5 Courses that I might take if I wasn't so lazy.

One of my favorite things to do is take classes. I Know! Strange, huh? You'd think I'd get enough of learnin' at work but it seems that I don't. I must need that constant reassurance that I can actually do something. something vital, something creative, something that I can bring home from the class that looks like a three year old did it then force my family to tell me that it is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen and that I should be calling Southeby's right this minute because they could sell it for a fortune but please don't because we love it so much that we would be wounded if you sold it. (that's the response that I want).

I want to feel like I am not just a pudgy body with a head stuffed full of trivia and a propensity for lazy. Which I totally am but I like to dream think that I'm not. I call this place in my head Princess Michele Land. It's the happiest place on earth.

Anyway......Let's get away from my crazy quirks and inadequacies. Let's go to the classes that I want to take.

Here in Houston we have something called............

Most cities have some sort of place like this, whether with their city/county parks department or independents. Ours is Leisure Learning Unlimited. They must be okay since I like their header. (yes, I am that superficial)


On with my list of must take courses.

 1. The Abstract Art of Fingerpainting for Adults

Bring your inner child, relax and have fun using the ancient art of fingerpainting to create unique works of art. Discover what you can accomplish with however many fingers (I so read this wrong. I thought they were implying that I could chose to leave some of my fingers at home. Then I was all; How does that work?) you choose to paint with! Check out samples at
www.lynnchatman.com.

Area of Town:	Greenway Plaza Area: 59/Weslayan
Price:	$50 + $40 materials fee (all provided in class)
Class #	Class Dates
T1266A	1 Mon 6:30-9:30pm Oct 18

How awesome does this sound?

2. Throw Paint!

Have you been looking for that splash of color for your home? Maybe you'd like to be the Jackson Pollack of the new millennia. Each student in this class, limited to six, will create a big, new painting by dripping, dropping, spraying, and throwing.

Area of Town:	Oak Forest: 290/Antoine
Price:	$72 + $45 & up for materials
Class #	Class Dates
T1329B	1 Sat 2-6pm Oct 2

This I could get into. Think of the stress relief. I'll have to sign up quick though. Or I could just throw some paint on a big canvas and save myself the money.

3. Three-Day Sailing

This class is "100% hands-on" aboard a 38' keelboat on Galveston Bay. The first day is described above (see 0015). The second day (five hours) includes instruction in man-overboard and heavy weather sailing and anchoring. The third class, another five hours, includes night navigation and use of one's senses in minimum visibility conditions. Upon completion, you'll earn a certificate and be ready to rent a boat. This curriculum maximizes your experience on the water; there is no classroom or bookwork. Suggested readings are provided upon request. NOTE: There are no refunds, credits or transfers after 5pm on the Thursday prior to class.

Area of Town:	Kemah/Portofino Marina: FM 2094/FM 146
Price:	$190

The whole family is thinking of taking this course. Actually, I've guilted JR into taking this course. My idea is to let him and the kids drive (drive. sail. whatever) the boat while I sit back, drink wine, and take the occasional picture to paint later. I think this plan has a lot going for it.

4. Goat Farming for Pleasure & Profit

It's possible to support your family with 50 goats on five acres. There have been a number of fads in the livestock farming industry. A few have worked but only for a short period of time. Eighty percent of Texas' cattle ranchers either break even or report a loss.

Area of Town:	Greenway Plaza Area: Richmond/Kirby
Price:	$36
Class #	Class Dates
T9158E	1 Wed 7-9pm Dec 1 & 1 Sun 5-7pm Dec 5

I seriously doubt I'll be keeping goats anytime soon but you never know when you need this type of information.

5. Basics of Paranormal Investigations-Ghost Hunting

Do something exciting! Become part of a ghost hunting team and play in a cemetery at night. Learn the terminology, basic tools and skills, safety procedures, rules and guidelines on conducting a paranormal investigation. Then take a trip to a cemetery in either Harris County or Bellville where, in the afternoon, you'll do some restoration work. Overnight, discover how the permanent residents there feel about your presence.

