With the New Year upon us, I'm sure a lot of you are considering and probably also scorning the idea of making a New Year's Resolution for 2014. I'm here to tell you that you should do it. But first, you should change the way you think about it.
As you probably know if you are reading this at all, a year and a half ago I created a "25 for 25" list for myself, of 25 things I wanted to do while I was 25. And as you also probably know, I consider it one of the best things I ever did for myself. I created another list when I turned 26 this May.
The difference between these lists and a traditional New Year's Resolution is that my intent is not to change or better myself. I am not focusing on habits that I want to get rid of or fixing things that I don't like about myself.
I am focusing on making each year, each day, each minute the best that it can be.
Instead of focusing on abstract ideas, I am focusing on real, tangible, achievable goals that I write down, and then (mostly) check off.
So, do this for yourself.
What's something that you would love to achieve for yourself next year? Something that will challenge you, but that you can totally achieve if you put your mind to it? Maybe something that you will impress everyone, including yourself, by doing? Something that will make you look back on 2014 and say, "That was the year I did ______."
2013 was the year I visited Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas all for the first time. It was the year I got my first commissioned work of poetry published. It was the year I reached 5,000 views on this blog.
Next year I'll get married, that will be a big one. But I'll also write one work of fiction, from beginning to end. I'll read a few more books on my endless list (11 to go, to be exact). With your help I'll reach 10,000 views on this blog.
I'll volunteer, I'll cook, and I'll continue to do yoga, because I love all of those things. I'll thank myself for creating and then completing the challenge. Or, I'll forgive myself for leaving one or two things on the list without a check mark. I'll note it, and I'll move on to the next day.
Do this for 2014, and you'll be amazed at how time ceases to slip between your fingers. Take hold of the year! Make it one for the record books!
Okay, I'm done preaching. What do I know, anyway, at 26? But I do hope you'll take my advice, in whatever form that advice may resonate with and or work for you. Here are some ideas to get you rolling:
1. Read a book. ONE book. Finish it. Slam it shut. Reward yourself.
2. Try a new restaurant. Just one, or one a month, or once every meal. Or just turn off the TV while you eat. You may realize you actually enjoy the taste of food.
3. Take a class. Whether its yoga or cake decorating, focusing on nothing but your own personal growth for a length of time will help you remember what it is you're passionate about.
4. Do something that scares you. Take a bus somewhere, by yourself. Pick up a spider and let him outside instead of squishing him. Jump out of an airplane. Whatever it is, you'll probably feel horrible right before doing it and then great right after. It's addicting.
5. Do something for someone else. I made a point to start volunteering with the list. Volunteer your time to any cause you are passionate about. Or just make a point to spend more time with your family, or be nicer to people you see every day. You'll feel better about yourself without even realizing why.
I'm excited for 2014 and I hope you are too! I hope to hear all about your resolutions and look forward to sharing my own successes (and failures) in the year to come. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Beef Tongue: Like Chewing Your Own Tongue
Maybe we celebrate too much. Or, maybe the rest of your aren't celebrating enough. But on November 23rd we had another anniversary to celebrate- it was one year since Ronnie proposed.
Since he took me out for our anti-versary it was my time to pull off a surprise. I chose Oyamel, a Mexican tapas restaurant by DC-famous chef Jose Andres. I knew Ronnie had been dying to try it.
(#2) Try 26 New Foods:
1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles
8. Hemp Vodka
9. Uni
10. Beef Tongue
11. Amaranth
The good thing about tapas for us (other than everything, who doesn't love tapas) is that the tiny sizes embolden us to try new foods. Its only two bites, and if you don't like it, there are plenty of other things to try. With that in mind, we ordered a beef tongue taco.
We've seen plenty of people eat beef tongue on TV, though it usually involves some kind of dare, so we figured it couldn't be that bad. Its not really an "organ" organ, right? We like beef, right?
Truthfully it wasn't that bad.
If I had to compare it to something I'd say it was like a really cheap and ill-prepared steak. It definitely tasted like beef. But the texture was not great and the flavor was more...gamey? More like beef than I like to taste in my beef.
Ronnie "held his tongue" (see what I did there?) and did not mention until after we finished eating that the texture reminded him of how it feels to chew on your own tongue. Except instead of stopping and saying "ow" you just kept on chewing and eventually swallow.
I probably just ruined the whole trying-beef-tongue thing for everyone. Sorry. You're not missing too much.
What I was most looking forward to was the ceviche, something I love but will only order from a place I know can do it right. This one was done right. We had ceviche de atún, which had tuna, avocado, scallions, and another new food- amaranth.
I wish I took a picture but I couldn't stop eating because it was so delicious. Here is a nice picture of amaranth courtesy of a Google image search:
It is a tiny grain, even smaller than quinoa. In this case it was fried so it didn't add much other than a crispy texture. But I certainly didn't mind it.
One thing I DID take a picture of was this miracle of science:
It's a margarita, but that is not just ordinary foam on the top. That, my friends, is "salt air." A delicious salty foamy creation made by bartending geniuses so that with every little sip of margarita you get a burst of salty goodness.
No more licking your glass like a savage. This is the wave of the future.
Also, if you're going to have a $12 margarita, you might as well do it right.
All in all it was a great meal, capped off with one of the best tres leches cakes- nay, one of the best desserts- we'd ever had. A bit pricey, but a good place to celebrate your engage-iversary or your anti-versary or your Tuesday-iversary or whatever else you may be celebrating this week.
Since he took me out for our anti-versary it was my time to pull off a surprise. I chose Oyamel, a Mexican tapas restaurant by DC-famous chef Jose Andres. I knew Ronnie had been dying to try it.
(#2) Try 26 New Foods:
1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles
8. Hemp Vodka
9. Uni
10. Beef Tongue
11. Amaranth
The good thing about tapas for us (other than everything, who doesn't love tapas) is that the tiny sizes embolden us to try new foods. Its only two bites, and if you don't like it, there are plenty of other things to try. With that in mind, we ordered a beef tongue taco.
We've seen plenty of people eat beef tongue on TV, though it usually involves some kind of dare, so we figured it couldn't be that bad. Its not really an "organ" organ, right? We like beef, right?
Truthfully it wasn't that bad.
If I had to compare it to something I'd say it was like a really cheap and ill-prepared steak. It definitely tasted like beef. But the texture was not great and the flavor was more...gamey? More like beef than I like to taste in my beef.
Ronnie "held his tongue" (see what I did there?) and did not mention until after we finished eating that the texture reminded him of how it feels to chew on your own tongue. Except instead of stopping and saying "ow" you just kept on chewing and eventually swallow.
I probably just ruined the whole trying-beef-tongue thing for everyone. Sorry. You're not missing too much.
What I was most looking forward to was the ceviche, something I love but will only order from a place I know can do it right. This one was done right. We had ceviche de atún, which had tuna, avocado, scallions, and another new food- amaranth.
I wish I took a picture but I couldn't stop eating because it was so delicious. Here is a nice picture of amaranth courtesy of a Google image search:
It is a tiny grain, even smaller than quinoa. In this case it was fried so it didn't add much other than a crispy texture. But I certainly didn't mind it.
One thing I DID take a picture of was this miracle of science:
It's a margarita, but that is not just ordinary foam on the top. That, my friends, is "salt air." A delicious salty foamy creation made by bartending geniuses so that with every little sip of margarita you get a burst of salty goodness.
No more licking your glass like a savage. This is the wave of the future.
Also, if you're going to have a $12 margarita, you might as well do it right.
All in all it was a great meal, capped off with one of the best tres leches cakes- nay, one of the best desserts- we'd ever had. A bit pricey, but a good place to celebrate your engage-iversary or your anti-versary or your Tuesday-iversary or whatever else you may be celebrating this week.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
His Dark Materials of Confusion
I decided to read the His Dark Materials series purely for the controversy that I heard about it when The Golden Compass movie came out. Upon finishing the series I found myself in the midst of a controversy of my own- did I like these books or not? And what on earth are they supposed to mean? Let's try and sort this out together.
(#1) Read 26 Books
1. Firestarter
2.World War Z
3. Where Men Win Glory
4. Red Hook Road
5. A Wolf at the Table
6. The Fault in Our Stars
7. Open House
8. The Golden Compass
9. The Subtle Knife
10. The Amber Spyglass
Essentially, as I understand it, the series is about Adam and Eve, Original Sin, and God being an evil dictator who punishes people with Death just for being alive and enjoying life. I guess I can see how some people might find that controversial.
According to Wikipedia Pullman meant it to be an inversion on Paradise Lost in which humanity's fall from Heaven was actually their greatest accomplishment, not their greatest sin. I did not pick that up in my own reading but it does make sense in hindsight.
For children's novels they are surprisingly difficult to explain (and understand). Basically there is this thing called Dust which is only attached to adults and is therefore believed to be Original Sin. Certain groups of people want to eliminate the Dust which they believe would allow them to live forever. The church, which runs the government, wants to stop them from doing this. But in order to accomplish their respective missions both groups must perform horrible acts on children.
At least I think that is what happens.
In The Golden Compass we meet the main character Lyra and her "daemon" (who appears to be her soul manifested in animal form) Pantalaimon. At first Lyra seems to stumble upon the action of the novel but eventually we realize that she is central to the world's problems and solutions somehow. Lyra's Uncle Lord Asriel and her guardian Mrs. Coulter are two of the people trying to destroy the Dust. In fact Lord Asriel's plan is to find "the Authority" (aka God) and kill him so that humans can be free of his tyrannical rule.
In The Subtle Knife, Lyra travels to another universe to try and follow and possibly stop Lord Asriel (possibly, because she is not really sure yet whether Dust is evil; much like you, as the reader, is not really sure of anything at this point). She meets up with Will, who has fled his own world. Will accidentally (though maybe it is his destiny) becomes the bearer of the Subtle Knife, which enables him to cut pathways between the many different parallel universes.
Finally comes The Amber Spyglass, the longest of the three though perhaps not quite as frustrating as The Subtle Knife. In the one storyline that I remained interested in, Lyra and Will travel to the land of the dead with the intention of finding and speaking with her friend Roger whose death Lyra feels responsible for.
I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked these books up. Something a bit more straightforward, perhaps. Or at least more allegorical. I can understand why Pullman didn't want to come out and say anything against Christianity but to me his points were almost entirely lost. Obviously in a world where everyone is trying to kill God and/or erase Original Sin some point is being made against organized religion. I just couldn't quite put my finger on what that point was while I was reading.
