Up to My Ears

At this point, I was hoping to be kicking back for a nice relaxing hour or two with Plato's Republic (ok, maybe I had other books on my mind, but I am trying to motivate to finally read the dialogue I haven't), but since I cannot find any of the chairs or sofas in my house, it looks like unpacking is the plan for the day.

It's amazing what chaos the arrival of furniture and boxes can achieve in an apartment.  If I look at the pile of flattened boxes in my hallway, I can be proud of what I managed to accomplish yesterday afternoon.  However, the fact that I have one small path leading to the necessary places in my house - refrigerator, bed, and bathroom - indicates that I have miles to go before I sleep.  (Amazing how Frost can stay in your head after all these years.  Need new allusions).  Also interesting is the fact that a solid quarter to third of my belongings is still in Tulsa, hopefully to arrive within a week or so.

I'm compiling a list of items I'm noticeably missing, which includes but is not limited to

• the top to my coffee table
• two bases and one top of my end tables (one top made it)
• one lampshade
• all my bowls (where did these go??)
• cookbooks
• all table related linens (and this is quite a feat, since they weren't stored together)
• pillows for my bed

An interesting assortment to say the least, and these are on top of the larger furniture items I knew were going to be in round two.  Fortunately, there are plenty of items here (the REST of my kitchenware, for example) which gives me plenty to do for the remainder of this week.  Just not reading Plato.  Or pretty much anything else, until I find a seat.  God bless audio books!

The First "Last Conversation"

I feel a bit like a vulture, but with the announcement that Borders is indeed closing its doors forever, I immediately began to scour the internet for Borders in the San Francisco area.  It was actually a bit more challenging than I had presumed, since many closed during the spring, but I persevered and located a few potential options for purchasing books-on-sale.

On Saturday I broached the idea of making a Sunday Borders run, and Stan immediately countered with "Do you need more books?"  I think I blinked my eyes and looked dumbfounded.  I'm an intelligent woman.  I played that sentence over in my head.  Yes, I knew all the words.  I could parse that sentence.  Heck, I could even diagram that sentence with ease, but still... the words did not compute.  Do. I. need. more. books.  Nope.  No idea what that even means.

After some spluttering and attempts at coherency, Stan watched me process that question, sighed, and said, "This is the last time we're going to have this conversation, isn't it?"

I'm relieved we understood each other ;-)

The Elegance of The Hedgehog

Strangely, or perhaps not considering my profession, I love browsing the tables of "Summer Reading" in bookstores.  Not, of course, the tables of the latest beach reads, but the tables of books that teachers have lovingly picked with which to torture their hapless students over the summer.

 Frequently I find myself wondering why in the world someone would choose THAT novel for summer reading (case in point: Beowulf.  I have a difficult time imagining any middle/high school student successfully navigating Beowulf on their own and coming out the other side with something other than utter and profound relief to have put that experience behind them.  Such a waste, when a month in the classroom can have your students coming in one day to inform you that they "ruined the movie with all that sex and violence.")  Other times I find suggestions to include on my own school reading lists, summer or otherwise.  And occasionally I find myself inspired to either pick up a book entirely new to me or finally read that novel that has been nagging me for years.

Enter The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  It is no surprise that I missed the publication of this novel, for if anything happens in the world of books during a school year, I am almost guaranteed to miss it (must. not. start. new. books.).  But I picked it up on a whim, after reading the first page, and then devoured it in my usual 24 hour fashion.

So what did I think?  The honest answer? I'm not sure.  Of course, I could not put it down, which always says something.  However, the ending struck me as startling and unnecessary, which definitely colored my reading experience.  In addition, there were small details which disrupted my reading, such as the almost-too-perfect entrance of Monsieur Ozu and the camellias (a pale imitation of Proust's hawthorns).  On the other hand, the language was delightful, which can carry me far in a novel.

Without question the story and the language have both stayed on my mind, which again speaks for itself.  I think I am adding this to the list of books I think I enjoyed but could not recommend to others, a category which is only lately revealing itself in my life.

And now back to history reading!

