Girl Detective

#38 in my book challenge for the year, and #14 in my summer reading challenge, though it wasn’t on my list, was Because of Winn Dixie by Twin Cities author and transplanted southerner Kate DiCamillo. Kate read for a community event over the weekend from this book, and did an extended Q & A for her audience, mostly kids and their parents. Because of Winn Dixie bucks convention because its the story of a _girl_ and her dog. Like the Littmus Lozenges of the story, Because of Winn Dixie is a mix of elements both sweet and sad. It includes some tragic stuff, like an alcholic absentee mom and a drowned child. Yet the main character, India Opal Buloni, and the reader are able to bear these because the story and its cast of characters are so strongly woven and supportive.

I wondered a few days ago what fate spammers deserve, and I continue to battle spam even after turning off comments. Then I received a forwarded email that warned of the dangers of ball pits, since a little boy died of a heroin overdose after being stuck by a needle from one. I checked Snopes, confirmed it was a fake, but wondered: what Dantean level of hell is reserved for authors of fraudulent dead-child emails?

I tried, and did not entirely fail, to make a salad similar to the club salad from Houston’s. I used this recipe for the honey-mustard dressing. It made far too much even when I halved the amount. I recommend quartering the amount and going light on the honey, and have put my approximations below. Making this salad is based on the assumption that you have leftover chicken tenders in the house; otherwise it would be far too much of a pain to make. Our leftovers were from a recipe for Firecracker Chicken from Cook’s Country. (Sorry no link for the recipe, but it’s from the current issue, August/September 2006.)

Club Salad (serves 2 as a meal)

1 bag or 2 hearts of romaine (about six cups)
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 hard cooked egg, sliced
1 ripe Haas avocado, sliced
4 chicken tenders

Honey Mustard dressing

1/4 c. olive or other vegetable oil
1 Tbl. cider vinegar
2 Tbl. honey
2 Tbl. dijon mustard
3 Tbl. mayonaise
pinch garlic salt

Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.

If using bagged lettuce, sort through, then wash and spin dry. Think I’m being paranoid? Think again. If using hearts of romaine, strip off any wilted or brown outer leaves, wash until clean. Spin dry and break into bite-size pieces.

If you have already cooked bacon, crumble it. If you don’t, chop or cut bacon with scissors into small pieces, fry until crisp, remove with slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.

To boil eggs: Poke hole with pushpin or needle in fat end of egg to puncture membrane. Cover eggs with water. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and cover for fifteen minutes. Transfer to ice bath for 5 minutes.

To slice avocado: slice with butter knife in skin, then use spoon to scoop out slices.

Reheat chicken tenders at 350 for five minutes. Remove and chop into 3/4 inch pieces.

Divide romaine between bowls. Top with crumbled bacon, egg, avocado, and chicken. Drizzle with honey mustard dressing. (Do not pre-dress the greens, the dressing is heavy and the salad will quickly become too wet.) Serve immediately.

Toddler will not nap
Five month baby on the move?!
Oh my goddess, help.

The toddler did eventually nap, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing and posting this today.

For more motherhood haikus, visit Haiku of the Day, the site of Kari Anne Roy, author of Haiku Mama. The friend who gave me the book noted, and I agree, that it’s funnier now that I have more than one kid. I’m not sure why; perhaps because illusion and romance have worn off, and a sense of humor has become one of the best survival tools.

A reader, N., wrote that she had finished an outline for a novel, and wondered what next steps to take. I am no expert, just another writer trying to get published. Writing, I suspect, is like just about everything else on the planet. Every person does it differently and has different things that help, or hinder.

I started the manuscript I sent out during National Novel Writing Month in 2002. NaNoWriMo is a contest of sorts, in which writers are challenged to churn out a 50K manuscript in 30 days. Nothing matters except word count. NaNoWriMo was useful for me because I’m terrible at finishing things, so I thrive on arbitrary deadlines (see my book and movie challenges.) I picked a topic, created some characters, and started typing. No outline. No plan. Just a vague idea and a crazy-ass deadline.

After I had the 50K rough draft from NaNoWriMo, I took classes at the Loft Literary Center. I took 3 classes (the same one twice) and got a new draft out of each. The current draft is, I think, the seventh one. The manuscript changed significantly with each draft.

National Novel Writing Month is one way to write a novel. It worked for me in 2002. It did not work for me in 2004. I wrote 50K, but so far I have yet to turn those 50K words into a useable manuscript. Another option is to take classes at the Loft Literary Center. I recommend the longer classes rather than the shorter workshops, since the signal to noise ratio is better. Still another piece of advice I’ve found helpful came from local writer, Kate DiCamillo, who writes 2 pages a day. She says it’s good not only for getting writing done, but also for working through writer’s block.

