tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317341942024-02-07T17:43:50.256-08:00Becky BowmanReflections on a life currently lived.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-70949453699544284222014-07-07T22:52:00.001-07:002014-07-07T22:52:43.704-07:00Summer camp, Day 7<div align="left"><p dir="ltr">Well, here we are. Day 6 has turned into Day 7, and I’m still at just 33 words. It turns out there are rather a lot of other things I’d like to write about at the moment other than my novel.</p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr">Like how much that episode of Endeavour freaked me out, for one -- or how I was comforted, saddened and sobered, all at once, by the words of Indra K. Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico, as she spoke of women trying to <u>have it all</u>. Or the crazy nocturnal birds outside my window right now, at <u>nearly</u> 1 a.m., tweeting softly away. </p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-58478157303952728212014-07-06T15:17:00.001-07:002014-07-06T15:17:28.853-07:00On writing for summer camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, here I sit, ready to catch up on my word counts for <a href="http://campnanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">Camp NaNoWriMo</a> -- and since it’s the 6th of July, and I’ve written hardly anything, I now have three thousand words to write.<br /><br />Three. Thousand. Words. That’s like a college essay. You should need to have done some research, or have an outline, or a vague sense of something you want to argue for, for that much wordage. Let’s say I can type 60 words a minute -- which I can, though that’s more of if I’m typing up notes, not really when I’m writing from scratch -- that would be …. hmmmmmmm … 60 times 60 is 3,600. So that an hour if I’m speed writing. OK, maybe this isn’t so bad. And really, I have written 33 words already, from those few moments Friday when I managed to put ass to chair, as the saying goes -- so I really only need to write 2,967 words of my novel today.<br /><br />In short, this is how my now-annual project to write just 500 words a day -- a measly 500 words a day, about 15,000 words for the entire month -- becomes untenable. There’s always an excuse. On July 1, we had a friend staying over. On July 2, I was happily exhausted and looking forward to devoting more time on July 3, my first day of the weekend, to the exercise. July 4: Holiday! No writing. Except for a few words here and there. (Even though we went nowhere, did nothing.) July 5: Went somewhere! Did something! And a tablet and keyboard are harder to lug around than a book for downtime. Besides, who can really write in 2-minute increments anyway, what with all the interruptions that take place while thousands of San Franciscans try to find their seats for an <a href="http://sfopera.com/Season-Tickets/2013-14-Season/La-Traviata.aspx" target="_blank">evening of free opera</a> in the chilly, waterfront ballpark? No one, that’s who. Thus went my first five days of writing.<br /><br />But here’s the deal: It’s Day 6, and I’m starting. For real. And thus, by Day 16, when I start my <a href="http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes/current-class-roster/class-mastering-the-personal-essay-with-the-masters-with-rachel-howard-416-611" target="_blank">personal essay writing class</a> (hooray!), I’ll be all in the groove, ready to devote time to being in this chair and to bettering my skills. Plus, <a href="http://campnanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">Camp NaNoWriMo</a>, with its adjustable word counts and fun prompts, is a pretty cool program.<br /><br />Between here and there, I need to get through some busy days at work, attend a wedding reception and visit with some family. May the spirit of flexible writing be with me as I work to overcome such obstacles.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-89121799874810916292014-04-07T02:44:00.003-07:002014-04-07T02:54:43.153-07:00Back to the flowering homestead<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We got home from our vacation to Japan this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised to find not only that our grass hadn't grown that long (even with the recent rains!) -- but also that the entire backyard seems to be in bloom! The lemon tree is still in bud, the apple tree has fresh blossoms, the <a href="http://scoolgardens.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/calendula-11.jpg" target="_blank">bon bons</a> have gone crazy and even our kale bolts have a bit of flower on them.<br />
<br />
I had just been reading a story recommending planting blossoming plants, including sages, to help out the bee population -- so I wasn't surprised to find a handful of buzzers humming around our blooming sage. And seriously, since when does moss bloom? Love it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrbHPcVFs2sF1cvu6AIXGcneFD0YDoLKyqbsM7Za-cPJh14ias4CA1vXVeiu2_gZLMzBkepRdDLyDEJGECbBE-DsS4VjPMmm8traaz0x8Fa-VGzmUjpb6r8G7d5s-qvePELlTgg/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-07+at+2.20.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrbHPcVFs2sF1cvu6AIXGcneFD0YDoLKyqbsM7Za-cPJh14ias4CA1vXVeiu2_gZLMzBkepRdDLyDEJGECbBE-DsS4VjPMmm8traaz0x8Fa-VGzmUjpb6r8G7d5s-qvePELlTgg/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-07+at+2.20.18+AM.png" height="320" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The amazing flowering moss that lines our stepping stone walkway.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Spring has sprung here in Oakland, and I'm so happy about it. Here's to warmer weather, longer days and lots of relaxing in the sun in our backyard.<br />
<br />
<i>*More to come! But millions of thanks for now to Lea, Rob and Elle for being amazing hosts and getting our trip kicked off.</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-59899781811902053022014-02-18T22:54:00.000-08:002014-02-18T23:00:03.235-08:00New is hard. Is it better?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As we continue to settle in to our new home in Oakland, I can’t help looking at every other meadow and wondering if it might be greener.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I thought a lot about this on my drive home tonight -- and about how change tends to break open pieces of life that we had taken for granted, even the parts that weren’t meant to change. Even harder than change, really, is that side effect -- of having what we had taken to be the reality of our lives shown, in a new light, as something quite different.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There were a lot of pastures to look at as I rode through the East Bay towns of Fremont, Newark, Union City. In the morning, it’s easy to look at these suburbs wholesale as places of endless potential. When the sun is coming up and the streets are empty except for the hundreds of cars in commute mode, there’s a blank canvas over each house, corner store and park on which you can paint all manner of happy stories.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At night, however, more people are out and about -- and I have more time and brain space to observe them. It’s clearer then that there are still neighborhoods with poverty, with hard knocks, with people just trying to make ends meet -- even close to large, gated communities. Some cars are old, dented, missing pieces and parts. Some homes have messy yards, falling-down fences. