Estación Liceu

New Site

2008-06-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

We're back at www.kellyandaustin.com!

Update

2007-09-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

It's been forever so here are the updates.

◘ I'm back to work and it feels wonderful to be on a schedule. It seems like I have great students so far and I have some interesting projects going on besides the teaching.

◘ I've been making tons of pesto and freezing it so we can enjoy some delicious green basil-y flavor in the dead of winter. Plus basil is wonderful and cheap at the farmers market since our crop sucked this year.

◘ Speaking of the farmers market, I'm addicted. I've been buying amazing veggies and gorgeous flowers. I think this year I will have to check out this winter farmers market, something I didn't do last winter.

◘ I've been reading lots. For fun. Don't ask what, it's embarrassing.

◘ Even though the herb garden didn't fare so well, the African violets are looking good.

◘ I stood up in my cousin's wedding. It was gorgeous up on the North Shore, we ate well, had good wine, and danced a lot.

◘ I've had good coffee/tea and conversation with some friends recently.

◘ I finally got the nerve to introduce myself to this cool old lady I always see at the grocery store. She wears all purple every day and wears huge, round glasses with violet-tinted lenses. Her name is Norma and she appreciated my compliments of her outstanding fashion sense.

And here's what I'm looking forward to:

◘ Seeing some friends this weekend that we don't see as often as we'd like.

◘ Cooking and/or drinking wine with said friends.

◘ Going on an early fall scenic drive with Austin.

◘ More reading for fun.

Congratulations, Lisa and Maury!

2007-09-15T17:35:00.000-05:00

Farmers Market

2007-08-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

We went to the Farmers Market on Saturday to pick up some things for dinner. We didn't know what we were going to make; we just let the market inspire us. It was perfect weather and with so many things being in season, the colors were beautiful.

A rainbow of peppers.

Organic, red tomatoes.

We bought red potatoes here.

Dessert? We sampled several truffles including wasabi-black sesame and ginger lime.

Weekend

2007-08-19T09:04:00.001-05:00

On Friday night, we were off to my cousin Lisa's bachelorette party downtown St. Paul. We stayed at the Hilton and had dinner at Pazzaluna; Kacie, Angie, and I shared a bruschetta appetizer, tomato-basil gnocchi, and pasta a la caprese. Some alleged former NHL players sent over lots of wine and we liked the house red although I didn't pay attention to the details. Then we were off to some bars and Lisa had a good time so our mission was accomplished.

I hadn't been sleeping well before the late night on Friday so when I got home on Saturday, I just laid around reading and relaxing. It was cool and rainy so lots of tea was in order. I went to bed at 9:00 and got up at 8:00; I knew I was tired but I couldn't believe that I slept in so late. I think it must have been because it was grey out and the sun wasn't beating in on me.

Now I'm feeling great and Austin and I are going to do some book shopping and run a few errands. Tonight, we're going to a "bon voyage" party in honor of one of my colleagues who is going to the Ukraine on a Fulbright teaching award. Monday my contract starts and life will feel normal again.

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

2007-08-19T08:50:00.000-05:00

I grew some morning glories from seed and threw an old tomato cage on the pot so they could climb something. Every morning, I check to see how many flowers opened cuz I'm dorky that way. Simple pleasures...

More Bullet Blogging

2007-08-15T10:13:00.000-05:00

I've been behind on blogging so the only solution is more bullet points to bring me up to speed. I kind of like posting that way, maybe that's why I am enjoying my new Twitter account thingie. Anyway, here's the latest in random order.

Stuff That's Happened

◘ I finished my little summer stint at The Office.

◘ I visited with my sister and lots of other fam.

◘ I've gone on lots of walks in the company of my little shuffle or my friends.

◘ I had lunch with Sharon on Grand Avenue.

◘ I've gone to campus several times to work on random stuff. I'll be officially under contract next Monday so I'm enjoying the last days of unscheduled time.

◘ I made my friends Cath and Siena a tortilla for lunch and Catherine shared French Granny's secret dessert recipe with me. Puff pastry and fresh berries, mmm!

Stuff That's Coming Up

◘ My cousin's bachelorette party downtown St. Paul. Anyone been to Pazzaluna?

◘ Fall Semester

◘ My cousins' weddings (note the apostrophe s- two cousins are getting married two consecutive weekends in the Duluth area).

GREat- It's done

2007-08-08T16:09:00.000-05:00

I took the GRE today and got that out of the way, whew! Now I need to start writing some really brilliant statements of purpose.

Weekend

2007-08-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

We had a nice weekend visiting with the fam and getting to know Conner. He was very cute and very sleepy every time we saw him; unfortunately for his mama, he sometimes works on developing those lungs but we didn't get to see/hear it.

This weekend was also my sister and sister-in-law's birthdays (same day) so we toasted them.

Tonight I made a Spanish soup for dinner since it was sorta gray out. It was a chickpea soup flavored with the smoked paprika common to Spain; that smokiness made Austin call it the split pea and ham of Spain. I also made a smoked paprika infused olive oil which we drizzled on top, later adding a little plain yogurt too. It turned out great with some crusty bread on the side. I have put in a picture below with the cookbook from which I pulled the recipe; it was a wedding gift from my friend, Sharon.

Gâteau au Yaourt

2007-08-03T15:15:00.000-05:00

The springform pan got put to use again today when I made a gâteau au yaourt as featured on Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini blog and in the eponymous cookbook. I am bringing it to the inlaws' house tonight and we'll have it later on or maybe for breakfast.

Our reason for the visit is to meet our nephew so I suppose this could be my little birthday cake for Conner.

Weekend

2007-07-31T20:55:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, Austin and I left for Iowa City where we were going to be attending a wedding. It was a six hour drive, partly through cornfields, but then we emerged in a cool college town. Most importantly, we got to be there to celebrate with Sharon and Matt. They had a wonderful ceremony in a gorgeous flower garden not to mention the mimosas and five kinds of dessert that followed!

We had a little bit of time to check out the campus area. We found it very Big 10, cuter than Dinkytown and reminiscent of State Street. Two Indian restaurants, an Irish pub, bookstore, paint-yer-own-pottery place, etc. We really liked the feel of it. (Maybe Takenob can share more insight.) The bottom line is that UI happens to have a really good grad program for what I want to do and it feels better applying there having at least seen the place.

Then we returned through Dubuque so there weren't that many cornfields. We came back on Saturday so we enjoyed a quiet Sunday and now the week is well underway, flying by. Tomorrow I am meeting Sharon (the bride above) for lunch. I'm looking forward to hearing her impressions of the wedding a week later.

Bullet Blogging

2007-07-26T10:01:00.001-05:00

So yeah, it's been awhile. Lots of things big and small were happening in all spheres of my life at once so I decided to take a blog vacation. Now I'm back and will bullet point some of what I've been up to.

◘ My nephew was born but had a little infection so I spent a lot of time reading his parents' blog and sending positive vibes out into the universe. Conner got to go home on the 23rd so he's doing much better.

◘ I cooked dinner for my inlaws for the first time and it was a success! We were up at the family cabin so I made Shrimp Monterrey and brought fresh greens, bread, and raspberries from the Farmers Market.

◘ I hung out with LeeAnne two more times; one day we went to Anodyne for iced coffees and last Tuesday we had lunch at San Pedro Cafe. It was our farewell since she is moving to Tucson for grad school. LeeAnne also very thoughtfully gave me all of her pantry items that she couldn't move so I got nice stuff like olive oil, interesting vinegars, cake flour, superfine sugar, etc.

◘ My parents came to watch the Mighty Sand Crabs play volleyball. We drank some good wine and went to Coffee Grounds for a tasty breakfast the next day.

◘ I went to my cousin's wedding shower and helped her organize an Italian themed bachelorette party. Anyone been to Pazzaluna?

◘ I worked at The Office.

◘ I worked on campus on some research stuff.

◘ I watched the first tomato of my vines ripen and am trying to decide what to do with it. I also watched my morning glories start blooming, beautiful pinks and purples.

◘ I've taken lots of walks in the company of my Shuffle and with friends. Today I went on a walk with a new friend and we had a great conversation.

◘ I've looked forward to Sharon's wedding in Iowa City for which we are leaving tomorrow morning.

◘ I read Harry Potter!

Conner Owen

2007-07-11T20:26:00.000-05:00

My nephew arrived today at 5:05pm, 8 lbs and 21 inches long. I'm an aunt for the first time and it's wonderful! Can't wait to begin spoiling the little guy.

Bayfield Wedding

2007-07-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

Our trip to Bayfield was great. During the day, Austin and I got to check out a few cool little shops and galleries and do some sight-seeing. The real reason we were there, though, was for Tom and LeeAnne.

Thursday night was the bachelorette party which had a hot and spicy southwest theme (LeeAnne is going to grad school in Tucson this fall). Friday night was the rehearsal and groom's dinner on Madeline Island, then Saturday was The Big Day! I went over to the island at 1pm for hair and getting ready, kind of funny to be a foot passenger on the ferry in the middle of the day all dressed up.

The ceremony was on the island, then we came back to Bayfield for a reception. Awesome food, awesome Champagne (<--note the capital C, Veuve-Cliquot!), awesome dancing. We partied with the couple until 2am and it was a blast.

Sunday involved much recovery since we were low on sleep. In fact, after all the dancing, we were sore and tired until yesterday! Yeah, I'm approaching 30...

Anyway, it was a marvelous time and I'm glad we were able to be there.

Congrats, Monsieur et Madame Godfrey!

Blolggin' from Bayfield

2007-07-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

We're in Bayfield having a blast. Been to a winery and several art galleries. It's so beautiful not to mention the fun people we keep running into. I have two new best friends now! Tomorrow is the Big Day and we can't wait to celebrate with LeeAnne and Tom!

4th of July

2007-07-04T12:04:00.000-05:00

Bad Z is coming to visit today! WOoOOoO!!!

PS I know the Eiffel Tower isn't exactly America but Bad Z and I had a lot of fun together in France and the French helped us gain our independence so there.

Relaxing at the Cabin

2007-07-02T18:05:00.001-05:00

We spent the weekend at Austin's aunt's cabin, doing a sort of reunion. This year the crowd was of limited number due to life- one branch of the family tree was dealing with a grandma's death while another offshoot was too pregnant to make the trip! Still, a good group of us got together and we enjoyed some time just looking at the lake, sitting around the campfire, and catching up. I did lots of reading too.

We have more fun coming up starting on Thursday when we head to my friend LeeAnne's wedding up in Bayfield. Besides all the nuptial festivities, we also plan on checking out a winery, some art galleries, and of course the good ol' Gitchee Gummee. It's gonna be great!

Summer Visits

2007-06-27T15:49:00.000-05:00

I've been really busy the last few days squeezing in lots of visits with family and friends. On Friday afternoon, I found out that my cousin, Danny, was in town from LA. Austin and I were just planning on relaxing since he had had a stressful work week but we were happy to hang out with Danny. We ended up having him and his sisters (plus one baby) over for an impromptu dinner. Danny is a professionally trained chef so Austin and I were a little intimidated but we just threw together a shrimp pasta, green salad, and some good bread. It turned out fine and we had a wonderful visit.

On Saturday, my parents came to visit and we took them out to a pottery place we found in the middle of no where. The artist was home so he showed us his studio and kilns and we got to meet his cat, Earl Grey (if I ever have a cat I want an Earl Grey, both in name and specialness). Later we went out to a tepanyaki restaurant for dinner and it was divine as always.

Sunday was brunch at a fun cafe and then we went to a surprise 30th birthday for Danny out at my aunt and uncle's. It was there that I realized the simple pleasure of having a big deck surrounded by forest; I could have stayed there for hours.

On Monday, I got to visit with Bad Z! She was also in town from LA. We had many adventures, including a long lunch at the restaurant where she had her wedding reception, hanging out with her tiny niece, and tea shopping. It was perfect.

Today I'm back home and had a meeting on campus this morning. Now I'm doing the Domestic Goddess routine in between some reading. Tomorrow is entirely unscheduled! Friday is a full work day at The Office and then this weekend is a family reunion on Austin's side.

Friday

2007-06-22T07:50:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, the only day this week I'm not at The Office but the one day I will be at The Campus. I'll be working with two colleagues on a project that we are trying to complete over the summer.

After that, I'll run a few errands and then do some cleaning in preparation for my parents' visit. They are coming tomorrow and we're taking them out for dinner at a haibachi grill restaurant, something they've been talking about trying for awhile. Then on Sunday, we're taking them to breakfast at a favorite coffee shop where my dad previously had been disappointed by arriving too late for a breakfast sandwich that he was craving.

It'll be a great weekend and then early next week, I get to see my good friend, Bad Z!

Updates

2007-06-20T15:50:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. Since I've started working part time at The Office, I've been really busy because I've also got some side projects with the university going on.

