The Holidays Have Begun

Even though I have to teach tomorrow, the holidays are officially here.

• Angel is home for the week. 
• I have baked cookies. 
• The food shopping is done.  
• My Christmas list is complete.

Life is good.

Sunday, Lovely Sunday

It was a beautiful day in SouthLite today.  Perhaps a little on the warm side (we hit 84 and tomorrow promises to be 87) but with plenty of sunshine.  The gym was closed because some people celebrate Easter.  Actually quite a lot of people in SouthLite celebrate Easter and they do it in church, which meant the park was empty.

b and I went for a run.  It was the maiden run for my Vibram five-fingers.

I've been using them in the gym for months now and love them.  I've actually acquired an additional two pair.  I walk around town in them quite frequently, including on campus.  I've even been known to teach in them but I have yet to run outside.  They were fabulous.  I don't think I'll ever run in sneakers again.

Later in the afternoon we went to the movies.

It was an entertaining film but it didn't blow me away.  At the end there was a rather stale message about mothers raising sons that I could have lived without but it was mostly enjoyable.

After the movie I sat outside in warm evening air and read a truly bad dissertation.  It is my second defense of the year and, while it is not as horrendous as the first, it is still pretty bad.  I don't understand how I can be correcting someone's grammar at this point in the game.  I'm was the outside member on both dissertations this year and am not sure exactly where the problem lies: with the student, the advisor, or some combination of the two.  I'm not looking forward to the actual defense.

Dinner was a bit experimental.  I made roasted potatoes in pesto and asparagus while b made pan-seared duck breast with mushrooms.

We've been wanting to try duck for a while now.  It was quite delicious but next time we'll try a recipe that leaves a crispy skin.  I also experimented with dessert: homemade cinnamon ice cream and a blackberry crisp.

A Word For 2011

I don't care much for resolutions.  One year I tried to do a theme but that didn't work out too well. Last year I wanted to do a word but what with spending New Years' Eve helping a woman give birth, I never got around to it (although being a doula was a big part of 2010 for me).

So I'm going to try and do a word for 2011.  The word that came to me today is Space.  I am incredibly happy in my new space and can't quite believe it took me 4 1/2 years to make it happen. My new space has a lot more space and there is plenty of space to put all of my stuff.  With space I can be organized; with space I can breathe.  I remember the last time I felt this strongly about having space was went I finally moved out of my home with my ex.  The new house is also a lot more attractive than where we just left.  Living in a house that you despise, even if the location is perfect, takes its toll. I want to take some time and enjoy this space and make it my own.

I also have really enjoyed my new office this past year.   The new office also provided more than double the physical space of my old office, which increased both my organization and productivity immensely.  Mentally it is also a respite.  It's location, in a separate building from the rest of my department, provides space from a lot of office politics and academic drama.  In this new space I feel like I can build new research with colleagues and nurture my students more effectively.

Last semester was the roughest one for me yet.  By necessity I had to say "no" to any new request and (almost) any new opportunity.  Even with a strict "no" policy, I felt I spent the majority of the semester working on other people's agendas.  I need to continue fending off all requests and (most) opportunities and protect the space on my agenda.  More importantly the space on my agenda needs to grow to include nonwork (and doula) related activities.  I have really enjoyed exploring photography and hope to do more of that in 2011 but I'd also like to get back to creative writing.  I need to create the mental space to do that.

Lastly I want to spend more time in outdoor spaces this year.  b and I have done a wonderful job of making our gym a regular space but I feel like I spent most of the year indoors.  b will be heading to Alaska this summer and I am not sure if I'll be able to meet him there as we originally planned.  Instead of focusing on a big trip, I'd like to incorporate regular outdoor time for myself in the same way I've incorporated gym time.

Mmmmm.....Buns

RBOC: All That's Left Is The Baking Edition

• It's been a busy week.  Next week will be twice as busy but for the next two days it is nothing but holiday cheer.  
• Presents have been wrapped (well except for Pupzilla's); the tree trimmed; menus planned; and the house is stocked with food and drink.  
• Angel has been home for the past two days and will be with us until Monday.  
• I've been doing double-duty at the gym this week: once with b and then again with Angel.  
• Today I took a tai chi class and a yoga class.  I feel very mellow.
• Pumpkin and BB came over last night to celebrate with us.  I made them chicken marsala and raspberry buttermilk cake.  They are off to Minnesota tomorrow morning to spend Christmas with Pumpkin's grandmother.
• Tomorrow I will spend most of the day making cinnamon buns for Christmas morning.  It is a long process but totally worth it.  I only make them once a year so they are a very special event. 
• I am waiting for b to come home from a late shift.  Once he is home the festivities can begin.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday, if in fact this weekend brings a holiday that you celebrate.