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In short, there’s a range -- just like there is in Oakland. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At first, as always, the temptation is to harken back to San Francisco and to muse that things are so different there. But it’s not true. San Francisco is an incredibly beautiful city, but it’s still got its struggles. Over time, living there -- right or wrong -- I took in those things that were uncomfortable and grew accustomed to them: the trash that always seemed to gather on a sidewalk where I ran, the graffiti that often appeared on the street just outside our apartment, the heartache at seeing the homeless camped in doorways at night.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Is San Francisco a greener pasture than Oakland? Is homeownership a greener pasture than renting? Is not commuting a better life than commuting? Is it better to keep what you have or to strive for more?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was probably spurred on in my brooding tonight by an NPR <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=279043562" target="_blank">interview</a> with Meg Wolitzer, who was discussing her book “The Interestings,” a novel that begins at a summer camp and follows the characters as they grow older. In the interview, “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross asked Wolitzer if she sees “adult selves as being finalized with no chance for reinvention?”</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Part of Wolitzer’s answer hit home:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I think that it's harder and harder to change in all kinds of ways as we get older, at least it is for me. Comfort and familiarity become so important in your life, I think, and the idea of really reinventing yourself, I mean - but I think - is tough.</i></blockquote>
<div>
Change is hard. New is hard. I think I’m still a young woman, but I do love comfort and familiarity, as much as I hate to admit it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bits and pieces of my “new” are becoming comfortable, like the window next to my spot on the couch, with its view right into a big, old rhododendron bush. At night, the light from my lamp shines just so into the leaves and blossoms, and I feel at home. But much of living here is still new, with routines and habits still to be worked out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Is the pasture green here? Is it greener than before?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ask me again when it’s a little more familiar.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-82754744556284464182014-02-17T23:40:00.001-08:002014-02-17T23:40:45.637-08:00A (somewhat belated) Happy Valentine's Day to You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a little late, but I got into the full-blown Valentine's spirit this weekend.<br />
<br />
While Vivek went to pick up our Chinese take-out Saturday night, I whisked our Christmas decorations into the spare room (shhhh! don't tell) and whipped up a quick string of construction paper hearts on kitchen twine to hang across our fireplace. A vase full of tulips on top the mantel, courtesy of a friend who'd visited earlier in the day, completed the simple but oh-so-festive look.<br />
<br />
Then, tonight (it's still Valentine's weekend, right?) -- I finally made my pink-frosted cake.<br />
<br />
At some point when I was young, my mom made a pink-frosted cake at Valentine's Day in the shape of a heart, complete with gummy heart candies on top. With so much chocolate candy around, I kind of doubt I appreciated that cake as I should have then -- but man, have I been wanting one lately!<br />
<br />
I needed, however, to make some alterations. I'm not likely to use food coloring for much else, so I set on strawberries, hoping they'd provide the right shade of pink. And my doctor's been after me to cut back on sugary candy (I have a weakness for things like gummy hearts, orange slices and red licorice), so I decided to skip the extra sweets on top. (Why I was concerned about the candy garnish and not the 16 ounces of sugar that go into the frosting anyway is beyond me.) Finally, if I'd made the cake in time for the Big Day, I might have gone to the trouble of creating the heart shape. But as I only got to baking in time for President's day, I decided on a straight-up layer cake.<br />
<br />
Baking the cake was easy (nothing beats a boxed yellow cake, right?) -- so I just needed to figure out how to get my strawberries into the icing. I found a few recipes for strawberry buttercream frosting that called for syrup, but I was determined to use real strawberries -- and I found one recipe using real strawberries, but the ratios looked off. So I decided to wing it.<br />
<br />
The result? Pretty tasty cake, if I must say so. It does have a rustic look, since I used the full puree, seeds and all. But the fresh strawberry taste -- even with just a handful of strawberries mixed in -- makes for one sweet treat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eaVmYiz1iGyajL3ff0taTl69TRlvvd04ql2D9VCQAnMNQJhSZHNGKMYD4xHM8bQ-4-Zv6H5N4aA25iEATfqLzl_SDooFWIyiC1fMfRQ-lO5dPjNRReegyIMh5bVArzV-N45OYg/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-02-17+at+11.20.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eaVmYiz1iGyajL3ff0taTl69TRlvvd04ql2D9VCQAnMNQJhSZHNGKMYD4xHM8bQ-4-Zv6H5N4aA25iEATfqLzl_SDooFWIyiC1fMfRQ-lO5dPjNRReegyIMh5bVArzV-N45OYg/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-02-17+at+11.20.21+PM.png" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pink frosting on a yellow cake with pink tea towel and red kettle nearby.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Turns out you only need a few strawberries to pull this together. (I froze the puree I couldn't use tonight.) And while I think this recipe's probably adaptable to whatever's in your fridge, I'll note that I used full-fat milk and real Clover butter.<br />
<br />
Happy Valentine's Day!<br />
<br />
------<br />
<br />
<b>Strawberry Buttercream Frosting</b><br />
(frosts one layer cake)<br />
<br />
1 lb. confectioner's sugar<br />
1 stick of butter, softened (1/2 c.)<br />
4-5 large strawberries (enough to make 3 T. puree)<br />
a few drops of milk<br />
<br />
Cream together the sugar and butter. While the mixer's running, cap and puree the strawberries.<br />
<br />
Add the strawberry puree to the butter-sugar mixture 1/2 tablespoon at a time and mix until well blended. Add puree until the icing seems just about ready to spread, and then add a few drops of milk to smooth it out.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-69950905811391840742014-02-16T08:44:00.003-08:002014-02-16T08:44:51.718-08:00Spring is (almost) here<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Shhhhhhh -- listen! Spring is coming. Can you hear it?<br />
<br />
The birds are up and singing. The sun is shining -- and it's only 7 a.m. There's a quiet hush hanging over the dawn: No snow plows; no rain; no wind.<br />
<br />
