1.29.2006
year of the dog
Well, Chinese New Year is coming up (tonight into tomorrow) and I'll be spending a portion of my day on the river. Rowing has gotten better - I'm not as sore when I finish as I used to be, and the bracing coldness does wonders for my lungs. No, that's insane. It's just cold out.
Had a nice dinner of homemade wontons in noodle soup last night. It was delicious.
Happy Birthday, by the way, to Diana, who turned on Friday. :)
Finally, two stories to comment on from the news. Both take me back to my days as a teacher, and I must say I still miss it a great deal. The first is from this week's New York Times Ethicist column. In it, an anonymous NJ teacher gives the following scenario: a student would have gotten an A+ had he not flipped two pages over instead of one and missed a section of the test. The question: is it ethical to prorate the test and give the student the A+ he *probably* would have gotten on the entirety of the test. Randy Cohen, the Ethicist, says no. And I agree with both of his solutions. Either give a re-take of the test (in which the student will probably be fine) or don't overlook the careless error, as it is only a midterm. "A single botched test will not hideously distort an otherwise excellent academic record." Still, it can be pretty darn demoralizing. I'd probably allow a re-take, but to make sure that the student feels a bit of the sting, I'd average the two tests together. The teacher, according to the column, "prorated the exam but would not do so again." This teacher was wrong.
Second note comes from the Boston Globe, and from the town of Milton, Massachusetts, home of both prestigious Milton Academy and Milton Public High. This story comes from the second of those two schools. I do not wish to imply in any way that Milton High School is not prestigious. Just that Milton High doesn't have a wikipedia reference. This story is an exercise in the absurd. A High School Senior has decided that the educational system is stacked against boys, and as such, is suing the US Department of Education. It's not that girls are smarter, it's that "the school system favors them." While he brings up a good point: that homework which sometimes includes points for decorating a notebook, favors girls. But that's not a point to bring up with the Department of Education. You bring that up with your teacher, because that's a stupid stupid stupid homework assignment. Says the student, Doug Anglin, "The system is designed to the disadvantage of males. From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you'll do well and get good grades. Men naturally rebel against this."
Now hold on. Lots of organized societies function like this. The criminal justice system works like this. You know what? So does the army! And I don't think that you can argue that the army is fundamentally designed to the disadvantage of males. Anglin wants to spur the Department of Education to issue national guidelines on how to increase boys' academic achievement. That's great. I can get behind that. But to say that it's because boys have a fundamental disadvantage in inherent structure of the school is completely wrong. According to the article, "he proposes that the high school give students credit for playing sports, not just for art and drama courses. He also urges that students be allowed to take classes on a pass/fail basis to encourage more boys to enroll in advanced classes without risking their grade point average." Sports is not a class, and it's unrealistic to treat it as one. Not to mention that at the high school level, the men and women's teams are equally stacked with scholar-athletes, and art and drama classes are very well mixed too. As for the pass/fail thing, that only encourages the lazier of the students *not* to work as hard, since they have no personal stake in getting a grade about a D.
I really enjoy his third remedy: he "wants the school to abolish its community service requirement, saying it's another burden that will just set off resistance from boys, who may skip it and fail to graduate as a result." Now he's being ridiculous. First of all, community service requirements are good things. They teach civic responsibility and allow students to make useful contributions to society at large. That it should be abolished is debatable - certainly there are those who feel that forced community service isn't really community service, and that true service should be attached to a student's desire to give back, not just meet a graduation requirement. If he'd made that argument, I'd respect him but disagree with him. Instead, his argument stems from the fact that boys don't want to, and we should lower the barriers to male achievement by removing anything they don't like to do.
And, no offence, but this is coming from a guy who's got a 2.88 GPA. His father wants the school to retroactively compensate the boys by boosting their grades. "If you are a victim of discrimination in the workplae, what do they do? They give you more money or they give you a promotion," says the boy's father. "Most of these kids want to go to college, so these records are important to them." If they wanted to go to college so bad, they should have sat down, shut up, and studied. They certainly can't blame their inability to sit down and pay attention on institutional bias. They might have a learning issue like ADD or ADHD, but that's not a fault of the school either. Apparently Newsweek did a story on this just this week. I read it - I disagree with them vehemently.