Instructor:	Jon Strohbehn
Area of Town:	Greenway Plaza Area: Richmond/Kirby
Price:	$50 + $25 for materials & cost for overnight camping + shared carpooling
Class #	Class Dates
T7291B	1 Sat 1:30-5:30pm Oct 16 & an overnight from 11am Sat to noon Sun Oct 30, 31

I love cemeteries so this one sounds like a great time.

If you want to take a look at any of the other courses offered I'm accepting all suggestions. Even Explosives Awareness: An Up Close & Personal Learning Experience That's a Blast! Okay, maybe not. I'm getting old and my hearing isn't what it use to be (or at least that is what I keep telling JR about why I don't always listen to him). 

What kinds of courses does your local area offer? Have you taken any of them? What is the strangest course you've ever taken?

Love,

M

PS. One of the strangest classes I've even taken was at Washington State University; "Sex, Society, and Evolution". It was so popular that it was a really difficult class to get into. I took it because it completed my minor in anthropology. I don't think that was why some of the students took it. What do you think?

Ever wonder what JR & I look like?

I'd say this looks about right.

Love,

M

Words of the day

Hands and feet in the car. 

Keep your safety belt fastened securely. 

It's time for Random Tuesday Thoughts.

I updated my Blogger this weekend. I'm not sure I like it yet. Or maybe I don't like change. Or maybe they gave it more functionality than I think I deserve.

So if this means this:

 than you would think that this word would be a contraction of 

Fugly + man

It made sense to me. 

At the time.

And I hadn't been drinking.

 Seems not so much.

 Haven't we all been burned by this:

Okay, I'm pretty sure I hate the new Blogger update.

This is my 599th post. I know it is not your typical milestone but I just don't think 599 gets the credit it deserves. 600 always steals the show. So.....Happy 599th post.

Please wait until the car comes to a complete stop. In the mean time leave a comment (if Blogger isn't being goofy again) then go visit others that random on Tuesdays. You'll find them at Keely's place

Have a great day everyone,

Love,
M

Everything was so good I wasn't sure which recipe to post

Saturday I handed the kids a couple of cookbooks with instructions to pick something they wanted me to make on Sunday. Then after they had spent an hour or so scanning cookbooks I totally ignored their suggestions and picked my own recipes to cook. I just like to mess with their heads every once in awhile. 

There are so few joys in my life. Screwing with my kids has always been the one I've held onto the tightest. Held onto like it was the only life vest on the Titanic. 


What I picked for Sunday dinner was:

Sweet Potato Souffle
Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower
and
Orzo Salad

I adapted all the recipes from the Tastes & Treasures cookbook that was given to me by my friends and co-workers at the Arizona State Library. It is a cookbook of historic Arizona. To say I adapted them is to really say that I used the recipe as a guideline only, not so much a rule.

Every single one of the dishes (We'll be revisiting this cookbook in the near future.) came out so awesome I wasn't sure which one to post.  I'll give you the only one I had the presence of mind to take a photo of. 

 

Don't worry, this looks a whole lot scarier than it really is. It only takes 1 bowl, 1 fry pan, and 1 pot.

Orzo Salad

Dijon Vinaigrette

 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon onion, minced

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Salad

 1 cup zucchini, sliced and halved

2 medium carrots, sliced

16 ounces orzo

8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, re-constituted and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

6 ounces reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

2 teaspoons dried basil or 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

Instructions

Grab yourself the biggest bowl you have. I'm not talking just a big mixing bowl. I'm talking the biggest pasta bowl you have ever seen. This recipe make enough to feed a small but respectable army. If you don't live with a small but respectable army you will want to cut this recipe in half. 

Make the vinaigrette in this bowl by whisking all the ingredients in the huge bowl in the order that I have listed them.

Salad

Cook the pasta as directed. While it is cooking prepare your veggies. In a large fry pan on medium heat cook the carrots for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another couple of minutes. Add to the big bowl with the vinaigrette. Sniff. Isn't that wonderful?

