Austin Food Bytes - Keep it Simple With Salmon

As the temperature rises, I find myself craving lighter fare. Gone are the cold evenings when meat and potatoes are what I desire, the impending hot months make me think of fresher, lighter meals, especially in the evenings. One of my favorite weekend dinners is salmon.

Salmon is a fattier fish with a distinctive, delicate, rich flavor. It pairs will with citrus, herbs, even salsas. I have two ways I like to prepare it that are fast, easy and fool-proof. My favorite salmon can be purchased at Central Market – it's organic, farm-raised Atlantic salmon from Scotland. It usually runs about $13.99 per pound, mid-range for fillets (steaks are cheaper). These recipes have several elements that can be changed substituted or adapted to your tastes. The only constants are the methods of preparation and the cooking times.

Seared Salmon
Scant 1 lb. salmon fillet, skin and bones removed, cut into 2 pieces.
Salt and pepper
Oil for searing

Marinade:*
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 orange, 3 limes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together olive oil, juice, cilantro, and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1/4 cup for dressing. You may run it through the blender if you want a smooth sauce. Let fish sit in the remainder of marinade for about 30 minutes (alternatively, you can also buy pre-marinated fillets at some stores). Remove the fish from the marinade, salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1-2 Tbs. of oil in frying pan until very hot. Sear salmon pieces on both sides, about a minute each. Place in baking dish and bake for 6-8 minutes. Six minutes will result in fish that is rare in the middle, eight minutes will be cooked through. I prefer my salmon medium-rare.

Serve salmon with reserved marinade, salsa, or sauce of choice.

*You may substitute any type of oil in the marinade, any fresh herb, and any combination of juice. If you use citrus, do not allow the fish to sit for too long, as it will be cooked by the acids.

Baked Salmon
Scant 1 lb. salmon fillet, skin and bones removed, cut into 2 pieces.
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. curry powder*
1 Tbs. butter, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 425°. Combine breadcrumbs with 1 Tbs. curry powder and spread on a dinner plate. Whisk together the milk, mayo, and 1 Tbs. of the curry powder. Salt and pepper to taste. Soak the salmon in the milk mixture, then transfer to the plate and roll in breadcrumbs until coated on all sides. Place in baking dish. Dot with butter. Bake salmon for 13 minutes for medium-rare, 15 minutes for cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges.

*You may use any spice mix in place of the curry powder. Also, Central Market offers different types of crusts in lieu of normal breadcrumbs, including pepita (pumpkin seed), pecan, and macadamia nut crusts. All are mixed with Panko, a Japanese style-breadcrumb and highly spiced. The nut crusts are oily, so you probably don't need the butter if you use them.

Everyone Must Watch

Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner (in three parts)

part 1
part 2
part 3


Interestingly enough, there is no coverage of this in the mainstream press. What a huge surprise.

Austin Food Bytes
Beat the Heat with Smoothies

There are certain kinds of regional foods that simply can not be replicated in other geographical areas. Try as I might, I have never found serviceable barbecue in California. Creole cooking never tastes the same when it's not prepared in the vicinity of a Louisiana swamp. Bagels that are not from the east cost share only the name and shape with their lesser cousins from elsewhere. And since I'm from California originally, I can safely say that most people wouldn't know a good smoothie if it was dumped in their laps.

That being said, you have a few options, even in a land as far removed from the west coast as Texas, when you want an authentic, tasty and healthy smoothie. A few places in town make serviceable to good smoothies. People's Pharmacy makes a good smoothie. The Castle Hill Fitness Cafe has smoothies with all sorts of healthful additives like bee pollen and herbs, and they're not bad either. Jamba Juice is a chain that was started in San Louis Obispo, about a hundred miles north of my hometown. They have great smoothies, but be sure to check out the ingredients. If they put sorbet in your smoothie, it pushes the sugar content way up. There are several local locations. My favorite Jamba Juice smoothie is the "Bright-Eyed Blueberry". I get it with a protein boost, and I have them add mango. In the 16 oz size, this yummy concoction totals under 300 calories, but provides you with about 3 servings of fruit. What a deal!

