Crazy Cat Couple

Update!

2010-12-05T19:42:00.003-05:00

A few things I've been up to, in no particular order (okay, yes, in chronological order. You can take the girl out of the archives, etc.):

The Enchanted Forest. Oh so fun! And I was so glad to discover that some of the pieces from this sadly abandoned park have been salvaged and can be viewed in all their restored glory at a petting farm in Maryland. Sounds like a trip!

Thanksgiving in wonderful Orange Beach, Alabama. The wretched road trip was totally worth it because I got to reconnect with some high school friends, see the fam (MollyMac pictured above), and enjoy the lovely gulf beach. Not a bit of oil in sight, though I've never seen jellyfish like this!

Goings on

2010-11-09T18:07:00.002-05:00

I can't say that I'm crazy about the approach of winter, but I do love fall food and the prospect of baking more! Some of my adventures lately have included:

Sourdough starter. I suppose it's meant to keep me humble, as this has had me just perplexed. I started some back in September, gave up in disgust and tossed it in the fridge, then took it out a couple Mondays ago and it's been doing sort-of well. I'd really love to get it to the point where it just needs all purpose flour (it requires 25% rye currently, and that does add up!), but I hope to make some proper sourdough bread soon!

Random pizza shot. Made the dough one Sunday and was too tired to bake that night, so John froze it for me. I thawed it out the next Sunday and we had a lovely pepperoni pizza (while watching, I think, "The Wire.")

And my latest bona fide triumph: Salted Pumpkin Caramels, from the ever-reliable Food52. I made these to take in for a Saturday work treat. (As it happened, there was no power whatsoever at the Library that Saturday, so I ended up taking them to a church membership class and a Halloween party, but whatever.)

Yum!

New Trick!

2010-10-25T22:26:00.001-04:00

Oooh, check out the arty effects I got from my new app, Hipstamatic!

Food for this Week

2010-10-16T18:19:00.002-04:00

Last week I mentioned the Fresh 20, a meal planning service I've been trying out. I find I adapt a lot to suit schedule, tastes, opinions about how to cook, etc. But the fact that I adapt doesn't mean I don't like their ideas! Last week was a good example, both in terms of switching up their suggestions, and also trying things I wouldn't normally cook.

So, the instructions were to braise some flank steak for dinner one night and use the leftovers for risotto another night. I pan-fried the steak . . . see below. A proper dinner with a vegetable side (green beans with lemon and almonds) and a starch! So exciting.

And the next night we had tacos -- I took the leftover steak, sliced it, sprinkled with fajita seasoning, and tossed it around with peppers and onions. We enjoyed the meat with tortillas, cheese, and delicious smoky paprika cream.

For the risotto component of the week I roasted the butternut squash that came in our Dominion Box and stirred it into a basic risotto. No pictures because risotto looks like risotto. I put the leftover squash on a salad, which was pretty good. I do not come from a winter squash eating people, but butternut squash is nice.

Extracurricular activities this week included whole wheat bread from Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman, a birthday present from Mom and Dad. It used a pate fermentee, which was a first for me. It's meant to enhance the texture (I think it did) and help it keep longer (we'll see). I didn't take as much time as I should have to shape the loaves properly, but that doesn't affect the taste!

Really, Blogger?

2010-10-16T17:57:00.004-04:00

Seriously, you make it just impossible to either predict the order in which photos will post or rearrange them once they have posted in their nonsensical order. THEN you refuse to post my photos at all today. Maybe a server error is your fault, maybe it isn't, but I'm blaming you.

What I've been up to

2010-10-11T14:54:00.004-04:00

Not a whole lot, actually . . . it's been busy at work, cooling off outside, and we've been settling into a fall routine. I'm trying a meal planning service for the next few months. The Fresh 20 sends out a weekly menu for five meals (designed to serve four people with moderate appetites), featuring seasonal produce, whole grains, lean protein, etc. I've enjoyed it so far! I usually end up omitting the meal that includes seafood -- because I don't like seafood -- and often rearrange the suggested order to suit the house schedule (leftovers before Bible Study on Tuesdays, something that holds well on Wednesday so John can eat while I'm at yoga, etc.) and it turns out a pretty good amount of food without being wasteful. It's certainly encouraged me to try different recipes and to cook with meat more than I usually would.

I see I don't have any pictures of a Fresh 20 meal, but here are a few things I've made over the last little while:

Overnight Oatmeal, as suggested by Kath of Kath Eats Real Food. The idea is you mix up equal parts of raw, rolled oats, yogurt, and milk, let it sit in the fridge overnight, then top and eat in the morning. Muesli, in other words. I've been eating it since I discovered Sam's no longer stocks Go Lean Crunch. This particular morning I had it with dried apricots, almonds, and a bit of palmetto honey.

Wow, we've been broke out in eggplants this year! I've got two sitting in the fridge right now, and I get a least one in every Dominion box. I'm not absolutely crazy about eggplant, but it can be okay, I guess. Below is eggplant glazed with pomegranate molasses, served with goat cheese toasts.

We went to visit the Tidewater gang in late August and brought an almond-peach cake. I believe the recipe was from Food52. It mixed up easily on a Sunday morning (didn't even use a mixer) with butter, eggs, almond flour, nutmegged sugared peaches, and some other stuff I'm sure. By the time we headed down it had baked and cooled. Delicious! Love almonds.

And then this summer's project: baking without turning on the oven. I made pita using the recipe in How to Cook Everything. Only one of them puffed, but they were all tasty. We had a Sunday mezze spread as pictured below: Tomatoes, cucumbers, Halloumi cheese (John would live on this if I let him) and, I think, leftover eggplant. Below that is my one puffed pita. It's not a great picture, but it needed to be recorded.

English Muffins (Easy!)

2010-08-09T09:08:00.004-04:00

As part of my continuing quest to bake without turning on the oven, I decided to make English Muffins this Sunday . . . I've always wanted to try them, I had a brand-new cast iron skillet, and I thought they would be a nice treat for John, who'd gotten back from Nashville late Sunday night.

I used a recipe from King Arthur Flour. The dough mixed up easily in the KitchenAid . . . I didn't have bread flour (just A.P.), and subbed in a couple ounces of whole wheat flour for part of it, but it came together as a lovely, springy (though somewhat wet) dough. I gave it a first rise, rolled it and cut it (using one of Meme's old aluminum tumblers).

I put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered with plastic, and left them in the fridge overnight for a slow second rise.

Sunday morning, I took them out and let them come up to room temp (and get a little puffy!) while I had my coffee. I heated up my gigantic skillet over medium heat . . . then plopped the little dough circles on. They cooked about seven minutes on the first side, five on the second. They didn't stick at all -- in fact, I flipped most of them with my fingers. I was really impressed by how much they looked like proper English muffins: Brown on the top and bottom, creamy on the sides. Next time I make these I'll use a bigger cutter, as they were pretty small, but otherwise I can't think of a thing I'd change.

Fresh English muffins with butter and honey . . . just a lovely thing to have on a Sunday morning.

Chocolate Peppermint Meringues, Part the Second

2010-07-31T21:32:00.003-04:00

Our Story Continues . . .

So, I left the cookies in a turned-off oven to dry overnight. When I got up in the morning, they were still a bit chewy around the middle. Pooh. So I turned the oven to 200 for a half hour, then turned it back off and let them sit around while I ate breakfast and went to the gym. When I got back they were just about perfect! Not quite as shatteringly dry as one might get in, say, December, but pretty darn good.

So I went to whip up the ganache. I'd been frustrated in my efforts to find "pure peppermint oil" (it was not at any of the four stores -- including Penzey's and the fancy chocolate shop -- John and I went to), so in the end I used peppermint extract. I used the microwave to melt the chocolate (as I always do) and think I let my impatience get the better of me . . . the chocolate heated too much and got a bit grainy. But as the chocolate layer was so thin, and delicious, I don't think it mattered all that much in the end.

Boy, were these good! When I make them again I'll use a pastry bag and make a point to make them a bit smaller, but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing. The cookies peeled off the foil like a dream, stayed stuck together, and tasted just like mint chocolate chip ice cream. I went the rustic route, so mine wouldn't have won any beauty contests, but with a little more attention they could really be showstoppers. Certainly everyone at the shindig I took them to gobbled them up and raved.

Go check out some of the other baker's creations!

Chocolate Peppermint Meringues, Part the First

2010-07-30T23:00:00.004-04:00

I've been a bad SMSer! It's been miserably hot here in Richmond, and I just. Have. Not. Felt like turning on the oven. Or really doing much of anything besides misting myself with water and sitting under fan. So it was a surprise, to say the least, to idly click over to Sweet Melissa Sundays today and discover that I'm hosting this Sunday! I'm alleviating my guilt by splitting my post into two (2) parts.

In the first part, I'll write out the recipe and share my thoughts on the meringue-making process. Tomorrow I'll post again with thoughts on the ganache and sandwiching processes, as

well as the final product.

So, the recipe, on page 230-231, is:

For the Meringues:

1.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate

2 Tbs powdered sugar

5 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

pinch cream of tartar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Peppermint Ganache:

4 oz. semisweet chocolate

2 Tbs heavy cream

3 drops pure peppermint oil

Preparation:

Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat to 200F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or foil. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/4 inch round tip.

Chop the chocolate finely by hand (yield about 1/3 cup). Process in food processor with the powdered sugar until it is a fine powder, being careful it doesn't melt.

Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are warmed to the touch. Transfer to a mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Starting on low and

gradually increasing to high, whip until the meringue is cool and holds stiff, ossy peaks. Add

vanilla, then fold in the chocolate dust mixture. Fill the pastry bag and pipe into 2 inch wide mounds on the cookie sheets. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes, rotate pans, then reduce temperature to 175 and bake for another hour . . . until completely dry, but not browned.

Remove to rack to cool completely.

Combine chopped chocolate (the 4 oz of semisweet) and cream in a medium bowl . . . set over simmering water to melt the chocolate, then whisk until smooth. Stir in the peppermint oil. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Peel the paper or foil away from the meringues. Spread about 3/4 tsp. ganache on the flat sides of half, then sandwich together with the rest. Chill about 15 minutes before serving. Will keep

at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate or freeze.

My experience:

(And apologies for the weird posting order . . . I never have been able to get blogger to post my pictures in any kind of sensible way. And moving them around seems to require an act of God.)

