Christmas Cards

For a while there it seemed doubtful, but I do finally have most of our* (very late) Christmas cards mailed out. There are two or three yet unclaimed, so if you'd like one, send me your address and I'll make it happen! If I sent you a card last year, you're on this year's list.

As is traditional, here is last year's card, with which I was particularly pleased (click to see the larger version):

In the great trajectory of my cards getting weirder and more obscure, this one marked a new high point.  I found the image below as I was searching for the card to post; the reference is Mucha's Princess Hyacinth:



Here are cards from:

• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007

*Yes, our! My bicycle only makes an appearance in the postage stamps, but David and the kitties are in this one. Eeps!

Heat

Is this going to become a Crazy Cat Blog? Perhaps. The kittens are awfully easy targets.

Kitty thermometer: they start lolling on the hardwood at around 85°

So you may have heard that it's been hot here in the Midwest! It's been hot approximately everywhere, though, so you may not have cared. Anyway, on the Fourth, Mpls cleared 101°, setting a record (and feeling super-tropical with a 72° dew point). David and I were both at home for the holiday, trying to stay cool in front of our portable A/C unit (which was struggling to keep it to an almost-comfortable 87°), when we lost power.* 


We lasted about 10 minutes upstairs before picking up the kitties and heading down to the basement, where it was nice and cool--probably in the 70s. Pobbes and Icy were very excited to explore; they'd had baths that morning in an effort to cool them down (panting kitties are a terribly pathetic sight!), but soon had cobwebs in their whiskers (and everywhere else). David and I were somewhat less excited, but with a book for me, his smartphone for him, and cold drinks for both of us, we were able to outlast the hour-long outage. Actually, it was much hotter when we returned upstairs--but the views and furniture were better and the space much cleaner!


Thankfully, it has cooled and dried off over the past few days; we've had highs in the upper eighties and lower nineties, but more importantly it's dipped to around 70 and below at night, meaning it's completely bearable. Actually, it's been beautiful. Nothing makes you appreciate a nice dry 87 quite like a muggy 100.


Later, I'll write about the epic fireworks display(s) we caught later on the Fourth!


*I was going to put that in all caps, but then I remembered that there are people in the South/East who were out of power for days. Now I feel like a pansy.

Already...

...I'm starting to run out of things to say. Things, in any case, I feel inspired enough to "say" by tapping the screen on my TouchPad (I just mentioned my new technology AGAIN! Story on it coming soon). It makes blogging from bed much easier, but not enough easier that I'm willing to tap out that story now.

1/11/11

Last Tuesday, when I noticed that it was the 4th of January and that I hadn't blogged since the 4th of December, I resolved to post something. Needless to say, I failed to do so.

But anyway, I'm back! I guess sometimes a date is enough of a motivation.

I was in the Northwest for about 10 days over the holidays and had a really excellent time. I flew into and out of Seattle, but in between also got to visit W2 and Portland. Among other things, I got to hang out with old friends and family, meet two brand-new babies, see my favorite mountains, and cook and consume lots and lots of delicious food.

Now I'm back, where it's all the predictable old things (cold, snowy, sunny when it's not snowing) and also delightful new ones (fleece sheets! hot yoga in the WINTER!). It's getting late now, but speaking of things I came back to, next time remind me to tell you the Tale of The Leaking ("It's a Natural Disaster!") Roof. Good times.

Foxy!

Last night, David and I went with friends to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Riverview. I LOVED it. I'm a pretty big Wes Anderson fan anyway, and had really enjoyed others of his recent films, like the Darjeeling Limited, but this was particularly delightful. There were a lot of kids in the audience--it was a matinee on a dreadfully cold weekend--but it really wasn't a kids' movie. Certainly there were things for them to enjoy, and aspects of the film definitely awed and inspired my inner kid, like the sheer joy of the tiny sets, and goofy little visual touches like the beagles' eyes after they ate the blueberries, but most of the themes were, predictably I suppose, targeted to an adult audience.

Anyway, like I said, I loved it. I loved Clooney as Foxy, and Schwarzmann as his son Ash, and Bill Murray as Badger. It was beautifully executed, surprisingly touching, and full of wonderfully quotable lines (which, sadly, I can't remember, and with which IMDB is not helping much. I do remember that their avoidance of cussing was pure genius, though I'll let you discover that for yourself if you haven't already).

This afternoon, I saw a film about which I have more mixed feelings: Avatar. I was going to blog about it tonight, but find that I'm too tired; it will have to wait.

