to go home and do LAUNDRY. So glamorous. Or at least I will be once I'm wearing clean clothes.

those Celts, good at all kinds of knots.

2007-03-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

Just weeks before Christmas, my lovely husband mentioned that he'd like to have a hand-knitted scarf. I know -- married to a knitter and he tells her weeks before Christmas! Drop the hints in June! But I did decide I had a chance of pulling it off before Valentine's Day, so I started hunting down a pattern.

A pattern? For a scarf? Exactly why I felt like I had to explain, when I asked for one in the Alexandria yarn store, that I wasn't crazy, I just wanted to try cables. They mentioned something I'd just come across on the internet, so I decided to give that a try.

As with basically all of my knitting/crochet/craft projects, something went wrong the first time. The yarn I'd chosen was less subtley variegated than I'd thought, and with the cable pattern, the effect was rather dizzying.

So I went to my favorite DC yarn store and tried again, this time with great success. Thank you, Blue Sky Alpacas for your lovely yarn. Really, I could almost eat it. All you want to do is nuzzle into it until you fall asleep (perhaps its only detriment as a craft ingredient).

The pattern, which I thoroughly enjoyed working, is actually a very simple one. It's called the Irish Hiking Scarf, and I believe credit is due to Adrian Bizilia of Hello Yarn.

The color is slightly less rosy than in the above picture. It's technically natural medium tan. And as for the weight and warmth, it is just perfect for a scarf and for this pattern (at least as I knit it on 4.25 needles). My Stitch 'n Bitch book has an amusing little note in it that says something like, "Warning: do not make a sweater out of pure alpaca! It is too warm!" And I can see how that would be true, especially if, like us, you don't live in the Yukon Territory.

Here's the finished project - in a rare moment when it was not being worn! I'm told it's very cozy. :)

And now I'm off to join the knitalong!

so what are you trying to say?

2007-02-23T00:33:00.000-05:00

conversation about the climbers on Mt. Hood rescued this week

SmallBean: I hope something like that never happens to me.

me: Me too.

SmallBean: I think your odds are lower.

je t'empris

2007-02-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine recently moved across the country. Not only is she nice, she has a slightly wicked sense of humor...also, she likes shoes...and France. (I miss her very much.)

She recently emailed me to ask for a recipe, and as I was getting ready to email it, I realized that I get requests for this particular recipe all the time (because who doesn't want to eat chocolate for breakfast?!). Birds, meet stone:

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (may use 1/2 cup more, but bars become crumbly)
1 (6 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar in mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. In a seperate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to egg mixture. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached.

Cool and cut into squares.

Notes:
*I use 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 whole wheat. No one will even notice.
*I like Bob's Red Mill Extra-Thick Rolled Oats. You can pretty much buy them anywhere now (certainly at Harris Teeter) and they're not expensive ($2-$3 a bag). Store them in the freezer and they'll last forever!
*Go ahead and add 1/2 cup chopped nuts (we like pecans or walnuts) before baking. Protein and crunch!
*Feel free to double the recipe and bake in larger pan. (Do check your baking time! If they're spread thinly, they might need only five more mintues.)
*These puppies freeze very well (cut them first).
*Of course substitutions for the chocolate are fine. Dark chocolate chips are yummy in this. Superdark chocolate, however, might best be saved for something with fewer competing flavors and textures.

Full Credit: This recipe first appeared in a 1978 issue of Women's Day. I know this because my mother is in the admirable habit of recording such things and she did so not only on the card in her recipe box, but also on this page in my recipe book. I'm sure she modified it somewhat (probably less sugar? more oatmeal?) and I have done the same (pinch of salt, slightly less oatmeal). In any case, I think we should begin planning now for the Breakfast Bars' Thirtieth Birthday Party. There will be so many attendees!

chocolate & spinach*

2007-02-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

Many moons ago, I was reading Coquette's blog and learning of her upcoming move. She mentioned that she would soon be living closer to her fellow-blogger-friend. It just so happened that at that time, Stefanie was pondering the origins of all things 'a la Florentine.'

As you see, Stefanie was not only cooking up something very delicious-looking, she was also hosting a little contest. And I cannot resist a contest...after all, I grew up in a house where you would hear:

our mother: "You won!"
one of us: "What did I win?!?!"
our mother: "THE PRIZE!"
one of us: "Yeah!!!"

(Of course friends and visiting relatives always want to know what "the prize" is. The prize is WINNING, silly.)

So, I wrote to Stefanie and told her what I'd heard as the word on the street. And I won! And there was a REAL prize this time: chocolate. French chocolate. Fancy French chocolate. Here is the picture I managed to take with my cameraphone:

Of course Stefanie's gift was actually far more generous -- a whole bar, in fact -- but it was too pretty/too yummy/too tempting -- to photograph whole.

And so a belated merci to Stefanie...with whom I evidently have even more in common than a love for chocolate & spinach..I just read something else on her blog about a knitting pattern that we both are using! More on that soon.

*with a nod to Mlle Dusoulier's yummy blog and forthcoming book.

crafty people, those knitters

2007-02-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

I've been knitting a lot lately. It's one of my favorite hobbies and such a great use of time, especially time spent cuddled up on the couch. I'm hoping to do a few posts on my projects soon, but given our cameralessness, this requires a little more time than usual. In the meantime, given my recent yarn fervour, I've come across several things that I thought I'd share:

The obvious thing to do.

The not so obvious . Interesting that the sweater is the least-offensive part of the outfit.

The ethical dilemma .

The practical .

The mmm...whimsical . Seriously. If you need to knit so badly that you will just keep going after all the scarves and sweaters and hats and mittens and socks and headbands and legwarmers, (and prosthetics!) and knit a WOMB? That's devotion to your craft.

what can we learn from this?

2007-02-08T17:21:00.000-05:00

Did you read about the Thai woman who got on the wrong bus and returned home TWENTY FIVE YEARS LATER?

Here's the article on Yahoo.

This woman's experience is so sad and so miserable to me that I find myself searching for the silver lining...maybe I can at least learn something, right?

- It's okay to ask questions.

- It can be dangerous to fall asleep or not pay attention while traveling. (This means you, iPod listeners on the Metro!)

- Traveling in countries where you do not speak the language is a hard-earned skill, which, even once acquired, requires great persistance (not to mention guts) to maintain.

- Also, I haven't talked about it on the blog yet, but it's one of my most cherished beliefs that public transportation makes for much better stories. If this woman had been driving her car/cart, we wouldn't be shocked...or feel as much sympathy, I bet. We'd just wonder why on earth she didn't turn around. But there's something so very humanzing about getting on the wrong bus, or the right bus in the wrong direction.

- Take more money then you think you'll need.

the pigs are just floating now and then, not flying. you have to wait for the flying.

2007-02-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

Me, to boss: Can I borrow your base-12 calculator?

Boss: WHAT?!

Me: Your base-12 calculator.

Boss: OH! I thought you said my baseball calculator!

some things you just shouldn't do

2007-02-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

My mother has a rule, "Never say anything you don't want someone to visualize." This is an exceptionally good policy which, if you can manage to stick to it, can prevent all sorts of embarrassing situations.

I would like to name a new rule today: "Some things you just shouldn't do, even if you look going doing it." I'm beginning to think that we should make a little handbook of just these two rules and mail them, free of charge, to all current celebrities.

The first person on our mailing list wil be Sienna Miller. Who decided recently that tights + granny panties = sassy outerwear.

No, my dear Ms. Miller, they do not. And please see the new rule above -- I do not mean to imply that this...ermmm...choice of...ermmmm....clothing...was unflattering on you. In fact you have quite the slim figure and, as such, the...ermmm...outfit...was not revolting in the sense that YOU made it unattractive. But may I humbly suggest that Aphrodite herself would look a bit ridiculous sporting this combination.

I know that Madonna has worn such things, but in concert, and therefore, as far as I'm concerned, as a costume. (Besides, it's just totally a different outfit. AND SHE'S MADONNA.) I'm sure someone in Paris would contradict me, saying that this idea is the New Wonderful. Well, they were wrong about the Eiffel Tower at first, too.

Interestingly, I was drawn to this photo by the headline: Style Queen Sienna Sparks Big Pants Frenzy in UK! Not realizing I was clicking on a link to a British publication, I was thinking of some heavy wide-leg pants I saw in runway photos months ago. Alas, in this case, such a garment would have been referred to as "trousers." Imagine my surprise.

countdown to the scholarship competition

2007-01-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

Are you ready?!?! What do you mean, "for what?" Tonight is the Miss America pageant! It moved to CMT a few years ago, which caused me to miss every single promo, thus remaining unaware of the date entirely. Don't let this happen to you.

