Friday, December 2, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thanksgiving!
Yes it is!! In Canada, anyway. For Canadian Thanksgiving tonight, mom was in town and we went with my roommate to some friends' house for a delicious grilled steak and vegetable dinner. I of course made cake. Specifically, these cakes:
Upside-Down Pear Cardamom Cake and Chocolate-Coffee Gingerbread (without the pears). They were both amazing and I recommend you make them for yourself.
Mom and I also ate our way deliciously through Montreal for 4 days. Among the delicious eats were Holder, Chez Cora, and Bocata, where we had:
Scallops with chanterelles and creamed corn; Sweet potato soup with sassafras creme fraiche and braised apples; duck breast with sweet and sour cranberry reduction, a sous vide duck egg and parsnip puree; oxtail ragout and quinoa with red wine reduction topped with an espresso-butter poached lobster tail; and filet mignon cooked sous vide with dark chocolate infused cherries and smoked mashed potatoes; then the most amazing chocolate brioche bread pudding with caramelized bananas and fleur de sel caramel.
That's right. Be jealous.
Upside-Down Pear Cardamom Cake and Chocolate-Coffee Gingerbread (without the pears). They were both amazing and I recommend you make them for yourself.
Mom and I also ate our way deliciously through Montreal for 4 days. Among the delicious eats were Holder, Chez Cora, and Bocata, where we had:
Scallops with chanterelles and creamed corn; Sweet potato soup with sassafras creme fraiche and braised apples; duck breast with sweet and sour cranberry reduction, a sous vide duck egg and parsnip puree; oxtail ragout and quinoa with red wine reduction topped with an espresso-butter poached lobster tail; and filet mignon cooked sous vide with dark chocolate infused cherries and smoked mashed potatoes; then the most amazing chocolate brioche bread pudding with caramelized bananas and fleur de sel caramel.
That's right. Be jealous.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Not funny? Or funny?
So a few days ago a friend posted a comic from this site (hint: it means not funny in German). The comics are ridiculously silly, the kind of punch lines that would make an elementary schooler laugh until he threw up his lunchables. But the complete and utter stupidity and absurdity of them is really amusing me.
This one is one of the stupidest, by far. Oh wait, no, I can't even decide which one is stupidest. Here are many many others that made me laugh. Some of them I think can actually be classified as genuinely funny. But I don't know, maybe work is making me delirious. Maybe I just love these Yetis.
It's worth a minute of your time to google translate them, I promise!
This one is one of the stupidest, by far. Oh wait, no, I can't even decide which one is stupidest. Here are many many others that made me laugh. Some of them I think can actually be classified as genuinely funny. But I don't know, maybe work is making me delirious. Maybe I just love these Yetis.
It's worth a minute of your time to google translate them, I promise!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Лучшие бабушки!!
If you haven't seen this yet, you are missing out. These babushkas are adorable and amazing. A far cry from the cranky babushkas of Moscow. Make sure to watch the video of their Eurovision performance!
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/27/137368820/russian-women-prove-its-hip-to-be-a-babushka
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/27/137368820/russian-women-prove-its-hip-to-be-a-babushka
Pbbbbtttthhhhhhh
Had our hottest day in Phoenix yesterday - 118 holy F degrees. So gross. As if I'm not already exhausted from all the teaching and all the damn stupid drama all around me. It's amazing how you don't even have to be involved in it to feel exhausted by it, though. If only everyone would stop telling me about their problems. I have enough of my own, thanks. You'd think a bunch of professors wouldn't have all this crazy drama bullshit, but no. No, professors are children, apparently.
I need some sort of ritual cleansing - like a Turkish hamam or a juice fast or something. Any suggestions?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Protests in Macedonia
A little over a week ago, a 22 year old man was beaten to death in the center of Skopje by a member of the special police force called the "Tigers." The government-run media initially refused to report on it, and the only statement was that his body was found. Bloggers and twitterers started to question this story and brought out the truth. Then there was a protest in Skopje against police brutality and the cover-up, and for an investigation and the arrest of the officer.
The protest grew the next day to over 1,000 people, and has continued every day for a week, and there have been several protests in other cities. I have to think that part of the anger and source of the protests comes from the election just a day or two prior to the killing, where the party in power, the ever-more-fascist VMRO-DPMNE once again gained a majority (also, apparently the victim had been at an election party prior to his death). Still, there is a very real problem in Macedonia with cronyism and corruption, and there needs to be much more accountability for the police (and others in power, too).
You can watch a report from Al-Jazeera English about it:
I've been following the news here: http://www.a1.com.mk and at the official protest website here : http://protestira.me/
English-speakers can follow what's going on on this blog: http://vnukot.blogspot.com/
There's a facebook event - Protest every day against police brutality - as well. (Mostly it's in Macedonian, but there are links to news in English, as well.)
