Not necessarily exotic and exciting, but new.
I'm not sure that my food-loving friends are going to have much to do with me after I admit this. It's worse than having to tell people that I hate cilantro. (I wouldn't dislike cilantro if it didn't taste like caterpillars.) But here it is: Until two days ago, I'd never tried hummus before.
Partly because I'd never even heard of hummus until I married Darren. But now I have: it's gotten more and more mention in magazines and websites as a "healthy snack." And my good friend Deige feeds it to her kids. But I happen to know that her kids eat things I don't touch (eggplant or sardines, anyone?), so despite all the attention that hummus gets nowadays, I somehow always avoided trying it.
(It doesn't look appetizing, for one thing. It looks like gourmet mustard, and gourmet mustard is evil.)
(Dear Abby, My children are very picky eaters and I don't know why! Can you help me?)
This last weekend, however, I made tortillas (need to post that recipe). Darren had bought some roasted red pepper hummus. So I picked up a fresh, hot tortilla and spread it over with hummus, and took a bite.
So where has this stuff been all my life? Seriously! Yum yum. I am now a hummus lover. Next week: Sara tries green eggs and ham!
***
I used to buy my clothes at Wal-Mart, until I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart. Then I looked for clothes at Target, but Target thinks that all women are shaped and sized like sixteen-year-olds. So I tried some department stores, but many of the clothes skimped on material and didn't wear well after a few washings. I am very tired of disposable clothes.
Time had come to buy new clothes. My good friend Jessica is getting married in March. You don't fly 3,000 miles across the country to attend a wedding while wearing old disposable clothes. So today, I bound and gagged my thrift reflex, and went shopping at Coldwater Creek.
Shopping at Coldwater Creek isn't for the socially anxious. A saleslady, named Bridget, met me as I walked in. I explained what I was looking for, and she gave me some suggestions. She then said she'd put what I wanted in the dressing room -- what was my name? How did I spell it? I'd see my name on my dressing room door when I was ready to try on clothes. She whisked back shirts and jackets I liked also, so when I went into the dressing room, there were all my items hung up and waiting for me.
She then checked in on me frequently, brought me similar items to see if I liked them, and let me model what I tried on so we could discuss it. All this meant, of course, that I spent a lot more money there than I would have otherwise.
But it was so much fun. And Bridget said that Coldwater Creek's return policy is "anytime you are not satisfied with your clothes, bring them back." Even after I've worn and washed them. That seems a good guarantee against disposable clothes.
The budget would implode if I tried to shop there very often. But I'll definitely drop in for the occasional splurge.
-- SJ
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Geekdom
Darren and I like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, computer games, vampire slayers, and teenage wizards. But we don't invest much time or money in the geek culture, so we consider ourselves "geek-lite." We're geeky enough that a book called "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks" by Ethan Gilsdorf looked like a pretty good read.
The book explores some of the subcultures of geekdom: Dungeons & Dragons, Live-Action Role Playing (LARPing), Society for Creative Anachronism, Harry Potter, and World of Warcraft (online multiplayer game). I've just about decided I could go in for a weekend of LARPing, and I need to look up the brother/brother band Harry and the Potters. It's unfortunately doubtful that I'll get to France soon and see the castle being built almost entirely by thirteenth-century methods, and I'm not sure I'll ever be brave enough to attend Dragon*Con, a geekfest conference with attendees wearing any kind of fantasy or sci-fi costume you can dream up.
But whether I ever get any geekier, it's pretty entertaining to read about these worlds. Obviously I want to recommend this book highly, but alas, I cannot. The problem was that while I tried to sit back and enjoy the show, there was this annoying person who kept getting in my way and trying to talk to me.
That would be the author.
He was like the Emperor Kuzco in "The Emperor's New Groove": "This story is about me. Not him. Me." He'd be well into a sketch about someone he met at the D&D conference, then suddenly jerk the story back to himself and his neuroses. He mentioned seeing one of the original creators of D&D, a man much older than himself, and remarked that the man "reminded me of myself." While LARPing, he sees someone dressed as a healing fairy, and wonders what motivated the "fairy" to choose that role; then spends three more sentences wondering why he, personally, chose to be a passive-aggressive pacifist monk, ending with "Don't answer that question." Know what? I wasn't going to. Because I absolutely couldn't care less.
