Thoughts on Leaving

Well, have I been woefully negligent in posting, or what?  I started a bunch of posts over the summer and never finished them.  Until now... so, apologies for the newsreader bomb, subscribers.  

Anyhow, the big news this summer, if you don't already know it, is that we are moving! To Hawaii!  Mr. Jenspin got a promotion, and that promotion is on Oahu.  It hasn't felt real. It gets a little more real as days pass, but I still can't believe it, even though all our household belongings (that which we didn't give away or sell - which was a lot) is in a shipping container somewhere between Florida and Honolulu, our car gets picked up and shipped tomorrow, I quit jobs I loved and don't have anything lined up in Hawaii yet, and we had to say a lot of goodbyes to a community we specifically moved to seven years ago.  

We had to do a lot of figuring-out about what to do with our belongings. We purged a lot in some typical summer-cleaning, but we had to decide what really made the cut, as we had a finite volume of a shipping container to constrain us.  What comes with us? What sells? What stores?  And since it was summer, I spent a lot of time in the lovely home we built and continually improved. I have been sad to leave my gorgeous kitchen, my big screened patio, the luxurious bathtub. And I had to ask myself, Do I love Jesus more than my stuff? And, if I'm honest with myself, sometimes the answer is no.  But then, isn't that a fundamental question? "Stuff" isn't just stuff. Could be "spouse". Or "job". Lots of little gods, all competing for our allegiance. Which we so readily surrender.

So, believing that the opportunity was from God, we pursued it, willing to shed things like belongings, like houses, which I've discovered often cause people hesitation in decisions to follow after God's desires.  Come, follow Me.  Sell your belongings, give the money to the poor. Don't look back.  The invitation is deceptively simple.

As we decided to move over the summer, that meant my last day of school - a lot of lasts, really - had already happened. And I was grateful for that, because I think if I'd known I'd been experiencing my last whatever, along with my seniors, I'd have been miserable. And instead, it was a season of such joy.  Unlike any other.  And that joy, along with a natural sense of completion in graduating off my seniors, made the decision feel fairly natural. I actually went back to campus this fall, to help out with the new teacher's transition the first week of classes. I was glad for the opportunity to see students one more time. But the lasts I thought I'd been spared, I had to confront them. A little. It's a new school every year, but this time it's different.  The increment of change seems much larger. It's familiar, but a lot of the students are new, a lot of the faculty is new. New programs, new classes, new people; it didn't feel quite like mine any more.

I keep saying it's not goodbye, it's really see-you-later - and I really do trust that's more than lip service.  With modern methods of communication and personal broadcasting, I'm in contact with hundreds of people all across the globe that I otherwise never would have seen again.  Plus, our lives have gone in such a crazy path I never would have predicted, I can't discount seeing people again.  It's not like we are moving to a beautiful vacation destination or anything.  It's just so weird, I keep getting fleeting thoughts like "we are moving to Hawaii.  Do you hear yourself??" I don't know when it will really sink in.  Or stop feeling like vacation.

If there's one thing that I've learned, moving to college, to grad school, to California, to Florida, it's that I always find my people.  And there's always room for more favorites.

Anyhow, we're currently en route, stopping in Indiana to visit family before heading to the middle of the ocean.  I'll continue to post updates as conditions warrant.  It's exciting, having the prospect of a new place to explore, a new culture to navigate, even a language to learn.  It's decidedly foreign, but doesn't require a passport.  Aloha!

California Dreaming

So I'm about to go back to CA for the first time in five years. I'd been having strong Monterey cravings over the past year, and I am super-excited to be visiting again.

Something I've always remembered from the treacly Life's Little Instruction Books is:

"Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard."

I've done the NorCal thing, and I get what he means. I led a very cushy life. Very comfortable. An embarrassing wealth of pleasures. And I'd love to live in New York - sort of almost kind of did once - but I get by with visiting regularly.

Whenever I mention to people where I used to live, the question I get is "...why did you move to Florida??" I always mention the cost of living difference, and, to some, the divine direction. Sure, there is a lot of stuff to love about the Central Coast of California. I miss the contrast in topography - the mountains diving down into the ocean. That just can't be found here, in the Land of One Contour Line. But I do enjoy that I can get in the ocean here. I miss the food - the freshness and the culture. I miss the intellectualism (though it borders on snobbery - oh, who am I kidding? even though it often trampled right into snobbery) - at least, the greater value of education, even if sometimes it was misguided.