Another criticism that I read and agree with (though again, didn't pick it up in the book on my own) was that for an anti-religion series the characters seem to find their own religion towards the end. They begin almost worshipping the Dust and finding some sort of inner spirituality through Love. But he never quite develops this new religion so the reader is left wondering what makes it better than the old one.
All in all I would say this series is not worth the time it took me to read (which was a surprisingly long time for a children's series). Although if anyone else has already read them I'd be interested in discussing further. Maybe I'm just missing something.
(#1) Read 26 Books
1. Firestarter
2.World War Z
3. Where Men Win Glory
4. Red Hook Road
5. A Wolf at the Table
6. The Fault in Our Stars
7. Open House
8. The Golden Compass
9. The Subtle Knife
10. The Amber Spyglass
Essentially, as I understand it, the series is about Adam and Eve, Original Sin, and God being an evil dictator who punishes people with Death just for being alive and enjoying life. I guess I can see how some people might find that controversial.
According to Wikipedia Pullman meant it to be an inversion on Paradise Lost in which humanity's fall from Heaven was actually their greatest accomplishment, not their greatest sin. I did not pick that up in my own reading but it does make sense in hindsight.
For children's novels they are surprisingly difficult to explain (and understand). Basically there is this thing called Dust which is only attached to adults and is therefore believed to be Original Sin. Certain groups of people want to eliminate the Dust which they believe would allow them to live forever. The church, which runs the government, wants to stop them from doing this. But in order to accomplish their respective missions both groups must perform horrible acts on children.
At least I think that is what happens.
In The Golden Compass we meet the main character Lyra and her "daemon" (who appears to be her soul manifested in animal form) Pantalaimon. At first Lyra seems to stumble upon the action of the novel but eventually we realize that she is central to the world's problems and solutions somehow. Lyra's Uncle Lord Asriel and her guardian Mrs. Coulter are two of the people trying to destroy the Dust. In fact Lord Asriel's plan is to find "the Authority" (aka God) and kill him so that humans can be free of his tyrannical rule.
In The Subtle Knife, Lyra travels to another universe to try and follow and possibly stop Lord Asriel (possibly, because she is not really sure yet whether Dust is evil; much like you, as the reader, is not really sure of anything at this point). She meets up with Will, who has fled his own world. Will accidentally (though maybe it is his destiny) becomes the bearer of the Subtle Knife, which enables him to cut pathways between the many different parallel universes.
Finally comes The Amber Spyglass, the longest of the three though perhaps not quite as frustrating as The Subtle Knife. In the one storyline that I remained interested in, Lyra and Will travel to the land of the dead with the intention of finding and speaking with her friend Roger whose death Lyra feels responsible for.
I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked these books up. Something a bit more straightforward, perhaps. Or at least more allegorical. I can understand why Pullman didn't want to come out and say anything against Christianity but to me his points were almost entirely lost. Obviously in a world where everyone is trying to kill God and/or erase Original Sin some point is being made against organized religion. I just couldn't quite put my finger on what that point was while I was reading.
Another criticism that I read and agree with (though again, didn't pick it up in the book on my own) was that for an anti-religion series the characters seem to find their own religion towards the end. They begin almost worshipping the Dust and finding some sort of inner spirituality through Love. But he never quite develops this new religion so the reader is left wondering what makes it better than the old one.
All in all I would say this series is not worth the time it took me to read (which was a surprisingly long time for a children's series). Although if anyone else has already read them I'd be interested in discussing further. Maybe I'm just missing something.
Monday, November 11, 2013
"Meat-Less" Mondays: Pasta with Mushrooms and Thyme
There are about a hundred reasons why people chose a vegetarian diet, including a passion for animal rights, to improve their health, and (my personal favorite) to reduce their carbon footprint. I won't argue particulars with you, but these are reasons why this choice works for some people.
That being said, there are a hundred reasons why people chose NOT to eat a vegetarian diet, including religious justifications, health reasons (yes it makes sense for both!), and believing that global warming is just liberal propaganda. Or there are people like me who love food too much to limit themselves.
More importantly, I'd like to believe that a major reason people eat meat with every meal is that they simply don't know how NOT to eat meat; they don't have the information or the access or the time to come up with healthy, filling, and tasty vegetarian meal alternatives. I include myself in this last category, which is why I decided to make
(#5) Eat Vegetarian One Day a Week
part of my list. I have no intention of depriving myself of the occasional burger, but I do know that eating less meat is better for me and better for the environment. So I want to use the list to push myself to come up with more creative and delicious vegetarian meals, and hope that sharing them with you will help those of you who also fit into the I-would-if-I-could category.
Why not also join forces with the Meatless Monday movement. Though we're not going meatless, just meat-less.
This first recipe is from Martha Stewart, and I guaranteed to fill up and satisfy the most skeptical of carnivores: provided they like mushrooms, of course.
.JPG)
This was my first time working with dried porcini mushrooms. While they were rehydrating, they gave off
such a sumptuous, savory smell that if I told you I was cooking beef, you would have believed me.
.JPG)
Pasta with Mushrooms and Thyme
Ingredients:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain, and return to pot. Set aside. While pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, soak porcini in 1 1/2 cups hot water until tender, at least 15 minutes. (Prepare yourself for their aggressively delicious aroma.)
2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook shallot 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Add wine and reduce, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add button and shiitake mushrooms. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add porcini and their soaking liquid (leaving any grit at the bottom of the bowl) and thyme to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces by half, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer noodles to mushroom mixture. Add Parmesan and remaining butter, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with more Parmesan.
.JPG)
As usual, serve anything this dangerously delicious with a salad to distract your tastebuds.
Enjoy! Stay tuned for more "Meat-less" Monday recipes, or check out my similarly-themed Pinterest board.
That being said, there are a hundred reasons why people chose NOT to eat a vegetarian diet, including religious justifications, health reasons (yes it makes sense for both!), and believing that global warming is just liberal propaganda. Or there are people like me who love food too much to limit themselves.
More importantly, I'd like to believe that a major reason people eat meat with every meal is that they simply don't know how NOT to eat meat; they don't have the information or the access or the time to come up with healthy, filling, and tasty vegetarian meal alternatives. I include myself in this last category, which is why I decided to make
(#5) Eat Vegetarian One Day a Week
part of my list. I have no intention of depriving myself of the occasional burger, but I do know that eating less meat is better for me and better for the environment. So I want to use the list to push myself to come up with more creative and delicious vegetarian meals, and hope that sharing them with you will help those of you who also fit into the I-would-if-I-could category.
Why not also join forces with the Meatless Monday movement. Though we're not going meatless, just meat-less.
This first recipe is from Martha Stewart, and I guaranteed to fill up and satisfy the most skeptical of carnivores: provided they like mushrooms, of course.
.JPG)
This was my first time working with dried porcini mushrooms. While they were rehydrating, they gave off
such a sumptuous, savory smell that if I told you I was cooking beef, you would have believed me.
.JPG)
Pasta with Mushrooms and Thyme
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces gemelli or other short twisted pasta
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup), rinsed in cold water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 10 ounces button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Instructions:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain, and return to pot. Set aside. While pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, soak porcini in 1 1/2 cups hot water until tender, at least 15 minutes. (Prepare yourself for their aggressively delicious aroma.)
2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook shallot 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Add wine and reduce, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add button and shiitake mushrooms. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add porcini and their soaking liquid (leaving any grit at the bottom of the bowl) and thyme to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces by half, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer noodles to mushroom mixture. Add Parmesan and remaining butter, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with more Parmesan.
.JPG)
As usual, serve anything this dangerously delicious with a salad to distract your tastebuds.
Enjoy! Stay tuned for more "Meat-less" Monday recipes, or check out my similarly-themed Pinterest board.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
An Anti-Versary to Remember
Try 26 New Foods:
1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles
8. Hemp Vodka
9. Uni
Having a long engagement (22 months) was a controversial decision that we made and continue to be happy about. Since we decided on our wedding date more than a year in advance, we realized we created a date that would be important to us for the rest of our lives but that this year was just another day. So of course we saw the opportunity to invent a new holiday- the "Anti-versary." Also colloquially referred to as the -1 Year Anniversary.
Ronnie made plans on his own and then asked if I wanted them to be a surprise, which of course I did. And for the first time in a very long time (proposal included) I was completely in the dark.
We took the metro into the city (I got one thing right- I guessed that we would get off at Metro Center) and then walked a mildly long and somewhat shady walk to Busboys and Poets. At first I was not happy because I thought Ronnie had signed me up to read some poetry. But once he convinced me we were just going to have some drinks and check out the situation (for perhaps later poetry readings) I was excited.
Their bar menu had my favorite thing- interesting cocktails. First I tried something delicious but not too adventurous- I think it was a blueberry lemonade. Then that first cocktail gave me the courage to try something crazy- hemp vodka.
The hemp vodka tasted similar to a coconut milk- sweet, creamy, and nutty. It added a great depth to the vodka and took some of the edge out of it. Which, I imagine, would be extremely dangerous after more than just one.
If anyone knows of where I can purchase a bottle of it I would be much obliged.
Over drinks I allowed Ronnie to tell me where our next stop was.
.JPG)
It was Graffiato, Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella's DC restaurant. As a Top Chef fan and pseudo-Italian I had been very excited to try this small-plates-style treat. The main problem was deciding what to order.
The waiter recommended three plates each, but we had two plates each (one of which admittedly was a pizza) and that was more than enough. The standout of the night was the gnocchi with pork ragout which still makes our mouths water three weeks later. It is pictured below with a side dish of broccolini and feta. Both of which we were too excited to eat to remember to take a picture of.
The new food of the night was less delicious but definitely unique: uni. Also known as sea urchin. We had it in crostini form, which makes anything accessible. Still it was, as we like to say, "challenging to our palates."
The uni is the orange stuff on top, though some of it is some kind of sauce. Even in such small doses it produces an explosion of brininess unlike any other seafood I have ever tasted. It is soft in texture and somewhat creamy. It wasn't a taste I would find myself going back to. In this particular dish I also detected a faint aftertaste of baby aspirin, though Ronnie did not agree with this assessment.
All in all it was a great night and a great excuse to celebrate- less than a year til the wedding! If this date and the experiences that we love to share are any indication, I think we are in for a lot of fun anniversaries to come.
