At work (2)

This is my office mate helping one of her students.
A university is a nice place when people try to figure things out.

More citrus

I learned from the Intrepid Gourmet how to make this salad: blood oranges, black olives, sea salt, and olive oil. It's beyond good.

And then I almost turned around and slapped someone in Safeway today. Right behind me two women were talking about Angelina Jolie (whose face was on every single one of the magazines right beside us).

First average gym clad 47-year old white woman: I can't believe she adopted all those kids, and now she is having one of her own
Second average gym clad 47-year old white woman: Well, things change...
First: I think she's weird
Second: She's always been weird

The queens of normality have spoken. The rest of us go hide in the corners.

Rolling, rolling

This is the road to Hollister. Dan liked the clouds and I liked the green hills.

I overheard a conversation a while ago in the international arrivals area at SFO. An Englishwoman was picking up her Mom (sorry, Mum), and she told someone she was glad her mother was visiting in the spring, because at least the mountains would be green. To her the burnt yellow grass of summer was sad, and nothing she wanted her mother to see. I think the yellow is beautiful, but I find the green really hopeful. I saw a painting of emerald hills once that made me want to be a cow. They looked tasty.

Sorry it's in Swedish

Läste just detta (inlägget "Bernard-Henri Lévy retar galla på USA"). Ser kanske ut som självklarheter från ett svenskt perspektiv men är det icke. Köper denna bok imorgon dag.

Elakt men roligt (saxat):

För den som händelsevis har missat det så har den helt orädde Bernard-Henri Lévy gett ut en bok om George Bushs USA som heter American Vertigo och den har retat alla amerikaner som kan läsa till vansinne. Om George Bush kunde läsa så skulle han redan ha invaderat Frankrike.

Twice baked

I am not so happy with this filing your taxes online business. I like writing numbers in columns and do a little math. I have had the same calculator since high school and it works fine.

I am also not so happy with owing taxes left and right. But I managed to pay whatever I owed in federal tax before the software asked me to do impossible things, so I guess I should be happy.

We made biscotti for Dan's cousin Dino's birthday party, and they taste good.

The biscotti have cardemom and vanilla in them, and various experimental sugary glazes on the outside. (Mandarin oranges, Mexican chocolate, more cardemom.) The vanilla is of this possibly offensive but very good Danish brand:

The containers used to be round, but now apperently they are not anymore. Åsa brought this with her when she came to visit in November. The Danes themselves are not exporting it to the US, I don't think.

That's a nice lady

Kathy Long's Mom made a nationalistic blanket for me.

I don't need a Mulberry ipod case. Or do I?

A puzzle:

Use this link. I made it myself.

Kind of a long day at work

So that we have been talking about racism a lot in my classes this week. We do that all the time because that's pretty much the point.

But what can I tell you. People don't want to hear it because they don't want to believe it's the truth.

One of the girls said she had been excluded from a group trip because someone wouldn't be comfortable having her as a guest. She is black. That made me cry, right then and there. It's 2006. The more I listen to these stories the harder it gets.

This article by Peggy McIntosh is good.

On a lighter note:












I go to three different grocery stores. One of them is kind of out of my way but it's the only place where I have found this orange flavored fizzy water. It's the best fizzy water ever. The orange tree I walk past on my way to work every day.

On my way to the trail

The prettiest tree in Los Gatos.

The actual trail:

The Grumpy Hat

We don't have HBO anymore.

At work

I tried to take a picture of my office mate today, but she said to use Betty Shabazz and Oprah Winfrey instead. So here they are, two strong influencial Black women, one of them with seriously bad hair:









And, on another note, on Mondays and Wednesdays I teach way over there:

Movies

And oh by the way last night I saw Capote. That's a good movie. It makes you want to smoke and wear cardigans, but in the best of ways. Today I am showing The Color of Fear to a class.

Dear Kathy Long

(and others concerned about our health),

No, we are not following a diet. I just made a soup with no calories in it because that seemed like a good idea. Everything else we have eaten lately has had a multitude of calories in it and my pants don't fit.

Yeah yeah yeah the cabbage soup

Yes, here it is.
And 25 minutes later I am hungry again.

Kneading

Dan's mom Linda is a massage therapist in Hollister, CA. Dan was taking photos for her website today. That's Linda standing up, and me lying down. She is very good.











I learned how to make tortillas. The dough: flour, water, salt, olive oil, and baking powder. Knead, roll, and bake. This is me rolling one out. It's not round, but it is tasty.

Anything fried

Our last meal before cabbage.

Winter

Looked up the cabbage soup diet.

Decided never to buy ice cream again.

Let's start with Christmas

Make your own candle holders: clothes pins, tin foil, and patience.