Drain pasta. Add to big bowl with the vinaigrette and veggies.

Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed. I toasted my pine nuts in the same cast iron fry pan that I cooked the veggie in. See, not so scary.

Toss. Serve at room temperature. 

This could be made ahead then refrigerated. Bring back to room temperature when you are ready to serve. Like I said, this recipe makes a boat load of salad. If you've got a potluck, family picnic or small invasion planned I'd take this salad. If I had to guess, I'd say that as this recipe is written it serves a good dozen or more people.

It was wonderful and I ate too much and I plan to eat too much for lunch for the next week. 

Love,

M

PS: this is your Meatless Monday recipe though I'm not strict on the Monday thing. Any day this week works for me.

Summer was a little tough on everyone

It's been a pretty rough summer.
Very hot and humid.
I am so ready for it to be over.

My sage and basil have been suffering.
I keep thinking that the rosemary would dry up but it has hung in there.
The strawberries were looking pretty peaky a couple of weeks ago but last weekend we had a ripe strawberry on it. Unfortunately, the birds got to it before I did.
The citronella and the oregano has been loving the heat. They are about the only ones.

Another couple of things that have been loving the heat and the shade of our patio are the gardenias. Look at those suckers!
Gardenias Gone Wild!
They are getting so wild that I've been considering trimming them. I think I'll wait until they flower. I'm thinking of the fragrance!

We are cooling down to the eighties next week and the humidity is suppose to let up.
Yay!!!!
Let "coffee on the patio" season begin.

Everyone have a great day today and a wonderful weekend.
Love,
M

For some reason guys do that sort of stuff

Who saw Modern Family last night?

Do you remember the scene where the Phil jumps on the car to make it stop?

Guys do that. For real!

Let me tell you a little camping/RVing story.

JR's parents had this 38 foot motorhome (no, not a tenement on wheels) that we would take out 3 or 4 times a year. You know, one of those get back to nature, teach the kids how to roast marshmallows yet take the microwave with us kind of outing. It was great fun. The boys loved it. Our oldest even named the thing, the Fun Car. At 3 I really think he hit the nail on that head. This is not the story.
This is the lead up.
Here is the real story.....

One fall weekend we took the Fun Car to a county park a couple of hours south of Seattle to spend it with some friends of ours (Phil and Val) who were the park managers. (A free camp site, Yay!). We drove around to the perfect site by the lake picked out by Phil.

It was a great site, generous in size, right by the lake, and had no real close neighbors. JR pulled the Fun Car into the site and set the brake. We decided that we would level up the vehicle, since there was a bit of a slope, after we had a little get together. Leveling took a little time, a little yelling and possibly some placing of blocks of wood under the tires or the jacks. Let's just all agree it was a pain and we wanted to get to the fun part of the trip.

Lawn chairs, red checked tablecloths and cold beer came out of the Fun Car. Boys tumbled out. Our friend's little girl skipped her way into the site. Parents settled in for a chat and the view. It was all good.

Or so we thought.

Our boys, who had been playing in the Fun Car since the day it came home from the dealership, decided that they wanted to "drive". All three children hopped into the Fun Car and proceeded to bounce around. Generally, having a great time.

While all this Fun Car mayhem was happening, us parents were sitting in lawn chairs situated between the Fun Car and the lake. Right on the shore. Close enough for toe dipping (if it wasn't Western Washington and freezing, that is). Completely enjoying each others company, our beers, and the relative quiet.

All of a sudden the Fun Car lurches forward.
Then starts to roll towards the lake.
The parents scatter.
There is much yelling.
Waving of arms may have happened.

JR, manfully, throws himself in front of this slowly rolling motorhome. A motorhome weighing thousands of pounds. That has got gravity and motion on it's side. He puts his back against the grill and braces his feet at the waters edge. All 175 pounds of him against thousands of pounds of motorhome. Phil adds his weight. Yeah, this is going to work.

