“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”
—Saint Francis of Assisi
Monday, August 11, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
I love Chicago!
…when it is 75 degrees and sunny, and I am with good friends who plan fun things! So maybe I only love Chicago on August 9th.
[Not pictured: Melanie (the hostess with the mostess) and her husband Pat (who made me the best breakfast burrito of my life), Grant Park, live blues music at noon, live jazz music at 2am, beers, Chicago-style pizza, Garrett's Chicago mix popcorn (caramel and cheddar together in the same bag - genius!), my joy at the temperature and humidity levels.]
Friday, August 8, 2014
a photo a day
An hour delay for lightening storms wasn't so fun, but the resulting sunset I saw from the plane was incredible. I know sunset pictures are annoying because sunsets are always better in person, but you're getting one anyway!
Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
july: 15, 16, 17, 18, & 19
july has traditionally been a prolific month for me in this book challenge, and this july did not disappoint! i'm a little behind my pace from last year, but this helped me catch up a bit. i read four nonfiction books this month, which hasn't been the norm for me - this month i read:
outliers, by malcolm gladwell (this is the all-school summer reading for the school where i work, and the only major gladwell book i HADN'T read, so it was a good excuse to get a free copy and read it. a lot of gladwell's most famous stories are here - the 10,000 hours needed to become an expert and why NHL players are all born in january - but there's definitely more here than that. it was a quick read, and a good one! if you're somehow a person on this planet who hasn't read something by malcolm gladwell, you should definitely correct that. pronto.)
blood done sign my name, by timothy tyson (an amazing memoir-history; the author grew up in a small town in north carolina, and was a child when a black man was killed in public by a white man (for making a comment to the white man's wife), and the white man was found not guilty of the murder. this was not in the early 1900s but in 1970. the book is a retelling of the crime and the trial, but also the history of the small town in north carolina and a look at the role of religion in the civil rights movement (the author's father was a progressive methodist minister in the town). fascinating read, and it complicates our understanding of the history of the civil rights movement. i can't recommend it highly enough. i cried reading the acknowledgements at the end of the book. THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. who am i?)
as i lay dying, by william faulkner (a re-read - i took a faulkner course in college and this was one of my favorites from that class. when re-reading my college copy, i was impressed by all my margin notes, and enjoyed the story and faulkner's writing style the second time around. in high school i imagined faulkner to be IMPOSSIBLE TO READ, but an instructor in the 20th century american lit class i took at duke put a faulkner book in the syllabus, and i loved it. that led me to take the semester-of-faulkner and enjoy the class immensely. this is one of those IMPORTANT AMERICAN AUTHORS that SMART PEOPLE LOVE who is, in fact, worth loving.)
the warmth of other suns, by isabel wilkerson (i listened to the audiobook of this one, which is (wait for it) 19 CDs long. it took weeks of driving around town and two long road trips to make it through the book. my aunt monica recommended this book to me: it's the story of the great migration, interwoven with the oral histories of three people who participated in the great migration - one in the 1930s, one in the 1940s, and one in the 1950s…one to new york, one to chicago, one to LA…one who became a doctor, one who worked for the railroad, one who worked in a factory - three lives to symbolize the various experiences that blacks had of the great migration. a plus, the audiobook narrator on this book did a great job (she did great voices for each of the characters, none of them cheesy), which is crucial. a long book, but very worth reading!)
how children succeed, by paul tough (my office at work selected this as our office summer reading, so i dutifully read it. the book is a little more targeted towards people who work with low income students, but there were some important take aways that will translate to our work with mostly privileged kids, too. a lot of the book was a review of grad school: carol dweck's work on fixed vs. malleable intelligence, the KIPP/riverside character report card. thank you, grad school, for giving me a basis of educational theory!)
outliers, by malcolm gladwell (this is the all-school summer reading for the school where i work, and the only major gladwell book i HADN'T read, so it was a good excuse to get a free copy and read it. a lot of gladwell's most famous stories are here - the 10,000 hours needed to become an expert and why NHL players are all born in january - but there's definitely more here than that. it was a quick read, and a good one! if you're somehow a person on this planet who hasn't read something by malcolm gladwell, you should definitely correct that. pronto.)
blood done sign my name, by timothy tyson (an amazing memoir-history; the author grew up in a small town in north carolina, and was a child when a black man was killed in public by a white man (for making a comment to the white man's wife), and the white man was found not guilty of the murder. this was not in the early 1900s but in 1970. the book is a retelling of the crime and the trial, but also the history of the small town in north carolina and a look at the role of religion in the civil rights movement (the author's father was a progressive methodist minister in the town). fascinating read, and it complicates our understanding of the history of the civil rights movement. i can't recommend it highly enough. i cried reading the acknowledgements at the end of the book. THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. who am i?)