It's true that he had a hard childhood: his parents divorced, and then a year later his mother suffered a brain aneurysm that changed her from a high-energy, ambitious, free-thinking woman to a partially-paralyzed, muddle-headed, twisted version of herself. What he forgot somewhere along the way was that he didn't hold the Grand Prize for Hardship in Childhood. As a sad and confused thirteen-year-old, he earned the reader's sympathy. As a sad and self-absorbed forty-year-old, he became pretty grating company to spend a book with.
My favorite example of his Kuzco complex was after he spent two pages talking about a LARPer who has just had his first baby and is figuring out how to balance gaming with fatherhood. He also saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it colors the way he sees role-play battles now. It really was a great passage. The author then ends with, "But here he was, a regular guy, dad, husband. No perfectly coiffed action star. A real fighter, and a war hero. And a survivor. Like me, my siblings, and my mother."
Just like! Except that you, your siblings, and your mother aren't war heroes and you aren't even married, much less a father, because instead of standing up like a man when your girlfriend wanted you to, you ran off to explore your repressed geekdom and marvel at your emotional scars.
So if geeky things make you happy, you should try this book... but I'd advise you to try to sneak in without the author's noticing you.
-- SJ
P.S. I've complained about interfering authors before.
The book explores some of the subcultures of geekdom: Dungeons & Dragons, Live-Action Role Playing (LARPing), Society for Creative Anachronism, Harry Potter, and World of Warcraft (online multiplayer game). I've just about decided I could go in for a weekend of LARPing, and I need to look up the brother/brother band Harry and the Potters. It's unfortunately doubtful that I'll get to France soon and see the castle being built almost entirely by thirteenth-century methods, and I'm not sure I'll ever be brave enough to attend Dragon*Con, a geekfest conference with attendees wearing any kind of fantasy or sci-fi costume you can dream up.
But whether I ever get any geekier, it's pretty entertaining to read about these worlds. Obviously I want to recommend this book highly, but alas, I cannot. The problem was that while I tried to sit back and enjoy the show, there was this annoying person who kept getting in my way and trying to talk to me.
That would be the author.
He was like the Emperor Kuzco in "The Emperor's New Groove": "This story is about me. Not him. Me." He'd be well into a sketch about someone he met at the D&D conference, then suddenly jerk the story back to himself and his neuroses. He mentioned seeing one of the original creators of D&D, a man much older than himself, and remarked that the man "reminded me of myself." While LARPing, he sees someone dressed as a healing fairy, and wonders what motivated the "fairy" to choose that role; then spends three more sentences wondering why he, personally, chose to be a passive-aggressive pacifist monk, ending with "Don't answer that question." Know what? I wasn't going to. Because I absolutely couldn't care less.
It's true that he had a hard childhood: his parents divorced, and then a year later his mother suffered a brain aneurysm that changed her from a high-energy, ambitious, free-thinking woman to a partially-paralyzed, muddle-headed, twisted version of herself. What he forgot somewhere along the way was that he didn't hold the Grand Prize for Hardship in Childhood. As a sad and confused thirteen-year-old, he earned the reader's sympathy. As a sad and self-absorbed forty-year-old, he became pretty grating company to spend a book with.
My favorite example of his Kuzco complex was after he spent two pages talking about a LARPer who has just had his first baby and is figuring out how to balance gaming with fatherhood. He also saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it colors the way he sees role-play battles now. It really was a great passage. The author then ends with, "But here he was, a regular guy, dad, husband. No perfectly coiffed action star. A real fighter, and a war hero. And a survivor. Like me, my siblings, and my mother."
Just like! Except that you, your siblings, and your mother aren't war heroes and you aren't even married, much less a father, because instead of standing up like a man when your girlfriend wanted you to, you ran off to explore your repressed geekdom and marvel at your emotional scars.
So if geeky things make you happy, you should try this book... but I'd advise you to try to sneak in without the author's noticing you.
-- SJ
P.S. I've complained about interfering authors before.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
In-House Valentine's Celebration
We usually get a babysitter for Valentine's Day, but this year health and money (or, more specifically, a lack of both) decided for us that we'd have an in-house celebration this year.