What were we women doing while our brave (some would say stupid) men were trying to stop a moving vehicle in a single bound?

Val was standing off to the side, out of the way of any stupid or smart rescue attempts. Not because she wasn't concerned but because she knew that there was already enough chaos. And I had told her to. Why would I leave her all out of the fun? Because I was opening the door and climbing into the motorhome. I didn't need the competition.

Pushing wildly screaming children out of my way I make it to the driver's seat just in time for the Fun Car to abruptly stop.

I hadn't applied the brakes?
JR and Phil's weight could not have stopped this thing?
Val's obvious concerned look wouldn't have worked?
What stopped the vehicle from plunging into the lake?
(okay, plunging might be too strong of a word.)
Rolling into the lake with our precious children inside.

The parking curb!
That's right. A 6 inch high, 4 foot long piece of concrete bolted to the ground stopped the motorhome. God bless good design and physics (it had to have something to do with it).

I reset the brake (that the kids had released) and herded everyone out of the vehicle. We moved the lawn chairs from in front of the motorhome, as a precaution. Gave the kids a snack. Made them play outside of the motorhome, which they were only too happy to do and sat down to release our parental tension.

Then I started laughing. Not because it was a stress release (or maybe it was) but because the sight of JR throwing himself in front of a moving vehicle was the funniest thing I'd ever seen.

What the hell was he thinking?

I asked him; "What the hell were you thinking?"
JR: "I wasn't. I just knew that I had to keep the motorhome from going into the lake".
Me: "Pfft! Like your skinny butt was going to stop it".

We still laugh about it some 22 years later.

So last night when Phil from Modern Family jumped onto the car as it was rolling down the hill JR and I looked at each other and started laughing. Because we've been there.

Love,
M

Gift for a friend

My friend from Seattle came down to Houston last year for a long weekend visit. Except for airplane stops in Dallas she had never been to Texas. Texas needs to be seen close-up to really appreciate the experience and to say you've really been here.

We did all the touristy things. Which had to include a trip to the Alamo and dinner at our favorite Tex-Mex joint. A trip to Texas wouldn't be complete without a stop at Buc-ee's.



Buc-ee's is a gas station/convenience store/restaurant/souvenir shop. It is a self-contained bit of Texas kitsch.

Personally, I find it a wonderful anthropological and social experience of Texas. It has developed a bit of a cult-like following. From their "Got Beaver" signs along I-10, to their "Beaver Nuggets" (which I'm not sure what they are but I'm pretty sure contain copious amounts of fat and sugar and are probably fried in some way), people are drawn to Buc-ee's. It is sort of a Mecca for travelers. And we seem to make our own pilgrimage whenever we travel.

Unfortunately, the Buc-ee's off of I-10 is pretty far off of I-10 and we missed it on our way home from San Antonio. Meaning that my friend only got to see the awesome signs along the freeway. We called it a teaser to get her to come back.

Since it was her birthday last week (yes I am late) and we want to drag her away from that new grandbaby of her's for another long weekend in Texas and because I needed a diet coke on the way home from Dallas, we bought her a little gift.

A Buc-ee's T-shirt. We think she'll love it.

If you are reading this Sally; "Happy Birthday from JR and I". The T-shirt is in the mail. Please come visit. Bring baby pictures or video. Video is always good. And if you can't bring yourself to leave that little angel for a long weekend we'll see you in Seattle at Christmas. That is how much I love you (oh and, my kids of course. I love them too. And my mom. And all our other friends). I'll brave the gray, the rain and the cold for all of you.

Love,
M

Lucky in Dallas

After a couple of fails (yes, waiter at the Irish pub on the N. Central Expressway, I would be talking about you. 45 minutes to get a menu is unacceptable. Having to get up and get them myself is ridiculous. $7.95 for a glass of house red after all that waiting is robbery. Our second waiter was much better but did we have to have two? ) at finding a decent place to eat in Dallas we did what any smart person would do. We asked a local where a good place to have breakfast was. In the parking lot of the frou frou Starbucks. She looked at us a little strange at first but she got over it. We don't normally look like serial killers but we hadn't had our coffee yet.