If only I could take my friends and my work and my students and export them to California. Or, like the backdrop of a movie set, switch out Florida for California behind us all. But, maybe there's something to the discomfort of Florida. I've had to work a lot harder to find the things that brought me pleasure that were found so easily in California - the farmer's market, the art supplies, the beauty, the wineries (okay, not the wineries - just checking that you were still reading). And as a result, I appreciate them more. I don't take my discoveries for granted as much as I otherwise would. And it's also a useful reminder that this world is far from what it was designed to be. And a further challenge to be content in my surroundings, no matter the circumstances.

Ah, Summer!

I've had quite the leisurely week - exactly the kind that summer break is supposed to provide. Good, restorative days that lead you to forget exactly what day it is.

Monday - Beach!

Spent a terrific day with terrific company at New Smyrna Beach, which has the powdery sand of Daytona without its gross spring-break-iness. Went out in the water (70-something-degree water felt a lot warmer in the midwest, in my youth!) and played around in the waves. Got caught in a bit of a rip, but in shallow enough water that I could eventually walk (against a lot of water) out of it. A thunderstorm cleared the beach after a couple hours, so we headed home, where I took a 5h nap on the sofa - apparently a yellow sun depletes all my superpowers.

Tuesday - Baking!

Baked up a storm - some ginger cookies, snickerdoodles, and gougeres for friends and family.

Wednesday - Berries!

Spent the afternoon picking berries and making jam with one of my favorite people in the world. The conversation was great, and the picking was very pleasant. Thornless bushes, loads of easily plucked berries, and not many flying or crawling creatures in the plants.

Thursday - Pool!

Lunched and lounged with some lovely ladies around the pool. Watched some small sailboats maneuver around the lake, which, along with a Vanity Fair picture of Grace Kelly, made me want to learn to sail. [Where does one learn to sail, exactly?] Again with the yellow sun - fell asleep on the sofa and was out all night.

Friday - Spices!

Went into Winter Park to go to the Williams-Sonoma (unsuccessful trip - the one thing I wanted to get is now online-only :-\ ), as well as our new Penzey's store. I adore Penzey's - the official spice supplier to our household - the quality is fantastic, and the price is equivalent to, if not cheaper than, the local grocery stores. I had run low on Turmeric, Cloves, Coriander (which I forgot), and Crystallized Ginger, plus I had a coupon for a free jar of anything. I spent twenty minutes sniffing everything in the store - a comparison I obviously never get to do when shopping online. I was finally able to compare all the cinnamons side-by-side, and ruled out a few spice blends and herb mixes I thought I might try as my freebie. Normally, I eschew baking blends (e.g. "pumpkin pie spice") because I already have the constituent spices or I prefer to have proportion control. But, I picked them up and smelled them anyhow. I took one whiff of their Cake Spice and knew it was coming home with me. Something of it (probably the touch of anise) reminds me of my childhood. And it makes the best cinnamon toast in the universe.

Saturday - Books!

Finally went to a used bookstore in town that a friend had talked up for a year or so. I think we spent over an hour in there, but I could have easily spent two more. They have a very carefully-edited collection. Normally, used bookstores have indiscriminate selections and you have to wade through an awful lot of junk to find the gems. Here, there were so many gems! Lots of classic literature, decent contemporary fiction, and a huge room of Christian apologetics/philosophy/etc. I was completely unprepared - I should have reviewed my wishlist before going. But, it's not very far from home, and once I make some progress on my summer-reading pile, I'll go back and spend longer browsing the shelves.

Came home with the following, for a whopping $22:

That afternoon, I finished and delivered a birthday cake for a friend - but I won't post a picture yet because I'm hoping it might make it into a future issue of Cake Central magazine.

Sunday - Laughing!

Worked the coffee bar at church all morning, then spent the afternoon watching Noises Off!, one of my husband's favorite shows. The first act was a little stiff, but boy, was the cast in their element in the second! Laugh-out-loud funny in several places, even if I am an easy audience. I'd seen the show before, but having worked onstage and backstage at school performances in the last five years, well, it had a fresh hilarity.

Monday - Lunching!