For more ideas, consult any book on writing. Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is useful, if only for the assurance that there’s someone crazier than me out there. Some people swear by Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, others by Stephen King’s On Writing, others still by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. I recommend checking writing books out of the library rather than purchasing, since what works is so individual. Finally, for any person juggling novel writing and motherhood, I found this helpful (previously noted here):

My advice for young women writers is just do it. Don’t wait for some ideal point in your life when you will finally have “time to write.” No sane person ever has time to write. Don’t clean the bathroom, don’t paint the hall. Write. Claim your time. And remember that a writer is a person who is writing, not a person who is publishing. If you are serious about it, you will realize early on that (particularly if you expect to have children) you can’t take on a high-power career in addition to writing. You probably can’t be a surgeon, and have children, and “write on the side.” (On the other hand, you could marry a surgeon, thereby solving the whole problem.)–Lee Smith

I stopped going to yoga during my first trimester carrying Guppy, since I was so tired all the time. I had the choice between yoga class or a nap; I picked the latter. I returned to my yoga mat yesterday for the first time in about a year; I went to a 90-minute class at my local gym. While my husband thought I might want to take it easy and leave early, I stayed to the end, and was rewarded with a nice, long savasana. I love instructors who don’t skimp on this essential part of the practice. It was a humbling class; I had to do many modifications and rest often. Previously, when I’ve been away from yoga, it took as long to recoup as I’d been away. It is discouraging to think it will take a year to work back to my former practice, which wasn’t any great shakes to begin with. Who knows, though. Perhaps I’ll end up being able to do poses that I could not before. In any case, it was good to be back.

#37 in my book challenge for the year, and #13 in my book challenge for the summer, was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This was my second reading, and I felt again disappointed that I came to this book so late in life. I wish I would have grown up with it. I find it a fascinating book to compare and contrast with Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Both have social commentary, and charismatic, passionate couples. Yet where Austen focuses much on the comedy of manners and witty repartee, Bronte is crammed with literary references and a deeper exploration of emotions and sexuality. Jane Eyre was one of the first books written in part from the perspective of a child. Told in first person, with frequent addresses to the reader, it fits comfortably into the conventions of modern young-adult literature. It birthed the trope of the madwoman in the attic, deployed in modified form in DuMaurier’s Rebecca. I was reminded somewhat of the plot of Susan Howatch’s Glittering Images, a book (and consequent series) with interesting religion, but very problematic treatment of women. Additionally, I was put in mind of the myth of Adam’s first wife, Lilith, though neither of my editions mentioned this connection. I looked up Lilith on Wikipedia (see the section”Lilith as Adam’s first wife” about 2/3 of the way down). Lilith is also mentioned on the Bronteblog as part of a scholarly precis, which notes that Charlotte Bronte referred to Lilith in her later novel, Shirley.

In the wake of turning off comments, yet still having to field spam and edit individual old posts that are attracting said spam, I wonder: to what level of hell would Dante consign the people who create and refine spam? I have no doubt they’d have plenty of company, what with junk-mail creators and telephone solicitors. I might want to reserve a special hell, though, for door-to-door solicitors. I put up a sign, and still the exempt groups brazenly come knocking. Perhaps I should change my sign from “No Solicitors” to “Just Go Away”.

People might get the wrong idea.

Then again, maybe they wouldn’t.

We are trying to “teach” five-month-old Guppy to fall asleep on his own. He did this very well for his first four plus months, and then he learned to roll over. We’d put him in bed on his back, he’d roll over to his tummy, and scream. We’d flip him back, he’d roll over and scream. Lather, rinse, repeat. He was and has been adamant about not learning to roll from his tummy to his back, though that is supposedly (according to the oft-cursed, oft-wrong baby books) easier and learned earlier. So we had a choice–either we keep up the flip-n-scream till he finally fell asleep before he could flip over, or we encourage him to sleep on his tummy, since he’s no longer a newborn and the SIDS risk is lower. The problem with the former option was that even when we did this–because we tried–when he woke in the night, he’d automatically roll to his tummy, so we’d have to go through the flip-n-scream multiple times in a night. After a few nights of that, we decided that we’d all be happier if he learned to sleep on his tummy, with the hope that he’ll eventually learn to roll the other way. But this option is still a lesser of evils, and there’s has been much more crying at nap and bedtime, which puts us all on edge.

I strive to post five times a week, but this week I am feeling thwarted, though perhaps by my own hand. Yesterday we had a friend of Drake’s over for a playdate, while I attempted to do six loads of laundry, mop the kitchen floor, make some progress reading Jane Eyre, and resurrect–and more importantly, de-crustify–the high chair now that Guppy is on the verge of so-called solid foods. Unsurprisingly, I was unable to read or write online, especially since Guppy’s idea of when to wake from his nap differed greatly from mine.