I make my own smoothies at home. I suspect that every Californian has their own smoothie recipe, my friend from the Bay Area makes one that I love, but can't replicate. Here is my favorite recipe:

1/4 cup frozen grapes (red or green) - if you buy grapes regularly, just freeze them when they start to go soft. They add body and sweetness to the smoothie without the texture of banana, which some people dislike
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen cherries
Vanilla Silk soy milk
mango juice

Dump all the fruit in your blender. Fill with soy milk to about 5/6ths of the top of the fruit, top off with mango juice. I also like to add Dannon Vanilla Immunity Boost - if you use that, add it first, then proceed with the rest of the liquids. Blend until smooth.

Smoothie tricks:
Once your smoothie has gotten somewhat blended, it will become stiff, and can create air space in the blender. Avoid this by using the pulse button, or turning the blender off and pushing it down from the sides with a spatula.

Austin Food Bytes
Un petite peu de Paris (A little bit of Paris)

Last week the CDG International Food Club ventured out to a new restaurant - new to us, anyway. Capitol Brasserie is downtown on Colorado street, below 4th. We went early in the week, before noon, and there was ample street parking.

Capitol Brasserie is light and airy, with several seating areas adding intimacy to the large restaurant. Our waiter was very attentive, when I was disappointed that traditional "citron presse" was not on the menu, he even went so far as to make me lemonade! We were well stocked with excellent fresh bread and butter, so much so it was a struggle not to overindulge before our meals arrived. The selection of dishes is modest and mostly limited to traditional country French cuisine. There are also daily specials.

I ordered the Croque Monsieur, a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with bechamel (white) sauce. It was quite rich, and very tasty, and was served with a lovely side salad. I also sampled the Mussels au Saffron - mussels cooked in a white wine and saffron broth. It was highly flavorful, the broth was a bit denser than I'm used to, and was wonderful when sopped up with the bread served at the table.

I think several of us were leery of traveling so far afield from NI for lunch, especially braving downtown traffic and split checks. I would urge the faint of heart to give it a try - parking was a breeze, and our waiter split our checks up individually and processed them in record time. Next time, we'll stay for dessert!

whoosh!

That's the sound of my life whizzing by. Bless me blogger, it's been several weeks since my last entry. Work is busy and school is kicking my ass, but I really like it.

My new class, Critical Thinking, which is really almost halfway over, is pretty great. I really like the professor, he's very teachery, in mostly good ways. He makes a genuine effort to practice what he preaches, takes feedback with good grace, and has a sense of humor about himself. His background is interesting and varied. Most importantly, he shows some humility about his perspective, which is telling. I become more and more suspect of people who don't seem to have any humility. The workload is heavy. Some of the class seems to be more intimidated than others, but I think everyone will leave the class feeling like they got something good out of it. I know I will.

Learning about critical thinking and applying it on a daily basis is pretty powerful stuff. By taking a fresh look at how I make my decisions is often enlightening and sometimes humbling. It's added a great deal to my sense of influence at work. It seems to me that a great deal of the ineffectiveness we often grip about when we're "in the trenches" is self-limiting and self-fulfilling. We may have very good reasons to keep our heads down at times, but it is important to re-evaluate them regularly. You may find out that the storm passed a long time ago, or what looked like a hurricane was really just a light breeze.

4/7 Editor's note: Do not blog an hour after taking your Lunesta. Really. Just don't.

Mercury's Law

Things never go as you plan them. You could say that's a good thing. Or not. My week and a half of rest (re: plans for no assignments hanging over my head, vacation and some heavy drinking) turned out to be a figment of my imagination. Our new teacher gave us four assignments, counting the reading. I was grumpy at first, but if he delivers the goods, i.e. the knowlege, then I'm down. At the very least he seems very accountable for his role and that seems like a good to me.

Vacation at the lake was lovely until Sunday morning when I came down with the stomach flu and started *deleted*. Props to David for straightening the lake cabin up, packing the car and getting me home in less than an hour. The remainder of my weekend was spent in a feverish, achey haze. This thing has dragged on for several days now, but I'm on the mend. Just need a few more of those refreshing three hour naps. No heavy drinking will be ensuing. Just some light tea sipping perhaps. And lots, lots more writing for school. Peace, out.

If you'd like to read lots, lots more blathering...

I just posted my final paper to my Ethics blog. Enjoy.

Winding down for a brief period

This Weds. is my last class of my first 3 units of grad school (#2). I've wrapped up my paper, have a little more reading to do, and one more class to attend.