Look, when I taught, I modeled my course information sheets on the ones I got from my professors in college. I made up powerpoint slides which students could download from home, and I put homework online and expected them to have done it. Vocabulary was a big thing, and I quizzed them on it every other day. The students didn't like it at first, but they got to eventually. And I learned something - if you push students a little bit (this is not like putting trigonometry into a 7th grade math class, I mean really), they'll respond and excell. If you coddle them and treat them like kids, they'll react to that and they won't be as driven in your class. In other words, treat them like young adults and they'll react as young adults. Treat them like kids and they'll react as kids. Of course it's not that simple, but it's close.
Had a nice dinner of homemade wontons in noodle soup last night. It was delicious.
Happy Birthday, by the way, to Diana, who turned
Finally, two stories to comment on from the news. Both take me back to my days as a teacher, and I must say I still miss it a great deal. The first is from this week's New York Times Ethicist column. In it, an anonymous NJ teacher gives the following scenario: a student would have gotten an A+ had he not flipped two pages over instead of one and missed a section of the test. The question: is it ethical to prorate the test and give the student the A+ he *probably* would have gotten on the entirety of the test. Randy Cohen, the Ethicist, says no. And I agree with both of his solutions. Either give a re-take of the test (in which the student will probably be fine) or don't overlook the careless error, as it is only a midterm. "A single botched test will not hideously distort an otherwise excellent academic record." Still, it can be pretty darn demoralizing. I'd probably allow a re-take, but to make sure that the student feels a bit of the sting, I'd average the two tests together. The teacher, according to the column, "prorated the exam but would not do so again." This teacher was wrong.
Second note comes from the Boston Globe, and from the town of Milton, Massachusetts, home of both prestigious Milton Academy and Milton Public High. This story comes from the second of those two schools. I do not wish to imply in any way that Milton High School is not prestigious. Just that Milton High doesn't have a wikipedia reference. This story is an exercise in the absurd. A High School Senior has decided that the educational system is stacked against boys, and as such, is suing the US Department of Education. It's not that girls are smarter, it's that "the school system favors them." While he brings up a good point: that homework which sometimes includes points for decorating a notebook, favors girls. But that's not a point to bring up with the Department of Education. You bring that up with your teacher, because that's a stupid stupid stupid homework assignment. Says the student, Doug Anglin, "The system is designed to the disadvantage of males. From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you'll do well and get good grades. Men naturally rebel against this."
Now hold on. Lots of organized societies function like this. The criminal justice system works like this. You know what? So does the army! And I don't think that you can argue that the army is fundamentally designed to the disadvantage of males. Anglin wants to spur the Department of Education to issue national guidelines on how to increase boys' academic achievement. That's great. I can get behind that. But to say that it's because boys have a fundamental disadvantage in inherent structure of the school is completely wrong. According to the article, "he proposes that the high school give students credit for playing sports, not just for art and drama courses. He also urges that students be allowed to take classes on a pass/fail basis to encourage more boys to enroll in advanced classes without risking their grade point average." Sports is not a class, and it's unrealistic to treat it as one. Not to mention that at the high school level, the men and women's teams are equally stacked with scholar-athletes, and art and drama classes are very well mixed too. As for the pass/fail thing, that only encourages the lazier of the students *not* to work as hard, since they have no personal stake in getting a grade about a D.
I really enjoy his third remedy: he "wants the school to abolish its community service requirement, saying it's another burden that will just set off resistance from boys, who may skip it and fail to graduate as a result." Now he's being ridiculous. First of all, community service requirements are good things. They teach civic responsibility and allow students to make useful contributions to society at large. That it should be abolished is debatable - certainly there are those who feel that forced community service isn't really community service, and that true service should be attached to a student's desire to give back, not just meet a graduation requirement. If he'd made that argument, I'd respect him but disagree with him. Instead, his argument stems from the fact that boys don't want to, and we should lower the barriers to male achievement by removing anything they don't like to do.