Anyway! I've enjoyed mint meringues for many years, as they are a Christmas treat favored by my Aunt Linda. She makes hers with mini chocolate chips, sometimes colors then green (for Christmas!), and was kind enough to pass along her recipe, which does not include any fol-de-rol with water baths and whatnot. Additionally, the baking time on hers is far shorter . . . she puts the cookies in a 300 degree oven, bakes for 30 min, then turns the oven off and leaves them to cool overnight. (In fact, I've also enjoyed a variation called "Forgotten Cookies" that were just put into a 300 degree oven, turned off, and left to dry overnight.)

So I'd be interested to hear from people who did the meringue whisking thing . . . especially how it compares with the more basic meringue cookie. Is there a difference in texture? Does it make it more foolproof? It did occur to me that maybe the slight cooking removes any trace of food-borne bacteria? Someday when I'm not under the gun like this I might do a side-by-side comparison, just for kicks.

As it was, the egg whites whipped up beautifully, even without the tartar. I added a wee pinch of salt because I like salt, and was duly impressed with the whipping action on the KitchenAid. Folded in the chocolate dust (which I should have processed more). I then used a spoon to plop the cookies onto their prepared sheet (wishing I'd bothered with a pastry bag, as I do think that makes things quicker and less messy), popped them into the oven, let them cook for 30 minutes, then switched the heat off so they can enjoy their beauty rest. I'll be back in the morning with a report on how the finished product turned out!

SMS No-Show, and Could someone turn down the heat?

2010-06-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

Chestnut-honey madeleines was the recipe this week, and they sounded wonderful! Unfortunately, it's been just scorchingly hot, the ac has been running non-stop, and the last thing I want to do is crank up the oven. All I feel like making is ice cream. Go take a look at some of the lovelies baked by other SMSers.

A couple other things I've cooked

2010-06-16T22:02:00.004-04:00

Garlic Scape Pesto. Weird, yes? The garlic scapes (and the recipe for the pesto!) came in the Dominion Harvest box . . . they're apparently the green tops of garlic bulbs. They're pretty sharp, but good. We ate it over pasta one night and have been putting it on pita chips ever since.

Brunch for Kenny and Rebeca: Frittata, salad, Billy Bread.

Curried fried rice, from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. (Not the greatest picture, but I really liked it! Rice, coconut milk, sugar snap peas, and other goodies.)

Chocolate Orange Macaroons

2010-06-14T17:55:00.005-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sunday challenge was hosted by BlueTreeGreenHeart. Chocolate Orange Macaroons -- yum!

Here are the very simple ingredients: Coconut, chocolate, orange zest, sugar, and egg white.

(I also added a pinch of salt for good measure.)

The method couldn't be easier: Mix by hand, bake until golden.

Don't you want one right now? John said they were the best of the things I've made so far for SMS. I read previous posts and sprayed my foil with Baker's Joy, so there was no problem getting them off the cookie sheet. I loved the way the bottoms got caramely and crunchy while the inside was moist and chewy. And I think the orange zest really brought it ll together nicely.

Another win! (And something I'll probably make again.) Go check out the baker's links for more!

Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints

2010-06-06T18:54:00.000-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays entry is Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints, hosted by Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures. I dearly love linzertorte, and like pistachios quite a bit, so I was pleased by the selection. Unfortunately, I just could not find unsalted pistachios, so as suggested, I subbed hazelnuts.

(Also unfortunately, my camera was not in the kitchen and frankly, I just did not feel like finding it, hooking it up to my dying computer, plugging the old computer into a hard line for internets, etc. So just the two iPhone photos. Sorry.)

Anyway, this came together quickly in a food processor. It did fill the darn thing up so much that bits of dough went straight on the counter when I opened the machine up, but that's nothing new. It's a lovely food processor, but it does perplex me.

Also, the dough never did come together . . . . maybe could have used more liquid. But no matter! I just mashed it together and baked it and all was well. They were pretty crumbly, too, when I went to make the thumbprints, but I solved that by bracing the sides with one hand and pressing with the other. (Hence the slightly oval shape of many of the cookies.)

I ended up baking just 20 cookies, saving a goodly amount of dough in the freezer. (I did wish I'd had more powdered hazelnuts to dip the cookies in.) As a final change, I subbed blackberry preserves from our lovely CSA box for the raspberry. They were really quite tasty.

John told me twice that they were awesome, so I think we have another SMS success! Go to Tracey's blog for the recipe (and pictures of a properly made, pistachio-inclusive cookie). If you'd like total cookie madness, check out the full list of SMS bakers.

Butterscotch Pralines (and LOST)

2010-05-23T18:00:00.004-04:00

This week's SMS assignment was to make Butterscotch Pralines. I've never made candy before because (1) I had an unfortunate accident with hot sugar when I was in the fifth grade, and (2) Most candy recipes say to make them on a cool, dry day. I lived my entire life in the Deep South, and I now make my home in Virginia. We get about five cool, dry days per year. But I do remember reading that pralines were originally a french candy more akin to a brittle but when made in the warm, humid climate of New Orleans, they turn into a deliciously creamy and slightly grainy confection. So the warm-ish, damp weather today (also the day of the LOST finale!) could only help. I hoped.

Here we are coming up to a soft ball. Having never cooked with sugar before I was surprised how the temperature stayed low for a while, shot up to about 230, then hung around there for quite some time before finally going up to 238. I'm sure there is a scientific reason for this.
After the sugars (and other things) were properly cooked, I transferred it to my mixer bowl, added butterscotch chips, and let 'er rip.
Once it was creamy, I added the bits of pecan. I didn't get a picture of this stage because the candy was really wanting to set up, and I just went ahead and scooped it while I still could.
I haven't had one of the candies yet (they're setting even as I type), but I did lick the bowl, and let me tell you, these are really delicious. One thing I might do differently next time is toast the pecans, but honestly, these are pretty close to perfect as they are. Thanks to Tess of the Cookin' Chemist for picking such a nice recipe!

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln . . .

2010-05-16T19:13:00.005-04:00

So, the idea for this week’s SMS was to make pumpkin bread pudding, selected by the lovely Carmen of Baking is my Zen. It sounded like a really lovely, lightly spicy and creamy dessert. There was a delicious-looking sauce. The pictures people put up early looked lovely. I got ready to bake today and realized: You know what’s hard to find in May?

Pumpkin.

So hard, in fact, that I looked through the fruit, vegetable, and baking aisles at WM three times before I gave up and regrouped. After some hemming and hawing and looking through both pantry and cookbooks, I decided on chocolate bread pudding with chocolate chips and dried cherries.

It all got off to an inauspicious start at WF, where they did not have brioche at all. (This is central Virginia, after all, not Paris.) I settled for a big loaf of challah, which I reckoned would be a nice substitute, what with the egginess and butteriness.

(Yes, the wise woman would have bought the pumpkin while she was at WF. I am clearly not that woman.)

Also, the cinnamon sticks were a bit spendy, especially considering I have enough ground cinnamon to last until I’m fifty. Ditto whole cloves. And vanilla beans. So when the canned pumpkin just did not show up, I took it as a sign.

What I ended up doing was following the approximate portions provided in How to Cook Everything (Bittman) with some of the techniques in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I toasted about 8 ounces of challah cubes.

Then I cooked together a mixture of milk and cream totaling three cups with a bit of butter the size of a walnut and two ounces of bittersweet chocolate. After the chocolate melted I set it aside to cool for a bit before whisking it into three beaten eggs.

I layered the bread cubes in a dish with a handful of chocolate chips and a handful of dried cherries. (I put a layer of bread on top of this too.)

Then I strained the chocolate custard into the dish and left it to soak while I did the dishes.

It went into a water bath, then the oven for about 45 minutes.
It was good! I think the dried cherries really made it. Bread pudding is never going to look like much (as John helpfully observed), which is probably why it's usually served with a sauce of some kind. Oh yeah, I didn't do the sauce either.

SO! Basically I just made whatever I darn well pleased and called it a SMS entry. I probably wouldn't have made bread pudding unprompted, though, so that's got to count for something, right?

The Harvest

2010-05-06T19:19:00.003-04:00

So, this year I'm trying Dominion Harvest, a local-food delivery service. You pay some money, they source and deliver food (mostly veggies, but also fruit, eggs, cheese, and herbs) right to your door. Mine arrived last night, and I'm pleased with it -- haven't had a chance to cook with it yet, but I did just have some feta as a little snack.

Look at the arty effect! There's lots of lettuce, some arugula, asparagus, eggs, sweet potatoes, green onions, strawberries, blackberry jam, parsley, and the aforementioned cheese. I'm really looking forward to the arugula, which I've never cooked with before. The company provided a suggested strawberry and arugula salad, which I think I'll try. I'm also hearing good things about arugula pesto. Maybe this weekend?

Peanut Butter Truffles!

2010-05-03T10:07:00.009-04:00

I'm always wanting motivation to bake more, so I joined a baking/blogging challenge: Sweet Melissa Sundays. The idea is to prepare a tasty treat from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book and share experiences (and drool-worthy photos) about it. My first entry (which I really did do on Sunday, just didn't have time to blog about it then) was Peanut Butter Truffles, hosted by the lovely Mara of Love Your Mother Earth.

Here are all the wonderful components of the truffle: peanut butter and cream heating on the stove, chocolate waiting to be chopped, and butter. Later on I'll chop up some peanuts.

I've poured the hot cream over the chocolate. Doesn't look too promising.
But after sitting around for a few minutes, it whisks to a lovely smooth consistency. I then beat in the butter. It would have melted more quickly had it not been practically frozen when I put it in.

The rich, smooth mixture chilled in the fridge while we watched a few episodes of Battlestar Galactica and ate some pizza. (Also homemade because that's how I roll.) I couldn't take a picture while I was scooping and rolling the chocolate into little peanut-covered balls -- my hands got too messy for camera operations -- but don't they look nice sitting in the refrigerator?
They're delicious and rich. I do wish there was more of a peanut butter flavor, and also that I'd bought more heavily salted peanuts. And maybe chopped them a little finer. I took the good advice of several other folks and made half a batch, which translated into about 30 truffles.

Lots of fun!

A few things I've cooked, in no particular order:

2010-04-03T07:53:00.002-04:00

Ice Cream in the KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment. I've made several batches, and this was the easiest because it was not custard-based, so no cooking. I believe it included sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Recipe from Epicurious.

Fritatta. I make this once a week. At least.

Sesame noodles with tofu, which are just so delicious and a nice, light-but-filling thing for summer. This will return to the rotation soon.

No pictures!

2010-03-23T11:22:00.005-04:00

It's been quite some time since I edited the blog, mainly due to a sad lack of picture uploading on my part, which I will try to remedy. It's not as if I haven't been taking pictures (mainly of my food) -- but I haven't found the patience needed to actually (1) transfer them to the camera, and (2) load them onto the blog. A blog without photos is a sad thing indeed.