I know this isn't what my East Coast friends and family are hearing or seeing yet. (Darn that <a href="http://www.groundhog.org/" target="_blank">Punxsutawney Phil</a>!) But it's what we've got here. The apple tree is blossoming, the chrysanthemums are popping up in green shoots and the grass is growing so fast you can practically watch it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOODdWe1_HdRMtapfth1mc-19Wf3UARWYtq3x6aGdXxyhWz6PipT6SdGd6dVq3VQrWzB-ODbH7mpHCJbA6eOrHjSmUfbRriLwnlLqgAgytwARn1v1jqbIcK5bjyECXHIjNKk1okA/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-02-16+at+8.40.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOODdWe1_HdRMtapfth1mc-19Wf3UARWYtq3x6aGdXxyhWz6PipT6SdGd6dVq3VQrWzB-ODbH7mpHCJbA6eOrHjSmUfbRriLwnlLqgAgytwARn1v1jqbIcK5bjyECXHIjNKk1okA/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-02-16+at+8.40.13+AM.png" height="316" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Our apple tree -- blossoming already.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm most excited to see how long the days are lasting, from before 7 a.m. to nearly 6 p.m. There's more and more light every day, with more minutes and more hours to run, to pull weeds, to sit and enjoy the porch or patio.<br />
<br />
We still need some winter rain, but I'm hoping -- for the sake of all these blossoms -- that we're past the risk of frost.<br />
<br />
Bring it, spring. Bring it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-10848583688556887112014-02-15T19:24:00.002-08:002014-02-15T19:27:39.045-08:00The joys of doing (almost) nothing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Two truths about today:<br />
<br />
1. It was mostly a big, fat, do-nothing day.<br />
2. I really needed today to be a big, fat, do-nothing day.<br />
<br />
The past few weeks have been amazing, with trips to India, New York and (briefly) home, visits with old friends and the start of a new role at work -- but boy, was I ready to sit still for a while. I just wanted to stay in my pajamas as long as I liked and bum around after that in sweatpants -- watch TV, cook, make coffee, read, write, whatever struck my fancy.<br />
<br />
So today, that's what I did. I woke up, cleaned the kitchen a bit, put some coffee on, fried some bacon and mixed up some pancakes. Then I visited with a friend who dropped by just as Vivek was frying up the last round of <a href="http://instagram.com/p/kcp6awpCpM" target="_blank">bacon and pancakes</a> -- and the three of us proceeded to watch the Olympics. For hours. No seriously, hours. It was amazing.<br />
<br />
After the friend and the boy headed out -- she for more socializing and he for some soccer-playing -- I settled in for two hours of mindless Internet browsing.<br />
<br />
At 5 p.m., I decided I ought to do <i>something</i> -- so I mowed the yard (the grass was really tall, y'all). In fact, I mowed and trimmed the yard <i>and</i> swept the walks. I even figured out how to flip my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00602J3V4/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">trimmer</a> around so that it would work as an edger, too.<br />
<br />
See what amazing productivity you can get after (most of) a day of rest?<br />
<br />
Now back to my sweatpants. It's time to watch Ben Fong-Torres narrate San Francisco's annual <a href="http://www.chineseparade.com/" target="_blank">Chinese New Year Parade</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-76872918319189704712014-01-12T22:56:00.004-08:002014-01-12T22:56:55.174-08:00Lights in the new darkness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wrote a few days ago that I was feeling a bit bad about not taking down my Christmas lights. (They're still up.) The thing is, though, that I'm sort of happy to have them still hanging around.<br />
<br />
I've always loved Christmas lights. Not necessarily the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2GQBv0DIws" target="_blank">razzle</a>-<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6t7oowAsGs" target="_blank">dazzle</a>, big-time <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWW4dGuKZIM" target="_blank">displays</a>, though those certainly have a place. No, I just like regular old lights -- strings that hang from eaves, wrap around porch posts or encircle a wreath. It doesn't really matter what color they are or what kind of bulbs, as long as they bring light to an unexpected place.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoVO55KUefQ02wh02SpMSr6kzg5_o0x_sWBl3b_YYxihYkQQ76rR3BUF5gJi_19aUoirFMS5tL0Xi6rRC07lGXRTrLxllg3wlPLv7YdwQcmoWBQTVIPkOahYJbjYb39fPhuS_NA/s1600/PANO_20131222_193141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoVO55KUefQ02wh02SpMSr6kzg5_o0x_sWBl3b_YYxihYkQQ76rR3BUF5gJi_19aUoirFMS5tL0Xi6rRC07lGXRTrLxllg3wlPLv7YdwQcmoWBQTVIPkOahYJbjYb39fPhuS_NA/s1600/PANO_20131222_193141.jpg" height="205" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A spectacular display in my hometown.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For as long as I can recall, my family have had lights strung around the house at Christmas. For a while, they were icicle lights -- annoying, miserable, icicle lights, as it turned out. Strands of the icicle lights were inevitably tossed onto the roof by the incessant winds on our hill -- and, nine times out of 10, frozen there by icy weather. Dad loved those lights, let me tell you.<br />
<br />
Most often, however, my folks have had strings of old-fashioned white <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=c9+lights&espv=210&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=bn_TUvzQH4X7oASVkIGADA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1075&bih=647#es_sm=119&espv=210&q=white+c9+lights&tbm=isch" target="_blank">C9</a> lights -- those warm, glowing incandescent bulbs that can light up a room. With a string around the entire house -- and even up over the center of the house where the roof changes heights -- the entire yard gets lit by those lights. More importantly, the lights shine into each and every room of the house. They create a warm buzz about the windows, constantly hinting that something exciting might be just outside.<br />
<br />
In our new neighborhood, I was thrilled to see strings of red, white, green and blue popping onto the homes near ours. Even without a string on each and every home, our neighborhood got quite colorful during the holidays.<br />
<br />
As the lights have come down, one by one, I've been as sad as I always am to see the streets return to their January selves. There's nothing particularly cold, or even dreary, this year, about northern California. Nonetheless, it's tough to see a bejeweled street go back to being a non-bejeweled one.<br />
<br />
So, partially in protest, and partially in deference to the insurmountable list of other to-do's at home, my Christmas lights shall stay up for now. In this time of continued change, I'm thankful for a constant bit of light.<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-7338714874193888662014-01-08T23:56:00.001-08:002014-01-08T23:56:06.672-08:00No weigh-ins for me, no sirree<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Vivek found our weighing scale Sunday in one of the few remaining "chowder" boxes from the apartment -- and promptly weighed himself. He even carried the scale around the house to test it out on tile and carpeted floors to make sure it was accurate.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QcP0QNANTssgdy8_vz_D-zLROS7PIg4uCl_vfuCLvgct9UoiyUZr8wHYTJOkY7xCJzrIEpRc0RvMR-StaMV89Pkb-_l9YNZqVYACEpI2h5jFkmIss4FJnZLL-eIDt7ivz5ly3A/s1600/IMG_20140105_133100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QcP0QNANTssgdy8_vz_D-zLROS7PIg4uCl_vfuCLvgct9UoiyUZr8wHYTJOkY7xCJzrIEpRc0RvMR-StaMV89Pkb-_l9YNZqVYACEpI2h5jFkmIss4FJnZLL-eIDt7ivz5ly3A/s320/IMG_20140105_133100.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It lurks -- our weighing scale.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I won't be weighing in right now. In fact, maybe not until February. Who knows? Maybe not at all.<br />