Woke up early (enough time for Cake-Spice Toast!), met a friend to look through someone's books before they move this week, then met another one of my favorite people in the world for lunch, then had a pedicure. Now, I've only ever had four in my life (weird, as it's really a way of life down here - we saw two young girls and two teenagers while we were there - certainly an outgrowth of year-round flip-flop weather), but this one was pretty great. It's like I have completely new feet! And, TV is decidedly funnier when captioned. For reasons beyond understanding, the salon had Discovery Channel playing - but weird programming for mid-day, like Overhaulin' and some other vehicle-centric show. Some of the insurance-company commercials - barely audible and captioned - were hilarious. Stuff like "I'm a violent windstorm. Shaky shaky" and "Stopping. It's not that hard" seems to read better than it sounds.

Dinner was a lovely pair of composed salads - very summery and very Penzey's - with spice-crusted chicken (Greek for him, Northwoods for her), dried cherries, feta, and homemade croutons with Sandwich Sprinkle and sauteed in olive oil.

3...2...1...

I finally got to see a shuttle launch all up-close-and-personal!

I often disparage the local news channel, especially after having been edited to sound like an absolute ignoramus, but one thing they do really well is NASA coverage. I just happened to see, sometime on Friday, that there was a shuttle mission scheduled to launch early Monday morning. And, most fortuitously, I am on Spring Break right now, so even if it had been scrubbed, I still had a week's worth of early mornings available! AND it was scheduled for 621a, about 30 minutes before sunrise. I thought I had totally missed my last chance for a night launch in August, but no! Hooray! So I immediately made plans to drive to the coast. Which brings me to this morning:

At 200a, after grading papers for what seems like a fortnight, I made myself a travel-mug of coffee, packed up a bag and a lawn chair, and drove off towards Titusville. I was aiming for Space View Park, across the Indian River from Cape Canaveral. It took about 40 min to get there from home (not so on the way back...), and at T-2.5h, there were a fair number of people out and about, but I was able to get free parking within a couple blocks. Before I even got to the park, I noticed a grassy area right up on the water in front of a condo building, and with some prime seating available. So I dropped anchor there, between two palm trees, about ten feet from the shore, with a clear view of the floodlit launch pad. The only thing missing was the park's live control-room audio, but I did have (read: steal) someone's free wireless signal, which meant I could follow the launch blog. And besides, once things get going, you know it!

There was a quiet electricity running through the still-small crowd, and people of all ages were sleeping on blankets on the ground, waiting. The hush was almost reverential. I had packed my ipod, a book, and some knitting to pass the time, but after being up for almost 24h by that point, all I wanted to do was sleep. I was wearing pants, a sweatshirt, and a turtleneck for the 50-something-degree air, and as I was getting out of the car, I thought "why do I need my blanket, it's fine out?". Fool. I know exactly when the lowest temperature of the day happens (right before sunrise), and I hadn't taken into consideration any shoreline breeze when I made that judgment. So, without the expectant giddiness of an imminent shuttle launch, I'd have been pretty miserably cold and sleepy. I managed to nap in my lawn chair for about 20 minutes or so. Checked the blog - everything was still go for launch. There had been some concern about fog and low cloud, but it was perfectly clear. I curled back up in my chair and got another 20 min of sleep. I woke up just in time to miss the ISS passing overhead (grrr). I looked behind me and the crowd around me had quadrupled and had a completely different energy about it. 20 minutes to launch! In what seemed like hardly any time at all, I heard a shouted countdown from one of the viewers somewhere behind me!

I hadn't taken much photographic equipment - no tripod, no telephoto, etc, just my phone (for video) and handheld SLR - because I wanted to actually experience the launch, not "watch" it with my nose stuck behind a viewfinder, trying to get a good shot. I partially succeeded. The photographer in me, though, couldn't help herself (especially with all the tripods set up around me), and I wound up still trying to make some pictures. My photos turned out pretty crappy, but they're not meant to be art, just mere snapshots for my own memory.

It lifted off, and, boy, is the view across the water at night something else! While the first splashes of pre-dawn blue spread across the eastern sky, Discovery rose pretty high pretty fast. It still took a while (a couple minutes) for the sound to finally reach us. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard. A constant, rolling rumbling thunder that just kept going. Spread out over us like ripples in a pond. It's amazing what 30-miles-closer-to-the-coast does for viewing. Shuttles always take off towards the northeast, away from home; as it gets downrange, it gets harder and harder to see, especially with the curvature of the earth and houses and trees obscuring the horizon. Not so on the ocean! We could see it clearly and high for a long time. Even solid-booster-rocket separation (for which everyone cheered - so cute!). As it continued to slip the surly bonds of Earth, this lovely comet-like corona formed around it. I'd never seen anything like it before.

