Blog More; Eat Falafel

Can't wait to have a Sam-Anna reunion! See you so soon. Yesterday I made this recipe for the first time and while it was sad to abandon the Weswings recipe (because I love everyone there) this one stuck together really well and tasted super savory. I think the fresh parsley and cilantro straight from the garden helped to make the dish sing! The best thing about cooking at Woolman is leaving the kitchen to go harvest the fresh ingredients you need.

Anyway, maybe we could make this together next week. It was seriously good.

I learned that a key to getting the falafel to stay together is not cooking the chickpeas after they soak, which was an amazing revelation. I also squeezed each handful of mix to get the extra moisture out and would reccomend generous measurements for all the spices to keep things bold. I definitely plan to make these again! Hopefully for you!

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/recipe-of-the-day-falafel/

**PS that image is not of the actual falafel I made, but I did think we needed an inspiring visual.

A Few Old Photos

Enjoy these looks from our jaunt in SF.

$290 later...

I'm registered for the GRE & English Subject Test. I'm sure this will be the first in a long progression of expensive steps toward heading to grad school. Good thing Ph.D. looks great in your email signature.

Before I answer this question, I need to know what type of car you drive

I just had a parent ask me - in front of the whole class of parents - if I planned to present climate change as a controversy or as a fact. Welcome to curriculum night.

Police Log from the Coos County Paper [Exerpts]

July 9, 11:45 am: A man reported that his landlord's boyfriend got grass on his freshly washed Hummer

July 10, 6:23 pm: A small dog was stuck trying to get out of a window

July 12, 5:48 pm: A woman said a neighbor assaulted her for paying attention to a cat

Possibly a Chem Teacher's Greatest New Resource

There are only 5 posts so far, but they are brilliant.

http://www.slate.com/id/2258112/entry/2258837/

Twice in a lifetime, I can't believe it.

This morning I had a bird flying in my new home at the A-frame in the Pines. He had evidently flown down the chimney of my woodstove and was poking around in there, trying to get out. At first I thought he was a woodchuck because those creatures are particularly bold in these parts, but instead it was a little sparrowish thing.

I thought if it were a woodchuck I'd have a chance to shoo it into a bucket and carry it outside, but with the bird I had to let myself be open to the idea of having the little guy fly around my house trying to get out. I shut the bathroom door, opened the front door and also the big sliding glass door next to the stove.

This bird (a dinosaur descendant with as small a brain) came out and stood at the glass part of the open sliding door and tried to fly through the glass at least 8 times. Luckily he had his eye fixed on the outside so with some help and guidance from me (by way of shooing him toward the open section of the door with a magazine) the little guy finally found his freedom.

I am proud to say that there was no shrieking and no calling for help. That's right, I fight my own bird battles.

Graduations!

I just got back from my final graduation of the season. Forty seven seniors made up the first ever class of CPA. I spent last night at the commencement ceremony for the eighth graders, where I saw perhaps the best exhortation I have ever seen. Imagine, if you will, a soft spoken middle aged woman, a Quaker, screaming these words with all her might (the headmaster used to be a drama teacher):

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot


(From Act 3 Scene 1, Henry V, Shakespeare)

The game is afoot. I like that.

Almost Done!

Yesterday, I finished my first year of teaching! Woo Hoo! (Now I just have to finish my first year of grading finals and writing evaluations. So close!) I was surprisingly sad on Friday, especially to see my seniors go. I wrote them a note, thanking them for being such a gracious and fun class, as a bumbled through my first year of teaching. I then read said note in front of the class, which was received very well. I was worried they would think that was weird, but then realized it was no weirder than any of the other things I had done that year, like make puns while lecturing and then laugh at myself.

Yesterday was also the first 100 degree day of the year, so I can't say I am sorry to be leaving next Monday. The only regret I have is that produce is getting really cheap again. Pineapples for a dollar! Mangoes for 77 cents! Apricots for 97 cents a pound! I have never even had a fresh apricot before, because they are always 3.99 a pound up north. I wonder if it is suspicious to bring 20 pounds of fruit through airport security...

Hey Anna, what do you think of this t-shirt?

Do we need it?
http://weezythanxyou.com/free-weezy-t-shirts/

Also, note the countdown until Weezy comes home. amazing.

I made this for dinner...it was delicious

This recipe is courtesy Gourmet magazine (online archive). I searched with the keyword "vegetarian" and settled on this delight which uses Woolman staples as the ingredients.

I multiplied this by 5, so the cooking times took longer than they say here. But it was a much loved dish! In fact, there was nothing left of it (there was plenty to start.)

I love that this is also a vegan dish with protein from lentils and iron from kale. It can also easily be made with rice pasta to be wheat-free (that's what I did tonight).

OK if you make it, let me know if you enjoy it.

PASTA WITH LENTILS AND KALE

SERVES4

• ACTIVE TIME:45 MIN
• START TO FINISH: 1 1/4 HR

This dish has been one of my family's favorites for years; the secret to its enduring popularity is the caramelized onions. I cook them long and slow until they are meltingly tender and deep golden brown. Their rich sweetness rounds out the earthy flavor of the lentils and kale.