<br />
In the past three months, I've survived a move and a job change and then spent an incredibly relaxing, rejuvenating and delicious week celebrating Christmas with my family and loved ones on the East Coast. Have I gained a pound or two -- or even a few? Probably.<br />
<br />
But you know what? I know I'll work off those pounds as I get back into my normal eating and exercising this month, so I'm not gonna sweat it. (No pun intended.)<br />
<br />
My jeans still fit, and that's good enough for me.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-22140964066617141672014-01-07T21:47:00.001-08:002014-01-07T21:48:21.043-08:00A workable workload<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been feeling bad that I haven't had a chance to take down my holiday lights and garland on our front porch yet. Even Epiphany's happened! But lo and behold, there I was at Grace Cathedral tonight for Tuesday yoga, and their holiday greenery was still up. So I'm totally OK, right?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRW7dVcWSqtQkiAshxYE3_jzShSt7_LdzDx190TdlfBoAnFQyxmS5UCDBrhE6nOs1B68J29u6o99ctZGiDfCsPNnv-fpvYpxl9xscRoAIG-z4ml67wQjwv1dEW3s019pgmtEaKQ/s1600/IMG_20140107_181304+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRW7dVcWSqtQkiAshxYE3_jzShSt7_LdzDx190TdlfBoAnFQyxmS5UCDBrhE6nOs1B68J29u6o99ctZGiDfCsPNnv-fpvYpxl9xscRoAIG-z4ml67wQjwv1dEW3s019pgmtEaKQ/s1600/IMG_20140107_181304+2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Check out that wreath!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Settling into in our new home has definitely included a struggle with the new work load. Our friends told us it was a whole new responsibility, but I had shrugged it off. Surely it was fun, too? Right?<br />
<br />
It is fun, but our nights and weekends are gone for the moment. Take Sunday: We were just settling down to watch some Masterpiece on PBS, finishing our last chores, when we realized we needed a tiny connecting piece from IKEA to put our old bed -- now the guest bed -- back together.<br />
<br />
So off we went! And since we were right by Trader Joe's and Home Depot, we ended up picking up a few other things, too. (Of course!) We did curl up on the couch with dinner to watch Masterpiece that night, but it wasn't until about 10 p.m.<br />
<br />
And that was all after spending Tuesday washing the car, Thursday evening buying furniture and Saturday hemming and hanging curtains.<br />
<br />
I'll get those lights and that garland taken down -- eventually. There are a few things to first. Like chanting 'Om.'<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-38184653020703176522014-01-05T14:09:00.001-08:002014-01-05T14:10:33.095-08:00Kale-Spinach Strata -- A Success!<p dir="ltr">I even made the grapefruit spritzer with rosemary (sugar not needed).</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUIgyNmirLBlzMkidw6UKerRRhOohcRZyRd8GDtliS4Ql12hMSvRQgZ6h7wLL8ky0CHkKmg-O39iU14KVk65R9T3JMsqL_XBRj_Ghq92whMHdznBneIvKm6iVh68vbR5OXlh63w/s1600/IMG_20140105_140238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUIgyNmirLBlzMkidw6UKerRRhOohcRZyRd8GDtliS4Ql12hMSvRQgZ6h7wLL8ky0CHkKmg-O39iU14KVk65R9T3JMsqL_XBRj_Ghq92whMHdznBneIvKm6iVh68vbR5OXlh63w/s640/IMG_20140105_140238.jpg"> </a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-89553514657544915352014-01-05T13:21:00.000-08:002014-01-05T13:26:25.069-08:00Adventures in Gardening, Decision No. 1: No More Kale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Vivek and I inherited an incredible vegetable garden when we bought our house. And when I say garden, what I really mean is <i>gardens</i> -- four raised planter boxes, plus some assorted 'volunteer' veggies (think zucchini and purple potatoes) sprinkled in other planters and beds throughout the yard.<br />
<br />
I'm super excited about, if overwhelmed by, these gardens. My mom's always had a garden, and I've long wanted to try my hand at veggies. You might have seen my overly enthusiastic posts earlier this year about my third attempt (a charm!) at an <a href="http://instagram.com/p/dp_8hwpCqW/" target="_blank">indoor herb garden</a> at our San Francisco apartment.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9gnRpC3Njys7jVUAztKwFu2qES9_U-wF4Grf8X9qM6vBdA_rNe3BpryTkCceFEwtzWuDrdr6Fn6TdTlEl-bpuBCAEAnAXJLZXtz_bk3CnSabVqKIgLwSz1WTWuQLn0OeRISXwA/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-05+at+12.58.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9gnRpC3Njys7jVUAztKwFu2qES9_U-wF4Grf8X9qM6vBdA_rNe3BpryTkCceFEwtzWuDrdr6Fn6TdTlEl-bpuBCAEAnAXJLZXtz_bk3CnSabVqKIgLwSz1WTWuQLn0OeRISXwA/s320/Screen+shot+2014-01-05+at+12.58.29+PM.png" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sage, cilantro, California poppies and two types of basil bask in an afternoon glow just after being planted.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(Pssst: The sage and basils and are still going strong!)<br />
<br />
So our huge outdoor garden is something of a thrill -- particularly the tomatoes, sage, chilies and still-unearthed potatoes it came with. We started using the tomatoes right away (especially after December's <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_24664880/bay-area-cold-snap-drops-records-lows-oakland" target="_blank">frost</a> bit the vines and we had to pluck all of the fruit), and we've been giving out lemons from our yard's tree like it's going outta style.<br />
<br />
The one thing I haven't known what do with is the kale.<br />
<br />
So. Much. Kale. In multiple varieties. In fact, I learned just this morning that what my mother and I had diagnosed (via video chat) as an ornamental 'lettuce' is actually <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Kamome+Red+Kale&espv=210&es_sm=119&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=08DJUv_hLM2IogTmzoDIAw&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=1048&bih=802" target="_blank">Kamome red kale</a>, a bitter-tasting form of the leafy green. Super! In addition, we seem to have Lacinato and red Russian kale -- and, if I'm not mistaken, premier kale (see <a href="http://ecolocalizer.com/2012/03/25/delicious-nutritious-kale-photo-guide-to-different-varieties/" target="_blank">this helpful page</a> for more details).<br />
<br />
The thing is: We don't really eat kale. I'm not opposed to it, and for such a <a href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38" target="_blank">nutritionally dense food</a>, it's honestly pretty tasty. But it's just not part of my daily intake -- and I've certainly never seen it in an Indian cookbook.<br />
<br />
Last week, however, on our flight back from the East Coast, I found this <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/egg-sausage-kale-strata-00100000112220/" target="_blank">delicious-looking recipe</a> last week in the Real Simple I was reading. Kale strata, you say? With sausage and fontina? In. I now had a use for kale.<br />