1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles
8. Hemp Vodka
9. Uni
Having a long engagement (22 months) was a controversial decision that we made and continue to be happy about. Since we decided on our wedding date more than a year in advance, we realized we created a date that would be important to us for the rest of our lives but that this year was just another day. So of course we saw the opportunity to invent a new holiday- the "Anti-versary." Also colloquially referred to as the -1 Year Anniversary.
Ronnie made plans on his own and then asked if I wanted them to be a surprise, which of course I did. And for the first time in a very long time (proposal included) I was completely in the dark.
We took the metro into the city (I got one thing right- I guessed that we would get off at Metro Center) and then walked a mildly long and somewhat shady walk to Busboys and Poets. At first I was not happy because I thought Ronnie had signed me up to read some poetry. But once he convinced me we were just going to have some drinks and check out the situation (for perhaps later poetry readings) I was excited.
Their bar menu had my favorite thing- interesting cocktails. First I tried something delicious but not too adventurous- I think it was a blueberry lemonade. Then that first cocktail gave me the courage to try something crazy- hemp vodka.
The hemp vodka tasted similar to a coconut milk- sweet, creamy, and nutty. It added a great depth to the vodka and took some of the edge out of it. Which, I imagine, would be extremely dangerous after more than just one.
If anyone knows of where I can purchase a bottle of it I would be much obliged.
Over drinks I allowed Ronnie to tell me where our next stop was.
It was Graffiato, Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella's DC restaurant. As a Top Chef fan and pseudo-Italian I had been very excited to try this small-plates-style treat. The main problem was deciding what to order.
The waiter recommended three plates each, but we had two plates each (one of which admittedly was a pizza) and that was more than enough. The standout of the night was the gnocchi with pork ragout which still makes our mouths water three weeks later. It is pictured below with a side dish of broccolini and feta. Both of which we were too excited to eat to remember to take a picture of.
The uni is the orange stuff on top, though some of it is some kind of sauce. Even in such small doses it produces an explosion of brininess unlike any other seafood I have ever tasted. It is soft in texture and somewhat creamy. It wasn't a taste I would find myself going back to. In this particular dish I also detected a faint aftertaste of baby aspirin, though Ronnie did not agree with this assessment.
All in all it was a great night and a great excuse to celebrate- less than a year til the wedding! If this date and the experiences that we love to share are any indication, I think we are in for a lot of fun anniversaries to come.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
What I Read this Summer
Ah, summer. The time when I want to do nothing but sit by the pool with a good book and preferably a tropical drink of some kind. The time when my brain gets overheated by any book too intellectual. The time when I take a real page tuner and turn the pages faster than a redhead gets a sunburn.
I love summer reading. So here's what I read this summer.
1. Firestarter
After finishing For Whom the Bell Tolls right after my birthday I was dying for something easy but still dependably decent. So I chose this from our collection of probably 30 Stephen Kings. If you are surprised that I am a Stephen King fan, you probably don't know a lot about Stephen King. I recommend his book On Writing for a little clarity.
Firestarter is about a little girl whose parents participated in an experiment before she was born which then passed down a gene to her that gives her telepathic powers. Specifically she can start fires with her mind. In classic Stephen King fashion, it pushes you right to the edge of what you're willing to believe is possible, while still keeping you engaged. Perfect to start off the summer.
2. World War Z
I wrote a longer article here about the differences between this novel and the 2013 movie. But as far as a summer read goes, this one was pretty good. It is about the part of humanity that has survived the zombie apocalypse, and what they did to get there.
The format is a compilation of short stories, meaning you can read a story, hop in the pool, and come back and read another story. My only complaint would be that the stories are perhaps too short; I like to really get invested in my characters, and that wasn't the point of this novel by a long shot. All in all though it was a great summer read, and a great zombie read if you're in to that kind of thing. Which I am.
3. Where Men Win Glory
This is the true (though undoubtedly embellished) story of Pat Tillman, the famous Arizona Cardinals player who left a multi-million dollar career behind to enlist in the military after 9/11.
Ah, politics. This was perhaps not a great summer read for the sheer amount of frustration and anger that it caused me as I read about the government's reaction to 9/11 and the beginnings of the long war in Afghanistan. And not just in indignant leftist anger; I was also angry that Krakauer takes Tillman's story so far to support his own politics that I had to take the story with a grain of salt. However, there were a lot of good points made, and Tillman is definitely an interesting and admirable character.
4. Red Hook Road
I'm pretty sure Ayelet Waldman just thought of the most tragic situation she could think of and made a book about it. It is about a bride and groom who are killed in a car accident driving from their wedding ceremony and their reception, and how their newly joined families cope with their deaths.
This is the kind of read that I really want to criticize the writing of, but first I have to admit that I couldn't put it down. You know what I mean? I read it in probably two days, but I'm not sure if I would necessarily call it good writing. There were some good moments, but a lot of it seemed contrived to try and pull tears out of you. Several of the characters were one-dimensional and the ending was just too far-fetched. But something about it kept me reading. And I think it did provide some interesting perspectives on grieving that you don't usually see, and over a longer period of time than is usually covered. Good enough for a summer read.
5. A Wolf at the Table
I have always like Augusten Burroughs because I can relate to both his style and his material. He took a less-than-ideal childhood and made a career out of it. He is a memoir writer, and though his novels overlap they always have a very specific focus that makes them unique. This one was about his father.
If you've never read anything by Burroughs you might start with Running with Scissors. A Wolf at the Table is very brief, and told primarily from a child's perspective, and makes many mentions to things more fully described in Running. But if you already enjoy this author, you'll most likely enjoy this book.
6. The Fault in Our Stars
Was I a glutton for punishment this summer, or is sadness the crutch of the pop-fiction writer? This was another tear-jerker, about a teenage girl with thyroid cancer and her teenage boyfriend with bone cancer. You're sad already, aren't you?
Again, this was no literary masterpiece, and yet my summer-melted brain found it engrossing. Since it is the story of two teenagers (and therefore admittedly geared towards teenagers) I gave it some leeway. But there were definitely cringe-worthy moments. Maybe it was because I was going through some grieving of my own at the time, but I did feel like this book taught me something about what it means to be dying, and for dying to take over your life. "Pain demands to be felt, " for example. That stuck with me.
So I would definitely recommend it, though perhaps for a less discerning (or younger) reader than myself.
7. Open House
This one made it in just under the wire as a book that would be too easy for me to enjoy any time but summer. Basically it is about a woman whose husband leaves her, and her figuring out how to live on her own.
I think it must have bought it at one of our libraries $5/bag book sales because I'm not sure why I owned it. I was happy to read it just to get it off my shelf. So no I wouldn't particularly recommend this one. But it was a nice easy read to finish off the summer.
It was a good summer full of good books, good weather and good times. Now onto the changing leaves, cups of hot cocoa, and some books I can really sink my brain into.
I love summer reading. So here's what I read this summer.
1. Firestarter
After finishing For Whom the Bell Tolls right after my birthday I was dying for something easy but still dependably decent. So I chose this from our collection of probably 30 Stephen Kings. If you are surprised that I am a Stephen King fan, you probably don't know a lot about Stephen King. I recommend his book On Writing for a little clarity.
Firestarter is about a little girl whose parents participated in an experiment before she was born which then passed down a gene to her that gives her telepathic powers. Specifically she can start fires with her mind. In classic Stephen King fashion, it pushes you right to the edge of what you're willing to believe is possible, while still keeping you engaged. Perfect to start off the summer.
2. World War Z
I wrote a longer article here about the differences between this novel and the 2013 movie. But as far as a summer read goes, this one was pretty good. It is about the part of humanity that has survived the zombie apocalypse, and what they did to get there.
The format is a compilation of short stories, meaning you can read a story, hop in the pool, and come back and read another story. My only complaint would be that the stories are perhaps too short; I like to really get invested in my characters, and that wasn't the point of this novel by a long shot. All in all though it was a great summer read, and a great zombie read if you're in to that kind of thing. Which I am.
3. Where Men Win Glory
This is the true (though undoubtedly embellished) story of Pat Tillman, the famous Arizona Cardinals player who left a multi-million dollar career behind to enlist in the military after 9/11.
Ah, politics. This was perhaps not a great summer read for the sheer amount of frustration and anger that it caused me as I read about the government's reaction to 9/11 and the beginnings of the long war in Afghanistan. And not just in indignant leftist anger; I was also angry that Krakauer takes Tillman's story so far to support his own politics that I had to take the story with a grain of salt. However, there were a lot of good points made, and Tillman is definitely an interesting and admirable character.
4. Red Hook Road
I'm pretty sure Ayelet Waldman just thought of the most tragic situation she could think of and made a book about it. It is about a bride and groom who are killed in a car accident driving from their wedding ceremony and their reception, and how their newly joined families cope with their deaths.
This is the kind of read that I really want to criticize the writing of, but first I have to admit that I couldn't put it down. You know what I mean? I read it in probably two days, but I'm not sure if I would necessarily call it good writing. There were some good moments, but a lot of it seemed contrived to try and pull tears out of you. Several of the characters were one-dimensional and the ending was just too far-fetched. But something about it kept me reading. And I think it did provide some interesting perspectives on grieving that you don't usually see, and over a longer period of time than is usually covered. Good enough for a summer read.
5. A Wolf at the Table
I have always like Augusten Burroughs because I can relate to both his style and his material. He took a less-than-ideal childhood and made a career out of it. He is a memoir writer, and though his novels overlap they always have a very specific focus that makes them unique. This one was about his father.
If you've never read anything by Burroughs you might start with Running with Scissors. A Wolf at the Table is very brief, and told primarily from a child's perspective, and makes many mentions to things more fully described in Running. But if you already enjoy this author, you'll most likely enjoy this book.
6. The Fault in Our Stars
Was I a glutton for punishment this summer, or is sadness the crutch of the pop-fiction writer? This was another tear-jerker, about a teenage girl with thyroid cancer and her teenage boyfriend with bone cancer. You're sad already, aren't you?
Again, this was no literary masterpiece, and yet my summer-melted brain found it engrossing. Since it is the story of two teenagers (and therefore admittedly geared towards teenagers) I gave it some leeway. But there were definitely cringe-worthy moments. Maybe it was because I was going through some grieving of my own at the time, but I did feel like this book taught me something about what it means to be dying, and for dying to take over your life. "Pain demands to be felt, " for example. That stuck with me.
So I would definitely recommend it, though perhaps for a less discerning (or younger) reader than myself.