I have to say, the most interesting part of the class has been my classmates. I've enjoyed some of the reading, not enjoyed some of it, but the discussions are by far the most rewarding part. Our teacher has been dropping dire hints about the difficulty of the next class, but I really like the books, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

Next week is spring break, so I don't have to study, write or read for class (I think) until two weeks from Weds. David and I are taking a little weekend out of town for a belated two year anniversary on Friday. I'm really looking forward to the break. I need some renewal.

Work has been stressful, but I know better than to post stuff about that (thank you, dooce). If you're interested, call me.

someone took my soapbox

http://www.bigfatfacts.com/

They've pretty much got it covered.

Tuewednesthur

Pronounced: Too-wed-ness-thur

The middle of the week when in grad school; a 72-hour day that begins at 12am Tuesday morning and ends at midnight on Thursday. Characterized by sleep-deprivation, slurred speech and an inability to determine what time or day it is. The detrimental effects of Tuewednesthur can be combatted with protien bars, green tea, and catnaps.

Austin Food Bytes – Get out of your lunchtime rut and try something new!

Bombay Bistro

10710 Research Blvd. #126
(512) 342-2290
Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Dinner: Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-10:00 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 5:30-10:30 p.m.

There’s a new game in town for Indian food, and it's just a hop – not even a skip or a jump – from NI. It's called Bombay Bistro, and it's in the HEB shopping center at Braker and 183. It's been open for three months, and it's already jam-packed during peak hours. For that reason, I suggest you try your luck before 11:30 a.m. or after 12:45 p.m. Because of the high demand and recent opening, service is still not completely off the ground, but the management is highly attentive and willing to do anything they can to make your meal more enjoyable.

I forayed out with two colleagues after reading a review in the Austin Chronicle two weeks ago. The review covers a great many items on the dinner menu that I have not yet tried. We had the opportunity to try Bombay Bistro's excellent lunch buffet. The dishes are all in individual chafing dishes, which makes for an elegant display. Your journey along the generous and meandering buffet also takes you past a window into their spotless kitchen, from which items are constantly replenished. One of the highlights of our meal was the Papadam with Chutneys. Papadam is a large, crunchy chip made from lentil flour, and chutneys are relishes – in this case a sweet, dark red, tamarind-based relish that was lovely, and a spicy chili and turmeric chutney that was unusual and highly flavorful. The chutneys are also good for dipping pakoras, assorted vegetables fried in a tasty, spicy batter flavored with cumin. The Chicken Tikka was one of the best I've had – tender pieces of chicken in a tomato-coconut milk curry, infused with cardamom and other spices. While you're there, be sure to sample their excellent Nan, a flavorful, grilled Indian flatbread. The buffet also featured a small dessert table displaying Kheer (Indian rice pudding) and fresh fruit.

Bombay Bistro is a welcome addition to the North Austin area. If you're in the mood for something tasty and authentic, be sure to give it a try.

I love lists. Doesn't everyone love lists? I don't know, but I do. I've been updating my Listmania! lists on Amazon.com. If you like the sci-fi/fantasy, check out this one.

Austin Food Bytes - Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!

Finding a bit of the Big Easy in Austin is no mean feat. Often imitated but never duplicated, New Orleans has always been home to some of the most distinctive culture, music, and food in the United States. I've searched long and hard to find you some recommendations for places to get a little (or big) taste of NOLA right here in Austin. As Mardi Gras approaches, keep an eye out for special items around town as well.

Evangeline Café
8106 Brodie Lane
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 282-2586
Monday-Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Friday, 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. (On Fridays, music starts at 10:00 p.m. when the kitchen closes.)
Saturday 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Evangeline Café is a funky little South Austin joint, often filled to capacity with neighborhood locals. Eclectic swampy bayou decor and live music creates Cajun country ambience, but the food is what brings people back. The fried oyster po-boy is delicious – be sure to get it with Evangeline Sauce. Dressed with lettuce and tomato on a soft French roll, the oysters are perfectly crispy and warm, and the portions are generous. If you're not in the mood for fried food, try the grilled shrimp plate – spicy and extremely flavorful shrimp are served with dirty rice, a roll, and a side salad. The desserts are legendary, but unfortunately I was too full from dinner to try them. Next time, I'm leaving room for the bread pudding, which looked wonderful.