<br />
This week, I hunted down the non-garden ingredients for the strata (even sending Vivek to get fontina with our regular groceries yesterday), and I ventured out into the backyard this morning to get the kale. It's freshest when just picked, right?<br />
<br />
I'd completely forgotten, though, that I've been underestimating the number of aphids on those curly kale leaves. Since we took ownership of the house, we've focused (naturally, right?) on getting the inside of the home settled, favoring being able to find, say, a toothbrush or the 1/2-cup measuring cup over getting the weeds and bugs out of the front and back yards. So the pests, both plant and animal alike, have made themselves plentiful.<br />
<br />
OK -- no biggie, right? Feeling optimistic, I still snipped a handful of kale leaves, dunked them into a bowl of salted water, weighted them down with a dish, and went off to church to pray while my aphids, I hoped, were floating to the top of the water.<br />
<br />
No dice. I came back to some aphids floating, to be sure, but still clumps of them all over most of the leaves. And attempts to rub them off proved insufficient at best. Have you seen the underside of a kale leaf? It's like a labyrinth of caves specifically designed as aphid hiding places -- or, if you prefer, little aphid villas. No wonder they love the stuff!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRLsc8ONLVvCtVQq5qrU2mq4k4_EzA8oRptQUsf0QFf1HFokJMCIfaZed0O8DwlcLlBUwMpyzjTkogSMAnHTMJI62-61ATPU9rgDQMpj5SdMtJcE_zC6hpSdxVlU2Jdy_LcIPXg/s1600/IMG_20140105_114006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRLsc8ONLVvCtVQq5qrU2mq4k4_EzA8oRptQUsf0QFf1HFokJMCIfaZed0O8DwlcLlBUwMpyzjTkogSMAnHTMJI62-61ATPU9rgDQMpj5SdMtJcE_zC6hpSdxVlU2Jdy_LcIPXg/s320/IMG_20140105_114006.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A young -- and remarkably clean -- kale leaf from our garden. Check out those curls! Check out those caves!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll spare you a photo of the worst leaves -- but suffice that say that, unless some miracle cure reveals itself, most of our kale crop appears unusable.<br />
<br />
To save today's brunch, I took the few leaves I could clean off, mixed them with some baby spinach and created kale-spinach strata (ta-da!). I'm sure it will be equally delicious, if not quite as nutritious. As for moving forward: I'm sad to say it, but I'm pretty sure these kale plants have got to go. (Do <i>you</i> want to clean the leaves?) In their place, I'll be planting spinach -- a leafy green I <i>do</i> buy by the pound, and apparently a veggie <a href="http://www.bbbseed.com/_blog/The_Dirt/post/Aphids_on_your_Kale_-_Ewwww!/" target="_blank">less interesting to aphids</a>.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, everyone wins. At least in my kitchen.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-39209022284213038882014-01-05T07:45:00.000-08:002014-01-05T20:32:25.033-08:00In search of an old remedy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was thinking today of a scene from "Downton Abbey" (indulge me -- it starts tonight!) where Anna catches a cold -- a sniffle, really -- and is sent right off to bed by Mrs. Hughes. She barely sneezes and immediately earns some bed rest -- and she passes that in her pajamas with a good book. Just imagine!<br>
<br>
Now, I hardly want to trade in my modern-day medicine -- but when was the last time you truly got to relax while you were sick? Where you simply could loaf about, take naps as needed, read a book, watch a movie? Yeah, I can't remember either. And it's such a shame, since I understand from my doctor that my body heals itself while I'm sleeping -- not when I'm toying away on my laptop.<br>
<br>
Despite my cold, I've focused more on Resolution No. 2 (the house) than 3 (relaxing) over the past few days. Sure, I called in sick to work on Friday, and I generally kept my work laptop closed so I could rest. But I had to help build an IKEA bed that day in time for our new mattress to be delivered. On Saturday, I stayed home while my <i>pati dev</i> went out to get groceries, but I spent my time indoors hemming curtains instead of curled up with my "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-New-Yorker-Stories-Library/dp/0812970845/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Christmas at the New Yorker</a>" (I'm still trying to finish a story from the holiday season).<br>
<br>
I'm sure there are some who will say it's nice that we can be so productive these days while we're sick, mollified by Mucinex and Advil. But I find myself seeking that earlier practice of just resting when under the weather. After all, didn't Anna go back to work, all better, the next day?<br>
<br>
<br></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-10916511116271600192014-01-03T21:50:00.001-08:002014-01-03T21:53:07.824-08:002 for 3: Not so bad, right?<p dir="ltr">Well folks: I'm down for the count. If I didn't know better, I'd say it's the flu -- but I got a flu shot. Do colds come with aches and fever now?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Whether it's the ongoing settling-in-after-moving, my holiday diet or just the cold itself, I'm pretty beat. I took a rare sick day today and even made chicken soup tonight -- definite sick food for me. (Though pretty cool to make it from scratch for once -- Mom will be so proud!) And once this <u>bug</u> passes, I'm sure I'll be done with hot tea for a while. Is this cup nine today? Or 10?</p>
<p dir="ltr">At any rate, a long way of saying I fell asleep early yesterday and didn't post. But given my No. 3 resolution for 2014 -- to relax -- I'm not gonna sweat it. Here's to getting back on track.</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-90390402368236833412014-01-01T23:36:00.003-08:002014-01-01T23:36:59.856-08:00Happy 2014!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm making only three resolutions this year:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>To write every day.</li>
<li>To settle into my new home.</li>
<li>To relax.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I imagine numbers 2 and 3 will probably go hand in hand.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are also a few things I'd like to learn how to cook this year -- including my mother's "oven sandwiches" and kadala, a Keralan breakfast stew that I adore. But there will be time to discuss all of those later.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Happy New Year!</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-50342265045822728832013-09-08T23:27:00.001-07:002013-09-08T23:29:22.439-07:00A recap: How the week went<p dir="ltr">So: How did it go? How was being gluten-free (-ish) for a week (-ish)? </p>
<p dir="ltr">It was marvelous. Not quite heaven, but enough to keep me going on a path of less gluten -- or, at the very least, less bread.</p>
<p dir="ltr">To be clear: I had a bit of a cold mid-week, so that made this kind of a weird time for this experiment. I never really like to eat much bread (or anything) when I have a cold -- and I certainly wouldn't normally drink so much hot tea in one week. But casting that aside, I still felt better.</p>