After Phillip went to bed at 7, we put on videos for the three older kids. Darren told them not to disturb Mama and Daddy "unless there's blood... and even then think carefully about it." It was like in those action flicks where the general barks, "Okay, men, once I send in my troops, you've got an hour and fifteen minutes to get in, get the goods, and get out. Go!" As soon as the kids were under the electronic anesthesia, Darren and I escaped to our bedroom with a tray of champagne, home-made ice cream, and a little box of specialty truffles.
While I ate all of the truffles, Darren pulled out some Mad Libs he'd created for the occasion. He told me to give him "sensual" words, so I obliged with some Harlequin romance gems like "insistently" and "velvety" and "indulged."
Darren then proceeded to read to me, "How to Prepare Barbecued Chicken." It would have been hilarious even without the influence of champagne.
Happy Valentine's Day!
-- SJ
After Phillip went to bed at 7, we put on videos for the three older kids. Darren told them not to disturb Mama and Daddy "unless there's blood... and even then think carefully about it." It was like in those action flicks where the general barks, "Okay, men, once I send in my troops, you've got an hour and fifteen minutes to get in, get the goods, and get out. Go!" As soon as the kids were under the electronic anesthesia, Darren and I escaped to our bedroom with a tray of champagne, home-made ice cream, and a little box of specialty truffles.
While I ate all of the truffles, Darren pulled out some Mad Libs he'd created for the occasion. He told me to give him "sensual" words, so I obliged with some Harlequin romance gems like "insistently" and "velvety" and "indulged."
Darren then proceeded to read to me, "How to Prepare Barbecued Chicken." It would have been hilarious even without the influence of champagne.
Happy Valentine's Day!
-- SJ
Friday, February 11, 2011
7 Quick Takes, February 11, 2011
7 Quick Takes
And these really are quick takes, as I don’t have time for a longer blog post.
1. Last week I made a quick trip to California. It wasn’t supposed to be quick – I was scheduled to fly out Monday, represent clients at a hearing on Tuesday (this case), and then fly back on Wednesday. But Friday night I got a call from our local counsel that the Tuesday hearing was off because the lawyer for the LAPD (hereinafter referred to as the “bad guys”) had an emergency hearing in federal court, so we were rescheduling for Wednesday. So the trip was extended a day. Fine. I flew out to Los Angeles Monday morning, got off the plane, and called our local counsel. Who informed me that the mediator couldn’t do Wednesday and we were rescheduling for later in the month.
So I stopped at the ticket desk and got a flight back that evening. They upgraded me to the exit row, which on Virgin America gets you free snacks and drinks. I found out that rum is clear (I always thought it was dark brown like molasses) and tastes like rubbing alcohol smells. After a sip, I gave it to Sara who is going to use it for flavoring in cooking.
The trip was not a complete waste. I actually enjoy flying, although two cross-country trips in less than 24 hours is a little much. And I got to meet our local counsel Rex, who I’ve talked to on the phone for hours but have never met. And I also got a nice long tour of our church communion’s mother church, the Cathedral of St. Michael.
2. February has 28 days according to the calendar. The calendar lies. When living through it, February always seems to last 67 days.
3. Sara has been working with the older kids on writing paragraphs. They’re both doing well, which is always impressive to me, because I’m not at all a natural writer. It’s funny to see their brainstorming sheets – Addie’s is full of straight lines and few words (like mine would be), and Stuart’s has squiggles and lots of words and cool ideas.
4. For my birthday, Sara bought me a subscription to Netflix. It’s been one of my favorite gifts ever. It’s also very helpful for the kids – Phillip loves Blue’s Clues, and Daphne loves Dora. (Dora, by the way, has to have the most annoying voice ever. And she won’t. shut. up.) Sara tends to be unconfident about gift-giving, but she really does very well, and this one was a real winner. So far, besides the movies that I’ve ordered (and wow does Netflix have their system of mailing down pat!), I’ve watched seasons 1-3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon is amazing.
