A Bouncing Birthday

My nephew bouncing at me...

Yesterday was my nephew's 7th birthday, so we trekked down to a "bounce place" for the third year in a row. A good time was had by all, despite the fact that three kids ended up in tears and every single one of them went home in a sweaty sugar-rush. Or, I suppose perhaps that's why they had a good time... I don't know, I don't understand kids. Without photographic evidence to the contrary, I'd have a hard time believing I ever was one.

At any rate, why don't I let the pictures speak for themselves?


My mother's cake creation for this year was the surface of a planet from one of the new Star Wars movies, called Camino, I think. At any rate, it was a big hit with the kids. My nephew brought people one by one as they arrived to see the cake. I love to think about the memories he'll have of the cakes my mother's made for each of his birthdays.


(L) The interior of one of the bounce structures, with kids flying everywhere. (R) My nephew coming down the giant slide.


(L) More bouncing in the enclosed structure - that's my nephew in yellow in mid-air. (R) Oh, there were tears - this poor kid got some body part in the head just before cake-time. He was back in the saddle, bouncing again, not much later.


(L) Party-goers, between bounce-sessions, refuel for more bouncing energy. (R) My nephew opens some of his gifts (about 95% of which were Star Wars-related) with my mother looking on.


One of my nephew's gifts was a Yoda doll that talks when you squeeze its hand. My mother squealed, "Oh, Yoda's my favorite!" when he opened it. She had to hold the box to her ear to hear Yoda's wisdom (bounce places are very loud). My nephew might have to keep an eye on her around that doll, lest she make off with it when he's not paying attention.


Chris (L) and Brother Caleb (R) obviously love the bounce place.

My Reason to Watch the Olympics

I've never been much of a sports fan, so I've also never been much of an Olympics fan. But four years ago I paid attention to the Olympics of my own volition - it wasn't just "on in the background" while I was in the room - because an old family friend was competing.

Joe Pack was a friend of my youngest brother's when we lived in New Hampshire, and he went on to win silver in Salt Lake City. He's in Torino this year, and I'm watching again for that familiar smile. I might not care much about sports, or really understand Joe's particular discipline, but I'll be in the front row cheering him on. The front row of my living room, anyway.


Joe, mid-flight


Joe at the 2002 Salt Lake City games (all photos from the AP)

A Timeline in Pictures

Juan Cole has posted a brilliant timeline of the whole bogus-reports-of-yellowcake-in-Niger to outing-an-undercover-CIA-operative episode - with pictures. With yesterday's revelations that former Chief of Staff to the Vice President Scooter Libby was authorized to leak classified information, it's good to have this reminder of what the root of the matter really is - we were lied into a war. Outing an undercover CIA agent, while obviously dangerous and potentially life-threatening (not to mention highly illegal), is only the cherry on top of this disaster sundae.

Pub Quiz Virgins

Last night we accompanied a friend to a local pub quiz, as some of her regular teammates weren't going to be able to make it. We were both familiar with pub quizzes, but neither of us had ever participated in one. I've had a fantasy for quite awhile now to host a pub-quiz-ish night at the house, but just haven't gotten around to it. After last night, I'm more inclined to make it happen.

The theme last night (fairy tales) was something we knew essentially nothing about, and as we were just stand-ins for other people we didn't really "study" the subject, either. Still, not every question was theme-related, and so we were able to feel quite useful when answering some of them. After round one, we were in second place, and after all rounds we were actually in first. The bonus question went to the top five teams, and after including the bonus points we ended up in second overall. It was a bummer to lose only because of the bonus question, but we did end up splitting some of the money. We walked out thinking that was a great way to start our pub quiz experience - by leaving with more money than we had upon arrival!

I don't know if we'll make it a regular Thursday night excursion, as it's a quite smoky location and my evenings are already pretty booked up, but it was quite a bit of fun. Now, we'll see if I can get my act together to be a "quizmaster" in my own home.

We Have Grout!

The tile guys are speedy... They grouted our deck yesterday, and it's beautiful. The old tile looked vaguely pink (which is a color I've always been opposed to) and the grout looked like white bathroom grout. This tile is gorgeous (she says, since she picked it out), and the grout is a warm sandy color. The whole effect is lovely, and I can't wait to see it in the sunlight when the tents finally come off. Until then, the flash on the camera will have to suffice.


Pretty new tile, pretty new grout.

Bloglines Catching Up

If I was more organized, I'd post these as I saw them. But I'm not. So every so often, I have to do one of these...