Some people are confused by my (and my sister's) enthusiasm for the pageant. After all, I was never a pageant queen (I can be really nice, but not for that long at a stretch, and I have a feeling the "handlers" and I wouldn't get along) and I don't have teased hair (not since 9th...okay 10th...grade, anyway). So for the curious, I will list some of the fine reasons for tuning in this evening:

- We don't just watch, we rank. You have to be there from the beginning, because the introductions, cheesy as they are, are your chance to list your top ten. Keep in mind, Mississippi always makes it (as well she should); Miss America is, statistically speaking, never tall (and rarely a redhead); and frozen = not chosen, the smile's gotta be real.

- Evidently, pageant-watching runs in the Howell Family, as our cousin Landon live-blogged the Miss America telecast last year.

- Chris Matthews is a judge. I'm guessing given his *ahem* terrible toughness, he's going to turn out to be totally bewildered by the searing gaze of these driven women.

- It's cheaper than the $95.24 ticket to watch it live in Vegas.

- Miss Tennessee's name is BLAIRE PANCAKE! Really! (What more do you need to know?)

i'll call them Agatha!

2007-01-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Why do stores name their pants? It seems like this started happening a few years ago, but now everywhere I look, rather than reaching for something in my size, I need to find Marisa or Julie first, and I don't mean the sales ladies. Also, which marketing genius decides which name goes with which pant? The associations don't seem relevant to me...no one's named a high-waisted, full-leg, flowy pant after Katharine Hepburn , neither have they named any clothes after Edith Head (and that's is really silly, since if they did, I would buy them IMMEDIATELY and I'm sure that's true for other people too).

And another thing about this naming business: I feel like we seem to be having a full-scale, retail-wide grammatical breakdown, because no one seems to remember that PANTS ARE PLURAL. I'm not saying I know why, I'm just saying that if you meet a foreign person and teach them the word "pant" instead, you will be doing them a grave disservice. So let's not be confusing and silly about this. Just hand me my Edith Head Party Dress and I'll be on my way.

are you sensitive to the smell of bitter almonds?

2007-01-16T13:25:00.000-05:00

For a month now, an article entitled "Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying" has been one of the top ten most emailed articles on the New York Times website. Though not at all silly, the questions do seem rather "early-relationship" to me, and the fact that so many people seem interested in them reminds me of our group premarital counseling, during which we learned that some couples had not discussed whether or not they wanted to have children (much less if so, when). Going about things this way does not seem to be a good way of maintaining a friendship, much less avoiding a divorce lawyer.

(If this article applies to you, don't panic, but for heaven's sake, please start talking. Once you're done with these questions, imagine your fiance is an alien and explain your planet to him. Discuss his every interruption or confusion, as these are basic matters on which you need not necessarily agree, but absolutely must communicate. Do not get married until you reach the critical balance of having asked all the questions you can think of and being entirely sure you haven't thought of everything you want to know about this person.)

While we were engaged, I was frequently the recipient of totally unsolicited yet fascinating marriage advice. "Focus on his needs. If he's happy, you'll be happy," was an intriguing suggestion, but not highly regarded (as my readers may imagine). On the other hand, I think one of the best ideas was, "Make sure this is the person you could happily have dinner with every night of your life." Well that's it exactly, isn't it? Someone with whom you are comfortable...about whom you could never learn enough...with whom every situation, from Wednesday night pizza to a complicated formal dinner, is more wonderful. That's happiness.

how about some information pleeeeeeeeeease

2007-01-03T22:02:00.000-05:00

My car is dear to me. It is a black 1996 Nissan Sentra with a manual transmission and more than 130,000 miles on it. And while I have, of course, loaned my car to former roommates for trips to the grocery store, etc. and I have been a passenger while someone drove for an hour or two, I pretty much drove each of those miles myself. The Sentra and I, we know each other. Well. Hence I love her even with her peculiarities, which include a radio which does not always display the station. (The lack of working air conditioning is quite another matter.)

Tonight I made a quick run to Trader Joe's, which is just a few minutes away...not a long trip, but long enough to turn on the radio. When I got in the car, a particular song was playing, and while it's not exactly what I'd call a "favorite," it is one of the very few songs to which I know all the lyrics...and so, rather than flip to NPR and catch something useful or stimulating, I stayed on the undisplayed station and rocked out to Paula Abdul.

You know you love it too.

or-am-I-a-page-in-your-his-tor-y

you are not the boss of me (when I'm not at work)

2006-12-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was MUCH better, hence today is better too, as the funk in which I was is now but a distant memory.

You see, yesterday I stayed home from work. Always a quality plan, but especially this time of year, you just have so many things to do and not being at work (unless one is internet-shopping, of course) lets you get so very much accomplished. For example:
~ laundry
~ cookie baking (once during the day, and once last night)
~ errand-running
~ present-wrapping
~ gift-buying
~ card-printing and addressing (and stamping and sealing - which count as separate tasks, really, when you're doing that many)
~ Presidential speech-watching (not a highlight, especially since he did not say anything remotely intelligent AND prevented me from seeing Mary-Louise Parker on Martha!)

That recounting seems short. Anyway, it sure felt like a lot yesterday, and sure crossed a lot off my list! Whew! Of course when my lovely husband got home and only had to sign his name to the cards (rather than co-assemble, stamp, seal, etc.) he was thrilled. He then accused me of working to make a case for being a Stay At Home Not-Yet-Mom. And to that I say, "HEY!!!!!!! is that an option?"

P.S. Because we're at the stage where everyone asks, or at least wonders, no, no babies. As the lovely husband says, "Give us through '07 and then we'll let you know."

The City

2006-12-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when people who live in New York refer to it as "The City," claiming the proper noun as entirely their own, it is rather annoying. But then you visit, and it all makes sense again.

We went to New York weekend before last and had a fabulous time. Hotels were outrageous (given the season) so we stayed at a bed and breakfast. I'd never thought about doing that in New York before, but it worked very well - highly reccommend it for your next trip!

Knowing we were going to have the chance to catch up with some of our dearest friends, and that, as one of those friends says, "brunch is church for people in Manhattan," I'd done my research. You definitely need to try 202 at the Chelsea Market.

And why, oh, why, can't DC just have ONE H&M that's half as massive, and with half the selection of the H&M on Harold's Square? *sniffle* We discovered several Christmas presents.

Since no trip is complete without cheese, I scouted out this bad boy. Delicious dinner, nice atmosphere, and we sat at a table beside an actor who was very nice, even when I eyed his scrumptuous-looking profiteroles.

terrible horrible no good very bad

2006-12-19T14:28:00.000-05:00

I'm exaggerating.

A little.

I'm just not having a good day!

It's one of those where everything you do turns out catawampus when you need perfection. And when you try to fix it, you just get airbrushed catawampas*.

So I went down to the drugstore to cheer myself up. Bought a new lip gloss. It's fine, maybe a little too bronze and not enough rose, but it's supposed to last FIVE TIMES longer than normal lip gloss. which would be great because that would give me twenty whole minutes between applications. (Or, to be honest, my usual habit is to slap it on the morning and forget about it, so really we're just talking twenty whole minutes of lip gloss a day.)

Also bought a torture device. Ever seen this? My modest hope was that it would turn the attention from my bad hair day toward my twenty-minutes-of-shiny-lips. BUT IT'S HARD! I mean, like, medical residency hard. (Not that I've done that, but I can imagine that it's grueling.) It is obviously made for people whose hair is cut in a blunt line. And let's be honest, if your hair is cut like that, are you really to type that's into updos? No, you're into headkerchiefs, plain and simple.

I work in such a small office (three people, including me) that it's pretty obvious when one person is gone. They must have wondered. I have no idea how long I was in the ladies room, standing at the mirror, alternately cursing my very un-octopus-like possession of only two hands, and laughing hysterically as I got slapped with what they call the "spring end" of the hairagami. (There is no spring "end!" That's like saying an elephant has a "heavy end." The thing lives to snap back together.) Anyway, I finally got it in my hair...though it did require a rubber band to tuck in the stray ends on one side (just the one! Other side looks great!) and two enormous bobby pins to pin back some hair from my face. Oh, and did I mention that now that it's on my head, I feel like it's trying to pull my hair out? A black velvet twisty snappy vice for my head. That's what I bought to cheer myself up today. Solid.

*Even this was a nightmare. I wanted it to be caddywhompus.

a cry for help

2006-12-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

Confession: I am very disorganized.

(very.)

(No, really. VERY. Not at work. Not with projects. But with general cleaning and things around the house -- disaster.)

Actually, I prefer to phrase it as having a "tendency toward entropy," but I've gotten some feedback (to the tune of "let's be honest, shall we?").

The good news for me, though, is that my sister is super-organized and very talented at helping other people become more so. It's nice that the universe (which itself has a tendency toward entropy, I might add), balanced our family out this way. And it's really nice that my sister's coming to visit soon...

on the phone tonight

Me: I thought I had just found some marshmallows in the closet, but it was balloons.

SmallBean: Were you looking for marshmallows?

Me: No -- I was looking for the hammer!