5. Recently I’ve been re-reading several military sci-fi series that I enjoy. David Weber’s Honor Harrington series is actually more space opera, and I really like his writing – I wish he would go back to his Bahzell Bahnakson series, since I like fantasy more than sci-fi. I’ve also just re-read Elizabeth Moon’s first 3 Heris Serrano books. I remember reading several of the next ones in that series but not liking them as much, so I’m not sure I’ll continue. Unusually (at least, I think it’s unusual), both Moon and Weber are Christians (he is Methodist, she is Episcopalian). I don’t think a lot of Christians write sci-fi.
6. When I was out visiting Rex, he mentioned that his daughter had just finished Marine boot camp. He also mentioned that he’s caught some flak from the homeschool community who are opposed to women in the military. Apparently I read too much military sci-fi, because the flak came as a surprise to me. Usually futuristic militaries are composed of about equal women and men.
7. A wonderful children’s author, Brian Jacques, died last week. I remember coming across his book “Mariel of Redwall” in high school and loving it so much that I read it out loud to Lindsay. I don’t know if she liked it, but I sure did. I’m going to have to go back and re-read some of them now in his honor.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
--DJ
And these really are quick takes, as I don’t have time for a longer blog post.
1. Last week I made a quick trip to California. It wasn’t supposed to be quick – I was scheduled to fly out Monday, represent clients at a hearing on Tuesday (this case), and then fly back on Wednesday. But Friday night I got a call from our local counsel that the Tuesday hearing was off because the lawyer for the LAPD (hereinafter referred to as the “bad guys”) had an emergency hearing in federal court, so we were rescheduling for Wednesday. So the trip was extended a day. Fine. I flew out to Los Angeles Monday morning, got off the plane, and called our local counsel. Who informed me that the mediator couldn’t do Wednesday and we were rescheduling for later in the month.
So I stopped at the ticket desk and got a flight back that evening. They upgraded me to the exit row, which on Virgin America gets you free snacks and drinks. I found out that rum is clear (I always thought it was dark brown like molasses) and tastes like rubbing alcohol smells. After a sip, I gave it to Sara who is going to use it for flavoring in cooking.
The trip was not a complete waste. I actually enjoy flying, although two cross-country trips in less than 24 hours is a little much. And I got to meet our local counsel Rex, who I’ve talked to on the phone for hours but have never met. And I also got a nice long tour of our church communion’s mother church, the Cathedral of St. Michael.
2. February has 28 days according to the calendar. The calendar lies. When living through it, February always seems to last 67 days.
3. Sara has been working with the older kids on writing paragraphs. They’re both doing well, which is always impressive to me, because I’m not at all a natural writer. It’s funny to see their brainstorming sheets – Addie’s is full of straight lines and few words (like mine would be), and Stuart’s has squiggles and lots of words and cool ideas.
4. For my birthday, Sara bought me a subscription to Netflix. It’s been one of my favorite gifts ever. It’s also very helpful for the kids – Phillip loves Blue’s Clues, and Daphne loves Dora. (Dora, by the way, has to have the most annoying voice ever. And she won’t. shut. up.) Sara tends to be unconfident about gift-giving, but she really does very well, and this one was a real winner. So far, besides the movies that I’ve ordered (and wow does Netflix have their system of mailing down pat!), I’ve watched seasons 1-3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon is amazing.
5. Recently I’ve been re-reading several military sci-fi series that I enjoy. David Weber’s Honor Harrington series is actually more space opera, and I really like his writing – I wish he would go back to his Bahzell Bahnakson series, since I like fantasy more than sci-fi. I’ve also just re-read Elizabeth Moon’s first 3 Heris Serrano books. I remember reading several of the next ones in that series but not liking them as much, so I’m not sure I’ll continue. Unusually (at least, I think it’s unusual), both Moon and Weber are Christians (he is Methodist, she is Episcopalian). I don’t think a lot of Christians write sci-fi.
6. When I was out visiting Rex, he mentioned that his daughter had just finished Marine boot camp. He also mentioned that he’s caught some flak from the homeschool community who are opposed to women in the military. Apparently I read too much military sci-fi, because the flak came as a surprise to me. Usually futuristic militaries are composed of about equal women and men.