<p dir="ltr">What made it so good? I felt more energetic, for one. I had fewer cravings. I ran better. I was lighter, more upbeat -- and by all means, less bloated. I can't say definitively if gluten is causing my tummy to be so puffy -- but my clothes fit way better this week. And if the scales are to be believed (take this with a giant grain of salt, as we're quite skeptical on ours) -- I lost three pounds between Sunday and Friday.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">As several people noted to me this week, it's fairly easy to go gluten-free these days, especially in San Francisco -- and especially if you work at a fancy technology company where there's always a salad bar at lunch. I'm also married to an Indian -- and while we didn't cook Indian food this particular week, rice tends to be more a part of our routine than bread anyway. So I don't feel exactly deprived when it comes to food, which makes the whole experience better, I'm sure.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I promptly quit Friday evening, when, of course, the opportunity for a slice of Friday pizza presented itself -- and I've been breading it up since then. It's been nice to be open to all restaurants again -- but after a feast at Pizzeria Delfina tonight, I'm ready to get back to feeling a little less sluggish tomorrow.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As I noted in my first post on the subject, I don't intend to focus on completely clearing gluten from my life. I still love pizza, and cake, and baking (sometimes all three at once!) -- and I don't see a need to avoid my beloved wheat flour entirely. But I do think that limiting it to weekends, as some people do with desserts, might make a difference for my overall well-being. I'll keep trucking for a few weeks and report back here. </p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-12743310633688867772013-09-03T08:22:00.003-07:002013-09-03T08:23:43.115-07:00A successful staycation wrap-up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I took two extra days off last week so that I could have a really long holiday weekend -- and I am happy to report that five days off, at the end of summer, is a marvelous thing. I am heading back to work today feeling refreshed, relaxed and energized.<br />
<br />
On my break, I remembered to look forward to things. Going to the <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-01/sports/chi-northwestern-wildcats-hope-to-be-ranked-after-cal-game-too-20130831_1_nu-players-cal-fans-linebacker-damien-proby" target="_blank">Northwestern-Berkeley</a> game Saturday night was a great reminder of how awesome fall is, with its college <a href="http://instagram.com/p/ds6Z8NpCgm/" target="_blank">football</a>, crisp nights and sweet flavors -- pumpkin lattes, Halloween candy and Diwali food.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP3PFl6ysglJWP8gEjhXvu4aJ4jZ5qwAHzkhI6TkuU73GigJG04wdO9IwIEwKYZ9t_akIohAfAE7BIc14gS-HbvZm44g6qIW4tbwUWlJKMGN0OSVyGsOS9PifRsIUyQhx4xPD1g/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-09-03+at+8.14.33+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP3PFl6ysglJWP8gEjhXvu4aJ4jZ5qwAHzkhI6TkuU73GigJG04wdO9IwIEwKYZ9t_akIohAfAE7BIc14gS-HbvZm44g6qIW4tbwUWlJKMGN0OSVyGsOS9PifRsIUyQhx4xPD1g/s320/Screen+shot+2013-09-03+at+8.14.33+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Northwestern Wildcats take on the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. (Aug. 31, 2013)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I started preparing for my favorite fall holiday, Thanksgiving, with my re-planted <a href="http://instagram.com/p/dp_8hwpCqW/" target="_blank">herb garden</a> (third time’s a charm, right?). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyTr5wvWXtDa59RKEvvIMQdeQe7Bu9rSJyUzDHiPVebhqZyO1LCtGaCBew9_N2Rm-YO_fiPAhsFLOIfglh_oPDINmO2ADLXdqK9u51GfIpegz3sUX9uq1-sIzjp-ZSdFopioDfA/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-09-03+at+8.17.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyTr5wvWXtDa59RKEvvIMQdeQe7Bu9rSJyUzDHiPVebhqZyO1LCtGaCBew9_N2Rm-YO_fiPAhsFLOIfglh_oPDINmO2ADLXdqK9u51GfIpegz3sUX9uq1-sIzjp-ZSdFopioDfA/s320/Screen+shot+2013-09-03+at+8.17.34+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cilantro, sage, two types of basil and some California poppies for good measure.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I got back in sync with my writing. This is the third time in four days that I’ve sat down to write.<br />
<br />
I sat still. On Thursday, I sat on the couch reading for three hours straight -- and it was pure heaven. Read, doze, read, doze. I finally finished <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11529868-the-orphan-master-s-son" target="_blank"><i>The Orphan Master’s Son</i></a>. I read about <a href="http://instagram.com/p/dpUpM7JCvi/" target="_blank">tennis</a>. I read the paper. Ah, vacation!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqp8YI47gBsPJTuR6gTCbAHsXCfqmFAoogXt2DUMCxBnLGCepXufxKZI8azig5jyiVrckeXp547TCN1gIk_eKr6x7mFIiydmlFAI3rc5dNYqRhvXc8kaxqRJPFd6n2XJUZsEGVA/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-09-03+at+8.19.11+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqp8YI47gBsPJTuR6gTCbAHsXCfqmFAoogXt2DUMCxBnLGCepXufxKZI8azig5jyiVrckeXp547TCN1gIk_eKr6x7mFIiydmlFAI3rc5dNYqRhvXc8kaxqRJPFd6n2XJUZsEGVA/s320/Screen+shot+2013-09-03+at+8.19.11+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Reading about and watching Novak Djokovic. An immersive study.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
All in all, quite the successful five days. And now off to work I must go.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-54644179709420881912013-09-02T10:59:00.001-07:002013-09-02T11:01:48.804-07:00Et tu? Yeah, I'm gonna try gluten-free<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I’m starting an experiment this week: Trying to go gluten-free. Or at least bread-free. OK, gluten-free. Actually, OK, I’m going to try to minimize my exposure to gluten. (As I wrote this, our neighbors delivered a slice of custard-and-apple pie.)<br /><br />I’ve suspected I might do better without gluten for a few years now -- ever since I did the food experiment that helped me find my citrus issues. I don't think I'm gluten intolerant, or that I have celiac disease -- as I feel otherwise fine. But during the week where I skipped gluten, I felt amazing. I dropped a lot of foods during that week, of course (so I could slowly add them back the next week) -- dairy, wheat, any white flour, eggs, corn, peanuts, bananas, beef, tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, soy, chocolate, pork, sugar (including all candy), yeasts. (I also avoided alcohol and caffeine, save for a spare glass of red wine or cup of black tea.) But that’s a laundry list of suspected irritants that seems impossible to eliminate completely from my daily intake -- even more so when you consider that many of those things listed are either favorites of mine (chocolate?!) or so integrated into what I currently eat (eggs). <br /><br />So I’ll start experimenting with gluten.<br /><br />Why now? I read yet another article this weekend (in <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/02/130902fa_fact_collins"><i>The New Yorker</i></a>) in which an athlete, this time Novak Djokovic, is revealed to be someone who avoids gluten. I don’t know that I buy into the diagnosis method Djokovic’s doctor used -- but the concept of avoiding gluten is still food for fodder, so to speak. And as I’ve been feeling oh-so-tired after my workouts this summer, I’m open to new possibilities at the moment.