And, no offence, but this is coming from a guy who's got a 2.88 GPA. His father wants the school to retroactively compensate the boys by boosting their grades. "If you are a victim of discrimination in the workplae, what do they do? They give you more money or they give you a promotion," says the boy's father. "Most of these kids want to go to college, so these records are important to them." If they wanted to go to college so bad, they should have sat down, shut up, and studied. They certainly can't blame their inability to sit down and pay attention on institutional bias. They might have a learning issue like ADD or ADHD, but that's not a fault of the school either. Apparently Newsweek did a story on this just this week. I read it - I disagree with them vehemently.
Look, when I taught, I modeled my course information sheets on the ones I got from my professors in college. I made up powerpoint slides which students could download from home, and I put homework online and expected them to have done it. Vocabulary was a big thing, and I quizzed them on it every other day. The students didn't like it at first, but they got to eventually. And I learned something - if you push students a little bit (this is not like putting trigonometry into a 7th grade math class, I mean really), they'll respond and excell. If you coddle them and treat them like kids, they'll react to that and they won't be as driven in your class. In other words, treat them like young adults and they'll react as young adults. Treat them like kids and they'll react as kids. Of course it's not that simple, but it's close.
1.24.2006
magdalen
So I've been depping (substituting) for a member of the Magdalen College Choir. I depped twice last week (Saturday and Sunday) and will again this week (Thursday and Saturday). The Magdalen Choir is very English. It's what you normally might conjure up when you think of an Oxford choir: boy sopranos in blazers during rehearsal and then everyone in crimson cassocks and flowing white surplices. Bowing to acknowledge the altar, the fancy footwork of entering and leaving the stalls in groups of three, and a spectacular sound! It's been a privilege.
I sing at Magdalen College every week anyway - with Magdala, the mixed group. We sing on Tuesdays when the Magdalen Choir has a day off. We sang tonight, as it was a Tuesday, and it was amazing.
As it turns out, today is the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, who was the Catholic bishop in Geneva. The priest's daily collect today was particularly odd. First, he introduced St. Francis de Sales as a bishop who preached against John Calvin and the Calvinist movement. Then he said that as part of the Week of Christian Unity, let us now pray for all those who fight against evil and sin. I wasn't aware that Calvinists were sinners outright.
I sing at Magdalen College every week anyway - with Magdala, the mixed group. We sing on Tuesdays when the Magdalen Choir has a day off. We sang tonight, as it was a Tuesday, and it was amazing.
As it turns out, today is the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, who was the Catholic bishop in Geneva. The priest's daily collect today was particularly odd. First, he introduced St. Francis de Sales as a bishop who preached against John Calvin and the Calvinist movement. Then he said that as part of the Week of Christian Unity, let us now pray for all those who fight against evil and sin. I wasn't aware that Calvinists were sinners outright.
1.18.2006
wow...
In a fit of pique and frustration with the state of my essay, I took about an hour out to clean my room yesterday. I can't tell you how much improvement it's made.
Well, not a whole lot. I'm still struggling with this essay topic: The organizational structure of Greek public religion, especially given the absence of a professional specialized clergy. I've got more than half the research done and it's still mind boggling.
At least with essays on Athenian Democracy or Thucydides, or my with my thesis, I had sources to which I could turn. Here? I've got nothing. A few chips of marble here and there and a boatload of secondary sources. And the other stuff I'm finding is in literature, which I'm notoriously bad at deciphering (which is why, obviously, I'm in the Ancient History program rather than the Languages and Literature program.
Something's got to pick up, I hope. And soon...
Well, not a whole lot. I'm still struggling with this essay topic: The organizational structure of Greek public religion, especially given the absence of a professional specialized clergy. I've got more than half the research done and it's still mind boggling.
At least with essays on Athenian Democracy or Thucydides, or my with my thesis, I had sources to which I could turn. Here? I've got nothing. A few chips of marble here and there and a boatload of secondary sources. And the other stuff I'm finding is in literature, which I'm notoriously bad at deciphering (which is why, obviously, I'm in the Ancient History program rather than the Languages and Literature program.
Something's got to pick up, I hope. And soon...