RBOC: End of the Semester is Here Edition

• I taught my last two classes today.  All I've been doing for the last two weeks is listening to presentations but it is still nice to know that I don't have to be in a classroom again for over a month.
• One of my undergrads gave me a hug today after she handed in her final exam.  They've been a great group and I'm going to miss them. 
• I do have grading to do but I assign my heaviest stuff mid-semester so it really won't be that bad.
• I thought life would get easier now that coursework has slowed down but, alas, that is not the case.  I'm on a search committee for 3 open positions and there are a lot of applicants (and most of them are really good).
• We have also moved our deadline for doctoral applications up to December 1st.  I am happy to say that this has resulted in a much larger number of viable candidates.  However I think it also means we have to pick quick and woo the good ones into the program.  My work is cut out for me. 
• I have also taken on another doula client.  I know I swore to take some time off but this young mother-to-be (and grandmom-to-be) are right up my alley.  I met with them the other day and was smitten.
• Did I mention that I have two new research projects starting up next semester?  I'm training one student research team tomorrow afternoon and the other doesn't even have a team yet (although I did manage to submit the IRB application today).
• The spring semester is going to be messy.  I give you all permission to call hooey when I'm complaining in a few months.  It is all my own fault. 
• Now that Thanksgiving is over, b is allowed to play Christmas music.  He has already starting shopping (I haven't even come up with a list yet) and we'll be doing some decorating this weekend.
• My last doula client is going to be in a local production of A Christmas Carol (our favorite) and has given us free tickets.  We are very excited.
• There's something going around the blogosphere called #Reverb10.  At least three bloggers I follow are playing along.  Sounds like fun but I really can't commit to daily blogging right now. 
• The first prompt was to pick one word that captured 2010 for you and one that captures your hope for 2011.  I hate these types of prompts.  I'm not a one word kind of person.  I rarely have favorites.  I need at least a list of 15 for just about any question.
• Today's prompt was what keeps you from writing.  Honestly, nothing keeps me from writing. I love to write.  Nonwriting work sometimes keeps me from writing but much of it is stuff that will eventually fuel writing.  
• Reading and writing, in some form or another, is what I do on a daily basis.  This is why, no matter how much office politics, service assignments or even students can annoy me, I never want to be doing anything other than what I do.

The Best Thanksgiving Ever

I am not a fan of Thanksgiving.  In fact, for many years, I refused to eat the Thanksgiving feast. Sometimes I would cook something completely different for my little family (ex-husband and myself) and other times we would go to my sister's house where she would cook me something extra.  Eventually I fell in line but I rarely enjoyed the holiday.  When we moved down to SouthLite we started camping for Thanksgiving.  That was great until last year when it rained and Angel was with us for a total of 4 hours.

This year b and I decided we'd do a more traditional Thanksgiving at home.  Angel, who now has seniority at his job, did not have to work and came up Tuesday evening (and stayed until Sat afternoon! Longest visit from him in quite some time).  We got a chance to hang and talk and bond all day Wednesday.  We took Pupzilla on a long walk and talked the day away.

Angel & Pupzilla

Pumpkin and BB came up Wednesday evening.  b came home from work and made a fabulous spinach lasagna and garlic bread.  We all sat around the table eating and drinking and talking and laughing.  It was wonderful.  BB and Angel bonded over a geeky online video game and spent much of the evening with their heads bent over a laptop.

b spent all Thanksgiving Day cooking.  He started at 9 in the morning making us a wonderful frittata and then went right into the preparing the big meal.  It was his first real bird.  He usually cooks Thanksgiving dinner in dutch ovens, which won't fit a whole bird.  He followed Mr. Brown's advice and it turned out beautifully.  We set the table and spruced ourselves up and then sat down to a huge meal that was over way too soon.

b's bird

Dessert was apple cobbler and homemade ice cream.  We were too full to touch the pumpkin pie.

The next morning Pumpkin and BB had to go visit some of her relatives before they drove back home.  But we had new visitors.  My sister, C, and her fiance (my soon to be BIL that I had never met before) K, had spent the holidays at K's brother's house, which is just a few cities away from SouthLite.  So C & K showed up Friday morning and stayed until Saturday morning.  b had to go to work but Angel and I had a lovely time with them both.  We went out for brunch and then took Pupzilla for a long walk, but mostly we talked and talked and talked.  I so miss having my sisters around.  K was super sweet and smart and funny (with a very dry dry sense of humor that I admire).