• The Food Dude gives us a couple of links to Portland food maps, including a fabulous map of many of the downtown food carts.
• Thanks to the Carpetbagger, I know I'm not the only one who thinks "The Constant Gardener" got forgotten in this year's Oscar nominations.
• Juan Cole of Informed Comment tells us what the signs would be if the Bush administration really, honestly wanted to do something about what the President calls our "addiction to oil."
• A couple of blogs have posted thoughts (see here, here, here and here) on the recent violence stemming from the political caricatures of Mohammed which first appeared in a Danish newspaper. I'm still not sure I know how I feel about it, as the more I read the more complicated it gets. I hate it when that happens.
• James Tata has posted a couple things I liked recently: One was a review of a book I've been dying to read, and this post had a couple of gems, including a snippet from an essay about Jimmy Carter and a piece about what it's like to be a professional critic. I swear I'm not linking to his post in order to link back to my own. Really. Because what sense would that make?
• Ride My Handlebars has a great post - with pictures! - of a whimsical sidewalk find.
• I can't remember if I've called attention to she who eats before. If I haven't, it's a mistake. She's a great food writer in Tokyo who always manages to make me want to cook. (NOt that I do, of course, but I want to.) Be warned, however, the photos might just make you drool on your keyboard.
• Once again, I've got several William Bragg posts saved for you... This one about bells is simply a lovely sentiment, and this one about what men and women do online is interesting (if not surprising).

Deckwork

The look of our deck has been changing daily this week, so I haven't even had time to download the pictures to the computer until last night, let alone post them. Here's this week's progress, in one fell swoop...


Monday - The construction crew came in to remove the door leading onto the deck so they could build an indentation into the kitchen in which they reinserted the door. Why all this, you ask? The tile guys needed to be able to put water-deflecting stuff (yes, that's a technical term) underneath the door, and we still needed a door to be there. So, this was the solution. It looks very strange when you walk into the kitchen; it looks like the door is ajar. The cats are confused as well.


See? Confused cat...


Tuesday - The tile guys put down this first layer, the thing that goes under the tile. I think I've heard someone say it's called "Wonder Board," which just sounds like a superhero's building material to me. Whatever, as long as it lasts longer than the original construction.


Wednesday - Tile! Beautiful tile! It looks great. I think it has to set for a day, and then they'll come back and grout it. I'm really looking forward to the finished product - not to mention to being un-tented.

Mutiny in the Classroom

So, that might be a bit of an exaggeration... But for a moment, that's exactly what it felt like. And I thought Monday was bad!

I won't go over the whole night again, mostly because I'd prefer to not relive it, but I will say that I am incredibly proud of how I handled it. I didn't melt down, cry, protest, get angry, or any number of other things I felt. There was one student who clearly needed to vent, and so I let her. I then told the class that, for better or worse, I was also still learning as a teacher - and that I probably wouldn't do things the same way the next time. I'll certainly be taking a much closer look at the homework I assign from now on.

The issue tonight was different than Monday - in the Wednesday class, the issue is that the majority of the class is just learning a bit of Italian in order to travel to Italy. To them, conjugating verbs seems like an unnecessary annoyance. I completely understand that. And yet I can't help but feel like if all they want is a few travel phrases that they'd be better served by a phrasebook and a good pronunciation guide. But maybe that's just me.

I actually think the community would be well-served by a class for "Travel Italian," but I'm not interested in teaching it. Maybe someone will do it eventually. Until then, I'll keep trying to learn from my mistakes (plentiful as they are), and keep plugging along.

New Orleans Money Matters

The American Progress Report had another segment on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina today:

KATRINA
Money Talks

On Sept. 15, 2005, President Bush stood in New Orleans's Jackson Square and promised, "Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives." Bush also said, "Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency. When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I, as President, am responsible for the problem, and for the solution. ... This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina." A few months later, "only 161 words out of 5,361 in [Bush's State of the Union address] were devoted to the sinking of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina." "Moreover, the budget that Bush submitted to Congress on Monday reflects an administration with a questionable committment to reconstructing the region and destined to repeat its mistakes."

NO AID FOR KATRINA VICTIMS: The President's budget "offered no new aid for Hurricane Katrina victims." The administration indicated not to expect anything above what was previously announced "for at least a year." Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) questioned the administration's committment to relief: "This is going to be a marathon, and not a sprint. And any suggestion that that's it for a couple of years would be disastrous to the recovery."

ARMY CORP CONSTRUCTION BUDGET SLASHED: The economic revitalization of New Orleans depends on the construction of strong levees upon which businesses and residents can rely. Yet the President's budget calls for "a 34 percent cut on the construction budget for the Army Corps of Engineers, which designs and builds storm protection projects." The budget would completely cut off funding "for dozens of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects in Louisiana." Overall, flood prevention is cut by $75 million (13 percent). Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) said the funding cuts reflect "an administration that has still not learned from its dysfunctional response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the levee breaks that followed."

CRITICAL FUNDING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS CUT: The suffering created by last year's hurricane season underscored the need for a robust system of first responders to care for those caught in harm's way. Yet the President's budget cuts critical programs that support them. For example, the budget cuts an important program that provides federal assitance to firefighters by $244 million (45 percent). Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), who protested the cuts, calls the federal program "a modest, proven investment that gets critical equipment directly into the hands of those on the front lines of our efforts to maintain the safety of our local communities."

LESS SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS, HOUSING: The budget calls for substantial reductions in programs that could provide essential support for the victims of Katrina who need help rebuilding their lives. For example, Bush's budget "would cut 26% from a [housing] program aimed at the low-income elderly and known as Section 202, and half the funding for a [housing] program known as Section 811, which is for low-income people with disabilities." Many families are reluctant to return to the region because schools haven't reopened. Yet the President's budget would keep regular "Title 1 money for disadvantaged schools, the major financing device for Louisiana schools, flat at $12.7 billion."