She had 2 suggestions. The first, was if we wanted to eat hardy food. The second, was if we wanted to eat chi chi food. (her words).

Now, I like chi chi food as well as the next person but we wanted hardy for the drive back to Houston.

So hardy it was.

That took us to Lucky's.



I was totally charmed from the first moment we walked in the door. As MaryAnne texted me....Lucky's is Fab!



We were meet by the sweetest and smartest gentleman ever.

Gentleman: Welcome to Lucky's. Sir, I see you brought your daughter for breakfast.
JR: Hahaha (after a quelling look from me) yes I did.
Gentleman: How about you take that nice place by the window.


As you can see by my half eaten (sorry I was really hungry and forgot to take the picture before I started to chow down.) huevos rancheros. The food was hardy. JR had the migas. He loved it though he wasn't as thrilled with their refried beans. They were a little spicy for him. We didn't trade because the refried beans were not vegetarian but I had extra black beans that I was willing to share so he got filled up.

What can I say about the wait staff? Wonderful! Menu = check, water = check, coffee = YES and plenty of it!!!!, hot food = check.

All and all a great experience in a place that I felt at home in. How could I not? Look at all the paintings of dogs in the first picture.

If you are ever in Dallas stop into Lucky's. It is well worth it.


Love,
M

Sometimes a chart is the best visual

Have a great weekend everyone.

Love,
M

How did I miss this place?

You all know me. You know how I seek out weird, unusual and down right strange places. You know that I love nothing better than a good huge chicken/arrows/cows/whatever standing along side the road. I love the old, the slightly crazy, the falling down stuff.

I've seen giant chickens set atop a fair ground entrance sign in Indiana. A crazy house turned church turned just-to-odd-to-be-real in Mississippi. I've seen two huge steel arrows rusting alongside I-40 in Twin Arrows, Arizona. I've eaten at that strange place in Austin, Texas with the travel trailers sitting in the parking lot. I've driven by the road sign in Nebraska that said "Scenic Vista ahead"; knowing that 'scenic vista' and Nebraska should never be used in the same sentence.

I do weird.
I do travel weird.
I seek out the unusual.

I've been to Kingman, Flagstaff, and Winslow.
I've stood on the flippin' corner in Winslow.
I've seen the sites that are Camp Verde.
I've even been to Pinetop (in the very very bottom far right corner of the map)
So how in God's name did I miss Seligman, Arizona?

These pics were sent to me from my friend Candy on her trip from Bullhead City, Arizona to Macinaw Island, Michigan.
And I'm jealous.
And sad.
And angry that I didn't get here when I lived in Arizona all that time.
What the hell was I doing?

A big chicken on the side of the road.
*sniff*
I love me some big fake chickens.

A stone squirrel on a lamp post.
I'd kill to see this.
*weeps just a little*

A crazy decorated old car.
With plastic flowers as a hood ornament.
*out right crying right now*

It totally boggles the mind how I could miss a place as colorful as this.
*Excuse me. I need a minute*
*okay, I think I have myself together again*

It is obvious to me that I am just going to have to go back to Arizona by way of Route 66 this time. Then I'll be able to visit the Slug Bug Ranch in west Texas.

An excellent idea if I do say so!

JR and I will be traveling up to Dallas tomorrow to watch the Washington State Cougars get beat up by the Southern Methodist??????Preachers? I don't know what they are called. We are not in any hurry so I'm hoping to convince JR to take the back roads. He is pretty accommodating of my need to see the interesting and unusual. Though he just doesn't see the need to go out of his way to see falling down old houses. So if I don't check in much it is because we are seeking out interesting sites in east Texas.


Love,
M

5 Random Things because I can't think of 10.

When you don't have anything to write about do a list.
A list that has no context or order.
Then call it your Random Thoughts post because really who's going to call you on it?
It's random it qualifies.
You want non-lame?
Un-lame?
You'd have visited The Un-Mom for that.
Here's her new button.
Press it for Un-lame posts.