In the meantime, I whole-heartedly recommend Mr. Fox, and suggest seeing it on the big screen if possible (especially if you have an adorable second-run theater like mine!).

Crafty

Tonight, I made hats! I haven't taken pictures of them, yet, but I think they're pretty cool. One I had already started, and the second went really fast because I was using four-ply yarn and my new giant (size Q) crochet hook.

I also made bang-up pad thai, which is quite a lot easier than you might expect. I did take some pictures of that (though I haven't uploaded them), so you may be treated to a step-by-step later.

Last week I finally (after three years of thinking about it) spray-painted the feet of my clawfoot tub silver. I do have a picture of that, so here it is:

In the process I managed to point the can the wrong direction and spray my finger, of which I also, naturally, have a picture:

The silver spray paint was from another DIY project I never posted, a jewelry holder I made several weeks ago and which is currently hanging in my bathroom. It occurs to me that I should probably post about that.

David also used the silver spray paint to modify his Halloween pitchfork, which started out red and was thus even more ridiculous than it is in the picture. He was disappointed that I didn't post his carefully cropped version of our American Gothic picture, so here it is:

Tomorrow I'm going to a slumber party at a friend's house! I'm really excited about that. I hosted a slumber party at my parents' house a couple of summers ago (did I really not post about that--?), but I haven't been to one at someone else's place in ages. Drew Barrymore, apparently, said, "The older you get, the fewer slumber parties there are, and I hate that. I liked slumber parties. What happened to them?" Well, we're bringing them back.

Halloween

So this year, I joined a friend to run the Monster Dash Half Marathon bright and early Halloween morning. I had considered various costume options (for a while, 80s cheerleader was the forerunner), but ultimately decided that I was too cheap and the weather too cold for anything fancy. I did at least go for colorful, thanks to last-minute striped legwarmers, an orange scarf a friend crocheted for me in college, and a bright green beanie.

Lots of other people had gotten crazy and creative with their costumes, including team ones--a pack of running bananas, several crayons, and a ketchup and mustard duo (the former of whom I ran close to for a mile or so, and who, when passersby shouted, "Mustard's up ahead!" would reply, "I'm trying to catch up!").

I'd considered running this race for several years, and had even driven my neighbor and friends to the start line year before last, but had always been somewhat daunted by its proximity to the TCM and had wondered whether I'd be able to run again so soon. As it turns out, I think it probably was a bit soon; I didn't feel quite the energy reserves on the course that I wanted to, and I've been moaning so much over my sore muscles that David has declared that I am not to run any more marathons or half marathons, ever. However, it was definitely a fun time, and although I could only keep up with my fast friend for about three miles (she ended up finishing with a 7:55 pace, while mine was 9:24), I did enjoy myself.

...So much that I just registered to run the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on December 5 with my sister and brother-in-law. Woo-hoo!

Here are photos David took during the morning (as always, click to view the album and larger pictures):


In the last picture, after the race, I'm wearing my medal. It's on this weird yellow lace-thing, but the best part is that it is a belt buckle! I think this is pretty much the greatest idea ever. Now I just need to find a belt I can put it on.

I was going to write about our adventures after the race, but find myself too tired. So, see you here tomorrow!

NaBloPoMadness

Hello, Blog Friends!

It is November again, and that means NaBloPoMo. Last year I remember it being quite a bit harder than I would have anticipated, so this year I'm expecting another challenge. The good news, I suppose, is that I have all sorts of stories and pictures that I haven't posted here, including more or less the entire roadtrip back to Minneapolis (in August). Maybe the obligation to post every day will get me caught up on that.

In the meantime, I'll start with something a bit more recent. Today was relatively mild and sunny, and as I had completed and sent off a highly stressful fellowship application on Friday, and had run a half marathon on Saturday, I figured it'd be okay to take today off. Thus, David and I headed to Stillwater, a charming touristy little burg about 30 miles east of here, and spent the afternoon eating, poking around stores, and enjoying the scenic views. We were there probably about two weeks too late for really beautiful fall colors, but there was still some color left.

Tomorrow, I'll post about yesterday!

Rodeo

Hello again, Few Readers I Still Have Left.

I write from the rest area in the middle of the Grapevine, at which we have paused en route from Santa Rosa (where we stayed with the ever-fantastic Jon and Lauren) to Loma Linda (where we'll stay with the charming Becca and Justin), via LA for dinner with Jeni and Soroosh. Epic Roadtrip II is underway, and more reports will doubtless follow, but for the moment I want to make good on a promise on which I've been remiss: the rodeo report!