Crescent City Beignets
1211 West 6th Street #100
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 472-9622
Sunday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Crescent City Beignets is a franchise with a local branch on bustling West 6th Street. Ample parking is a plus. The decor is simple café-style with black and white pictures of old New Orleans. The service can be a little inconsistent, but I like the food and I especially recommend the café au lait with an order of beignets. (Beignets, for the uninitiated, are fluffy pillows of fried dough, doused in powdered sugar. They are especially good with rich and creamy café au lait or hot chocolate.) Crescent City also has an excellent salad, the Sensation Salad with grilled chicken. The dressing is lovely, and it's served with four decadent hush puppies. The cafe usually also has a couple entree item choices – gumbos, étouffées, and beans and rice that can be purchased in large or small portions.
Note: I found out from several of my readers that the Austin branch closed before xmas :(

DIY
If you'd rather create your own New Orleans experience, local stores carry several Louisiana staples. Central Market stocks beignet mix and coffee from the famous Café du Monde in the French Quarter. To make your own café au lait, brew your coffee quite strong, and mix it with a combination of hot milk and half-and-half. This time of year, Central Market and Sweetish Hill both carry King Cakes – ring-shaped cakes covered with purple, green, and gold sugar. Sometimes the cakes are filled with custard, but they always include a little plastic baby, which you insert at the bottom of the cake. A Mardi Gras tradition, whoever gets the piece with the baby has to buy the King Cake next year. Most grocery stores carry Zatarain's mixes and spices. For an authentic shrimp boil, purchase fresh shrimp with the shells on and boil in water spiced with Zatarain's Shrimp and Crab Boil.

The latest

School started. Kicked. My. Ass.

Actually it's not that bad, but tell my anxiety that. I'm feeling more confident as I just finished my first major assignment, but talk to me at 11pm tomorrow night when I get home from round 2. There's also this infernal thing called APA formatting that was designed specifically to drive me insane. I'm currently printing out a 35 page manual on how to use the software that's supposed to do it for me. Also insomnia not helping. Still, I think it may be a good experience in the end. I like my classmates, I think it will be a good group to work with.

Shaun is in Brazil and has started his own blog. You must check it out. The boy is funny.

Austin Food Bytes - Coffee, Part Deux: Southside

Austin Food Bytes
Coffee, Part Deux: Southside

In the dead of winter, when it’s dark and cold, uh, or warm and sunny outside, I find I especially need that extra jolt of caffeine to keep going. There are some great cafes south of the lake that help me keep on keepin’ on.

Jo’s Hot Coffee
300 S. Congress
444-3800
Austin 78704
Hours: Monday, 7am-6pm; Tuesday-Friday, 7am-9pm; Saturday, 7am-10pm; Sunday, 7am-9pm

Jo’s is more than a coffee house. It’s a community center. And it’s actually not a house, it’s a stand with covered seating. Jo’s offers a range of coffee and tea beverages, and also beer. They’ve got a good menu of sandwiches and other nibbles. It’s a great place to have a cup and people watch the shoppers on South Congress Ave. They also offer outdoor movies on Thursdays during the warm months.

Green Muse Cafe
519 W Oltorf St
Austin, TX 78704-5447
(512) 912-7789

Green Muse Café is hard to spot if you don’t know where it is. Between the pawn shop and the gas station on Oltorf, just east of the South First intersection, you might recognize it by the mural on the wall. Once found, it is not easily forgotten. Green Muse has great coffee and tea, and an excellent selection of panini, salads and home made baked goods. They have a beautiful patio in the back that features occasional live music and performance. I especially recommend the Eshta! Middle Eastern Dance show, second Fridays at 7:30 during the warm months.

Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse
1501 S 1st St
Austin, TX 78705
(512)416-1601
Mon-Fri 7am-12am; Sat-Sun 9am-12am

Bouldin Creek is a fun little spot. They have a big back deck, and varied seating inside. They specialize in vegetarian fare, I highly recommend the “El Tipico” breakfast with scrambled tofu. The baked oatmeal is also awesome. If you’re not in the mood for coffee, the ginger lemonade is really tasty and refreshing. Bouldin Creek occasionally features art shows, and you’ll often see jewelry vendors on the weekends.

My Favorite Blogs

Whenever I need a brain break I browse these sites:

Stuff on My Cat
Where else can you see people dressing up or putting things on their cats? Not to be missed.