APRIL 2007

• 1/2 cup French (small) green lentils
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 lb kale (preferably Tuscan; sometimes labeled "lacinato")
• 3/4 lb dried short pasta

• ACCOMPANIMENTS:

  toasted bread-crumb topping and/or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Simmer lentils in water (2 cups) with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep lentils barely covered, until tender but not falling apart, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt.
• While lentils simmer, heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring, 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden (stir more frequently toward end of cooking), about 20 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring frequently, until onion is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• While onion cooks, cut out and discard stems and center ribs from kale. Cook kale in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer kale with tongs to a colander to drain, pressing lightly. Keep pot of water at a boil, covered.
• Coarsely chop kale and add to onion along with lentils (including lentil-cooking liquid), then simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add pasta to kale-cooking liquid and boil, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup pasta-cooking liquid, then drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta to lentil mixture along with about 1/3 cup of pasta-cooking liquid (or enough to keep pasta moist) and cook over high heat, tossing, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

COOKS' NOTES: Lentils and onions can be cooked up to 5 days ahead and chilled, uncovered, until completely cooled, then covered. Reheat over low heat, thinning with water as necessary.
Kale can be washed and trimmed 1 day ahead and chilled in a sealed plastic bag lined with dampened paper towels.

Complimentary Pets

While looking through San Francisco hotels on a travel site, I found this magnificent amenity:

"The hotel is not only pet friendly, but provides canine guests with complimentary bottled water, dog bowls, Good Dog towels, chew toys, and gourmet cookies. Guests requiring a little in-room company can enjoy a complimentary goldfish in a bowl for the duration of their stay."

I wonder if they charge you if you steal the goldfish, or worse, it dies...

Working toward the 50: UPDATE

This is what you might call overzealous posting...twice in one afternoon? I know, I know. But, I found myself reading over some of our original posts and I wanted to update my progress on visiting all 50 states. Here is where I last stood with states left to go:

arizona

washinton

oregon

north dakota

south dakota

nevada

idaho

maine

south carolina

hawaii

alaska

alabama

louisiana

mississippi

wisconsin

michigan

minnesota

oklahoma

kansas

AND the new list:

washington

oregon

north dakota

south dakota

idaho

south carolina

hawaii

alaska

alabama

louisiana

mississippi

wisconsin

michigan

oklahoma

kansas

Accomplishments include: Arizona, Minnesota, Maine and Nevada. That leaves only 15.

I have a good friend from Woolman who will be living in Idaho next year, and possibly one living in Seattle. Washington and Oregon are so within reach it really is almost ridiculous that I haven't visited there yet. One good cross-country road trip would cover all of these except Alaska and Hawaii. Also, Nick Singer told me about a type museum in Wisconsin that has 1.5 million pieces of woodtype. A must-see before death.

Getting back to the Blogging bug

New concerted effort to write on this blog. Years from now, how will I know I even existed if the internet cannot confirm it. I need to start taking this stuff seriously.

I had an amazing conversation with Nick Singer this week where I shared a bit of an article with him. Here is the jist: Christianity effectively created or popularized a new technology (the book) because it NEEDED a comparative reading experience (i.e. flipping between the old and new testaments) so that the religion could emphasize its relevance to Scripture. Previously reading had been a linear experience as in the case of moving through a Torah scroll. That article pretty much blew my mind.

I also had a mediocre conversation just now where the Woolman program coordinator, was complaining about how much time it takes to create our monthly newsletter and how ze had fallen behind on it, and how there is no person being the point-person for our online presence. I have to say I did not respond so well to this in my facial expressions. We hired a Media Outreach Intern, who is under the program coordinator's supervison, and ze just won't work with this intern to have hir help on these tasks (which were the tasks he was hired to do...) Now this intern is definitely amazing, doing all sorts of great work, but the program coordinator is not managing him at all, so this pretty essential work that needs to happen on a timeline is being left to others. Why is it so difficult for people to supervise? The head of school asked me if admissions could take over on these tasks, and I said I'd rather have them focusing on prospective students. I manage my people, and I know they are busy, and I know who should be doing this work, and I also know who should not be complaining about this if ze cannot supervise his interns and gets to choose hir own job description. Okay however vague that little rant might be, please forgive.

The greatest thing about this conversation is that it happened exactly 24 hours before I will be in Phoenix with Bananz, laughing and cajoling, and not at all caring about any monthly newsletter or blog posts, except for these ones.

Earthquake!

While planning my lessons this afternoon, I was interrupted by a slight vibration of my computer and the table. Being from the East Coast, I did not think earthquake, until I looked above me and saw the hanging light fixture swinging back and forth. My very first earthquake! Turns out the 7.2 magnitude quake quake originated in Baja California,about 300 miles from Phoenix.

I should be doing something else...

I told Prof. Sean McCann at Wesleyan that I would write a letter of support for Natasha Korda's (rockstar Early Modern English prof) upcoming case for promotion to full professor. I NEED TO FINISH THIS LETTER. But, I am having weird anxiety about getting it done. I am not taking the deadline seriously. This is terrible. Then I feel terrible about the whole thing and put it off for another time. THIS MUST STOP! But for now, I will do something else and finally post some NYE 2010 photos to our blog. I tried doing this on the facebook, but it wasn't behaving.

This was a great new year's eve. We look like we are dancing and having fun--because that's what we were doing. Go us.

Art Anna.

Hello, Indiana Jones.

Dancing! Who knew?

WOW! So much fun

Don't be sad...

Batman & Robin take Ithaca by storm in New Year's Hats

Nice Room.

Next time, I grind the coffee beans with my teeth

This morning I dressed in jeans, my leather bomber jacket (ok, fake leather, but it looks real and is cow friendly) and my old leather boots I bought years ago when I was doing a lot of farming. Could I BE anymore badass? Then I got my little Honda Civic, cranked the JT (Carryout) and paid $2 for a cup of coffee.

Back in Arizona

Believe it or not, I made it all the way back to the west coast with nary a delay. It is a real shock to the system being back in the desert. For one, I forgot how bright the sun is. Secondly, its remarkable how much driving in Phoenix resembles playing a video game. After driving around snowy, hilly, potholey Ithaca in the standard, tooling around flat, flat, flat Phoenix in the Honda is almost surreal. Add in the palm trees and the constant scenery of big box stores, and I really do feel as though I'm traveling through an artificial world.