Good timing

Finally, I'm an aunt!

Christopher was born yesterday at 2:45pm Pacific time... My sister had been induced the previous night at 10:30pm. Zowie! He must've been reluctant to leave and join the rest of the world.

Becky said she'd be posting some pictures today, and I can't wait to see them! Follow this link to see the updates on her blog. What I've been told is that he weighed 8 lbs and 8 ounces, has a little bit of dark brown hair, and his eyes are light blue right now. From what Alfonso said, he's really handsome. :) I can't wait to see what he looks like. I'm so excited to be an aunt.

What's even better is that he was born on the 19th, a day that is becoming very special in my family. Becky and I were each born on the 19th day of the month, and she and Fonsi got married on the 19th.

Latest music obsession

I can't stop listening to this song by Gyptian.

Serious Times

These are some serious times
All I can see round natty is violence and crime
Full time for Rass to centralize socialize and realize
To let the sun shine throughout every day
And let the moon shine throughout the peaceful nites
This is 7 times rise and 7 times fall but i dont really believe in the falling tings at all
Cause life continues as it goes if u really want to know the true of the true isnt been told
No no no no no

Today's Lunch:
Leftover turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy
Nectarine

Party weekend

I had four events to go to on Saturday, and I made it to all of them!

First was the Juneteenth celebration. It was amazing. The park was full of people and there were about four tents, each with their own performances. I saw some people dancing hip-hop in sync and they were amazing. I ran into an acquaintance, Jam, who is from Ghana, and he played drums with a group from Togo. One of the players pulled myself and two other women up onto the stage to dance, and though I felt self-conscious, I went with it and had a great time.

The next two parties had to be covered in 2 hours so Kevin and I could leave for our camping trip. I attended my coworker Mike's barbeque and stayed just long enough to wolf down a brat. Then I stopped by another coworker's birthday party. I only meant to stay for 10 minutes, but he said "won't you stay for a glass of wine?" and then I got to talking with people and... somehow it became an hour. At this point I was running an hour behind and Kevin was pretty annoyed, but we finally got on the road to attend our camping party.

We showed up at a secluded nursery outside of Beaver Dam. The party was at a house with a huge backyard that backed up to a small lake. Music was blaring, people were dancing, talking and drinking, and a bonfire was blazing. Kevin ran into a couple of Jamaican friends he knew when he lived in Milwaukee. He hadn't seen them in years, so that was exciting. The music was good for a couple of hours - hip hop and reggae. Then the program changed over to wedding reception music, which I can't stand. When it finally switched back over to reggae, it was getting late but I had a good time dancing to it while I could.

We set up my 30-year-old tent in the dark (Kevin held the flashlight). It was his first time sleeping in a tent and he said it wasn't too bad. I told him if he could survive a night in my old, smelly tent, he could sleep in anything.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy
Nectarine

Lately...

My news for the week:

• I got my lasik surgery on tuesday. They gave me a sedative and I had some crazy dreams on the way home, then stumbled up the stairs with the help of my friend Liz. Overall my eyes feel great.
• Kevin and I are going to make a Jamaican Black cake. He told me what the important ingredients are and I found a recipe. The first step is to soak the the fruit in wine for 4 weeks.
• Tomorrow is my Thanksgiving in June party. Tonight I'm going to make the pies (apple and pumpkin), cranberry sauce, and start the gravy. I'm so excited to make yummy food.
• Speaking of tonight, I'm also cat -and -rabbit-sitting for my coworker Janet. It is so cute when Rex the Rabbit chews his lettuce leaves; his little nose moves up and down and he makes this little crunching noise. Pictures are on the way.
• Speaking of pies, I went to the farmer's market last weekend and bought fresh strawberries and rhubarb. Last night I made two beautiful strawberry-rhubarb pies.
  
• I've been hanging out with our summer interns, who just showed up last weekend. They are from Tuskegee University (Alabama), Clark Atlanta University (Georgia), Puerto Rico... and that's all I can remember. I really like them - they are bright young people with great attitudes. We're trying to show them a good time here in Madison.
• Speaking of interns, two of them subbed for players on our softball team... and monday night we finally won a game. I had a good night - two of our six runs were made by me, and I pitched for the first time on this team. I had a few strikeouts and only walked one person, to the surprise of my teammates. And all this time they'd only let the men pitch...
• I have serious social plans this weekend. A saturday intern activity (we're going to the Madison area Juneteenth celebration), two parties in Madison, then a reggae/camping party in Beaver Dam. It should be fun...
• Kevin and I went to Madison Avenue last night. We were kind of disappointed. Wednesday night is supposed to be the night to go there, but it was sort of empty, the music was bad and the bartenders were slow.