Hiss and Tell
This funny lady from down under writes a wicked funny blog. And I mean wicked, i.e. some adult content.

Homestarrunner Wiki
Okay, it's not a blog, it's a wiki. Here I can find out at a glance if my favorite cartoon site has updated any time in the last 30 seconds.

Nancy's Notes
Yes, my mom is a blogger. She just started it to chronicle her recent trip to Japan. Check it.

Cute Overload
Cute pictures of cute animals being incredibly cute.

Austin Food Bytes
Harmony is Restored

Now that we’ve spent some time contemplating differences in culinary style between genders, let’s bring it all back together and feature some restaurants and activities that can be enjoyed by both.

Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill
Moonshine is truly the best of both worlds. The décor is a cross between a southwestern ski lodge and a fancy restaurant. The bar is built in an old carriage house, and has some excellent drinks. Moonshine specializes in kicked-up versions of down-home classics. Macaroni and Cheese becomes Green Chile Macaroni, with grilled chicken, corn relish and green chile cream. Apple pie is cooked in a skillet and served with maple ice cream. Entrée prices range from $10-$20.

Central Market Cooking School
When you think of cooking classes, you might remember your home economics teacher – mine taught us how to make pizzas using biscuit dough. Not very exciting. Or you might think of Julia Childs – elaborate continental recipes using all sorts of techniques and tools with names you can’t pronounce. Or maybe Emeril Lagasse – a loud, charismatic chef who yells “Bam!” way too much and seems to have twelve arms and can somehow execute five dishes in 40 minutes.

At Central Market, cooking school has been packaged to fit anyone and everyone’s cooking style and level. If you’d like to impress your date with something different, take a wine tasting class. You will sample six wines with accompanying cheeses, and they also provide you with a light dinner. Or, you can take any number of hands-on classes, where you can learn anything from how to prepare sushi to how to care for and use your cooking knives. The bulk of the classes are taught in classroom style, the cook talks and prepares food, and the class gets to sample medium size portions of each dish at the end. Wine is always served with dinner, and a variety of other beverages. Two caveats: always bring a sweater - they keep the room pretty cold, and make reservations far in advance – classes fill up quickly.

Stay tuned – I’ll be featuring Central Market Cooking School more in future articles.

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill
303 Red River
236-9599

Central Market Cooking School
North Lamar at 40th St.
512-458-3068

lots of ranting, very little raving

I have a big problem with Austin's city college. To take a class, I had to bring in my college diplomas to be xeroxed to prove I didn't need to take an English and Math entrance exam. This was maybe three years ago. I was eventually allowed to register for the dance class I was taking for self-improvement. The next semester they wouldn't let me register again because they claimed I had to take the entrance exams. They had lost my records. Lovely. Eventually, after many, many calls to the registration office, I convinced someone to take the hold off my registration.

I 've been attempting to sign up for the same class again this week. First they said my address info was incomplete. So I filled out a form and faxed it with a copy of my driver's license. They took that hold off, and put another one on for an address change form, since I just moved. So I filled that out and faxed it.

An actual person called me to inform me that a driver's license was not a valid form of identification. Of course. Maybe a chewing gum wrapper with my name scribbled on it would work? Perhaps if my address was inscribed on dried yak hide that had been cured in the fireplace of a Tibetan monk under a vow of silence? No, I have to submit a copy of a lease, utility bill or property tax statement with my name on it to prove I live at the new address. But since my new address is my boyfriend's house, I don't have any of those things. So she tells me that it's fine, all I have to do is come in to the office, get another form, have my boyfriend fill it out and HAVE IT NOTARIZED, and return it to the office. This so I can take a freaking dance class for $50.

At this point I pretty much hung up on her, having decided that my brain was going to explode and start leaking out my ears if the conversation did not end quickly.

Anyone who's read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman would immediately recognize this as the work of Satan.

How does this school stay afloat? I've heard from teachers there that they routinely lose paychecks. One time I registered for my dance class, and got placed in Fencing. The teacher insisted that I had been in his class.

In stark contrast, the grad school I'm going to be attending has been helpful, friendly and incredibly easy to deal with. Maybe they offer a belly dance class. Or maybe I will.