#41 in my movie challenge for the year was Syriana, which I had wanted to see in theaters, and never managed to pull off, since getting to a theater for a movie is much harder these days with two kids. I’m actually glad I didn’t. It’s a complex movie that I needed to do a few rewinds on for dialogue. It’s dark, challenging, and very well done. I’d been warned in advance that it’s hard to keep track of the plot, so I didn’t get too concerned about the details. It’s an impressionistic movie, and by the end, the story was clear in spite of so many details. Clooney’s performance is the anchor, yet the other actors–Chrisopher Plummer, Chris Cooper, Jeffrey Wright, Matt Damon, Alexander Siddig–are all excellent. There is a scene with a young boy, though, that so upset my husband G. Grod that he couldn’t finish the movie, and that still makes we uncomfortable, so if you’re the parent of a young child, you might want to save watching this for a day when you’re feeling emotionally resilient. This is a movie that would benefit from re-watching, yet it’s so bleak (nearly hopeless, I think) that I’m not sure I could bear to do so.

#40 in my movie challenge for the year was the original The Producers movie, directed by Mel Brooks, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. It is easy to envision this as a stage play, harder to imagine the recent film remake as an improvement, save perhaps for Will Farrell, who probably did wonderful things with the playwright role. Very funny, it has aged rather well. Wilder at times reminded me of my toddler, Drake: “I’m wet, I’m wet, I’m in pain!” Except that Drake doesn’t carry a blankie.

If you live in the Twin Cities and shop in one of the many grocery cooperatives, you’ve likely purchased and enjoyed some of the excellent produce from local farmers Atina and Martin Diffley of Gardens of Eagan. My favorites are corn in summer, squash in fall, and dinosaur (lacinato) kale in winter. This local, organic farm is in danger because of a proposed oil pipeline. While the pipeline is supposed to bring cleaner and more efficient energy, Gardens of Eagan is not able to be moved or replaced. Please help support Gardens of Eagan. Follow either of the links for more information, and where to write a letter asking that a different route be used for the pipeline.

I am Wile E. Coyote. And my metaphorical Roadrunner is the self-tanner. Two years ago, I tried Clarins and Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. The former smelled, while the latter made a huge mess of my tub; both turned my skin orange. Last summer I resisted the siren call because I felt so nauseated in my first trimester carrying Guppy. This year, though, I succumbed. I tried Dove Energy Glow Daily Moisturizer with Self-Tanners, seduced by its Campaign for Real Beauty ad and model, and its claims of subtle change. But the song remains the same. In spite of exfoliation, shaving, and a preventive sheen of moisturizer over knees and ankles, my legs have weird, orange-y streaks and overly pigmented knees and ankles. My arms don’t look bad, though, and it hardly smells at all, even to my sensitive schnoz. But I have to stop doing this to myself every year. IT’S JUST NOT WORTH IT.

I’ve turned off the comment feature. I was getting hundreds of spam emails a day. Additionally, this recent article, via Arts and Letters Daily, reminded me that good online discussions rarely happen organically in the comments section. Any comments can still be emailed to me. I love to hear from you, even if I am tardy to respond. (How long do you think I can use the new-baby excuse? He’s five months, now.) They stand a much greater chance of a reply, and I will post interesting follow-up discussions that arise out of email.

#36 in my book challenge for the year, and #12 in my summer reading challenge was Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. I started it once before, but had to put it down because some other book had to play through for a book group. Tam Lin is worth reading and I’m glad I did, but I think its problematic parts outweigh its praiseworthy ones.

What’s Good: This is an engaging girl’s college novel about Janet, the daughter of an English prof and an English major at Blackstock College, based on Minnesota’s Carleton College. My edition has a gorgeous cover, though the upcoming edition does not. The details of college life are well-drawn and frequently amusing. Janet’s insights into many and various works of English and classical literature are interesting, erudite, and might provoke me into expanding my reading list. Shakespeare fans especially will find much to savor. There are refreshingly realistic discussions of teen sexuality in several places that were not graphic. Also, the story of the campus ghost and the odd behavior of Classics majors and professors were intriguing, and kept me reading till the end to find out how the Tam Lin ballad would play out.

What’s Not So Good: This novel, at 468 pages, is about twice as long as it needs to be. Pacing and proportion are serious problems that negatively impacted the almost non-existent plot. Set from the fall of Janet’s first year to Halloween of her fourth, the book spends far too long on freshman year–sophomore year doesn’t start till page 318! The overlong descriptions and analyses of the plays Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and The Revenger’s Tragedy could have been cut with no deleterious effects. The latter especially, though it featured prominently in the story, was more annoying and unbelievable than not. Janet is the best-drawn character. While the others aren’t so flat to be two-dimensional, many don’t quite achieve a credible complexity. There are also rather too many significant looks and stifled comments since the reveal takes so long to arrive. While the threads of the Tam Lin story are spun from the beginning, they grow so thin from being drawn out that the end of the book is rushed, and most of the relevant, ballad-related action and information takes place in the last fifty pages. This made for a less than satisfying conclusion, and left me with many unanswered questions about this book’s take on the faerie folk and the humans who attend them.