as i lay dying, by william faulkner (a re-read - i took a faulkner course in college and this was one of my favorites from that class. when re-reading my college copy, i was impressed by all my margin notes, and enjoyed the story and faulkner's writing style the second time around. in high school i imagined faulkner to be IMPOSSIBLE TO READ, but an instructor in the 20th century american lit class i took at duke put a faulkner book in the syllabus, and i loved it. that led me to take the semester-of-faulkner and enjoy the class immensely. this is one of those IMPORTANT AMERICAN AUTHORS that SMART PEOPLE LOVE who is, in fact, worth loving.)
the warmth of other suns, by isabel wilkerson (i listened to the audiobook of this one, which is (wait for it) 19 CDs long. it took weeks of driving around town and two long road trips to make it through the book. my aunt monica recommended this book to me: it's the story of the great migration, interwoven with the oral histories of three people who participated in the great migration - one in the 1930s, one in the 1940s, and one in the 1950s…one to new york, one to chicago, one to LA…one who became a doctor, one who worked for the railroad, one who worked in a factory - three lives to symbolize the various experiences that blacks had of the great migration. a plus, the audiobook narrator on this book did a great job (she did great voices for each of the characters, none of them cheesy), which is crucial. a long book, but very worth reading!)
how children succeed, by paul tough (my office at work selected this as our office summer reading, so i dutifully read it. the book is a little more targeted towards people who work with low income students, but there were some important take aways that will translate to our work with mostly privileged kids, too. a lot of the book was a review of grad school: carol dweck's work on fixed vs. malleable intelligence, the KIPP/riverside character report card. thank you, grad school, for giving me a basis of educational theory!)
Monday, August 4, 2014
what i'm listening to right now
"everything green," by christine kane (courtesy of a perfect mixed cd that colin made me!):
Sunday, August 3, 2014
a year ago today
a year ago today, i got my first look at ruby.
and she got her first look at me.
ruby purred loudly from the moment she was brought into the get-to-know-you room at the animal shelter. and honestly? that's what got me. i knew she was coming home with me.
it is still easy to get ruby to purr, and if anything she's cuter than she was as an 8 week old kitten (she's grown into those ears, for one thing). she meets me at the door when i get home from work. she is eager to remind me when it is meal time. at night she jumps onto my bed once the light is turned off, and she curls up to sleep in the space behind my knees.
i love my little ruby girl; she adds more to my life than i think i could possibly add to hers. she is a wonderful addition to my little world.
everyone should go out and get a cat.
and she got her first look at me.
ruby purred loudly from the moment she was brought into the get-to-know-you room at the animal shelter. and honestly? that's what got me. i knew she was coming home with me.
it is still easy to get ruby to purr, and if anything she's cuter than she was as an 8 week old kitten (she's grown into those ears, for one thing). she meets me at the door when i get home from work. she is eager to remind me when it is meal time. at night she jumps onto my bed once the light is turned off, and she curls up to sleep in the space behind my knees.
i love my little ruby girl; she adds more to my life than i think i could possibly add to hers. she is a wonderful addition to my little world.
everyone should go out and get a cat.
a Ruby a day
82 degrees in the middle of an August day...in Houston?!? We had to celebrate the unseasonably awesome weather (yes, I now consider 80 to be cool) with some time on the balcony! All week the highs have been in the mid-90s with heat indexes in the 105 range. Lame.
If you need Ruby she will be plotting the demise of every bird in sight.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
what i'm listening to right now
"titanium," by david guetta featuring sia:
i'm late to this party, i know…but i continue to enjoy this song nonetheless.
i'm late to this party, i know…but i continue to enjoy this song nonetheless.
how to host an artsy friend who likes beer and good food
the second in an occasional series about the fun things to do when people come to visit! my friend talia visited me in houston in…june. early june. but this post is better late than never, right?! talia is artsy and loves food and good drinks and we became great friends the year i lived in new york, after becoming good friends working together in england for a few summers.
friday night: airport pick up, dinner at torchy's tacos (duh. every visit to texas must start with tacos.)
