Right Now

Right now, I am:
1) Trying to find the best organizational scheme to help a farmers market in TX implement a SNAPS/Food stamps acceptance program. Oh, and they don't have access to a power source. Oh, and I have to write a 10-20 page paper on that.

2) Conducting sham reference queries for online virtual librarians to test their success and professionalism. So far, they're doing a bad job. Oh, and I have to write a paper on that.

3) Writing a 12 page literature review on the authenticity of electronic documents in an archival setting.

4) Packing stuff to put into storage.

5) Packing stuff for a trip to Boston we're taking in under a week.

6) Feeling like I might be getting sick (and following all the steps listed in the previous post).

7) Working between 9 and 12 hours a day at work.

8) Nursing my chickens through our first big molt.

9) Knitting in the round while watching class (helps me pay attention, oddly enough).

10) Crocheting miniature granny squares for stress relief.

11) Serving as this week's course discussion leader in my archiving class.

12) Battling a tap-dancing Elf dog that likes to start his routine at 5:45 each morning: 15 minutes before the alarm goes off! Argh!

Cold/Flu

Celestial Seasonings Echinacea Complete Care tea has found its way into my teacup, so it's fair to say that cold and flu season is here. I generally work really hard to stay healthy through the winter, and I'm usually pretty successful. Though I often feel like I'm catching something, I rarely have a full-blown cold/flu (knock on wood). When I start to feel like I am coming down with something, I've found these precautions to be extremely helpful in fighting it off:

Echinacea: taken at the first twinge of a sore throat or body ache, I think this stuff really works. However, half of the secret is believing, like Santa. It loses its magic if you don't believe.

Emergen-C/Airborne: I think it really tastes gross (Aaron won't even drink it) but I notice improvement within a couple of hours, if I take it early enough.

Gargle: take warm salt water and gargle repeatedly. Swab the inside of your nose with it, too. It helps.

Hot beverages: I think it is related to the warm gargle thing. The steam helps you rid the germs.

Lots of fluids: flush those bad boys out of your system.

soup: At the first sign of feeling a little under the weather, I crack out the miso paste. Aaron knows that if I am in the kitchen standing over a broth he should look out because I don't feel good. I think that this is also related to the gargle, as it is basically hot salt water, when you break it down. I also think that putting as many vitamin-rich things in it as possible and some protein will help you boost your immune system. Adding some noodles for carbs doesn't hurt, either. I find that when I don't feel good, soup is all I want. I put onions, carrots, spinach, seaweed, rice noodles and lots of other stuff into my miso soup. It usually makes me feel better within a few hours. When I'm really sick, it's chicken soup all the way.

Hot shower: kick out those germs.

Washing hands: I try not to touch my face and I usually wash my hands before and after I use the restroom.

A good night's sleep: even if it means taking something to help you stay asleep, sometimes it is what your body needs.

Keeping distance: I feel like Kramer, but I catch myself literally wince and back away when someone coughs around me. I also notice that I'm really bad about giving people dirty looks when they are sick in public. I may have yelled at a lady on an airplane about not wearing a face mask because she was coughing all over the place. I may have made her change seats. *cringe* Whatever, I want to stay healthy. I think that once you have that first cold of the season, it is really hard to get your immune system back in 100% working order, so putting that off for as long as possible is key.

kitchen classification assignment

Just in case you were wondering, here are the contents of my spice cupboard, cataloged for a class.

Spices

Bulk

Cloves (whole, bulk)

Pepper, crushed red (bulk)

Small containers

Individual spices

Ajwain

Allspice (ground)

Anise

Anise (ground)

Anise (star)

Anise seed (x2)

Asafoetida powder

Bay leaves

Caraway

Cardamom

Celery seed

Cinnamon

Cinnamon (ground)

Cinnamon (stick)

Cloves

Cloves (ground)

Cloves (whole)

Coriander

Coriander (ground)

Coriander flakes

Coriander seeds

Cumin

Fenugreek

Garlic powder

Ginger (ground)

Kasoori methi

Lemon grass

Lemon grass (coarse)

Lemon grass (ground)

Mango powder

Mint

Mint (ground)

Mint (whole leaf)

Mustard seed

Nutmeg (ground)

Onion seeds

Oregano (x2)

Paprika (unlabeled)

Pepper

Pepper, black

Pepper, cayenne (x2)

Pepper, crushed red

Poppy seeds

Rosemary

Sage (unbottled)

Salt

Salt, sea

Salt, red (x2, unlabeled)

Salt, table

Sesame seeds, black

Thyme (x2)

Turmeric (ground)

Spice mixes

Bell’s seasoning

Bharat spice mix (labeled in Hebrew)

Cajun seasoning mix

Chili powder

Coffee Spices (x2)

Curry powder (x2, one unlabeled, one mislabeled)

Garam masala

Kansas City steak seasoning

Mulling spices

Mrs. Dash

Pilau masala mix

Salsa spice mix (hot)

Spaghetti sauce spice mix (unlabeled)

Tandoori spice mix

Za’atar (labeled in Hebrew)

Baking supplies

Cream of tartar

Extract

Almond extract

Anise extract

Cinnamon oil

Rose oil

Vanilla extract

Food coloring

Nonpareils, multicolored

Pumpkin pie spice mix

Sprinkles

Sprinkles, green (green apple flavor)

Sprinkles, green

Sprinkles, red

Vanilla bean

Other

Bulk

Honey (bulk)

11 empty jars

Grinding Instruments

Electric grinder

Mortar and pestle

Honey

Honey (cheap)

Honey (artisan: 4 instances)

About a Train

Can I just say that I love taking trains? Last week, I took an Amtrak from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee and back again. Night trains both ways. I wanted to take the train because I’ve had such bad luck with flights lately. Also, I am kind of angry that the airlines are trying to control everything you do as a traveler and they’re getting really mean about it, as if we're not supposed to bring anything with us or desire any kind of nourishment on our journeys. Not to mention that there is no airport stress. So, for now I’d rather give my money to the train companies in an effort to encourage others to do the same. Maybe the prices will even go down if there is demand.

