This year I . . .

• rediscovered the magic of Harry Potter. Read books five through seven and went to the midnight showing - all in November.
• learned about lacto-fermentation. My favorite concoction so far is the shredded beets with apple. So good in a veggie wrap. The sauerkraut was okay, the pickles were awesome, and I've been enjoying a fermented peach slice or two in my morning smoothie. Yum.
• gave my dehydrator a workout. dried pears and mango = candy.
• fit in my skinny jeans (as of today. Happy New Year to me!). I'm now in the best shape I've been able to manage since the great thyroid disaster of 2008.
• read a lot of books. Wallace Stegner and Anne Tyler top the list of new favorite authors.
• made a new e-friend (Hi, Miri!).
• cooked eggplant Parmesan for the first time. Made up my own recipe. The secret's in the sauce . . . and the Japanese-style breadcrumbs.
• ate roughly a million pounds of Swiss Chard, the most prolific plant in my garden. Still eating it in smoothies.
• quit drinking cow's milk and gave up cheese and ice cream most of the time. My body has been throwing me a party ever since.
• worried a lot about the present and the future, felt despair, then did some hard things.
• danced in a studio for the first time in five years. My soul needs it.
• didn't blog very much. I just didn't feel up to it a lot of the time.
• celebrated my fifth anniversary. It's hard to believe. Harder still: believing that I first met Clark over ten years ago.
• found   lots.  of.  new-to-me.  music.  I.  love.
• learned to play a little ukulele. (lol!)
• ate a lot of tofu sausage. and a lot of healthy bread.
• freed my skin and hair from the tyranny of sulfates, parabens, and silicone. So what if my hair smells like a salad?
• watched all seven seasons of The West Wing, again . . . and two seasons of Lois and Clark (yes, the new adventures of Superman - from the 90s). 
• considered trying to find more recent sources of entertainment, then gave up and read more books.
• sold some junk on craigslist for the first time. I'm pretty sure all your home lacks is a black futon frame that my husband pulled out of a dumpster and refurbished. It can be yours; price negotiable.
• directed the yearly primary program - with some kick-butt dynamics.
• learned to really like those little boogers in primary. Loving them was easy; liking them took some work for me.
• handed my calling off to Clark. Every week I sneak a peak at him singing with the nursery kids; it's hands-down the cutest thing I have ever seen.
• grew my biggest garden ever, thanks to neighbors who let us use part of their open field.
• made some new friends. Really new. I'm excited to get to know them better. It's amazing what happens when I don't spend all my time hibernating, commuting, or studying.
• didn't take my grad school comps. I was near catatonic in October; it just didn't happen. The new goal is March.
• got a new, seemingly free heater. the old one was an oil furnace that gave out several times before we gave in. Last Christmas, Mom and I huddled under blankets for two days watching Cranford because no one was available to fix it. This year we watched Return to Cranford in relative comfort. The heater installation was done in September and we have yet to see a bill. I'm a little worried, but for the moment I'm 4k richer. and a lot warmer.
• was proud of Clark. He worked hard at building walls, installing insulation, and doing other hard things.
• felt support and love from people who came to help us build walls, install insulation, and do other hard things.
• was more settled-in at work.
• spent time alone and liked my own company.
• taught a short grammar class to a group of sassy legal-assistant students. I hope they now understand the concept of antecedents. ^sigh^t
  
• went to my ten year high school reunion. I was a little ambivalent about going, but I'm glad I went. It was a good time, and I was delighted to find all you girlfriends of mine who have grown into confident women are more beautiful now than ever. 
• kicked out the tenant from our basement apartment.
• learned how better to screen for tenants for our basement apartment.
• meditated by a lake at what was possibly the best professional conference of all time.
• finished my last class some classes for my master's degree.
• didn't write a thesis, mourned my failure to academicize, then reconsidered the future of my academic career. Yes; I am still paralyzed by indecision.
• took back Christmas. As opposed to the failed campaigns of 2005-2009, in 2010 we made about 90% of all of the gifts we gave.
• didn't mail off said gifts before Christmas. There may or may not be something life-changing coming to a mailbox near you. but probably not.

The best I can say for 2010 is that it's over and I did some things, felt some feelings, and learned some stuff. Sweet success?! I think it might be.