EXISTING EFFORTS LEAVE NATION UNPREPARED: It's not as if existing efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast and prepare for future disasters are going well. Last week, the non-partisan Government Accountability Office found "the government still lacks sufficient plans and training programs to prepare for catastrophic disasters like the Aug. 29 storm that devastated much of the Gulf Coast area." The Department of Homeland Security attacked the messanger, saying the GAO displayed "a significant misunderstanding of core aspects of the Katrina response."

You've Been Gilmored

Happy is the girl (me) who got a Gilmore Girls two-fer in today.

Happier still would she be if her life were penned by the same script-writers. Why is real life so inarticulate?

Good Night, And Good Luck

Saturday night we went to see "Good Night, And Good Luck," the Oscar-nominated film about Edward R. Murrow's on-air challenges of Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the early 1950s. We both enjoyed it quite a bit - there were a couple of Murrow monologues (which I can only imagine were taken verbatim from CBS transcripts) during which I nearly teared up - though I can't help but wonder if part of the movie's success has to do more with the timely nature of its message than the movie itself.

It's a very well-done movie, don't get me wrong - it's just that it's only a snapshot. The film runs barely an hour and a half (which seems incredibly short, especially by today's standards), and has essentially no character development. Even Murrow (brilliantly understated by David Strathairn) is more of an archetype than a real person with real depth. (Although I'm no Murrow expert, maybe he was an archetype?)

The film seems to rely upon the audience's general understanding of the McCarthy era to fill in the gaps in the story, and in that sense feels more like one chapter taken out of a biopic about Murrow than it does a stand-alone piece. For me, the McCarthy hearings are almost a mythical period in this country's history, so I'd be curious what someone who either lived through them or at least knows more about them thinks of the film. McCarthy is practically an actor in the film, as footage of him is woven in, and as the entire movie is done in black and white it is seamless. Director, co-writer and co-star George Clooney has clearly proved himself to be so much more than the hunky guy who played a doctor on TV.

Having said all of this, it's an important film - especially now - and I'm glad to see it getting all this recognition. We couldn't help but think (aloud) as we left the theatre, "Where is today's Murrow? We sure could use one right about now..."

As an aside, my favorite bit of script came very early on, when a CBS executive is telling Murrow that if he goes after McCarthy, the sponsors of his show will likely pull out. Murrow says he'll split the cost of the ad buy with his producer, Fred Friendly (Clooney), who isn't there to protest.

Murrow: "He just won't be able to buy Christmas presents for his kids this year."
CBS Exec: "He's Jewish."
Murrow: "Well, don't tell him that. He loves Christmas."

Minor Setback

Tonight's Italian class was, shall we say, less than wonderful. Last week they learned the three major verb conjugations, which I'll admit is a hefty load for one night. (In my defense, the book teaches them simultaneously - and they're similar enough that learning two and three isn't so terribly hard after learning one.) So, as we were going over the homework from last week, there were more than the usual number of people frustrated by the exercises. We got through them, and got through tonight's activities, but I felt badly for the students.

I know that there will always be some students who, in a non-credit class, don't do their homework or don't pay attention or don't study. I know that I can't teach to the slowest or the fastest student, that I have to aim somewhere in the middle. I know that, as a new teacher, I have to focus mainly on improving my own skills so that each class gets better. But as a perfectionist, I can't help but feel badly that my current students are, in a very real sense, guinea pigs as I learn. My goal from now on is going to be to minimize anything that might drive them to the point of frustration sooner than they might otherwise get there. (Because they're learning a new language, for pete's sake, they're going to be frustrated at some point.)

We'll see how this same week's review and lesson goes for my Wednesday class. I hope I feel less like I did a disservice to my students after that.

Sushi: Playing With Food

On Saturday we went to a friend's house for a demonstration in sushi making. Chris and I have made sushi at home before, and we've always had fun doing it - but it's something else entirely when there's sake involved. Also, it's a hard thing to do at home for just two or three, because you want variety - which means making at least a half-dozen different rolls, which is way too much for just two or three people. On Saturday, there was enough variety to keep everyone happy, enough eaters to leave virtually no leftovers, and enough food to ensure that no one went home with an empty stomach.


(L) Joni, Derek & Chris at their stations trying to decide what to put in their sushi rolls - the choices were many, so narrowing it down was the first challenge. (R) Brad (center) had trouble narrowing it down, so made a giant roll. The sushi teacher, Amy (left) and Brad's wife Angela (right) look on - everyone wondering whose mouth was big enough to eat that roll in one bite.

As a side note, it had never occurred to me that making sushi at home was something to be wary of until a friend suggested it late last week. I imagine there would be cause for concern if you were trying to buy fish at your local grocery chain and then trying to make sushi with it - but no one should do that. If you're making sushi at home, you have to buy sushi-grade fish - and there's no shortage of Asian markets in the Portland metro area, so there's no excuse for not being able to find it.