*Update* - it seems there was an additional step I missed.
from ACC:

Heather, I believe you spoke to a staff member at our Northridge campus. Because you have an address hold on your record, we need to have documentation as to your current address. I'm sure it was explained to you that if you do not have a bill in your name at your current address, you could provide an Affidavit of Residential address which includes the form filled out and notarized by the owner of the property plus the property tax statement provided by the owner. The original form and property tax statement needs to be turned into any campus Admissions. We do not take faxes.

Admissions

ACC

Austin Food Bytes - Ladies who Lunch

Austin Food Bytes
Ladies who Lunch
By Michelann Oster

Last week the boys got their say, this week it’s all about the ladies. Lunching or brunching with a girlfriend or girlfriends has been an important ritual for me since college. When I was in school in San Francisco, there were a number of genteel little cafes and restaurants, perfect for a leisurely lunch, extended brunch or afternoon tea. I’ve searched long and hard to find similar places here in Austin.

A Ladies’ Lunch spot has to meet several criteria:

• The food must be excellent
• The atmosphere must be pleasant and not rushed
• It must be the kind of place that would make your husband or boyfriend feel significantly out of his element

34th Street Café
This unassuming little restaurant hides some of the better food in town. Beautiful salads, gourmet sandwiches and lovely pastries abound. The décor is eclectic, but bright, fresh and clean. It gets a little crowded at lunch, so go early or late if you don’t want to feel too packed in.

Hyde Park Grill
If you’re more in the mood for some comfort food, then Hyde Park Grill is the place. The décor is comfortable, lighting is sedated. Many of the tables are tucked away in various corners, making it easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy a long conversation over a great meal and maybe a glass of wine. My favorite dishes include the french fries with cheddar cheese sauce (they’re famous for these), the Asian Chicken Salad, and for dessert, Won Kim’s Peach Pudding. A steamed sweet cake with peaches, soaked in cream, this dessert is worth every single calorie.

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom
This week I’m breaking one of my cardinal restaurant review rules. I’m including a national chain - but only because it’s so damn good. The café at Nordstrom is on the second floor. You often have to stand in line for a short time, then you order at the counter and are seated and waited on hand and foot. The décor is pleasant but bland, and sometimes the music is a bit too soft jazz for me, but otherwise it’s a great choice. The service is good, the food is invariably wonderful. I especially like the pizzas and the white chocolate bread pudding. They have an excellent selection of salads as well. The two most bonding activities women can share are eating and shopping, and you can do both at the Cafe Bistro.

34th Street Café
1005 West 34th Street
512.371.3400
Lunch Hours:
M-F 11 AM
Sat 11 AM - 4 PM

Hyde Park Bar & Grill
4206 Duval St
(512) 458-3168
Daily 11am-12am

Nordstrom Café Bistro
(512) 691-3500
2901 Capital of Texas Hwy South
M-Sat 10:00 - 9:00 Sun 12:00 - 6:00

Further Condensing

I condensed almost all of my pictures into one album, and almost all of my opera career into one scrapbook*. I've been pretty brutal about getting rid of stuff. I have one box of keepsakes left, everything opera has been relegated to a keepsake, and decor that doesn't fit me anymore but I have some sentimental attachment to. I put all the sheet music on the bottom shelf of one of the two bookcases I can squeeze in my office. This is pretty major.

Moving in went without a hitch. Couches were moved, bedroom furniture installed. David's place looks much homier now, and it seems as if I could have crammed all my junk into one of the FOUR walk in closets, if I'd wanted to. Maybe with a little overflow into the additional two closets and fourteen hundred cabinets and drawers. Of course now I'm in nesting mode and seem to be finding myself at Target every evening perusing closet organizers and drawer lining. I'll let you know when I perfect my system.


*It was bad enough that someone could have seen me in the scrapbook aisle at Target, I despise the so called art of scrapbook. But the actual process is completely insane. You have this leatherette bound book with twenty layers of binding crap, and weird little screws and nuts and washers and extensions that you have to fit together to bind your pages in. Has anyone ever heard of the THREE RING BINDER? Totally humiliating. Plus I had extra pieces of binding and screw thingies left over, so that can't be good. I, who am totally handy with the screws and the cordless drill and even a little jigsaw, and I'm defeated by a freaking scrapbook. The rise in popularity of scrapbooking is one of the signs of the apocalypse.