SmallBean: I AM COMING. I WILL BE THERE IN JANUARY.

herring for everyone!

2006-12-08T09:34:00.000-05:00

Last night we attended the House of Sweden's annual St. Lucia dinner and I must say that next to choosing and chopping down the family Christmas tree, there is no better way to ring in the season.

If you're unfamiliar with St. Lucia, see here or here.

If the concept sounds vaguely familiar, you probably saw this movie. Wish I could find stills from it to show you a very peeved Judy Davis wearing the wreath with candles on her head.

I think even though we're not Swedish, we'll institute this tradition when we have kids, especially since it calls for the eldest daughter to bring the parents coffee in bed. And who says that should happen only on December 13th?

the things that matter

2006-12-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

While the wisdom of Messrs Kaufman and Hart is undeniably true, I would argue that having certain things does in fact matter.

A case in point: the orange pan.

Mama has a great big orange roasting pan. Growing up, I saw everything from (a great big batch of) brownies to many Thanksgiving turkeys being cooked in it. It is such a nice size -- huge -- and such a warm color, and everything seemed to look tastier coming out of the oven because of it.

I should add here that in my family, especially on my mother's side, when people pass away, one does not inherit money so much as kitchen tools. This might sound like quite the rip-off, but let me assure you that great comfort and satisfaction are to be gained by baking in Great Aunt Minnie's loaf pan. (As a side note, an aunt once sent me a large kitchen knife along with an eloquent and very humorous letter detailing the fine reasons (learned from her mother, aunts, etc.) that a woman should always own such a knife. And if you are, yourself, Southern, or through some other fortuitous consequence know of unabashedly, gloriously, crazy women, I am sure you realize that not all such reasons involve culinary preparation. Beware ye intruders.)

Keeping in mind our family's bequests, and given my hope that my mother will achieve her dream and live to about 115 and gently drift off while holding hands with my (then 118 year-old) father on the front porch swing, I didn't expect to have a shot at the orange pan anytime soon.

But a few Christmases ago, I was astounded to unwrap a package and find my very own great big orange roasting pan! My ever-resourceful Mama found her pan's long-lost twin and bestowed it upon an extremely grateful moi.

So tonight, I pulled it out in anticipation of Christmas baking. The first step is Chex Mix, and even though I nearly double the recipe, it all fits. And somehow it just tastes better. Actually, it tastes perfect. Just like Mama used to make.

tantara!!!

2006-11-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

Oops! I disappeared. Unfortunately, it was not Alice-style...no talking caterpillars to report. I just, well, got busy and forgot how much I was enjoying the blogging and then accidentally stopped doing it.

There is just so much going on right now and this morning's quick, work-diverting thumb through the online news tells me that a lot of it is bad. Well, to that I say, "no thank you," and "how 'bout something happy?" So here is a list of things that have been pleasant, amusing, and interesting to me lately:

a recent word of the day that I was able to work-in today during noisy, morning rush-hour traffic.

Giada on the Food Network.
(who does NOT want to eat "eggs in purgatory?" I'm renaming all recipes using themes from Dante from now on.)

also, Giada gave me these, which were a total hit at the most recent party.

this morning on the Today show, Meredith Viera was giving Martha Stewart a hard time about complicated recipes ("Can't I just buy canned sweet potato?" "No." "It's not gonna taste any different.") and then at the end of the segment, Martha handed Meredith a Cranberry Meringue Tart and once Meredith took a bite and said yum, Martha chirped, "It's poisoned!" I will try to find the video. We laughed out loud.

names. I love names. I remember reading the section on name meanings in my mother's college dictionary over and over again. There are lots of baby name sites, but I like this one a lot (and it doesn't have pop ups).

France. Good food. Purse chairs.

and last, and perhaps most excitingly, did you know that Koko the gorilla is still alive and well?! Love her website.

especially love the kids' page.

Now go flutter around and spread some happy fairy dust.

And check back soon. I promise to stick around.

juuuuust right

2006-11-02T10:12:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why, but I really wanted some tiny pumpkins. I thought they would be cute for Halloween, of course, but also for Thanksgiving. So I planned to keep them around for awhile. But the other morning, I found out that someone else also really wanted some tiny pumpkins:

Whichever creature availed itself of my intended cornucopia ingredient bothered neither the glitter pumpkin, nor the other big pumpkin that is sitting on the porch. Maybe it was the infamous Goldilocks Vampire Squirrel.

Beware, tiny pumpkins everywhere (probably tiny bowls of porridge, too).

justification from the queen of the blog world

2006-10-19T23:29:00.000-04:00

HA! Remember a few weeks ago when I predicted Friday Night Lights would be the great new TV show of this fall? Well, I've been watching it, and it's very good -- surprisingly different for TV. Like other truly well-written shows (Seinfeld, Cheers and Frasier), it's focused on characters rather than icky bugs and manufactured drama. I confess to being a little worried that this could backfire, since some seriously high-rated shows achieve great success through dredging. But I'm holding out hope that people will tune in to intersting, conversation-generating, television for a change.

And tonight I found out that I'm not alone.

uli was robbed

2006-10-19T14:26:00.000-04:00

Michael just didn't pull it together (why so many neon hotpants?!) this time.

Laura's things were fabulous(corset dress and English netting nouveau-corsage, please!) and only bested by

Uli's, which showed such a wonderful range of fabulous!

So why-oh-why did I-only-design-clothes-people-like-Courtney-Love-would-wear Jeffrey win?! *sigh*

But, you know, how very Uli-like of Uli it was to say at the end, "Some things happen for a reason. I think number two is right for me!"

Uli is a grown-up. Go Uli!

who introduced you to the pomegranate

2006-10-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, kids. It's time for some comments. I don't care if you email me or leave the notes on the blog, but I'm ready to hear from you.

So here's a question that I love because it occured to me many years ago and I have yet to find someone who doesn't remember or to hear an uninteresting story!

making Cinderella's carriage look slightly less uniquely sparkly since autumn 2006

2006-10-18T19:26:00.000-04:00

Look what I made today!

(Sorry for the pic. The camera's still out so I'm stuck with the the one on my phone.)

Now I think all pumpkins should be covered with glitter. Of course Ms. Stewart does it better, but then I was only going to spring for the $3.99 large container of silver glitter, not the $4.99 vial-that-looks-too-small-to-hold-enough-poison-to-do-anything-dangerous container of cool orange.

Happy almost-Halloween!

it's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

2006-10-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I mentioned that SmallBean and I were going to start a cooking blog! Well, glory be, we've gone and done it! Y'all come see us.

more, more, more

2006-10-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

(how do you like it, how do you like it)

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

I heart quizzes.

thursday is the new friday

2006-10-12T13:05:00.000-04:00

I'm done, people! Done, I tell you. Tired of sitting at a desk typing things into a computer. I want to go HOME and sit at a desk (or on the sofa) and type things into a computer...and knit...and make cards...and play...

However, since I have not yet won the lottery...I am at work.

In case you, like me, need a little diversion today:

Your Haloween Costume Should Be

Candy Corn

What Should You Be For Halloween?

make it work on another level

2006-10-06T00:09:00.000-04:00

My dear, pescotarian, non-driving friend from Kentucky and I went to see Tim Gunn speak Thursday night at the Corcoran. Obviously, no one who reads my blog will be surprised that I'm a fan of the museum. In addition to great art and a great art school, though, they have fabulous public programs that bring speakers to DC. As it turns out, Mr. Gunn is a DC native! But that is about the least interesting thing we learned this evening. To say that Mr. Gunn is an elegant, erudite, articulate gentleman would be quite an understatement. He is also completely charming, very funny, and, I think, just a tad wicked!

Since I really don't think I can distill my thoughts at this hour, I am just going to post a few of my notes.

On living in Kuala Lumpur (while working for Parsons) for three months:
"...and people would say, 'Oh, how fabulous!' and I would say, 'Do you know that Kuala Lumpur means muddy confluence?'" *under his breath, dismally* "aaaannnd it's equatorial."

Mr. Gunn is the great-grandson of Harry Wardman, a very well-respected DC real estate developer. (Also see here.)

On walking the red carpet at the Emmys (after Project Runway Season One was nominated):
"I felt like a mongrel at the Westminster Kennel Club!"

On what's important:
"You have to recognize that a serendipitous moment has occurred, and evaluate it."

On who 'makes it,' he says he tells his students:
"Those of you with the MOST passion and the MOST drive, those of you who HAVE to do this -- no matter what obstacles in your way -- are the ones who are going to make it."

On the 7.5 hour taping of the reunion episode of PR3 (aired Wednesday night):
"Heidi and I wanted to just self-eviscerate."

On change:
"Actually, I like the unknown. It suits me."

On how he would never have guessed his path:
"When I was playing in the sandbox...actually, I hated sandboxes - dirty and messy!"
(Hear! Hear!)