In my last post, as you may recall, I was anticipating attending my first ever rodeo. Here is a sampling of the pictures we took; as always, click here to view larger versions, leave comments, etc.:

I've been telling people that aside from all the cringing and gasping (of which there was plenty), I actually had a pretty good time. It's interesting how quickly one (or I, in any case) grows inured to the violence and constant threat of injury to both man and animal. I was also struck by the fact that the people participating in and attending what could be perceived as an exploitative manifestation of cruelty are actually the ones who in contemporary culture maintain the most actual contact with these animals, and possibly love, respect, and understand them more than those of us urban vegetarians; on the other hand, as Ter pointed out, they may just be numb to the concerns of the dumb animals who form their property and source of income.

Anyway, philosophical concerns aside, it was a good time. We started with the fair, which runs concurrently, checking out various animals and crafts pavilions before heading to the rodeo arena. Unfortunately, we missed the Mutton Bustin', which apparently is a huge deal at this rodeo and prompts allegations of political scandal, as far as whose kids get in. We did make it for the bareback and saddle bronco riding, individual and team calf-roping (especially cringe-inducing: those poor baby cows!), steer wrestling (no joke), barrel racing, and bull riding. You can see the videos David uploaded here.

The other interesting aspect for me was how, in our position of privilege in our box seats (whose long waiting list doesn't preclude people hoping to jump the line from calling the rodeo office, apparently, upon hearing that a particular box seat owner has died--despite the fact that the box seat is just an upgrade from bleachers to metal folding chairs, closer to the ring (although I was still grateful that David was able to get them from his work)), we had a view of Hermiston's Who's Who, from the local Toyota magnate to various business owners. David said that once he even sat next to a senator.

Pictures of Adventures in Glacier National Park and Epic Roadtrip II will follow as soon as possible; don't abandon me yet!

Summer Squash Cilantro Pesto Feta Pizza

I had another amazing weekend, and I'm going to tell you all about it, but it's going to require sorting through 163 photos and videos (from only about two hours of the entire weekend; somehow we managed not to photograph anything else!*) and a fair amount of writing, and I'm not equal to the task at the moment.

So, in the meantime, here's something a bit easier: the recipe for a pizza Ter and I made a few weeks ago, inspired by one currently served on Thursdays at Hot Lips near PSU in Portland.




Summer Squash Cilantro Pesto Feta Pizza

In blender/food processor, whiz:
1 bunch cilantro, washed
~1 handful fresh garden basil
~3 cloves garlic
~1/2 can green chiles (we froze the rest in a resealable plastic bag)
1 small handful pine nuts
enough olive oil to make it saucy--maybe 1/3 cup?
~1 tsp sea salt
dash freshly ground black pepper
dash red pepper flakes

Spread on prepared crusts (the above makes enough pesto for two; I'm sure the excess could be frozen if you only wanted one), and layer with thinly sliced summer squash rounds and Walla Walla sweet onion (our addition). Sprinkle on feta. Bake in 400° oven until lightly browned.

We made it on Andy's Market's whole wheat crust, but I think it would be even better on a thin homemade one. I think it would also be delicious with zucchini. Of course if you're feeling vegan you could omit the feta--though this would make me very sad.

*One thing I wish I had a photo of is the Geo Metro (Popcan!) we saw in Hermiston. Plastered across its back bumper was the sticker below. Oh, Metro drivers, I love the way you think.

Bullets

• One of the Popcan's (many) names was the Sapphire Bullet of Pure Love
• Tonight I started my taxes, but couldn't finish them because I was missing a tuition form
• I lost one of my toenails
• I painted the other nine, and the spot where the tenth used to be
• I've been sick all week, but I'm feeling better (not dead yet!)
• My voice isn't totally back yet, but I'm only missing every fifth syllable or so now, instead of every second or third
• I've been drinking a lot of tea and ginger/lemon/honey goodness
  
• It has been raining here
• I feel like I should be happier about that, because at least it's warm
  
• I don't, though, because (a) it's gray and ugly and (b) it's still going to be winter for another two months, at least
• I am, however, happy about this upcoming weekend!
• I love my new red laptop
• I used it to edit the paper I'm workshopping tomorrow, but mostly I'm liking catching up on TV on the Internet
• Oh, and video chat with the built-in webcam! Who knew?
• I forgot to rip a copy of my brother's new CD before giving my last copy away, but he sent me one a few days ago
• It's brilliant, the kind of album you want to listen to over and over again (which I've been doing)
• Someday I'll succeed in persuading them to set up a website that actually sells said album (each of which is a beautiful, individual piece of art)
• Until then, you can mail $8 to an address I'll give you if you're interested
• Seriously, though, I'll work on them on the website. Setting it up myself is far more tempting than, say, writing a dissertation

What -5° Looks Like

(...from indoors, where I firmly stayed until a friend took me downtown to see Australia, about which I'll blog tomorrow as long as I pass my 1:00 French final exam and am therefore not too brokenhearted to function.)