I also took a little time to go Up North to visit my parents. My mom and I went out to Red Oak Studio to have a painting by my Grampa framed. Roger, the framer (framist?) is an amazing artist who makes everything an aesthetic delight with just the right frame, mat, etc. He did all of our honeymoon art and we were entirely pleased. I can't wait to see how my Grampa original turns out.

My mom and I also went to a pottery place and to some little shops in my hometown. I went back to the craft store where I worked and while lots had changed, it was like walking back 10 years in time (in a good way).

Austin and I ran some errands over the weekend. Among them, I had to stop at the ATM that's in the bank drive-through. I deposited a check and then decided to get cash too. I was so intent on getting my receipt and changing some settings that I forgot my cash! A car behind me on the street was honking and waving like mad. A woman had noticed and sent her teenage daughter to get my money for me. The young lady came running across the parking lot with my $40 and I hugged the sweetie for her efforts! They probably thought I was crazy and I definitely felt that way after leaving my cash but I was touched at the honesty and thoughtfulness of their act. It also made up for the fact that someone in a giant black SUV, talking on a cellphone, had just cut me off and given ME the finger. I'm quick to focus on such negative instances but lots of nice things like the ATM People also happen too.

Saturday

2007-06-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was our Day of Fun. We went to an art fair and a winery before checking in to a B&B. Then it was the main event, the six course dinner with the corresponding wine flight. So, so amazingly good. The restaurant we went to emphasizes the use a lot of fresh, organic, local food and I think it definitely came through on the taste.

Champagne and blue skies, what a way to start the menu...

Course 1, Salad

Baby greens with a buttermilk-dill vinaigrette with baby beets and salami americano.
Paired with champagne.

Course 2, Soup

Chilled sugar snap pea soup blended with mint and garnished with a pea shoot.
Paired with a crisp riesling.

Course 3, Fish

Sockeye salmon, spicy mustard couscous, grilled asparagus, and tomato beurre blanc. (My favorite course!)
Paired with pinot grigio.

Course 4, Meat

Seared tenderloin, white earth wild rice, asparagus tips, lardons, and morel au jus. (Least favorite course.)
Paired with cabernet.

Course 5, Cheese Plate

Trumpeter Meadow, Winter Sun, and Northern Lights Bleu Cheese along with blueberry honey and crostinis.
Paired with chianti.

Course 6, Dessert

Strawberry Napoleans with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and a sprig of mint.
Paired with port.

Spanish Food

2007-06-09T08:55:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, when I was dealing with my bout of nostalgia, I decided to make some classic Spanish food. I had time and even though we were planning on doing something easy for dinner, I knew this was it. I ran to the grocery store and got the items for a tortilla, tomato bread, and a Catalan dessert.

Using the recipes from our awesome cooking class in Barcelona, I put together a perfect tortilla! Perfect! I was so happy; I think all the recipes that I had tried from my Spanish cookbooks were far too complicated.

The tortilla smells sooooooo good while cooking; Austin said he could smell it when he got out of his car.

To add to our startchy meal, Austin made the pan con tomate. We used some fruity Spanish olive oil and added minced garlic, then grilled it in our toaster oven and rubbed it with tomato. So, so good.

I once read somewhere that the tomato bread is the essence of what a pizza should be.

For dessert, I had made crema catalana. Every country has one of these-- creme brulée in France, flan in Spain, and this is the Catalan interpretation. It's milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla.

It was easy to make and delightful to eat.

La Nostalgia

2007-06-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

Exactly a year ago, Team Lunderoy was emerging from the wine country of Bordeaux and about to hit up cosmopolitan Barcelona.

Siiiiiiiiigh........... I miss it a lot.

But I am excited for our weekend plans!

The Office

2007-06-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

Since my summer school class was canceled and staying home all day vacuuming in a dress, pearls, and heels just wasn't enough, I'm doing a little corporate stint. I guess the agony of the cube farms is paying off because I'm back to doing a bit of human resources/ recruiting/ staffing stuff. I have flexible hours and it's nice to get out and about from time to time.

Celebrating One (Official) Year of the LundeRoys

2007-06-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

Sunday, June 3 was our one year anniversary but because I was gone for part of the weekend, we are sort of celebrating in phases. I got home on Saturday and found flowers and a ring that I had seen at our jewelry store and thought would look good on my right hand. Our gift is supposed to be a joint art purchase (still pending) but Austin surprised me with "finger art."

On Saturday night, we returned to the restaurant where we were married and had a fabulous dinner. At first, we were going to recreate our nuptial dinner of awesome Cajun pasta but I decided to go with shrimp creole and Austin went for seared blackened tuna. We were thoroughly pleased with the results.

seared blackened tuna with garlic smashed potatoes and seasoned vegetables

shrimp creole with a tomato, celery, and onion sauce

For dinner we shared our "wedding cake," cheesecake. Instead of freezing a piece from last year we opted for a fresh slice. It is guiness flavored, really rich and chocolaty, and it even resembles a good pint.

guiness cheescake

On Sunday, the actual day, we just laid low and enjoyed a quiet dinner and a movie. The other "phase" of the anniversary will be next weekend when neither of us is working or conferencing. On deck is a picnic at a winery, a six course dinner with wine pairings at a cool restaurant that uses local and organic food, and a night in a nearby b&b.

It's been a great year.

The Conference

2007-06-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

The conference that I attended last week was Friday and Saturday but I left on Thursday to see some friends and run a few errands. First I had lunch with my cousin Lisa (whose wedding I'm in this September) and we met downtown Mpls. It was Thursday, Farmers Market day, so I enjoyed walking around and taking that in. I worked downtown the summer of 2004 so it brought back some memories of my escape from grad school and brief return to the corporate life :-)

That evening, I was able to go to my friend LeeAnne's dress fitting at Brides of France which was really fun and she looked amazing. Then we went to happy hour at Figlio. Ah, the days when I lived mere blocks from $2 wine and $2 gorgonzola fries... That evening, we had dinner on LeeAnne and Tom's terrace and then I crashed early to get up for the conference.

The conference itself was good and LeeAnne got to meet some of my colleagues after hearing me talk for a long time. At every session, I tried to find a possible dissertation topic among all the information and research. Second Language Acquisition and identity and culture acquisition came the closest in that little game of mine.

Friday night, LeeAnne's fiancé had plans so it was just the two of us like the good ol' days. I realized it might be the last time I hang out with LeeAnne for a while since the next time I see her will likely be at her wedding and then she'll be moving to Arizona. We did our usual cooking and sipping wine and just talking way too late.

I woke up a lot during the night and finally got up around 5:30 to get ready for the day. I was presenting with my colleagues at 8:00 so I wanted time to wake up, collect my thoughts, etc. The presentation went well and I stayed at the conference until about 2:00. Then it was home for anniversary stuff.

Conferencing

2007-05-31T08:57:00.000-05:00

I'm off to a conference for a few days and get to visit with my friend, LeeAnne, who will be getting married on July 7. Mixin' business with pleasure, oh yeah!

Wedding Gift- LundeRoy Stationers, Inc.

2007-05-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

My friend Sharon asked each of her girlfriends to contribute to a part of her wedding as our gift to her instead of doing the registry thing (which she had already done for her first wedding to her late husband). I would have gone right for the bouquet but it was "taken" so I chose to do her invitations.

Austin and I spent a good part of Memorial Day working on them and I think they turned out really well, especially considering that we are not the scrapbook-y, crafty types (though I like to think we are somewhat creative). Since there are three layers, we had to cut each sheet and then attach them. This is an area that in which I am very, very weak. Geometric and spatial skills just kill me and it felt like that part of my brain was completely missing. Austin had great diagrams/blueprints with measurements and layout and he saved the day. He also freehand attached each sheet after I applied the adhesive, boasting a sixteenth of an inch margin of error ("margin", HAR HAR!).

I think they look better in person than in the pics. For example, the flash made the middle layer look too white compared to the buttery top sheet. I wish I had made the font a point bigger and should have had less white space on the top and bottom of the copy but OH WELL. I think Sharon and Matt will enjoy them and it was definitely one of the most thoughtful wedding gifts I have ever contributed to.

Weekend

2007-05-28T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hmm, now that classes are done, having a three day weekend doesn't have quite the effect it does during the school year. Friday we ran a few errands and made dinner and ate outside. I grilled some corn, buttered it, then rolled it in cotija cheese and squeezed lime on it. Really good but the grilling part was sort of irrelevant. You could easily boil the corn and not have to worry about pulling the husks down, removing the silk, pulling the husks back up, soaking in water, grilling, then removing husks. Just sayin'.

Saturday we started getting ready for our Sunday night get-together. Austin made his usual, awesome salsa and I gave the salsa verde a try, roughly basing my creation off this recipe. I had only worked with tomatillos once before so it was enjoyable but with tomatillos at $3.99/lb, well, I guess I don't feel a burning need to make my own salsa verde again. Especially not with our favorite, nearby Mexican restaurant selling it by the pint...

Anyway, along with the salsa, we did a few other food prep tasks and some cleaning. Having people over is always good for the house cleaning because it means we have to clean to a level beyond our own sometimes lazy standards.

Saturday night we went to my friend and colleague's wedding reception. It happened to be where we had ours and happened to be just a year shy of when we were last there for our own wedding. It was fun to be on the guest side of it and really appreciate the venue.

Sunday we got ready for our guests. I made 14 lemon tartlets that we topped with fresh raspberries and mint. I basically used this recipe which was the only recipe to survive the big dinner I made when Austin returned from The Great Paintball War. Instead of doing one big lemon tart, however, Austin had the idea of doing individual tartlets and luckily there are pre-made graham cracker shells just for that (I'm just not big on making my own crusts, bad housewife ha).

In addition to the tartlets, I made a really easy pasta salad that I had at a friend's graduation party a week ago. I just boiled up some pasta nuggets and tossed it with chopped artichoke hearts, peppercorn feta, and jarred pesto sauce. At the last party, they also included cherry tomatoes.

Later, Austin grilled brats and burgers and a boca-brat for me. There was much grazing throughout the evening and I think we'll be grazing on the leftovers today.

Art Shopping

2007-05-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

Today is a rainy, cool day that reminds me of Seattle. In fact, I went to Starbucks and had them make me the "London Fog" drink that a barrista in Seattle got me hooked on (and going to a free-standing Starbucks rather than the one I usually go to inside of Target made a big difference). Anyway, after that, my friend and I went shopping for a wedding gift for our colleague. We went to a little studio that is tucked out of the way and we found the perfect gift for a Spanish Professor: a charming sculpture of Don Quijote. It was an easy decision but we stayed for a long time, admiring all the other cool pieces and chatting with the owner. It was also nice and warm in the studio since he was in the process of firing some pots.

I love shopping for art and this summer, Austin and I are going to shop for our anniversary gift. I have a feeling we might find something good when we are up in Bayfield for a wedding since there are lots of wonderful galleries in that little town. There's no rush, though, it's just got to be the right piece.

SAHNM (stay at home non-mom)

2007-05-23T14:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Bad Z for the awesome term that describes my current status. I submitted grades on Monday afternoon and have since been seasonally unemployed (I think? Maybe that's not the right technical term for me but that's kind of how it is.)

Anyway, I've been spending most of my time cleaning the house because it really needs it and because we're having people over during memorial weekend. Besides that, I've been reading lots of travel narrative and wondering why Austin and I don't just up and move to the Pyrenees, buy an old cottage, and spend our days remodeling it and herding goats or something.

This is a boring post but I'm enjoying a little downtime for now. It's really, really nice.

Finalizing Final Exams & Grades

2007-05-21T09:14:00.001-05:00

Last week sort of flew by since it was final exam week. On Tuesday, my colleagues and I wrapped up a project that we had been working on since January; we are making it into a presentation for early June and are hopeful that it will also be published in article format. We'll see, either way it turned out well and it feels good to have some closure on it.

Thursday I gave all my final exams and then took myself out to lunch, grading while I waited for my crab salad sandwich and garbanzo pancetta soup. The little cafe was rather busy so I got a lot of grading done and then headed to my salon for a haircut. This was followed by more grading.

On Friday, I went to visit some friends that I had met at my very first job out of college. Usually, you don't stay in touch with people like that but we went through a traumatic management experience together and I guess that's what solidified the friendship. They had a bonfire and we just relaxed and caught up.

On Saturday, I went to a friend's grad party. He had finished his Masters in International Management, very cool and had I stayed in a corporate setting, I think I would have considered such a degree. The party was wonderful- perfect decorations, awesome food, and it was fun to see some old friends again.

Saturday night I was back home again. Home alone, even, since Austin had gone off to fight in the Great Paintball War (aka his annual paintball/camping event with the boys). I enjoyed the night to myself and watched a chick flick set in Paris.