(L) Gil, Brad and Angela (who was very happy about something, clearly!) making their sushi, while the sushi assistant (whose name I didn't catch) looked on and provided pointers. (R) Chris finishing his first roll, which - in retrospect - I think was my favorite of the afternoon.


Chris cutting his sushi roll in the foreground, while in the background Tamarin made hers.

Teabag Tag

Almost as if in honor of this week's State of the Union speech, I get this teabag tag today:

No man can get rich in politics, unless he's a crook.
Harry S. Truman

The Week in Pictures

Chris went to a Blazer game this week... Without me. I had to teach, so he took our friend Glen. And they had amazing seats, courtesy of one of Chris' co-workers. The first picture below was taken without even zooming the camera...


Blazers v. Spurs

Our deck is currently under a little tent, and I'm told they'll begin tiling early next week. I'm excited to get to that point - the tile we chose is so pretty, it will be lovely in the sun. (If that orb-thing ever comes out again, that is.)


If only it were sunny, we could use it as a greenhouse...

I had lunch today with my friend Megan - we're both so busy we've set up a monthly lunch, and we always go to an old favorite restaurant from when we both worked nearby: Bai Tong on Macadam. It's quick and it's good - nothing earth-shattering, but I do love the Panang Curry. It's hot enough to make me tear up (I'm a spice wimp - I blame my Jewishness), but so sweet I can't stop eating. Today we also got thai iced teas, which are almost too pretty to drink. I said almost.


Lunchtime treat

New Orleans - Off the Radar

Today's American Progress Report has a lengthy bit about New Orleans, which reminded me of something I wrote to a friend late last year:

"I really am feeling a sense of mourning for the city, which is strange, seeing as how I was only there once for four days... I think it's the kind of place that either grabs you by the neck or it doesn't - you either love it immediately or don't like it much at all. I don't think there's a middle ground with New Orleans. Anyway, in my experience it not only grabbed me by the neck, it left scratches."

I desperately want to go back.

Here's the American Progress Report stuff from today:

Hurricane Katrina killed 1,307 people and caused more than $150 billion in damages to the Gulf Coast region. The storm was "one of the largest natural disasters in our nation's history and because of its size and strength, will have long standing effects for years to come." Yet President Bush devoted scant time to the issue in his State of the Union address, never uttering the word "Katrina." (He did find time to mention "human-animal hybrids.") "Did I miss something?" one Louisiana resident asked during the speech. Another wondered, "Didn't [Katrina] deserve more than 30 seconds of air time from our nation's president?" They weren't the only ones upset by the lack of attention. Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) said, "I was very disappointed at how small a part those national challenges - and I think they are national challenges - were given in the speech." The administration has yet to learn the lessons of Katrina; the federal government remains ill-prepared to protect its own citizens against disasters. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

GAO REPORT BLAMES LACK OF LEADERSHIP: The Government Accountability Office released a report yesterday saying "administration officials did not establish a clear chain of command for the domestic emergency" and failed to quickly "designate the storm as a catastrophic event." While news reports interpreted the report as placing "principal blame" on Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, GAO Comptroller General David M. Walker said the decision to designate a point-person is "up to the president of the United States." "The director...of the National Hurricane Center said this was the big one," Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) said, but at the time, "Bush is in Texas, Card is in Maine, the vice president is fly-fishing. I mean, who's in charge here?" The White House was dismissive of the report, labeling it "premature and unprofessional."

WHITE HOUSE STILL UNPREPARED: Unfortunately, no one knows when the next disaster will strike. The GAO found "the nation does not yet have the types of detailed plans needed" to deal with future catastrophic events. "Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the benefits of applying lessons learned from training exercises and experiences with actual hurricanes as well as the dangers of ignoring them." "We are left with a picture of a White House that was plagued by the fog of war," one House committee investigator said this weekend. "The committee is likely to find a disturbing inability by the White House to de-conflict and analyze information -- and that had consequences." To cut through the fog, the White House needs to know exactly where things went wrong. But their continued stonewalling of Congressional investigations may keep the problems unresolved.

RECONSTRUCTION BOGGED DOWN: "With no clear recovery plan in sight five months after Hurricane Katrina, many victims are simply hanging on, waiting anxiously for signs that their neighborhoods are either reviving or turning into permanent ghost towns," Reuters reports. According to the GAO, "Housing beyond short-term shelters also became -- and remains -- a major problem." FEMA Director David Paulison "took a stern tone" with Katrina victims, telling them they would soon need to leave hotels for trailers or other temporary housing. Only 3,129 of the 20,904 trailers requested are currently being used in New Orleans. "Trailers are not the only answer," Paulison rightly pointed out. "We need an alternative." Yet a permanent solution to the rebuilding problem remains elusive. The White House has rejected Rep. Richard Baker's (R-LA) bill -- embraced by the entire Louisiana delegation -- to use "federal financing to pay owners of flood-damaged property at least 60 percent of the equity in their homes and also would have paid off their mortgages." During last week's press conference, Bush seemed oblivious that the Baker plan existed, claiming "the plan for Louisiana hasn't come forward yet."

Why I Love the Internet

Where else would I be able to view such things as David Hasselhoff's video for "Hooked on a Feeling?" I mean, come on now - this is good stuff. (Thanks to the GFY crew for that link.)