Brief Race Update

So I not only survived this year's TCM, but, against all odds, actually had a pretty fantastic time!

It's probably a bit early to know whether or not my legs (and particularly that left tibia) suffered any significant injury, as at the moment pretty much every part of my body is sore and exhausted, but my friends did note that I was not limping, as I was last year, which in itself seems like a very positive thing! Oh. And I was able to ride my bike to and from the restaurant where we celebrated afterward; although it was only about five blocks from my house, the act of riding there seems to have cemented among my friends my reputation of absolute lunacy. I have now achieved legend status.

I will tell more marathon stories later (and do I ever have them), but at the moment, I'm overdue for some sleep, and my bed is calling my name.

Hathor

So last week Heather came to visit me! As it happened, I beat her to Mpls by only a few hours, due to my automotive adventures. Due to said adventures, we were also collectively car-less during her visit, following returning the rental to the airport Thursday morning. Heather, however, is nothing if not hardcore (and uncomplaining!), and we managed to navigate the city, from the Mall of America to downtown, via the wonders of public transportation. Actually, it meant a lot to me to have a willing compatriot as I entered the completely car-less lifestyle.

As usual, I was anxious to show off the city's good eating, so we went to the French Meadow for bruschetta, vegetarian chili, and spinach salad with warm, pepper-encrusted goat cheese and a blueberry vinaigrette; True Thai for egg rolls, red curry with kobocha squash, and Tom Yum soup; Cafe Brenda for hummus and red pepper/walnut/pomegrante dip with crudites and pita, vegetable croquettes, one of the chef's specials--a grilled zucchini-eggplant-heirloom tomato-lentil patty "stack" with sheep's cheese and guacamole--and baked vanilla custard; the Midtown Exchange for Manny's Tortas (because Las Lomas was out of tamales--though Heather got some the next day); Sebastian and Joe's for ice cream; the Old Spaghetti Factory for pasta; and the Bad Waitress and multiple Dunn Bros for coffee (and ice cremas!).

We did Uptown, downtown, and, yes, the MOA. Oh, and Rainbow, where Heather bought 50 pounds of peanut butter! Friday, we attended the Rally for the Economy, which occurred at the same time that McCain and Palin were addressing supporters in Anoka. Sunday, a friend and I biked in the Urban Assault Ride (pictures and post forthcoming), and that evening Heather and I attended "A View From the Bridge" at the Guthrie, for which a former student we'd bumped into on Friday, a Guthrie employee, had generously given us tickets! Monday, before she had to fly out, Heather even agreed to a spin down the Greenway and around Lake of the Isles on a borrowed bike.

We also managed to fit in a few meals at home, a survey class period and a tour of my department, a party at the chair's house (I'd told Heather earlier that she'd be the perfect excuse for me not to go, but she was game and we had a decent time!) and lots and lots of chatting.

I've been back to Walla Walla several times since moving to the midwest, and have taken advantage of the Swinjarnyars' hospitality there on multiple occasions, but it was really a privilege to have Heather come visit me here and see my home, school, and city. I introduced her to people here as one of my best friends, one I'd known since our freshman year of high school. That, ladies and gentlemen, is dedication, and I feel very fortunate indeed.

Pictures from the weekend; click here for larger versions and to comment:



(Remember, you, too, can join those who have experienced the wonders of the Chez Cerise Minneapolis Tour! I love visitors...)

Accounting

Internets, I haven't forgotten you. I've just had a hard time trying to figure out how to post about everything that's happened in the past two weeks. I got behind, and now it's a bit overwhelming.

Last Friday, I drove to Lincoln for the weekend (I couldn't blog about it beforehand because we were surprising Teri!). I came back on Wednesday, just hours before Heather (and V.) flew out from Walla Walla to visit me here. She flew home on Monday, after many adventures.

Since, I've been doing more running and biking and having a few more adventures, although, for better or worse, that still hasn't included much actual work. Last night I went to hear a friend of a friend's band play, and another friend asked, "Aren't you supposed to be staying home and writing your dissertation--?"

Probably.