7. Open House
This one made it in just under the wire as a book that would be too easy for me to enjoy any time but summer. Basically it is about a woman whose husband leaves her, and her figuring out how to live on her own.
I think it must have bought it at one of our libraries $5/bag book sales because I'm not sure why I owned it. I was happy to read it just to get it off my shelf. So no I wouldn't particularly recommend this one. But it was a nice easy read to finish off the summer.
It was a good summer full of good books, good weather and good times. Now onto the changing leaves, cups of hot cocoa, and some books I can really sink my brain into.
The Death Bell Tolls for Us All, and Other Morbid Musings
(#2) Read 25 books
Done!
Done!
1. Room by Emma Donohue
2. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
5. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
6. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
7. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
8. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
9. The Shack by William Young
10.The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
12. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
13. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
14. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
15. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
16. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
17. Bossypants by Tina Fey
18. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
19. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
20. Watership Down by Richard Adams
21. The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
22. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
23. Eats, Shoots, & Leaves by Lynne Truss
24. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
25. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
I chose to challenge myself for my final book of the year. Unfortunately I forgot about a little phenomenon called "summer brain" in which I just want to read books that I can breeze through while sitting poolside. So this was more of a challenge than I originally anticipated.
For Whom the Bell Tolls is the story of Robert Jordan, an American dynamiter serving during the Spanish Civil War. The entire novel surrounds one mission of Jordan's- to blow up a key bridge near the town of Segovia. Jordan waits near the bridge in the mountains with a group of guerrilla fighters. A majority of the story details their time waiting for the mission, and sharing the harrowing experiences they have all had in the war and in life.
The title refers to a John Donne poem which basically explains the whole point of the book.
"Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
In a word, the book is about death. As I understand it, the bells referred to in the title are bells that ring at a church for someone who has died. The bells eventually toll for all of us. And as guerrilla soldiers on basically a suicide mission, the bells are tolling every day for all of the main characters of this novel. The result is basically a novel dedicated to the musings of men and women from different walks of life as they face their almost certain death.
The thing about Hemingway is sometimes he drones on and on and can get boring. But you can't stop reading because every once in a while he slips in something like this:
“How little we know of what there is to know. I wish that I were going to live a long time instead of going to die today because I have learned much about life in these four days; more, I think than in all other time. I'd like to be an old man to really know. I wonder if you keep on learning or if there is only a certain amount each man can understand. I thought I knew so many things that I know nothing of. I wish there was more time.”
If that doesn't hit you right in the soul, then this book probably isn't for you. But if you're willing to work for a little profundity, then give it a try.
A Farewell to Arms is still my favorite Hemingway so far, though. So start with that one.
24. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
25. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
I chose to challenge myself for my final book of the year. Unfortunately I forgot about a little phenomenon called "summer brain" in which I just want to read books that I can breeze through while sitting poolside. So this was more of a challenge than I originally anticipated.
For Whom the Bell Tolls is the story of Robert Jordan, an American dynamiter serving during the Spanish Civil War. The entire novel surrounds one mission of Jordan's- to blow up a key bridge near the town of Segovia. Jordan waits near the bridge in the mountains with a group of guerrilla fighters. A majority of the story details their time waiting for the mission, and sharing the harrowing experiences they have all had in the war and in life.
The title refers to a John Donne poem which basically explains the whole point of the book.
"Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
In a word, the book is about death. As I understand it, the bells referred to in the title are bells that ring at a church for someone who has died. The bells eventually toll for all of us. And as guerrilla soldiers on basically a suicide mission, the bells are tolling every day for all of the main characters of this novel. The result is basically a novel dedicated to the musings of men and women from different walks of life as they face their almost certain death.
The thing about Hemingway is sometimes he drones on and on and can get boring. But you can't stop reading because every once in a while he slips in something like this:
“How little we know of what there is to know. I wish that I were going to live a long time instead of going to die today because I have learned much about life in these four days; more, I think than in all other time. I'd like to be an old man to really know. I wonder if you keep on learning or if there is only a certain amount each man can understand. I thought I knew so many things that I know nothing of. I wish there was more time.”
If that doesn't hit you right in the soul, then this book probably isn't for you. But if you're willing to work for a little profundity, then give it a try.
A Farewell to Arms is still my favorite Hemingway so far, though. So start with that one.
World War Z- Movie vs Book
Considering my intense aversion to gore, I have no idea how I came to love all things zombie. But I do. So of course I had to see World War Z when it came out this summer. And then after hearing how different (and how superior) the book was, I had to add it to my list for this year.
The stories you have heard are true- the movie bears absolutely no resemblance to the book. Okay maybe one resemblance- they both contain zombies.
World War Z, the novel, is narrated by an agent of the “United Nations Postwar Commission” ten years after the global war against the living dead known as World War Z. The narrator travels the globe interviewing survivors of various importance in many different countries, from China to Russia to Cuba and even to the International Space Station. Their stories combined create a global picture of the outbreak, the ensuing “Great Panic,” and then the war to take back the Earth.
I knew that this was the format, and I think it was an effective way to get a global sense of the story. My only complaint would be that the stories were perhaps too short. I had a hard time relating to/remembering any of the characters because as soon as I got into the story it was over.
While the book is in many ways like every other zombie story, it is obvious that Brooks put a lot of thought into creating a post-zombie world that was (and I use this term loosely) realistic. He really considered a lot of different angles of the apocalypse, such as the brash use of nuclear weapons, the ineffectiveness of modern weapons against this new kind of enemy, and the various ways different countries and different types of people would respond to their situations. A common “solution” in a zombie movie or book is often to get on a boat and flee to an island. Brooks addresses the complications of this solution in a way I’ve never seen done before.
I loved the unique global perspective of this book. One of my criticisms of The Walking Dead (which I am hesitant to criticize at all because it is excellent) is that I’m always dying to know what is going on in the rest of the world, to get the big picture of life-after-zombie. Where is the government, and why aren’t they fighting? What is going on in the rest of the world? Is anywhere still safe? Tiny groups of people like the main characters of the show can’t be the only survivors. World War Z addresses these questions very satisfactorily.
As for the movie, it was also very interesting in its own right. The images of the zombie attacks are chilling. I loved that the main character was a scientist and uses observation and smarts over muscle. I am not one to criticize a movie for straying from its book- a movie is a totally different medium and should be treated as its own work of art. However, I literally don’t know why this movie had the same name as the book. Here are some of the main differences:
1) The timing is different- the book takes place ten years after the outbreak while the movie is over within a week of the first infection. Which of course means that nothing that happens after this week (aka the main elements of the book) is even mentioned.
2) The zombies are different: the movie creates a very interesting kind of zombie that is super fast and strong and therefore even more terrifying. The book contains your typical slow moving, moaning undead.
3) The narrator in the movie is also the main character. The narrator in the book is present in the stories only as an interviewer and we don’t ever learn his back-story. I don’t think he has anything to do with Brad Pitt’s character in the movie.
4) I literally don’t think there is one character who appears in both the movie and the book. Correct me if I’m wrong.
5) The feel of the both are drastically different. The movie focuses more on the “Great Panic” time and how quickly things can get out of our control. The book focuses on how all the characters are haunted by what they saw and did during the war, but also how they managed to survive and keep hope alive.
Basically nothing but the titles are the same. However I thoroughly enjoyed both and would recommend both to any other zombie-lovers out there. I might recommend seeing the movie first so you can judge it more kindly.
The stories you have heard are true- the movie bears absolutely no resemblance to the book. Okay maybe one resemblance- they both contain zombies.
World War Z, the novel, is narrated by an agent of the “United Nations Postwar Commission” ten years after the global war against the living dead known as World War Z. The narrator travels the globe interviewing survivors of various importance in many different countries, from China to Russia to Cuba and even to the International Space Station. Their stories combined create a global picture of the outbreak, the ensuing “Great Panic,” and then the war to take back the Earth.
I knew that this was the format, and I think it was an effective way to get a global sense of the story. My only complaint would be that the stories were perhaps too short. I had a hard time relating to/remembering any of the characters because as soon as I got into the story it was over.
While the book is in many ways like every other zombie story, it is obvious that Brooks put a lot of thought into creating a post-zombie world that was (and I use this term loosely) realistic. He really considered a lot of different angles of the apocalypse, such as the brash use of nuclear weapons, the ineffectiveness of modern weapons against this new kind of enemy, and the various ways different countries and different types of people would respond to their situations. A common “solution” in a zombie movie or book is often to get on a boat and flee to an island. Brooks addresses the complications of this solution in a way I’ve never seen done before.
I loved the unique global perspective of this book. One of my criticisms of The Walking Dead (which I am hesitant to criticize at all because it is excellent) is that I’m always dying to know what is going on in the rest of the world, to get the big picture of life-after-zombie. Where is the government, and why aren’t they fighting? What is going on in the rest of the world? Is anywhere still safe? Tiny groups of people like the main characters of the show can’t be the only survivors. World War Z addresses these questions very satisfactorily.
As for the movie, it was also very interesting in its own right. The images of the zombie attacks are chilling. I loved that the main character was a scientist and uses observation and smarts over muscle. I am not one to criticize a movie for straying from its book- a movie is a totally different medium and should be treated as its own work of art. However, I literally don’t know why this movie had the same name as the book. Here are some of the main differences:
1) The timing is different- the book takes place ten years after the outbreak while the movie is over within a week of the first infection. Which of course means that nothing that happens after this week (aka the main elements of the book) is even mentioned.
2) The zombies are different: the movie creates a very interesting kind of zombie that is super fast and strong and therefore even more terrifying. The book contains your typical slow moving, moaning undead.
3) The narrator in the movie is also the main character. The narrator in the book is present in the stories only as an interviewer and we don’t ever learn his back-story. I don’t think he has anything to do with Brad Pitt’s character in the movie.
4) I literally don’t think there is one character who appears in both the movie and the book. Correct me if I’m wrong.
5) The feel of the both are drastically different. The movie focuses more on the “Great Panic” time and how quickly things can get out of our control. The book focuses on how all the characters are haunted by what they saw and did during the war, but also how they managed to survive and keep hope alive.
Basically nothing but the titles are the same. However I thoroughly enjoyed both and would recommend both to any other zombie-lovers out there. I might recommend seeing the movie first so you can judge it more kindly.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
FINALLY- Chicken and Waffles
Try 26 New Foods:
1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles
Today was a day of finally checking a few things off of my proverbial (in addition to literal) list, and taking a few more steps on our journey to become foodies. First, we finally went to Founding Farmers, an award-winning DC restaurant known for being owned by farmers and sustainably sourced. And secondly, I finally tried one of the foods I was most looking forward to trying for my 25 list: chicken and waffles.