This morning everyone had to get up and leave but Angel lazed about for a while.  We enjoyed one more breakfast together and then he was on the road.  This has been the best visit home from him since he went to school.  He seems so much more comfortable now and acted like the son I remember.  I'm sure it has to a lot to do with being securely on his own and settled in his new life. Intellectually I knew our relationship was still strong but this is the first time it actually felt good to be with him since he's left home.  It did me a world of good and now I'm so looking forward to Christmas.

RBOC: Memorial Weekend Edition

• The Assessment Workshop is over!  It was far worse than I imagined it would be.  I can't really say much more on why it was so horrendous but as of yesterday Summer Break has officially started for me and I couldn't be happier. 
• I had a very lovely day yesterday.  It started with breakfast with b at our favorite spot and ended with dinner and drinks with b at another favorite spot.  In between there was gossip with colleagues, a little clothes shopping, a phone conversation with Angel, and a great yoga class.
• There was also a huge thunderstorm last night.  b and I got caught in it for a bit but it was the fine kind of storm where you don't mind getting wet.
• It is now officially hot in SouthLite.  The "summer" in Summer Break has started as well.
• I spent today doing tai chi.  I went to my regular tai chi class in the morning and then did a 4 hour tai chi broadsword workshop.  My arms, shoulders and back are killing me but in that good way.
• Tomorrow morning I'll be heading to a nearby city for a chi gung class with a master.  I am very excited.
• b has to work all weekend.  His store is having its biggest sale of the year.  
• Every year b's store holds a chili cook-off during this sale.  b's chili has won for the last two years.  He got up early to make it this morning but the results aren't in yet. 
• Monday we are both off and the gym is closed.  He's planning a paddle and I'm planning a bike ride.  Than we'll do the traditional Memorial Day grill.  Perhaps we'll even make Sangria.
• Hope you are all having a very lovely Memorial Day weekend.

Birthday/Mothers Day Weekend

Friday morning, b and I got up on the early side (for us) and had a quick breakfast in our favorite local diner.  Then we drove south for an hour and a bit to a national forest where we heard there was lots of good hiking.  One of my favorite birthday activities is to spend the day hiking in the woods with my husband.

We found the trailhead and started off.  We were aiming to hike a loop and had the entire day ahead of us.  Unfortunately we had to keep Pupzilla at home.  She has reached an age where a day long hike is not possible and, as it was a hot and sticky day, I don't think she would have lasted an hour.

We were warned that the area was confusing and could be difficult to navigate.  We had a book of trails but no map.  Signs like the one above would have been helpful except the name did not actually match the trail.

I like to hike by water, like a river, lake or creek.  The book mentioned several water crossings but the actual water was pretty minimal.

We saw mileage signs at the very beginning and very end of the hike.  For the rest of the day, signs were few and far between.

At one point we turned onto a gravel path.  It was pretty but not very challenging.

b checked his GPS at each critical juncture.

Several hours into the hike we reached a critical juncture of three trails.  It coincided with what we were expecting from the little map we had in our book.  Unfortunately these three trails connected twice and we thought we were at a very different juncture than we actually were.  b says we committed a classic error of "bending the map."

We kept expecting to find this trail but since we weren't where we thought we were the junctures never appeared.  We finally figured it out and adjusted ourselves in the right direction.  We ended up on this trail but had no definitive proof until we were back at the trailhead.

Almost 5 hours and 8 1/2 mile later I was back at the car and out of my boots.   It was a great hike.

We drove home, showered up and headed out to one of my favorite restaurants.  The food was quite yummy.  We finished the evening at one of our favorite bars, where I indulged in some chocolate mousse.

The next morning, Pumpkin came over and we ran some errands together.  One of the errands was to pick up my new bicycle.

Later in the afternoon, Angel drove up and we all hung out in the backyard while b grilled us up a lovely dinner.

Earlier in the day I had baked my favorite cake (chocolate with peanut butter frosting) and I had been making ice cream all week.  I ended up with three pints: coffee (decaf), cinnamon, and chocolate.   We headed inside as the sun went down and tried them all.

Angel had to drive home so he could work in the morning but Pumpkin spent the night.  We stayed up and watched one of my favorite movies: Orlando.  Pumpkin didn't like it all that much and napped through most of it.  Sunday morning she left to attend her friends' graduation and b and I spent a very laid back day together.

All-in-all it was a very lovely weekend but I am looking forward to getting back to my usual routine.  

Amazon Meme

Haven't seen or done a meme in ages. I spotted this one at Profgrrrrl, Seeking Solace, and Snarky McGeekerson's.

My first Amazon order was December 1999. I believe it was the first time I did Christmas shopping online and boy did it change my life. Previously, Christmas shopping was always hell. I was always in school and battling end-of-semester deadlines and exams. It didn't help that I'm a horrible shopper and can't stand going into stores. Then along came Amazon.