<br /><br />So off to the gluten-free (as much as possible) races we go. I’ll let you know how it turns out.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-55026599712794143922013-08-30T14:16:00.001-07:002013-08-30T15:03:54.805-07:00Simplicity is bliss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I spent a few hours today consolidating posts from all of my blogs into one. All the posts in one place. How lovely! </span>Can you feel the simplicity? I can.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to continue to maintain several of the existing blogs -- </span><a href="http://rhareview.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Russian Hill Article Review</a> and <a href="http://halfdesi.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Half-Desi</a>, to name two -- where there's a clear theme and/or a finite time period where the story should be told. I'll import those posts here, to <a href="http://beckybowman.blogspot.com/">beckybowman.blogspot.com</a>, with the appropriate labels. But for all other writings, I'll just be posting here.<br />
<br />
That is, of course, until I dream up my next great idea for a blog.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also worked on my <a href="http://beckybowman.net/" target="_blank">website</a> and got my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanB" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> in order today. (It's never too early to shop for Christmas, y'all!) Not too shabby for a Friday.</span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0San Francisco, CA, USA37.7749295 -122.4194155000000137.373502 -123.06486250000002 38.176356999999996 -121.77396850000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-78427823195644382442013-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:002013-07-28T10:41:01.937-07:00Life is sweet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I gotta tell you -- there are days when I think I must have the most perfect life ever. This is one of them.<br />
<br />
For two weeks, I've been wanting to celebrate the birth of my niece, Lizzy, with a scone, bacon and champagne breakfast -- and for whatever reason, it hasn't worked out. But now that the royal baby's arrived, it seemed a fitting time to snap to -- and I finally had the ingredients, including cherries and clotted cream, in my tiny kitchen.<br />
<br />
I had a bit of a nervous challenge ahead of me: My scone recipe was not quite perfected. For years, I've been trying to turn my favorite <a href="http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2006/01/savory-cheese-scallion-scones.html" target="_blank">savory scone recipe</a> into a sweet one, with limited success. No matter what I tried, the scones always seemed to come out heavy, dull or -- worst of all -- bitter. Today, however, the stars aligned, and we ended up with light, fluffy and moist puffs, chockfull of cherries, chopped almonds and dark chocolate.<br />
<br />
Why celebrate the coinciding births of Lizzy and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George_of_Cambridge" target="_blank">Prince George of Cambridge</a>? Well it's lovely of you to ask. You see, my family have a long history of coinciding births with the royal family. Prince William, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William,_Duke_of_Cambridge#Fatherhood" target="_blank">Duke of Cambridge</a>, you see, was born a mere three weeks after me -- meaning that my mother and Diana, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales" target="_blank">Princess of Wales</a>, were pregnant at the same time. And as my father-in-law apparently used to call my husband the "Prince of Wales," I'm pretty sure my kin are bound for greatness, power and influence.<br />
<br />
Here's to you, royal Lizzy!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJjRuNH6gsZMXWMSIgyQsvni8jrUQNlBxnugBnRiwO6iC9pqIz6LShgEFdXx37idFiUWY8IfzswH2sMU3PgsnYV53HSpgU6lxk76q6YwTF5MJGvmyT5tmmdd28Ptuw-yLmV0XDg/s1600/scones+for+lizzy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJjRuNH6gsZMXWMSIgyQsvni8jrUQNlBxnugBnRiwO6iC9pqIz6LShgEFdXx37idFiUWY8IfzswH2sMU3PgsnYV53HSpgU6lxk76q6YwTF5MJGvmyT5tmmdd28Ptuw-yLmV0XDg/s400/scones+for+lizzy.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Blanc de blancs, cafe crème, applewood-smoked bacon and cherry-chocolate-almond scones with clotted cream. </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-61478737981350684722013-06-11T08:14:00.000-07:002013-06-11T08:14:27.616-07:00I think the needle's moving?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm sure yesterday's blueberry cake binge didn't help much -- which is why I dumped blueberries into my oatmeal (with almond butter, yum!) this morning to try and curb some cravings later.<br />
<br />
I'm also taking a break from running today, as I hit a total wall yesterday. I didn't sleep enough Sunday night and just couldn't handle the aftermath of the run yesterday -- achy, tired, low energy. And with a long weekend of hiking ahead of me, I want to make sure I'm well-rested.<br />
<br />
That's all for now. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-86048015872869235572013-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:002013-06-09T12:17:01.048-07:00Lessons of an internship, 10 years later<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a lot of memories triggered this morning by a New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/magazine/my-grandfather-invented-the-reuben-sandwich-right.html?_r=0" target="_blank">article</a> about the invention of the Reuben sandwich.
I remember the phone conversation with my mother, 10 years ago, fairly clearly. I was in my Chicago suburban college apartment -- where I lived in a curtained-off area of the living room. She was at home in rural Pennsylvania.
I was ecstatic, having pulled off a remarkable feat: From the annual wave of newspaper internship rejections I typically received, I’d pulled an acceptance letter. For the summer after my junior year of college, I had a real, live, paid gig -- and one for which I needed a car.
“But you don’t have a car,” Mom said, obviously perplexed.
“I know,” I said.
“So what will you do?” she asked.
“I’ll rent one, I suppose.”
A ferocious debate ensued, filled with advice on not blowing all of one’s earnings on the experience itself and soapbox speeches about the importance of experience to getting a real job one day. But I was sold. There was never any doubt in mind that I was going.
Such was the importance of getting -- and, more so, completing -- an internship in college -- an all-important, all-inclusive experience for most reporters in continuing our learning outside the classroom. And I learned a ton at <a href="http://www.mcall.com/" target="_blank">The Morning Call</a>.
Luckily, I ended up not needing to rent a car, as my grandfather loaned me his old one -- a 1986 Buick Regal that smelled of cigarette smoke even with all the windows rolled down. It wasn’t exactly a hot rod, but it allowed me to spend my meager earnings that summer on other items: my first-ever gym membership (I think it was $90 for the whole summer at the YMCA), gas (then still less than $2.00/gal) and rent ($200 a month for a room in a huge old house with a wonderful couple who lived 30 minutes from the office).
