Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shockingly easy and delicious.

View all my reviews.

Hair

When I got Reuben up from his nap yesterday his hair looked like this. He's definitely my kid. 

The Good Reuben James - Now Everyone Sing!

Joking

There's a joke I like to tell myself that always makes me laugh.

How many writers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

10.

1 to screw in the lightbulb and nine to watch and think "I could have done that."

Funny or not, I appreciate the reminder that thought is impotent without action. Now I will get back to work. 

On The Assembly Line

I'm working on cranking out a large project. I've been working all day and expect to work most of tonight too. To keep me going I've been listening to podcasts. I heard this poem I liked from a January Writer's Almanac. I'm so grateful I'm not a chicken sexer. Yuck. And I'm grateful for my hands which "root [my] life to so much work and possibility."

On the Assembly Line

by Virgil Suarez

Cousin Irene worked in the cold of a warehouse
basement in New Jersey, soldering the filaments
to GE lightbulbs. The job required steady hands,
without gloves, bare fingers for sensitivity,
and her hands cramped up eventually, after six 
hours or so, but the workday lasted ten or twelve,
in so much cold. This was her life for several 
years in America—back home, in Cuba, she'd been
a chicken sexer, a botanist caring for orchids,
a potato peeler, a cigar ring paster, a picker 
of papayas—all as a volunteer worker because she
wanted to leave the country. So in Trenton,
Union City, Elizabeth, at least she got paid
for the work she did with her hands, though her
choices continued to be blue-collar work, and she
thanked god for her hands, her reliable hands,
so necessary. She came to the United States
through the Peter Pan Project as a teenager
with the promise of a scholarship to an all-girl
boarding school in Kentucky, which never
materialized—she got as far as New Jersey.
Here, at night, she came home from the factory
and soaked her hands in warm soapy water.
She looked on as her fingers moved, these tendrils
of her once young hands—blessed these ten digits
that rooted her life to so much work and possibility. 

Backgammon For Blood

It's always interesting the books you can find abandoned in a beach house rental. This weekend at the Cummings beach trip, Aaron and I were lucky enough to discover the 1974 edition of Backgammon For Blood! It had some interesting tips ( you should ALWAYS play for money) and some very wacky advice but my favorite part is still the cover. 

Round 3

Reuben's grin is getting pretty toothy. This week his two front teeth were joined by a third on top. Aaron and I are amazed at how sweet and happy he's been despite all the pain we know he's in. 

Double X

Slate just launched a new online periodical: Double X (think the chromosome) and I am thrilled! It's a lot of smart women writing about the news.  When I read one of their first articles Motherhood Changes You I took a second to stop working and with Reuben on my hip I did a little dance of happiness. Why? Because at last! Women who understand the relentless demands, the pull to do work and kids and have a decent life and enjoy being smart, are talking and not in the how to bake a tuna casserole sort of way.  

Mother's Day

This past Sunday Aaron Reuben and I enjoyed a family walk around Roosevelt Island. It was a gorgeous day and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my first mother's day. 

My Dream Home

I want to live HERE but in America.

I love that kids are safe to run free in the streets.

Six Months

Reuben turned 6 months yesterday.  I can't believe he's been around for half a year. He's such a fun baby. He seems to learn something new every day. 

He can sit up all by himself. 

He can flip the pages of books.

And he is getting close to crawling,

which has Battle feeling very nervous....

A Multi-Cultural Experience

Today at the library, I tried to look up a sign language book for Reuben. As Aaron has observed, the library's online catalog is a shinning example of early nineties' technology. So it came as little surprise that this was the book that kept coming up for my sign language search. I think we should go with it. 

Missed Connections

I love the work of illustrator Sophie Blackall. She's started a new blog where she illustrates "missed connections" from the personal ads. They have this beautifully sweet sometimes lonely, sometimes funny feel. Check it out.

A Grief Observed

As I was walking to the library this morning I tripped and the strap of my sandal broke. I've had these sandals for three years and while Aaron and my mother will probably rejoice at the news of their decease, I mourn their loss. I wore those sandals when I graduated, when Aaron graduated, when Reuben was born, and lots more. But I will not cry. I will use super glue....

Library Love

I have become a big fan of the library. We live about a half a mile away from our local branch. I reserve all the books I want online and then on my daily walk Reuben and I stop by and pick up a neat and complete stack at the front desk. It's a beautiful system. I like that the librarians are so willing to do my drudge work. No more dewey decimal system for me. 

Another nice perk is our local library has a ton of cookbooks. It's a cheap way to find a wealth of new recipes. I'm expecting the breadbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes in a day or so. Until then I'm drooling over the accompanying blog. 

Thank you Local Library! 

Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am in love with this book. I can't stop reading it. Orwell's insight into common life is at once tragic, comic and haunting. Orwell captures the Quixotic desire for greatness that impoverishes.

View all my reviews.

Feast

Aaron and I set a goal to not eat out and I've been really proud of our success. Despite crazy job schedules and a new baby, over the past 3 months we have eaten out twice, both times with company on an invitation.

 It's been good for our wallets and our waistlines. But while desires for fast food easily faded away, a mighty craving for Ethiopian food persisted. So Aaron took matters into his capable hands and with some help from Reuben and a local Ethiopian supply store cooked us an amazing feast. We had injera, collards with ginger, misir wat (translated to lentil mush - the spices make all the difference) spicy cucumber salad and boiled eggs.  It was amazing! Who needs to go out when you can get such good food at home.