On PR3 the mothers episode, which he described as "psychotic":
"Because the mothers and sisters were our guests, editing was very kind to them. It was also very kind to Jeffrey." *pause* "And I have to add - and I will -- Vincent WON?!?! What was that? Looked like she was one of the pilgrims!"

(Judge for yourself. The lovely Heidi is Uli's mom - it's not her fault.)

That's it - time to sleep. Even the PR designers go to bed at midnight...

this is sick

2006-09-28T10:29:00.000-04:00

"No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick."
- Erma Bombeck

Amen, Erma Bombeck.

I am sick! Again! Curses! (But only since Tuesday night, so I really have no excuse for the lag in posts...) So let's be positive and talk about Things That Make Us Happy. Maybe that will perk up the old sinuses.

- Anything Fleur de Lis...just found out about this place in New Orleans

- Papers and Stationery...just finished the invitations for a baby shower (will post a picture soon) and am about to get started on the invitations for a bachelorette party. As usual, I bought my supplies at Paper Source. I'm considering asking them if they would mind terribly if I just set up a cot in the corner.

- Hanging Pictures! I did muster the strength to hang one picture on a wall yesterday. I nearly wore myself out (I think it weighed a solid eight ounces) but it was totally worth it because it is the first thing I've hung inside our new house. And we moved in March. How terribly embarrassing. Oh, well! Still haven't found the picture hooks, but I broke down and bought more at Lowe's last weekend. Maybe I can go crazy and hang two things today! Baby steps.

- Okay, I'm worn out again! More soon. OOOH, and SmallBean and I are going to start a cooking blog. Get ready world!

random specifics

2006-09-14T09:02:00.000-04:00

The weather in DC has been so perfect this week. It's my absolute favorite: cloudy, chilly, and you cannot be sure about leaving your umbrella behind. Aaaah, fall is coming. It will soon be time for sweaters and soup!

My favorite street vendor, Davitt, from whom I usually just pick up a morning bottle o' Evian, had lowfat chocolate milk on Tuesday! Super handy since I accidentally skipped breakfast, and so tasty. Chocolate milk is highly underrated.

Given the classes at the Corcoran this week, my days are lengthy and I have quite a bit to carry with me in terms of notebooks and worksheets in progress. After a fruitless searches for my trusty, huge red leather purse, I remembered that my black tote bag would be perfect and that I knew exactly where it was (because I'd used it recently, which is basically always the case). One of my many aunts -- you know who you are! (or maybe all of them will take credit!) -- gave it to me YEARS ago...seriously, it might have been a decade...for Christmas, and I have struggled over the years to keep it from the sneaky, prying hands of friends and roommates. It's just such a great bag. Just like Mary Poppins's, it is a completely reasonable size to sling over your arm and carry down the street, and yet it holds all of my purse's contents + two big notebooks + lunch. And I am therefore not a Glamour Don't riding in on the Metro.

Happy for me: unlike everywhere else on earth, Cosi makes their tuna salad without celery! (I am allergic. My throat feels like it's going to close up.) They use carrots instead. I humbly suggest that everyone follow suit.

Once upon a time there was a website - what now would probably be a blog - by these people named Al and Lori Marsh. I think they lived in Lake Wobegon or thereabouts. Their whole website was made up of quotes, and even though it disappeared about five years ago, I still miss it. One of my favorite quotes (and I'm sorry I cannot recall the attribution) was said by a lady at a church supper, "We don't believe in luck. Please call it a 'Pot Blessing.'" Marshes, where are you?!?!

***Project Runway spoiler below***

I'm so excited that Laura won last night's Project Runway challenge! Great dress and I still cannot believe she's dealing with all of this while she's pregnant. On the flip side of the PR coin, I am so relieved that no fluke allowed Angela or Vincent to continue. They are just not as good as the other five. And I was sad to see Kayne go, but I am sure he's going to make it on his own anyway. Even if some people did think that shirt looked like Elvis. (I didn't. It was just not right with the pants and unnecessary bling. Dave Navarro could totally rock it.)

***spoiler over***

gotta get to work!

first step into someone else*'s territory

2006-09-13T09:34:00.000-04:00

I have had some weird jobs, and perhaps more relevant to this topic, I have worked with some seriously weird people. Of course that can make everything from coming up with a PR plan to booking a plane ticket insanely difficult, but the upside is that you get great quotes out of it.

To that end, here are a few of my recent favorites from the office:

"I'm really sort-of 'seat of the pants'ing it."

"My sense is that the French don't build houses in the middle of forests."

"I can't remember what it was but I can tell it was something exquisite."

"I go straight to the pumpkin patch from the office, right?"

"Dulles gives me anxiety."

"It's rather...rather...full of his characteristic opacity, I would say."

left on a note on my desk, "See me re: $4,542.63."

"I haven't used crayons in a presentation before -- not since I was about ten."

and, what I consider the best of the week so far:

"Please be a little clearer by what you mean with Wachovia Bank vs. Mongolian Embassy."

*dooce

why I get off track

2006-09-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

These days I'm very busy with the docent classes, and trying to do some reading and quick research to stay on top of the material. But here's what happens:

- I learned a few weeks ago that there's a piece of art with Judith as the subject (in the Corcoran's new exhibition).

A quick warning: I really don't think anyone will find any of this offensive, but just in case, you should know that the painting I'm discussing is not of flowers and ladies with large hats. The subject is Biblical and violent, albeit in a very classical way - nothing will jump out at you or give you nightmares.

- One of the docents said that the piece was based on Carravagio's "Judith Beheading Holofernes" (or, better yet, if you speak Italian).

- I finally got around to looking up that painting, and reading more about Carravagio, and came across this tidbit: Andre Berne-Joffroy, Paul Valéry’s secretary, said of him: "What begins in the work of Caravaggio is, quite simply, modern painting."

- Now, we could talk about "what modern means" all day (no, really, we could, and you'd like it!) but I got sidetracked by the link to Paul Valéry.

- As it turns out, Monsieur Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry is considered a polymath. (And not because he has four names.) ..quite a compliment for someone to put you in a category with people like Leonardo da Vinci, Goethe, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin.

- There are a few lists of polymaths on Wikipedia alone. Other than being disturbed that there are no women on any of these lists, I was otherwise entirely happily interested and intrigued.

And then I remembered I was trying to research a piece of art and its subject!!! How do I ever manage to get dressed and leave the house?!

"i am frivolous...

2006-09-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

...then I feel guilty." - Catherine Deneuve

I'm confused. A few years ago, it seemed like everyone suddenly stopped using the word "actress," and everyone, from Sidney Poiter to Meryl Streep was now to be called an "actor." While I'm not interested in going as far as the British with gender-identified professions -- manageress is a little much -- actress never seemed like overkill. It also has never struck me as a diminutive, like some feminized forms. Dame Judy Dench is hardly minimized by the "ress."

But these days I feel like I'm hearing the term again. Am I accidentally telepathic? Did my unvoiced mental musings make it into some producer's ears, and prompters were suddenly re-programmed?

And this is really the least of my questions. But we have to start somewhere.

rhymes with olé

2006-09-05T08:41:00.000-04:00

We have a pretty busy week ahead of us, including my first round of classes for my new volunteer project: being a weekend docent at the Corcoran. I'm tremendously excited. It's been one of my favorite museums for a decade now, and I've wanted to be a docent there for almost that long. The program is somewhat intensive (classes three nights this week, four nights next week, and more to come), so I thought I'd get ahead on some cooking.

One of my favorite standard recipes is for Mole sauce. I should say first that my recipe is far from the traditional version, which, as best I can tell, takes three days to prepare (three days during which you pretty much stay in the kitchen), and uses more peppers (fresh, roasted, dried, etc.) than I even knew existed.

See one intimidating version here . Someday when I have time, I really will do it, but for now:

This recipe still has plenty of ingredients, but more of the "let me dig into the back of the pantry" than the "let me run down to Mexico" variety. It isn't too labor-intensive, and can be made in about an hour. And if that still seems like a lot of work, keep in mind that it would make more than enough sauce for you to serve at a large dinner party. We usually have plenty for a half dozen meals. I keep some in the fridge, and freeze some right away. It's great on chicken, pork, veggies...probably almost anything...if you've never had it, try it on turkey or chicken first to get the traditional effect.

Okay, so -- here you go! I cribbed from an 1993 issue of Gourmet to get started.

Easy Mole Sauce

3 cups chopped onion (white or yellow)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp anise seeds
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp allspice
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp raisins
2 cups chicken (or veggie) broth
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned is great, just drain them first)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
sesame seeds for garnish

In a large, heavy skillet, saute the onions in oil over medium heat, until brown (as if you were making French onion soup). Meanwhile, in a mortar with a pestle combine coriander and anise seeds. (Or grind them in a coffee grinder. Or use pre-ground.) In a small bowl, blend the ground coriander and anise with the chili powder, sugar, cinnamon, oregano, and allspice. In a separate small bowl, combine garlic and salt and mix or crush into a paste. Once onions are browned, add spice mixture and saute for one minute. Stir in cocoa powder, peanut butter, raisins, broth, tomatoes, and garlic paste. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

If you have an immersion blender, here's your chance to use it! (If you don't have one, this is a great excuse to go get one. You'll love it. A regular blender will work absolutely fine, though, it's just more work because you have to transfer the sauce into it.)