7. A wonderful children’s author, Brian Jacques, died last week. I remember coming across his book “Mariel of Redwall” in high school and loving it so much that I read it out loud to Lindsay. I don’t know if she liked it, but I sure did. I’m going to have to go back and re-read some of them now in his honor.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
--DJ
Friday, February 04, 2011
Revisiting Church
I wrote this post about how churchgoing was not a pleasure for me or my children. I wrote about how I was going to change my approach and see if we couldn't find some joy buried beneath the drudgery.
Two years later, I'm revisiting the subject. Any success, my faithful readers ask? (That's how I know if they're faithful or not.) Success, yes. Mixed, definitely.
* I don't do the extensive preparation beforehand anymore. I can't. I create their school all week: I just can't come up with Fun and Educational Activities for Sundays too. Instead, Daphne spends a lot of time in the children's room with Pip and me, and Addie and Stuart have kids' devotional books to sustain them through the sermon.
* The kids are all older. Addie and Stuart can be trusted to sit by themselves in church now, meaning that I have only the two littles to deal with.
* Darren has worked out a rotation schedule for the music team, so there are some Sundays when he doesn't do music. He also isn't serving up at the altar very often, giving him some freedom to keep an eye on the kids with me.
* I've stopped caring what other people think. Haha! I've also got some beachfront property in Nebraska... I guess I could say that I've stopped trying to mind-read people, guess their expectations, and then fall short of them.
* There are other little kids in our church now. Which means that kid noises during service don't necessarily belong to my genetic pool. The relief is immense.
* There was one Sunday about a year ago when I had an uncooperative two-year-old and a baby. I didn't have time to pay much attention to Stuart, which being translated means I couldn't nag him to sit up, stop playing, take his shirt sleeve out of his mouth, put his arms back in his sleeves, where ARE your arms anyway?! Stuart thrived under the radar. I realized that the best thing I could do to help him be comfortable in church was LEAVE HIM THE HECK ALONE. So for the most part, I have. And for the most part, he's tolerated church much better.
* I still am not quite sure what the point of church is. I don't get to sing any of the songs, I never hear the Scripture reading, I only occasionally hear a sermon. I do, however, get Communion every week.
* I'm continually amazed at the depth of faith among our small congregation. It is good simply to be around them.
I don't love church. It's been years and years since I loved church. Right now I appreciate that it's easier and less of a burden, and maybe one day I'll get why people say, "Can't wait to get to church tomorrow!"
-- SJ
Two years later, I'm revisiting the subject. Any success, my faithful readers ask? (That's how I know if they're faithful or not.) Success, yes. Mixed, definitely.
* I don't do the extensive preparation beforehand anymore. I can't. I create their school all week: I just can't come up with Fun and Educational Activities for Sundays too. Instead, Daphne spends a lot of time in the children's room with Pip and me, and Addie and Stuart have kids' devotional books to sustain them through the sermon.
* The kids are all older. Addie and Stuart can be trusted to sit by themselves in church now, meaning that I have only the two littles to deal with.
* Darren has worked out a rotation schedule for the music team, so there are some Sundays when he doesn't do music. He also isn't serving up at the altar very often, giving him some freedom to keep an eye on the kids with me.
* I've stopped caring what other people think. Haha! I've also got some beachfront property in Nebraska... I guess I could say that I've stopped trying to mind-read people, guess their expectations, and then fall short of them.
* There are other little kids in our church now. Which means that kid noises during service don't necessarily belong to my genetic pool. The relief is immense.
* There was one Sunday about a year ago when I had an uncooperative two-year-old and a baby. I didn't have time to pay much attention to Stuart, which being translated means I couldn't nag him to sit up, stop playing, take his shirt sleeve out of his mouth, put his arms back in his sleeves, where ARE your arms anyway?! Stuart thrived under the radar. I realized that the best thing I could do to help him be comfortable in church was LEAVE HIM THE HECK ALONE. So for the most part, I have. And for the most part, he's tolerated church much better.
* I still am not quite sure what the point of church is. I don't get to sing any of the songs, I never hear the Scripture reading, I only occasionally hear a sermon. I do, however, get Communion every week.
* I'm continually amazed at the depth of faith among our small congregation. It is good simply to be around them.
I don't love church. It's been years and years since I loved church. Right now I appreciate that it's easier and less of a burden, and maybe one day I'll get why people say, "Can't wait to get to church tomorrow!"
-- SJ
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