The protest grew the next day to over 1,000 people, and has continued every day for a week, and there have been several protests in other cities. I have to think that part of the anger and source of the protests comes from the election just a day or two prior to the killing, where the party in power, the ever-more-fascist VMRO-DPMNE once again gained a majority (also, apparently the victim had been at an election party prior to his death). Still, there is a very real problem in Macedonia with cronyism and corruption, and there needs to be much more accountability for the police (and others in power, too).
You can watch a report from Al-Jazeera English about it:
I've been following the news here: http://www.a1.com.mk and at the official protest website here : http://protestira.me/
English-speakers can follow what's going on on this blog: http://vnukot.blogspot.com/
There's a facebook event - Protest every day against police brutality - as well. (Mostly it's in Macedonian, but there are links to news in English, as well.)
Friday, June 10, 2011
Jas sum burek majstor!!!!
Tomorrow is Balkan Culture Day at CLI so we are singing songs, teaching them "оро" (oro - folk dance), having a feast and watching a movie. We're watching Balcancan, for a few reasons: 1. We already have it. 2. It is covers pretty much all the Balkans (sorry Romania) so it's perfect for Balkan day, and 3. It's a good movie.
But of course, the best part is the feast. Linda, the Albanian professor, and I decided we would take on the role of making the bureks. And did we ever. We made EIGHT bureks. We made 5 with spinach and feta, then 2 with a yogurt-feta mix, then one Tirana style with onion and tomato. We decided to try one, of course, just to make sure they weren't terrible. IT WAS AMAZING! НАЈДОБРИОТ БУРЕК НА СВЕТОТ!
We have plenty of dolma, roasted peppers, olives, sudjuk, kashkaval and sirenje for a meze platter, then shopska salata and taratur. Oh, and the Albanian course made baklava, and we have smoki, and slatko srce, i napolitanke....
I AJVAR! We have 5 brands for a nice taste-test. I am so excited. I should go to bed so I am fresh and ready to sing my song tomorrow. Yes, we are singing songs for them, too.
But of course, the best part is the feast. Linda, the Albanian professor, and I decided we would take on the role of making the bureks. And did we ever. We made EIGHT bureks. We made 5 with spinach and feta, then 2 with a yogurt-feta mix, then one Tirana style with onion and tomato. We decided to try one, of course, just to make sure they weren't terrible. IT WAS AMAZING! НАЈДОБРИОТ БУРЕК НА СВЕТОТ!
We have plenty of dolma, roasted peppers, olives, sudjuk, kashkaval and sirenje for a meze platter, then shopska salata and taratur. Oh, and the Albanian course made baklava, and we have smoki, and slatko srce, i napolitanke....
I AJVAR! We have 5 brands for a nice taste-test. I am so excited. I should go to bed so I am fresh and ready to sing my song tomorrow. Yes, we are singing songs for them, too.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
But there shall be no boots with the fur
I'm usually very "eh whatever" about gender dynamics, which is not to say that I'm completely unaware of them, but rather that I try to act as if they're not there because I believe that's the best way to get to a place where they don't permeate our every encounter. I read this post written by a friend of a friend a few weeks ago and thought "really? I think maybe this is revelatory of some of your issues more than a general 'thinking gender.'" I certainly don't wonder about the possibility of being gang-raped in the gym, even when I'm there near closing, but hey, maybe her gym is sketchier than mine.
That being said, I felt gender dynamics acutely today while shopping. I needed jeans, so I wandered into the Levi's store. You see, I had heard about their new curve id jeans, where they have categorized the size of a woman's ass and made jeans according to these categories. Everyone should read this excellent essay about the jeans, and the gender constructs surrounding them (by the same woman as the post above).
The thing is, there were no women working there that day, so I was attended by a (straight) guy. And I felt uncomfortable telling him my size and having him suggest which curve id I should try. I felt like saying "quit looking at my body, asshole!" but he wasn't being at all creepy about it, he was just doing his salesman job of helping a customer. The mild discomfort I had about revealing my jeans size (see excellent essay above for why women even feel anxiety about a random number) only got worse when I came out of the dressing room and he asked how the jeans I tried on worked, and since they did not fit quite right I was forced to describe in which way they did not fit, which once again, I felt was just a little too personal. I don't have such qualms when talking to a saleswoman, of course, nor even a gay salesman. That gender / sexuality dynamic was really the source of my anxiety. Every little thing about this encounter jumped out at me. When he gave me a different style, and a pair in the size above as well since "it runs small," I felt affronted (he wasn't being a jerk, they really did run small in that style). As I kept trying new things and rejecting them, I became more and more comfortable telling him what didn't work about a particular pair, but the feeling I had at the beginning stayed in my mind for hours after I left the store. It made me think of all the bullshit surrounding women's bodies in our society, and I hate all of that nonsense even more for the fact that it made me feel the way I did in the store. (Not to mention how much I already hate western society for the body image anxiety that it bestows upon girls and what a shitty experience the dressing room already is).
In the end, I didn't even buy anything, none of them were quite right. So I must shop for jeans another day. Hopefully there will be a saleswoman working at the next store. And I still hate that I even have to think that way.