Okay, that's all for now.

Today's Lunch:
Tuna sandwich (with low-fat Miracle Whip) on wheat bread from Clasen's bakery
Sugar snap peas
Apple

Tall Tale

Last week in Toastmasters we split up into groups of three and were given an assignment. My teammates were Petra and James. Each of us had to share with each other an interesting or surprising vacation experience, and then use each of our experiences to create a Tall Tale.

• Petra's experience: She went on vacation to Norway last year. She and her dad canoed around the fjords.
• James' experience: While he was on vacation in Alabama, a couple of swimmers were attacked by a shark. One of the men had part of his arm ripped off, and his friend punched the shark in the nose and swam to shore, turning around to punch the shark every so often to keep it at bay.
• My experience: I had vacation stories, but to go with the water theme, I recalled how my brother Joe and I would go canoeing and would stand up in the canoe while afloat. (We never capsized.)
  

Our tall tale (you may recall that a tall tale is a legend-type story, often with a hero and exaggerated details):

Sven the Shark Evader

A very long time ago, in the Fjords of Norway, there were two young men, Sven and Frank. Sven and Frank were canoeing around the fjords, having a jolly good time. The sun was bright and shining, the water was crystal clear, and the water was very still.

Frank suggested they stand up in the canoe, just to make things more exciting. Sven wasn't thrilled with the idea, but being the good friend he was, agreed to Frank's plan. They stood in the canoe and continued paddling.

Suddenly, clouds appeared in the sky and covered up the sun. A strong wind began to blow. What was once a calm, blue fjord became a dark and stormy sea. Something large and ominous thumped against the canoe, causing it to capsize. As he plunged into the cold water, Sven watched in horror as a huge shark - so big it was the size of the FPL [my workplace] - opened its gargantuan jaws. The shark's teeth were so big they put Jaws to shame. Frank began screaming hysterically - the shark's enormous jaws had ripped his arm off! Sven almost cried from fear as he watched Frank's arm go down the shark's gullet - the shark was so big that Frank's arm looked like a Tic Tac in its mouth.

Sven knew he had to do something to save himself and his friend. More out of terror than anger, he punched the shark square on the nose. The shark's nose was so big that Sven's fist looked like a freckle in comparison. Sven held his breath, expecting the shark to open its jaws and eat him whole. Nothing happened. The shark was stunned! Sven quickly swam over to Frank and grabbed him, swimming toward the shore.

Suddenly a large, ominous shadow could be seen on the water in front of him. He knew the shark had come back. So Sven turned around and - bam! - punched the shark in the nose again. He swam all the way to the shore, turning around and punching the shark every so often to keep it at bay.

They finally made it to the shore. Though they were both frightened and suffering from injuries, Sven and Frank survived. Frank was even able to get a prosthetic arm using laminated veneer lumber developed at the FPL.

People have reported seeing Sven the Shark Evader for centuries, and often wonder where he came from. So the next time you're in the fjords of Norway, do not fear the sharks - Sven the Shark Evader will be there to save you.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover beef and vegetable soup with orzo
Roll with Smart Balance

Thanksgiving in June?

As I had previously posted, I am testing recipes for Cook's Illustrated. So far I've made beef and eggplant stir fry in a red curry sauce. Today I received my second assignment:

Roast Turkey Breast with Bacon and Leek Stuffing

Cook's Illustrated says they often ask testers to make recipes that aren't in season, since the article probably won't be published for another 6 months. So I'm going to have a little Thanksgiving in June party. I'm going to invite some of my coworkers, including Houjiang, who won't be in the U.S. this November to have a "real" Thanksgiving meal. I think it's important to experience the one meal that is an American original.

I have less than two weeks to make this meal, so I'm thinking Friday the 15th.

Today's Lunch:
Chicken fajita burrito from Qdoba with black beans and hot salsa

Photos

Here are some photos for your visual enjoyment.