Sunday I ran some errands with the intention of making Austin a really nice meal, both because I had been too busy to cook lately and because I thought he might enjoy it after a weekend of subsisting on hotdogs and beer and cigars. The meal I had in mind was from the most recent issue of Bon Appetit but my culinary endeavors lacked the results I was hoping for.

First off, I made a lemon cream tart with a champagne-berry compote for the top. This actually turned out the best of the dishes except that I inadvertently bought a larger pie crust than I had intended so the tart itself was nestled down in a giant crust and looked ridiculous.

The other dishes (sorry, too lazy for hyperlinks) were roasted shrimp in a champagne-shallot sauce with an orzo shallot risotto. Well, the roasted shrimp turned out nicely (just tossed them with olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and some lemon zest-- can't go wrong there) but the champagne-shallot sauce was really runny and had been reduced to the point that it was too sweet. The orzo risotto turned out like a San Francisco treat gone wrong. It wasn't bad... it just wasn't good. Plus the recipe said you just throw all the liquid on top of the risotto and let it absorb. When I made more authentic risotto (also rice and not pasta based), you added the liquid in a number of additions, waiting for absorption before adding more. I have no idea what the science is but maybe that's what made a difference?

Anyway, we basically ate all the shrimp and had a nibble of the risotto. The tart was really good in spite of its unfortunate aesthetics and that recipe just might be made again. I probably won't try the other dishes again since there are other recipes that produce a similar effect that I know will yield better results. Ah well, that's how it goes.

Now it's time to spend most of the day finalizing the grades. They aren't due until tomorrow evening but hopefully I can finish them today. Then it's off to another Sand Crab v-ball game. Pinch, pinch!

Weekend

2007-05-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

On Friday evening, Austin's mom arrived and we went out for dinner. We got home around 9:00 and talked for about an hour before we all fizzled out and went to bed. This meant we woke up earlier than normal on Saturday so we went to a coffee shop for a relaxing and delicious breakfast. After looking at all the cool kitchen gadgets, wines, and other delicacies at the cafe, we headed to the farmers market. Even though it's early in the season, it was a lot of fun to walk around and check everything out.

Austin's mom left around noon to go see her mom so the Lunderoys descended to the basement to work on The Project. Storage Room A had finally gotten to an unbearable level of junk and needed to to be maintained. It was a two person job because we both had random things in there from our lives prior to cohabitation. In fact, some of my stuff was moved directly from my little grad school apartment to storage to the basement of our current residence. It was almost eerie finding my entire grad school backpack intact, bus pass and a to-do list in the front pocket ready to go.

Anyway, besides finding the occasional nuggets of long gone days, we ended up generating four and a half leaf bags of garbage and massive amounts of recycling. It was almost shameful and we solemnly swore never to be so disgusting again. It was also enlightening to remove so much physical baggage from our home and to have a good spring cleaning.

There is still more work to be done; I have to sort through tons of grad school files, binders, and packets. Austin has Rubbermaid bins full of various cables and cords that look like gigantic knots. I also need to go through Storage Room B though it's more like a glorified closet and won't be as bad to prune.

We worked on the cleaning and organizing most of Saturday, then I spent about five hours on work stuff on Sunday, and now it's Monday afternoon with our first Sand Crabs volleyball game coming up at 8:00pm... can't wait!

Last Day of Class

2007-05-11T07:43:00.000-05:00

Woooooooo!

Confidential to Bad Z and RJN: Meet me at the Roasted Bean tonight?!

Awww...

2007-05-10T17:03:00.000-05:00

One of the dorms voted me favorite professor* of this academic year. It was a surprise and really made my day. Incidentally, it's the dorm most known for being loud, having parties, etc. Wooooo! It's also where Austin once lived and was a local celebrity for the most creative arrangement of dorm furniture into a bar.

*Technically, I have a different title but since I want to be a professor someday, it's always fun to see it in print.

Beware the Mighty Sand Crabs!

2007-05-08T07:51:00.000-05:00

Austin and I joined a bar league volleyball team that one of my students organized. Last night was a sort of "open court" event so we had the opportunity to practice together and assess the awesome strength of our combined forces. It was really funny that my student had put this together yet whenever the ball came to her, she literally ducked and covered, shrieking "oh my god!" So what I'm trying to say is that we are probably going to win this whole thing.

We also needed a name. This was challenging since the group is made up of my student and her husband, a psych prof, Sean and Angie, and the Lunderoys. There isn't really an underlying theme that unites us so, after much brainstorming, Austin came up with "the sand crabs" since we play in a giant sandbox. What a beautiful, powerful animal he had chosen! It was immediately embraced by all and then we even came up with our theme: "we come outta nowhere and we pinch you where it hurts." Plus we have even created a sort of pinching hand motion that we do to intimidate the opponents and to rally our team.

Goooooooooooo........ Sand Crabs!

New Member of Our (Subie) Family

2007-05-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

Last week I ended up getting a new car! After lots of pondering and some looking, I had narrowed down my criteria: first it had to be all wheel drive, second it had to look cute, and third it had to be fun to drive. It all came together when (by chance) I saw a new Subaru Legacy at the grocery store. Austin then tracked one down in the year, color, and with the features I wanted and we were off to collect it.

The only thing is I had sworn that after the Paseo moved on, I was going to get a manual transmission. Well, I had to compromise a little on that since my new car is an auto (though it has regular auto, sport auto for "spirited" driving, and you can also manually shift gears though there is no manual clutch). The compromise is that there is a fun-to-drive, bright yellow manual available to me whenever I want so it worked out alright in the end.

I really, really love my new car and I'm still getting used to seeing it in the garage and the parking lot at work however I must pay my last respects to the Paseo (aka the Passé, the Peso, the Pisseo, etc.) I bought that car when I got my first job in Burnsville, MN as a Human Resources Coordinator. The Paseo was tiny, sporty, and in my modest price range. Some highlights of its time with me include a trip to Bluefin Bay to hang with Bad Z & co, a visit to graduate programs in Iowa, and several moves that involved filling it with boxes like a clown car.

I was surprisingly a little sad to see that black car go (doesn't the Buddha say that attachment to material possessions leads to pain and suffering? hmmm...) but as Austin astutely pointed out, having working heat and defrost alone were reason enough to upgrade, the litany of other "issues" not withstanding.

Anyway, I've moved on and I'm loving the Legacy. Spring sunshine and fresh breezes coming in through the moonroof can't be beat!

I Love My Job

2007-04-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

After feeling the end-of-semester slump lately, today was a welcome change and is one of those days that reminds me of why I love my job. Very few people get to do this at work:

-make students rap about the subjunctive
-watch students do a chicken dance
-make a peanut butter sandwich and receive a round of applause

Somehow, all of my classes were working on command forms so we got to do some fun activities. In one section, the gave each other commands to do things (hence the rapping and dancing) and in the other, I had them give me commands on making the sandwich. I was very literal so when they told me to open the jar of peanut butter, I pretended I couldn't because I was still holding the bread. They had to tell me to set the bread down, then open the jar, etc. Super fun day.

Sick Day

2007-04-24T14:02:00.000-05:00

I started feeling under the weather last night around 7:00pm and it got worse all night. I could hardly sleep so I emailed the department secretary around 1:00am and let her know that I wouldn't be in today. I always feel guilty canceling classes but I'm glad I did today (and I'm sure my students don't care).

I've been laying around, doing some reading, and managed to doze a little after Austin left for work. He came back on his lunch break to bring me some flowers which was really sweet of him.

Now I'm going to watch "Crash" since we've had it for over a week and want to send it back to Netflix. Austin will watch it after I'm in bed tonight. I've heard good things about it from lots of people; I'll post my reactions later.

Weekend

2007-04-24T13:51:00.000-05:00

We had a nice weekend with lots going on. On Friday evening, we stayed in but left on Saturday morning for Austin's sister's baby shower. It was a couples event that basically involved a nice lunch, gift opening, and visiting. We gave the growing family a baby bath center and when we pulled it out of the car, someone thought it was a baby carrier. Apparently guests came to the window to see the Mystery LundeRoy Baby. Ha!

After that, we ran to test drive a car that I was interested in. It was a cool Tiburon with a sports package and it looked great but driving it was another story. The clutch was awful, it was nearly undrivable. It was very near the neighborhood where I had my first apartment after college so our test drive took us past the good ol' Riverview Apartments on Blake Road in Hopkins.

We had a few other quick errands and then met some friends for dinner at the King and I downtown Mpls. The food was outstanding (I had been there once before but couldn't remember anything notable about the food). I had a yellow curry dish with shrimp and Austin did the classic pad thai. Our friends shared some sort of veggie dish in a rich peanut sauce, so good that Austin is hoping to recreate it at home sometime.

We came back home late on Saturday night and thus had the luxury of waking up in our own bed on Sunday, having a leisurely morning, then running lots of errands and cleaning. It was about 80 degrees out and we were going to grill some salmon but then it started to rain. We ended up baking the salmon, rubbing it with a brown sugar-soy mixture, and we also roasted some asparagus. We had a clean house and a nice dinner, the perfect end to the weekend.

Team LundeRoy

2007-04-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

Austin and I joined a volleyball league at the prodding of one of my (non-traditional) students. I am so not athletic, I can't believe we're doing it. I blame it on spring fever.

Weekend

2007-04-17T19:48:00.000-05:00

It's only Tuesday evening but it feels like the end of the week for some reason. This makes me feel like I'm late posting about the weekend but I guess it's not so bad. Anyway, I had a lot of cool things lined up for the weekend and it was a really fun time.

On Friday, Austin and I just hung out and enjoyed an evening in. We caught up on some TiVo-ed shows and were lazy.

Then on Saturday, I was off to see a couple of friends and catch up. First I met with my friend Kat from my grad school program (she and I took Women's Studies classes together). She is in the midst of writing her dissertation so we only met for a brief time at Caribou in Dinkytown but it was great because the last time we saw each other was at my wedding.

After that, I ran a few errands and then went to LeeAnne's surprise wedding shower. The theme was "little bites" so I chose to get petit fours for dessert which turned out really great (thanks, Lunds!) and the other attendees also provided an excellent spread from chicken satay to spanakopita to hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries. Most importantly, however, the guest of honor was very surprised and had a wonderful time. It was nice to get the event in a little early before she gets too busy with the planning for her July 7 wedding.

That night, I made my way to visit Bad Z and fam. I got there kinda late so Bad Z and I had a little wine and talked before turning in. The next day, we had brunch at Caffe Latte and walked around Grand Avenue in St. Paul, shopping for spices, door knobs, children's books en français, etc. We had a lovely visit and have another big adventure on the calendar for June.

Now this week is underway and I'm bogged down with the subjunctive in adverbial clauses at work, díos mío!

Friday the 13th

2007-04-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

It feels like we've been having a lot of Friday the 13ths in the past year but I could be wrong. One night, I tried to do the math to determine the probability of the 13th falling on a Friday. This futile exercise just proves that my math career really did peak when I had a trig as a junior in high school. My TI-82 was sweet and we still use it :-) Anyway, Austin and a math professor friend set me straight but not without laughing at me a little.

The point is that it's Friday and finally, finally there appears not to be snow falling. It is mid-April so the sunshine that I saw while driving in was nice. I plan on leaving the office around 3:00 today and trying to get a walk in. This evening Austin and I are planning on watching a movie and making some shrimp that we tried last weekend; the recipe was awesome, New Orleans Style Shrimp from Cooking Light. Austin calls it "Chex Mix Shrimp" because it contains Worcestershire sauce and, while baking, smells a lot like chex mix. It tastes great, though, and we had dirty rice on the side last time.

On Saturday I have a couple of events scheduled with some girlfriends and on Sunday I am excited to have brunch with Bad Z and stroll Grand Avenue arm in arm, pretending we are on Study Abroad St. Paul. Yeah!

Easter

2007-04-09T17:51:00.000-05:00

I left work early on Thursday and didn't have to work on Friday as I tried to make up for not having the breakiest spring break. It was nice and I was able to give the house a bit of spring cleaning. After Austin got home from work, we set out on the trek down to Madison. We got there around 9:30 on Friday night so we basically talked to his mom and her husband for a bit, then crashed.

On Saturday we slept in a little and had a leisurely breakfast before setting out to run a few errands. With Austin and Paula's artistic input, I was able to find the perfect ingredients to make my friend's wedding invitations. The background paper is "paprika" in color and it will be followed by a layer of cream with gold swirlies on it topped off by the cream sheet with the invitation text. I loved the paprika and Austin found the accenting sheets. I am really pleased to do this for Sharon and Matt though I hope the invitations turn out in real life as well as I've imagined them in my mind. I'm not talented at the scrapbooking thing like some people are.

After that was taken care of, we popped into the next door World Market and Austin finally found the stemless martini glasses he had been wanting and for the low price of $2 each, he snagged six of them. We also found our favorite Spanish Rioja at almost $4/bottle less than the price at our local shop. After a little more wine shopping and tasting, we also browsed through some art galleries but we didn't find anything that we were dying to bring home with us.