Here's what I ordered:

Phantasm (This must have been for Drax!)

Togepi and Psyduck (ahh, the Pokemon years)

Traditions: New Year's Day

Before I realized I would be spending all of New Year's Eve and the beginning of New Year's Day in a maternity ward, I had planned to cook my grandmother's traditional New Year's Day dinner: Sauerbraten, potato dumplings and german red cabbage. I was also going to try some popovers from a recipe found in one of my under-the-tree presents.

Sauerbraten takes three days to marinade and 4 hours to cook, so when I arrived home at 9:30 am without having slept in over 24 hours, I didn't really have the option of changing dinner plans. Instead the meat went in the oven and I took a 2 1/2 hour power nap. Luckily b helped out and we managed to whip together the improvised potato dumplings and cabbage. Alas the popovers didn't make it. I had planned to serve 3 different homemade ice creams (thanks to another present b and I gave to ourselves): raspberry, coffee and cinnamon. Due to the amount of time it takes for the ice cream maker to refreeze, the cinnamon ice cream didn't make it either.

Nevertheless, dinner was quite the success. A very tired Pumpkin (who spent the day packing after her power nap) and BB came over to help us eat it all. Below are some photos of the process.

The Ingredients (recipe calls for juniper berries)

The Browning of the Meat

Marinating Meat Needs to be Turned Daily

Preparing the Potato Dumplings (Dumpling Flour Wrapped Around Croutons)

Cooked Sauerbraten Sans Ginger-Snap Sauce

Christmas 2009: A Photo Essay

I've been living up to my promise and taking time off this week. While this is good in many ways, it has put me way behind on blog posts. I figured I'd better complete the Christmas post before New Year's actually arrives.

No-Knead Bread

Christmas Eve Day at the House of Dirt and Rocks is all about the baking. I tried another loaf of the No-Knead Bread, this time on a pizza stone. There is still room for improvement but luckily Santa brought me The Book the next day.

I had to interrupt my normal baking schedule to go and meet Pumpkin in the middle of the day. Although she was coming over for Christmas dinner she wanted to give me my present early and privately. She told me it was something she had made by hand and that she was aiming to make me cry. She succeeded.

Activity Passport

Last year, when we did a community project for mothers and daughters, we had developed Activity Passports (coupons for activities mothers and daughters could do together) for our participants. Pumpkin designed the activity passports and made each one individually ('cause she's crafty that way). Each passport had approximately 10 coupon-sized activities and stickers for the participants to mark which ones they completed. Pumpkin's gift to me was a scrapbook-sized passport filled with activities we can do together even though she is moving 3 hours away. The passport needs to travel with me when I go and visit her.

The Rolling of The Cinnamon Buns

Note Delicious Shrimp Cocktail and Cheese Platter

More important than the bread is the baking of the cinnamon buns. This is an all day affair, as it takes a minimum of 8 hours. What you are seeing here is the end phase, which occurred at the same time b was serving appetizers.

Scallop Prep

Lobster Tail Prep

Seafood Grill

While I was busy baking, b was busy cooking up Christmas Eve dinner. We opted for surf & turf this year. Somehow we are sans pictures of the turf but the surf included grilled scallops and lobster tails. Quite yummy.

Mostly Empty Tree

Full Tree

In previous years I've been a stickler for not putting presents under the tree until right before bedtime. This rule was born of necessity since up until Angel turned 18, he had a difficult time containing himself in front of a tree full of presents. This year we let them pile up throughout the day.

Champagne Cocktail for b; Mimosas for Angel and I

Christmas morning starts with stockings in bed. No one was awake enough to think of photos. We quickly moved on to champagne and opening presents under the tree.

Angel's Lettered Chest

There were many fine presents this year. For Angel it was a bit of a Pi Kappa Phi Christmas, including two lettered shirts that I sewed myself. (Actually I must confess that Pumpkin came over to show me how and even sewed the tricky Phi). Angel got me this amazing book of dragon-related short stories. Not only is there one by Jane Yolen but I am discovering many new fantasy writers that I adore. I also got a new digital camera from b that will hopefully translate into more photos on the blog. b thought the hit of the day was a little laser cat toy. Much of the day was spent watching The Brute chase a red dot. b claims it is like having a remote-controlled cat.

After all the gifts were opened it was time for the unveiling of the cinnamon buns. They did not disappoint.

The Glory That Is Cinnamon Buns

The buns were just the beginning of the day's eating festivities. Pumpkin did come over to dinner, which was a huge hit, but unfortunately between the champagne and the wine and the general merriment, photos were once again forgotten.