1.15.2006
on being back and eating dinner
I came back to Oxford on Wednesday evening, and I can say that it is delightful to be back. I miss the heck out of Boston. I miss my family, I miss my girlfriend, I miss my comfortable bed and warm down comforter. I miss watching television while snacking and wearing pajamas. I can't exactly walk over to the MCR without changing out of my pajamas, hopping into the shower, and getting dressed for real now.
But I missed Oxford life too, and I'm happy to be back. I won't be ashamed to say that the beer in this country is far superior to the watery mess available in the United States. I'm also grateful to be in a country with a healthy respect for a decent cheese plate. And where sharp cheddar is fine, we don't need to inflate that term by marketing standards to "Hunter's Extra Extra Sharp Farmhouse Cheddar" or something insane like that.
I have been back for four nights. On Wednesday, I arrived in Oxford at about 10:30 pm, and at about midnight, I wanted to go out for a kebab. I was hungry, the plane had made me dehydrated, and some salt and fat in my diet would not have been at all unwelcome. But the kebab vans weren't out, as it was a Muslim holiday and the purveyors of kebabs were not working. Thursday night, I fell asleep and didn't even grab food. Friday, I had a rehearsal with Magdala, and we then went out to the Angel and Greyhound Pub before heading to Mario's, a nice Italian restaurant. I had a delicious Spaghetti Lucifero, which was a tomato sauce with anchovies, black olives, garlic, and chili peppers. Mmmm... :)
Last night, though, has to take it. My friends Basak and Simon are getting married this year, so the engagement ceremony was held last night. They've been engaged (by Western standards) since early October, but the engagement ceremony finalizes the arrangement in Turkish eyes. Because Basak's father is Yasar Yakis, the former foreign minister of Turkey, and was also once a high-ranking diplomat in Great Britain, the ceremony and dinner were held at the residence of the Turkish Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Akin Alptuna. The ambassador was on hand to host the dinner, and some of his and Mr. Yakis's friends were also present, including Sir David Logan, former ambasssador of the Court of St. James to Turkey, as well as the EU's delegate to Turkey, a New Zealander whose name I have sadly forgotten.
I got to meet lots of Basak and Simon's friends. On Basak's side, there was, in fact, another Basak, as well as a girl named Aisha (I hope I'm spelling that right). Simon's school friends, Joe, Stephan, and John (I think), as well as his uncle Jim and many of their friends from Liverpool were present. It was a joyous occasion.
Hors d'oeuvres were circulated, as was champagne. We had toothpicks of olives, feta, and tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, fried spring-roll-type-things filled with cheese, and pastry shells. Dinner was in four courses, and we were waited on by a fleet of butlers and waiters. It was truly awesome. The first course was a trio of salads: tomato salsa topped with garlic marinated prawns, leaf salad stuffed into a round cheese crouton ring, and avocado salad topped with smoked salmon. The second was a trio of Turkish appetizers: an herb & (I think) potato pancake, a half-spring roll filled with meat and cheese, and a third which fails me at the moment. The main course was a delicious lamb shank laid on a bed of wilted spinach and garlic, with very well roasted vegetables (some might, uncharitably, have called the taste 'burnt'. not me) and a sticky rice pilaf with raisins and pine nuts. On the side, a light salad of tomato and cucumber. Dessert was a sort of marscapone trifle (a tiramisu without the lady fingers), and a small slice of baklava. Afterward, we went upstairs again for an after-dinner Turkish coffee and a drink. Again, the butler came around again, this time with Bailey's, Cointreau, and a brandy and a cognac of some variety. Amazing.
It was a wonderful evening, and both Basak and Simon looked fantastic together. Everyone there was so wonderful and giving and lovely. The party favor was a bag of Turkish delight, wrapped up with a Turkish evil-eye pendant which is going on my door today.
Term starts today: singing will commence this afternoon. I am excited to get back into the swing of things, though I wish I were a little more prepared for the start of term. It feels a lot earlier this year than it did last year. I'm not sure why.
But I missed Oxford life too, and I'm happy to be back. I won't be ashamed to say that the beer in this country is far superior to the watery mess available in the United States. I'm also grateful to be in a country with a healthy respect for a decent cheese plate. And where sharp cheddar is fine, we don't need to inflate that term by marketing standards to "Hunter's Extra Extra Sharp Farmhouse Cheddar" or something insane like that.