Using a blender, puree the sauce to thin it to the desired consistency. (I like to get rid of all chunks, but stop just this side of silky smooth so that the sauce still has some body to it.)

We're having this tonight with fajitas. I forgot to say that Mole is a great alternative to salsa if you leave it fairly thick. Tell me if you have more ideas!

so tell me

2006-09-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

I really love the Proust Questionnaire. You can find numerous links about what it is and its history, but the basic truth is that it is a parlor game, and Marcel Proust evidently played it. Legend has it that someone wrote down the answers he gave once as a teenager and then again later in life.

I first came across the questionnaire while living in France and watching Bernard Pivot host Bouillon de Culture. At the end of each program, he would ask a handful of the questions to the major scientist, artist, or politician he'd interviewed. I found so many of their answers fascinating. You may have heard James Lipton reference Bernard Pivot and ask the questions on his program, Inside the Actors Studio.

I've played this game with a few people over the years. In my opinion, it's best played one on one or in very small groups so that everyone will feel that they can be more forthright. I remember certain people I've played this with, and even more so, I remember certain answers people gave that really surprised me.

Though questions may differ or more questions may be added, the real beauty of it is that your own answers change over time. Of course you can find lists with hundreds of questions, but these are usually some of the basics:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

What is your greatest fear?

What is the quality you most admire in a man?

What is the quality you most admire in a woman?

What is your most marked characteristic?

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

What is your greatest extravagance?

What is your greatest regret?

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

Who are your favorite writers?

Where would you like to live?

How would you like to die?

***********

"The thoughts and opinions of one human being, if they are sincere, must always have an interest for some other human beings."
- Mary A. Ward

luck is like having a rice dumpling fly into your mouth

2006-09-01T07:34:00.000-04:00

That little Japanese proverb succinctly expresses so much. I mean, frankly, while it might be nice, it would be a little unsettling to find a dumpling in your mouth, especially if you didn't put it there.

But I have been thinking about rice lately. Because, in the words of Mitch Hedberg, "I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something."

For example, Seeds of Change makes a seven grain pilaf that is delicious. Everyone likes it. I serve it to company. People always ask for the recipe. Rather than lie (it gets too complicated), I opt to give them the back-up box in my pantry as a party favor.

One note: I use less water than the recipe calls for (2 1/4 cups rather than 2 3/4 cups), but otherwise follow the directions to the letter, including toasting the grains (which is easier than it sounds, especially if you are capable of stirring).

Also, we seem to love every variety offered by this company:

The California Brown Basmati is probably my favorite. Great with Indian food.

My lovely husband's favorite is their Sushi Rice, which I must admit, is crazytasty. Perfect with Kung Pao Chicken (I'll post that recipe soon) or simple broiled fish.

And I just realized we haven't had risotto in forever! Another reason not to like summer! Aaah, but fall will come, and it will be time to use this variety...takes quite a bit longer than white arborio, but oh, my, the results are worth it.

And I'm looking for a new recipe for saffron rice. I've used this one, and it was fine, but not great. Any ideas? Or maybe I'll just walk around with my mouth open waiting for a misguided flying dumpling.

older and...ignoranter?

2006-08-31T09:07:00.000-04:00

I am frequently amazed by how little credit some people give members of the senior generations in our country. In my experience, once you hit 70 or 80, you have pretty much seen it all, and seen most of it twice, whether you wanted to or not.

Oh, I know that as we age, our memories and some other faculties weaken. (My memory is already horrible. I've probably blogged about this already.) I'm just not sure that was the case with these circumstances:

-----

"Senior citizens find nutured 'weed' is pot"

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona seniors had no idea what the flourishing plant they nurtured in their driveway was until a passing deputy told them it was marijuana.

A Yavapai County sheriff's department said a deputy spotted the blooming 5-foot-tall marijuana plant growing in the driveway of a retirement community near Prescott, midweek.

"The residents just thought it was a pretty weed and so they decided to nurture it," department spokeswoman Susan Quayle told Reuters by telephone.

The officer yanked out the plant, which Quayle said was either "self-seeded or could have been dropped by a grandchild visiting the community."

"No citations were issued. The officer just educated them," she said.

-----

"Dropped by a grandchild?" Good one!

blog as pensieve

2006-08-30T11:40:00.000-04:00

I have been a bad blogger lately! Sorry for the dearth of posts! Well, let me clear my head and then we can get into some new things.

Project Runway Obsession:
I can't believe Laura is pregnant -- with her sixth!

Tim Gunn's comin' to DC and I have a ticket!

(Woe is me -- what to WEAR?!)

I'm holding out for the flower/plant product episode. I think Michael would blow everyone away with that medium.

***********

We just rewatched Charlie & The Chocolate Factory...and had a debate about it with our neighbors. Sean and I both like Tim Burton's version best (if we have to pick something other than the book).

And God bless Wikipedia and its users for this, a Comparative Literature major's idea of a well-spent hour (reading...I'm sure it took forever to write).

***********

Persian food for dinner last night! Walnut chicken with pomegranate sauce, saffron rice, and a spinach saute I threw together with cranberries, slivered onions, and a dash of cinnamon. The pomegranate sauce is extra-tasty, as one might expect of something made from a pomegranate. I doubled it. Want to try the walnut coating with fish..maybe a thick, fleshy white fish like snapper? pat the coating on top and bake...sounds good to me!

***********

I just sliced off a piece of zucchini bread with a coffee stirrer...and people don't think I could make it in the wild.

(I couldn't. Bugs are scary.)

***********

I am waaaaaaaaaaay behind on correspondence! And Christmas will be upon me before I know it. In fact, I started working on (ideas for) our Christmas card today. I heart personally conceptualizing and assembling complicated paper products. (I did get a tad overwhelmed last year and Sean had to pinch hit by addressing some envelopes.)

If I owe you a thank-you note, I promise to get it in the mail this week!

***********

P.S. It's not in the dictionary yet, but I'm sure it soon will be.

let down by the internet

2006-08-16T19:44:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of Wikipedia. It's chock full of interesting, helpful, and usually factual information. It's also a tribute to the basic good in humankind. And not to delve into psycho-babble, but as far as I'm concerned, it's the best, most honest representation of the fact that a good deal of our knowledge is subjective at best.

So I was terribly sad today to type in one of my favorite searches, only to find that the page has been -- sob -- deleted!

I am so sorry to be the one to inform you that you missed the experience of the "List of People Widely Considered Eccentric."

I mean, couldn't you get lost in there for a few hours yourself?!?!

sigh

I understand the debate...I just really enjoyed the list! I didn't think badly of anyone for being on it (to the contrary, in fact).

I mean, how else would I ever have learned of the Collyer brothers?

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go recycle some old newspapers.

inconceivable

2006-08-15T22:55:00.000-04:00

"You keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means."
-- Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride

I just came across this picture I took while we were on our vacation/road-trip back in July:

Talk about variety in your diet.

shudder

Were you ever to take the time to really consider the existence of Vienna (am I supposed to capitalize that?) sausages, would you even have imagined that there were this many kinds?

Now that we have all wasted sufficient brain cells contemplating this "meat product," let's move on to more worthy cases of inconceivability, such as the fact that I read today that The Hermitage is in possession of more than three million items.

No wonder I have yet to make it through the "Collection Highlights" on their website.

(I've heard that the largest number most people can visualize is between 60,000 and 100,0000. We have some experience with those numbers since that's about how many people a college football stadium can hold. Personally, I'm not sure I'm holding onto the concept of 3,000 of anything all that well.)

My mind immediately races to the fact that there is surely a catalogue of The Hermitage's three million items. And that catalogue probably includes measurements, condition, provenance, exhibition history...and a dozen other details. Just imagine standing in the copyroom waiting for THAT document to print! ("No, I'm good. I brought granola bars and a sleeping bag.")

I hope some computer genius started capitalizing on that massive programming need...right after he finished beating all the machines at chess.

P.S. Don't worry, The Met has two million. And I would think it possible to catch up much more subtly in the art world than with the space program.

causing a ruckus

2006-08-14T19:20:00.000-04:00

First let me admit that I had to spellcheck ruckus. It just didn't look right. Obviously, it's a highly under-used word. Will have to put that on my List of Things to Remedy, right after Inadequate Degree of Recline of Airline Seats.

So, this past weekend I was down in North Carolina. In the process of helping...perhaps I should say attempting to help...my sister return some duplicate gifts from her wedding registry to Belk's, this happened:

Though you can't really tell from the picture, not only the plastic case, but also the label and the actual featherbed have been pulled below the floor into the escalator's claws of death.