Right now I need to grade some papers before tomorrow's class. But you can expect more stories (and pictures!) soon.

Stateside

I write from the Seattle Central Library, where rain is running down the fancy diamond-paned high-tech glass above and around me here on the 10th floor. I've read about this library, watched the excellent Ted presentation by one of its designers, looked at lots and lots of photos, and even written a short paper on it (as metaphor), but it's very exciting to actually be here in person--precipitation and all. Our brother picked my sister and me up last night after our flight back from Honolulu, and I crashed on his floor. We rode the bus into downtown together this morning, and in an hour I'll meet my aunt for lunch before catching another bus to the airport (where I was able to leave my suitcases last night).

In the meantime, I've been frantically reading blogs in an effort to avoid thinking about the reading lists for my exams. My advisor needs them, and I know I'll feel much better once I've actually submitted them, but in the meantime the task feels so daunting that I can't really face it. I'll face it soon, though, and it will be okay.

I have lots to say, though I'll have to save it for procrastination posts later. Remind me to write about...

• Hawaii! (Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Kailua Beach, and more...)
• Indiana Jones and Sex and the City
  
• Television and pop culture
• Barack Obama!
• Anxiety dreams and the causes thereof

I also have lots of pictures to post, so get ready!

Briefly

I just posted over at the dream blog.

That, and the news that my sister is flying in tomorrow!, are all I have for you tonight, because I have been staring at my computer for the better part of TWO DAYS working on a PROJECT,* and need to go stretch my eyeballs.

*A mostly fun one, involving things like making paintings, which neither serves any academic or financial purpose nor induces the stress generally involved with either, but which has also involved a lot of hunching over my computer, squinting at the screen, and cursing various layout programs. It may be a secret, so I won't tell more now, but I will at some point relatively soon.

Back from Seattle

I arrived in Minneapolis a little before 6:00 this morning, after "sleeping" for two and a half hours in the middle seat of the 48th (last) row of the plane. I hopped the lightrail and was home in time to grab a shower, eat some oatmeal, and grade and record the last of my quizzes before biking to school for the day.

I picked up a big coffee at the Bad Waitress on the way, but it apparently exploded at some point, so I ended up wearing about half of it. About half a mile from school, another biker passed me and called, "You're leaking!" Only, I thought he said, "You're late!" and figured it was one of my students, so I sped up. I realized about a minute later what he'd actually said... but because of the extra speed did end up being eight minutes early for class. (A fellow TA looked at the clock and said, "What are you doing here?!")

The remaining half of the coffee, unfortunately, was about as successful in overriding my sleepiness as the half on me. Making it through my three classes was pretty painful, and when I finally finished I came home and slept for two hours. Then I prepped for teaching tomorrow, and am now so exhausted that I'm going to have to sleep instead of writing all about my adventures on the Left Side of the country.

They were thoroughly exciting, though, from missing my first flight to hanging out with the whole family, from playing Wii for the first time to an on-location episode of Disaster Kitchen at my sister's house. I have another* take-home essay exam due Thursday, so depending how that goes, I'll either have to delay the update or procrastinate by blogging. Stay tuned.

* Another! I'm not sure I'd ever written one of these, and now both of my classes require them.

Short/shot

So I was going to post about tonight's drama, but now that it has finally subsided, I'm just too tired. I'll save it for tomorrow and leave you with this image from the annals, a friend's picture of my birthday party last August:*
It shows a nice view of the deltoid that didn't get this afternoon's flu shot. The other one has all the fun.

*Three of us were celebrating our birthdays, but I guess I got to blow out the candles because it was my house.

"...Lest we should grow too fond..."

One of my friends did send me her pictures from Sunday, so here are a few more views of the Twin Cities Marathon. I definitely look a bit rougher at the finish than I did at the start!

The first picture is of the view from the finish line, with the slight hill the runners descend (which many of them seem to use to pick up the speed for a final desperate push). You'll notice that I, on the other hand, could barely muster the inspiration to lift my feet, let alone escape the Pink Twins overtaking me in the next picture.

The great thing in this one is that you can see how I've rigged my fuel belt with duct tape and a safety pin to hold my packets of Sport Beans. At points during the race I wished I had been carrying a water bottle, as the water stations seemed few and far between in the heat and humidity.

And then here we are all at the finish line. My friend finished an hour and 10 minutes after I did, but said that since he'd been so slow during the race, his legs actually felt up to a mini-run on Monday. Monday!

I still haven't hit the trail at all, yet, although I have biked to and from school a few times. More updates on that will follow. (It's very exciting!)