People complain that trains take too long, but really, I find that to be refreshing. It was so nice to have some me-time. I went to the lounge, I read, I listened to Mennonites talk. The best part is that almost all of the employees on the trains were not only friendly, but funny and warmhearted. I met some really interesting people.

This one lady getting on at Pittsburgh must have been at least 85. She was wearing a fancy party dress, a sheer, sequined capelet, and a veiled pillbox hat. She also had a vintage overnight bag, a husband who didn’t say a word, and she flirted with all of the "red caps."

And there is a part of me that likes not being found for a little while. With many airlines now having wifi, there are not too many places where you can simply be out of reach. Spending a few quiet hours without much contact with the outside world does everyone good, I’d say. It’s as if the world is held in suspension for a time and you can sit back, be quiet, and gain some perspective. And sleeper cars? Is there a more romantic form of travel? I will definitely try to make the time to take the train whenever possible.

Whip It

Has anyone seen the movie Whip It? If not, I am here to say that it is surprisingly very good. Not perfect, but good. I took it home from work on a whim and Aaron and I were both kind of blown away by the sweet, simple, feminist, anti-norm message. Even more so because it's Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. She did a lovely job. It's a good movie for teen girls, I think.

It's all about roller derby. It actually inspired us to find a roller derby "bout" and go to it over the weekend. It was kind of weird and fun in an underground Pittsburgh tough girl kind of way. Reason #986 Why I Love Aaron: it was his first ever live sporting event. That kid is just too adorable for words.

Lots going on

There is a lot going on here. I feel like I am in a race to preserve food. I roasted a ton of eggplant yesterday, made eggplant parm the other day (awesome), processed a bushel of apples today (meaning washed, cut and juiced them, hopefully for cider), made stuffed peppers for the freezer, made lots of gazpacho in the last few weeks, froze a bunch of fruits and veggies, made two quiches for the freezer, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. And now I'm convincing myself I should try making mead and the rest of the eggplant is demanding to be made into baba ganoush. Whew. It's awesome, but it's a lot of work. I am glad that I have a little break before school starts again.

Seriously, I need someone to come over and can stuff with me. I am too afraid to do it by myself. It just seems like a job you do with someone else. I am wondering if I can food process cherry tomatoes and can them. Do you think? I'd add them to soup and stuff. I have about a million and more keep coming.

Blueberry Picking 2010

Meg of my heart

Meghan came to visit at the time I needed her most of all, which was very convenient and soul-mending. We grilled, we played pool in the weirdest old-school pool hall known to man, we had a car towed, we went to the Andy Warhol museum, but most importantly, we did some serious hanging out. I miss you, Meghan. I wish we lived closer. Thank you so much for coming here and cheering me up.

I love Summer

Though I am typically a winter person, yesterday pretty much confirmed the great things about summer. I picked 24 cherry tomatoes and two bell peppers from the garden. We bought fresh corn from local farmers on the side of the road. We went to the farmer's market and bought a ton of stuff, simply because it was so cheap and so fresh. $1 for a pint of basil (even though we're growing our own...I couldn't pass it up: an extra batch of pesto to have in winter). $2 for a ton of eggplant, promptly made into a caponata and placed in the freezer. 3/$1 cucumbers that are so sweet and snappy. 2/$1 (huge) zucchini that will be stuffed and frozen shortly. 2 pints of fresh, local peaches also came home with us not long ago.

Also, we have been picking apples from our trees like crazy. We'd like to try making cider this time around. The problem is that our trees are too tall. I can't get to most of the apples, even with a ladder and a picker. Now I know that dwarf trees might be the way to go, next time around.

Links

Here are a couple of cool links sure to suck you in before you know it.

1) Hippy Kitchens. Long hair, bellbottoms, crazy wallpaper. Need I say more?

2) Picture Book Report. Really cool images of the best scenes from your favorite books.

Birthday Gift Craft

Aaron made me this pretty leaf box for my birthday. I just love it. I even cleaned so that I could put it on display. That's really saying something.

Anniversary Gift

Remember last year, when Aaron made me the most beautiful wood/paper lantern for our first anniversary? So lovely. I use it everyday and it makes me smile. If you can believe it, I think he actually topped himself this year! He made me something that I have wanted for a long time. I am kind of still in shock over how incredible it is. Aaron made me a hope chest.


I know, right?! It's phenomenal! I can't believe he made this. It was a labor of love, for sure. He'd spend a few hours working on it every day, over several months. The best part is that he managed to keep it a secret.





The second anniversary is "cotton." I love that he took the theme and came up with something so creative. I am washing all of my favorite linens to put into my new chest.