LaughAloud

Oh Hi Little Friend..

A Better Future

We've been watching a lot of Star Trek: The Next Generation lately. I've seen them all of course, and have watched them on and off over the years, but the last time I watched this much TNG was probably in Middle School, when I watched it every night at 7pm (new episodes on Tuesday). This time around, they are still familiar friends, but there are a lot of details that I don't remember and ideas I didn't notice or didn't think about the same way the first time around.

There are so many very small details about the way the TNG future is imagined that make it seem so much better. I don't mean in terms of all the fabulous technology and gadgets and transporters (although those are nice too) but the little things that have improved quality of life.

The other night, we watched an episode where a central plot point was a strange, recurring headache the captain had. It was puzzling, a headache? People just don't get headaches anymore...and if they do, its easy to find the problem and fix it...no more chronic headaches, if you have a headache, a quick trip to the doctor will cure that problem. (Unless the Ferengi has a mind control device, but that's another story...) Even at the time I thought, how amazing, such a simple thing...no headaches, and what a difference that would make.

Then last night, Chip, who gets headaches (probably migraines really) fairly regularly got probably the worst one I remember him ever having. It was so bad, I actually thought he might even be coming down with the flu. Luckily, it was only one night of suffering instead of several days, but still, the thought was still fresh in my mind. How nice it would be if a headache was something no one had to deal with. No medicine needed, a quick scan could tell what the real problem is and fix it. Even just that one simple advancement, even without the other technological amazement, would make for a magical better future.

In the Air

I had a library meeting up at Berkeley today & I flew up just for the day. My favorite airline to fly up to the Bay area is Virgin America - cushy cabin amenities like personal touch screen entertainment system, plugs for charging gadgets and soft purple lighting which is especially soothing on early morning/late evening after a long day flights. Plus, it's often even cheaper than the flights on Southwest, so the best of both worlds.

I built in a little time after the meeting to visit the Fleuvog store and try on some boots I've had my eye on. They are so cute and I think they will be so comfortable. I had a similar pair of mid-calf lace-up boots in Chicago (though not so well made or with such nice detailing) that I completely wore out shortly after I moved to San Diego. Without a winter to contend with, I just couldn't justify spending the money. But now, after waiting almost 4 years, I decided they would be my post-surgery present to myself. I will post a picture soon.

Maybe after this plane lands. That's right, I'm currently 30,000 feet in the air on my way home to San Diego, typing this in my iPod touch, online with free wireless. Yes, I'm feeling fancy.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving again this year full of lots of friends a delicious food and good times! It was our largest group yet for dinner, with a total of 12 people at the table for dinner. We had some new friends join us, some repeat guests plus our two long time guests, Adele & Victoria who joined us for the start of our "orphan" Thanksgiving tradition 3 years ago.

This year's menu:

• Grilled Rib Roast (18lbs!)
• Mashed Potatos with Mushroom Gravy
• Buttermilk Buscuits with Cranberry Butter
• Mamaw Oakerson's Spinach Casserole with Yorkshire Pudding Top
• Corn Pudding with Goat Cheese & Basil
• Grilled Mushroom Mix
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pecan Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Fresh Whipped Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream

Our Guests brought some delicious homemade additions to the menu: Adele's Chocolate Pizza, Dorthea's Sweet Potato Pie, Victoria's Pumpkin Mochi, Cristela's Roasted Squash & cranberry chutney with bacon.

At the end of the night I always wish I had taken more pictures, but this year I at least took a good number while preparing the meal in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Click through to the photo album for more details of the fun and delicious evening.

And Know the Place for the First Time

"The horrific struggle to establish a human self results in a self whose humanity is inseparable from that horrific struggle.  That our endless and impossible journey toward home is in fact our home. . . . .Envision us approaching and pounding on this door, increasingly hard, pounding and pounding, and not just wanting admission, but needing it; we don't know what it is, but we can feel it, this total desperation to enter, pounding and ramming and kicking.  That, finally, the door opens. . . and it opens outward --we've been standing inside what we wanted all along."

--David Foster Wallace

This beautiful pumpkin came in my CSA vegetable box last week. I was  torn between keeping it and using it for fall decor at Thanksgiving, but decided it would be more fun to cook it up and bake something delicious with it.

When I cut the pumpkin open to scoop out the seeds, I found this little seed actually growing inside of it. I've never seen something like this before, but Chip said it made sense, because in nature, the pumpkin would most like rot, and the seeds inside would start growing at the same time, eventually creating a new plant. what a cool thing to imagine.  

I have the day off on Wednesday for Veteran's Day and I plan to use my pumpkin to make chocolate pumpkin muffins. I figure pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips are delicious, so chocolate pumpkin muffins should be amazing. We'll see how they turn out.

 

A Most Delicious Mushroom Gravy

With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm planning out my menu, thinking about what I want to do differently this year, and what I'd like to do exactly the same. One dish I will be keeping from last year is the delicious vegetarian mushroom gravy. There are always a number of vegetarians at my Thanksgiving, and so I usually make one vegetarian gravy and one from the meat drippings, but last year, this vegetarian gravy turned out to be SO GOOD, it's the only gravy I'll be making this year.

I wanted to include the "recipe" here, but as I typed it out I realized, there is no real "recipe" at least not in the sense that I used specific amounts of anything, just however much seemed right. So here's what I put in, and sort of how I did it and that's about as close as it gets.