However! It's been an interesting nine months since the last post! Most interestingly, I got married on July 3 and began the adventure of being a wife. So far, so good, as they say; it's tremendously nice to have a buddy beside me who's happy to change cat litter, shovel snow, and cheer me up. Actually, I do have a picture to share, taken with my brand-new iPhone on the day we bought a pair of them as honeymoon gifts to ourselves. What a cutie!

Upon being married, I moved to lovely Carytown, Richmond's trendy/bohemian neighborhood. I also acquired John's two cats, bringing the total count to three. Three cats in a smallish apartment did not make for good times at first, but they reluctantly tolerate each other now, for the most part. Still lots of hissing!

Before and After

2009-06-12T18:28:00.002-04:00

Welcome to my newest cousin, Celie Annalin!

American History 101

2009-05-22T18:13:00.002-04:00

True quotations from a caller today:

"He came over on the Mayflower with Christopher Columbus."

"It all goes back to Rome."

"There was a Civil War and they was a Continental War. I reckon George Washington was in the Continental War."

"Loretta Lynn was in the middle of this. The Carter family, too."

More on the race . . .

2009-03-31T17:10:00.002-04:00

So, by the numbers: I came in 7,109 of 26,242 overall finishers (about the top 25%); 391 of 2062 in my age group (about the top 20%); ran the second half very slightly faster than the first half (19 seconds faster, to be precise -- this is a good thing); and had a 9:09 pace overall (faster than my training pace).

May I say that I was really quite pleased with myself?

More generally, it was a great day to run. Everything went perfectly for me as far as getting there, parking near the start (my little secret!), watching the elite runners sprint off, and laughing at the costumed runners. The speedo-ed "Michael Phelps" certainly encouraged me to get past him, and some people I knew won first in the group contest with a great Ms. Pac-Man theme. The weather was perfect. The waves were nicely timed, so there weren't too many slow people to dodge. There were bands and spectators all along the course, and then there is the course itself, which is just one of those perfectly lovely places that makes me glad to live in Richmond.

Pictures later if I buy them!

56:55!

2009-03-28T15:49:00.004-04:00

That, my friends, is my best-ever 10K time . . . all on very slack training, thank you very much. The original plan was that this would be the year I really tried - the goal was a sub-55. But what with the traveling to Alabama, getting sick, getting engaged, snow, and it just being too darn cold to get out of bed in the morning, I sort of didn't get started until two weeks ago. My long run (on a treadmill) was a pathetic 3 miles.

The only theory I have was that the caffeinated Jelly Bellies I scarfed down before the race helped, as did predicting my time optimistically so I wasn't stuck running around slowpokes. Anyway, yay me! I'll have a more thorough analysis of splits, places, and all that later.

Got a shovel?

2009-03-02T11:29:00.004-05:00

Oh, holy cow. Will you just look at all the snow? I'd guess about six inches, and it's still falling. (It would appear to be the last gasp, though, according to weather.com.) I've got some still-painful frostbitten fingertips and lots of lovely pictures. I'm going to spend the rest of the day watching movies and baking cookies. And hoping they cancel work tomorrow, because we really truly do not have a snow shovel, and how am I to get out of here?

Lucky 13!

2009-02-28T14:26:00.002-05:00

All my readers know, but I wanted to make it official with a blog announcement as well as a gadget . . . John and I got engaged! Ring pictures soon, I promise . . . Look, here it is!

A few words about the holidays

2009-01-10T21:48:00.003-05:00

No, I haven't become one of those people who calls Christmas "the holidays" (which is disturbingly common, you know) but am referring to the Christmas-New Year's stretch. Which is two holidays, ergo, "the holidays."

Anyway, a few pictures, in no particular order. Two are in Baltimore, with random JS family members and their pets; two will be recognized by my faithful readers as being at Meme's house, or rather in her kitchen. We were all very tired on New Year's Eve, so we ate our chili and went to sleep without so much as a spoonful of ice cream (though I actually think she managed to get us to eat some of Bonnie's famous chocolate pie). The next morning I whipped up some tasty Morning Glory muffins . . . or rather reconstituted them from the mix I bought at Whole Foods. They were very tasty with apple butter.

Later that day a few Smiths came over bearing food - roast beef with assorted trimmings - and we had a lovely supper, after which we enjoyed the traditional New Year's Eve sundaes. Happy 2009 to everyone! It promises to be a terriffic year.

Chili Pouf

2009-01-06T20:20:00.005-05:00

So, Christmas morning this year found me away from my normal traditions. The lovely Ginny and Craig made up for it, though, with all sorts of delights (babies, dogs, and a real Christmas tree!), not least of which was Eggy Pouf on Christmas morning. As I ate it, I thought it tasted both delicious and haintingly (ha! meant to type "hauntingly" but as a sort-of-Alabamian, haintingly works too) familiar. It was, it turned out, pretty much the same thing as the old Gilbert Christmas classic, Mexican Eggs, but with cheddar instead of pepper jack and bacon instead of chilies.

I was inspired, then, to make a pan of Mexican eggs for supper the other night. It's easy, tasty, and always pleases. We ate it with some nuked sugar snap peas.

Mexican Eggs

5 eggs, 1/4 cup flour, 8 oz. cottage cheese, 4 oz. canned diced chilies, 2 Tbs. melted butter, 1 tsp. baking powder, 2 cups chredded pepper jack cheese. [I wanted to use up the tail end of some white cheddar so I shredded that and made up the balance with pepper jack. Also, the food processor just goes through cheese so quickly you will not believe it. It's magic!]

Mix it all together and put it in a greased 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350, and cook for another 20-25 minutes until golden and perfect.

Look!

2009-01-03T12:13:00.003-05:00

Behold some of my delightful Christmas presents! I've already watched the Dexter DVD (thanks to Kenny and an absurd amount of off-work time), and Lewis Agonistes is excellent so far - still in the biographical portion. However, the prize this year goes to the camera, a gift from the lovely and talented JS . . . everyone can look forward to seeing more pictures on the blog in 2009!

Slightly disappointed . . .

2008-12-04T15:15:00.001-05:00

53% Geek

This bodes well!

2008-10-26T22:22:00.002-04:00

More Dolly Dodging, before I forget!

2008-10-25T15:28:00.004-04:00

Our story continues . . . . So, after finding sustenance we went down to our cabin and waited for the ship to sail, which it did, around 4 p.m. It was great fun to watch Miami ease away. Shortly thereafter we went up top - well, up a couple floors, anyway - for a lifeboat drill. It was at this point we discovered our cabin had only one lifejacket, a problem that was never rectified.

After standing around "listening" to instructions on what to do if we had to abandon ship . . . and I say "listening" because we were positioned near some kind of fan or vent that was blowing noisily and preventing our hearing anything at all . . . we sauntered back to the cabin and got ready for dinner.

Now, many cruises have assigned seating for their dinners, and this was no exception. I had great fears of being trapped with some overly-sincere, apple-cheeked, corn-fed Michael W. Smith devotees, but it turned out Charlotte and I had our own table, and per the rules of the cruise, would continue to have our own table through the entire vacation. Nice! We also had the same waiters, which made for a pleasing continuity. The formal dining room (the "Gold Olympian," I think) was very elaborate . . . lots of deep red velvet-looking banquettes, gilded staircases, etc. The sub-waiter, a small man from Indonesia, got our beverages and tempted us with bread. The main waiter, a Peruvian, told us about the specials and offered his recommendations.

Aside: The food on the ship, while not absolute top-drawer, was consistently tasty. In the main dining rooms there was a base menu ("Carnival Classics") composed of standard steaks, Cesar salads, etc., and there was a daily-changing list of specials as well. I particularly enjoyed a lentil soup, an Indian vegetarian plate, and fattoush. My very favorite thing to have for lunch was a bowl from the Mongolian barbeque line. I'm sure it was neither Mongolian not barbecue, but it was a very tasty bowlful of self-selected rice noodles and vegetables, wokked and sauced by one of the cooks, and served HOT!

Five Things I Like

2008-10-03T18:00:00.002-04:00

No offense to people who post lists of pet peeves (I have a few of those, too!), but as part of my effort to be positive, here are five things that really please me:

My iPod, with all its lovely nano features: video, audio, pictures, calendar, address book. It has saved me from boredom and unwelcome talkers on many occasions.
Beautiful fall days like today: Cool in the shade, warm in the sun.
Bacon. Really, is there anything better?
Days with enough free time to get a little knitting done.
Purring cats - it's the best sound in the world. If dogs could only learn how to purr, we wouldn't need cats at all.

The Good News . . .

2008-09-21T17:29:00.002-04:00

. . . is it's finally cool enough in the mornings to run outside.

The bad news is that I'd forgotten how hard hills are. (Just 5.5 miles today instead of the half-marathon-training-program-prescribed 7.)

But a bad day at Deep Run Park is better than a good day at the gym, even if Gold's does show ESPN.

Dodging Dolly, Part The Second

2008-08-20T16:05:00.004-04:00

So, we made our way onto the very huge ship. We were on the "Riviera Deck" (i.e., Steerage), so there were many floors to go down in an elevator. We got there and walked . . . and walked . . . and walked some more to our cabin, which was pretty far aft but thankfully had a window. It was vaguely reminiscent of a less seedy Tutwiler Hall, with twin beds, lots of built-ins, and minimal floor space. We unpacked out bags and stowed them, then ventured out for food.

I think the passenger capacity was around three thousand? Believe me when I say it felt like many, many more than that. Teeming multitudes, swirling confusedly but purposefully like ants. Anyway, we went to the Lido Deck where we wandered around lots of cafeteria-style lines (again, reminiscent of tarted-up college dining options) before Charlotte settled on a slice of pizza from some kind of poolside vendor. We got beverages and settled down at the bar to eat/drink.

Two notes: One is that a major hidden cost of cruises is your beverage options. I understand and expect to pay for alcohol, but they charged for Cokes, for heaven's sake. Another is that one point on which Charlotte and I diverge is that, when hungry, I will pretty much eat the first non-seafood and non-mayonnaisey thing I can find. Charlotte, on the other hand, will be more selective even as she grows hungrier.

Dodging Dolly, Part The First

2008-08-11T10:11:00.003-04:00

(Which sounds like it ought to be some kind of song title, but in reality is what I did on my summer vacation.)

I've been back from the cruise for two weeks and am just now getting around to recording my thoughts. This will have to be a several part entry because it's an off Monday for me and I've got many errands to run, chores to do, weights to lift, etc. Let me begin by saying it's not called Miami International Airport for nothing (ha! More like the Black Hole of Calcutta if you ask me), and that Carnival Cruise Lines might really want to think about having a better luggage strategy for people with brutally early flights. Hauling two bags around the airport for four hours doesn't really put me in my happy place.