saturday: brunch at down house, beers at karbach brewery (photo below! this brewery opens up several times a week for people to just come and drink and hang out. there are dozens of picnic tables and people were there with board games, cupcakes for birthdays, meals…almost anything you can imagine. i loved it!), watching 20 feet from stardom in the air-conditioning after sweating outside at karbach (good movie - thank you, netflix), turrell sky space for the sunset show, dinner at pondicheri (because talia and i had an indian food tradition in new york and pondicheri is AWESOME).
sunday: brunch at empire cafe (in the garden out back - such a fun spot), the menil art gallery (eclectic - right up talia's alley - and she knew all these damn artists i'd never heard of - impressive!), coffee at agora, looking at antiques in montrose, barefoot contessa on tv.
it was SO much fun hanging out with talia and showing her my city! i think houston showed itself to be pretty awesome. and i offer this key to hosting people in houston in the summer: alternate outside time with air conditioned time. that air conditioned time is CLUTCH, but the whole trip can't be air conditioned - lots of fun things are outside!
who wants to visit me next?!
friday night: airport pick up, dinner at torchy's tacos (duh. every visit to texas must start with tacos.)
saturday: brunch at down house, beers at karbach brewery (photo below! this brewery opens up several times a week for people to just come and drink and hang out. there are dozens of picnic tables and people were there with board games, cupcakes for birthdays, meals…almost anything you can imagine. i loved it!), watching 20 feet from stardom in the air-conditioning after sweating outside at karbach (good movie - thank you, netflix), turrell sky space for the sunset show, dinner at pondicheri (because talia and i had an indian food tradition in new york and pondicheri is AWESOME).
sunday: brunch at empire cafe (in the garden out back - such a fun spot), the menil art gallery (eclectic - right up talia's alley - and she knew all these damn artists i'd never heard of - impressive!), coffee at agora, looking at antiques in montrose, barefoot contessa on tv.
it was SO much fun hanging out with talia and showing her my city! i think houston showed itself to be pretty awesome. and i offer this key to hosting people in houston in the summer: alternate outside time with air conditioned time. that air conditioned time is CLUTCH, but the whole trip can't be air conditioned - lots of fun things are outside!
who wants to visit me next?!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
while visiting my sister in dallas this week, i made two new pioneer woman recipes that were awesome: rose sangria (subbing in cherries for the peaches, since the peaches at the grocery store weren't ripe - and the wine-soaked cherries were awesome!) and mushrooms stuffed with brie, which were every bit as good as you are imagining.
yum.
i love cooking.
yum.
i love cooking.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
when you visit a federal prison the line is long. and there are lots of children in it. children whose fathers are behind the tall fences covered in barbed wire. children who catch tiny frogs and show them to you as the line moves slowly forward.
when you visit a federal prison there are a lot of rules you don't understand, so you don't even try. no capri pants, no underwire bras, no sandals, no paper money, no watches. you can bring a bag full of quarters. your license. your car keys, which could certainly do more damage than your watch.
when you visit a federal prison, there are so many hugs. it's like baggage claim at an airport, but even more emotional. people hugging dads and husbands and sons and friends. big smiles everywhere. children settle onto their dads' laps, men sit holding women's hands. there are orders taken (prisoners can't leave their seats once they get in the room), and loved ones crowd the vending machines with their bags of quarters. cheeseburgers and kit kat bars are purchased, chips poured out on styrofoam plates and shown to the guard to inspect before being delivered to your loved one.
when you visit a federal prison, there is an inmate who will take pictures of prisoners with their loved ones, yet he has no one there to visit him. there is a man meeting his three month old grandson for the first time. there are adult women crying. there are a hundred other people bearing witness to these private moments.
when you visit a federal prison people walk in quickly and walk out slowly.
when you visit a federal prison there are a lot of rules you don't understand, so you don't even try. no capri pants, no underwire bras, no sandals, no paper money, no watches. you can bring a bag full of quarters. your license. your car keys, which could certainly do more damage than your watch.
when you visit a federal prison, there are so many hugs. it's like baggage claim at an airport, but even more emotional. people hugging dads and husbands and sons and friends. big smiles everywhere. children settle onto their dads' laps, men sit holding women's hands. there are orders taken (prisoners can't leave their seats once they get in the room), and loved ones crowd the vending machines with their bags of quarters. cheeseburgers and kit kat bars are purchased, chips poured out on styrofoam plates and shown to the guard to inspect before being delivered to your loved one.
when you visit a federal prison, there is an inmate who will take pictures of prisoners with their loved ones, yet he has no one there to visit him. there is a man meeting his three month old grandson for the first time. there are adult women crying. there are a hundred other people bearing witness to these private moments.
when you visit a federal prison people walk in quickly and walk out slowly.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
i'm listening to the audiobook of the warmth of other suns right now, and really enjoying it. this is the quote from which the author gets the title:
"i was leaving the south to fling myself into the unknown. i was taking a part of the south to transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new and cool rains, bend in strange winds, respond to the warmth of other suns, and perhaps to bloom."