The thought of a hot oven and heavy food is as oppressive as the heat and humidity. I’ve been relying much on salads, since the local, organic lettuces are so fine.

Last night was Firecracker Chicken Salad from Cook’s Country (new website when I checked today), with leftover chicken tenders and romaine tossed with a spicy dressing, chow mein noodles, and mandarin oranges.

I’ve searched the web, and have not been able to find a menu that includes, or a recipe for, Houston’s Club Salad, which was a favorite of mine in college. From other descriptions, and memory, I’m going to try a salad of romaine, chicken tenders, avocado, hard-boiled egg, crumbled bacon, and honey mustard dressing. I’ll post a recipe if I succeed.

If I can find some promising looking steak this weekend, we’ll have steak with arugula and parmesan. This recipe came from an email solicitation for The Quick Recipe; it convinced me to buy the book. I’ve probably used this single recipe, though, more times than I’ve used the entire book.

Tuscan-Style Steak with Arugula and Parmesan
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes

For the best results, use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and genuine Parmesan cheese. The greens may be washed and dried up to a day ahead of time, but the vinaigrette should be made the same day for the best flavor. If the arugula is very mature, tear the leaves into 2 or 3 pieces. Serve a crusty loaf of bread alongside to soak up any remaining vinaigrette and juices from the steak.

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
(about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 boneless strip steaks, 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick (8 to 10 ounces each),
trimmed of exterior gristle and patted dried with paper towels
8 cups loosely packed arugula
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, cut into thin shavings

1. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, oregano, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Meanwhile, season the steaks liberally with salt and pepper. Lay the steaks in the pan and cook, without moving, until a well-browned crust forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip the steaks. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more for rare (120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) or 5 to 6 minutes for medium-rare (125 degrees). Transfer the steaks to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Divide the arugula evenly among 4 individual plates. Cut each steak crosswise into thin strips and arrange the steak over the arugula. Drizzle any juices that collected from the meat over the greens. Rewhisk the dressing and drizzle it over the steak and greens. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

After a string of disappointing movies, #39 in my movie challenge, Last Holiday, was a sweet little gem. Queen Latifah is told she has three weeks to live, so cashes in her savings and departs for the European luxury resort of her dreams. It’s utterly predictable, with a few eye-rolling scenes, and overlong at almost 2 hours. Yet it is mostly directed with a light touch, and features such charming actors (Latifah foremost among them), that the end result is winning. This is what a holiday movie should be–life affirming–not ham-handedly dreadful like The Family Stone.

Even in my small, local grocery co-op, shopping can be difficult, especially if I take both Drake and Guppy with me. By the time I get to the end, I feel the need for a sustaining treat to get me through checkout, bagging and the ride home. Cannily, my store stocks individual cans and bottles of Izze sparkling juice and the non-guilt-inducing sized bars of Dagoba organic chocolate before the register lines, just where my spirit usually flags. I’ve made a sort of game, pairing complementary flavors of soda and chocolate. Here are my favorites, thus far.

Pomegranate Izze/Lime Dagoba chocolate bar
Blueberry Izze/Lavender Dagoba chocolate bar
Clementine Izze/Lime or Dark Dagoba chocolate bar
Grapefruit Izze/Mon Cherri Dagoba chocolate bar
Pear Izze/Dark Dagoba chocolate bar

I grew up in central Ohio, moved away at 19, and have lived elsewhere ever since. Since family is still there, though, I visit a couple times a year. An ongoing frustration for me is getting food of similar quality to what I’ve come to appreciate in Minnesota, which has both a good restaurant culture as well as an emphasis on local, organic foods.

The first meal I made when we returned from our recent trip to Ohio was Mediterranean chicken, with local chicken and zucchini, and organic cherry tomatoes. Next, I made a roasted red onion and pear dinner salad, with a mix of local Lolla Rossa and red leaf lettuces instead of those called for in the recipe. The night after that was pan-seared local pork chops with parsley-olive relish, and brown sugar shortcakes with local red and black raspberries and heavy cream for dessert.

All recipes are from Cook’s Country, which has become my first stop for cooking ideas. The recipes are well-tested, so they work. They are seasonal, so they include ingredients that are not only readily available, but that are often locally grown. I have drastically cut spending in almost every area of life except on groceries. Not only does local, sustainably farmed food taste better to me, but my money goes to local farmers and local food cooperatives, so it stays in the community.