The best news is that there are also some genuinely good things out there, too. For instance:

Juan Cole's got another top ten list - this time it's the Top Ten things Bush Won't Tell you About the State of the Nation.

otturatore posted such a beautiful picture of a flower on Monday that it actually brought me out of my usual Monday funk.

Ride My Handlebars posts a fabulous (if a bit graphic) quote about the state of immigration policy in the United States.

But really, the Hasselhoff thing just slays me. Is it wrong that I love it so? Oh, if it is, please don't tell me.

10,000th Visitor

I can scarcely believe it myself, but this here blog just had its 10,000th visitor - someone from Klamath Falls who stopped by at 2:33:23 (coming from ORBlogs). I wish I had some kind of prize to award...

Seriously, I never expected to enjoy the whole blogging thing enough to want to keep going after the first few weeks, so it certainly never occurred to me that there would be 10,000 hits here eventually. Crazy. And we're not even at the one-year anniversary yet.

How the Mozzarella Met its End

Remember the mozzarella we made in Italian class last Tuesday? It met a very timely death Sunday night in one of Chris' famous pizzas. It lived a good (though admittedly short) life, and we enjoyed it immensely...

The Color of the Sky

I love the Oregon coast at all times, but I think I love it most when it's gray and miserable weather, when you can't tell the where the water ends and the sky begins. This past weekend was that and more - Friday night we were awakened in the middle of the night by a whopper of a thunder and lightening storm, followed by a quick blast of hail pattering against the windows like it wanted to come in for refuge from itself. Then, as quickly as it had all come, it was gone - no more wind, no more rain, just the quiet rhythm of the waves. And I was once again reminded how much I love the Oregon coast.


The gang checking out the highest water we'd ever seen at my mom's cottage; normally, there's a beach there - this weekend, it was 3+ feet deep. A seal swam by not 15 feet from the front yard.


We went to Depoe Bay for a bit of the afternoon on Saturday to watch the water shoot over Highway 101 - and drench unsuspecting passersby. Chris and Glen (above) were well outside the water's reach, but Steph and I still didn't want to be anywhere near them... Do you see the size of that wave?!?


More high water in Depoe Bay

My Mother the Filmmaker

My mom's films had their Portland debut last week, and she had a fabulous turnout at the PNCA. I know I'm biased, but the films are part of what I think is an important project. I hope she's able to continue getting funding beyond the two completed films and the two currently being filmed.


Mom presenting the films

Teaching - Week Two Complete

After Monday night's class I had the first student so far ask me if I was going to be teaching level two in the Spring. I told her the truth, that I haven't yet decided, but just the fact that she asked is making me consider it more strongly than I would have otherwise.

The truth is, teaching two nights a week in addition to taking a class myself one night a week is pretty tiring. I'm loving the teaching, though, and I do like the idea of having some of my current students for another term so that I can get them into more of the "meat" of the language. I especially love the Monday students, as the vast majority of them want to learn the language just to learn it - not for any travel plans - and it'd be nice to see them for more than just eight weeks.

I've got a bit more time to decide about my Spring classes, so I'll continue to stew on the subject for awhile.

The best news - to me, anyway - is that so far I feel like every class gets a bit better. Like I'm actually learning something about teaching from each session, which I'm then actually able to apply to the next session. I'm really excited about this - it's the most I was expecting for this first attempt, that I would improve as the term went on. Small triumph? Maybe. But it's all mine, and I'm embracing it.

It's Just Beachy

We'll be heading to my mom's tiny beach cottage tonight with two of our nearest and dearest - their birthdays are both in January, so this is our gift to them. (Well, the getaway plus a nice, long dinner out on Saturday at a restaurant we all adore.) I think the weather's supposed to be crap all weekend, but I'll bring my camera - and if anything is worth shooting and if any of the pictures turn out (two big "ifs" in there), I'll post 'em later.

Stay warm and dry, everybody...

I don't like the term "guilty pleasure"

I don't know why, I just don't like the term. I use it, and I get where it comes from, but there's a part of me that really wants to just enjoy whatever it is without also feeling badly about enjoying it.

Not liking the term, however, doesn't mean I'm immune to the feeling (I'm Jewish enough to have got the guilt thing down cold). Though I sometimes crank the volume on the local 80's station when I'm driving around, and though I have every reason to like the music they play (I am, after all, smack dab in the middle of their thirtysomething demographic), I can't seem to resist the urge to turn it waaaay down when I pull up to a stoplight with my windows open. Why do I care what the guy in the car next to me thinks of my musical choices? I don't know, and it bugs me that I do care.

(This is all leading up to something, I promise.)

I've been indulging many a guilty pleasure lately, too - getting all kinds of CDs of albums I only have on cassette from "back in the day," things I'm not entirely sure I'll ever listen to more than once, things I'm tempted to scan into the computer and then to hide somewhere other than the CD shelves (lest anyone actually see them).

But these things give me pleasure, and there shouldn't be any reason to feel bad about feeling good, right? Right?