Here's to next year, my friends. A happy 2011 to you.

they've just stopped trying

I have a love of food photography. I love it almost as much as I love food - almost. I love the way good food photography captures my senses - the colors and textures help me imagine the smells and flavors. I also really love bad food photography for its disgusting irony (think Betos - the purpose of those photographs on the menu clearly is not to make you want to eat the "food"). A new trend is simply to photograph bad food - nothing particularly wrong with the quality of the photograph, there's just no attempt to hide the industrial quality of the food. (I have to wonder if these ads are creating or answering incredibly low expectations.) Here are a few of my favorites:

                                           

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The strategically placed onions and the sponge on bottom really make this a work of art. And speaking of American "cheese" . . .

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. . . would you like a square in your Jack in the Box taco? Oh, and please don't forget the drizzle of french dressing . . . and some well placed lettuce on the plate for authenticity.

                                                                     

And last but not least, and in a category all its own:

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Finally, some truth in advertising.

may day - and another blog

In honor of May Day, I've launched a new blog in which to write about my more controversial opinions. Visit if you like.

the hardest part

At some point, blogging made its way to the bottom of mental to-do list and stayed there as other items were added to the top or inserted in the middle. The actual problem is that blogging exists on any list - I prefer to think of it as an escape from the things I'm supposed to do. But now it's been too long, and, as we all know, starting is the hardest part. Here are some random updates from my life to get started again:

• I wrote a sixteen page final project for Org Theory yesterday. Like I said, starting is the hardest part. After I got going, it wasn't so bad. I'm starting to worry about my addiction to the adrenaline associated with my procrastination habit. Is there some kind of treatment for that? If only I had something due every day, I think I could have finished a dissertation by now.
• Speaking of dissertations, I'm helping my Public Lands Policy professor with his - references, formatting, etc.  Between his dissertation and my research paper, it's going to be all public lands all the time. (I know; you wish you were me right now.)
• I have developed a mini mania for the writing of Sarah Vowell and recommend her books (I've only read two, but I imagine the others are just as great). I can't wait until May, when I can feel good about reading things that have nothing to do with hardrock mining laws, the Forest Service, or cattle grazing on public lands.
• We are going on a much needed vacation. Since the 247 Tom Petty songs on Clark's ipod are not enough to satiate his appetite for all things Tom Petty, we planned a trip to visit friends that coincided with Tom Petty Tour 2010. Three days after Clark purchased his ticket, the tour switched its dates around. Of course, this doesn't mean Clark would actually miss the tour; he's planning a pilgrimage to Canada in June so he can bask in the glory of "Free Fallin'" in the company of several thousand strangers, most of them Canadian. Under different circumstances, I might protest going such great lengths, but I have to admire that kind of dedication.
• I have eaten an avocado and an orange almost every day for the past 4 months. It's like a little bit of sunshine every day to get a girl through the Idaho winter.
• I'm making a surprise for Clark's birthday (May 17). We are both notoriously bad at surprises and secrets  because we just can't wait to tell each other anything exciting. I'm telling you to help me not tell him. Shhh!
• Lately, I spend a little time each day coming up with a new life plan. Most of them include living in a big city or another country. Sometimes both. None of them includes Idaho Falls. Next step: learn Farsi, Korean, and Russian and get a job with the State Department.
• You may have noticed here are no pictures in this post - nor will there be any personal pictures in the near future. Last time I used my camera was on a February snowshoing voyage to a ghost town near Teton National Park, an event which was well documented until said camera disappeared under melted glacier water. It may sound like near tragedy, but I actually really hated that camera.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

this one's for haley

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Clark was helping the scouts by delivering flyers about the upcoming food drive. Here's what happened:

Clark: Hi. We're helping the local food bank and we'll be back in a week to pick up non-perishable food. If you have anything you want to donate, just leave it by your door.

Lady: Well, this is low-income housing, so I'll probably be getting your food.

Door closes.
End of story.

fall fun

So, it's been a while since I've streamed my consciousness here. I just haven't really felt like writing. . . Well, maybe I have felt like writing, but I couldn't allow myself write recreationally when I have so much obligatory  writing to do (see Administrative Ethics. I never wrote this much in an English class). Anyway, here I am.

Fall has already melted . . . or, rather, frozen into winter around here, and I can't wait for Thanksgiving. Despite my loathing of all (most) things Halloween, I had fun taking the nieces and nephews trick-or-treating. This year Clark put together a great costume for the obligatory Halloween fun at work.

it was more effective in the dark - complete with flashing lights

I wasn't home most of the time he was constructing this amazing costume but every night after class I would come home and see the progress on his robot. One night while I was away, he got stuck in his costume - for an hour. Somehow, he got out of it without ruining it before I got home. I found a distressed-sounding text message much too late to be of any help.