Anyhoo, Charlotte and I met up at the baggage claim and were herded onto a bus allegedly headed to the port, only to have to wait around for what seemed like hours (probably not, but the fact that C was starving - but apparently not starving enough to eat a Larabar or almonds - made the whole ordeal seem rather protracted). We took a ten-minute or so drive to the port and were then herded off the bus, snarked at by the man who wanted a tip for putting a label on my bag (sorry, fella, five tips per day is my limit, and if I'd known you were going to be a pill about it, I'd have carried my own darn bag), and herded into some kind of check-in line.

(Do you see a theme developing here? I realize they have an awful lot of people to manage, but maybe it could be done without making us feel like cattle? Maybe?)

$51.64

2008-07-16T09:37:00.000-04:00

Is how much I paid to fill up my car with gas this morning.

I believe I mentioned recipes . . .

2008-07-08T21:44:00.002-04:00

Cheese Ball:

Cream together in a mixer 16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature, and 8 oz. sharp cheddar, finely shredded, also at room temp. When well amalgamated, add 1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice (I used the juice of an entire half lemon), and a few dashes cayenne pepper. Once it was all mixed up I globbed it onto a piece of waxed paper, wrapped it up, and put it into a roundish bowl in the fridge overnight. After it stiffened up, I formed it into a more ball-like shape and rolled it in chopped toasted pecans.

We always eat it with Wheat Thins. My mother makes tons of this every Christmas.

4th and 5th of July

2008-07-08T18:04:00.002-04:00

I took a trip to Cville for the Fourth and, for the first time ever, found myself rather chilly in July. Global warming! Hah! (Seriously, it was not much below 70, but rather damp and in the country. I could have used some sleeves is all.)

The next day I drove down to spend time with the tidewater family and have a lovely late lunch of cheese ball (my contribution) and sangria, fruited chicken, broccoli salad, corn on the cob, potato salad, and brownies (also my contribution). It was nice to see all of the extended family (who I haven't seen since New Year!) and most especially spend time with my grandmother. Our last two visits have been short on account of (1) the half marathon in March, which gobbled up a lot of my visit, and (2) the stupidity of whatever airline I was flying back in May, which resulted in my arriving ten solid hours behind schedule.

I've got a busy week . . . Charlotte is visiting Friday night and then I'll be consumed with cruise prep next week, so I'm taking the opportunity of a quiet night in to get some serious cleaning done.

Here you go, Kerry!

2008-05-11T15:58:00.002-04:00

Kerry tagged me with this list of questions, which I solemnly promise to answer to the best of my ability . . .

What was I doing ten years ago:
I was getting ready to move from Tampa to Alabama.

5 things to do on my "to do" list:

Banish extraneous paper (where does it all come from?)
Cook more
Finish reading "Dubliners"
Watch last week's episode of "Lost"
Laundry

5 snacks I enjoy:

Almonds
Chocolate
Salsa and chips
Jelly Beans
Pink Lady apples

If I had a billion dollars, I'd...

Hire someone to help me figure out what a billion is
Pay off outstanding loans
Buy a house or two
Start an endowment for archival scholarships . . . people who earn what we do shouldn't have to pay for school!
Visit all seven continents

5 Bad Habits:

Not taking pictures
Eating too many jelly beans/too much chips and salsa
Not keeping up with people
Reading makeup blogs
Celebrity gossip (who cares, really?)

5 Places I've Lived:

Charleston, SC
Prattville, AL
Tuscaloosa, AL
Tampa, FL
Columbia, SC
Richmond, VA (okay, that's six places I've lived)

5 Jobs I've had (at last count I was up to 15, so I'll just list the first five):

Cashier at KFC
Salesperson at Shoe City
Interlibrary Loan at Alabama
Cashier at Delchamps
Salesperson at Payless

What did you have for dinner tonight?
Haven't had dinner yet, but lunch today was salad and a quesadilla, with chocolate chips for dessert.

~~Who~~ What is in the room with you right now?
Marzie

What do you hear right now?
Kristin downstairs watching The Prestige

Tag-You're it! Top 5 People who need to complete this and send back to me! Just copy and paste onto blog or email. (Sorry, I don't think there are five people who read my blog.)

Kenny

Monument Avenue Analysis!

2008-04-07T21:50:00.004-04:00

Okay, so the time was 1:01:32, which was an entire second faster than my roommate Kristin. It is a personal record (sadly enough) for my 10K, besting my previous best by about 20 seconds. It also works out to about a 9:54 pace. There were 1791 women in my age group, of whom I finished 525th, a little less than a third of the way back. Overall, I finished 9,266 of 24,055 finishers. There were 14,066 women who finished the race, and I was the 3500th woman to finish.

I was pretty pleased with it all . . . my goal was really just to finish in one piece, as the half marathon was just three weeks prior, and my right leg had been a little gimpy for the last week and a half. I do think I could have had a better time if (1) The weather had been slightly better, (2) Said right leg hadn't started acting up around mile five, and (3) My fellow racers had accurately predicted their times and not gummed up the works, forcing me to run around them. Seriously, people, I really do understand and sympathize if you're not a fast runner. (See times above.) But you need to own the slow.

(Oh, and the right leg is feeling more or less normal again. Also, Kenny, my Facebook page has a pic of me running.)

1:01:32

2008-04-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

Ick. A rainy 10K, but my time wasn't half bad . . . it is, in fact, a personal best for me. Detailed analysis to follow.

Hee hee hee

2008-03-29T11:08:00.001-04:00

A week late, but still. Peeps!

Yay me!

2008-03-16T18:12:00.003-04:00

I just checked my half-marathon results and am pretty pleased . . . I ran a 2:15! (Okay, actually it was more like 2:15:55, but we're rounding this one down, okay?) This means I maintained a 10:23 pace over 13.1 miles, which isn't too shabby for me. I finished about halfway through my division - women 30 to 34 - and halfway among women overall.

Aside from having to get up ~~at the~~ well before the crack of dawn, and also aside from getting stuck in marathon traffic on the way back, everything went really well. It was cold and windy at the start, got less windy for a bit, then windy at the finish too! But I felt really good at the end and still am not too sore. I hope to have pictures later - if they're any good, I'm totally springing for them.

More later . . .

Fruity

2008-02-11T14:17:00.001-05:00

Muchas gracias to Mom and Dad who sent this lovely fruit basket . . . if you've ever wondered where all the good strawberries go, here's your answer: Edible Arrangements.

In other news, I went for a lovely run yesterday (I'm going to call it seven miles) at Deep Run Park. It was a beautiful day, but windy! I kept getting blown around by all the gusts and had to keep an eye out for falling branches. I've got a three mile run as well as weights to do today (training for a half maraton in five weeks) and then should get to rest Tuesday.

Look, I'm a cartoon!

2007-09-05T20:04:00.001-04:00

Such fun . . . I encourage all interested parties to go to the following brilliant Web site: Simpsonize Me. Just upload a picture of yourself and have at it!

Not much to report. Got back from Nashville on Monday - a weekend of doing nothing much in particular. Went to a restaurant called the Puffy Muffin where I embarassed Charlotte by eating honey. (I was hungry and they were slow.) Tennessee, and I think most of the South, is mid-drought, and things were so dry and dead there! I got back to Virginia and thought, "Everything is so very green!" It's nice.

Post of shame

2007-07-02T17:12:00.000-04:00

Not much to report here, other than the weather is weirdly beautiful . . . just checked and the temp is 79, the humidity at a crisp 36%. On July 2nd, people! Move to Virginia!

In other news, there was a bear sighting at the Sam's on West Broad, i.e., a mile away from my house. Our neighborhood association people very kindly posted "what to do if you see a bear" hints on the mailboxes. "Say your prayers" was not among them, strangely. Also, I've started again with the yoga. I have class tonight, in fact. I've been pretty slack with the exercise this last week, but sometimes a girl needs a break, you know? Back on the wagon this week.

Saw Ocean's Thirteen with Kristin last week. Pretty, pretty man candy.

The attached photo of Marzie was taken in my old apartment, and the lack of furniture seems to have made her strangely cooperative and photogenic. The other is of me with Paul at the White House, and I swiped it directly from Kerry's blog. It's in the Rose Garden, and we saw the First Dogs while this picture was being snapped. Many thanks to Robert Stillwell for taking us on the tour and for getting some good photos. (Though I think he was wrong to insist the security badge be flipped around to my back . . . now it just looks like a weird necklace.)

Settling In

2007-06-17T16:54:00.001-04:00

A few pictures of the upstairs I snapped yesterday morning . . . I've straightened and thrown away more things since then. (Where does it all come from? I threw away a garbage-bag worth of things every week for the last month and a big old leaf bag of trash today. That's just me, y'all. Elves must come in every night and leave things is all I can come up with.)

But things are really looking much better, the kitchen is in working order, and I can walk around without giving myself bruises. I trolled Short Pump yesterday looking for decorating ideas . . . bought some super-comfy shoes and remembered why I don't go out there on Saturdays if I can help it. Such crowds!

More Moving

2007-06-10T19:14:00.000-04:00

I just cannot believe how tired I am! Surely moving was not this hard last time around? I carried most of my things (i.e., books) over yesterday while Kristin and her sweet parents painted my room and bathroom. (Isn't that nice? I'm including a very out-of-focus pic of the pre-paint room to show why this was necessary. I don't do salmon pink, and the Webbs totally understood.) My bedroom is now "Eastern Sunrise" which is appropriate because it faces the east, and the bathroom is "Garden Pond."

Today after church I carried over what clothes I wouldn't need for tomorrow as well as some kitchen things. Pictures document our progress. Movers arrive tomorrow to get heavy/awkward things.

New Place!

2007-06-08T21:21:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the new place before painting and before moving in. Kristin's sweet parents came down from Harrisonburg this weekend, and this plan is this:

Friday - clean
Saturday - paint
Sunday - move what we can carry
Monday - movers move heavy things and furniture
Tuesday - wrap up

What could possibly go wrong?

Back!

2007-05-15T20:53:00.000-04:00

Kerry shamed me into posting again. What can I say? With the semester ending and all, blogging wasn't tops in terms of priorities. It's been a busy and exhausting spring.

Sadly I have forgotten where I left off my Charleston adventure and don't really want to sort through all that, so I'll postpone the update until another day. However, the photo to your left is the pretty vase I got at the Marion Square farmer's market on Saturday. The artist is Heather Martinez of Designs in Clay. According to her card, the technique is called caneworking:

The multicolored patterns are formed by caning translucent and colored polymer clays, resulting in vibrant designs that can be accentuated by candlelight or natural sunlight.

