Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
go-go-gatchety-kitchen!
more than ten months ago, i listed some of the things i would register for, were i in a position to solicit gifts. well, here's some news: you can buy kitchen stuff yourself! you don't have to wait to get engaged and ask other people to buy it for you! here's some of the progress i've made:
gadgets and tools:
- oil mister - got one in our secret santa random exchange! how lucky am i? so lucky!
- mandoline - bought one last spring and have only suffered one mini-amputation so far!
- good spatulas - bought one yesterday! it's cranberry-coloured!
appliances:
- rice cooker - got one in july for sushi making! have also made mamaliga and quinoa in there.
- i said that if i had a food processor and an immersion blender i wouldn't need a blender qua blender, but then one day at steven and chris they gave all of us kitchenaid blenders! it's not yet clear if this will be mine in the long run, 'cause i'm definitely leaving it here when i go off to law school. but let me just say: i love this thing!
now that i know i'm moving, buying stuff is a bit different. i'm trying to figure out what will be important to take with me. which clothes? which of my elephants? which books? which household things? it's a little early to make decisions, but certainly not too early for my impending move to affect my shopping. my boyfriend lives a very "spartan" life - his words - and took his time to settle into his new place. i put art up on his walls when i came to visit more than a month in. his couch came after i left, and bookshelves later still. i admire how careful he is about investing in his home, but the place was so much warmer once i put some pictures on the wall! maybe there's a happy medium there - a way to achieve practical nesting.
how do you decide whether to buy something?
gadgets and tools:
- oil mister - got one in our secret santa random exchange! how lucky am i? so lucky!
- mandoline - bought one last spring and have only suffered one mini-amputation so far!
- good spatulas - bought one yesterday! it's cranberry-coloured!
appliances:
- rice cooker - got one in july for sushi making! have also made mamaliga and quinoa in there.
- i said that if i had a food processor and an immersion blender i wouldn't need a blender qua blender, but then one day at steven and chris they gave all of us kitchenaid blenders! it's not yet clear if this will be mine in the long run, 'cause i'm definitely leaving it here when i go off to law school. but let me just say: i love this thing!
now that i know i'm moving, buying stuff is a bit different. i'm trying to figure out what will be important to take with me. which clothes? which of my elephants? which books? which household things? it's a little early to make decisions, but certainly not too early for my impending move to affect my shopping. my boyfriend lives a very "spartan" life - his words - and took his time to settle into his new place. i put art up on his walls when i came to visit more than a month in. his couch came after i left, and bookshelves later still. i admire how careful he is about investing in his home, but the place was so much warmer once i put some pictures on the wall! maybe there's a happy medium there - a way to achieve practical nesting.
how do you decide whether to buy something?
Monday, December 27, 2010
in my defense
first off, thanks to all those who voted for my juicy watermelon cupcakes! while my entry received the most votes, that only got me as far as the random draw, which i did not win. the winner's cardamom and pistachio cupcakes look amazing, however, and she's a victoria girl living in vancouver!
second off, i've been thinking about gym class.
it seems to me that there are a few things this respite from the drudgery of coursework slash kafkaesque nightmare is supposed to accomplish. playing sports teaches you team work and organization. it improves your coordination and cardiovascular health. it trains you to be an accomplished enough liar to convince your classmates that you wanted to be picked last and your teacher that you just menstruate really damn often. how else will younguns develop perseverance, strategy, and the strength to survive public humiliation?
when i was in junior high school, once a year a self-defense instructor would come and work with all the gym classes. i remember that this was the only time during the year when i woke up every morning in pain. i wasn't accustomed to using my muscles. indeed, most of gym class was about cardiovascular work. when we did runs, my lungs hurt and i thought my heart would explode, but my legs were all "aw, come ON! we can do better than this!" my muscles weren't challenged at all - except during those two weeks per year.
second off, i've been thinking about gym class.