And of course, all that water-vapor spewed into the mesosphere makes for some stunning clouds, particularly after sunset. One of the most beautiful launches (and subsequent clouds) happened about a year ago, just after sunset, also with Discovery. Same lighting, except back-lit instead of from the front. As the sun sank below the horizon to us, it left just the top part of the exhaust trail brightly illuminated, then splashed it with reds and oranges against the inky sky. This time, as the shuttle rose, the sun spot-lit the very top of the trail and continued to illuminate more and more of it as the sky grew lighter.

I stuck around for about 20 minutes after the launch, knowing that trying to get into my car and head back out was a ridiculous idea. Besides, I hadn't actually made it down to the park, and I was praying for a bathroom. I wandered over to the park, which was clearing out, and I was really glad I'd set up camp where I did. The park is nice, but I feel like I had a better viewpoint with far fewer trees and people. I milled around, taking pictures of the filaments of cloud that were starting to tangle and twist in the jet stream. Finally joined the bathroom line, then headed back to the car.

I'm eternally grateful for the GPS in my dashboard, and I realized that I could probably circumvent some traffic if I headed south and joined up with I-95 one exit south of the one I took. Foolish move #3 (#1 was the 24oz of coffee in my system with no bathroom nearby, in case you were keeping track). The on-ramp to I-95 for which I was heading was closed. I don't know what the deal was, but I wound up taking a circuitous route involving SR50 through Christmas, 520 back southeast to the Beeline (SR528) and finally home. After about 2.5 hours! In retrospect, I'd have slept in my car for an hour, grabbed breakfast in Titusville as the rest of the tourists were clearing out, and gotten home at the same time a bit better-rested. Lessons learned.

Nevertheless, I can't wait for the next one! There are only about four left, if we're lucky. I can't help but wonder what will befall the area when the space program changes with the demise of the Space Shuttle program. The Space Coast already seems like a bit of an anachronism, what with the low-rise mid-century ranch homes and this late-60s mystique about the place. You expect to see government engineers with short-sleeve dress-shirts, pocket protectors, and heavy black-framed glasses working in fluorescent-lit offices with acoustical tile and green metal file cabinets. Very I Dream of Jeannie. Some of my compatriots in the bathroom line were of an age that made me think they'd lived on the coast since the inception of the space program, when their husbands (or maybe even they, but that glass ceiling hasn't been cracked for that long), took a job at the insistence of a young president on an otherwise sleepy beach in Florida some forty years ago. They'd probably seen hundreds of launches - rockets and shuttles, successes and failures - and yet they still come out at dawn for one more before the fleet is mothballed.

I have mixed emotions about the shuttering of shuttle flight with no viable alternative, save for some private-venture upstarts. I'm all for progress, and I know that programs get scuttled and funding gets cut, but the space program seems to be dying a slow graceless death even as Discovery gracefully takes wing above it all. Is the Last Frontier nothing but boring to us now? Maybe it's a symptom of a greater trend - as we look around more at ourselves and less to the heavens.

The Scent of Trees

This morning, on the way to school, I was singing in my car - as I do, loudly - when I drove through the orange groves on either side of the road. The scent of springtime orange blossoms is enough for you to stop your car in the street, but all I did was stop mid-verse to breathe in. Later, on the way home, passing the trees again, the stirred-up atmosphere made for more fleeting fragrance - far less intense than the heavy velvet of scent hanging in the still and dark air. But just enough of a flirtation to remind you of its presence. However long it lasts each year.

I am reasonably certain heaven must smell like an orange grove in blossom on a warm spring evening.

Or else like a eucalyptus grove.

The scent of central-coast eucalyptus was even more pervasive, in that it is fragrant year-round, not just for a season. Always present. The cool, humid air forever thick with it. It reminds you where you are. It reminds you of where you used to be.

Long Weekend

Even though (because?) I have tons of work to do this weekend, I'm really glad for the holiday weekend. This morning, I worked against some of my sleep deficit, which grew significantly this week and left me vulnerable to an opportunistic cold virus. I slept until 930a, which was perfect - long enough for good rest, but not too long that I felt I squandered the morning.

Yesterday's grey all-day rain gave way to clear-and-cool today, and I spent far too much of it indoors. As the sun sank, I decided to follow the very advice I gave to someone earlier this afternoon. I took a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood and down to the lake. Meanwhile, I got to see/hear some of the early-evening international arrivals and departures on 35R.