Things were going so well that I was able to laugh when we had the Cake Structural Disaster. I had made to layers of carrot cake and was frosting them before heading to Easter dinner at my sister's house. I hadn't made the frosting before and it looked a bit thin but I was reluctant to add too much powdered sugar because I didn't want to diminish the lovely cream cheese flavor. Well, the structural integrity of my cake was compromised the top layer slid off! Ack! By then it was too late to make something else so Austin and I purchased a chocolate and peanut butter creation from the local grocery store instead of bringing my failed (but delicious) cake along. Paula was bound and determined, however, to make it work and she ended piecing together a very interesting shape. It's hard to describe, but the cake actually had a sort of Celtic look to it. I told Austin it is now my goal to make an elaborate layer cake all by myself sometime after classes are done.

Anyway, dinner that night was really great too. My sister and her husband made salmon, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies. Then Austin and I headed back to his mom's, had another leisurely brunch, and headed back home.

Easter Plans

2007-04-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I don't have class but I will be doing a teeny amount of work from home. Then I'm spending the day doing whatever I want since my spring break wasn't entirely break-y, it was more work-y. After Austin is home from work, we are heading to Madison for the weekend.

We will spend Friday night and Saturday day with his mom and her husband. My mother-in-law is a graphic designer so I'm going to have her help me design and perhaps purchase the supplies to make wedding invitations for a friend. Since she lost her first husband, she wants her second wedding to be a totally different experience and each girlfriend is contributing to an element of the wedding rather than getting her another toaster or crockpot. I had a lot of fun designing my wedding invitations so it's cool to be able to do it again and in a different way as my gift to Sharon.

Saturday night we will have our Easter/Pagan Spring Type Holiday meal at my sister and brother-in-law's house. Austin and I are bringing dessert and I'm thinking of doing a tarte au citron. In fact, Austin liked it so much that he was experimenting with the plating of the tarte. He pureed some raspberries, pressed them through a sieve, and used a squeeze bottle to create different plate designs. Unless some lightning bolt of inspiration zaps me tomorrow, that is our plan.

It should be a nice weekend even if the weather is reminiscent of late November. Hanging with the fam (both sides) and having good food always helps brighten the days and warm the nights.

Smoked Salmon-Dill Pizza

2007-04-01T19:07:00.000-05:00

When Austin and I were in Paris on the first night of our honeymoon, we were too tired to look for a restaurant so I took us to the tried and true pizza joint of my semester abroad experience. Even though it had been almost 10 years, I knew how to get there by heart and it didn't disappoint all these years later. At Della Stella's, we sat outside on the Boulevard St. Michel watching the world go by and sharing a smoked salmon pizza. We have concocted a recipe inspired by that experience and it turned out great.

1 Bobolio thin crust
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T lemon juice
2 T minced shallots
1 t dried dill
pinch salt
4 oz. smoked salmon
1 c. cheese (we used monterrey jack and parmesan because we had it on hand)

Mix sour cream, lemon juice, shallots, dill, and salt together (obviously adjusting to taste). Spread on Bobolio crust, add salmon, top with cheese and bake at 450 for about 10 mins.

Seattle Recap

2007-03-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

I finally have a little time to write about my trip to Seattle for the TESOL conference. I got back on Sunday at about 8pm and had class the next day so things have been a little hectic. In fact, blogging is my break from grading compositions (the ones I got right before I went to Seattle).

I traveled out there by myself and it was really nice because it's been a long time since I've traveled completely solo, something I enjoy from time to time. My first impression of the Pacific NW was that it reminded me of Duluth with all its hills and pine trees. Then I got into the city and of course it was far too urban to be anything like "up north."

I stayed at a hotel downtown so I spent my first day walking around, taking in the sights, and of course checking out Pike Place Market. I was quite tired because I hadn't slept well and flew out early that morning.

The next day, a number of my colleagues arrived so a group of us took a tour of the bay which provided some great views of the city. I also surprised myself by becoming very interested to learn about the shipping industry and see all the boats and cranes that make it happen. Our guide on the tour gave a great commentary and lacked the usual corniness so that was quite helpful.

After the boat tour, we headed to the aquarium. I absolutely loved the otters (one of Austin's favorite animals) and loved seeing all of the brightly colored fish. I even got to touch some starfish though it wasn't as fun as petting the sharks and stingrays in Las Vegas.

Some of the memorable meals included going out for Brazilian barbecue and for African food. The Brazilian restaurant had a nice buffet of side dishes and then servers came around with huge skewers of meat and fish that they sliced right onto your plate. They were actually Brazilian too so I used some of my pathetically rusty Portuguese. The African food was great, right in the market with a cozy ambiance and it reminded me of the Blue Nile in Minneapolis. That is, I ordered some lentil dishes and scooped them up with the injera bread. Really lovely to have that again since it's been about a year since I've had Ethiopian-style food.

Besides the touristy stuff, there was work going on too. At check in, I received a huge catalog of the various seminars, workshops, presentations, etc and so I was able to choose from a large number of options. I chose anything that involved Spanish bilingualism and particularly liked a presentation on using videos to teach pragmatics. Some sessions were just not impressive so I quickly learned to have back-ups selected in order to ditch out and not waste my time.

On Saturday, the last day, I presented with a colleague on using rubrics. We were at the very top of the Sheraton and I could look out at Puget Sound while presenting. We received really positive feedback so it was a good experience overall. The mix of tourism and professional development made for a great spring break.

Highlights:

-Pike Place Market
-Art Galleries/Blown Glass
-Restaurants
-Boat Tour

Need to do next time:

-Space Needle
-Museum of Glass (Tacoma)
-More galleries
-Sculpture Park
-Bring Austin :-)

Bloggin' From Seattle

2007-03-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

I love this city. Always wanted to visit, finally have, and it's beyond my expectations. I've taken in some sights and tomorrow will be spending lots of time working.

Highlight of today: catching a flying salmon on the first try.

Spring Break 2007: Seattle

2007-03-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's not all-out spring "break" because I'm going to a conference with partial funding from my employer but nonetheless, it's going to be a lot of fun. I have always wanted to visit the Pacific NW so this will be my first good taste of it. I can't wait to check out (buy?) some of the famous blown glass, eat some good seafood, and take in some of the touristy stuff too (Space Needle).

I'm going to try to blog and maybe put some pics on Flickr while I'm out there.

Shallot Soufflé

2007-03-18T09:20:00.000-05:00

My colleague gave us a soufflé dish for our wedding and since then has promised a savory soufflé recipe for us. She came through last week and we decided to try it on St. Patrick's Day. We served it with a green salad with the French vinaigrette (dijon, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper) and a nice loaf of bread. Can't wait to make this one again.

Shallot Soufflé

4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1 T butter, softened
2 T finely shredded Parmesan
1/4 finely chopped shallots
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
1 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Allow egg yolks and whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Spread 1 T of butter over bottom and sides of 1.5 qt soufflé dish. Sprinkle inside of dish with Parmesan, turning dish to coat; set aside.

Preheat oven to 325. In medium saucepan, cook shallots over medium heat in the 1/4 butter until tender but not brown (note: we felt we could have easily used more than 1/4 c. shallots). Stir in flour,salt, and hot pepper sauce (note: we used cayenne). Add milk all at once; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat.
Stir in cheddar until melted.

In medium mixing bowl beat egg yolks with mixer on high sped about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Slowly add cheese mixture, stirring constantly; set aside.

Thoroughly wash beaters. In large mixing bowl beat egg whites with mixer on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold about 1 c. of beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture. Fold cheese mixture into remaining egg whites. Bake for 65 minutes or until knife inserted just off center comes out clean. Serve immediately. Serves 6 (note: we each took about half and it was divine!)

Austin's Shrimp Recipe

2007-03-18T09:13:00.000-05:00

I need to get this recipe posted because it is currently scrawled out on the white board on our fridge. One accidentally brush up against the fridge and the secret could be (sorta) lost.

Austin made these notes when he was making one dish for me. The idea is that you can keep most of the ingredients on hand and make as much or as you'd like at a moment's notice.

Shrimp Pasta

1 t olive oil
1/2 minced garlic
1 T butter
2 T white wine
3 T lemon juice
1/4 lb raw shrimp
1/4 lb pasta

Sautee the garlic in olive oil until it just starts to brown, then add butter, wine, and lemon juice, and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink and dust with cayenne. Toss shrimp and sauce mixture with linguine, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper. Serve with crusty bread.

Bad Luck

2007-03-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

Austin was out of town and, on his way back home late Monday night, his car was robbed while he stopped to grab some food. He lost his overnight bag and my iPod Nano as well as some books and other assorted items. He didn't realize he was robbed until after he got home (with an unexpected detour no less) and looked in the bag seat for his things. By the time he called the county dispatcher, received a call from an on-duty police officer, and filed his report, it was really late. He stayed upbeat, though, and realized it could have been much worse.

Good Luck

2007-03-14T08:28:00.000-05:00

A colleague of mine had been asking last week when I'd be in my office on Monday. She emailed me a couple of times over the weekend to confirm when she'd be able to talk to me but never hinted at the nature of the conversation, causing me to wonder if it was bad news of some sort. Finally Monday afternoon rolled around and she told me she had hired a masseuse from the Wellness Center to do chair massages for a few of us. It was a wonderful surprise and the massage was very relaxing. I've never had a professional massage and I was left feeling really happy for the little, good surprises in life.

Good Weekend

2007-03-12T07:55:00.000-05:00

Austin and I have been making small changes to eat a little healthier but on Friday night, we splurged on a Papa Murphy's pizza (onion mix and tomato) and some hard cider. It was delicious but the volume that pizza and cider require was something that we were not accustomed to. We went to bed early, shamed by our slobby behavior.

Saturday was gorgeous-- sunny and warm enough to melt a little snow. Austin and I ran a few errands and found a nice piece of luggage for my upcoming trip to TESOL in Seattle. I only have a huge backpack which is great for tromping around Europe but for a professional development opportunity where I'll be staying in one place the whole week, well, it was time to invest in something a little more appropriate.

Saturday night Austin recreated the shrimp dish for me; more on that in a future post (with a pic). We enjoyed more nice weather on Sunday and suddenly it's Monday morning, sprung into daylight savings time. I hope my students are awake today but it's not likely.

Austin's Magic Shrimp Pasta

2007-03-09T07:39:00.000-06:00

Last night we were excited to try a new recipe, some sort of shrimp pasta with onion, garlic, tomato, pancetta (ok we used a jar of real bacon bits), and fresh basil. The concept sounded foolproof but, well, it didn't quite work out. Austin was despairing after a long day of workiness so I dumped the ill-fated tomato mixture and assembled some butter, garlic, white wine, and lemon for him. He accepted the mission, threw in a little cayenne for good measure, and not only salvaged our dinner but made something remarkably delicious.

I know that the recipe itself isn't innovative but those ingredients go together for a reason. The resulting shrimp mixture tossed with linguine turned out to be one of those meals where at random intervals well after eating, we were still saying "that was sooooo good."

We'll definitely be making it again soon and will pay attention to quantities so I can post the recipe and a photo. I think it needs a different name, though.

More Cooking Gadgets

2007-03-08T08:57:00.000-06:00

My cousin had a Pampered Chef party last night and while I am not a big fan of Tupperware-type parties, it was fun and there were a few things I needed. I ended up purchasing an egg separator, a lemon juicer, and kitchen shears. The egg separator was needed because it was formerly either my fingers or the shells. The lemon juicer is something you can use right over the bowl (kind of like a garlic press) and we only have the pointy thing with the bowl underneath or the reamer on a stick that allows all the seeds to fall through. The kitchen shears we have are very old and of poor quality. The PC ones have nice rounded tips so you can snip up your herbs right in a prep bowl. So, the Lunderoy household will now be in possession of even more kitchen gadgety things. I should think of something to make using all three tools.

LAN Party!!1!1!

2007-03-06T14:40:00.000-06:00

Saturday's LAN party was a success. Austin and I ran errands in anticipation of the exciting event and we attempted to clean up a little on Friday night. All day Saturday, the die-hard gamers were at it. Guests arrived beginning at 9:00 a.m. and some stayed until midnight. They were all playing in the basement and it was a stereotypical male interaction, that is, very task-focused and not alotta talkin'.

On Sunday we just recovered from all the fun and I read a lot. School and house work were avoided. Yesterday was the typical Monday and I'm more in the swing of things today. One of my colleagues actually came into my class (students were working in groups so I wasn't instructing) and brought me a Starbucks latté and pastry to thank me for teaching one of her classes. My students were so cute, wanting to know who she was. If I had been feeling more creative, I would have invented a funny story. In the afternoon, I busted out the markers and crayons to make posters using the new vocabulary which went over well.