--richard wright
those lines struck me as so appropriate for anyone who has moved their life from one place to another. i love this visual: of growing under a new sun.
"i was leaving the south to fling myself into the unknown. i was taking a part of the south to transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new and cool rains, bend in strange winds, respond to the warmth of other suns, and perhaps to bloom."
--richard wright
those lines struck me as so appropriate for anyone who has moved their life from one place to another. i love this visual: of growing under a new sun.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
fascinating! i can't stop watching (you can refresh the page and get a new taxi). when i lived in NYC i took taxis very rarely (they were so expensive compared to the bus or subway, and i was a grad student): to or from the airport about half the time (it was twice as fast as the bus, but literally 10 times as expensive), or sometimes when it was late at night. nyc taxis: a day in the life.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
what i'm listening to right now
"halfway down the stairs," performed by amy lee:
nora put this on a recent mixed CD that she made…and in finding this video i discovered that the lyrics are an a.a. milne poem from the 1920s that was used on the original muppet show in the 1970s…and was covered recently by this artist in the 2010s. this story makes me love the song even more.
nora put this on a recent mixed CD that she made…and in finding this video i discovered that the lyrics are an a.a. milne poem from the 1920s that was used on the original muppet show in the 1970s…and was covered recently by this artist in the 2010s. this story makes me love the song even more.
Friday, July 11, 2014
a Ruby a day
"New profile pic" edition.
AKA "rolling around in a sunny patch of living room" edition.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
blue and red berry ricotta galette
making this twice in 24 hours? don't mind if i do. the crust is tender and flavorful and the berries inside are perfect - i used frozen berries, but i don't think you could ever tell. mixed berry galette yesterday, peach galette today. you NEED to make this! smitten kitchen is my jam.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
june: 13 & 14
this month i read:
cat sense, by john bradshaw (yes, i read a book about cats. i wear the cat lady crown proudly. this is nonfiction, and describes about the evolution of cats living with humans and i found it really enjoyable. cats have only lived with humans for 10,000 years, whereas dogs have lived with humans for 40,000 years! dogs were bred to help hunt or protect the family and lived in close quarters with them; cats were kept to keep mice away, and often lived alone in an outbuilding…hence why cats are seen as more independent or standoffish than dogs. this was an interesting book, but to be honest: most of the best stuff was described in articles about the book that i'd already read…so i wouldn't urge you to rush out and get this.)
a feast for crows, by george r.r. martin (this is a re-read…as i watch the HBO show, i'm trying to remember what happens in the books so i can be appropriately horrified when the plot deviates or not totally surprised if i don't watch an episode immediately and then hear people talk about it at work. i didn't love this book when i first read it, and i was again frustrated by the same things (where are my favorite characters?!), but i didn't remember all the plot points, so it was good to re-read it. all 950 page of it. i re-read book 3 last summer and will probably re-read book 5 next summer. and hurry up and finish book 6, GRRM! i am concerned you will get old and even weirder before this series is done.)
cat sense, by john bradshaw (yes, i read a book about cats. i wear the cat lady crown proudly. this is nonfiction, and describes about the evolution of cats living with humans and i found it really enjoyable. cats have only lived with humans for 10,000 years, whereas dogs have lived with humans for 40,000 years! dogs were bred to help hunt or protect the family and lived in close quarters with them; cats were kept to keep mice away, and often lived alone in an outbuilding…hence why cats are seen as more independent or standoffish than dogs. this was an interesting book, but to be honest: most of the best stuff was described in articles about the book that i'd already read…so i wouldn't urge you to rush out and get this.)
a feast for crows, by george r.r. martin (this is a re-read…as i watch the HBO show, i'm trying to remember what happens in the books so i can be appropriately horrified when the plot deviates or not totally surprised if i don't watch an episode immediately and then hear people talk about it at work. i didn't love this book when i first read it, and i was again frustrated by the same things (where are my favorite characters?!), but i didn't remember all the plot points, so it was good to re-read it. all 950 page of it. i re-read book 3 last summer and will probably re-read book 5 next summer. and hurry up and finish book 6, GRRM! i am concerned you will get old and even weirder before this series is done.)
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