That being said, I felt gender dynamics acutely today while shopping. I needed jeans, so I wandered into the Levi's store. You see, I had heard about their new curve id jeans, where they have categorized the size of a woman's ass and made jeans according to these categories. Everyone should read this excellent essay about the jeans, and the gender constructs surrounding them (by the same woman as the post above).
The thing is, there were no women working there that day, so I was attended by a (straight) guy. And I felt uncomfortable telling him my size and having him suggest which curve id I should try. I felt like saying "quit looking at my body, asshole!" but he wasn't being at all creepy about it, he was just doing his salesman job of helping a customer. The mild discomfort I had about revealing my jeans size (see excellent essay above for why women even feel anxiety about a random number) only got worse when I came out of the dressing room and he asked how the jeans I tried on worked, and since they did not fit quite right I was forced to describe in which way they did not fit, which once again, I felt was just a little too personal. I don't have such qualms when talking to a saleswoman, of course, nor even a gay salesman. That gender / sexuality dynamic was really the source of my anxiety. Every little thing about this encounter jumped out at me. When he gave me a different style, and a pair in the size above as well since "it runs small," I felt affronted (he wasn't being a jerk, they really did run small in that style). As I kept trying new things and rejecting them, I became more and more comfortable telling him what didn't work about a particular pair, but the feeling I had at the beginning stayed in my mind for hours after I left the store. It made me think of all the bullshit surrounding women's bodies in our society, and I hate all of that nonsense even more for the fact that it made me feel the way I did in the store. (Not to mention how much I already hate western society for the body image anxiety that it bestows upon girls and what a shitty experience the dressing room already is).
In the end, I didn't even buy anything, none of them were quite right. So I must shop for jeans another day. Hopefully there will be a saleswoman working at the next store. And I still hate that I even have to think that way.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
More cooking projects!
I love smitten kitchen so much. and ohhh I am so making these:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/mushroom-streudels/
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/mushroom-streudels/
Vamos a comer!
Cuban cookout! Who wants to get together for a delicious Cuban feast next week? I'll be in Sarasota. I hope someone comes, because I don't like the idea of trying to convince my dad to eat some avocado salad (though I'm sure he'd enjoy the pork and moros y christianos).
National pastimes
So I’m in line at immigration at EWR. The officer in the line next to mine leaves his station and the woman there starts looking around. Now, I wasn’t paying attention and wasn’t standing all the way up to the red line, even though I’m next up. So she waltzes over and gets in my line. I decide to let it slide and just move up behind her so it doesn’t happen with anyone else. Anyway, she’s through in about 30 seconds so no big deal. I walk up to the officer and say hello, and then this exchange takes place:
Immigration officer: Did that person just cut in front of you?
Me: Yeah, but whatever…
IO: You shoulda punched her right in the face! This is AMERICA!
Me: …….
Welcome home?
Monday, May 16, 2011
International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia
Check out the map and chart from the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia site. I think those countries would certainly get different rankings if culture were taken into account. I'm surprised that Ukraine is ranked lower than Russia.
I also saw this article today, about the coming out of the president of the Phoenix Suns, which follows this one and this one, about athletes combating homophobia in sports. I'm so glad to see their actions and work towards this goal, but it's so sad that it has taken so long. And I think that sports stars getting involved is important in reaching a lot of Americans (and Canadians) who are very entrenched in their homophobia and (hopefully) shaking them out of it.
I also saw this article today, about the coming out of the president of the Phoenix Suns, which follows this one and this one, about athletes combating homophobia in sports. I'm so glad to see their actions and work towards this goal, but it's so sad that it has taken so long. And I think that sports stars getting involved is important in reaching a lot of Americans (and Canadians) who are very entrenched in their homophobia and (hopefully) shaking them out of it.
Rainy Monday
I've been rocking this song (especially on my running playlist) since last summer. Came on my ipod during my walk home last night (technically this morning) and I found it apt. Here it is for all y'all.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
In search of a cake
I want to make a cake today. It's been too long. But what cake? It's cold and rainy, so it doesn't feel like a friut-based cake day. I was thinking about a chocolate stout cake but then I realized that it's Sunday and the damn LCBO closes at 5 so I can't buy Guinness. Fuck Ontario and its government monopoly on alcohol. Grumble grumble.
Perhaps a nice pound cake? I guess I could take back that thing I said about fruit and make a lovely orange-scented pound cake.
Any other suggestions?
EDIT: Made a version of these, as a cake and with cinnamon and chili.
Perhaps a nice pound cake? I guess I could take back that thing I said about fruit and make a lovely orange-scented pound cake.
Any other suggestions?
EDIT: Made a version of these, as a cake and with cinnamon and chili.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Photos of Moscow from 1909
Moscow Thieves Market
These photos are great. You should also check out the whole set of Vintage Photographs of Moscow. They're stunning. And so many things look exactly the same. Like the babushki.
These photos are great. You should also check out the whole set of Vintage Photographs of Moscow. They're stunning. And so many things look exactly the same. Like the babushki.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Summer is time for...
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