1. Like the new banner? It's from a 1950s wine list. I do find the oddest things or maybe they find me? Here is something else from the same wine list.

in vino veritas = in wine truth

A girl bathing in wine. I feel pretty comfortable with this. It looks like a white so there shouldn't be too much skin staining.

2. My iTouch loses it's charge in about 2 hours. It's really pissing me off.

3. Coffee = consciousness. I'm just saying.

4. I could do this:

Then I fall flat on my butt managing along the way to suffer abrasions and contusions. Most of those abrasions and contusions in places where I didn't actually land.


5. What the......?

I'm not sure where or should I say when the USDA is living but if the top 2 home activities are "building a fire inside" and "butchering animals" I'm pretty sure I've been sent back to the 19th century. Maybe, someone should mention that they need to update their database. Don't look at me....I'm getting a kick out of looking for obscure activities. What's next, ironing a petticoat? Maybe, cooking Indian bread on an outside stove, oh wait that is one of the options.


6. The title may say 5 but I can't seem to stick with any kind of order today. I have owned a lucky bamboo for over 1 year that I haven't been able to kill. This is a first. My usual kill-time of lucky bamboo is 1 month. Does this mean my luck is changing? To the good?




Thanks for droppin' by, ya'll come back now.
Ya hear!
Now, Go! Visit!

Love,
M

September 13, 1941

I was 29 years old, 2 months before I turned 30. Virtually an old maid. Oh wait, I was an old maid. What's worse? I was a 29 year old school teacher living in a small town in Montana. Could it get any worse? Oh yeah it could, I was a tallish 29 year old over educated school teacher living in a very small town on the plains of Montana. Yep, it can get worse.


How would I ever find someone to marry? If I didn't get married I wouldn't have any children. I loved children and wanted a bunch of them. Bunches and bunches of them.


But in 1941 the deal was; you had to be married to have kids. To get married you had to meet someone. Someone who is single (never been married is best), about your age, and preferable someone you liked. Someone you could spend the rest of your life with because in 1941 they took that "death do you part" thing very seriously.


I found someone in Montana and married him in Seattle, Washington on September 13, 1941. He was living there at the time. There wasn't much work anywhere, 12 years into the Great Depression and the war in Europe was intensifying, so he had moved to Seattle to find work. Boeing was busy making planes and PACCAR was busy making Sherman tanks. Farm boy that he was; he knew how to weld. He knew how to fix things. He would and did make a good provider.




The wedding party was small. Just a few people. Our parents weren't able to make it. The photographs taken were candid ones taken by friends. My trousseau was small and the honeymoon was a steamship trip to Alaska. Alaska in early September is exceptionally beautiful. We took a lot of photographs. As a newly married couple it was wildly expensive to send them in to have them developed but worth every penny. The small black and white photos that remain just don't do it justice.


I spent the whole of my 51 years of marriage in the Seattle area making friends, making a home and making a family. I would have 5 pregnancies and 3 children. I would watch them become fine men who would give me 6 fine grandsons.
Somedays, I might regret making the choice I made but most days I wouldn't.
Somedays, I might regret giving up my career but most days I wouldn't.
Somedays, I might regret living far from the parents I loved but most days I wouldn't
Because, such was life. Such was marriage. Such was love.

Love,
M

Happy anniversary Margaret wherever you are.

PS: I took control of keeping her (my mother-in-law's, sorry for the confusion) wedding dress, hat, identification tickets, and nightgown after a desperate call from her. Eddie, bless his heart (and I mean that in the best Southern way) figured she was never going to wear it so there was no reason to keep it. Why do I still have it? I have no idea. It is not like I can wear it. Maybe, it just meant a lot to her so it meant a lot to me. Maybe, it is just an awesome homemade vintage piece of Americana that I will someday hang on my wall. Which is so something I would do. Strange that I kept it because I'm not sure if I could put my hands on my own wedding dress right now. I think my mom has it.