it seems to me that there are a few things this respite from the drudgery of coursework slash kafkaesque nightmare is supposed to accomplish. playing sports teaches you team work and organization. it improves your coordination and cardiovascular health. it trains you to be an accomplished enough liar to convince your classmates that you wanted to be picked last and your teacher that you just menstruate really damn often. how else will younguns develop perseverance, strategy, and the strength to survive public humiliation?
when i was in junior high school, once a year a self-defense instructor would come and work with all the gym classes. i remember that this was the only time during the year when i woke up every morning in pain. i wasn't accustomed to using my muscles. indeed, most of gym class was about cardiovascular work. when we did runs, my lungs hurt and i thought my heart would explode, but my legs were all "aw, come ON! we can do better than this!" my muscles weren't challenged at all - except during those two weeks per year.
being active is so important. and it's fun! and in high school i often found myself wishing that phys.ed. was still mandatory. but i can't help feeling that there was something wrong with the way it was taught. weight training is something you can only really start transitioning into in your mid-teens, but i wish my gym teachers had said to me, "it's not just about how many times you can skip in a minute. it's not just about how far you can hit a baseball (if you manage to hit it). it's about being at home in your body and using it well."
i wish i had been taught to be strong, and not just told that i wasn't fast enough.
Monday, December 20, 2010
down by the bay...
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this is an entry into sweetest kitchen's december mystery box challenge!
please please please please please please please please vote for me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
when this month's mystery box challenge came up - "a cupcake for someone special" - the first thought that popped into my head was "didn't i just do this last month?!" i quickly realized that there were plenty of lovely brunette, blonde, and black-haired people in my life, and that surely one of them could inspire a delectable dessert. in fact, one of my favourite people on the planet doesn't have a whole lot of red hair - just the occasional natural highlight. she has been my little sissy for twenty-eight years and three months, and, for the most part, we've both enjoyed that immensely.
within minutes a stroke of brilliance befell me!
or maybe i just read my sister's blog. in the canon of our family history, alongside "the ugly picture," stories of my breaking christmas ornaments, and our obnoxious habit of quoting "singin' in the rain" to one another, this photo of slightly/aubergine devouring watermelon and clinging to maimuța holds a very special place.
the only question left was "can i really make a watermelon cupcake?!" cupcakes are creamy, buttery packages of sweetness and comfort and warmth - even when served at room temp! how can a cupcake taste refreshing and juicy and, well, watermelony? the answer came with a jiggle: watermelon jell-o! i prepared the jell-o juice and used it in place of milk! the first batch came out tasting great, but lacking that cheerful and intense pink that we've all come to expect from watermelon. so in went some food colouring, and the second batch was perfect!
rather than icing, i mixed tinted whipped cream with watermelon jello-o juice for the frosting, and sprinkled on green decorative sugar to create watermelon stripes.
paired with a delicious watermelon and cucumber rum cocktail, this juicy cupcake injected sunshine into one of the longest days of the year!
dodi dodi, i love you and your watermelon munching face! say "hi" to maimuța for me!
the winner of december’s mystery box cupcake challenge will receive prizes from:
this is an entry into sweetest kitchen's december mystery box challenge!
please please please please please please please please vote for me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
when this month's mystery box challenge came up - "a cupcake for someone special" - the first thought that popped into my head was "didn't i just do this last month?!" i quickly realized that there were plenty of lovely brunette, blonde, and black-haired people in my life, and that surely one of them could inspire a delectable dessert. in fact, one of my favourite people on the planet doesn't have a whole lot of red hair - just the occasional natural highlight. she has been my little sissy for twenty-eight years and three months, and, for the most part, we've both enjoyed that immensely.
within minutes a stroke of brilliance befell me!
or maybe i just read my sister's blog. in the canon of our family history, alongside "the ugly picture," stories of my breaking christmas ornaments, and our obnoxious habit of quoting "singin' in the rain" to one another, this photo of slightly/aubergine devouring watermelon and clinging to maimuța holds a very special place.