So there.

kerry's using Kelly's blog

2007-05-10T22:40:00.000-04:00

Kelly apparently didn't sign herself out of blogger, so I am posting something on her blog to wig her out. She's in my den right now watching Blues Brothers with Kenny and Paul. Suzanna is having a blast with her. We are looking forward to watching Kenny graduate in his black dress on Saturday. Way to go Kenny!

This picture was taken at Pratt Park the other day. Cute ducks!

Tee hee

2007-04-13T21:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, more on Charleston at a later date . . . I came across the following online this week and thought it was excellent advice.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks
than Americans or the Brittish.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than
Americans or the Brittish.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart
attacks than Americans or the Brittish.

4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer
heart attacks than Americans or the Brittish.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans or the Brittish.

CONCLUSION:

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Jellybeans

2007-04-10T11:13:00.000-04:00

What makes them so darn good? I made the mistake of buying some last night and have eaten, oh, about a quarter of the bag. So far.

Well, the trip to South Carolina was lovely and all-too short. I have only a few minutes (have been at various doctors this morning but have to be at work in the p.m.) so will begin with Thursday and see how far I get.

After considering the rather pathetic state of my '88 Accord, I decided to rent a car for the trip. Since the Enterprise (which I had never seen before) was about a mile from my apartment, I decided to walk over there. Armed with the address, I started out on Broad. I walked and walked and didn't see it, and finally noticed that the block numbers were a bit too low. (In the suburbs, only about one in five businesses have street numbers on them, so this took longer than it should have.) I call the car rental place and get an answering machine. Finally, in despair, I walk to the hoity-toity Volkswagon dealership to ask for help. Turns out the car rental place is behind the dealership, a good five hundred yards behind in fact, and completely invisible from the road. Hmmph.

Anyway, I am eventually given a lovely Chevy Cobalt to drive. It was excellent. The drive down was lovely too - a beautiful spring day, sunny and clear (though a little cool for my taste). The trees with their new leaves were a luminous spring green, lacy clouds of dogwood dotted the woods, and as I went further south, lushly dripping purple wisteria began to appear.

Also of note are the turbo-charged hand dryers I noticed in a few North Carolina gas stations. You know how most hand dryers send an indifferent stream of tepid air out until you give up in despair and wipe your hands on your pants? Not these. It was like holding your hands in a wind tunnel - water was gone within fifteen seconds, but I kept my hands in longer in fascination. The air came out so forcefully that it blew the skin around on your hands and you could see tendons and muscles you don't usually get to see. Like a dog with its head out the window or something. (Yes, I am easily amused, why do you ask?)

More later . . . off to get some ~~jellybeans~~ carrots.

A more detailed analysis of the race

2007-04-01T15:25:00.000-04:00

So, I was finally able to check the race site again and discovered that there were 20,588 finishers in yesterday's race; of these, I finished 9,305 - about halfway back. 12,021 of these finishers were women (that's many more women than men! obviously races are not the place to pick up boys . . . ), and of those I finished in place 3,737, just a third of the way back. I similarly finished #588 in my division (women aged 30-34), which had 1,573 participants in all.

The race has a costume contest every year, and some of the entrants were just excellent. See the link here. I also ran past Charlie Brown and some of the Superfriends. Superman, Wonderwoman, Batman, Robin, and who else? Is there a Supergirl? (I smoked the Superfriends. Gratifying.)

1:03:47

2007-03-31T17:04:00.000-04:00

My finish time . . . not bad considering my pathetic training regime this year. Also I started in a later wave than I was assigned to (so I could wait around with my friends) and the first mile or so involved lots of dodging people / apologizing for not successfully dodging. But the weather was just gorgeous, cool at the start, crisp, and warm enough when we finished that I didn't regret my tank top and shorts.

Hmm, the site is busy right now (I wonder why?) so I can't provide a detailed analysis of my finish amongst the whole pack, women, and women my age. Maybe later. Also I hope to have some pictures later this week to post. In the meantime, I just ran 6.2 miles! I can eat whatever I want! Off to find some carbs . . .

What I Did This Week

2007-03-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

The weather has finally warmed up, thank Heaven, more or less for good. All the sure signs of spring are in the air . . . bradford pears, dogwoods, daffodils, asparagus for $2 a pound, and reasonably priced strawberries. Yay! I had an asparagus and onion fritatta for supper tonight, my first of the season. I really do think fall is the prettiest season in Virginia (the colors work really well with all the brick) but there is an awful lot to be said for spring. For one thing, the food is much better.

I went for a training run tonight, as the 10K is next Saturday. It must be all the iron the doc has me on, but running isn't nearly the struggle it used to be. Having red blood cells transport oxygen as they're supposed to must be helping. I'm hoping to work in a weight session tomorrow morning to get used to doing things early. I've always found my energy levels are way higher in the afternoon, but most race organizers seem to be sadistic early-bird types. I've been preparing to be out of town/out of town/sick a lot this last month, so I won't be setting any records, but I think I'll be able to run the whole way.

Easter is in two weeks, y'all! I don't have an Easter dress or anything. What's more worrisome is that I haven't gotten to a Lenten Lunch at St. Paul's at all this year. I'm hoping to remedy that situation next week, preferably on cheese souffle day.

Ummm . . .

2007-03-15T19:32:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while, certainly! I've been out of touch for a bit, owing to a trip to Alabama, the week preparing to go to Alabama, and the week recovering from having been in Alabama. I picked up some kind of icky cold or something (for which I am blaming Suzanna) and am just starting to really feel better. A bit sniffy and headachy, but otherwise much improved.

Not much to say, weather's been lovely the last few days, and it was a good thing because there was a wreck right in front of my building and I stood on the corner waiting for the bus for, like fifteen minutes. The bus was right across the street and it just couldn't get across all the congested traffic. Other signs of spring: cute little birds eating discarded sandwiches at City Hall, daffodils, and I believe I saw a dogwood starting to bloom this morning! This is excellent news, especially for my heating bill! (Last month, fed up with being cold and sick, I decided to be warm and sick. The power bill, predictably, went up by a good fifty percent.)

School is fine - same old thing. The motivated students are doing extremely well, and the less motivated have quit showing up. Oh, and my next trip will be an Easter weekend in Charleston to see the girls and celebrate CSD's 30th.

Finally . . .

2007-02-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

The weather's started to warm up, the days are getting longer, and I'm beginning to feel like the long cold winter is over. I'll be in Alabama next week visiting the baby (oh yeah, and Kerry too), so there is much to do, ie., getting laundry done, cat box changed, cleaned and organized.

Also school has been unusually irksome what with having to plan ahead for next week's lesson so the lovely Cindy can sub for me. Additionally they are in the middle of re-accreditation, so I've been having to compile mountains of inane paperwork for the auditors to ignore. Also midterms were due this week. Kids, in order to pass you have to occasionally, you know, do work.

But! Things are being crossed off my list in good time, and I've even had time to work a little more on the sweater I started for Mckenzie. Sadly I don't think it'll be finished by the time I leave Virginia, but maybe I can finish it up in Alabama?

Etc.

2007-02-18T20:24:00.000-05:00

Lots of randomness:

I have a new niece! Molly Mckenzie, born 13 February. Lots of black hair.
I finished a cute little hat for Mckenzie. Purple and hot pink. Also started on a little baby sweater for her.
Valentine's Day! Got flowers . . . will try to figure out Sprint photos and post pics.
It's cold!
Went to Baker's Crust with Kristin and had the best potato chips ever . . . called "tavern chips" and feature bacon and cheese.
Went to Cancan with Liz and friend. Lots of croissants.
Marzie has taken to hanging out on the right side of my desk, which must be the warmest spot in the house.

Very very cold

2007-02-05T19:38:00.000-05:00

We had a fire alarm at work today, which would have been a pain anyway, but it's freezing cold outside, and more to the point, I was on desk so had to decide: Is it worth the risk to dash back to my office to grab a coat? (And I should note I was lucky in that regard; many of my colleagues have offices on another floor and had to go out in the sub-freezing temps coatless.) In the end I decided the risk of hypothermia was greater than the risk of being smoked alive, so I was relatively warm. However, I regretted my decision to wear my un-sensible magic pointy shoes today.

In further cold-related news, I had to wait for twenty minutes at the bus stop tonight. Fortunately I had my warmer shoes on as well as hat, scarf, gloves, etc. The heat has been running continuously since I got home, and the cat has very sensibly buried herself under my covers. Also, I just checked the weather forecast and they are predicting a low of 11 tonight. E-LEV-en. (For those of you keeping score at home it's 23 right now with a wind chill that makes it feel like 13. Lovely.)

My favorite show . . . season begins tomorrow night!

2007-01-13T18:28:00.000-05:00

Which 24 Character are you?

David Palmer
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School is starting already!

2007-01-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

It really does seem it just ended, but my first night of class this semester is tomorrow! I've spend several hours tonight getting things up-to-date (the syllabus will have to wait until next week, I fear) and playing with my new course blog, which I've linked here. Just an experiment.

Kerry and Kenny, have you switched over to the new Google Blogger (or whatever)? It's so much easier to edit and format . . . no need to learn silly html.

It pains me to say it, but go Gators! What a blowout . . . you make an SEC girl proud. I'm hoping I'll get to recount Christmas stories tomorrow night or Thursday.

All right, New York first . . .

2007-01-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

So, the weekend before Christmas (this would have been the 15th, 16th, and 17th) RP and I took the train from Union Station to Penn for a New York adventure! We got in around 8:30 on Friday night and went immediately to get food at a Korean restaurant. I had bibimbap, a delicious rice concoction. I have a new favorite cuisine - if Richmond had any such places, I would be several pounds heavier and many dollars poorer. We then went to Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree and ice skating, and walked to some of the department stores (Saks and Macy's come immediately to mind) to look at all the ornate display windows. The wonderful but exhausting weekend ended when we took the PATH train to lovely Hoboken where our hosts live.

It was a lovely time in many ways, not least of which is no one had anything really pressing to accomplish, so we didn't feel a bit bad about our late start the next morning. We walked along the Hoboken waterfront, which has lovely views of Manhattan, then took the train back to the city. We walked around the NYU/Washington Square area (apologies if I'm getting the geography wrong - I don't have my tour book handy) and had lunch at a restaurant devoted entirely to peanut butter! The Peanut Butter & Co Sandwich Shop, which is in Greenwich Village, had a truly fun menu (pictured here) of sandwiches and other treats featuring PB, and they have a line of gourmet peanut butters I've seen in Ukrop's. The Cinnamon Raisin Swirl is my favorite.