I have been back for four nights. On Wednesday, I arrived in Oxford at about 10:30 pm, and at about midnight, I wanted to go out for a kebab. I was hungry, the plane had made me dehydrated, and some salt and fat in my diet would not have been at all unwelcome. But the kebab vans weren't out, as it was a Muslim holiday and the purveyors of kebabs were not working. Thursday night, I fell asleep and didn't even grab food. Friday, I had a rehearsal with Magdala, and we then went out to the Angel and Greyhound Pub before heading to Mario's, a nice Italian restaurant. I had a delicious Spaghetti Lucifero, which was a tomato sauce with anchovies, black olives, garlic, and chili peppers. Mmmm... :)
Last night, though, has to take it. My friends Basak and Simon are getting married this year, so the engagement ceremony was held last night. They've been engaged (by Western standards) since early October, but the engagement ceremony finalizes the arrangement in Turkish eyes. Because Basak's father is Yasar Yakis, the former foreign minister of Turkey, and was also once a high-ranking diplomat in Great Britain, the ceremony and dinner were held at the residence of the Turkish Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Akin Alptuna. The ambassador was on hand to host the dinner, and some of his and Mr. Yakis's friends were also present, including Sir David Logan, former ambasssador of the Court of St. James to Turkey, as well as the EU's delegate to Turkey, a New Zealander whose name I have sadly forgotten.
I got to meet lots of Basak and Simon's friends. On Basak's side, there was, in fact, another Basak, as well as a girl named Aisha (I hope I'm spelling that right). Simon's school friends, Joe, Stephan, and John (I think), as well as his uncle Jim and many of their friends from Liverpool were present. It was a joyous occasion.
Hors d'oeuvres were circulated, as was champagne. We had toothpicks of olives, feta, and tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, fried spring-roll-type-things filled with cheese, and pastry shells. Dinner was in four courses, and we were waited on by a fleet of butlers and waiters. It was truly awesome. The first course was a trio of salads: tomato salsa topped with garlic marinated prawns, leaf salad stuffed into a round cheese crouton ring, and avocado salad topped with smoked salmon. The second was a trio of Turkish appetizers: an herb & (I think) potato pancake, a half-spring roll filled with meat and cheese, and a third which fails me at the moment. The main course was a delicious lamb shank laid on a bed of wilted spinach and garlic, with very well roasted vegetables (some might, uncharitably, have called the taste 'burnt'. not me) and a sticky rice pilaf with raisins and pine nuts. On the side, a light salad of tomato and cucumber. Dessert was a sort of marscapone trifle (a tiramisu without the lady fingers), and a small slice of baklava. Afterward, we went upstairs again for an after-dinner Turkish coffee and a drink. Again, the butler came around again, this time with Bailey's, Cointreau, and a brandy and a cognac of some variety. Amazing.
It was a wonderful evening, and both Basak and Simon looked fantastic together. Everyone there was so wonderful and giving and lovely. The party favor was a bag of Turkish delight, wrapped up with a Turkish evil-eye pendant which is going on my door today.
Term starts today: singing will commence this afternoon. I am excited to get back into the swing of things, though I wish I were a little more prepared for the start of term. It feels a lot earlier this year than it did last year. I'm not sure why.
1.09.2006
foo'ba'!
I love the Patriots. I love watching them play, I love watching them steamroll over teams. I love watching the weird trick plays that they end up using. The drop-kick against Miami was inspired genius. Last Saturday's direct snap to Kevin Faulk, who handed it off to Andre' Davis was a sweet surprise.
In fact, I've been surprised by the calibur of trick and unusual plays recently. I was online about a month and a half ago talking with my friend Eric about how I'm surprised that football teams don't throw laterals or drop-kick anymore. The bottom line was, in that conversation, that I watch too much rugby. Which is true.