Now I'm doing some work in my office (well, not right now of course) with the goal of getting enough done so that I don't have to take anything home with me.

Attack of the Snow

2007-03-02T15:13:00.000-06:00

I am titling this post as a nod to Attack of the Show, an obnoxious program that my husband occasionally watches. I couldn't think of anything else and sometimes writing post titles is tricky.

Anyway, round two of the snow has come through the area in keeping with the whole March/lion thing. All the schools were closed except, of course, the University. It's ok by me since we do have a very generous winter break. Still, I was ready for the work day to be over.

Now I'm home (lesson plans were left unwritten, ack) and waiting for Austin to get done with work. We are going to pick up our new glasses; we each actually found something that looked good with our unusually shaped noggins. The optician said my frames looked "studious" and they were called "chica" so this added up to a convincing argument for a Spanish teacher who still fancies herself young enough to be a chica.

We're also going to stock up on groceries because Austin is hosting a LAN party and needs to entertain with Doritos and Mountain Dew or whatever it is that nerds feed on when they are gaming. I, on the other hand, plan on making some artichoke spread (have been craving it lately) and sipping on drinks made from Pama (one of our guests works for a distributor and obtained a bottle at a reasonable price).

Besides that I think I'll have lots of tea and read.

Nice Day for a White Wedding

2007-02-27T12:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday was Sean and Angie's wedding reception for all the family and friends who couldn't make it to Cancun. Austin and I were planning on having a house full of company but the weather changed those plans. Still, the show went on and a good number of guests showed up. It was a rocking good time and really suited the happy couple.

On Sunday, Austin and I pondered making a snowman but after the late night opted for naps and lots of reading. Late nights take their toll more than they used to and let me tell you about how I used to walk to school uphill both ways during a blizzard...

Happy News

2007-02-21T16:37:00.000-06:00

I've known for a few months now that I will get to be an aunt* for the first time early this July and today I found out that I will be an aunt to a nephew, Conner Owen. RJN, you're the only person I can think of (who reads my blog) that has experience in the field. Any advice or observations? And also, is there a gender-neutral term for aunt/uncle and niece/nephew? We have words for relatives like "parent" or "sibling" or "cousin" but I think there isn't a good one for these cases.

*Austin's sister is the momma-to-be.

It's Sunny Today

2007-02-20T15:57:00.000-06:00

After 20 below windchills, the fact that it hit 40 yesterday makes it feel like spring so I bought some daffodils. It's funny how 40 degrees can feel so great but it's not spring yet; there will be more cold and snow before the season is over, no doubt about it. For now, though, I'm enjoying the dose of Vitamin D.

Our Newest Ikean Acquisition

2007-02-20T15:54:00.000-06:00

We've been wanting the Expedit shelf for a long time and it's huge, 6 ft square! We love it but I bet at least one person will be frustrated by it when we eventually move.

Now all of our wedding gift cards to Ikea have been used up but there is so much more that we still would like to get someday.

Valentine's Day

2007-02-20T12:46:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to catch up on the blog so there may be some random posts popping up over the next few days.

The first update-- Valentine's Day fell on a Wednesday this year which wasn't the most convenient but I don't have class on Thursdays so it worked out for me. Austin and I made king crab legs and roasted asparagus. The crab looked like it was trying to escape from the dish before we cooked it.

We sipped champagne and planned on having truffles and vanilla ice cream for dessert but ended up being too full so dessert got a rain check. We have still not made our way through all the chocolate yet but have had some of the dark chocolate ones, a dark chocolate and champagne one, and a white chocolate truffle that was filled with geranium oil. We still have dark chocolate with lavender essence and a dark chocolate- Grand Marnier to go. The Haagen-Dasz remains untouched, however. Such restraint.

I enjoyed "working" from home on Thursday though I wasn't as productive as I am when I go into the office. Still, it was a nice treat to myself in honor of V-day.

Signs of Spring?

2007-02-10T09:29:00.000-06:00

I slept in this morning and reveled in waking up when there was actual daylight streaming in, feels so much better on the body. As I was making my tea, I heard birds chirping. It struck me because I haven't heard that sound for a long time in this frozen, dead world that is the Upper Midwest. I realize that there are birds that stay all winter long so it could be those kinds of birds and maybe they also have the sense to wake up with the sun (which would explain why I never see them on my way to work at 7:15). The combination of the birds and the bright sunlight made me dare to think a little about spring.

The current temperature, however, is six below and 19 below with windchill. Also, I am painfully aware that spring doesn't fully move in here until about May, even if we get a few teases in April, so I know not to get my hopes up (Hemingway tells us there is nothing more cruel than a false spring).

I'll experience the arctic blast firsthand when Austin and I head out to run some errands. I think we are going to pick up some king crab legs for our V-day dinner.

Freezing in February

2007-02-07T14:37:00.000-06:00

I've been bad about posting lately, partly due to a mental block in that I don't want to bump down the Cancun post. When we took our vacation, the "permanent" winter snow had only just arrived and the temperatures were quite mild. It wasn't an 80 degree heatwave, but it wasn't bitter either.

Then we returned.

The weather has been painfully cold here and all schools in approximately the entire NW part of our state were closed on Monday since it was about twenty below zero with a wind chill of 30 below. I, of course, had to work but luckily all of my brave students showed up for their exam on the frigid Monday after the Super Bowl, ay de mí!

In addition to the weather, there's been the usual beginning-of-semester stuff going on. Besides administrative tasks, it's difficult to teach when I'm still not sure of the names of my 100+ students nor of their abilities.

Finally, Austin and I are planning some rather significant life events (NOT children) and while the changes are all positive, there is still some associated stress that I am trying to keep at a reasonable level.

This post sounds kind of complain-y but the reality is that things are going along just fine. Austin and I are looking forward to a plan-free weekend so I'm expecting that a cozy weekend in will be just the thing.

Cancun 2007

2007-01-27T14:54:00.000-06:00

I've now been home for about a week and have finally slept well and become semi-organized again. The vacation in Cancun was outstanding and it all sort of runs together so I'll describe the events more thematically than chronologically.

The Resort Barcelo Tucancun weighs in at about 3.5 stars and we had an enjoyable stay. We had an all-inclusive package so the meals and drinks were included along with our lodging. There were a number of buffet areas to eat as well as nicer restaurants that required reservations. Most days, I ate lots of fresh fruit and delicious salsa that was very picante. Two of the better dinners we had were at the seafood restaurant and the Mexican restaurant.

The view from our oceanside room couldn't be beat; waking up everyday to turquoise water, white sand, palms, and a healthy dose of sunshine was amazing. We spent a lot of time poolside and also enjoyed wading in the sea. The waves were incredibly powerful and the lifeguards were constantly whistling and herding people into safer areas.

Our balcony

The view of the sea from the balcony

The hotel

The City It goes without saying that Cancun is a highly touristy area and many people spoke English although I was able to use a good amount of Spanish (though my vocabulary is not very Mexican, I quickly learned). I was reminded of the Vegas strip because so many large resorts and hotels were being rebuilt after Hurricane Wilma struck two years ago. The mild weather and seeing places like Jimmy Buffet's restaurant, the Hard Rock Cafe, etc also added to the parallel. The hotels were all on a strip that was surrounded on one side by the sea and on the other by a natural lagoon, clearly a difference from the desert!

The flea market was like another world, with one or two clerks posted at each shop entrance, haggling passers-by to enter. They all spoke English but when it came to bartering, I used as much Spanish as possible and asked for a discount for using it. Austin got a t-shirt, I got some flowy pants to wear over my swimsuit, and a few other assorted kitschy tourist items.

We also went to La Isla, an open air type mall (reminded me of what are now called "lifestyle centers" or something similar). A number of the shops were easily found in the U.S., some offered Mexican souvenirs, and there was also a big aquarium. The real find was the Trio Gallery where Austin and I spent hours looking around. The art was interesting; even the pieces that we didn't care for were still fascinating. We ended up buying three 8" squares of wood painted in oil. Austin and I both had birthday money that we earmarked for Mexican art and we were not disappointed.

Austin's Art

My Art

Our Art

The Hut We had a good conversation with one of the gallery owners who was able to give us a restaurant recommendation, La Palapa Belga (The Belgian Hut). The restaurant was located behind a somewhat dodgy hotel with the waters of the lagoon slapping up against it. It was truly a hut and the chef hails from Belgium, hence it's name. We had a rich appetizer of scallops and asparagus in Hollandaise sauce and for dinner I had mussels while Austin had duck breast in black cherry sauce. Dessert was chocolate mousse. The atmosphere and the food were outstanding and it was a perfect, romantic way to pass our last night in Cancun.

The Ceremony Last but not least, the whole reason that we were in Cancun was to celebrate Sean and Angie's nuptials. They have vacationed there nearly every January for the past several years so the location had special meaning to them. In addition, a casual beach ceremony suits Sean and Angie's personalities to a T. Since the legalities were already processed, their close friend and former roommate, Jim, was able to officiate. Jim tailored the ceremony to the couple and we laughed most of the way through while the waves crashed in and the wind blew. It was exactly what Sean and Angie wanted and it was truly a pleasure to be in attendance and celebrate a unique, spunky, and happy couple.

This Bird Has Flown

2007-01-17T02:21:00.000-06:00

Off to Mexico at 2:20am CST, woo hoo! Updates next week-- chau!

Friday Dinner

2007-01-07T16:19:00.000-06:00

On Friday, as promised, I made Austin dinner that I had called a "Cultural Journey" because the recipes were loosely based on Argentinian and Indian cuisine. Everything lived up to the "make again" challenge and the only thing that went wrong was that the flatbread wasn't entirely flat. I was happy that the dough turned out and rose since I'm not a very experienced baker but I think it actually rose too much (or wasn't punched down enough?). It was sort of like a medium to thick crust pizza. The toppings, however, were lovely, and I roasted my own pepper instead of buying a jar of the pre-done ones.

Flatbread

The Dal Soup was also good. Originally, I wanted the flatbread done first to munch on for a bit and then move on to the soup but they sort of got done at the same time. We topped it with chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Even though I've been keeping busy over break, it's nice to have the time to do some cooking. The next thing I want to try is a Tarte au Citron.

What I've Been Up To

2007-01-05T08:22:00.000-06:00

It's taken me awhile to post the NYE dinner info because I've been working on some career-related stuff (bo-ring!). I had to take a test and have been studying for that and finally took it yesterday. I have one more to go so there is more studying to be done, in addition to preparing my materials for spring semester. We will be in Mexico during my last few days off and will return the night before the first day of class so I'm going to have to get a lot wrapped up in the next week or so.

I've also had the plan of culling more junk from closets and storage areas; so far the only success I've had was to get rid of our fake tree but, in terms of volume, it was helpful and it got a new home with children to love it. Or something.

Today I'm going to be a "stay at home non-mom" (thanks, Bad Z, for that awesome term) and clean and organize. Things always get a little scary when both Austin and I are busy with big projects.

Normally on Fridays, we do something lazy for dinner because we are both tired but since I got a test out of the way and just got a new Cooking Light magazine, I am inspired to make something nice. I think we are going to celebrate the fact that there is no holiday falling on the weekend for the first time since November. So many things in this issue look good so I told Austin that it will be a Cultural Journey. Right now I'm thinking the Argentine Black Bean Flatbread with Chimichurri Drizzle and the Chunky Red Dal Soup.

New Year's Eve

2007-01-05T08:05:00.000-06:00

For New Year's Eve, we decided to stay in and do some cooking; on the menu was Salmon and Rice Wrapped in Puff Pastry with Dill Sauce, roasted asparagus, and Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé with Earl Grey Custard.

As I had posted before, I had to make my own crème fraîche for the dill sauce and it seemed to turn out just fine. I realized, however, that the salmon recipe simply called for plain rice cooked with a bit of leek and not risotto (as was in my head for some reason). Upon reading the reviews, we decided we needed to make risotto or the dish might be too bland. We based ours loosely off of Alton Brown's recipe and it was really, really good. I loved the taste of the white wine in it.

With the risotto ready, it was time to assemble our salmon and rice packets; this was when disaster struck. Basically, we sucked at handling the puff pastry and if you are my Flickr friend, you can see a photo of when paper towels and pastry combine. I fought it for awhile but finally conceded that we would just have to do the salmon and risotto separately :-(

It was actually just fine but since I had had high hopes for the pastry, well, I was kinda bummed. The sauce was good but with the potency of the risotto, it was kinda lost.

My spirits were raised with the dessert, though. Cooking the Earl Grey custard was thrilling because anytime I can cook with tea, it's always enjoyable. The problem was that I had used tea bags, as the recipe recommended. Of course tea bags are filled with tea dust and not tea leaves so Austin found ourselves in a bit of a pinch when we were trying to strain the cream. We ended up using a wonderful little device that Bad Z had given me for my birthday to make loose tea right in the mug.