Here's how it went down:

- SmallBean and I were hauling the first load of items up the second-floor Bridal Department. (no, they don't sell brides. it's not that easy. you have to at least go to Russia!)

- As we stepped off the escalator, I felt the enormous, queen-sized, down featherbed being jerked out of my hand.

- I spun to the left and realized it was the Rolling Handrail of Doom and it wasn't messing around. It had grabbed the plastic packaging on the featherbed and was pulling it toward the floor.

- I tried! I pulled so hard! I was overcome! :(

- The CurlyHairDay vs. Escalator Deathmatch did not go well. As I realized I was making no progress whatsoever (that is to say, the ENTIRE FEATHERBED was being eaten), I flipped open the cover and pushed the emergency stop button.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that all this happened in approximately four to six seconds.

A store employee showed up as if called by God...what, they wear beepers for this, but no one's ever near the cash register?...and proceeded to try to pull the featherbed back out. (I know that I'm tougher than I look, but come on...a little credit.) Three more store employees showed up and proceeded to strategize, gawk and chuckle and try to get the escalator to reverse -- no luck. From what I eventually overheard, they will just have to call Tony, and it may take him 24 hours to get there. (Tony is obviously in high demand.)

Oh, and though I tried to explain what happened numerous times, somehow the store employees just kept assuring me that "Tha reason we cain't jes turn it bek own is whut if someone's haayund is een thar? *big eyes* You don't wan it to jes keep eatin' it up."

And I'm thinking, "Um, no, but you do want it to LET GO."

(And I'm FROM North Carolina so don't give me any flack for the spelin'.)

The good news is that the store didn't hassle us about giving my sister credit for the "returned" featherbed.

The bad news is that if--

**wait! disclaimer! I drove down (nine hours!) the previous day, slept for about four hours, got up at 5:30 that morning to help my sister with a yard sale -- in the rain -- sigh ...nevermind, it's still really no excuse**

Okay, so if, unbeknownst to me, a nearby customer happened to have a video camera and you can find out that person's name and address, you should go ahead and leave for Vegas and put money down on their win on next week's American's Funniest Home Videos. In the interest of full disclosure, I had on a grubby tshirt, an ancient blue hoodie, BRIGHT GREEN JOGGING PANTS, and my hair looked like a bird was going to nest, but, finding it too untidy, decided to keep looking. And I was wrestling. An escalator. For a featherbed.

Enjoy your prize money. Send me a postcard.

And do not let your children near those Conveyor Belts of Death!

ixnay on the antasyfay ootballfay

2006-08-11T00:08:00.000-04:00

I still refuse to play fantasy football (I'm not even going to capitalize it! So there!) but I might watch something having to do with football on Tuesday nights this fall.

Friday Night Lights hasn't even premiered yet, and I'm already convinced it's going to be a hit. Every time hear the preview, I have to come back into the room to watch. (I watch a lot of TV from the other room.) Love the song -- click on Collide.

It won't be the next ER (nor will anything else for a least a few more years) and it won't be The One That Is As Good As Friends, but I think that for those of us who enjoyed our youth, and who like television, drama, and puppies, this show is gonna rock.

duu duu da duu da duut...

bean counters

2006-08-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

"Nature also forges man, now a gold man, now a silver man, now a fig man, now a bean man."
Paracelsus

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my sister has a bit of an odd nickname. In cased you missed it: here is how it started.

The other thing you need to know is that there are rules.

"Rules," you ask?

Mmm hmmm. Rules.

Like these:

1. SmallBean is the only allowable non-bean name. In the beginning there was the SmallBean, and, as previously mentioned, it is good -- it's a perfect nickname -- so it's staying.

2. Only SmallBean and I can bestow Bean Names. And we are very particular. We have to a) love you and b) have the perfect name for you. It can take us awhile to come around to both. That said, a Bean Name is not a measure of our love. There are people at the top of our lists to whom no nominative legume as been assigned.

See? That wasn't so bad. And now, for the Cast and Crew.

The Beans:

RedBean = me (the hair)

JellyBean = my lovely husband (think about who else liked jelly beans and worked in Washington, DC)

SoyBean = Mama (lactose intolerant)

CoffeeBean = Friend who seemed to subsist entirely on coffee for a few years while the three of us (Small, Red, and Coffee) overlapped working at Starbucks.

GarbanzoBean = we wanted to be able to call her Chickpea!

StringBean = GarbanzoBean's brother (guess what? he's tall and skinny!)

BlackBean and VanillaBean = an Ebony and Ivory team

ButterBean = smooth talker

GreatNorthernBean = Mainer

And we have big news. Per recent discussions, you might read about a brand new Bean Name right here on this blog! How exciting for you!!!

note to self

2006-08-07T19:47:00.000-04:00

I was enjoying some leftover homemade kung-pao chicken today...but then I took one particular bite and thought, "What?! I don't remember there being a bad spot on that green pepper! Weird. Bad mushroom? Tastes strange. Like it was pickled or something? No..." (People at work were probably trying to get my attention during this inner monologue. Can't talk. Busy eating.) Of course I shook it off and continued to enjoy my lunch (inertia) and then when I looked down, a few bites later, I realized I was about to chomp down on a slice of fresh ginger...mystery solved.

I just made this stuff two nights ago! I must figure out a way to remember the ingredients I used while cooking. I mean, this dish only has five ingredients total!

This is just going to get worse as I age and have children. Brace yourselves.

"i was keeping a list...

2006-07-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

...of problems for an ambitious theory of cryptography. I was interested in the classical problem of producing secure conventional cryptosystems." - Whitfield Diffie

(Of course. What else would you have been doing?)

I'm a lister. Just ask my lovely husband. If we're having a busy day, there is definitely a piece of paper guiding us through it, with little tick marks added by yours truly as we go. I don't need special notepads; I will write on anything. Receipts, my agenda, leftover newspapers... And I don't number. That would just be silly, not to mention overwhelming.

Speaking of my lovely husband, when he left for the weekend earlier this month, I realized I had the place to myself, which is a nice way of saying really I wished he were still here or that I'd gone with him. But there was much to do chez nous, and I intended to make a dent, so the listing began! I then reviewed and counted twenty-one things on the pre-Sunday-9am calendar. Ambitious. And no, not twenty one Steps To Accomplishing Something, as someone one asked me. That would be cheating. The list is things that need to be done, such as, in my mother's listing vernacular, "Paint LR"...

When we would get our lists for the weekend back in the day (aka the 80's), all the rooms had their own (rather obvious) abbreviations: Living Room = LR; Dining Room = DR; Your Bedroom = Your BR; etc. I am now physically incapable of spelling out l-i-v-i-n-g--r-o-o-m on a piece of paper.

The LR did get painted, and not the color we'd originally planned! It is now a lovely dark blue. That first shot turned out more "electric" than "sophisticated," and the people at the paint store were not remotely helpful, so we returned to Lowe's for Olympic Paint. And I have to do a little unpaid endorsement here: I am not someone who really minds the smell of paint, but this paint HAS no smell! You can actually sleep in the room after you paint it. Bravo, Olympic People. (Maybe you should work on those world game thingies...there is some room for improvement there.) Anyway, as mentioned in one of my recent posts, the digital camera is under the weather, so I don't have pictures of it yet, but it does look great!

Today I have been working on another list, which includes lots of presents for people who just got married, people having babies...it's all so happy and exciting! But first I think it's time for a nap in the BR. After I clean the K.

giving baby nightmares

2006-07-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

In helping a friend who's expecting shop for a rug for her nursery, I came across this monstrosity being sold by Target:

Who did that?!

Why?!?!

Is it called "Tobacco" because it looks like that's what was spat on it?

It gives me a headache combined with a seriously nauseated feeling...and not a small dose of irritability.

In case you are not adequately offended, may I just share that it comes it two other, ummm...colors.

Maize:

and Peridot:

I am offended for the real peridot, by the way.

Do these look better in person? or worse, maybe?

And let's just touch on the fact that if you buy the largest version, you're dropping more than a grand on this putrescence!

culinary dervish

2006-07-25T09:55:00.000-04:00

I have been cooking up a storm these past few weeks! Must be the fresh summer produce, or the plethora of food blogs I've recently found...or that it's too hot to go outside...

Unfortunately, the digital camera is sick again. So I don't have enticing pictures to share. :( But I do have ideas!

Per Suburban Apron's suggestion, I made Martha Stewart's Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche for dinner one night. Yum! Instead of four ramekins, I used one large dish. The only downside was that it had to bake for nearly an hour rather than 35 minutes. But it puffed up so prettily and tasted so good that I didn't mind in the end.

Once upon a time I did not like cherries. Well, nevermind to that! I was wrong! WRONG, I tell you. Three words: Chocolate Cherry Muffins. They are to die for --but beware, they are not sweet, so if that's what you're looking for, keep looking! (By the way, I don't know what those non-chocolate muffins are doing in the picture. They are just in the way.)

