There is nothing better than sharing a Sunday morning with someone you love. It's the only day of the week that I allow myself to linger in bed long enough to drift back asleep several times, especially after a night of waking every few hours and talking or laughing about the crazy dreams we've been having.
This morning, I treated my guest to a nice bowl of matcha, a powdered green tea that I've just discovered and am in love with. I then fried up some of last night's red-skinned new potatoes in butter, fresh rosemary, garlic, and onion, and topped it with a dash of pink Hawaiian salt.
We sat on the porch in the oddly autumnal 80 degrees, and as the sun warmed our backs, I thought that I wanted that moment to last forever. I used to dread Sunday mornings as a child because they meant a forced religious experience and rebellion against parental control. Now that I get to control my Sunday mornings, I think I want most of them to be just like this morning. It's 1o to 12, and I'm still in my pajamas, still thinking about the potatoes and the tea. Still feeling calm. I could get used to this.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
thursday lunch break
It's a rather unusual treat to be able to come home in the middle of the day and have the time to cook a proper meal. But it's one that I delighted in yesterday, as I made a delicious curried squash and red lentil soup with coconut milk. No, there were no clams or crostini in my soup, and I made my own curry mixture out of cinnamon, cardamom, cumin seeds, and cumin, and if I did it again, I'd almost certainly boil the lentils in the same pot as the vegetables. But that doesn't take away from the magic of enjoying the fruits of your labor at 1pm on a Thursday.
There's something about cooking in the middle of the day that just feels right -- you know you won't come home to the task of chopping and sautéing. You might have some dishes to catch up on, but you're free to just fry some eggs and boil some greens for dinner and call it a night.
Maybe my great-grandparents were on to something: maybe dinner is a midday meal afterall.
There's something about cooking in the middle of the day that just feels right -- you know you won't come home to the task of chopping and sautéing. You might have some dishes to catch up on, but you're free to just fry some eggs and boil some greens for dinner and call it a night.
Maybe my great-grandparents were on to something: maybe dinner is a midday meal afterall.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Food
School hasn't even started yet, and already I have a homework assignment that I've been procrastinating on.
My homework for this week was to create a weekly meal plan. In theory, it's the perfect assignment for me. I have to think through the week's meals, make sure I have the ingredients to make whatever I decide I want ahead of time, and then I don't really have to think about it once the insanity has begun.
The problem with schedules and plans like this is, as much as I love them, I also resent them for telling me what to do. I get bored and restless quickly. It all seems so mundane, so predictable. If I even make it through a week, I feel deflated. Life needs to be exciting -- the excitement of not knowing what I'm eating next, when my stomach's growling, I've got 30 emails to respond to, 300 pages to read, and 2 papers to write, is probably not the kind I'm looking for, though.
So I began my meal plan last night and have begun making preparations for snacking all week. I'm going to try to get away with only making 2 dishes this week, a curried squash and lentil soup and a simple millet casserole. I can eat them (separately) for dinners or lunches, paired with a nice greens salad or steamed vegetables. I have eggs and grains for breakfasts. Hopefully with time, this will get easier.
My homework for this week was to create a weekly meal plan. In theory, it's the perfect assignment for me. I have to think through the week's meals, make sure I have the ingredients to make whatever I decide I want ahead of time, and then I don't really have to think about it once the insanity has begun.
The problem with schedules and plans like this is, as much as I love them, I also resent them for telling me what to do. I get bored and restless quickly. It all seems so mundane, so predictable. If I even make it through a week, I feel deflated. Life needs to be exciting -- the excitement of not knowing what I'm eating next, when my stomach's growling, I've got 30 emails to respond to, 300 pages to read, and 2 papers to write, is probably not the kind I'm looking for, though.
So I began my meal plan last night and have begun making preparations for snacking all week. I'm going to try to get away with only making 2 dishes this week, a curried squash and lentil soup and a simple millet casserole. I can eat them (separately) for dinners or lunches, paired with a nice greens salad or steamed vegetables. I have eggs and grains for breakfasts. Hopefully with time, this will get easier.
Friday, August 21, 2009
School Year Resolutions
Every August for the past 24 years, I've followed the same routine. I've shaken off the summer, wrapping myself in the dreams of a crisp, clean new school year. The scent of freshly sharpened pencils, new paper, new shoes, and wooden desks atop shiny tiled floors is so strong in my memory that I can almost smell it even now, sitting at my desk at home.
My enthusiasm may have waned somewhat -- I no longer wash out new lunch bags days ahead of time out of sheer joy to be returning to the hallowed halls of learning. I no longer arrange all of my new school clothes into various outfits until I have found the perfect back to school match. I have a more realistic understanding of the monotony of the life of a student.
But even still, I get excited when it's time to buy new pens, pencils, notebooks, schoolbags, and yes, school clothes. THIS year, I tell myself, THIS year, I will do better. I will study harder, be more sociable, dress better, and, for the past four years, be a more engaging, fair teacher. Filled with possibilities, I make a personal schedule of classes and work dates and extracurricular activities and other obligations. Blocks of time take on different colors, and everything looks so sensible, so possible. I look forward to spending long dark evenings tucked away with life changing ideas, imagining myself as a sort of stylish monk, silent and focused yet comfortable. I truly believe that if I just make the right timetable and stick to it, that my life will be transformed.
And so, I list my school year resolutions for this, my 24th August of hitting the books:
1. Coffee shop study date with friends every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-12
2. Yoga at least twice a week
3. Walk at least 5 times a week
4. Lesson plan ahead of time
5. Actually do all the readings for my classes
6. Wake up no later than 6:30 on all weekdays
7. Wind down every night slowly, by reading something for pleasure
8. Blog often
9. Start research projects early
10. Prepare my own lunches. (I guess I'm still excited about finding a new lunch bag)
What are your school year resolutions?
My enthusiasm may have waned somewhat -- I no longer wash out new lunch bags days ahead of time out of sheer joy to be returning to the hallowed halls of learning. I no longer arrange all of my new school clothes into various outfits until I have found the perfect back to school match. I have a more realistic understanding of the monotony of the life of a student.
But even still, I get excited when it's time to buy new pens, pencils, notebooks, schoolbags, and yes, school clothes. THIS year, I tell myself, THIS year, I will do better. I will study harder, be more sociable, dress better, and, for the past four years, be a more engaging, fair teacher. Filled with possibilities, I make a personal schedule of classes and work dates and extracurricular activities and other obligations. Blocks of time take on different colors, and everything looks so sensible, so possible. I look forward to spending long dark evenings tucked away with life changing ideas, imagining myself as a sort of stylish monk, silent and focused yet comfortable. I truly believe that if I just make the right timetable and stick to it, that my life will be transformed.
And so, I list my school year resolutions for this, my 24th August of hitting the books:
1. Coffee shop study date with friends every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-12
2. Yoga at least twice a week
3. Walk at least 5 times a week
4. Lesson plan ahead of time
5. Actually do all the readings for my classes
6. Wake up no later than 6:30 on all weekdays
7. Wind down every night slowly, by reading something for pleasure
8. Blog often
9. Start research projects early
10. Prepare my own lunches. (I guess I'm still excited about finding a new lunch bag)
What are your school year resolutions?
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