The soufflé itself wasn't bad to make and we were especially appreciative of the Cuisinart food processor that we got for our wedding when it came to chopping the chocolate.

The finished product was amazing and the flavor for the tea really came through, delighting me. Austin, not so much the tea drinker, said he would have preferred something that had a more coffee-like flavor but he thoroughly enjoyed the dessert.

Then we stayed up until midnight, sipping champagne (note the small "c"); I love bubbly. It was a perfect end to 2006.

Last Day of Oh-Six

2006-12-31T09:11:00.000-06:00

Waking up today, you'd never know it was New Year's Eve; it feels more like a dreary October morning with all the rain coming down. It's so dark in the house, the perfect weather for lighting candles, drinking tea, and reading.

Last night (or early this morning), I woke up at 3:00 thinking that the carbon monoxide alarm was going off. [There was no actual reason that I awoke, the CO thing was just what was in my head, and I often do weird things like this. Austin once found me looking for him in the storage room.] I confirmed that the alarm was in fact not going off but then decided to look at the crème fraîche since it had hit the 36 hour mark, supposedly as long as the stuff would need. It indeed appeared to be thicker but still pourable so I threw it in the fridge and went back to bed. This morning, it seems to have the same consistency in spite of the refrigeration but I know it's not supposed to set up like sour cream so hopefully it's right. The instructions say "thick cream" and that it is.

We have to run to the store today to get the rest of the ingredients. Also, Austin is also working on some art for our bedroom; we got a red bedspread and he felt we needed additional accent items in the room. At Pier 1 (where, incidentally, we ran into CorgiDad's parents), we saw a cool canvas for the wall which Austin felt he could easily make and in the appropriate colors. We picked up some canvases, red paint, and the other color we are using is copper so our bedroom colors match our wedding colors. Awww.

That's how we'll be spending the last day of the year.

DIY Fish Stock

2006-12-30T10:01:00.000-06:00

Last night I made spicy baked shrimp and we had it over rice. The recipe said that you could boil the shrimp shells and create your own fish stock. This was great since I need some for the New Year's Eve dinner and I'm already (hopefully) making my own crème fraîche so why not do everything from scratch? Well, I'm not sure what went wrong but the end result was simply water with a vague seafood undertone and was hardly broth. I only used shells but I didn't have to de-vein so that's the only guess I have as to what went wrong. At any rate, I was left with a foul looking pot of headless pink shrimp ghosts, delightful.

At least the entree turned out and, for one of the few times on record, Austin had no ideas of how to modify, tweak, or alter my finished product. I always wanted to marry a man who could keep up with me in the kitchen but with Austin, I got my wish and then some: his talent surpasses mine! I appreciate his culinary curiosity, his desire to be creative with recipes, but when I make something new, I just want a baseline thumbs up or thumbs down to begin with. We can discuss tweaking it in good time but when he takes the first bite, does that thoughtful look where his gaze turns upward, and then waves his fork saying something like "less lemon, more salt, and oooh! you could totally do ginger with this," well, I can handle the critique but it's all about the timing :-)

As for the c.f., it's still on the counter doing its thing and, as far as I can tell, it hasn't thickened at all yet.

Proving Science: Crème Fraîche

2006-12-29T15:20:00.000-06:00

We decided to go with the salmon and risotto in puff pastry for the main course on New Year's Eve but it requires crème fraîche, something I knew would be a bit difficult to find in our neck of the woods. I called around to the stores I thought would be mostly likely to carry it but no luck. It was like I was speaking Greek :-) Anyway, I found that it can be made at home by mixing whipping cream with buttermilk and letting it rest at room temperature... for two days. Um, leaving dairy on the counter for a coupla days makes me a bit squeamish so I had to research this.

Julia Child and my Bon Appétit cookbook both recommend almost identical methods so I emailed my former French adviser who knows everything. She emailed back with this information and reassured me that one can make their own c.f. When I read the info, there was some sciencey stuff about good bacteria keeping bad bacteria away and Bad Z wisely pointed out that the sauce will eventually be boiled so hopefully that would destroy any evil that managed to grow in the cream.

I followed the instructions, heating the cream to 105 degrees and stirring in some buttermilk. The c.f. is now culturing away on the counter (is "culturing" the right word? I think?), yay, Science! I will report on any interesting findings, if there are any.

Also, I think we are going to do a chocolate soufflé for dessert. Earlier, I was thinking of doing this and then found a recipe for one that has an Early Grey custard sauce on it. Earl Grey is the kind of tea I tend to drink in the morning and any cooking with tea sounds great to me so hopefully we can pull it off.

Holiday Recap

2006-12-29T08:49:00.000-06:00

On Friday, December 22, I gave all of my finals. It was the last day of finals week so it wasn't much fun to have to wait that long but I think because there was no snow, it didn't feel as end-of-semester-Christmasy yet.

On the 23rd, we headed up to my parents' house and hung out, did the family gift exchange that night. Technically, there weren't supposed to be gifts since we are all going to Cancun in January for Sean and Angie's ceremony but my parents came through and were far too generous. Later that night, Austin and I met up with some friends of mine and LeeAnne gave me the Bon Appétit cookbook for my birthday; it also comes with a subscription to the magazine so it was a great gift. [Aside: I've gotten a number of interesting cookbooks lately; maybe during January break, I'll try to make a couple of things from each.]

Christmas Eve is when we celebrate with my dad's side so the relatives came pouring in around noon for lunch, gift exchanging, and then a shower for S & A. It was a small space filled with lots of people, talking, laughing, merriment etc.

That night, we went to Austin's parents' and just sat around a roaring fire, sipping wine and talking; very relaxing. His sister and her husband came over the next morning and we opened stockings and gifts. One of the highlights was from Austin's stepmom; she made us really precious little books with sepia-tone photos from our wedding, each page captioned with one word that summarized the essence of the picture.

We stayed until the 26th, watching some movies that we gave to A's sister, and then headed back home. The 27th was my birthday but I was a bit under the weather so it was fairly low-key. I finalized and submitted my grades that afternoon, good times. We went out for dinner but I wasn't thrilled with my pick of the special. No matter, I have a lot of time off so we're going to have a "re-do" sometime in January.

Now we're looking forward to New Year's Eve, staying in and cooking something new. In the BA cookbook, I found a recipe for salmon and risotto wrapped in puff pastry envelopes, that's my current vote for the main course.

Rainy December Days

2006-12-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

It rained almost all day today and the last time I checked, it was still raining but the water was starting to freeze on surfaces. Some local schools closed early today and I came home from the office around 3:00 since I was done with student appointments. The trees were starting to turn white from the water and slush; I think it's so beautiful when the branches are encased in ice but I know it's bad news in a lot of ways too. Here's what our shrubs looked like when I arrived home.

Besides the icy branches, I found a package of Adagio Tea waiting for me. I had ordered the holiday sampler because I was running low on seasonal tea due to studying for my SLA class. So far I've tried the chestnut tea and it didn't disappoint. Now I'm going to sit down to a stack of compositions so I can have all my grading done until the finals tomorrow.

Austin bought me the gerbera daisies on Monday so they were waiting when I got home from my final exam. They are very bright and summery, a nice contrast to the icy weather today on the winter solstice.

Strange Days

2006-12-19T20:14:00.000-06:00

Ok, the title of this post is a little shout-out to J. Morrison but it really has been a weird past couple of days. Finals week is always a little nutty because it's a significant change to the routine of the past 16 weeks; there isn't class to teach which frees up some time but on the other hand, the correcting and grading and student issues and meetings... it adds up.

In addition, I have been taking a class. I spent most of Sunday running around getting materials to create a physical model of how a second language is acquired. I spent part of Monday finalizing the assembly of what turned out to be a beehive and then writing a paper to explain the metaphor. In doing so, not only did I think about SLA theory but I also learned lots about bees and honey. For example, honey is essentially bee vomit, something I had heard that before but wrote off as an urban legend. Lovely.

On Monday night I took the final exam for my class, got home late, and then got up today for... Jury Duty! Yep, I got to do my civic duty and it was something else. Today's event was a one day trial so I'm all done for the moment. The good thing was that it was an easy case to decide but the strange part was the defendant. He chose to represent himself and it was just a disaster. As much as he was obviously guilty and did something rather awful, I almost felt bad and embarrassed for him because he was so pathetic. It was just weird but at least I didn't have to make some sort of heart-wrenching decision that could have the potential to be haunting.

Tomorrow I'm going to spend several hours on campus, meeting with students and doing some grading. Then I'm having a late lunch with a friend, running some last-minute holiday errands, and heading home for... more grading!

All I Want for Christmas...

2006-12-13T14:34:00.000-06:00

I work at a university so there are always masses of signs advertising grad programs, study abroad programs, etc. I hardly ever pay attention but today, while waiting for my lunch to heat up, I happened to look more closely at one and it was the program of my dreams. Art and Barcelona, sighhhhhhhhh....... and it's not just art in my favorite city, it's special art: hot glass (fusion) classes, something I've wanted to try since learning about cold glass (i.e. stained glass).

Aggghhhhhhh........ it gives me that indescribable feeling of sadness and frustration but total passion for something. It doesn't help that Austin had TiVo-ed a travel show on Barcelona that he had me watch just last night. I don't know what it is about that city, the place that at first offended my naive 20 year old self for being so unparislike, but I feel like it's not enough to know that I can travel there on occasion, I need to somehow have it more thoroughly. Maybe Papá Noel is listening and will stuff my stocking with thousands of dollars the summer program tuition?

One More Week

2006-12-12T08:41:00.000-06:00

Our weekend was quite busy with the two family weddings, as I mentioned. Sean and Angie got the paperwork out of the way so we can look forward to the Cancun event in January. Austin's mom also got married and had a really cool ceremony. Dinner was catered in and the officiant wove the ceremony through the courses, beginning with a reading about feasts. It was such a unique and intimate way to conduct a ceremony and it was exactly what the couple wanted. The food was wonderful-- very eclectic with everything from sushi to Tibetan dumplings to chicken satay. Dessert was excellent vanilla ice cream and truffles.

We got home later than expected so very little was accomplished after our drive back other than some work on a final paper for my SLA class. Yesterday I was at work/class from 7:30am-8:30pm; Mondays are always so long but after a weekend out of town, it felt longer. Today I don't have class but have students coming to my office for their oral final and other assorted end-of-semester goodness.

I plan on leaving earlyish today so I can go home and get a few things done, both the boring household stuff and a little holiday decorating. I'll undoubtedly be doing some additional correcting at home but it's always easier when I can sit at my kitchen table and be in my own (recently cleaned) space.

That's the brief recap. There's just a week of classes left and then the finals, both the one I have to take (next Monday) and the ones I administer (next Friday). The end is in sight!

Congratulations, Sean and Angie!

2006-12-09T10:13:00.000-06:00

Wedding Bells and Sleigh Bells

2006-12-07T08:33:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, Austin and I hosted Sean and Angie's bachelor/ette parties. All I'm going to say about it is that if you know Angie, well, the event was totally Angie. Anyway, we did that because they are getting married on December 8 which happens to be TOMORROW! Wow, little did we know at my wedding that another sib would manage to tie the knot before 2006 was over.

Sean and Angie are getting the paperwork done tomorrow followed by a family dinner at a cool restaurant in town. The vows-n-veil event will take place at sunset on the beach in Cancun on January 18th. I'm looking forward to the pre-party tomorrow but am getting really excited about going to Cancun with my entire immediate family plus a few others when it's 20 below in Minnesconsin.

Then on Saturday morning, we're going to Austin's mom's house for her wedding which is also not supposed to be a huge deal, just a little paperwork making her already-established relationship with Dave even more established in terms of the legal stuff. It's going to be a small group with lots of good food and merriment, exactly how the couple wants it and these guests aren't complaining either.

Besides all the excitement that's going on right now with holidays and nuptials, it's the end of the semester so that means lots going on, of course. Taking a class has added to the usual workload; it's been ages since I've had to get together for a group project or make a diorama (don't ask).

In order to free up a little more time, tomorrow will be my last day with the four year olds and I have to admit, the little buggers have grown on me. Once I stopped thinking about them as little people or students and simply started finding them to be amusing little creatures, it helped a lot. I'm not saying that the rigorous academic standards of preschool Spanish were compromised with this change of mindset, never!, but I had to remember that the content comes second when dealing with kids. We have made up some fun games, like "guess how old I am" or, when they wouldn't write their names on papers, I'd make up names for them like "Snuffles" or "Moozie" which was high-larious and I was the funniest person in the whole world for a split second. They've really taught me a lot, those little four year old hellions.