Sponge-o-Rama!

Today, I took my parents on a Gulf-Coast Adventure. We drove 2+ hours to Tarpon Springs, a touristy community north of Tampa, known for its Greek-immigrant population, drawn originally for its sponge industry. The spongebeds are mostly depleted, but the old-Florida tacky-fabulous "museums" and sponge shops remain amidst Greek restaurants and bakeries.

We arrived late in the morning, and scored free parking (under a wire popular with local fowl, who proceeded to foul my car). We went first to get tickets for a boat tour of the Anclote River and out to the Gulf, stopping at a barrier island (Anclote Key) for seashelling.

From there, we went to lunch at Mykonos, where we had potato patties (patatekeftedes or something similar), flavored with lemon, parsley, and feta, followed by souvlaki, Greek salad, and pan-fried shrimp. Too stuffed for dessert, we wandered the main strip, in and out of shops, wishing I had any desire for a natural sponge. They just look gross. It's a textural thing, but they just look icky. I'll take my hot pink synthetic bath poof over a natural sponge any day, sorry Tarpon Springs.

Anyhow, we puttered around until boarding time. Off we went! It was a slow tour out of the river in the no-wake zone, but we got to see several large birds and some dolphin frolicking (and later, fishing).

We motored on out to the key, were we went ashore and collected seashells. I don't know why, exactly, I collected so many, but I will find something to do with them. There were so many, everywhere! Way more than the east coast beaches. We were warned against taking any with live critters in them, partly because we should leave living creatures go about their business, and partly because of the dreadful funk they would create. I noticed a bit of funk coming from my trunk (the whole island emanated that scent). Later, at home, when rinsing, I discovered that I brought a couple of the wee beasties home. :-/

Anyhow, following our return to the dock, we drove out to Sunset Beach, but sunset was obscured by some high clouds, so we took some pictures, watched an engagement-photo session, and were entertained by a trio of high-schoolers who lost a football in a palm tree and subsequently lost about eight large rocks in futile attempts to knock it loose. Watch your heads under palm trees in the middle of Sunset Beach, Tarpon Springs, everyone. Anyhow, we took off towards downtown Tampa, where I knew of a Taco Bell with Chili Cheese Burritos. We navigated there, only to find the Taco Bell... well, no Taco Bell. It is now some pizza place. The up side was the car wash next door, where for 5 bucks, I got my car cleaned (including bird-poop-pressure-wash and hand dry.

Not a bad way to spend a day.

Kitsch Tally:

Pressed Penny Count: 2 (well, okay, 3 because the first one didn't turn out well)

Wacky Wavy Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tube Man Count: 4

O-Rama Count: 1

Discovery

Central Florida may want for charm most days, but there are some things that make living here pretty cool.  

Like a space shuttle launch at sunset.  

And when its landing path is right over your house.

Boom!

Ah, Spring

We're on spring break, and we've had shockingly beautiful weather, real chamber-of-commerce kinds of days. And perhaps it's a bit ungrateful for me to say that I am not quite ready for summer. I'm reluctant to give up my wool and my turtlenecks, even though we have had a decent run of winter. But I'm not quite ready for the summer pattern just yet. That said, we've had a string of days lately that start out pleasantly cool but quickly climb into the 80s under clear skies.

A friend and I spent a lovely day out in town yesterday, at Leu Gardens for a portion of it. The garden admission is waived on Mondays before noon, so it was crowded with retirees, mothers with strollers, and an army of SLR-bearing photographers. Not that we weren't part of it...

Saturday Morning Report

I'm sitting outside on a glorious Saturday morning.  I'm sitting on an airy patio at Whole Foods, waiting for members of my book club.  It's shockingly beautiful outside - just some cirrus in the sky, temperate now but will reach the 80s this afternoon.  There's a farmer's market 50 feet from me.  I have a coffee and a pretzel roll, and I'm listening to a guy-with-a-guitar.  When I saw him drop off his equipment, I immediately figured he was going to drive me inside quickly.  But then he starts playing U2's All I Want Is You, which is one of my favorite songs.  I tell him this, so he aims to go 2 for 2.  Next on his list is The Beatles' In My Life.  Check.

At this point, I don't care if anyone shows up for book club, this is such a delightful way to spend a morning!  Some fresh fruit and chocolate-hazelnut gelato from the market might gild the lily.