In an effort to become my ideal person - someone who doesn't give a shit about what anyone else thinks of the things she enjoys - I'm coming clean here about a blog I've been getting inordinate amounts of pleasure out of in the last few weeks. The pictures of the celebrities are priceless - people caught in their weakest moments (fashion-wise), making me feel less like a complete dolt for some of the things I wear. But honestly, the pictures alone wouldn't do it for me. The writing is abso-frickin-lutely hysterical. I tip my hat to the people behind this site, because they completely make my day. Trust me, if you believe in guilty pleasures, this blog will become one. If you're that self-actualized person who has no guilt, then you'll just love the thing outright. Either way's fine with me.

My Father Has a Blog (And Other Bloglines Catching Up)

I suppose it had to happen sooner or later, since I kept pestering my father to start his own damned blog instead of bugging me all the time, but in truth I never expected him to actually do it. Well, he did, and here it is.

Go forth and conquer, Pops.

+++++++

Grey Duck has a link to a story about a town in Pennsylvania that has had an underground mining fire burning constantly since 1962. The pictures of smoke coming out of cracks in the roads are most spooky.

Juan Cole of Informed Comment lists the Top Ten Mistakes of the Bush Administration in Reacting to Al-Qaeda.

James Tata excerpted two things I liked yesterday - one about the drummer for the band Rush (I've never listened to Rush, really, but the description of the drummer's ability to tap out one rhythm with his feet that happens to be diametrically opposed to the rhythm he's playing with his hands is mind-boggling); and the other about New Orleans. The New Orleans excerpt debunks many of the "chaos-filled city" stories we all heard in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Those stories helped many in the Bush administration to justify their inaction toward those in such desperate need. The fact that the stories turned out to be untrue only amplifies how poorly our government is equipped - or willing, apparently - to help its own citizens (at least the ones who aren't likely to vote for them).

Record Store Geek links to a Frank Zappa-penned article from 1983 in which Zappa seems to have a vision of the future that includes iPods... It's sort of creepily prescient...

William Bragg links to a list I find mostly amusing (however accurate), and also points out (quite rightly, I think) that number four is alarmingly on the money. The other link from Mr. Bragg is, well... I'm not sure what to make of it, really, but it frankly just made me giggle when I read it.

A Week of Food Firsts

On Sunday we had dinner with some friends, one of whom is on the Atkins diet, so Chris tried to come up with a more Atkins-friendly dessert to bring with us. He settled on creme brulee, which he'd never made before. It's not strictly Atkins, of course, because of all the sugar, but it's better than cookies or cake. And it turned out pretty well, too - especially for a first try. Chris added a bit of orange essence to the cream, giving it an almost refreshing taste (and we all acknowledged that "refreshing" isn't a word one would generally use to describe creme brulee). Torching the sugar topping proved to be the most entertaining part, as you'd expect.

The biggest shock came earlier when Chris was reading the nutritional information on the side of the carton of heavy cream. He was reading the fat content, thinking, "Wow, this is much worse for me than I thought." And then he read the serving size - one tablespoon. In that tiny carton there were 30 servings - and each one was more unhealthy than he'd thought the entire carton would be. Let this be a lesson to you - if you think something is unhealthy and you want to eat it anyway, don't read the nutritional information.


Pouring the sugar on top for torching.


Torching the top of the creme brulee, and the finished product. Twas tasty...

Last night in Italian class, two of our classmates had a surprise for us - a friend of theirs called Giuseppe (born in Naples) was going to teach us all how to make mozzarella. Giuseppe spoke primarily in Italian, of course, so there are significant gaps in my understanding of the steps involved, but I do know that once all the ingredients are prepared the cheesy stuff goes into a giant bowl of hot water and you pull it like taffy. Then you create cheese balls and pinch them off, dropping them into a bowl of cold salt water. Giuseppe said that when you're pinching off the segments of cheese that it can help to think of a spouse or significant other - and then he demonstrated by strangling the cheese. We all got a good laugh out of that.


Giuseppe supervising the cheese production


Chris the cheese maker



Students (top) and our teacher (bottom) taking their turns.

Torino 2006

I've never been a big Olympics fan, but I would have been happy as a clam to go to this year's winter games - they're in Italy! According to this article, though, the Italians aren't even very excited about the big event in their backyard.

The Holiday Haul

We finally went to our last Christmas gathering at my father's house this past Saturday, so I can finally post the list of all the CDs and DVDs we received and bought. The ones we purchased is a long list, indeed, because there was a music/book/movie store going out of business in Pennsylvania. We did our part to help them clear the shelves, as you'll see.