This is my friend Erin. She is 24 and works at the homeless shelter I volunteer at. She has two kids, Elliot (age 3) and Kelsey (age 2) and she and her hubby are recently separated. This girl has the gift of gab and can talk to anyone. She's also a lot of fun to hang out with.


Today's Lunch:
Leftover soup (beef vegetable with orzo)
Crust of seeded wheat bread
1 roll

Stocking your home bar

I read this great article about stocking a bar for your home. I found it thanks to the CIA's (that's Culinary Institute of America for all you non-foodies out there) ProChef Smart Brief.

Yes, you can spend less than $300 and still have a fully-stocked bar with really good liquor.

The Basics:
Vodka: Stoli
Gin: Tanqueray
Whisky/bourbon: Maker's Mark
Rum: Flor de Caña Extra Dry 4-Year-Old
Tequila: Sauza Hornitos
Brandy: Laird's Applejack

Mixers:
Sweet Vermouth: Martini & Rossi
Dry Vermouth: Noilly Prat
Angostura bitters
Orange bitters

Liqueurs:
Cointreau
Benedictine

Click here to see the article.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with brie on seeded wheat bread
Banana
Diet Pepsi

Giardia and music

I don't know what to write about today. My weekend was so full that I feel like I'm still recovering from last week.

I am concerned that I have a parasite (Giardia) from the untreated water I drank last week. My mom told me it takes about a week for Giardia to start causing discomfort, and starting last night I've been experiencing nausea. Something ain't right on my insides.

I am so excited about tomorrow night! I'm finally going to see some good reggae, I can just feel it this time. The people at WORT who host Tropical Riddims are having a fundraiser show. I asked this new guy I'm seeing, Kevin, if he'd like to come with. He really likes reggae so he'll probably go for it.

Other than that I feel like poo today. I think I will leave work early.

Today's Lunch:
Turkey sandwich with brie on seeded wheat bread
Banana

So busy...

My days are consumed with trying to get stuff done but not being able to place a finger on what it is I'm doing. I just know I have a lot of phone calls to make and return, forms to fill out, and stuff to read. I have been putting my Mandarin studying aside to get other things done and I need to catch up.

I guess I'm so busy because I was out of town for the last two weekends. This weekend my schedule is filling up fast:

• Tonight - go fishing with a guy I met (Kevin)
  
• Saturday morning - volunteer at soup kitchen
• Saturday afternoon - kayak instruction needed to go on more trips with outing club
  
• Sunday morning - finally! some free time
• Sunday afternoon - volunteer at homeless shelter, review a dessert

A review of this week:

• Ate pickles soaked in Kool Aid (not too bad)
• Attended a Madison area food bloggers' meeting
  
• Ate a dessert at a local restaurant; still need to write article
• Broke down and bought a Trac Fone (and I was so proud of not having a cell phone)
• Danced to some good reggae music

Today's Lunch:
Cashews and peanuts
Apple

Backpacking

I had a great weekend in the Porcupine Mountains of upper Michigan.

The drive from Madison to Silver City took about 6 hours, so we arrived in mid-afternoon. We stayed at a car-camping campground the first night. The campground was near a rocky Lake Superior shore and the view was magnificent. I especially loved looking at the underwater algae waving its little arms in the waves.


We had a campfire, the most exciting part of which was the stump we burned. It had been hollowed out in the middle (most likely due to rot when the tree was alive), and when we burned it there was a chimney effect. Flames shot out of the hole in the stump and it looked pretty cool.


The next day, friday, we began our expedition. Here's a map of our route. We started at Lake of the Clouds, then took the North Mirror Lake Trail to Mirror Lake. We camped at Mirror Lake, then took the Correction Line Trail and the Big Carp River Trail to the campsites on the escarpment. Then we went back to Lake of the Clouds on the last day.


The hike from Lake of the Clouds to Mirror Lake was somewhat uneventful. There were a lot of other people on the trail and it was muddy. Plus, I was still getting used to my pack. I haven't been backpacking since I was 15, so the weight hit me hard at first. We did encounter a beautiful gorge:


We camped off the trail that night in an undesignated camp area. It was dark, it was wooded, and we were right by a lake. When I walked deeper into the woods I found some beautiful old-growth hemlocks.


The next day was the longest and hardest day of hiking. We had to fill up our dromedaries (collapsible water containers) and carry them with us. I took a 4-liter dromedary and it added over 8 pounds to my pack. But I pressed on. We walked through a swamp (I love swamps) and through a pine forest with very little understory. I love how the pine needles covered the forest floor and crunched beneath my feet.