Needless to say, I didn’t have a ton of money left over -- but I made an exception for spending it on lunch one day when my editor, Jack Tobias, an assistant metro editor legendary to interns from Northwestern University’s journalism school, suggested I try the Reuben sandwich at the <a href="http://findlocal.mcall.com/listings/dogstar-cafe-allentown-1" target="_blank">DogStar Cafe</a> down the street.
Jack, it turns out, was not just a great editor -- he also knew good food.
I’d grown up in a tiny town and hadn’t eaten a lot of fancy deli sandwiches at that point in my life. Sure, I had three years of college behind me -- but I’d been fairly preoccupied with the more exotic Thai, Indian and deep dish pizza available to me in Evanston.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think about the Reuben. What a clash of tastes! Sour, tangy, creamy, salty. It was probably also my first experience with rye bread -- now a favorite but then an unknown to me. I remember sitting alone and feeling slightly awkward about ordering such an extravagant meal for one. (And also feeling a little proud that, as an apparently bona fide adult, I could.)
It was way too much to experience on a lunch break. Mostly, though, I remember that I could barely finish the sandwich -- and that, combined with a real-world price tag up against an intern’s salary, made it my last, I believe, for the summer. It was back to packed lunches -- PB&Js, grapes and chips -- for me.
I’ve rarely had a Reuben sandwich since that summer. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I ordered one. But with all these memories, I’d place a good bet on my <a href="http://www.millerseastcoastdeli.com/food/reuben1fin/" target="_blank">ordering one</a> later today.
---
SIDENOTE: I haven’t spoken with Jack in years -- in fact, probably not since my internship -- but I found him on LinkedIn today and sent him a request to connect.</span></span><br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-80220772250749342182013-06-08T14:22:00.000-07:002013-08-30T13:35:00.078-07:00Truly a wizard of lies -- and hearts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b id="docs-internal-guid-21de321e-25a6-19bd-5575-1f97de742236" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.15;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Someday, I’ll review an article -- but for now, I’m going to do another book.</span></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-21de321e-25a6-19bd-5575-1f97de742236" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-21de321e-25a6-19bd-5575-1f97de742236" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My book club discussion on “<a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Wizard_of_Lies.html?id=Nndr6gDhn9oC" target="_blank">Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust</a>,” by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_B._Henriques" target="_blank">Diana B. Henriques</a>, is starting in just a few hours -- and I want to get my notes down before the discussion. You’ll just have to trust me that I wrote this section before I let the opinions of others color my review.</span></b></div><b id="docs-internal-guid-21de321e-25a6-19bd-5575-1f97de742236" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I gave this one five out of five stars -- and I think, as an American citizen that wants to retire someday, that this should be required reading in high schools. The fraud that Madoff perpetrated is on a scale I simply couldn’t believe possible until I dove into these 350 pages -- and the way it transpired, including both the regulatory issues and, perhaps more importantly, the issues of the human heart, is an incredible lesson that we shouldn’t ignore. (I suspect, unfortunately, that it won’t get its due.)</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most appealing parts of the book, of course, are the beginning and the end, where Henriques displays her narrative skills in giving us a truly thrilling ride through Madoff’s arrest. The middle, full of history, is as interesting as it could be, I think -- but any history is bound to get dull.</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of note: I thought it was interesting that, in discussing reasons for and against having the “profit” amounts being covered by SIPC - that Henriques never introduced the concept of incentive. If “profit” that never truly existed could be seen as covered by the fund, what incentive would investment managers have to be truthful? It would simply be someone else’s problem if they they made everything up along the way -- but the investors would still get their money.</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, great read. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who is invested or who plans to invest in their retirement -- with a “prepared to be scared” caveat.</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">UPDATE: Of the five of us who made it to book club that night, only two (including me) really seemed to enjoy “Wizard of Lies.” Suspicions that this book won’t get its due seem to be confirmed.</span></span></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-65218402811836873742013-06-08T12:39:00.001-07:002013-06-08T12:39:55.076-07:00Is the needle moving?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Or is it my imagination? Honestly, I can't really tell.<br />
<br />
But I'm still feeling good. I ran a full three miles today, followed by a latte and a half a delicious bagel sandwich. (Second half might be lunch soon.)<br />
<br />
Onward!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31734194.post-57165810128819262882013-06-06T08:23:00.000-07:002013-06-06T08:23:08.982-07:00I just couldn't resist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started running again this week, on a whim. A work friend of mine -- a girl I love hanging out with, who shares my insane love of and snobbery for correct grammar, spelling and punctuation -- decided to captain a group in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunNikeWomenSeries" target="_blank">Nike Women's Half-Marathon</a> lottery, and I couldn't resist signing up. (We'll find out later this month if we're in.)<br />
<br />
I'm cutting it close in terms of being able to prepare for the race, which is only about 20 weeks away, and that's something I would usually rail against -- but I had few other reasons not to train right now, so I'm going for it. In fact, I went into full attack mode on Monday, drawing up a training spreadsheet and mapping out several 2-, 3- and 4-mile runs for myself across San Francisco. I'm ready to train!<br />
<br />
There are two things I'm thinking on as I get started. The first is that I haven't really run in about two years, favoring sprinting-walking intervals as a more efficient way to do my cardio. That's worked out well until the last two months when, probably more so due to poor schedules and a whole lot of stress eating, I have -- second item -- gained about 10 pounds. (I know I said "a little weight" last week, but that's the number.) No, really. I'm as stunned as you are. OK, maybe you're not that stunned. But I am. How did that happen? Seriously?<br />
<br />
The good news is that, despite these items to ponder, my pace seems to be on par with where I left off a few years back: Around 13 minutes per mile, if the miles aren't all in Russian Hill. Yes, I'm slow, and I'm OK with that. Most importantly: I'm really enjoying the running. I had forgotten it! This week, I've felt strong, powerful and more relaxed after my runs. Sprints just don't achieve quite the same boost.<br />
<br />
If we get into the race, I'm poised, I think, to squeeze the training in. But if we don't, I'm going to shoot instead for the <a href="http://www.envirosports.com/default.asp?PageID=20878" target="_blank">Hark the Herald Angels</a> 12K on Angel Island in December. It's a race I've always wanted to run, what with its Christmas theme and the fact that it's on trails -- and this just might be the perfect excuse to get all trained up for it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0