CD GIFTS:
Gorillaz - Gorillaz
Peter Murphy - Deep (which I'd had on cassette in college and loved)
The Essential Bob Dylan
Ligabue - Nome e Cognome
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass & Greatest Hits
Whitesnake - Saints & Sinners (a throw-back to my hair-band-lovin' days)
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime (another throw-back, this one much more of a guilty pleasure)
Phoenix - Alphabetical

CD PURCHASES (in alphabetical order):
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Aqualung - Strange & Beautiful
The Bravery - The Bravery
Nikka Costa - can'tneverdidnothin'
Def Leppard - Hysteria (yes, this was a complete nostalgia purchase)
Minnie Driver - Everything I've Got In My Pocket (call it an odd curiosity - though it's mostly boring)
The Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here
Heart - Bad Animals (another bit of nostalgia, a favorite from high school)
The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
Maria McKee - Peddlin' Dreams
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
No Doubt - Singles
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Velvet Revolver - Contraband
Violent Femmes (the old album that I knew all the words to in high school)
Weezer - Make Believe

DVD GIFTS & PURCHASES:
U2 Vertigo Tour 2005
The Godfather
Il Postino
The Bridge On The River Kwai
La Dolce Vita (2 disc collector's edition)
Sports Night - Complete TV Series

Now if only there was enough time in the day to listen to and watch all this stuff...

Andiamo!

Last week our phrase-a-day calendar had this little gem, which I couldn't not post - in case there are any of you out there who still don't know what andiamo means.

How Smart Are You?

I'd gotten a MENSA test via email late last year, and had worked on it bit by bit until I got frustrated at 19 correct answers out of 33. Still, I thought I was doing pretty well with that number. (MENSA says if you get 19 or more right you're a "genius.") My dad used to do these puzzles all the time, and at one point I'd gotten quite good at them. Unfortunately, most of the ones that appeared on the puzzles back then didn't make it onto the MENSA test.

On Thursday, Record Store Geek posted a link to the test online, which is great. He got 27 right, which is amazing. I'd be more jealous if I didn't get two of the ones he said he had trouble with. (Is that gloating? Hmm...)

I'll keep plugging away at it. If you're so inclined, let me know how you do - but don't post answers in the comments, lest you want to help everyone else cheat...

(And for the record - I think the whole MENSA thing is ridiculous - I just love these puzzles.)

How the Best Bread in Italy Put McDonald's Out of Business

I first saw this article referenced on William Bragg's blog, but the New York Times article was only excerpted there so I had to dig around for the whole story. I found it yesterday.

All I can say is GO ITALY!

Deck Construction Update

The construction project underway at our house is coming along nicely. Two of our neighbors are nearly ready for the tiling to begin (they're taking a bit of an assembly-line approach to the schedule), and currently have these sort of clear tents covering the deck framing.


Tent City - the covering over the decks which are ready to be tiled. They've got heaters in them to help keep the temperature at a good place for the tile adhesive.

I got a look inside one of the tents from one of my neighbors - while light still comes through the semi-clear plastic, my neighbors said they'll be happy to be able to look out their windows again and actually see something. The construction crew is doing so well, it shouldn't be long.


Inside the deck tent

Oregon is the Canada of California

I didn't think anyone could make ice cream sound unappetizing, but Damn Interesting manages to with this post.

Belatedly, here are two posts from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Juan Cole discusses what Dr. King might think about the Iraq war, and Ken Foster posts Wynton Marsalis' Monday address in New Orleans.

William Bragg, once again, is clogging my Bloglines (with all good stuff, of course). Among them - the most popular myths in science and an American geography lesson. The former is hysterically informative, the latter would be just plain hysterical if it weren't so sadly true.

Along the Written Road I've found many gems for those among you interested in the idea of being a travel writer... Lonely Planet's promoting their new BlueLists by having a contest, the winner of which gets to become an LP writer... A list of the New York Times' most popular travel articles... A new travel eZine... And travel writing classes with National Geographic.

In the television department, we're always a day behind on The Daily Show and Steven Colbert, so we finally watched them tonight - and Colbert gave a "wag of his finger" to Oregon's Death With Dignity Law, and a "tip of the hat" to the Supreme Court for upholding the law. His reasoning for the latter was as follows: "You've got the right idea - let's get rid of as many of those tie-dyed tree-hugging wusses as we can. I've said it before: Oregon is California's Canada." It's people like Colbert, Jon Stewart and Al Franken who are helping to make the Bush years a little more tolerable - if for no other reason than I know there are others out there laughing (and crying) along with me.

Eating in France Over the Weekend

Chris took Monday off, so I did as well - and we had a gloriously decadent weekend. Sure, we did tons of errands and chores and a whole host of those things that generally always need to be (but never are) done. But we didn't let a few must-dos get in the way of some enjoyment of a few days off.

Friday night we kicked off the long weekend by cutting out of work early and going downtown to see "Capote." (We stopped en route to buy ourselves some tickets to see Al Franken next month at the Schnitz, something we're both really looking forward to.) It was a pretty full theatre, and we were bummed to be sitting to close to the screen - but in the end it wasn't the kind of movie for which that's a real detriment. There are no action sequences, and no one moves too quickly, so there's no danger of whiplash. We both enjoyed the movie - it's much more about the process of writing than I'd thought beforehand, which doesn't sound like it would be interesting even though it really is - and ended up talking about it over dinner afterwards at Carafe.

We'd eaten at Carafe before, and we both like it quite a bit. It's casual, with a solid French bistro-type menu. The only drawbacks seem to be its location (it's hard to just be walking by and say, "Oh, let's eat here") and the bathrooms (I know it seems I'm on a bathroom jag here lately, but I'll ignore that if you will) - they're actually outside the restaurant in the parking garage next door, which isn't so much a terrible thing as just really odd for a restaurant as good as Carafe.