Corn Risotto with Summer Succotash

I served this with a grilled sausage, and my non-veggie loving husband informed me that he would even like it "without any meat at all."  That's what I call success!

Ingredients


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
3-4 cups chicken broth or water
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
5 ounces mild cheese crumbled (goat cheese and feta have both worked for me)
1 cup sliced (i/4 inch) green beans (I have also used sugar snaps)
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper

The Risotto


1) Heat chicken broth or water in a small sauce pan.
2) Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan.  Add 1/2 the onion and cook until tender (about 5 min).
3) Add the rice and stir until coated with oil.
4) Add wine to rice and stir.
5) When the wine is mostly absorbed, begin adding chicken stock or water, about one ladleful at a time.  Stir at each addition, and then add the next ladle when the previous addition is mostly absorbed.
6) Add 1 cup of corn with the final ladle of liquid.
7) Finish risotto by stirring in 1/2 cup of cheese until melted.  Add salt and pepper if necessary.

The Succotash

1) Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add remaining onion and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).
2) Add remaining corn, green beans, and garlic and cook, stirring until the green beans are crisp-tender (about 3-5 minutes).
3) Add tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:  spoon the risotto into a shallow bowl and top with the succotash.  Sprinkle each serving with a bit of the remaining cheese.  Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from Fresh & Fast Vegetarian: Recipes that Make a Meal by Marie Simmons

Saturday Afternoon Perfection

Things are rolling right along at the King apartment.  This weekend is our first full weekend in town (and our last for a few weeks as well).  We've put the time to good use, enjoying having the windows open as the weather finally returned to California gorgeous (absolutely NOT missing the 100 degree Oklahoma days).

Yesterday I finally ran errands with a car.  It's a little intoxicating to walk into the grocery store and not have to think about what I can carry the mile home.  Although I'm still limited on my cooking utensils (cannot wait to be reunited with my All Clad!), I did take advantage of the opportunity to stock up the pantry a bit.  I also hit up the huge Target just blocks from the apartment - every time I've gone in there, I've gotten lost.  Of course, I also got lost in our parking garage both times I took the car out, so that doesn't say a lot for my sense of direction.

Our biggest achievement this weekend has been closet installation.  Stan installed the Elfa systems for both our closets, while I supervised helpfully.  The difference is already night and day.  It's amazing how much STUFF you can put in a properly organized space - there are drawers and shelves and hanging racks.  Definitely worth the time and money.  I'm especially glad to have that pulled together before the moving van rolls in with the next wave of boxes and chaos.

We celebrated our productive day with fruit, cheese, and champagne on our patio (yay, World Market furniture!).  I made easy cucumber appetizers, courtesy of my mother's "recipe".  Surprisingly fresh and delicious - definitely an example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

Easy Cucumber Appetizer

- thin slices of cucumber
- cracker of choice (I used rice crackers)
- hummus (I had garlic chive on hand)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

1) Spread the hummus on each cracker and top with cucumber slices.
2) Dot each cracker with olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste.

Easy and very summery.

I keep buying books because all the books I want to start reading are in a box in Oklahoma.  Has anyone read The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery?  I'm on page 12.

Still Feeling Discombobulated

Here it is, two weeks after the wedding, and my fantasy of being completely settled in and in a routine is over.  Between the honeymoon (amazing!) and visiting family in Seattle (wonderful!) and the lack of furniture/clothes/belongings (frustrating!), I feel like I haven't been in one place long enough to do anything but move some piles around.

The new countdown to organization is on... the moving truck should arrive on July 27 with all my worldly possessions, so hopefully 'round about the first of August I will feel slightly more at home and settled in.  In the meantime, I have...

• cooked a delightful summer succotash (I'll post the recipe if anyone is interested)
• read several fun, fluffy novels
• started The Classical World: From Homer to Hadrian to kick off my re-acquaintance with ancient classical literature
• wandered around my new hometown, trying to locate myself and the essentials (i.e. grocery store and bookstore)

Hopefully an update soon with actual reading progress, to do list progress, and otherwise productive seeming things!