Lemon Risotto

I adapted this recipe from my new Entertaining with the Seasons, A Year of Recipes by Williams-Sonoma (yes I did buy another new cookbook. Yes, I do realize I have a problem but you have to give me credit for admitting it. Yes, you do. Isn't admitting an addiction the first step in recovery?)

Lemon Risotto

3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons onion, chopped
2 1/4 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large sauce pan over high heat, combine the vegetable stock and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer while you do all the other stuff.

In another sauce pan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the rice and stir. When it is opaque add the 1/2 cup of white wine. Adjust the heat to a simmer and let it cook down. Add about 3/4 cup of the broth. Cook on simmer and stir frequently until most of the stock is absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 3/4 cup at a time and stirring until all but about 1/2 cup has been used. The rice should be just about tender. About 20-25 minutes.

Add lemon juice to remaining broth. Add to rice mixture. Cook while stirring. Add remaining butter and Parmesan cheese stirring constantly. Taste for salt, adjust if necessary.

Serves 6 huge portions.

The next day I took the leftovers, rolled them into small balls, breaded them with Italian seasoned bread crumbs then fried them in olive oil. OMG! They were just as good as fried mac and cheese. I swear to all that is holy that I never in a million years thought I would write that last sentence. I just didn't know what a delicacy fried mac and cheese was until I moved to the South.

Please try the risotto, you'll be glad you did.
If you try the fried risotto balls it is on your head. They are rather addicting. They are just so good they should be outlawed. I'm glad they are not but they should be.

Love,
M

Gone with the Wind

I bet you all thought I was using the title to talk about something stupid I've done lately ("with enough courage, you can do without a reputation").
Or how money is slipping through my hands (well, it is but that subject is painful and I don't want to go there. "I'll think about that tomorrow").
Or how to cook your beans so they don't make you gassy (good topic but not for today. "Fiddledee dee ")


Nope, I'm going to talk about my First Edition of Gone with the Wind. Years ago after my mother-in-law died I went through her stuff. Isn't it nice that I held off until then?

Anyway, one of the things that I kept (not to be confused with all the other crap I've kept. I have totally mad packing skills. Did I tell you that? I do! It's like a gift) was this book. I didn't keep it because I thought it had or may in the future have some monetary value. I kept it because it was my MIL's favorite book.


I knew I could never get rid of it.

Near the end of her life my MIL was too frail to hold a book and her eyes were too bad to see the words on the page. This was a sad sad thing for a former high school Literature and English teacher.

I would come over to her house everyday for tea and cookies and to read to her. It was from this book that we first started our daily tea. It was from this book that we developed our friendship and it was from this book that I came to understand her and to fall in love with her. For 10 years we followed this ritual. Is it any wonder that 10 years after her death I would become a librarian? (Though she wanted me to become a nurse. Poking people with a needle? I don't think so.)

Along with her poetry books it is a comfort to me to have this book sitting on my shelf.

Why did I chose today to talk about this particular book? Because today is the day of a surprise screening of the Gone with the Wind movie in Hollywood.


Love,
M


PS: photos courtesy of http://www.gwtwbooks.com/FirstEdition/PointsOfIssue.htm because I was too lame this morning to take a picture of my copy this morning.

Do you think this is a theme when we are together?

It seems that I have more pictures of my friend Rachel that look like this:

Than like this:

See the difference?

I'm pretty sure it is all my fault.

Love
M

RTT - Sushi and Sangria and cupcakes.

Lookee! Keely's been dicking (her word, not mine) around with the button and her computer all weekend. Grab the new button. Join the fun.




We had a small thing at our house this weekend. Nothing big just a few friends over for sushi rolling, sangria and cupcakes. It was a roll your own kind of thing. Lots of fun was had. Lessons were learned. Like:

• How to actually roll sushi. None of us had ever done it before.
  
• If you have a choice between making your own sticky rice, buying it already made at the grocery store or buying it in the microwave package by Annie's. Go for the Annie's stuff. It is easier to work with.
  