We walked some more (we did a lot of that!) along the lower west side (?) and had cupcakes at the Magnolia Bakery. I found them good, but a bit on the dry side. Thus fortified, we went to lower Manhattan, Ground Zero, Wall Street (also pictured here, decked out for the holidays), the financial district where our hosts work, then took the Staten Island Ferry, a free boat ride that provides wonderful views of New York Harbor as well as a good thirty minutes of sitting-down time.

Then it was off to Chinatown, Little Italy, and supper at an Australian restaurant, where I had a sausage roll (good), a meat pie (ditto), Brussels Sprouts (also good) and salad. (I should say that after all that walking I was starving, so cardboard would have been tasty, but the food at this place really was good.) Somewhere in there we happened upon a "new designers exhibition" in a school gym where young designers were selling clothes, jewelry, and accessories. I was very pleased to note that some of the knitwear was similar to the hat I'd knitted myself and had on.

The next morning we slept in (again), feasted on blueberry pancakes, and took the train back to DC. We had mostly daylight so we got to see some lovely East Coast cities in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. After a two hour car ride from Union Station (actually slightly more owing to a wrong turn I took that put me in a very dodgy part of Pennsylvania Avenue) I was back in Richmond in plenty of time to get ready for the next weekend's trip to Alabama.

Teaser

2006-12-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

No time to write up a summary of the New York trip tonight (maybe later!) but I did want to post this lovely picture of us at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. It's ironic that angel wings appear to be growing out of our backs; shortly after this picture was taken, one of New York's finest asked us to get off the bench we were standing on.

Test

2006-12-22T09:59:00.000-05:00

Experimenting to see if posting a Google doc to the Web and then linking it to an entry will work for class purposes next semester.

Five Points Rubric

Merry and Bright

2006-12-20T19:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm beginning to see the end of things. As indicated in my last post, I've been phenomenally busy with end-of-the semester school ickiness as well as trips, holiday activities, and the normal everyday things that begin to seem abnormally difficult when your schedule is suddenly packed to the gills. I managed to cross everything off my list last night and am on track to do the same tonight. Yessss!

I had a lovely trip to New York last weekend which I hope to detail tomorrow night, complete with witty observations and links to places visited. However, I did want to post the two photos you see here from my October trip to Tennessee. (See post titled "Nothing, uh, stinks like a Big Orange" for further details.) One is of me and RP at Cade's Cove; the other is of the two of us at the game. You can tell the game hasn't started yet here because we can still move.

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

So so busy right now and looking forward to Christmas simply because it means all the busy-ness will finally be over. In the next nine days, I will have to finish all my grading for the semester, get grades calculated, post grades to new computer site, and submit physical grade sheet and supporting documents. Also submit "teaching portfolio" with copies of all manner of miscellany: syllabus, schedule, tests, major assignments, samples of A, B, and C level work. Also they decided they want an updated resume, so I have to update my resume (after finding it) and submit that. Oh, and you know, the full-time job demands attention. And a blasted Holiday Breakfast on the 21st for whch I am preparing sausage and potato casserole.

And I'm going to be out of town this weekend. And as I will be leaving for Alabama on the 22nd, I will also have to throw together a suitcase for that as well.

Or, better idea, I'll just go and lie in a dark room until it's over, ok?

2006-12-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

Well, the semester is winding down and I'm taking a break from grading papers. The weather finally warmed up a bit this weekend and I took advantage of it, going up to NOVA where I wish I could say I did some kind of outdoorsy thing. Nope. But we did have a lovely brunch and watched "The Big Lebowski," which I'm sure must count for something.

Also fully appreciated the effectiveness of the HOV lanes, which were (unusually for a Sunday) open going into the city rather than away from it. It was far and away the least congested drive I've ever made up there.

And quick congratulations to my old high school, the Prattville Lions, who won the Alabama State Championship (6A), 35-21 over Hoover.

2006-12-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

Quick update . . . Has it really been two and a half weeks? Such a busy time including a Thanksgiving trip to Orange Beach with the family (see Kerry's blog for pictures) and a cold that's lasted well over a week now. That's odd for me. I've been through two boxes of tissues, nearly a whole box of Tylenol Cold, and have been taking all sorts of Vitamin C-Zinc supplements that are drying my skin out.

The beach was excellent, a nice time to see extended family, eat, and take nice long walks along the Gulf. As always, Suzanna was particular fun. Her vocabulary has really gone into overdrive since the last time I saw her, so I got to hear such gems as "my peoples sippin." (By which she means her parents are sleeping.)

Had today off work on account of having worked Saturday, so I did some power shopping; between Amazon and Stony Point, I was able to cross most of the people off my list.

Not much to say, very little time

2006-11-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy week (surprise) but I did want to give a quick update on my activities. Students turned in their papers and I've been faithfully grading several each night. Sadly there is no way they will all be done by Thursday . . . I may have to take two weeks for this one.

Spent last weekend in Alexandria and got to see RP's band play. (The band used to have a Web site, but I can no longer find it, so no link. Sorry.) I went to have my eyes checked this morning at a real eye doctor and then got annoyed with the little twit at Walmart who refused to give ne new contacts because they didn't do the exam. Don't worry, ma'am, I won't be bothering you or your business ever again.

Hoping to get down to Chesapeake this weekend to see Meme and also to pick up my camera.

I believe I promised Dallas Deets

2006-11-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

Sadly (well, not really in my opinion) it was not a terribly exciting weekend. Charlotte and I both flew into the monumentally confusing but ultimately cleverly designed DFW late Friday afternoon. We fortunately met right up - the baggage claim there is unlike any I've ever experienced - and were picked up by Sheryl, who'd spent the last two hours of her schoolday without electricity. Entertaining highschoolers sans power isn't something I'd relish, but she'd taken it in stride . . . to the point of letting one of the girls braid her hair into cornrows. There's a reason that look hasn't really taken off among persons of pallor.

We had supper at Chuy's and spent the night chatting. The next day Sheryl's husband Steve was off to work on a Habitat house and we went to a mall in some suburb or other (Dallas is huge!) where we ate out collective weight in pizza. We then had a quiet evening at home before heading off to church the next morning.

As it happened, Steve was installed that Sunday as a deacon at New St. Peter's Presbyterian Church, so there were various parents and in-laws there, always fun. We had dee-licious fajitas and a laughter-filled lunch before heading back to the airport (it claims to be the size of Manhattan, and I believe it) for our flights. Lots of good girl time, and I'm looking forward to Charlotte's 30th even more.

What I Did This Weekend

2006-10-30T22:14:00.000-05:00

Ha! No, I didn't go to the Grand Canyon! Instead I visited Dallas with my canyon buddies, Charlotte and Sheryl, pictured here on either side of me last September. More weekend deets later . . . I'm very tired and confused what with all the falling back and time zone changes

Nothing, uh, stinks like a big orange.

2006-10-24T19:23:00.000-04:00

Huh. Well, the weekend in Tennessee was lovely. It's a beautiful state, at least the eastern part is . . . full fall colors all over. The drive there was just stunning (central and western Virginia are really pretty now too) and we stayed at a lovely house in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg region. If you're familiar with the area, it may interest you to know that it was near - no kidding - Boogertown Road. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.

So we took a drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the Cade's Cove area and saw lots of scenery and lots of cars. Apparently it's their busiest time of year. We also saw some real, live bears in the wild! A mother and at least two cubs . . . even though there were plenty of people between me and them, I didn't want to get too close. Also took a stroll through the wonderfully tacky Gatlinburg, which always makes me feel like a paragon of taste and class.

The game was not as bad as possible. The score was pretty close most of the time, and it was a beautiful day. And the river is very nice. On the other hand, the seats were tiny and we were shoehorned in like so many cattle. (Have you ever wondered how they fit so many people in that stadium they're so proud of? Make the seats about twelve inches wide. It ain't pretty, folks.) Obviously the less said about the fans the better. They aren't pretty either.

And to top it all off, two solid hours of the drive back to Virginia were spent just getting through Pigeon Forge along with everyone else in creation. I figured we were entitled to speed through the rest of the state to make up for lost time, but the driver didn't agree with my logic there for some reason.

2006-10-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Ah, the end of a nice, lovely weekend. (I worked on Saturday and therefore Sunday-Monday is my weekend . . . but if you're reading this, you are undoubtedly already aware of this scheduling quirk.) Went to the National Folk Festival here in Richmond with RP; we got to hear some fun bands and eat cool ethnic food. Especially the florentine treat, which was sort of like chocolate-covered almond brittle. What's not to like about that?

I had all sorts of things planned for today but nanaged to accomplish very little. I did, however, go to Walmart and get some yarn for the Suzanna afghan I've been planning for her Big Girl Room. Pretty bright colors . . . pink, purple, yellow, lime green, and aqua. I got started on it today and am pleased to say it's shaping up to be a pretty fast, mindless knit.

KG, PH, and RP

2006-10-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

What an insane couple of weeks it's been! And not likely to improve, either. Exhibit A is the fact that the photo to the left was taken before Labor Day and I am just now getting around to posting it. Sad. (The PH in question is an actor portraying Patrick Henry at the St. John's Church re-enactment. Good fun for anyone who visits Richmond, and free too, though the weekly performances are only in the summer.)

I fortunately had the day off today (long story) because I had to spend time in the car repair shop to get my trunk latch fixed. (Another long story.) They "adjusted striker on deck lid" which set me back $2.50 for the adjustment itself and $40 to figure out what was wrong. Plus an hour and a half of my life that I'll never get back. Bitter? Not me. (Okay, it wasn't so bad, I went to Ukrop's and consoled myself with breakfast pizza while they were working on it, and got some tests graded too.)

Also I went and bought some new running shoes today on account of (1) I've had my current shoes for nearly three years now - the salesman looked at the model and said, "Wow, we haven't sold those in a long time!", and (2) I think the broken-down nature of the current shoes may be contributing to my hip aches. The new ones are nice: Cushiony and supportive. And they're pink!

2006-09-25T22:23:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful night here in Richmond! Sadly I am inside preparing for class . . . tricky people at school switched books on me so I'm doing well to stay ahead of the students. (Great group so far . . . several of them have actually turned in their homework early. Gasp.)

Kristin and I went out for my birfday (observed) to the charming Kuba Kuba and had a predictably delicious dinner. I had Huevos California, like huevos rancheros but with avocado on top. And since it's Kuba Kuba, served over Cuban bread instead of tortillas. Also a side of tostones and tres leches cake for dessert. We walked around a few blocks in the Fan, but I'll be clocking in some serious treadmill time to burn off all the deliciousness! Thanks, Kristin!