We loved the restaurant, and we loved the chicken and waffles.
If you are a DC local (or someone likely to visit me) I would highly recommend giving Founding Farmers a try- and not just for their green message. We went for brunch and everything was excellent. The menu had some old favorites and some unique variations. The setting was a combination of modern and rustic- the fact that the building was LEED certified was just a bonus.
Ronnie recently read this article in The Atlantic about making the perfect cup of coffee and now his new thing is trying the perfect cup himself. So at Founding Farmers we had to try the French press coffee.
It was full-bodied without any bitterness and with a strong, almost floral taste. Ronnie, foodie-in-training, drank it black. I chose to add some responsibly-sourced cream.
Next, the meal. Ronnie had the pastrami hash which led him to the life-changing revelation that he in fact does like eggs. (He had been slowly working up to this moment through bites of cheesy omelettes, but eating a whole poached egg was a big achievement for him). And I, closeted fried-chicken lover, finally got to try chicken and waffles.
It was exactly what I always dreamed it would be- the perfect combination of salty and sweet, fluffy waffles combined with crispy chicken, warmth topped with cool syrup. If you've never had it, it may sound crazy. But if you like chicken and you like waffles, I would give it a try.
My only minor complaint would be that it was actually chicken tenders and waffles, not true bone-in fried chicken. Of course chicken on the bone, with skin is always going to beat out a chicken tender in crispiness and juiciness. But the benefit of the chicken tender is that it is much easier to eat with the waffles. So if you're going for authenticity, the real chicken wins. But if you're on a first date, the tenders would be a major plus.
All in all it was a meal to remember. And isn't that what being amateur foodies is all about?
We can't wait to go back and try Founding Farmers' dinner menu. Anyone game?
1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles
Today was a day of finally checking a few things off of my proverbial (in addition to literal) list, and taking a few more steps on our journey to become foodies. First, we finally went to Founding Farmers, an award-winning DC restaurant known for being owned by farmers and sustainably sourced. And secondly, I finally tried one of the foods I was most looking forward to trying for my 25 list: chicken and waffles.
We loved the restaurant, and we loved the chicken and waffles.
If you are a DC local (or someone likely to visit me) I would highly recommend giving Founding Farmers a try- and not just for their green message. We went for brunch and everything was excellent. The menu had some old favorites and some unique variations. The setting was a combination of modern and rustic- the fact that the building was LEED certified was just a bonus.
Ronnie recently read this article in The Atlantic about making the perfect cup of coffee and now his new thing is trying the perfect cup himself. So at Founding Farmers we had to try the French press coffee.
It was full-bodied without any bitterness and with a strong, almost floral taste. Ronnie, foodie-in-training, drank it black. I chose to add some responsibly-sourced cream.
Next, the meal. Ronnie had the pastrami hash which led him to the life-changing revelation that he in fact does like eggs. (He had been slowly working up to this moment through bites of cheesy omelettes, but eating a whole poached egg was a big achievement for him). And I, closeted fried-chicken lover, finally got to try chicken and waffles.
It was exactly what I always dreamed it would be- the perfect combination of salty and sweet, fluffy waffles combined with crispy chicken, warmth topped with cool syrup. If you've never had it, it may sound crazy. But if you like chicken and you like waffles, I would give it a try.
My only minor complaint would be that it was actually chicken tenders and waffles, not true bone-in fried chicken. Of course chicken on the bone, with skin is always going to beat out a chicken tender in crispiness and juiciness. But the benefit of the chicken tender is that it is much easier to eat with the waffles. So if you're going for authenticity, the real chicken wins. But if you're on a first date, the tenders would be a major plus.
All in all it was a meal to remember. And isn't that what being amateur foodies is all about?
We can't wait to go back and try Founding Farmers' dinner menu. Anyone game?
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Summer Adventures Part 2: The Cruise
Visit a Country I've Never Been To
Check! Of course I added this to the list having already made plans to travel to another country. Ronnie and I took a cruise with his family on Carnival Liberty. In fact, according to this list of the world's countries (of which there are 195), I actually visited FOUR new countries: Bahamas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos. All in one action-packed week.
Here is a brief summary of each. Keep in mind I spent less than a day there.
Bahamas:
If you picture "the Caribbean" you are probably actually picturing the Bahamas without even knowing it. We visited Half Moon Cay and it was literally the most picturesque place I have ever been. White sand, palm trees, crystal clear water.
We probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so ungodly hot. The only time we left the water was to order another piña colada.
U.S. Virgin Islands:
We only visited St. Thomas, but it was BY FAR our favorite island of the four. Something about the combination of tree-covered mountains, steep cliffs, and the classic blue water was mesmerizing.
We went snorkeling that day, off of a catamaran, to an underwater shipwreck, with unlimited free rum punch afterwards. So yeah, best day ever. Even though I couldn't figure out how to secure my snorkeling vest and wound up doing exactly what they told me NOT to do- letting it ride up over my shoulders so that I looked, in official snorkeling lingo, "like Spongebob Squarepants."
Also all the crew on our boat were American expats who clearly loved their lives. They filled us in on the pros and cons of living in paradise; for example rum costs $2 a bottle, but milk costs $9.
Puerto Rico:
I was actually most excited to visit Puerto Rico, and I did enjoy it in a different kind of way. We visited the Bacardi Distillery while we were there, and that was a lot of fun. Not only because they gave us two free drinks, and Ronnie was feeling dehydrated so I had to drink his free drinks, too. Also we found out that a rum and Bacardi is officially called a "Cuba Libre" which is fun to say (Koo-ba Li-bray).
The compound was really beautiful, as was the city of San Juan itself. It was a city and not a beach, but it was a good way to break up the other days.
We made the mistake (okay who am I kidding it was the best decision ever) of stopping at Señor Frog's on the way back to the ship, where perhaps a language barrier caused us to accidentally order our drinks in a size known as a "yard."
Meanwhile we only had 20 minutes to get back to the ship. So that was a challenge. But it did make our day in Puerto Rico all the more memorable.
Turks and Caicos:
If only I had known what the beach at Grand Turk was going to be like; I never would have left the Bahamas. The sand was pebbly and the water was rocky, it was crowded, and we got caught in a monsoon.
I mean, paradise is paradise. Maybe I was just "beached out" but this point.
A cruise is also all about the food, and I did get a chance to try 3 new things while I was there. Unfortunately I was having too much of a good time to take any pictures of the food, so you'll have to use your imagination.
Shark:
While I had my concerns about the sustainability of this product, I was assured that the only inhumane thing to each was shark fin soup. Nevertheless, I only had a bite of Ronnie's shark, in the form of a shark fritter. It tasted like any other seafood fritter- fried, and fishy.
Escargot:
This came in a garlic butter sauce with dipping bread. My first impression was that it looked like mushrooms. My second impression was that it tasted like mushrooms, but maybe that was biased from my first impression. It wasn't as slimy or as chewy as I always imagined, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Frog's Legs:
This was probably the most adventurous item because it came in leg form; there was no disguising what you were eating. Everyone says they taste like chicken, but Julie and I thought- stay with me here- they were exactly between the taste and texture of chicken and fish. So, good all in all.
The cruise was definitely a unique experience that everyone would probably enjoy trying at least once. However, it is more of an adventure vacation than a relaxing vacation. Good for the stories, and the pictures. And the tan. But one of those vacations that you need a vacation afterwards to recover from.
Really I'm just relieved that we didn't wind up stranded in the middle of the ocean.
Check! Of course I added this to the list having already made plans to travel to another country. Ronnie and I took a cruise with his family on Carnival Liberty. In fact, according to this list of the world's countries (of which there are 195), I actually visited FOUR new countries: Bahamas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos. All in one action-packed week.
Here is a brief summary of each. Keep in mind I spent less than a day there.
Bahamas:
We probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so ungodly hot. The only time we left the water was to order another piña colada.
U.S. Virgin Islands:
We only visited St. Thomas, but it was BY FAR our favorite island of the four. Something about the combination of tree-covered mountains, steep cliffs, and the classic blue water was mesmerizing.
We went snorkeling that day, off of a catamaran, to an underwater shipwreck, with unlimited free rum punch afterwards. So yeah, best day ever. Even though I couldn't figure out how to secure my snorkeling vest and wound up doing exactly what they told me NOT to do- letting it ride up over my shoulders so that I looked, in official snorkeling lingo, "like Spongebob Squarepants."
Also all the crew on our boat were American expats who clearly loved their lives. They filled us in on the pros and cons of living in paradise; for example rum costs $2 a bottle, but milk costs $9.
Puerto Rico:
I was actually most excited to visit Puerto Rico, and I did enjoy it in a different kind of way. We visited the Bacardi Distillery while we were there, and that was a lot of fun. Not only because they gave us two free drinks, and Ronnie was feeling dehydrated so I had to drink his free drinks, too. Also we found out that a rum and Bacardi is officially called a "Cuba Libre" which is fun to say (Koo-ba Li-bray).
The compound was really beautiful, as was the city of San Juan itself. It was a city and not a beach, but it was a good way to break up the other days.
We made the mistake (okay who am I kidding it was the best decision ever) of stopping at Señor Frog's on the way back to the ship, where perhaps a language barrier caused us to accidentally order our drinks in a size known as a "yard."
Meanwhile we only had 20 minutes to get back to the ship. So that was a challenge. But it did make our day in Puerto Rico all the more memorable.
Turks and Caicos:
If only I had known what the beach at Grand Turk was going to be like; I never would have left the Bahamas. The sand was pebbly and the water was rocky, it was crowded, and we got caught in a monsoon.
A cruise is also all about the food, and I did get a chance to try 3 new things while I was there. Unfortunately I was having too much of a good time to take any pictures of the food, so you'll have to use your imagination.
Shark:
While I had my concerns about the sustainability of this product, I was assured that the only inhumane thing to each was shark fin soup. Nevertheless, I only had a bite of Ronnie's shark, in the form of a shark fritter. It tasted like any other seafood fritter- fried, and fishy.