This time I had an old favorite from my college trips to Paris - a croque monsieur, which is French for "the best grilled cheese sandwich you've ever had, mostly because it has ham on it, too." It's the kind of sandwich you eat with a knife and fork, and even though it comes with a generous helping of crispy and delicious pommes frites it still feels rather sophisticated. Could be the French name, I'll admit.

Saturday night we met some friends at Le Bouchon for dinner. None of us had ever been there, and we were all pleased with our meals. Every course was spectacular. The recommended monkfish was so buttery it was more like lobster than anything else - and despite the fact that the waiter brought me the wrong thing (he misheard me, I think), I ended up liking what he brought so much (duck confit) that I was actually glad for the mistake. Le Bouchon, like Carafe, positively oozes French bistro chic - Le Bouchon has the leg up, however, if for no other reason than it not only feels like a neighborhood-type place on the inside, it actually looks like one on the outside, too. There's a wonderful counter by the bar where we could easily imagine the locals might come for a quick bite on the way home from work. We could have been in France if not for the distinct lack of cigarette smoke in the air...

With all of my emphasis on Italy lately, it was nice to find myself immersed in another European cuisine for a change. My French cousins would have been proud.

Sinju - It's All About the Bathrooms

On New Year's Eve, Chris and I had no plans. We hadn't been able to stay at my mom's to ring in the new year because Chris was flying to Las Vegas New Year's Day, so we knew we'd probably just go out to dinner and see a movie - which is what we did. We weren't the only ones with that idea, as you can imagine, and the Bridgeport Shopping Center near us was chock full of people - every restaurant had a 45+ minute wait... Except the new sushi place, Sinju.

I'd been eagerly anticipating its arrival, as the banner on the storefront while they were building looked intriguing. And though they were completely booked, there was no one at the bar - which, at a sushi restaurant, is my favorite place to sit.

They'd been open a whopping four days, so we were prepared to forgive them plenty of missteps - but they ended up not really having many. The sushi is unremarkable, but it's tasty enough (especially for a sushi restaurant in a mall, for pete's sake), and the decor is modern and visually interesting. The chairs at the sushi bar are a clear sort of plexiglass, and they pivot on what feels like a ball joint under the seat - a little challenging to get into, but reasonably comfortable once you're settled. The cocktail I had was quite nice, though I don't think there was as much vodka in it as a martini should have (I would've felt it, trust me). The service was hit or miss - either we had too much attention from our waitress, or she was nowhere in sight. The delivery of the food was the most annoying part of the dining experience. We were sitting right in front of the sushi chef who was filling our order, and yet we would get three rolls at once and then have to wait ages for the next two while he filled orders for the restaurant. (Again, while these things were annoying, we were quite forgiving, and plan to give them another chance.)

The next time we go, however, I will make damned sure I don't have to use the bathroom.

When I finally found the bathrooms that night, the manager was in the process of putting scotch tape over a hole in the door jamb underneath where it latched. "We've only been open four days," he stammered, "we're still learning things about the place - like these holes here? People have been catching their fingers in them!" I nodded, smiled, noted the location of the offending grabby-hole, and went into the open bathroom next to the one he was doctoring. (There are only two bathrooms, and they're unisex.)

Then came shock number one - the doors are made of a frosted glass. Now, while I can only hope that someone checked on this kind of thing before installing glass doors on a friggin' bathroom, I did have more than a little fear of being more on display than I'd like to be in that situation. When people came up to try the door (at which point I hoped the manager hadn't inadvertently put tape on the part where the door actually locked), I could see them much more clearly than I'd want to - and I had to assume that worked both ways, something I'm still not comfortable with.

Shock number two happened when I sat down (sorry, folks, this is about bathrooms, after all). The wall facing the toilet and behind the toilet are entirely made up of mirrors (the door wall and the wall opposite are stone or something). I realize that men might experience facing a mirror when they go to the bathroom with some regularity, but women do not. And frankly, there are few positions less flattering than staring at yourself in a mirror when you're on the toilet. Seriously. And I'm supposed to go back out into the restaurant with an appetite? I don't think so. If you're on a diet, go to the bathroom first - you won't eat anything.

Then came the final shock (number three, for those of you keeping track) - the sinks aren't in the bathrooms themselves, but rather in the hallway-like thing just outside the two glass doors, and in plain view of several tables in the restaurant. I can't see this as a good thing from either side - as the person who just used the bathroom, I want to be able to wash my hands, fix my lipstick, make sure there's no seaweed in my teeth, etc. in private; and as the diner, I don't want to be in the middle of a bite of unagi to look up and see someone who has just used the toilet not wash their hands.

In the final analysis, I liked the restaurant well enough that I'll be happy to try it again (after it's lost some of those opening-restaurant jitters), but I will never use the bathrooms there again unless it's a dire emergency.

Faith

I found this quote the other day on another blog, and have decided I love it. I'm quite certain that I don't always believe this to be true, but I'd like to...

You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall.
Rainer Maria Rilke