But it did get us thinking: why don't teams try lateral passes anymore? It's such an integral part of the game in rugby, and so effective, that I am honestly surprised that more teams don't use that method to move the ball. Then Michigan (GO BLUE!) tried it in the Alamo Bowl. It didn't win them the game, by any means, but it did make for fantastic Sports Center highlights. And Doug Flutie used a dropkick on New Year's Day, which made for more incredible Sports Center highlights too. I'm amazed that it worked, frankly, but if anyone's going to use a trick play, it's going to be Belichick. Like the Adam Vinateri touchdown pass in 2004 against St. Louis.
Bill Simmons' Playoff Manifesto 4.0 has a very simple rule. Don't bet heavily against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick under any circumstances. I could not agree more.
Oh, and just an update on the macaroni and cheese thing. Crusty mac & cheese is still #4 on the New York Times' Top 25 emailled list. The creamy variety is off the board. I figured that this would last into Friday at the latest. It's Monday, and the recipe is still being emailed. I love it.
In fact, I've been surprised by the calibur of trick and unusual plays recently. I was online about a month and a half ago talking with my friend Eric about how I'm surprised that football teams don't throw laterals or drop-kick anymore. The bottom line was, in that conversation, that I watch too much rugby. Which is true.
But it did get us thinking: why don't teams try lateral passes anymore? It's such an integral part of the game in rugby, and so effective, that I am honestly surprised that more teams don't use that method to move the ball. Then Michigan (GO BLUE!) tried it in the Alamo Bowl. It didn't win them the game, by any means, but it did make for fantastic Sports Center highlights. And Doug Flutie used a dropkick on New Year's Day, which made for more incredible Sports Center highlights too. I'm amazed that it worked, frankly, but if anyone's going to use a trick play, it's going to be Belichick. Like the Adam Vinateri touchdown pass in 2004 against St. Louis.
Bill Simmons' Playoff Manifesto 4.0 has a very simple rule. Don't bet heavily against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick under any circumstances. I could not agree more.
Oh, and just an update on the macaroni and cheese thing. Crusty mac & cheese is still #4 on the New York Times' Top 25 emailled list. The creamy variety is off the board. I figured that this would last into Friday at the latest. It's Monday, and the recipe is still being emailed. I love it.
1.05.2006
mac & cheese, part ii
Last night, around 8 pm, creamy led crusty by about one spot. I think it was #6 to #7. Tonight, crusty leads creamy: they are at numbers 2 and 12, respectively.
I am talking, of course, about the New York Times' Top 25 Emailed Articles and the respective placements of two recipes. One for Crusty Macaroni and Cheese and one for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. I have laid out my preferences in my previous post.
The Christmas tree is coming down today. It's really sad to see it go. Interestingly, I don't think we have had a tree last with such vigor past Christmas in a long time. Almost no stray needles in the carpet and it's still sucking down water like it was fresh cut. Amazing. Unfortunately, it's going curbside in two days. Matthew undid all of the ornaments today in, like, record speed, and I'm looking at the tree with a dread of having to unstring the lights later tonight. I am *not* looking forward to this.
I am starting to get both nervous for going back to Oxford and also really sad to leave Boston. In addition to the creature comforts like a normal sized bed, cable TV, and food that is both good and cheap, I am getting sad about leaving my family and friends again. It's been so good to see them and, for the last two weeks, I've really come to expect to see them every day. Coming downstairs in the morning and seeing my Mom on the computer and Dad making coffee or toasting bread... I'm really going to miss that. I've missed being able to call Diana at a decent hour of my day, and on occasion hopping into a car to meet her for coffee or dinner. And it's wonderful to have seen all of my friends from church.
I'm also nervous about the new year. I've got a course on Greek Religion coming up. My supervisor literally wrote the book on Greek Religion. I've also got a nice set of essays to get through, a set of Greek exams at the end of next term, and this stupid tour to plan. Not to mention the fact that I'm getting back into a rowing shell for the first time in six months, so while my fitness level will go back to being decent (or at least, less embarassing), I anticipate great amounts of pain to begin.
I am talking, of course, about the New York Times' Top 25 Emailed Articles and the respective placements of two recipes. One for Crusty Macaroni and Cheese and one for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. I have laid out my preferences in my previous post.