At night, I've even found a little time to start my Xmas cards. I had to scrap the idea of a newsletter; everything I wrote was horrendously cheesy and too embarrassing to ever send out to anyone who knows us. I did the same thing last year so Austin now has strict instructions to never let me do a holiday letter, no matter how good of an idea I seem to think it is. Anyway, I've said before I love making mail so I find it relaxing to write a few every night before bed with a cup of my favorite holiday tea.

I can't wait for finals week since I will have time to do other holiday-ish things. I give all my finals on Friday, the 22nd which is a huge pain in many ways but the benefit is that I'll have some less-busy time during the week to possibly bake, put up some decorations, wrap gifts, etc. That is, if I'm not called in for jury duty which is a distinct possibility unless some trials get canceled...

First of December with Snow

2006-12-01T08:02:00.000-06:00

I got to work around 7:30 and there was a tiny amount of snow on the ground but nothing was happening falling from the sky during the drive in. I finished some lesson plans in my lovely windowless office and got up to make some copies when I saw that it had begun to snow. It's the perfect, lovely kind of snow that was falling softly in the bluish morning light and it made me want to just curl up tonight and do my Christmas cards.

Yes, I'm a huge dork and I absolutely love making real mail. I love email but for certain occasions (weddings, birthdays, babies, holidays), paper is essential. I enjoy creating my holiday mail and sending it out into the world; in some tiny way I guess it allows me to travel vicariously through my inked words. I think the farthest our cards will go will be to Russia; I always think about my letter's long journey and how they process mail there when it comes addressed in a completely different alphabet. I also love getting some cards back; the postmarks and stamps and envelopes make me happy when I'm collecting our mail after work because I know right away they are not junk or bills.

I always force myself to wait until December 1 to send things out although this year, I won't have them ready right away. For one thing, I'm writing a holiday letter and it's proving extremely difficult to write to such a diverse audience without sounding like a cheese ball.

For another thing, I'm going to be running errands and getting ready for a big bachelorette bash at our place this weekend. Yep, a week from today, my bro is tying the knot and I'm hosting his bride's last hurrah. Angie's only request is to get "rowdy" so I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting weekend without much time for the genteel art of letter writing, heh.

Thanksgiving Success

2006-11-26T10:03:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving chez nous went spectacularly well and Austin and I enjoyed every minute of hosting it. The side dishes turned out well and the brined bird truly did take center stage. I even ate some of it and I rarely touch poultry of any kind. Austin and I had done enough prep before the main even that everything went smoothly and the process of cooking for our family was quite enjoyable.

The next day, my mom baked a stuffed French toast casserole that we topped with berries-- sweet overload. Austin has a sweet tooth but it was at my limit, very good but very rich. It was nice to have it all ready to throw into the oven.

The oven was really the only source of a minor snag; we had been intending to clean it for ages but never got around to it. Roasting the bird at 500 degrees resulted in quite a bit of smoke and at breakfast, the oven was still disagreeable. I think the oven's hygiene needs to be addressed in the near future.

After breakfast and visiting, Austin and I headed to his parents' on Friday. I was able to visit with some friends for a bit and then on Saturday, it was T-day 2. It was nice to see the extended fam again and continue to eat whatever happened to be in our line of sight, hungry or not.

Now it's Sunday, ugh, Sunday, and I'll be spending most of the day working on a presentation for my SLA class and possibly grading exams if I have time. Then it's a five day work week, what's with that? I was already used to the three day week...

Thanksgiving Kitsch-en

2006-11-23T10:45:00.000-06:00

Austin's Gramma gave us this turkey; not only is it beautiful but it serves as a gravy boat as well. Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T09:54:00.000-06:00

Last night we did our T-day run-around, finalizing groceries and cleaning. The big success of the night was scoring a case of our current favorite Sauvignon Blanc, Pomelo. The description says it has "subtle" hints of grapefruit but we find the grapefruit is more than subtle on the palate. It's often touted for being a great summer wine, no arguments here, but we're guessing it pairs well with a turkey dinner too.

The disappointment of the evening was not being able to find fresh sage anywhere. This of course makes sense since many people use it to make sage dressing but we did hold off on buying it for a reason: the last few times we've purchased it, the sage has been at the point of molding. Ugh. So I called every grocery store we hadn't been to and was shot down. My mom called her local grocery store and they said they had some "hanging up in little bags in the produce department." I don't know what it is about that statement, but I'm worried it's going to be dried sage. Oh well, we'll all live if the gorgeous white cheddar and sage mashed potatoes have to be subjected to the indignity of dried sage.

When we came home, Austin checked the bird and he didn't seem to be defrosting very well in the refrigerator even though we thought we had timed that well. We put him in a bath of cold water in the kitchen sink (he's not a whole bird, just a breast). I started to wash the kitchen floor and noticed that I had left a big puddle of water by the sink. When I went to mop it up, I realized the sink was leaking and at a good rate, too. Austin had to move the bird to the other side which luckily wasn't leaking and then I had to rewash the whole section :-( When I was a kid, there was always some sort of plumbing issue at Gramma's on T-day so I figured this was actually a good omen.

But then I moved on to the bathroom and had another floor washing misadventure. I reached down to the mop pail and, when standing up again, managed to bang my head into the side of the door. Hard. It was exactly like what they call in a novel a "sickening crack" and apparently I shouted some vulgarities after because Austin heard me from the basement and came to check on me. I took some ibuprofen and just went to bed. The good news is that there is no hideous, disfiguring bruise today, just a little red mark. I was worried that my family would think that Austin had abused me with a frozen turkey or something. Also, no headache or other issues; I think maybe bonking your head just sounds a lot louder and more serious when you are the one who lives inside of it.

We slept in a bit and still have to prepare the potatoes and green beans. Austin brined the bird last night while I was asleep so that is well under way. There is a tiny bit of miscellaneous clutter to remove and some final vacuuming to do but other than that, we're right on track and life is good!

♪ It's the Final Countdown! ♪

2006-11-21T09:22:00.000-06:00

This short week is great and tomorrow will be fun because it won't feel like a normal class period. One student even volunteered to bring treats and he wasn't a person I would have imagined would offer or be interested in such behavior.

After work tomorrow, Austin and I are doing the big shopping run and putting the final touches on our cleaning. We will also get the potatoes assembled so they just have to bake and heat through. The green beans will be trimmed and the toasted hazlenut-lemon butter will be prepped so we just have to boil the beans and toss with the butter. Austin will also get the bird in the brine and get that going.

My sister and husband are bringing the squash and cranberries and my brother and fiancée are bringing hors d'oeuvres for later on (sadly, we actually do get hungry again). My mom is bringing dessert and a stuffed french toast breakfast casserole for the next morning. There will be eight of us total.

Then Thanksgiving will be over and it will be finals week and Christmas and 2007. It's all a blur from this point on...

Weekend Recap

2006-11-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

Friday, I met LeeAnne for dinner in Hudson. We actually started out meeting at a coffee shop and just catching up on everything. I gave L her belated birthday presents and some of my old bridal magazines so we paged through those, mostly making fun of the hideousness that you can find in such mags.

We headed to dinner at The Twisted Grille and decided to order one appetizer, entree, and dessert and split it. We had delicious ceviche followed by a seafood stew in a coconut lime sauce and then had some sort of flourless chocolate delight for dessert. The ambience was also quite nice; lime green walls and lots of spiraly metal sculptures. We sat upstairs so we had a view of the very cute downtown Hudson, with all the Christmas lights up and people bustling around. All in all, very satisfying.

On Saturday, Austin and I worked really hard to clean up our house for the upcoming Thanksgiving event. We had been quite neglectful of general upkeep and that's why it was rather time-consuming. Now the place looks great and I wonder why we don't maintain it that way more often; it's so much nicer to sit and grade or read or just relax when the clutter is gone. Of course it has everything to do with time, work stress, etc, but we're going to try to keep it in better shape.

Saturday night, we saw "Borat" and I was disappointed. I had seen clips of him from something other than the movie and actually found those more interesting. Having an underlying plot actually bothered me and seemed too contrived. Anyway. Dinner at the tepanyaki/hibachi place was outstanding as always and I had a cute little cocktail with an umberella, always fabulous.

Then Austin and I came home and had a little wine and planned our future travels. It was one of those perfect conversations where you get so excited about sharing a life with someone who has so much in common with you yet is different enough to challenge you and keep it interesting.

Oh, and then the travels involved driving around looking for a Wii. He didn't get one, of course, and was seriously mopey and mournful the whole next morning.

Besides Austin being a bit dejected, I got my usual "Sunday Syndrome" where I started thinking of everything I had to do and how it would never get done in time and got so overwhelmed that for awhile, I just sort of sat around and stared into space. Then I got up and did more cleaning which helped get me going and made me feel productive enough to wrap up other loose ends.

It was our last weekend at home for awhile and it was wonderful.

Slacker Friday

2006-11-17T10:12:00.000-06:00

TGIF and all that. I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and I'm already checked out at work. Two of my classes aren't happening today because it's oral exam week and everyone scheduled theirs before Friday. Ethically, I probably should have un-canceled the class but once you tell college students they have Friday off, well, it's a lost cause to try to recover it. In my other classes, we are starting the subjunctive and I LOVE teaching it. I'm serious, I'm that much of a grammar nerd that I love the subjunctive so I'm all pumped to do some related activities.

After work, I'm meeting LeeAnne for dinner in Hudson to make up for the snow-related cancellation last Friday. We will be celebrating her birthday and her engagement, both of which happened in October. We have lots to catch up on and we are very similar in that we are both constantly making, changing, updating, and altering our life plans. I like the fact that I can share my latest wacky idea to get a Ph.D. in Catalan Studies or something and she doesn't bat an eye, just encourages me but in a reasonable and realistic way. Then when I change my mind five minutes later and decide no, for sure I am getting a Ph.D. in Occitan Studies because it's even more useful and wonderful, she's never skeptical of my whims and still handles me with the exact right level of seriousness. It's great to have a friend like that.

On Saturday, Austin and I are rescheduled to go out with another couple on whom we had to cancel last weekend due to Austin's unfortunate health status. He's feeling better now and we're ready to see BORAT, as recommended by Bad Z and all of my students. Yeah!

On Sunday, I'm having lunch with a girlfriend who had to cancel on me a few weeks ago due to a work-related snafu. We're going to a cafe I haven't checked out before so I'm looking forward to that.

In addition to all this social activity, the man and I are also going to attempt to clean the house in order to make it suitable for Thanksgiving guests. I will also be doing large amounts of grading and work for my SLA class.

After this weekend, we're booked into 2007 and I'm starting to panic wondering how I will ever finish all the work for my class, the classes I teach, and the couple of side projects I'm doing. I might follow the example of Bad Z and chart the hell out of everything using a big calendar and markers and possibly stickers.

For now, though, I'll just enjoy this weekend.

Sleepy Tuesday Morning

2006-11-14T08:21:00.000-06:00

Tuesdays are always my prep day and where I work, you can interpret that however you want. Some people work from home, some come in for limited hours, and some are here all day. I tend to treat it like another work day and am usually at my office from 7:30-4:30ish.

This morning I woke up a few minutes before my alarm but I thought the clock was going to tell me I had many more hours to work. Unfortunately, it wasn't the middle of the night and the sunrise lamp had been turned off since Austin had called in sick and stayed in bed on Monday. I usually don't have problems waking up but today I felt like I was dragging, hence the current "bloggin' from work" instead of working at work. Hmm.

As I mentioned, Austin has been sick so our Saturday evening plans were canceled and I canceled my Friday plans due to the snow. It was a low-key weekend but I got a lot done at home which is always satisfying. It was sort of the pre-Thanksgiving cleaning and organizing although there will be much to do next weekend.

Austin also threw together a really good pizza. We got a Boboli thin crust and spread on a light layer of bbq sauce. That was topped with pieces of Boca's Spicy Chik'n Patties and slivers of red onion. A little parm/mozzerella cheese mix held the whole thing together and it was really delicious, something we'll definitely make again.

Of easy wind and downy flake...

2006-11-11T08:33:00.000-06:00

This week flew by. I had my SLA class on Monday night, went out for Indian food on Wednesday night with Sean and Angie and their friend, went out with Austin on Thursday night to the restaurant where we got married, graded approximately 800 compositions, and then woke up to this, the crown jewel of the week:

There was a prediction of 1-3" of snow but when I woke up at 6:00, I think we had already met the goal. It was snowing at a rate of 3"/hr, that's the rate that means you pull your car out of the garage, stop, run back in for a scraper, come out, and end up with huge, heavy flakes covering your hair so that all the straightening you did that morning is shot to hell and when you get to work, you have to pull it back in an awkward ponytail and make a more awkward joke to your students about why it looks like you just got back from your 7am class (inside joke, eeep!).