Back at the grocery store, the red Swiss Chard looked too good to pass up. We usually just chop it up and sauté it with onions and a little olive oil, but I decided to try something new. Gourmet's Swiss Chard Gratin was delicious. Don't be daunted by the roux.

More soon! Happy cooking!

to market, to market

2006-07-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to visit a local grower to buy produce, and finally, yesterday, I made it out to Potomac Vegetable Farm. I didn't want to overdo it, so I just bought what I know I can use this week...even though my imagination was running wild.

The Delicious Bounty:

And they had pick-your-own blackberries!

As if that weren't enough, (and perhaps so much for the "just what we can consume this week,") on my way out, I could not resist the peaches.

What to make with all this?! I am inspired by Cream Puffs In Venice's delight in berries...need to get my hands on that Berry Bible book...but I also think a blackberry cobbler sounds pretty perfect. And I've been meaning to post my mom's cobbler recipe. It is oh-so-easy and always delicious.

Fruit Cobbler

1 stick butter
2/3 cup milk
4 cups fruit, washed and dried*
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar, divided

Melt the butter in a 9-inch square pan or deep dish. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and 1/2 cup sugar in small bowl. Add milk and stir until just blended. Spoon batter over melted margarine. Do not stir. Pour fruit over batter and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar (or less if your fruit is sweet!).

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*If you're using peaches, etc. To Peel or Not To Peel is up to you. I love fruit peel, so I leave it on.

**You can substitute the flour, salt, and baking powder in this recipe for 1 cup self-rising flour if you prefer.

Yum!

there's a reusable fiber for that

2006-07-13T21:59:00.000-04:00

I started to type this story and then realized there were so many explanations required that you'd need a legend to read it. So here you go:

SmallBean = my sister. That's been her nickname for a few years now. It's a long story but it stemmed from a misunderstood reference to a "small baby," and once someone else heard us laughing about "small bean," and said, "that would be a good nickname for you!" it stuck. No, it does not make sense, technically speaking. It's just somehow the most perfectly-suited nickname ever.

NewBean = my brother-in-law. SmallBean married him just a few months ago and I am almost as happy about it as she is! He doesn't have a Bean Name yet, as we ran out of bean varieties a few years ago. On that note, yes, I'd love to know more, so do tell. But really, we've tried. I mean, there's already a GreatNorthernBean.

Special note: I have a shockingly bad memory. If a UFO ever lands in my backyard (though really I imagine them as much larger than that) and the cameras show up, I will be the woman on the news saying, "I was just in the keechen' and tarned around and, laaaandaaaamoses! it was THERE and then it was just GONE." And that will be all I can remember. Not just because they zapped me. Or maybe they already have.

Story: I was on the phone earlier tonight with SmallBean. I was standing in the kitchen and had just handed something to my Lovely Husband. I don't remember what it was (see?) but it must have been dish that was still a little wet, because he promptly tore off a paper towel to dry it. And I said to SmallBean, "He just wasted a paper towel!"

Right now you're probably thinking, "Wasted? Didn't you say it was wet?" or "A paper towel? How much do those cost, anyway?"

But not my sister, no siree. Without missing a beat, she shot out, "NewBean wasted a paper towel a few weeks ago!!!"

Ya.

We're related. And we grew up in the same house. Sourcing things via heredity vs. environment doesn't really work for us because those two things are virtually indistinguishable. All those genes and experiences have been combed and worked over by so many hands and woven together just like the cotton for a dish towel.

stalking implies denied reciprocity

2006-07-12T14:10:00.000-04:00

Here is the start of a list of people I am totally friends with, but they just don't know it yet:

1. Ina
Ina Garten = The Barefoot Contessa = show on the Food Network
Love her, love her food, love how cute she is about her husband, love her friends, love her garden, love her house, love that my husband bought me a cookbook through her website and requested that she autographed it and she did (nice!) and she wrote, "Dear Kathryn, Have fun! Ina" And you know what? I AM, INA! I'm having a great time! Thank you! Oh, and did I mention that every single one of Ina's recipes works perfectly and is delicious? If you are on the Food Network, I think that's an unspoken expectation of your viewers. Alas, it is not true for all the hosts. (This means you, Rachel Ray!)

2. David Sedaris
Anyone who avoids the use of singular nouns because he cannot remember their gender en francais is a friend of mine. Two tomatoes, please. Not to mention he's a North Carolinian. And we know those are always cool. If anyone who ever reads this knows David Sedaris (or IS David Sedaris -- why dream small?) could you please request that he start a blog? He can even charge for a subscription to it. That's fine. I will pay in tomatoes.

3. Stacy and Clinton
Some people tout Trinny and Susannah, and here's what I have to say about that: in general, they look great, but very few of the people they dress do! Not fair! Are they trying to up their odds of pretty by comparison?! Not nice. Bad Brits. Whereas Stacy and Clinton always look smashing, and they do not let people buy ill-fitting clothing (Jackets must button! Yes, Clinton, you are right!) and they pay attention to personal style (No making a stay-at-home Mama buy a suit she doesn't need. Flattering leather blazer, yes. Dark three-piece, no.). Also, Stacy shares my, um, affinity (it's my blog, I can call it what I want) for pointy-toed shoes. If only everyone watched WNTW, they would know that our toes are not crunched into the end and if the shoes fit properly then no, they do not hurt. AND, Stacy seems to have located every single v-neck, empire-waist, eye-popping color blouse or shell on earth. Good job.

what about the rainbow

2006-06-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

It's Day Four of constant work for the sump pumps. We've had no rain since a slight drizzle yesterday, and the back yard is but a shadow of its former pond, but we're expecting rain and severe thunderstorms tonight. The basement is mostly dried out, and I really don't want it to get wet again! But in thanks to the two things that have kept us from far worse problems than we've had, I've decided it's high time we named the sump pumps. They have been chugging since at least Sunday night, but probably since sometime Saturday afternoon, and I feel like they need a little credit! I also feel like since I have been going down there and talking to them (as if they were plants and my expelled breath would be somehow constructive to their continued strength) I should go ahead and fully anthropomorphize them so as to not feel crazy.

Meet Maximus:
Maximus is an attractive, well-built machine. He enjoys home improvement projects, especially those involving plumbing and foundation maintenance. In general, he keeps to himself, though he's loud enough to let you it when he's working. For at least three days now, he's been in charge of the wettest section of our basement. Not a complainer, Maximus just likes to keep on keepin' on.

I'm still working on a name for the second one. Anybody have ideas for a name with a meaning something like "quiet immortal warrior?"

R.I.P. thermal carafe

2006-06-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

Our coffeepot has left us. It makes a threatening crackling sound when you load it up and press the brew button. Hence I am curled up with a cup of tea this morning attempting to wake up sans coffee...don't think I've done this since the 80's. I have nothing against tea and enjoy a cup as a pick-me-up now and then, usually in the afternoon. I'm just a coffee person. I really hope this cup of tea gets me all the way to Starbucks.

Also, while we were in Alabama over the weekend at the incredibly lovely weekend of our friends, God sent storm after storm to DC until he remembered the whole rainbow promise. So I'm home from work to start figuring out the basement. All the (now soggy) boxes must be emptied and they (and maybe their contents) thrown away. All the other boxes must be put on shelves (which I must construct). And I have to go buy a new coffeepot!

karma balances things out

2006-06-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

Normally you have to live in a major metropolitan center to have places this cool to visit:

====================================
GRAND OPENING WEEK OF THE ** NEW AND EXPANDED **
ZAPPOS OUTLET STORE IN SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY

ONE WEEK TENT SALE TO CELEBRATE!

30,000 PAIRS OF SHOES AT $10/PAIR OR $20/PAIR
====================================

Alas. For now, I will have to console myself with The Manolo:
http://shoeblogs.com/

"i think it's in my basement...

2006-06-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

let me go upstairs and check." - M.C. Escher

For those of you out there who are concerned that you're missing out on the joys of home ownership, I have two words: leaky basement.

Though we feel lucky that we have had only a few problems since buying our house in March, it does seem that all of our mini-crises have been related to water...the clogged sink, the dripping pipe, now the puddled basement...I do hope no Jumanji-style floods are in our future.

Fortunately, last night's interior waterpark could be measured in towels soaked (eight) instead of inches. And the rain that caused the puddles was nearly of the flash-flood variety, not some wimpy morning dew. Perhaps the best news, though, is that we managed not to freak out about it! Yeah, us! We investigated, evaluated, and then ended up in the back yard dragging pipes around to extend the sump pumps' outdoor piping.