Oranges

Citrus aren't my favorite fruits, but since I live in Florida and like to eat seasonally, citrus is about the only thing available right now.  Well, that's not entirely true - Plant City strawberries are beginning to make their debut.  Anyhow, there is a roadside stand, just a table and a tent, on the road to school.  A year ago, I stopped and bought a bag of tangeloes.  I brought them home and planned to eat them out of hand, but when I cut into one, they were so juicy they just begged me to make juice.  And so I did.   And proceeded to make the most fantastic juice I've ever tasted.  Like, sublime.  I'd never been satisfied with freshly-squeezed juice before, because it was always thin and weak and uninspiring.  Suddenly, I knew why advertising copy waxes poetic about freshly-squeezed juice.  The stuff had body and flavor for days.  

Before Christmas this year, the stand offered up some grapefruit and some red navels.  I gave the red navels a go, but they just didn't compare to those tangeloes.  What delight, then, when I discovered the stand has tangeloes out!  A couple weeks ago, I stopped for a bag of them (and a sack of grapefruit).  The juice was just as wonderful as I remembered.  In a very garde-manger moment, I used more of the fruit (than I otherwise would have) and made candied orange peels, even saving the syrup for cocktails later (orange mojitos, orange cosmopolitans, there might have been some orange in the margaritas).  The peels taste just like the jelly orange slices sold next to gumdrops.

Yesterday, I came home with what will likely be the last tangeloes of the season.  They're a bit more acidic than the last collection.  Maybe a result of recent freezes and frosts and the pickers' desire to get them off the trees before our chilly temperatures this morning.   They also had ponderosa lemons, so since all I had was a big bill for the honesty box, I took one of those with my tangeloes.  Haven't decided what to do with it just yet.  It feels like there's a lot of rind, which makes sense, given its citron heritage.

Winter Park Farmers Market

What an enjoyable morning!  Beautiful weather and excellent treats.  The Winter Park market is the closest central-Florida  approximation to the Monterey Market - if not in size and produce offerings, then at least in people-watching opportunities and dog-friendliness.

What my ten dollars bought:

A gigantic bag of kettle corn1 - still hot from the kettle

A carton of yellow tomatoes - you'll see them in the corner of one picture

A tomato plant - only a dollar, so worth the risk

A swanky Robert Talbott tie - from the benefit shop down the road

1 Where can I find "mushroom popcorn" - the kernels that explode into the round puff-balls, instead of the typical butterfly shape?  I can find wholesalers, but I just want a couple pounds for home use...

Restaurant Review

I picked my parents up from the Sanford airport last night - a strange little airport, with lots of British low-cost carriers and signs that warn visitors to look left before crossing - and found a cute little restaurant in an area of town I've never before visited.  

I'm going to start a new tag of posts - reviews.  I'm always quick to give an opinion, and it's good to keep a collection of local places worth visiting.

Two Blondes and a Shrimp

112 E. First St.  Sanford, FL

I found reviews for it in Chowhound.com, and it looked reasonably-priced and had a wide enough menu to please anyone.  Eclectic little restaurant with bar and patio for music.  Quirky waitstaff, exceptionally friendly.

We started with Candied Bacon and Texas Nachos.  The candied bacon was, well, meat candy: brown-sugar glazed crispy bacon strips with a touch of black pepper.  The nachos were usual fare, if not a little over-sour-creamed (even if you like the stuff, which I don't) on cheapy tortilla chips, but with barbecue instead of mexi-beef.  A nice, sweet touch.  Fresh, fluffy biscuits for the table.  The appetizer special last nightwas Oysters Rockefeller, but I couldn't convince anyone else into them.  But I was happy with the bacon!

I had Pecan Chicken, with molasses and pecan crust (skin-on, unfortunately); grilled asparagus; and the Grits-of-the-Day, tomato-basil flavor.  The grits were good for a few bites, but the flavor was just overpowering after that -  it's the same phenomenon as pumpkin ice cream.  I just dig that they have grits du jour, I couldn't pass it up.  Wish I'd had more asparagus instead - it had great flavor, and just the right tenderness.

My dining companions had the same Pecan Chicken, but with garlic mashed potatoes and applesauce (over-cinnamoned for my taste); Bourbon Pork Medallions with corn-on-the-cob (tasted almost... brined, and looked like it had been left in the field for a while - unless it's some kind of heirloom corn) and the same asparagus; and Cola-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with the corn and hoppin' john (white rice topped with black-eyed peas).  We couldn't bear the thought of dessert after all that, though the server did tempt with key lime pie.  Next time!