Escargot:
This came in a garlic butter sauce with dipping bread. My first impression was that it looked like mushrooms. My second impression was that it tasted like mushrooms, but maybe that was biased from my first impression. It wasn't as slimy or as chewy as I always imagined, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Frog's Legs:
This was probably the most adventurous item because it came in leg form; there was no disguising what you were eating. Everyone says they taste like chicken, but Julie and I thought- stay with me here- they were exactly between the taste and texture of chicken and fish. So, good all in all.
The cruise was definitely a unique experience that everyone would probably enjoy trying at least once. However, it is more of an adventure vacation than a relaxing vacation. Good for the stories, and the pictures. And the tan. But one of those vacations that you need a vacation afterwards to recover from.
Really I'm just relieved that we didn't wind up stranded in the middle of the ocean.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Summer Adventures: Bison, Injera, and Bombs Bursting In Air
Where has the summer gone? I feel like it was just my birthday and now I have been 26 for over three months! Even though I haven't been blogging, I have been working on my new list, and have already checked off a few items.
First, while working on list item #6 and asking my dear future sister-in-law to be one of my bridesmaids (she said yes), we visited a delicious and different new restaurant called Ted's Montana Grill.
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Ted's focuses on sustainability, the food of the old American West, and specifically bison. So of course, we had to try the bison. We actually had it two ways, as nachos:
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And as a burger:
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The nachos were delicious (when AREN'T nachos delicious?) but didn't taste very different from beef. Perhaps slightly richer. The burger was almost too tender and juicy. Sort of like a meatball (and sort of like another burger I tried last year- the steamed burger). Luckily Ronnie was the one who ordered the burger. My salt and pepper trout was much better.
Then, on the technical first weekend of summer (though we all know it begins on Memorial Day), our world-travelling friend Chris visited us in between his trip home from Tunisia and to Ethiopia. We had been meaning to try the Ethiopian restaurant down the street from us and since Chris said he also wanted to try it before he left, we took the plunge.
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Basically Ethiopian food consists of various meat, vegetable, and bean-based stews served over injera- a thin, spongy bread with a sour taste. Sort of like a sourdough pancake (if that was a thing). The sauces and the meat and veggies themselves were excellent- exploding with flavor and depth. The bread itself you sort of have to get used to. The texture is a bit off-putting at first.
Next, on our July Fourth trip to South Carolina, I tried Oysters Rockefeller for the first time (though it was not my first time trying oysters in general). According to others at the table who had tried to before, it was not the best Oysters Rockefeller ever. I liked the richness of it, but the oyster was like a salty wet surprise at the bottom. Which was weird.
Also on this trip, as it was July 4th, I experienced fireworks in a whole new and slightly death-defying way. As I mentioned, we were in South Carolina which, as you may or may not know, has famously lax fireworks laws. They're the state that you can shoot off the BIG fireworks in. Which is awesome, right? And we were at the beach, so giant fireworks on the beach is awesome, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
Within five minutes of laying down our blanket and excitedly opening up our adult beverages (also wonderfully legal on this particular beach in South Carolina) we realized that we were in way over our heads. Mostly because within a mile of beach there was approximately one million drunk and rowdy...ahem..."do-it-yourselfers" setting up their BIG fireworks as they excitedly open their own adult beverages. And then all hell broke loose.
I wish I had taken a picture, because it probably actually looked really amazing. A million fireworks in the air popping and exploding within feet of our unsuspecting heads. I've never been to war but I imagine soldiers would probably have been experiencing intense flashbacks on this beach. Also at one point I remember shouting that I finally understood why fireworks represented our independence; particularly the line "the bombs bursting in air."
I lasted about two minutes before I retreated to the wooden walkway above the beach (also probably not the safest place since it was wooden) and the Vega clan followed after another ten. There was a probably six-year-old girl crying next to me and I was slightly envious of her.
But, we did survive, and went on to a continually exciting summer. Up next, the cruise, which definitely deserves its own article. Stay tuned!
First, while working on list item #6 and asking my dear future sister-in-law to be one of my bridesmaids (she said yes), we visited a delicious and different new restaurant called Ted's Montana Grill.
Ted's focuses on sustainability, the food of the old American West, and specifically bison. So of course, we had to try the bison. We actually had it two ways, as nachos:
And as a burger:
The nachos were delicious (when AREN'T nachos delicious?) but didn't taste very different from beef. Perhaps slightly richer. The burger was almost too tender and juicy. Sort of like a meatball (and sort of like another burger I tried last year- the steamed burger). Luckily Ronnie was the one who ordered the burger. My salt and pepper trout was much better.
Then, on the technical first weekend of summer (though we all know it begins on Memorial Day), our world-travelling friend Chris visited us in between his trip home from Tunisia and to Ethiopia. We had been meaning to try the Ethiopian restaurant down the street from us and since Chris said he also wanted to try it before he left, we took the plunge.
Basically Ethiopian food consists of various meat, vegetable, and bean-based stews served over injera- a thin, spongy bread with a sour taste. Sort of like a sourdough pancake (if that was a thing). The sauces and the meat and veggies themselves were excellent- exploding with flavor and depth. The bread itself you sort of have to get used to. The texture is a bit off-putting at first.
Next, on our July Fourth trip to South Carolina, I tried Oysters Rockefeller for the first time (though it was not my first time trying oysters in general). According to others at the table who had tried to before, it was not the best Oysters Rockefeller ever. I liked the richness of it, but the oyster was like a salty wet surprise at the bottom. Which was weird.
Also on this trip, as it was July 4th, I experienced fireworks in a whole new and slightly death-defying way. As I mentioned, we were in South Carolina which, as you may or may not know, has famously lax fireworks laws. They're the state that you can shoot off the BIG fireworks in. Which is awesome, right? And we were at the beach, so giant fireworks on the beach is awesome, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
Within five minutes of laying down our blanket and excitedly opening up our adult beverages (also wonderfully legal on this particular beach in South Carolina) we realized that we were in way over our heads. Mostly because within a mile of beach there was approximately one million drunk and rowdy...ahem..."do-it-yourselfers" setting up their BIG fireworks as they excitedly open their own adult beverages. And then all hell broke loose.
I wish I had taken a picture, because it probably actually looked really amazing. A million fireworks in the air popping and exploding within feet of our unsuspecting heads. I've never been to war but I imagine soldiers would probably have been experiencing intense flashbacks on this beach. Also at one point I remember shouting that I finally understood why fireworks represented our independence; particularly the line "the bombs bursting in air."
I lasted about two minutes before I retreated to the wooden walkway above the beach (also probably not the safest place since it was wooden) and the Vega clan followed after another ten. There was a probably six-year-old girl crying next to me and I was slightly envious of her.
But, we did survive, and went on to a continually exciting summer. Up next, the cruise, which definitely deserves its own article. Stay tuned!
List for 26
Making my list for 25 was one of the best things I ever did for myself. It challenged me, it pushed me out of my comfort zone, it helped me grow. Writing it down and sharing it with the world made me accountable for how I spent my time, which made me spend it much more wisely. I highly encourage everyone to try it for themselves.
Even if you have a "bucket list" either written down or in your head, it helps to set more realistic time expectations for yourself. What thing, no matter how big or small, do you want to accomplish this year? This month? TODAY? Carpe diem, YOLO, and all that.
That said, I did make my list a bit smaller this year, because one of the items is very large and time consuming- ie, planning a wedding. Still, I hope to make a list every year from now on, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.
I'll admit that I've already been 26 for a few months at this point. I have secretly been working on some items, but like I said, I need to hold myself accountable. So here it is.
List for 26
Even if you have a "bucket list" either written down or in your head, it helps to set more realistic time expectations for yourself. What thing, no matter how big or small, do you want to accomplish this year? This month? TODAY? Carpe diem, YOLO, and all that.
That said, I did make my list a bit smaller this year, because one of the items is very large and time consuming- ie, planning a wedding. Still, I hope to make a list every year from now on, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.
I'll admit that I've already been 26 for a few months at this point. I have secretly been working on some items, but like I said, I need to hold myself accountable. So here it is.
List for 26
1. Read 26 Books
2. Try 26 New Foods
3. Visit a Country I've Never Been To
4. Finish a Work of Fiction from Beginning to End
5. Eat Vegetarian One Day a Week
6. Plan a Wedding
7. Master 10 New Recipes
8. Volunteer 10 Hours
9. Learn a New Skill
10. Start a New Job, Again
I can't wait to once again share my journey with you all! Thanks for reading, and wish me luck!
2. Try 26 New Foods
3. Visit a Country I've Never Been To
4. Finish a Work of Fiction from Beginning to End
5. Eat Vegetarian One Day a Week
6. Plan a Wedding
7. Master 10 New Recipes
8. Volunteer 10 Hours
9. Learn a New Skill
10. Start a New Job, Again
I can't wait to once again share my journey with you all! Thanks for reading, and wish me luck!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Funfetti "Whoopsie" Pies
(#10) Master 25 New Recipes
1. Stuffed Peppers
2. Risotto
3. Polenta
4. Beef Brisket
5. French Onion Soup
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Lentil Soup
8. Macaroni & Cheese
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Chicken Piccata
11. Moussaka
12. Chocolate Cake
13. Zebra Cake
14. Chili
15. Cornbread
16. Steamed Artichokes
17. Baked S'mores
18. Barbecue Chicken
19. Meatballs
20. Waffles
21. Omelette
22. Chex Mix
23. Kale Chips
24. Tofu
25. Whoopie Pies
Finally done with the recipes. It was a whirlwind of cooking for the last few weeks of my 25th year; so exhausting in fact that it has taken me this long to talk about it.
The unfortunate thing is that we are ending the recipes on a low note.
I started with this recipe that I found on Pinterest. Funfetti + Whoopie Pie, how could you go wrong? Well, turns out you could. Some things were my own mistakes, and some things were just...not good.
And by some things, I mean the 2 1/4 cups of Crisco that were needed for the filling. Yuck. Maybe if I didn't know that was what it was made of I would have enjoyed it. But as it was I found the filling to be stiff, greasy, and unpleasant.
The recipe was not very clear about how to form the cookies, and since it was actually a cake mix they did not bake flat like normal cookies. So I wound up with giant mounds of whoopie pie that were way too large to use on their own but that became awkward to hold when I tried cutting them in half and stuffing the middle.
We wound up throwing most of them away unfortunately. Also, we still had the giant vat of Crisco when we moved and it melted in the car and got grease on two of Ronnie's tuxedo jackets. So basically, worst recipe ever.
Anybody have any advice on perfecting the whoopie pie?