The Christmas tree is coming down today. It's really sad to see it go. Interestingly, I don't think we have had a tree last with such vigor past Christmas in a long time. Almost no stray needles in the carpet and it's still sucking down water like it was fresh cut. Amazing. Unfortunately, it's going curbside in two days. Matthew undid all of the ornaments today in, like, record speed, and I'm looking at the tree with a dread of having to unstring the lights later tonight. I am *not* looking forward to this.
I am starting to get both nervous for going back to Oxford and also really sad to leave Boston. In addition to the creature comforts like a normal sized bed, cable TV, and food that is both good and cheap, I am getting sad about leaving my family and friends again. It's been so good to see them and, for the last two weeks, I've really come to expect to see them every day. Coming downstairs in the morning and seeing my Mom on the computer and Dad making coffee or toasting bread... I'm really going to miss that. I've missed being able to call Diana at a decent hour of my day, and on occasion hopping into a car to meet her for coffee or dinner. And it's wonderful to have seen all of my friends from church.
I'm also nervous about the new year. I've got a course on Greek Religion coming up. My supervisor literally wrote the book on Greek Religion. I've also got a nice set of essays to get through, a set of Greek exams at the end of next term, and this stupid tour to plan. Not to mention the fact that I'm getting back into a rowing shell for the first time in six months, so while my fitness level will go back to being decent (or at least, less embarassing), I anticipate great amounts of pain to begin.
1.04.2006
macaroni and cheese
At the time that I write this, the New York Times' Dining & Wine section is about six hours old. And there's a lovely article about the joys of macaroni and cheese. Now, I haven't made mac & cheese in a couple of years, and then only out of the Kraft deluxe boxes with the little squeezy tube of what was supposedly a multi-cheese sauce. They weren't bad (I actually have rather fond memories of them), but I have never, ever made macaroni and cheese from scratch. It terrifies me. I tried making a cheese sauce for Welsh Rarebit once. Never. Again. And I've made a spinach and artichoke dip one time, which requires quite a lot of cheese. It was great until I had to clean up.
Bottom line is, I am terrified of cooking with cheese. I love cheese. And I'll put it on sandwiches or eat it off of a cheese board. I miss the great English cheese boards that Keble manages to whip up. Great goat cheese, a big wedge of stinky stilton, a nice tangy cheddar and a melty brie... I've been eating a lot of stilton here in Boston, but there's something about the haughty and ancient air of Oxford that does lend a little extra to each bite of stilton and sip of port. But I digress.
I bring up the time that I'm writing this because it'll be interesting to track for today, and possibly tomorrow, the relative popularities of two recipes which are already on the Times' Top 25 Emailed List. That is, a recipe for creamy macaroni and cheese, or a recipe for crusty macaroni and cheese. I have always prefered creamy to crusty, though I counted myself lucky to get a nice crunchy edge piece when mac & cheese day rolled around in high school. So what's it going to be, you epicurean readers of the New York Times? At the moment, it's creamy ahead of crusty (#12 and #13, respectively).
By the way, I just realized that the posting times still reflect British time, so I have gone back to the previous two posts and edited the timestamps.
Bottom line is, I am terrified of cooking with cheese. I love cheese. And I'll put it on sandwiches or eat it off of a cheese board. I miss the great English cheese boards that Keble manages to whip up. Great goat cheese, a big wedge of stinky stilton, a nice tangy cheddar and a melty brie... I've been eating a lot of stilton here in Boston, but there's something about the haughty and ancient air of Oxford that does lend a little extra to each bite of stilton and sip of port. But I digress.
I bring up the time that I'm writing this because it'll be interesting to track for today, and possibly tomorrow, the relative popularities of two recipes which are already on the Times' Top 25 Emailed List. That is, a recipe for creamy macaroni and cheese, or a recipe for crusty macaroni and cheese. I have always prefered creamy to crusty, though I counted myself lucky to get a nice crunchy edge piece when mac & cheese day rolled around in high school. So what's it going to be, you epicurean readers of the New York Times? At the moment, it's creamy ahead of crusty (#12 and #13, respectively).
By the way, I just realized that the posting times still reflect British time, so I have gone back to the previous two posts and edited the timestamps.