the only question left was "can i really make a watermelon cupcake?!" cupcakes are creamy, buttery packages of sweetness and comfort and warmth - even when served at room temp! how can a cupcake taste refreshing and juicy and, well, watermelony? the answer came with a jiggle: watermelon jell-o! i prepared the jell-o juice and used it in place of milk! the first batch came out tasting great, but lacking that cheerful and intense pink that we've all come to expect from watermelon. so in went some food colouring, and the second batch was perfect!
rather than icing, i mixed tinted whipped cream with watermelon jello-o juice for the frosting, and sprinkled on green decorative sugar to create watermelon stripes.
paired with a delicious watermelon and cucumber rum cocktail, this juicy cupcake injected sunshine into one of the longest days of the year!
dodi dodi, i love you and your watermelon munching face! say "hi" to maimuța for me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this is an entry into sweetest kitchen's december mystery box challenge!
please please please please please please please please vote for me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the winner of december’s mystery box cupcake challenge will receive prizes from:
- Bake It Pretty; a $5 electronic gift card
- Beanilla; Tahitian vanilla sugar & 3 Madagascar vanilla beans
- Hello Hanna; a pack of Sweet Stands cupcake stands
- Lisa Orgler; a handmade cupcake poster
- Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
- Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
- Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25
- Tundra Books; a selection 3 very sweet children's books
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
what is this?
being a feminist doesn't mean you're always a nice person, just like being a skeptic doesn't mean you're always rational.
it's funny, though. i'll give it that.
Monday, December 13, 2010
the choosy warrior
i recently abandoned an on-line forum that i'd been a part of, on-and-off, for about four years. it wasn't easy to walk away, but it's been a long time coming, mostly because the atmosphere was very divisive and toxic. the political landscape in the united states is such that some americans seem to be willing to consider any tactic that might undermine their opponents. they're also quite reluctant to concede any ground to said opponents.
that's not the kind of "discussion" i'm interested in. i'm also not into being bulldozed over and interrupted whenever i try to make a point. and, finally, i've been tapping into some newfound maturity on the matter: recognizing that in some cases my contribution is either redundant or unlikely to be fruitful... and then choosing not to make that contribution.
i've also become more aware that, when it comes to real debate, i'm often most critical of people with whom i generally agree, but who are making particularly awful arguments at the moment. this is because i think they're making my fight harder by misrepresenting me and my cause. when a feminist is anti-science or a skeptic offers a facile critique of religion or a liberal calls conservatives "the reich wing," i want to puke and rebuke. i hate misogyny and blind religion and conservative rhetoric, but it doesn't burn the way bad feminism or bad skepticism or bad liberalism can.
anyway, all that to say, i'm working on being better at picking my battles. as always, thanks for listening.
p.s. here's a snippet from a recent discussion about progressive enlightenment: if a misogynistic, racist, homophobic, classist idiot stops being classist, that's a step in the right direction.
that's not the kind of "discussion" i'm interested in. i'm also not into being bulldozed over and interrupted whenever i try to make a point. and, finally, i've been tapping into some newfound maturity on the matter: recognizing that in some cases my contribution is either redundant or unlikely to be fruitful... and then choosing not to make that contribution.
i've also become more aware that, when it comes to real debate, i'm often most critical of people with whom i generally agree, but who are making particularly awful arguments at the moment. this is because i think they're making my fight harder by misrepresenting me and my cause. when a feminist is anti-science or a skeptic offers a facile critique of religion or a liberal calls conservatives "the reich wing," i want to puke and rebuke. i hate misogyny and blind religion and conservative rhetoric, but it doesn't burn the way bad feminism or bad skepticism or bad liberalism can.
anyway, all that to say, i'm working on being better at picking my battles. as always, thanks for listening.
p.s. here's a snippet from a recent discussion about progressive enlightenment: if a misogynistic, racist, homophobic, classist idiot stops being classist, that's a step in the right direction.
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