1. Stuffed Peppers
2. Risotto
3. Polenta
4. Beef Brisket
5. French Onion Soup
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Lentil Soup
8. Macaroni & Cheese
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Chicken Piccata
11. Moussaka
12. Chocolate Cake
13. Zebra Cake
14. Chili
15. Cornbread
16. Steamed Artichokes
17. Baked S'mores
18. Barbecue Chicken
19. Meatballs
20. Waffles
21. Omelette
22. Chex Mix
23. Kale Chips
24. Tofu
25. Whoopie Pies
Finally done with the recipes. It was a whirlwind of cooking for the last few weeks of my 25th year; so exhausting in fact that it has taken me this long to talk about it.
The unfortunate thing is that we are ending the recipes on a low note.
I started with this recipe that I found on Pinterest. Funfetti + Whoopie Pie, how could you go wrong? Well, turns out you could. Some things were my own mistakes, and some things were just...not good.
And by some things, I mean the 2 1/4 cups of Crisco that were needed for the filling. Yuck. Maybe if I didn't know that was what it was made of I would have enjoyed it. But as it was I found the filling to be stiff, greasy, and unpleasant.
We wound up throwing most of them away unfortunately. Also, we still had the giant vat of Crisco when we moved and it melted in the car and got grease on two of Ronnie's tuxedo jackets. So basically, worst recipe ever.
Anybody have any advice on perfecting the whoopie pie?
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Tofu: The White Whale of Vegetarian Cooking
(#10) Master 25 New Recipes
1. Stuffed Peppers
2. Risotto
3. Polenta
4. Beef Brisket
5. French Onion Soup
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Lentil Soup
8. Macaroni & Cheese
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Chicken Piccata
11. Moussaka
12. Chocolate Cake
13. Zebra Cake
14. Chili
15. Cornbread
16. Steamed Artichokes
17. Baked S'mores
18. Barbecue Chicken
19. Meatballs
20. Waffles
21. Omelette
22. Chex Mix
23. Kale Chips
24. Tofu
Ah, poor misunderstood tofu. Delicious if prepared correctly, and yet so hard to prepare.
Personally I could take tofu or leave it, but Ronnie is actually one of those rare meat-eaters who will actually choose to eat tofu regularly. His favorite is adding "vegetables and tofu" to his meal at Pei Wei. So I figured it would be nice for me to figure out how to cook it.
My first attempt was this recipe that I found on - you guessed it - Pinterest. This was a unique recipe in that it did not attempt to make the tofu crispy but instead made it even softer by essentially boiling it.
I expected the texture to be somewhat unpleasant but actually it was pretty smooth and creamy. The sauce was really killer, though- I probably would have eaten that on anything.
The second time I tried cooking tofu I went the more traditional, crispy route and made a stir fry. The best way to get tofu crispy is to get as much moisture out of it as possible. The best way to do that is to press it between two flat surfaces (ie cutting boards) lined with paper towels and let them squeeze the moisture out of it for about an hour.
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1. Stuffed Peppers
2. Risotto
3. Polenta
4. Beef Brisket
5. French Onion Soup
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Lentil Soup
8. Macaroni & Cheese
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Chicken Piccata
11. Moussaka
12. Chocolate Cake
13. Zebra Cake
14. Chili
15. Cornbread
16. Steamed Artichokes
17. Baked S'mores
18. Barbecue Chicken
19. Meatballs
20. Waffles
21. Omelette
22. Chex Mix
23. Kale Chips
24. Tofu
Ah, poor misunderstood tofu. Delicious if prepared correctly, and yet so hard to prepare.
Personally I could take tofu or leave it, but Ronnie is actually one of those rare meat-eaters who will actually choose to eat tofu regularly. His favorite is adding "vegetables and tofu" to his meal at Pei Wei. So I figured it would be nice for me to figure out how to cook it.
My first attempt was this recipe that I found on - you guessed it - Pinterest. This was a unique recipe in that it did not attempt to make the tofu crispy but instead made it even softer by essentially boiling it.
I expected the texture to be somewhat unpleasant but actually it was pretty smooth and creamy. The sauce was really killer, though- I probably would have eaten that on anything.
 |
| http://www.alexandracooks.com |
I once made the mistake of draining out all moisture and then adding moisture back in via a marinade. Don't do this if you want crispy tofu.
Instead, sear it off and add any liquids afterwards, as a sauce. Like they do in this recipe, which I plan on trying next.
I'll let you know how it goes! Meanwhile, be bold and try tofu on your own. It might not be as bad as you think.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Dealing with Death at 26
Let me start by saying that my part in Mike’s life, and in his death, was a small one. I don’t pretend to imagine what these past two years have been like for his family and for his dearest friends who, like Ronnie, have known and loved him for over 20 years.
But I don’t think there is one person who knew this exceptional individual who was not in some way impacted by his lively spirit and passionate (if eccentric) way of looking at life. And I don’t think it is possible to be 26 and lose a friend who is 26 and not be changed for the rest of your life. So in typical Millennium-Generation fashion this is my incredibly selfish reflection on how the life and death of this great person affected me.
I don’t remember the first time I met Mike. It was probably in homeroom class in ninth grade, when I first moved to Exeter. My first real memory of him is from later that year when the junior high’s orchestra performed a piece that Mike had written. We were fourteen, maybe fifteen, and he was composing orchestral pieces.
Other little moments stand out from high school. Joke of the Week, of course. Prom, where Mike rode with us and about 20 others in a rented trolley (limos were too predictable). Getting the Dominoes 5-5-5 deal with him and Ronnie.
Unfortunately what also sticks in my mind is the exact moment that we found out about his illness. Mike took the time to call Ronnie and tell him personally, because that is the kind of person he was. We happened to be visiting Annapolis, Maryland at the time, but Ronnie must have had a feeling it was something important because he took the call. I remember guessing out loud what I thought he was calling to tell us- something I thought would be sad news at the time- that he was moving to L.A. But leukemia, at 24, that was something I could never have imagined.
I was hopeful of course. Even when we did some research on the statistics of his particular type of leukemia. After all, he was young. He was otherwise healthy. Through the miracle of coincidence they caught it early, when it started affecting his hearing. And I was hopeful because I was young, because I couldn’t imagine death in someone my own age.
Ronnie followed his progress closely, keeping in touch and reading his blog. If I have one regret it is that we never visited him in Boston. But then, I thought we could just see him when he was able to return home for good.
I think the first time we saw him after his diagnosis was at Christmas last year. He was able to travel, and that was a good sign. He was thin, but he seemed himself. If a quieter, more tired version. We were so glad he was able to travel and attend Rich and Heather’s wedding and spent most of the night with him outside the venue- he was not allowed to come inside because of his weakened immune system. Maybe he was protecting us then, but he seemed hopeful himself. One more test, he told us, and then maybe home for good.
It was a Tuesday that Mike called Ronnie again. I found him sitting in the living room in the dark. He seemed to be in shock, and could only comment on how Mike once again was more concerned about how Ronnie was taking the news than about his own feelings. I’m sorry to have to give you such shitty news, was the gist of it. And, the veiled request, please come home.
What a gift that phone call was. We did come home and we got to spend precious hours with him. We got an answer to the question that you can’t really ask- how long? We were welcomed by his family who gave us another gift- making it possible to spend real time with him not lamenting his fate, but instead enjoying the time he had left. And still I was hopeful, because he was 26, and he was still himself through everything. And he was one of the most full-of-life people I had ever known.
It was the following week that we learned that Mike was in the hospital, and a day before we were going on a cruise we learned that he had been sent back home. We were going to be travelling internationally for a week, and wouldn’t be able to call him or hear any news until we got back. I think we both had a feeling that we had seen him for the last time. But still I was hopeful.
Our ship docked back in Miami on Saturday, August 10th. We both turned our phones back on with trepidation. I was the only one who had messages- from my mom, and my sister, and my stepdad. Call as soon as you get this. We have been trying to reach you. Please call right away.
Of course those are the kinds of messages that fill you with dread. But Ronnie didn’t have any messages, and that was how we expected to hear about Mike. I called home immediately, even though it was 7:30 and I was probably waking everyone up. Robert answered.
How was your trip? When did you get back? Have you talked to anyone? Trying gently to discover whether we knew. And then, Mike passed away on Tuesday.
Tuesday? Tuesday? It was now Saturday. On Tuesday we had been snorkeling off St. Thomas. This couldn’t be right.
We were hoping you got back yesterday. The service is today, at two.
I quickly started doing the math. We were still on the boat, still had to pack our bags and go through customs. Our flight wasn’t until tomorrow, and back to DC. Could we get another flight? Could we get from Philly to Reading? How far was the airport from here?
I looked at Ronnie, watching me and only hearing my side of the conversation. I realized he also did not believe this was about Mike. I mouthed the words, It’s Mike but he didn’t get it.
I got off the phone. I said slowly, Mike passed away on Tuesday. Ronnie hugged me and said, I’m so sorry.
He still didn’t understand what I had said. So I said it again. And he said, Oh.
I started rambling on about the funeral and how long it would take us to get to Pennsylvania. Focusing on that. Ronnie focused even smaller- let’s finish our breakfast. Let’s pack our bags. Let’s get off the ship.
By the time we were back on land it was 10:00. We realized then that even if we made it to the airport, got a flight out immediately, and somehow got to Reading from Philly, we still wouldn’t make it. And I realized that I was the only one pushing to make it possible- Ronnie needed to stop. Only then did we focus on the loss of our friend.
I think Mike would have appreciated that he gave us one of the most bizarre moments of our lives. From picturesque Caribbean vacation to a fist full of reality in one swift punch. We sat on a bench at port, our bags at our feet, Ronnie’s family a safe distance away still in vacation mode, openly weeping as hundreds of strangers walked past. With their own bags, starting or ending their own vacations. I wondered if they thought we had a traumatic experience onboard and second-guessed their own trips. I wondered if they thought we had such a great time and just really, really didn’t want to go home. I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes and ignored everything and everyone.
Until they turned the cruise-themed music on through the loudspeakers. And I had the moment I will never forget, where I cried through the cha-cha slide. And the world, all at once, ceased making sense.
What is the sense in the death of a 26-year-old? There isn’t any. To be faced with the reality of it was sort of like being set back adrift at sea; let life take you where it will, or you will be lost. Suddenly I realized there was no solid ground to stand on, that even though we had only started our journey reaching the distant horizon was not a guarantee.