1.02.2006
catching up
So I've needed to post in a while. I haven't, because I'm a lazy idiot. Perhaps idiot is too strong a term. I am certainly lazy.
Christmas was very good - it was great to be able to celebrate with my family. The Christmas party to which I referred in my last post went smashingly, despite the rain outside. I ended up having to direct traffic in our driveway, as we have a long driveway that's not really conducive to people turning around in snow and slush. Nevertheless, there was a ton of food, and some of our friends even came up from New York to visit.
I got the West Wing season 5 DVD set. That's the last season that was on while I was in the US, and I didn't see all of them. I know it's the first post-Sorkin season, and it's by far the weakest. Still, for the sake of continuity, and also because I love the characters, I am excited to start watching them soon.
Speaking of the West Wing, I'm really sad to hear of the death of John Spencer, who really held the show together for me more than any other actor. I am most sad see him go. Also, last night I was flipping through channels when I saw The American President on TV. First and foremost, I don't think it is at all reasonable to have Michael Douglas as President. But even weirder than that was watching Martin Sheen as the President's Chief of Staff, on a set that looks, y'know, *exactly* like the set for the West Wing. And it's surreal to have people say "Mr. President" and have the response come from someone else.
Anyway, I got to spend New Years with Diana, which was a lot of fun. And I called a bunch of people to catch up with them before the midnight bell. Alexandra in DC, Eric in New York, Ray in New York, and Marisa in NY/NJ. Apologies to those I was unable to call - I don't have all of my old phone numbers as my SIM card doesn't work in my new phone. Same phone number, different SIM, so no old numbers. Marisa just left me the funniest message yesterday. She's freaking hilarious.
It's Diana's and my anniversary today. :) One year. In this particular incarnation of the relationship. Simon and Basak got engaged in October, which was their one-year anniversary of dating. This is, I would have to say most emphatically, not going to happen today. Unless Diana has something up her sleeve, which I doubt.
Went outlet shopping today. I'd forgotten how much I absolutely detest outlet shopping. Ick.
My mother and I have been locked in battle these past few days over Sudoku. We are pretty evenly matched, except that she won today's just now. It's a lot of fun, and probably something that we can keep up over the long distance.
Christmas was very good - it was great to be able to celebrate with my family. The Christmas party to which I referred in my last post went smashingly, despite the rain outside. I ended up having to direct traffic in our driveway, as we have a long driveway that's not really conducive to people turning around in snow and slush. Nevertheless, there was a ton of food, and some of our friends even came up from New York to visit.
I got the West Wing season 5 DVD set. That's the last season that was on while I was in the US, and I didn't see all of them. I know it's the first post-Sorkin season, and it's by far the weakest. Still, for the sake of continuity, and also because I love the characters, I am excited to start watching them soon.
Speaking of the West Wing, I'm really sad to hear of the death of John Spencer, who really held the show together for me more than any other actor. I am most sad see him go. Also, last night I was flipping through channels when I saw The American President on TV. First and foremost, I don't think it is at all reasonable to have Michael Douglas as President. But even weirder than that was watching Martin Sheen as the President's Chief of Staff, on a set that looks, y'know, *exactly* like the set for the West Wing. And it's surreal to have people say "Mr. President" and have the response come from someone else.
Anyway, I got to spend New Years with Diana, which was a lot of fun. And I called a bunch of people to catch up with them before the midnight bell. Alexandra in DC, Eric in New York, Ray in New York, and Marisa in NY/NJ. Apologies to those I was unable to call - I don't have all of my old phone numbers as my SIM card doesn't work in my new phone. Same phone number, different SIM, so no old numbers. Marisa just left me the funniest message yesterday. She's freaking hilarious.
It's Diana's and my anniversary today. :) One year. In this particular incarnation of the relationship. Simon and Basak got engaged in October, which was their one-year anniversary of dating. This is, I would have to say most emphatically, not going to happen today. Unless Diana has something up her sleeve, which I doubt.
Went outlet shopping today. I'd forgotten how much I absolutely detest outlet shopping. Ick.
My mother and I have been locked in battle these past few days over Sudoku. We are pretty evenly matched, except that she won today's just now. It's a lot of fun, and probably something that we can keep up over the long distance.