To conclude . . .

2006-09-24T21:29:00.000-04:00

Well, last weekend (meaning the 16th and 17th) was considerably less dramatic, but not without its ups and downs. I went to visit my grandmother in Chesapeake and decided on Sunday that I'd go to a church in Virginia Beach that is pastored by an ex-roommate's parents. I'd been there once before, though from a totally different direction, and it was really nice. So I mapquested it, found the service times, and started off last Sunday, full of hope.

Alas, it was not to be. Darn Mapquest completely misdirected me through Portsmouth, though I can fortunately bluff my way through that town tolerably well. However, when it gave me a wrong turn in Virginia Beach I was completely befuddled. I don't know the Beach at all, so I was at the mercy of a merciless mapquest. After I finally found the church (sadly long after they'd started) and turned around to head back to Meme's house, I discovered another interesting thing: The Downtown Tunnel has holes in it! ! !

To be specific, the superstructure, i.e., the part that contains the tunnel you drive through as well as electrical and ventilation systems, etc., appears to be sound. However, it is severely disconcerting to be driving, you know, under the water and look up and see a gaping hole in the ceiling. And not just one hole, but three. I need hardly add I was very very happy to get back to Meme's.

I had a fun birthday yesterday that featured a delicious chocolate cake and quality time with a friend. Mike Shula apparently did not get the memo that Bama can't lose because it's my birthday. Apart from that everything was lovely.

Okay, so . . .

2006-09-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

How does it get to be so long between updates? As promised, last weekend's drama follows . . . and by "last weekend" I mean September 9 - 10, not yesterday, which has its own story.

So, Saturday a week ago I decide to spend the afternoon/evening gallivanting in Northern Virginia. Go watch the game with the UA alums, then play around until time to leave. The game was close (Vandy always is) but we won. Also I discovered that a burger with avocado and bacon is very tasty. Then we went to a park near National Airport where you can watch the planes take off and land. It was a lovely evening and very nice until we were (okay, I was) scared off by disgusting rats hanging around the water's edge. As Suzanna would say, Ew.

So it gets to be ten and I decide it's time to leave. I hop in the car and head down 395 and merge onto 95 towards Richmond. Pretty soon I hear a horrible grating sound coming from my car. I turn off all extraneous noise such as radio and a/c, and while it's definitely my car, it's also definitely not the engine. I pull off at my earliest opportunity and swing into a gas station that is surprisingly isolated for NOVA, take a peek under the car and discover the source of the noise: A metallic something-or-other hanging from the undercarriage.

Obviously I can't drive back to Richmond with who-knows-what dragging on the ground. I call my host who gallantly comes to pick me up and even lets me swing by a CVS so I can sleep makeup-free and with brushed teeth. The next day is taken up with consultations with parental types and trips to auto parts stores (don't even think about trying to find a service station that's open on Sunday - the idea!), culminating in a triumphant return to the gas station where I left the Kellymobile the night before. As it turns out, what I'd feared was an exhaust pipe was just a cover for an exhaust pipe or catalytic converter; a nicety, to be sure, but hardly necessary for proper vehicular function. So we redneckily rip off the offending piece and I'm on my way.

(Now, this was all especially strange because I'd just had my exhaust system replaced this spring. But I had an email in my school account later that week saying that another teacher had come out from class to find his catalytic converter had been stolen; apparently you can sell them for $75. Made me wonder if someone had tried to get mine and was scared off or something. Again, Ew.)

Oh, and if you're reading this Mom, I got the UPS package today, so everything's peachy on that front. And congratulations to my excellent brother Kenny, who passed his comps last Friday.

2006-09-11T22:44:00.000-04:00

"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." (Genesis 50:20)

I take great comfort in providence. (Or is it Providence . . . never can remember . . . )

More later this week about the weekend's adventures. Long day. Tired.

Update!

2006-09-10T21:13:00.000-04:00

What a very busy couple of weeks . . . and no letup in sight. I spent Labor Day weekend in Alabama visiting the family and going to a football game in the fabulously expanded Bryant-Denny Stadium, which clearly takes as its motto, "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." Got to see Bama win, always a nice thing, and also got to see my very funny niece who has taken to calling herself Baby Zanna. She's also developed the charming habit of dancing any time she hears music. What with Muzak in WalMart, radio, and cell phone songs, that's a lot of time to boogie!

(Is it sad that my family's chief entertainment these days is sitting around and watching the baby?)

I thought I'd have a relaxing three-day week, but I discovered as soon as I returned that not only did I have a meeting for school that night, classes in fact start a week earlier than I'd thought! D'oh! I'm teaching Thursdays this semester, which means I unfortunately miss Bible Study, but I will get to take time off for Thanksgiving. The fall calendar is filling up quickly!

More tomorrow night, I hope. I have another stinkin' meeting for school, but there are weekend adventures to share.

This is extremely fine.

2006-08-31T23:01:00.000-04:00

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

More details on the weekend

2006-08-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

I'm going in reverse chronological order, mainly because I don't have the picture of Patrick Henry without which the day's earlier events would be sadly lacking. After going to the re-enactment and the ~~Pow~~ Poe (tee hee) Museum we ended up at Cafe Gutenberg to refuel. Chocolate croissants and iced mochas on the sidewalk. Tres chic.

So there we were, enjoying a hot late summer day at a partly-shaded table, when we heard some barking. Looked around and discovered the source: A cute little dog in a purple van.

Now, it's a hot day, probably 90 degrees, and it's a sunny day. There is a wee bit of a crack in the window, but it's got to be pretty darn hot in the van. Maybe the people just stepped away for a minute. We carry on eating, keeping an eye on the dog. The dog, in turn, keeps an eye on us, looking all mournful and pleading as dogs do.

We finish our food. By this time it's probably been half an hour and no one has come around for the dog. We pay the check and go over to have a look at the dog, who is laying down and panting pretty hard. Poor thing. We go inside the restaurant and explain the situation, then ask the servers if maybe it's a regular customer or something. Of course not. One girl seems mildly concerned, the other blankly says "It's not our jurisdiction."

We can't just leave the dog there. I mean, it's probably fine, but we don't know that, and it would absolutely drive me crazy with worry if we just went away. So I ask for a phone book and call the non-emergency police number. I explain the situation and they say they'll have someone right over. We hang around for a bit and, to my surprise, they do send someone right over.

So there we are, trying to look all nonchalant as Richmond's finest is taking in the situation, when who should walk up but the van's (and dog's) owner?!? He must have been nearby the whole time. He explains (sheepishly?) that the dog was in there with a bowl of water. (Sorry, mister, that just means your dog is braising instead of roasting.) The officer says they get a lot of calls like that in the summer, blah blah blah, while we beat a quick path out of there before the guy figures out who called.

(Though judging from the politics advertised on the van's bumper stickers, the man is unlikely to be packing heat. You'd think he'd be kinder to animals, however.)

2006-08-28T18:28:00.000-04:00

So, this weekend was the first in a while I hadn't had to work on Saturday. Fun! I slept in until 9:00 and laid around all morning watching cartoons and cooking shows, then went to the gym. Kristin and I finally hung some pictures on the walls of our living room, and it looks much cozier. Now, if only I could motivate myself to decorate my bedroom everything would be peachy.

Yesterday we went to see the re-enactment of Patrick Henry's speech to the Second Virginia Convention at St. John's Church. Also went to the Poe Museum, which is in the same part of town, and called the Richmond police because there was a dog locked in a hot car. More details on all of the above later . . .

Two and a half day weekend

2006-08-21T13:24:00.000-04:00

So, on Saturday I was scheduled to work at the Library as I often am. Got there and not only was it hot, but the computers were down, meaning that all networking functions were non-operational. You could type a Word document on the machine you were using and save it to a disk, but that's about it. Turns out there was some kind of power surge overnight that knocked out the computers and made the heat come on. Must have been eighty-five, ninety degrees in there. It was both unpleasant and futile, as without computers we can't really provide a lot of reference assistance.

After lots of hemming and hawing by Management (to whom I say: Why don't you get all dressed up for work in long sleeves and pants and then come sit in a sauna?), we were allowed to close the library at 11, much to the disgust of patrons. I was sorry for them, but very very glad to be out of there. And I had a nearly free day! It's like found time. I went and had my oil changed and two tires replaced on the Honda, an errand I've been putting off for ages. Otherwise I just relaxed and enjoyed the day.

On Sunday I went to painfully early church (8:30 a.m.! It ain't natural, I tell ya!) and trekked up north to spend a delightful afternoon kayaking on the Potomac. I am paying for it today, though, with my sore arms and shoulders . . . no need to go to the Victory Lady this afternoon. Really, you'd think all that weight lifting would make paddling easier, but apparently not.

Incredible. Edible.

2006-08-16T21:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, the first picture is one of salsa-in-the-making. I decided to have huevos rancheros this weekend (used a recipe from my beloved Cook's Illustrated) and started by making the salsa. It's really easy - just some tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic roasted in a slow oven sith oil and spices, then blended together and spiked with lime juice and cilantro. You poach eggs in the salsa and eat with toasty corn tortillas. Sadly I didn't get pics of all stages of the process, but don't the roasted veggies look wonderful? It only makes enough for four eggs, which is two servings in my book. I may experiment with making more salsa and baking the eggs in it.

The next picture is of a couple successful lime squares . . . the rest were devoured by greedy coworkers. I say successful because my first batch was icky icky icky. Which was weird because I've made them before and they were delish. I investigated and discovered that I'd totally spaced at the store and bought fat free condensed milk instead of the regular kind. (In my defense, I was trying to economize by buying the store brand, and the packaging for their fat free product isn't as distinctive as fat free Eagle Brand.) Anyway, this is another easy one - a crust of animal crackers, brown sugar, and butter is pre-baked. Then you mix cream cheese, condensed milk, lime juice and zest, and eggs. Pour in the crust and bake. One of my better finds this summer, another gem from my friends at Cook's Illustrated.

It's not really nice to call it loot, is it?

2006-08-14T21:19:00.000-04:00

But that's what it is! My last package from my no-longer-secret SP, arrived late last week and I finally had a chance to photograph it tonight. Such wonderful goodies, SP, however did you know that I had just been thinking it was time to get some more magnetic chip clips? (For effect, one of them in the photo above is shown in a natural habitat of protecting chips from sogginess. The other one from the pack of four is more virtuously employed keeping a bag of salad closed.) Also enclosed is the new Interweave Knits with Scarf Bonus, which I'd been waiting until the end of the semester to buy. Plus a journal, some snacky goodness, a little paint by numbers kit, a light stick, a hand treatment kit from the Body Shop, a toy for the cat, and the piece de resistance, three skeins of beautiful Italian merino Karabella yarn. Pretty pretty red.