Our camp food was pretty good. For breakfast we ate instant flavored oatmeal with dried fruit. For lunch we had nuts (cashews, peanuts, and hickory-smoked almonds) with dried fruit and beef jerky. For dinner we had 1) freeze-dried culinary delights such as chicken a la king, 2) spaghetti with canned pasta sauce, and 3) cheese tortellini mixed with olive oil and dried pesto and topped with fake parmesan cheese.

The best part of the trip was the last day. We had camped on top of a cliff and could see both of the lakes and everything in between. It was a neat way to see just how far we had walked. Plus, on the final hike back, we followed the ridge and had an amazing view the whole way. I also loved the dry land (it reminded me of Grayling, the town in which I grew up). I saw oak trees and Prince's Pine and Indian toilet paper (plants I learned from my dad but whose common names I do not know). I do not see these plants in southern Wisconsin and seeing them brought back memories.


Indian toilet paper:


The trip was a success. The only unfortunate thing that happened was on the last day when I discovered I had been drinking straight, unfiltered/untreated river water. Oops! I experienced some intestinal discomfort (EAS) but it wasn't too bad overall.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover backpacking food (I need to go shopping):

• Cashews, peanuts, hickory smoked almonds
• Dried fruit - raisins, cherries, pineapple
  

R.I.P.

Crikey! This morning I got up, took a shower, drank a bucket of water, fed the cat... and then, after I put my contacts in, I walked into my bedroom and saw something on the floor.


I walked closer to it. It was... a dead bat!


Poor little thing. I have no idea how it died, but hopefully it was peaceful.

My landlord contacted animal control and they were going to test it for rabies. However, I had already thrown it in the trash and since today is trash day, the trash was taken out before my landlord could retrieve it. Oops! And I never took Kitty in for her rabies follow-up, so now she may have to be vaccinated.

Plus animal control is going to call me every 10 days for 6 months to make sure Kitty is doing okay.

Today's Lunch:
Leftover red curry stir-fry - beef, snow peas, red pepper, and carrots (you can see the recipe here)
Basmati rice

Thoughts...

Cultural experiences:

• I saw a band playing roots/reggae/African music last night. The highlight of the night was when a Jamaican man asked me if I were bi-racial because no Caucasian could have a bootie that big. Yeah, baby!
  
• I'm going backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains for Memorial Day weekend. 4 days of pure wilderness. It will be wonderful.
• I want to go back to Chicago and explore the area where the stockyards used to be. I'm obsessed with Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle.
  

Thoughts on China:

• It is more mainstream in China to ask acquaintances personal questions, like how much money they make, how old they are, what size they wear, etc.
  
• People in China make much less money than we do but pay similar prices for goods. Houjiang only makes $16k per year and he's a college professor. I am learning more about why people want to come to the U.S.

Food stuff:

• My kind-of-boss's wife, Marsha, gave me a bunch of cooking stuff that she doesn't use, as well as all her back issues of Cook's Illustrated. Score!
• A week ago my coworker Mike told me he was making me a "culinary surprise" that would take about a week to be ready. Could it be.... pickled eggs? I keep telling people how delicious they are.

Today's Lunch:
Went to Kipp's Down Home Cookin' with Houjiang. I had rotisserie chicken breast with macaroni and cheese and a corn muffin. It was really good.

Reggae

I've really been digging reggae music lately. I like the relaxed beat, quiet baseline, and pedaled guitar riffs. The singing is usually happy and sometimes hypnotic, perfect for just chilling out.

I never really had any exposure to reggae music until now. I listen to WORT on saturday afternoons and my favorite shows are Tropical Riddims and PanAfrica (descriptions below). Now I'd like to go out and see some good, live music.

Tropical Riddims
Saturday noon–2pm
Roots, rock steady, reggae, ska and conscious dancehall. Host F.R.P., the messenjah, teachin’ the youts ’bout roots and kulcha!

PanAfrica
Saturday 2–4pm
Popular and traditional music of Africa and the Caribbean with hosts Laurie Mlatawou and DJ Trini. New releases from throughout Africa are featured in an effort to bring African music into the American mainstream.

Today's Lunch:
Ham and provolone sandwich on seeded boule with yellow mustard