In other news, Clark placed second at the poetry slam put on by the Eagle Rock Art Museum. It's a fun event that the museum puts on twice per year. The facilitator randomly assigns people in the audience to rate the poets and then she averages the scores. Before the finalists are announced,  she passes a hat to collect whatever the audience is willing to donate to the winner. Last spring Clark took first place. His winnings: $90 and some change, a half-empty pack of watermelon-flavored gum, and a cigarette. This time he made off with a gift card to Barnes and Noble.

doing maths

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Clark has been studying his maths* lately. That may be a surprise. But there is an even bigger surprise: he's enjoying it. This makes me wonder.

Like many people, I didn't have many good experiences with math in my early years.

I see the math paralysis in the eyes of students who come to me in tears because they are near failing despite their hours with tutors in the math lab. Like them, I never savored college algebra. I saved my one required math class (statistics) until my last semester of college . . . and I understood it. I studied it. I even liked it.

So why do so many people fear math?

I have a theory about why. First, I think our brains were just not ready for it when it was first introduced to us as children. The power of abstract thought generally develops in early puberty; this ability is essential in order to understand how 'x' could possibly equal 42. So, that being said, can't we let kids perfect the basics before we mix the letters and the numbers?

Second, people who major in math or science and do well in school have many, many lucrative career options. These options must make teaching seem like full-time charity work. I'm sure that there are some very, very good teachers out there. I had an amazing physics teacher at HHS. (Thank you, Mr. Summerhayes.) I'm just saying that out of the six years I spend in secondary education, I only remember the name one math teacher. One. And I only remember him because he told so many painful, punny jokes.

*I first heard "maths" in plural form from a student from the UK, where, apparently, there is more than one math. Love it.

flowers and freegans

Clark brought home a beautiful bouquet of flowers last night. I was surprised. As much as I like flowers, they undoubtedly fall under the category of stuff, and, as you know, we don't buy stuff. It was then that my Clark surprised me again. “I stopped by a floral shop on the way home and did a little back alley ‘shopping’.”

“Excuse me while I adjust my girlish notions of romance.”

Ever since the last DD ™, Clark has been doing a little research. Apparently, there is an entire subculture of Freegans dedicated to living the good life while cutting the man out of the equation. The hippie in me is captivated by the idea of non-participation in the traditional economy, but the other part of me - the obsessive-compulsive part - is completely horrified. The whole of me is fascinated by the simultaneous attraction/repulsion I feel on the subject.

Well, the past few Monday nights (see FHE) we have been reading portions of a conference talk and discussing its application in our lives. Elder Robert D Hales teaches that consumerism and debt squash spirituality and limit freedom in every respect. Families can help each other in their quest to be provident. He states:

“When faced with the choice to buy, consume, or engage in worldly things and activities, we all need to learn to say to one another, “We can’t afford it, even though we want it!” or “We can afford it, but we don't need it—and we really don’t even want it!

. . . as we counsel and work together in family councils, we can help each other become provident providers and teach our children to live providently as well.”

Clark, thanks for the garbage flowers. It was a thoughtful gesture, not because you dropped some cash but because the flowers are beautiful and you knew I would like them. Thanks for not buying stuff and working with me on our goals.

In case you wondered, this is love, and you can't buy it.

dumpster dive

I love things that have stories. That's why we have an old house and nearly all of our furniture is second-hand or hand-me-down (it still looks great). Our mantra for the last few months has been we don't buy stuff. I mean, does the world really need one more purse or pair of sunglasses or DVD player or . . . futon frame? Our little boycott has worked out pretty well: we have saved a bit and cut out some of life's unnecessary cluttery stuff.

We recently ran into a dilemma; the extra bedroom needs a feng shui makeover so that it will be a place we (and you, our honored, future guests) actually want to be. This feat could only be accomplished by a new bed. But, wait! We don't buy stuff (say it with me); herein lay the dilemma. We thought about going to "Fabulous Futons" (yes, it's a real store) to buy a new one; at least we would have been spending dollars at a local business. We hedged for a while to decide if it would really be worth it.

Last weekend, while riding our bikes home from a brief trip around the river trail, we happened upon a goldmine in the alley behind our house. That's right, it was a perfectly good futon frame lying next to (not in) the dumpster. (I'm not particularly proud, but I do have some misgivings about the hygiene implications of getting into a dumpster, so it was a relief that we wouldn't have to actually dive in to get it.) Clark took it upon himself to do the do the dirty work, and we are now the proud owners of a new-to-us futon frame (total cost: $8 for sandpaper and black paint).

This was my first Dumpster Dive. Do you DD (TM)? Do you think it's gross? Do you think it's gross, but do it anyway? What's your best find? Do tell.