In all, a good value and a friendly little restaurant with good live-music potential.  

4 flamingoes of 5, particularly if you're picking someone up at the airport.

Tree Frog

I took a picture of this frog on our bathroom window two months ago. It seems a nice accompaniment to Jess's post. I didn't name it. Maybe I should.

Bookstravaganza

Alternate Title: Because Jess Did

My haul from the ridiculous used book sale in Gainesville a couple weeks ago.  I was going to list them here, but it's far more efficient to photograph them.  Even if there is a wonky shadow across the spines and the angle is kind of weird.

Sunset

Tonight's sunset was beyond stunning! Like, stop-everything-leave-the-food-cooking-on-the-stove-and-go-outside-and-gawk beautiful.

Meteorologica

About a week ago, with the onset of April, we had our first taste of summer. Humid mornings, towering clouds swelling to afternoon thunderstorms, temperatures in the upper 80s. I wasn't prepared. Readying myself for open-toed shoes and sandals is hard enough, much less for short sleeves and skirts. Today, though, we had another dose of winter weather. That which passes for winter in Florida: grey skies, drizzle, temperatures barely climbing out of the 60s.

In today's (however brief) return of all-day rain, things just strike me as a little more vibrant than usual. That probably has more to do with the soaking showers we had a week ago, but without the bleaching of strong overhead sun, colors seem a bit more intense today. It reminds me of California. Before the winter weather patterns arrive, the hills turn golden brown in early summer and remain that way through most of the fall. Oh, there's moisture in the air - just barely enough to sustain some kind of dormancy - but no real rain for months. When the rains do come again, green spreads itself over the hills about a week later. I remember returning from Thanksgiving in Indiana one year to see the hills had greened up in our absence; on the long approach path into San Jose from the south that parallels the 101, such delight it was to see that color again. When it does return, it's like an old friend you haven't seen in a while. You don't realize how much you had missed him until he's in your presence.


In my chemistry classes, I teach that acid-base indicators have two forms, one color in the presence of a base and another color in acid. The transition color - a blend between the two, like orange between red and yellow - isn't a separate third form, it is an equilibrium of both colors. Does spring truly exist? Perhaps spring isn't its own season distinct from winter or summer, but instead, it is equal parts both. This swing from winter into summer and back to winter will be followed by summer again - I'm hoping for at least a few days before this happens. I'm grateful for a prolonged slide into summer, but I know this reaction will inevitably go to completion. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the overstuffed clouds and the lightning. But I'll wait patiently for October.

Japanese Potatoes and Performances

I don't have time for cohesive writings on transcendentalists, but I have a few things in the works. Not on transcendentalists.

So, when I have more time, remind me to write about personality "types".

Meanwhile, tonight, I had dinner at a teppanyaki steakhouse, which was fantastic and helped quell my growing Japanese-food craving. The chef stir-fried up some cubed potatoes with my beef. I love meat-and-potatoes, but I never would have thought to add potato to Japanese food. Turns out it's really tasty.

Remind me, when I have more time, to devote a post to a directory of Central Florida restaurants I have enjoyed.

Watching the chef's performance tonight, I was reminded of a long-simmering realization: my desire for the arts is going unsatisfied - mostly a result of finances and time. When I was an undergrad, I joined a campus organization that provided ushers for shows and lectures that came to campus. As a reward for 15 minutes of "work" showing people to their seats, we ushers got to stay and watch the show. It was perfect - not only did ushering foster a talent of gracious and hospitable interaction with the public, it cultivated a taste for the performing arts. I got to see dozens of fantastic shows each year (many for which I probably wouldn't have considered buying a ticket, but was glad to have seen), for nothing! As a graduate student, I was asked to join the advisory board for the Friends of Convocations, which afforded me interaction with artists at exclusive events, too. Then we left college and spent eight years wandering an artistic desert. Fast-forward to last weekend. A colleague offered me tickets to Spamalot at the downtown performing arts center, and I realized that it was only the second time I'd ever been down there in four years. Now, I realize that I don't have a lot of free time, nor do I have a lot of disposable income (it turns out that theatre tickets in the real world are spendy!), but this is just pitiful. I really think I'm missing something in my life, and it just might be chamber music, symphonies, and touring musicals.