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

• onion
• garlic
• celery
• mushrooms
• pepper & salt
• thyme
• marjoram
• sage
• tarragon
• olive oil
• red wine (or white if you prefer)
• flour
• Imagine Vegetable Broth
• soy sauce (if desired)
• half & half or milk (if desired)

The Mushroom Mixture

Saute together the onion, garlic, celery and mushrooms in a little olive oil with pepper and salt to taste. Remove from heat and stir in fresh chopped thyme, marjoram, sage and tarragon. (or whatever herbs you prefer.) This can be done a day or two ahead of time and set aside in sealed ziplock bag or container in the fridge.

You can make this part as smooth or as chunky as you want. Last year I shredded the mushrooms in the food processor, but if smooth gravy is important to you, you can blend this mixture into nothing but flavor.

The Roux

For the roux, heat olive oil (or butter/fat of you choice) and flour over high heat, stirring constantly (I like using a wooden spoon or a whisk). This usually takes 2-4 minutes of constant stirring, as the mixture darkens.

You can make the roux Thanksgiving morning, and set aside at room temperature. Just before making the gravy, whisk together to recombine.

The Secret Ingredient

I'm sure you could use any vegetable broth, but I really think the Imagine Vegetable Broth I used last year is what REALLY made this gravy. It comes in regular and low sodium varieties and I've tried both their chicken and vegetable broths for various meals with excellent results. I buy it at the regular grocery store, but they carry it in their "organic" aisle.

Making the Gravy

Even though you're not using any meat drippings for this gravy, make this just before serving dinner so its hot and fresh. Combine in a sauce pan: the mushroom mixture, about half the container of the broth, a a little bit of wine if desire. Bring to a summer and whisk in roux slowly, a little at a time until desired thickness is reached.  Add soy sauce and/or half and half if desired for the look and taste you want.

A teapot is a perfect way to serve the gravy while keeping it nice and toasty warm. (My gravy boat is now used for cranberry sauce :)

Wishes

The Archer

"Physically, for one arrow, he is capable of shooting near the exact center of the target. For one arrow he is capable of drawing a bow with more grace than Apollo could command. For one arrow, almost anyone can achieve excellence. However, when that one arrow must be repeated with another, and another, on command, the archer begins to question his ability to sustain beauty."

                    -- KiSik Lee & Tyler Benner, Total Archery: Inside the Archer

Inside the Archer

I've finally finished reading Total Archery: Inside the Archer by KiSik Lee (U.S. Head Coach) and Tyler Benner. It's a fantastic and detailed book that breaks down the steps of shooting  into distinct chapters. Best of all it is bursting with large, full color images, just the kind of thing I've been missing in an archery book.

It is a book dense with information and for that reason I really spread out reading it. I started while I was at home re-cooperating from surgery and quickly became overwhelmed. Maybe because not only wasn't I able to shoot, but I could even stand up to go through the motions of what the book discussed. Or maybe I couldn't concentrate  because of the percocet. Either way, I set aside the book until a short time after I returned to work, which led to the nice ritual of taking the 6:30 bus to campus, and sitting in the coffee shop for 30 minutes or so to read a chapter of Inside the Archer before work. It was perfect. And it left me un-rushed, letting everything really soak in. I took notes. I had questions. Things I didn't quite understand and things that didn't seem quite right and things I wanted to know more about. Which leads me to...

I got SO much more out of this book because I have an experienced coach who I trust to ask my questions to. I can't even imagine reading this book without such a guide. As someone who knows my shooting and knows my flaws and who also has immense experience in the sport, my coach answer my questions and explain what I didn't quite understand. He could also tell me which things I should just not worry about and which ones I should focus on now and which I could worry about later. I think reading and really trying to implement the techniques in this book without a coach, even one seen only occasionally would be a mistake, especially for a relatively new archer such as myself. Which bring me to...

I'm glad I read this book now, and not a year or even 6 months ago. Although, if it had been available, I probably would have. All the great pictures, the step-by-step break down of the shot, I wouldn't have been able to resist.  I think I would have been overwhelmed by the information and much of it would have been talking about a final technique so far from where I was it would have meant very little, and would have seemed almost an impossible feat to achieve. As it is, I feel like I've gotten to a place where I have a fairly good understanding of the basics of what I should be doing (even if I'm not doing all of it) allowing me to really get lot out of the book, some of which can be applied now and some later. (And some maybe not at all - I like my wrist sling.) Knowing how far I've come in the past year, nothing seems quite so impossible as it did a year ago, even if it is far off in the future.

My biggest complaint about the book, was that it sometimes strives for poetry at the expense of clarity. I understand this impulse and fall prey to it myself (as you must know if you regularly read this blog) but I feel it can be more easily excused in fiction or creative non-fiction than in an explanatory text. When writing about something difficult to understand, a method many people struggle with, it's probably best to keep things a bit simpler and not let the words get in the way of the explanation. However, in the last chapter ("The Emotionality of Shooting") this style was perfect, and I wished there was even more time devoted to this.

Two things I really wish this book included:

An Index. OK, yes, I'm a librarian, I realized I might be a little biased. But the presence of an index is really one of the hallmarks of a good reference work and that is certainly what this is. It is a work that can be carefully read cover to cover, but almost certainly there will be parts you want to go back to, to hone in on certain details. The way the book is broken done step by step makes that easier, but there is a significant amount of cross referencing between chapters and a index would have been an improvement.

An Appendix listing the archers in the photos. I realize this book strives to portray "the archer" as anyone and everyone in the text and labeling the photos with the names of the archers could be a distraction to this endeavor, but an appendix with names would be nice.

Maybe these will be found in a second edition?