I know it's not the snow's fault, but the rest of my morning went a little crazy. I had a language lab activity that failed spectacularly in spite of the fact that I had the appropriate training AND had successfully set up the activity with colleagues in the lab so I knew I could do it. Then I had to sort of reorganize what I had planned for the remaining classes since it was a failure on the part of the technology and not as much the user, so there was little I could do. The day was saved, though, when my last class made fun of my drawings on the board but applauded my last one. Like actually clapping, it was pretty cute. They also cracked me up when I made them do conversation exercises that were set up like a speed-dating format (i.e. moving around a lot, not actually hitting on each other en español). The groaned a little in protest but a handful of them said "At least we don't have to dance. We had to dance for a whole class period in my other Spanish class. It was like awkward middle school gym class." Hee hee.

I love my students and I love my work. They are so creative and even when I'm having a bad day and don't want to go to class, in the end I'm glad I did. I tell them to write a Halloween story and some how it's a story about Dennis Hopper falling out of a tree. I have them do conversation practice about finding an apartment together and they make up a story about kicking their aging grandpa out of his house and making it a party pad. I have them practice health vocabulary and they make a huge picture of a Power Ranger suffering from obesity. Why a Power Ranger, who knows, but they managed to incorporate amazing amounts of vocab in their little story about him.

Alright, enough of my cute little students stories. This post was originally about snow so here are a few more pictures I took after work. I'm sure the snow will melt before the stuff that stays all winter comes but it's still kind of sucky to deal with it in the first half of November. Ah, the joys of the upper midwest...

Operation: T-Day

2006-11-05T08:40:00.000-06:00

We’re a little over halfway through our weekend and at home and we’re enjoying the relaxing, unscheduled feel of it. Yesterday, Austin did computery things and I went to my hair appointment and ran some errands. Some laundry and dishes were done, some organizing, and lots of laying around and reading.
Our other project was to plan the Thanksgiving dinner that we are hosting and begin test runs on any new recipes. Austin was very cute and excited about hosting dinner, so much so that I had to rein him in a bit (example: he was envisioning a series of elaborate hors d’oeuvres for after dinner so that our guests would not be forced to munch on leftovers).
Last night’s test dishes were the sides since the brined turkey from last year is still being talked about and will be repeated this year. We did the mashed potatoes recommended by my old French adviser from college, the Bon Appetit recipe that involves fresh sage, white cheddar, and of course butter and cream. We decided that a slightly less heavy side would be in order so we tried Cooking Light’s Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnut- Lemon butter.

Both dishes turned out quite well and are on the Official Menu of the 2nd Annual LundeRoy Thanksgiving. The potatoes were creamy and buttery and delicious and sage was a lovely addition. The bonus feature is that the dish has to be baked so you can prep the whole thing a day or two before and all you have to do is throw it in the oven (if you can spare the space) until it’s warmed through. I didn’t use white cheddar since I couldn’t find any but it’s only a question of aesthetics since cheddar is not yellowy-orange by nature; that comes from an additive.
The green beans were also just right, light and buttery and lemony with the crunch of hazelnut bits. The beans can be trimmed the night before and the butter can be prepared up to a week in advance so all you have to do at game time is boil the beans for a few minutes, then toss in the butter mixture. In this dish, I was so concerned about getting the hazelnuts down to the perfect size that I forgot to toast them. I probably will do so on T-day.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T08:36:00.000-06:00

Today is Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, but there won’t be too much by way of festivities. We were gone over the weekend when the majority of parties took place so we will just hand out candy to the few neighborhood ghosts and goblins that stop by this evening. It’s the first year I haven’t come up with a new costume, kind of a disappointment, but I have a fabulous bride of Frankenstein wig that I can always slap on for door-answering. Even more disappointing is that in between the trick-or-treaters, I will likely be grading compositions. Ah, well…

Merry Christmas

2006-10-31T08:34:00.000-06:00

On Friday after work, I went with Angie to go look for a dress for me to wear to her wedding. She and my brother have decided to have a ceremony on the beach in Cancun at a resort that they’ve been visiting for years. There will also be a reception in Wisconsin in February for family and friends to attend. Anyway, when we were looking at a few things, the clerk realized that Angie’s dress had come in early so I got to see that. Luckily we had brought along my veil which she was considering borrowing so we were able to see the two together and it was just perfect. I’m glad my veil will get to participate in another wedding and in Mexico, no less!

On Saturday, Austin and I and Sean and Angie all headed up to way-northern Wisconsin for what we call “Fake X-mas;” we give Gramma a big send off right before she heads to Arizona for the winter. This event brings together around 30 people so it can be a little overwhelming when you first arrive because everyone is talking on top of each other. In addition to X-mas, we also had a shower for Sean and Angie and it went really well. After the big par-tay, we went back to the hotel which had only six rooms so our whole family took it over that night. It was really homey and cute so it was fun to have all of us there.

Sunday morning, fully enjoying our extra hour, we went out to the “Covered Wagon” restaurant, a name that made some of us with the maturity level of a 13 year old snicker. The food was Perkins-like but it hit the spot and then we headed back home. It was a gorgeous fall day with bright blue skies, white clouds, and golden sunshine splashing on what yellow leaves were left.

At home, I mostly studied for my Second Language Acquisition midterm and got a few things organized for the week. Yesterday I had night class so it was a long day and work had been rather stressful but the night ended on a positive note when I learned that Austin had booked our trip to Mexico so we can be there to support our sibs. ¡Viva México!

Fall Mornings

2006-10-25T07:55:00.000-05:00

The sunrise machine is working splendidly! For those who know me well, it's no secret that I need any and all sleep help I can get. Falling asleep and staying asleep is a frequent problem that I experience though I'm finding ways to get it under control. I currently sleep with a fan on (for white noise only), a clock-radio that makes cricket chirps all night (extra white noise), the atomic clock must be set so I know I'll wake up at exactly the right time, and now the sunrise machine provides additional back-up to the atomic clock (what if the batteries die?). Well, I guess the atomic alarm clock is really the back-up to the sunrise machine because the sunrise provides a much gentler way to wake up on a dark fall morning with its warm, incandescent glow slowly filling the room. Yeah, a real sunrise would be better, but I'll take this as second best anytime.

This weekend we fall back which will help a little bit in the mornings though the sunrise machine will still earn its keep all through the long winter. Incidentally, this weekend we'll be at a family event in northern WI and sharing a hotel room with Sean and Angie. This means I'll be completely stripped of my sleeping tools but I'm hoping the excitement of the day and the good food and wine will help me catch some Zzzz's in this interesting little hotel that has six rooms.

Looking forward to the weekend but today is only Wednesday.

He Is My Sunshine

2006-10-20T07:55:00.000-05:00

I hate waking up at 6:00ish right now because it's completely dark and feels like it could be 3:00am. Austin, in trying to "provide a technology-based solution," bought a device that plugs into an outlet and controls electric current. He then programmed it using the accompanying software and set it to allow the lightbulb in the lamp to increase in wattage by X% every 10 seconds in effort to create a sort of sunrise. We had previously tried a lamp on a timer but it snapped on just as harsh as an alarm clock, even with a 25 watt pink bulb that gave our bedroom a lovely brothel-esque glow. The electric sunrise has been in effect for two mornings now and I like it but both times, I have already been stirring a bit. The true test will come when I'm deep asleep.

As for the weekend plans, this evening I'm having wine and cheese with some colleagues/friends and we're discussing the need of K-12 teaching licenses for those with advanced degrees. They're a fun group so I'm expecting much delightful veering off topic.

There are no other scheduled plans for the rest of the weekend although we have lots to do. We are still tackling the monsters in the storage rooms using new shelving and rubbermaid bins. I have lots of prep work to do for my Second Language Acquisition midterm. I am also considering attending a workshop on Differentiated Instruction. The last task that comes to mind is that I need to upload some wedding photos to flickr and order some prints for us and for the grandmas (next weekend, we celebrate "Fake Xmas" before Gramma Bev heads to Arizona for the winter).

For fun, there might be the usual cooking and wine drinking. With the cool weather, I am also feeling the urge to bake although I haven't been inspired enough by a particular baked good to want to make it. I'm more of a dinner chef, not so much a baker. Any suggestions?

Some Pictures From Last Weekend

2006-10-14T10:28:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our decadent dinner at Louisianne's in Middleton, WI.

Appetizers: Crawfish Cheescake and Lemon Artichoke Baguette

And for the main course [drumroll...], Lobster, Crab, and Scallop Linguine Au Gratin

Woo Hoo!

2006-10-12T14:53:00.000-05:00

An article that a colleague and I worked on has been accepted for publication!

My name's gonna be in print for the first time in a real journal. In England! (For some reason, that seems even cooler than an American journal.) Happy day!

Tempus Fugit

2006-10-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

I just wrote a huge post that got eaten by the interweb, ugh! Anyway, I will attempt to recreate.

This past weekend, we went to Madison to visit Austin’s mom and my sister. We left work on Friday around 3pm though I nearly was late because I was obsessing over a lesson plan for my Monday observation. We ended up heading out of town around 4pm and got to my sister’s around 7-something, ready to have some “interesting pizza” for dinner. It seemed that all of Madison had the same idea, however, so after too many waiting lists, we ordered a pizza margherita with ricotta and picked up some Rioja. Austin and I got to his mom’s around 10pm and pretty much crashed.

Saturday was a busy day. We went to the lovely farmers market near the capitol building and drooled over the amazing produce, flowers, and products. We had an impromptu picnic on the lush, green capitol lawn and then finished our shopping. I scored some pear jam, dilly beans, and gorgeous leeks. I was also able to cast a big ol’ practice ballot to vote NO against the proposed amendment that would define marriage as a hetero-only privilege. Boo!

After the produce-n-politicking, we headed to a teacher store where I found an adorable Thanksgiving book and some materials to use with the hellacious four year olds. Then it was off to the bridal store to try on the bridesmaid dress for a wedding I will be in in September. They didn’t have my size so I didn’t get the full effect which was a bummer so in consolation, we went wine shopping. We got a jammy Argentinian Malbec and something else a little challenging that I can’t remember right now.

Then it was time for the pièce de resistance, dinner at Louisianne’s, The Best Restaurant in the World. As usual, we were not disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed the hedonistic experience. After a decadent meal, some French martinis, and wine, we went to bed early and slept in late.

Sunday we were a little behind schedule but had a nice drive home. We stopped at Humbird Cheese and tried 10 year old extra sharp cheddar, potent stuff! We ended up buying the 3 year old version and some garlic-herb brie.

Once at home, we made a Target run and then Austin did laundry while I went into work for a few hours. It was a busy Sunday but there was much satisfaction in actually Getting Stuff Done.

Mondays are always my long days. Yesterday, I hung out with the hellacious four year olds (H4YO’s) in the morning, taught all of my classes and was observed, then headed to my three hour SLA class.

Luckily today is my prep day, then tomorrow I’m moderating a roundtable discussion for Latin American Week, and Friday we’re going to an art gallery showing that includes a jewelry collection by my friend and colleague. After that, it’s a full weekend at home, woo hoo! I think there will be some decorating for Halloween and other autumnal rituals.

That’s the big update, photos coming soon.

Catching Up

2006-10-04T18:25:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile... I was home last weekend for my 10 year class reunion and was feeling a little under the weather. A late night out that ended in a smokey bar wasn't the best way to treat my aging body so I have been spending the last few days just trying to keep up enough to teach and go home and drink Nyquil.

It was nice to see some people after a decade, though, and the fall leaves were near peak up there in my little hometown. Here's some pics for Bad Z.

Luckily I'm on the up and up today and starting to feel like myself again. Austin and I are indulging in our guilty pleasure tonight and watching "Lost." To make it feel more like our own private party, I'm making a nicer dinner. A green salad, a baguette, and linguine tossed with a creamy gorgonzola sauce and topped with toasted walnuts. I thought that sort of fit the whole "stranded on an island eating Dharma Initiative beans theme." Or not. But it will be fun.

For B.

2006-09-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

The leaves are starting to change here though it's not peak yet. Per Bad Z's request, here is a tree near our place that is all decked out for autumn. If I end up at my parents' this weekend, I'll take more pics because they're a little ahead of us on colors.

Sunday Night

2006-09-24T19:37:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday night and I'm all tucked in with a cup of honey vanilla chamomile tea, mmm... Just relaxing and getting ready for another week. I'm proud of myself for avoiding the last minute scrambling that I am normally doing at this time on Sundays. Weekends at home = productivity. Here are the joint accomplishments of the LundeRoy household:

-washed dishes
-rearranged kitchen cupboards
-5 loads of laundry
-cleaned office (thanks, MH, for hauling the dead 'puter bits away!)
-vacuumed (by hand upstairs, roomba in basement)
-cleaned bathroom
-got groceries

Individual accomplishments:

-washed and waxed WRX
-finished some grading
-finished SLA homework in the afternoon

Not a bad weekend, lots accomplished but there was still time for relaxing.