I don't know how to fix this. I guess I need a wealthy benefactor. Any takers?

Physics and Philosophy, for the Kindergarten Set

So I've spent some quality time with my six-year-old niece the past two days. Since she's in first grade, she's into learning - which makes it much easier for me to relate to her; I'm self-consciously awkward around young children, and besides, learning is what I do best! Well, at least I like to think so. Anyhow, I'm glad she's moved out of the Let's Pretend! phase that really taxes whatever is left of my creativity. Making up a story about fairies? Not exactly my mileu. Now she's content to be drilled on subtraction questions or telling time or rhyming words. This I can do.

That said, a lot of my material would kill with other audiences, but I'm afraid it's lost on the youth. Maybe it's best we don't have children yet... So on the car ride home from Epcot this evening, she wanted to know whether we would beat the other car (containing my husband, parents-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew). I told her we could go faster in my little Civic, faster than their lumbering minivan. Here's how the rest of the conversation went:

Why?

Because it's harder to get heavier things to move.

Why?

It's inertia.

What's inertia?

[slipping right into Physics Teacher Mode]
It's Isaac Newton's First Law -
things that are standing still will stay still
unless something pushes on them. So if...

But we're moving, what's pushing on us?

The car's engine.

What's pushing the engine?

Gasoline.

What's driving the gasoline?

Our money!

What drives the money?

Capitalism.

What drives capitalism?

Power.

What drives power?

Well, that's a good question.
There are a lot of people asking that very thing.

They should just look it up on the internet.

Indeed. Google gets 'em young, it seems.

Aside from Fun With Primary Schoolers, it was a beautiful evening. Perfect weather. Early spring in Florida is actually quite lovely. Not too humid. Clear. Pleasant for strolling around out-of-doors. I've been hungry for Japanese food for a few days. I met the group at Epcot, and I thought it would be nice to eat at the Japan pavilion; I figured I had no chance in convincing this group to go eat Japanese. As we tried to decide where to eat, my sister in law suggested either China or Japan. Sensing a vulnerability in the defenses, I took the opportunity to strike. Japan it was! Hooray for spicy tuna rolls, sukiyaki beef, vegetable tempura, and green tea! While we were waiting for fireworks at Epcot, I got creative with my camera's long exposures.

Spring Break

Though it feels as though I have squandered this break - in that I have not accomplished everything on my mile-long to-do list, and I didn't jet off to some spectacular destination - there have been some significant bright spots.

Yesterday, I finally went to Fresh Market, and I'm shocked and appalled I haven't been in this place before. It was only a few months ago that I heard about it at all, and since then, several friends have mentioned it. Much to my chagrin, I wish they'd said something to me before, but they all presumed I'd know all about it. Four years wandering this gourmet desert (okay, not really, but compared with what I had in CA...) It's similar to Whole Foods, but more affordable and without all the vegan angst. I mean, I don't feel like my dreadlocked co-shoppers are disdainfully eyeing my leather footwear. Fresh Market carries a lot of the same stuff as Whole Foods, but they're also not too proud to carry Peeps. This, therefore, is a store I can like - easily. Anyhow, a friend and I went shopping for party foods, but I came away with last night's dinner, this morning's book-club brunch, and other stuff with which to stock the pantry, plus tonight's comestibles. And the prices were not altogether unreasonable. Sure, I'll still buy my crackers at Publix, but I bought a marvelous take-and-bake pastry-wrapped chicken entree that was plenty for my husband and me to share for $5.99. Beautiful cakes for $8-14. Wines were comparable in price to most major outlets. Cheese and produce were a little pricey, but I have been ruined by Trader Joes.

It also provided an opportunity to drive through an area of town where I've really never been. That's not hard - with all the central-Florida sprawl, there is a lot of territory to cover. I know my main areas, but I resolve every break to go and investigate areas of town or the state I've not visited before. Even if it's as ordinary as driving around and popping into a shop or cafe as the mood strikes. I didn't do as much of this kind of thing this break as I wanted to. I also wanted to do a lot more reading than I did.

Well, for all the wanted-tos, I did enjoy just resting. School was continually in the front of my head all week, though, so it wasn't purely restful. I have a lot of work to do, for which I will sacrifice tomorrow. As much as I tried to suppress it, the thought of what needs to be done nagged at me most of the week. The end of school will be upon us swiftly. Rest will come later for the weary.