Oh, yes, I said sump pumps. (We have two. Alexandria is low-lying. Fortunately, we're not in an area that floods so frequently that we have to hook ours up to car batteries!) And I was out there without shoes on, people -- this exercise did not seem worthy of a shoe-ruin. I also stepped on one bug and picked up three flower pots that had other bugs in them. *shudder.*

If old age ain't for sissies, then home-maintenance certainly ain't either.

trouble with much gusto

2006-06-14T19:01:00.000-04:00

I should say first that I do not speak Spanish. French, oui. Spanish, notsomuch. I want to learn, and I do try, but I have trouble with mucho gusto. It's supposed to mean (i.e. means) "It's nice to meet you," or "Pleased to meet you." Unfortunately, while in Ecuador and Argentina a few years ago, it was my typical response to, "How do you like the food you were just served?" I probably seemed like some bumbling 19th century poet in ankle-length skirts, trying to brave a jungle expedition. It seems the best interpretation I can hope for would go something like this:

Ecuadorian Host: How is the scrumptious homemade pancake covered in eight kinds of the freshest fruit you've ever seen in your life?

Me: BOY, AM I EVER GLAD I MET YOU!

At this point, my sister, involved in conversation across the table, would hear me in that little reverberation chamber in the back of her brain, reserved for an alarm signaling that she must rescue a flailing family member on the verge of committing cultural atrocities.

My sister: What? What did you just say?

Me: *wincing* I like it?

Ecuadorian Host: Does the altitude bother her terribly? Has she been bitten by a mosquito?

My sister: She likes it very much, thank you. She says the fruit is very fresh, and the crisp edge of the pancake is perfect.

*sigh*

So today, I met this guy in my building. He's on the cleaning crew and must be new to the night shift. I said hello. He offered a tentative reply. I smiled. He shyly asked if I spoke Spanish. I shook my head and gave him my best, "como estas?" He smiled and nodded. Since I also know "me yamo," I introduced myself. He responded, and then before I could stop myself, I said, "mucho gusto!"

*cringe*

I sure hope I got it right.

some color in my cheeks

2006-06-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

I'm back! I think I scared some people with the last post. Sorry about that. Sinus infections are terrible, horrible, no good, very bad things, but so far I've always made it back after glimpsing the dark side, despite my threats that it is 'sure to be consumption this time!'

So now I'm back at work, which is not very exciting since I'm not in love with my job right now. But I am also back to getting stuff done around the house, which is very encouraging and somewhat overdue. We meant to put the new slipcover on the couch last night...will try to get around to it again tonight...and we bought some paint for the living room. We're trying a test patch first, but I think we're gonna like it. After much deliberation, we chose "Adriatic Sea" from Sherwin-Williams. It's a deep blue with just enough green in it so that once I choose a red for the dining room, the house won't look like it was done in primary colors. (I hope.) Pictures coming soon!

chez maladies

2006-06-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

I have not put on makeup since Monday morning. For those of you who do not know me (or many other Southern women) well, this also means that was the last time I left the house.

While Coquette was the sickest last week -- we are so sorry, Mademoiselle Fourmont, and hope you are all better now -- CurlyHairDay is the sickest this week. I had a sinus infection a month ago, gave it to my lovely husband, then I got better, then he got better, then he got sick again, then I got sick again. I usually get two or three bad sinus infections a year (bad allergies) but not in a row. I mean, really.

Since my head is pounding, sleep is but a fond memory, and I cannot speak without being interrupted by a violent coughing fit, I have been home from work since Tuesday morning. In my time off from work, I have realized several things:

1. The last time I missed four consecutive days of work due to sickness was January 2002. This was after a trip to France, where I developed a sinus infection and subsequently became convinced my brain was going to explode during the flight home. (In case this ever happens to you, antihistamines are your only hope. In my experience, their basic effect will be to make you slightly less convinced of the possibility of imminent brain explosion.)

2. What I thought was my new phone's crazy and amusing ring and laser light show is actually a torture device for those with pressure-filled eardrums and eyesockets.

3. There is a lot of free stuff on our On Demand cable. Why just this morning I watched Anthony Bourdain go to Peru. He is very funny...though I haven't read one of his books, since I like food and have been told I'll be wary of anyone else preparing it once I am privy to his insider's take.

4. My cat Maggie sleeps a LOT. She is a good nurse, though. She wanders around after her naps and meows and checks on me and sometimes wants to be petted and then goes off to sleep again. Maybe I am just jealous because I cannot sleep right now due to the sickness.

5. Plumbers are expensive. We had a clogged kitchen sink and despite previously mentioned efforts and new tools, were not able to solve the problem ourselves. One plumber, plumber's assistant, and new pipe in the basement later, everything but our checkbook is better. I will not be complaining, though, because there are no longer dirty dishes in the guest room. (Do not be alarmed, there were only a few fragile glasses there while the plumber was plunging -- you read that correctly, plunging -- the sink. But still, no one wants dishes, much less dirty ones, in their guest room. ick.)

6. It is hard to choose the right blue to paint your living room. More on this soon.

7. I treat Kleenex as if they are rationed, I am out of coupons, and I have only begun the first blizzard of the Russian winter. One blow and throw? Oh, heavens, no. Those puppies get turned and twisted and folded before they get trashed. Gross? Not something you wanted to hear about? Well it's not something I really wanted to think about either, but given the scope of happenings in my life this week, I am trying to be positive and I therefore see this as an eco-consicous behavior on my part. *curtsy*

8. ALSO, our friends at Kleenex make this new antiviral kind! Don't believe the hype? Well, all I can say is they are wonderfully soft and yet by 2am made my nose tingle a little...so there must be somethin' in there. I have the green box.

9. Per my mother, each instance of her catching me sans socks was quickly followed by sickness during my childhood. I have informed my lovely husband, who immediatly agreed to pester me into putting on a pair whenever necessary. He is tired of this too, clearly.

I am going to go eat a popsicle.

it is what it is

2006-06-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

So yesterday morning, I washed my hair, scrunched it, ran the blowdryer in its vicinity, pulled it back from my face with a barette and a few pins, and left for work. All day I kept thinking, "but it's not a real curly hair day." I saw myself as happy, patient (at least as much as I ever am), optimistic, and polite. Alas, the curly hair prevailed. By the end of the night it was whipped back into a ponytail, I'd been to Lowe's wearing jeans and a tank top to buy a plumbing snake, and I managed to speak not-so-nicely to my lovely husband, who even used the word "thusly" (*swoon* we love a good vocabulary!) and tried to help with the clogged sink despite being sick. *sigh* Like I said, the curly hair prevails.

It was Kate who first named the phenomenon, from her desk on the other side of the bank...she would know within a few emails whether my hair was its natural, unruly self or had been tamed and smoothed that day. Evidently I'm much more refined when I bother to hot-roll.

wash your hands before you read the book (or don't*)

2006-06-01T22:51:00.000-04:00

Well, the curlyhairday explanation will just have to wait, since I have discovered a recipe for some wonderful muffins. I was craving Morning Glory Muffins and had searched high and low for a recipe...and then I remembered this fabulous cookbook my sister gave me for Christmas:

And the index (every non-fiction book...well, even some fiction books...should have one) had the very recipe I wanted (see page 642)! They're from the Morning Glory Cafe on Nantucket. Tasty goodness.

*****
Morning Glory Muffins

makes about 30 muffins

4 cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat flour.)
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp baking soda
4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
12 carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (4 cups)
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans, chopped (4 ounces)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
6 large eggs
2 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Generously butter (or spray with nonstick spray) muffin cups.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, raisins, pecans, coconut, and apples. Whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla in another bowl, then add to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them to the top. Bake muffins, in batches if necessary, until springy to the touch, about 30 minutes per batch. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

These muffins keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 2 days. (Or freeze 'em. I mean, gracious, you have 30!)
*****

I halved the recipe with excellent results (if I do say so myself) and made 12 large muffins. If you're not a coconut person, I'm sure you could substitute with extra carrots.

On the back of The Gourmet Cookbook is a quote from Ruth Reichl, the editor, "Our goal was to give you a book with every recipe you would ever want." Well done, Ruth.

* "A book reads the better which is our own, and has been so long known to us, that we know the topography of its blots, and dog's ears, and can trace the dirt in it to having read it at tea with buttered muffins." - Charles Lamb

Quotes. I love quotes. They should have been on the original list.

Happy baking!

no time like the present

2006-05-31T16:39:00.000-04:00

My dear friend Scott started a blog a few weeks...or was it months...ago. And I've been meaning to start one myself. After all, what better way to inform the people in your life without pestering them with a phone call or email every time you have something to say?

So here's what I think I'll be talking about:

Things I Love, including
1. people
2. books
3. travel
4. cooking
5. knitting
6. my cat (don't worry, Maggie, this is clearly not in order of preference)
7. our new house
8. many things French, as I am a definite francophile

and probably Things I Don't Like, including
9. cleaning
10. the heat
11. my recent wishy-washiness
and
12. anything that happens to me while I am experiencing one of the above three things.

Next entry: Why CurlyHairDay?
Stay tuned for: Choose your flamingo!