• Sangria is the perfect compliment.
• And cupcakes are never wrong.
  

Remember last week when I posted that very nice press release that Marisa wrote. Even if she got the spelling of my name wrong. Well, it's been picked up by no less than a dozen web news sites, blogs and websites. Some of them are actually authoritative sciencey or newsy types. Most are in India. This could mean several things:

1. That I'm popular in a country where the populace is least likely to have internet service so, meh, not really that popular.
2. That there is not a lot of real news out there so news agencies have to pull stuff like this out of the barrel. AND...
3. If everyone gets 15 minutes of fame, mine is in India.

Katie and I finished the video late Friday night. Go check it out. If you can stand the fight song played by a big band or want to hear the word "spontaneously" used in a sentence 4 times during a 6 minute video.


Made an excellent lemon risotto and a spinach gratin for dinner last night. I'll post the recipe later.


The scabs on my big Boo Boos are starting to shed. It's not pretty. And, you are most welcome for THAT visual this morning. You didn't REALLY want that breakfast did you, now?


Nessa and the kittah were having a pretty good time last night. Nessa gave up the game to the cat pretty early on.





There you go. My weekend in a nut shell. As you can plainly see, I, too, have been dicking around on my computer all weekend. Tell me what you think then go visit a few others.

Love,
M

This is what I've been up to this week - updated

In 1955, the yearbook staff at the University of Houston produced a vinyl 45 record to go along with the yearbook. They had a sleeve made in the cover of the yearbook and everything.

As we were scanning the yearbook we found it. My first thought was "AWESOME, let's digitize it." This may have been accompanied by happy dancing and maybe some fist-bumping. All in a totally dignified way, of course. I am a librarian. After I settled down I got on the phone to the music librarian to ask about whether she had the equipment to convert vinyl to digital. The answer was "Hells Yes!" In a dignified way, of course. She is a librarian.

While the music librarian and I were digitizing it I had another brainstorm; let's make it into a video to go with images in the yearbook. Once again, the music librarian was on-board with the idea. More fist-bumping and happy dancing may have ensued. In a dignified way, of course. We are librarians.

So yesterday morning for 3 hours we produced 3 minutes of video. More fist-bumping, a couple of high-fives and some happy dancing in our chairs could have happened. All very dignified, of course. We are librarians.

Side A is 6.33 minutes so we are only half done but I am so in love with this thing I just had to share. (we as directors have made the decision to cut the last 30 to 40 seconds for artist reasons. Okay, not artistic. It is the orchestra playing White Christmas and we didn't want to get sued)

We finished the whole thing.
Here is your sneak preview of:

Birth of an Idea
images produced by the 1955 UH yearbook staff,
audio and vinyl produced by KUHT, KUHF & Universal Recorders, INC.
Music by Ed Gerlach and his orchestra,
Voice of: Jack Bailey (I'm pretty sure this is the same guy)
Audio Digitizing and technical editor: Katie (the music librarian, she knows how to use the Mac software while I'm stuck using the crappy PC software. No more! I will learn it if it kills me)
Image digitizing and choice, directing, producing, and promoting: Yours truly



We have time set up to finish the remaining 3 minutes today. We'll upload the whole thing into Youtube this afternoon. It shouldn't take 3 hours because we have all the images already chosen, loaded into the software, and I've got a quasi storyboard thing going. See, how I threw around a technical term. (Gretchen? That is one, right?)

I, now, know how much work Ken Burn's goes through, though to be honest, once you have the images lined up and the text recorded a Mac computer can kick out a bitchin' video in no time. Or in our case an hour for one minute. So never mind, it's nothing like what Ken Burn's does.

I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to watch the whole thing let me know and I'll post the link.

Love,
M


PS: this will be produced under a creative commons license. Cuz, we are all about sharing.
Side B will be done in about a month or so.

Marisa writes a damn fine article if I do say so myself

She posted it here and here. And, check out the collection here.

Love,
M