My favorite Mike memory? The one I can’t get out of my head? Probably one that he himself would not remember. I was visiting Ronnie at Penn State, one time out of many- I think it might have been graduation. We were at Bar Bleu, the two of us sitting in a booth waiting for others to come back with our drinks or from the bathroom, I forget. But a few of Mike’s friends from the film department came to join us, and without missing a beat Mike introduced me as “his friend Staci.” Just like that, like I didn’t need any qualifiers. Not my friend from high school (ie not quite relevant in current life). Not my roommate’s girlfriend (a friend, once removed) even though that was the main reason we had become close. Just a friend. Such a small thing, but to me then and now it struck me as an act of open kindness and warmth. Because Mike was that kind of person- everyone was his friend. No qualifiers.
As cliché as it sounds, there is no one on Earth who deserved this less than Mike. Because he had so much to give the world, and was always giving, right to the end.
As much as you mourn for the person, you also mourn for the future. With all of our friends getting married, including us, you think about what Mike’s wife might have been like, what it might have been like to have dinner parties together and go to Penn State games as (myself excluded) 20 year alums. What if he wins that Emmy, and what if that would have been the first of many? You think about your own future and realize you might not get to experience it. You think about what you have done with your time and how you can do more.
Mostly, though, you realize what is really important. Mike’s death is not a metaphor or a symbol, I know that. He is not a minor character in my life but the hero of his own. But still I owe a great debt to Mike for teaching me there are only a few things in this life that really matter:
Love, for your family and your friends. I feel blessed to be included among those he shared his last days with, knowing how precious that time was.
Passion, for the things in life that excite you. The last time we saw him Mike talked for an hour about how he got those duck sounds right, and could have kept talking for as long as we were listening.
Retaining your sense of wonder for the little things, even in face of the big ones. I’ll never forget Mike saying that he hoped he’d get to see the next installment of The Hobbit. At first I kind of laughed it off as a petty wish, a waste of time. But then I realized that there is no required quota of grand things you have to do in your life. It’s about doing things that make you happy.
Staying true to yourself, no matter what life throws at you. I’m sorry to have to give you such shitty news. It takes a strong person to be able to think of others in the face of their own death. I think maybe that makes
Mike one of the strongest people I’ll ever have the pleasure of knowing.
So thank you. I’m a better person for knowing you. I guess that’s what it took me this long to say.
But I don’t think there is one person who knew this exceptional individual who was not in some way impacted by his lively spirit and passionate (if eccentric) way of looking at life. And I don’t think it is possible to be 26 and lose a friend who is 26 and not be changed for the rest of your life. So in typical Millennium-Generation fashion this is my incredibly selfish reflection on how the life and death of this great person affected me.
I don’t remember the first time I met Mike. It was probably in homeroom class in ninth grade, when I first moved to Exeter. My first real memory of him is from later that year when the junior high’s orchestra performed a piece that Mike had written. We were fourteen, maybe fifteen, and he was composing orchestral pieces.
Other little moments stand out from high school. Joke of the Week, of course. Prom, where Mike rode with us and about 20 others in a rented trolley (limos were too predictable). Getting the Dominoes 5-5-5 deal with him and Ronnie.
Unfortunately what also sticks in my mind is the exact moment that we found out about his illness. Mike took the time to call Ronnie and tell him personally, because that is the kind of person he was. We happened to be visiting Annapolis, Maryland at the time, but Ronnie must have had a feeling it was something important because he took the call. I remember guessing out loud what I thought he was calling to tell us- something I thought would be sad news at the time- that he was moving to L.A. But leukemia, at 24, that was something I could never have imagined.
I was hopeful of course. Even when we did some research on the statistics of his particular type of leukemia. After all, he was young. He was otherwise healthy. Through the miracle of coincidence they caught it early, when it started affecting his hearing. And I was hopeful because I was young, because I couldn’t imagine death in someone my own age.
Ronnie followed his progress closely, keeping in touch and reading his blog. If I have one regret it is that we never visited him in Boston. But then, I thought we could just see him when he was able to return home for good.
I think the first time we saw him after his diagnosis was at Christmas last year. He was able to travel, and that was a good sign. He was thin, but he seemed himself. If a quieter, more tired version. We were so glad he was able to travel and attend Rich and Heather’s wedding and spent most of the night with him outside the venue- he was not allowed to come inside because of his weakened immune system. Maybe he was protecting us then, but he seemed hopeful himself. One more test, he told us, and then maybe home for good.
It was a Tuesday that Mike called Ronnie again. I found him sitting in the living room in the dark. He seemed to be in shock, and could only comment on how Mike once again was more concerned about how Ronnie was taking the news than about his own feelings. I’m sorry to have to give you such shitty news, was the gist of it. And, the veiled request, please come home.
What a gift that phone call was. We did come home and we got to spend precious hours with him. We got an answer to the question that you can’t really ask- how long? We were welcomed by his family who gave us another gift- making it possible to spend real time with him not lamenting his fate, but instead enjoying the time he had left. And still I was hopeful, because he was 26, and he was still himself through everything. And he was one of the most full-of-life people I had ever known.
It was the following week that we learned that Mike was in the hospital, and a day before we were going on a cruise we learned that he had been sent back home. We were going to be travelling internationally for a week, and wouldn’t be able to call him or hear any news until we got back. I think we both had a feeling that we had seen him for the last time. But still I was hopeful.
Our ship docked back in Miami on Saturday, August 10th. We both turned our phones back on with trepidation. I was the only one who had messages- from my mom, and my sister, and my stepdad. Call as soon as you get this. We have been trying to reach you. Please call right away.
Of course those are the kinds of messages that fill you with dread. But Ronnie didn’t have any messages, and that was how we expected to hear about Mike. I called home immediately, even though it was 7:30 and I was probably waking everyone up. Robert answered.
How was your trip? When did you get back? Have you talked to anyone? Trying gently to discover whether we knew. And then, Mike passed away on Tuesday.
Tuesday? Tuesday? It was now Saturday. On Tuesday we had been snorkeling off St. Thomas. This couldn’t be right.
We were hoping you got back yesterday. The service is today, at two.
I quickly started doing the math. We were still on the boat, still had to pack our bags and go through customs. Our flight wasn’t until tomorrow, and back to DC. Could we get another flight? Could we get from Philly to Reading? How far was the airport from here?
I looked at Ronnie, watching me and only hearing my side of the conversation. I realized he also did not believe this was about Mike. I mouthed the words, It’s Mike but he didn’t get it.
I got off the phone. I said slowly, Mike passed away on Tuesday. Ronnie hugged me and said, I’m so sorry.
He still didn’t understand what I had said. So I said it again. And he said, Oh.
I started rambling on about the funeral and how long it would take us to get to Pennsylvania. Focusing on that. Ronnie focused even smaller- let’s finish our breakfast. Let’s pack our bags. Let’s get off the ship.
By the time we were back on land it was 10:00. We realized then that even if we made it to the airport, got a flight out immediately, and somehow got to Reading from Philly, we still wouldn’t make it. And I realized that I was the only one pushing to make it possible- Ronnie needed to stop. Only then did we focus on the loss of our friend.
I think Mike would have appreciated that he gave us one of the most bizarre moments of our lives. From picturesque Caribbean vacation to a fist full of reality in one swift punch. We sat on a bench at port, our bags at our feet, Ronnie’s family a safe distance away still in vacation mode, openly weeping as hundreds of strangers walked past. With their own bags, starting or ending their own vacations. I wondered if they thought we had a traumatic experience onboard and second-guessed their own trips. I wondered if they thought we had such a great time and just really, really didn’t want to go home. I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes and ignored everything and everyone.
Until they turned the cruise-themed music on through the loudspeakers. And I had the moment I will never forget, where I cried through the cha-cha slide. And the world, all at once, ceased making sense.
What is the sense in the death of a 26-year-old? There isn’t any. To be faced with the reality of it was sort of like being set back adrift at sea; let life take you where it will, or you will be lost. Suddenly I realized there was no solid ground to stand on, that even though we had only started our journey reaching the distant horizon was not a guarantee.
My favorite Mike memory? The one I can’t get out of my head? Probably one that he himself would not remember. I was visiting Ronnie at Penn State, one time out of many- I think it might have been graduation. We were at Bar Bleu, the two of us sitting in a booth waiting for others to come back with our drinks or from the bathroom, I forget. But a few of Mike’s friends from the film department came to join us, and without missing a beat Mike introduced me as “his friend Staci.” Just like that, like I didn’t need any qualifiers. Not my friend from high school (ie not quite relevant in current life). Not my roommate’s girlfriend (a friend, once removed) even though that was the main reason we had become close. Just a friend. Such a small thing, but to me then and now it struck me as an act of open kindness and warmth. Because Mike was that kind of person- everyone was his friend. No qualifiers.
As cliché as it sounds, there is no one on Earth who deserved this less than Mike. Because he had so much to give the world, and was always giving, right to the end.
As much as you mourn for the person, you also mourn for the future. With all of our friends getting married, including us, you think about what Mike’s wife might have been like, what it might have been like to have dinner parties together and go to Penn State games as (myself excluded) 20 year alums. What if he wins that Emmy, and what if that would have been the first of many? You think about your own future and realize you might not get to experience it. You think about what you have done with your time and how you can do more.
Mostly, though, you realize what is really important. Mike’s death is not a metaphor or a symbol, I know that. He is not a minor character in my life but the hero of his own. But still I owe a great debt to Mike for teaching me there are only a few things in this life that really matter:
Love, for your family and your friends. I feel blessed to be included among those he shared his last days with, knowing how precious that time was.
Passion, for the things in life that excite you. The last time we saw him Mike talked for an hour about how he got those duck sounds right, and could have kept talking for as long as we were listening.
Retaining your sense of wonder for the little things, even in face of the big ones. I’ll never forget Mike saying that he hoped he’d get to see the next installment of The Hobbit. At first I kind of laughed it off as a petty wish, a waste of time. But then I realized that there is no required quota of grand things you have to do in your life. It’s about doing things that make you happy.
Staying true to yourself, no matter what life throws at you. I’m sorry to have to give you such shitty news. It takes a strong person to be able to think of others in the face of their own death. I think maybe that makes
Mike one of the strongest people I’ll ever have the pleasure of knowing.
So thank you. I’m a better person for knowing you. I guess that’s what it took me this long to say.
You will be missed but not forgotten.
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