It was a busy but fun weekend . . . I have a lot of those, don't I? I did some cooking, pictures of which will follow. Also finally finished getting grades calculated and posted. It was a rough semester from my point of view, i.e., information taking a long time to make its way to me, general daftness on my part, and students having icky things going on in their personal lives. But this was the sharpest bunch I've had so far and they really persevered. I'm proud of them.

A couple more pictures of Suzanna-Pants

2006-08-09T18:11:00.000-04:00

The first one is another one of her enjoying the bus, and the second shows her bursting someone's bubble! (Seriously, there were these cool things where you stood in the middle and pulled a soap-dipped hoop around you via clever pulleys, thereby creating a bubble for yourself. Nifty.)

Funfunfun!

2006-08-07T20:20:00.000-04:00

I spent the most adorable weekend visiting my grandmother who was hosting my niece, sister, brother, and brother-in-law. Though I have miles to go before I sleep (adorable weekends mean very few papers get graded) I did want to post a few photos of sweet little Suzanna at the Children's Museum of Virginia. A good time was had by all.

(Does anyone else think the picture of Kerry and Paul might just be a pretty common sight?)

2006-08-03T18:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm getting some pushback from people (Mom) miffed at the fact that I haven't updated in a while. (Since Bastille Day, if I recall correctly.) Sorry about that. My reasons are:

1. Busy
2. Busy
3. Busy

Seriously. End of the semester, Bible studies at chez moi, occasional trips to NOVA, etc. etc. Also none of these are picture-generating activities, and it's kind of a drag to look at a blog and not see pics.

So consider yourself updated. (Actually, I will see family this weekend, so hopefully some photos as well as interesting stories will emerge.)

2006-07-14T21:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Bastille Day!

I've been shamed by Kerry's excessive blogging, but she has a cute little toddler to write about. I love how she says ""Virginia" - "A-gin-a." Not much has been going on of interest. (I say of interest because I just now had a chance to use the Burt's Bees facial kit my SP sent me a month ago! My skin feels so nice, SP, thank you!) I'm off to fabulous NOVA this weekend, but have to go to a meeting for school tomorrow morning and would really like to get a quick workout in during the interval . . . maybe whilst the oil is being changed in the Honda?

Remember when weekends were restful?

More goodies from SP!

2006-07-08T13:24:00.000-04:00

I was so pleased yesterday to come home to a present from my Secret Pal! All of it beautiful stuff, too. There were some more Addi needles for sock knitting, some gorgeous red sock yarn (what kind, oh SP? As soon as I find out I'm going to cast on some socks straightaway), notecards, a sweet little knitted bag stuffed with stitch markers and a retractable measuring tape, peppermint candy, and some Body Shop eye treats, which I'll need after knitting on those tiny tiny needles. Also some toys for Marzie, which she Loved.

I am now off to Carytown to pick up some yarn for those fingerless mitten things in the new Knitty (what is the pattern called again? Can't remember). Beautiful and useful. I hope to shame the building management at work into keeping the offices a decent temperature, but if my hearing a hat inside hasn't done it, I doubt this stunt will, either.

Everything is beachy

2006-07-05T19:43:00.000-04:00

Today was uneventful unless you count the light at the grocery store being out owing to the monsoon of a thunderstorm we had between 5:30 and 6:00. Which meant I had to get across Broad Street without a traffic control of any kind. It wasn't pretty, believe me.

To the left is an action shot of my cousin Will surfung, or boogie boarding, or whatever. (If anyone reading this knows the difference, please enlighten me.)

Also included for your enjoyment is a picture of Beth and Will really enjoying their portable game things, as well as a picture of Stephanie looking very much like her mother. (You see a bit of Beth and Cecelia in that one too, as well as Melissa's right hand.)

They're Golden!

2006-07-04T18:02:00.000-04:00

I had excellent fun this weekend at Virginia Beach attending the 50th wedding anniversary of my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Bob. (I also represented the Gilberts and Brothers, who were in Alabama having as much fun as they could manage without my presence.) Aunt Ginny, for those who like to keep track, is my maternal grandmother's sister. Also in attendance were all three of her children and their spouses - no mean feat - as well as all three grandchildren, my grandmother, an uncle, aunt, and cousin as well as Calvin who, I believe, was in the wedding party.

We had a delicious dinner (well, mid-afternoon meal, whatever you like to call it) on the porch that featured grilled chicken and smoked beef. Also green beans, squash casserole, salad, and rolls. Then adjourned to the garage for champagne and cake. Many of us also went to the beach (Sandbridge for those of you familiar with the area) and sat around, walked, etc. It was a beautiful, but hot day. Beth and Will got in some ocean time. More pictures to follow.

Happy Palmetto Day!

2006-06-28T21:14:00.000-04:00

Today we remember the American victory at the Battle of Fort Moultrie in 1776. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned patriots prevailed over British attackers. They were aided, in part, by a fort constructed of palmetto logs which absorbed the enemy fire harmlessly instead of shattering. More can be found here. (Note: This site calls it Carolina Day, the lame PC term for Palmetto Day, which apparently is out of favor owing to its Southern Nationalist associations.)

I could have celebrated with Huguenot torte, or Hoppin John, or some other indigenous food, but I took the lazy option and had some fried Haloumi cheese (deelish) and a salad. Oh, well.

In other news, the two circ knitting has progressed to the point where I can take it on the bus, a big accomplishment in my mind. Also have gotten past midterm grade time in class, so the worst of it is over. Fourth fun this weekend in Virginia Beach - an anniversary party for my aunt and uncle. And a haircut for me this Saturday! Pictures are forthcoming.

2006-06-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

Last night I saw the most wonderful rainbow! It was a full one, too, stretched across the sky from north to south, straddling the West End like the arch in St. Louis. (What's that called?) Pretty.

Not so pretty has been the last week at work, which has been characterized by crazed genealogists from Texas. It's also been busy extracurricularly, and exhaustion is not a state I deal with well. I get extremely sensitive to noise, which is unfortunate as I have the world's most vocal cat. She and I have mostly made up since The Great Escape two weeks ago, but I must say that the magic is gone.

What I Had For Lunch

2006-06-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

This is for Kerry, who thinks I should eat more. At left is a sample lunch. Okay, maybe not the most representative sample, as it's a Tuesday lunch, which includes supper too. But anyway.

It's been an exceedingly busy week, and hot as blazes. The a/c has been running close to non-stop (and I keep it set around 76). So not looking forward to next month's power bill.

Make Way for Ducklings!

2006-06-17T19:03:00.000-04:00

So, I was on my way to work this morning and decided to go via Broad Street so I could run by the Starbucks. I was leaving the complex and was stopped by a (herd? gaggle? clutch? flock?) of four ducks and at least ten little ducklings crossing the road, heading to the pond. It was just the cutest thing I've seen in a long time. And they were little ducklings too, tiny downy balls of fluff. Even better, as I waited for them to cross I noticed one of the adults hanging back, and I soon discovered it was because one of the babies had gotten separated and it waited for it. Too, too sweet. Just made my whole day.

After work I went to look for them and, while I didn't find the same ducks, I did get some pretty cute pictures of the avians that inhabit my neighborhood.

2006-06-14T18:12:00.000-04:00

No pictures tonight, and not much to say either - have midterm grades due tomorrow (well, Friday actually, but since campus closes at 2 on Friday and I have to work at the real job all day . . . you get the picture) and have to grade tests for last night, develop a spreadsheet, and plug in all the numbers. Will be a tiresome evening, I can tell already.

It was weirdly cool and damp today - Alberto remnants, I believe - I was actually a bit chilly waiting for the bus. This too shall pass, however; I see we'll be in the nineties by the end of the week. Continuing to practice sock knitting, and whilst I'm not confident enough to take it on the bus (working on a M-D dishcloth there) I do believe I've figured it out.

The Perp

2006-06-12T16:32:00.000-04:00

Here she is, the big bad kitty cat that dived off the balcony and then scratched her rescuer. There's a metaphor for something in that, I'm sure. Anyway, she's been all nonchalant about it the last two days. This morning she had great fun lounging around with me. It's a good thing she's so cute.

Observe, too, the groovy sheets I scored at Walmart last week. $20 for the whole set. They're that t-shirt material, which I haven't quite made up my mind on, but for $20 I'm not going to complain.

We also have for your enjoyment a picture of my foray into two-circ knitting. I'm not sure why the picture is so darn blurry; obviously still working on that focus thing. The camera seems to be fixated with the lovely yarn (and who can blame it? I think the SP said it was called Opal, which I've never heard of before but is delightful) rather than the knitted tube I'm constructing. Anyhoo, I'm pleased to report that I started to make the transition stitches, i.e., the first two or three on the new needle, as tight as I could, and the whole thing looks much better. You can't see it here, but the laddering problem seems to have gone, and the gauge looks tighter and more even. I did have some issues today with somehow all the stitched getting onto one needle and having to be slipped back to their rightful place. This may have had to do with the fact that I was watching Dr. Phil's show about horrible in-laws.

In actual news today, I was greatly amused to see that Richmond's mayor Doug Wilder debated some people protesting outside of City Hall today. Apparently the protesters are steamed over, among other things, the re-routing of bus stops from in front of the Library. There's video if you care to watch. Funny man. (Oh, and about the re-routing of the bus stops: I haven't seen any official statistics, but anecdotally I can tell you that I haven't heard a single shouting match since they moved half of the bus stops from in front of the building, and the traffic certainly seems less congested.)

Just had an email from Mom telling me Kenny's plane back from Ghana landed. Welcome back, brother!

2006-06-10T21:09:00.000-04:00

Stupid cat. I was out on the balcony tonight talking on the phone and decided to let Marzie enjoy a bit of fresh air too; I don't mind as long as she doesn't eat the plants. So there I am lounging and chatting when she decides to jump from the second floor balcony to the ground.

Now, my building is built into a hill so there are terraces to climb. I get to her the first time and pick her up (she is predictably displeased) and am trying to figure a way down that does not require arms to clamber when she spies a neighboring cat and commences to howl, hiss, and spit to beat anything I've heard from her. Digs her claws through my new shirt, into my chest, draws blood, bites arm in several places.

"What the **** is wrong with you?" I ask as I drop her. Then stalk her through thorny bushes whilst plotting an easier path back to the apartment. Finally catch her and (wisely this time) hold her with all injurious surfaces far away while carrying her back to my abode, at which point she becomes all domesticated again, purring and ingratiating herself. No ma'am. I know the score now.