#29 Host Open House each December

I added this item to the list because I thought it would force me to finally invite people to the house. (We still haven't had a house warming!) Last December, I had to pass, since I was still hobbling about on crutches; sometimes life just gets in the way. This year, I had my family and some outlaws over—fourteen in all. We enjoyed appetizers, bigos, pierogis, and cheesecake, and because it was the fourth day in row we were with all the relatives, plenty of alcohol. After dinner, we played a chaotic game of What Were You Thinking? The game is fun for small and large groups, and very easy. All you have to do is think alike! Then everyone had had enough, and I was left with tons of washing up. But it was fun, and I haven't yet tired of the complements on my cooking and decorating.

I started with a recipe for the bigos, but in an uncharacteristic move, I improvised it on my very first go.

2 lbs sauerkraut
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 lb veal
1/2 lb pork
1/2 lb ham
1 kielbasa--don't know which kind, but next time we're doing it with "hunter's kielbasa"
small head of cabbage
3 onions
1 lb mushrooms
butter
dry mushrooms
2 c boiling water
2 bay leaves
1 T caraway seed
1 beer, I used Sam Light since it was the only lager in the fridge (and I wasn't using the Skullsplitter)
3 tomatoes

Bring the sauerkraut (with juice) to a boil. Meanwhile, fry bacon. Throw the bacon in the pot with the sauerkraut once it is browned. In the bacon fat, brown the meats. Add to the pot. Slice the cabbage and add it to the stew. Chop the onions and brown in the butter. Slice the mushrooms and cook with the onions. Throw the cooked onions and mushrooms in the pot. Put a handful of dry mushrooms in the boiling water. Once they are reconstituted, chop the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and their (strained) liquid to the pot. If the liquid level seems low, add a beer. Add bay leaves and caraway. Chop and add three tomatoes (you can used canned).

Bring it to a boil and simmer for a couple of hours. The stew is purportedly better after a day or so. Boil it every day. I made the stew on Sunday and the dude boiled it on Monday. We didn't get to it on Tuesday, but heated it up (to boiling) well in advance of the party on Wednesday. Everyone raved.

Notes: The original recipe called for 1/2 c red wine instead of beer. It also suggested a chopped apple to sweeten it (it's a little tart from the sauerkraut). It called for 1/2 lb game (rabbit, venison) which is a little difficult to procure at the last minute. (But my father had both moose and venison in the freezer, if I'd only known!) And it said you could throw in any other cooked meats you might have. Which is why I decided I could play fast and loose with the recipe.

#36 Finish 3 FUFOs as pillows

I have finished my third pillow—I still only have two photos of these, though. I’m feeling very confident in my pillow making skills these days. Everyone raved about Sissy's pillow. She was just happy that it was a finished gift! (Which is a sad comment on my gift-giving history.) I should definitely work on finishing more of my stitched pieces.

#74 Repaint brown bathroom

I finished four coats, just in time for Christmas and the visit from the relatives. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to put up the blind, but soon. Very soon. I’d show you a photo, but it’s a picture of a bathroom painted white. With pink and burgundy tile (which is why we wanted it to be brown. But with no bathroom fan, there was no way that paint wasn’t bubbling.)

#63 Visit England just before Christmas

I can’t believe we forgot to bring the camera. With any luck, my inlaws will send some photos of us soon.

It was a whirlwind tour! We spent two nights on the floor of a front room in Surrey before being transferred to Wimbledon for two nights on the lumpy fold-out couch in the front room. And then two nights in a proper bed in Durham (with “Cathedral views”—in America, we wouldn’t lie; it would be “Cathedral peeks.”) I fell in love over and over again with my nephews. My SIL has two boys nine months and three years. My BIL has two boys six and four and a half. Am I allowed to have favorites? Because I’d have to say the four-and-a half year old is it. But they all have their unique charms, and I do hope we will get to visit them more often. The happiest part was that we were able to share Christmas with them all. Usually, our parcels arrive in February or April. I reported on the trip here.

#40 Take a sewing class

Sweet, sad, neglected little blog. I haven’t been writing but I have been crossing items off my list.

My sewing class came to an end just before I left for England. Of course, then the Christmas hubbub was upon me. I did finish two projects and begin a third. I made these placemats. (photo to come) My goal is to make matching napkins—I bought plenty of fabric. The napkins will match the little yellow corners.

I also made this bag for my aunt. I’m pretty sure she likes it.


I started the Amy Butler overnight case, and I’ve decided to sign up for the class again so I can finish it with help from a more experienced person. This class has already born fruit: see number 36 above (to be added soon).

#8 Visit the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Penn

Thanks to the FIL's visit, I have achieved No. 8, a visit to the Penn Museum. We only had time for a short visit, because my FIL had to see my husband's office (you know, four plain white walls, a window, basement office). We focused on the people of the Americas, since it's difficult to find stuff like that in Europe. There is an impressive amount of Tlingit materials--because a Tlingit man worked for the museum and collected widely in the area--or stole from his people, but isn't that the problem with anthropology and archaeology and much museum collecting in general? There was an impressive display concerning looting in Iraq, speaking of. I look forward to going back.

Also, I decided that I couldn't be a Hopi woman because I could never make piiki, a bread which is made by spreading a thin batter onto a hot stone with the hand. The bare hand. I can hardly use the oven without burning myself, and no one's telling me to touch anything in there!

Unfortunately, we didn't do anything else from the list. We did spend a few hours on Sunday learning about the battle of Gettysburg. If you ever find yourself there, you must do the rent-a-guide thing. The Park Services has a group of certified guides who will ride around in your car (or drive it!) with you and explain the battle. I so did not care about Gettysburg. (In fact when one of the tourism mongers (fake certified "Town Guides") asked what I was interested in seeing, I said, "Nothing!" This led the dude to be all pissy with me, until I said, "I want to do this because your father wants to do this." There aren't too many comebacks to that.) Anyway, this guide was so interested in it--but in a learny kind of way, not a reenactment dork kind of way--that I really tried to picture 12,000 Confederates coming up over a ridge. I'm pretty sure my FIL knows the exact movements of troops at 3:00 on the second day (they give you that kind of detail) but I am perfectly happy knowing that Gettysburg is Gettysburg because of the 11 roads that converge at that point, that and it was the beginning of the end of the war. That's all I need to know. I think we're going to go back with my dad. I'm sure he'd love it.

#53 Learn CPR

I have been certified to resuscitate adults, children, and infants. I can help choking victims. But don't be faking unconsciousness, because first I shake you then I rub my knuckles on your chest. Go ahead, try it on yourself. It hurts. So no faking.

But I would like everyone who has a child under the age of one to stay away from me until my certification runs out in a year. Because I was totally freaked by practicing on the infant dummy. I don't want any babies choking near me because I do not want to rap the baby on the back; I do not want to make the "baby sandwich" (a way of flipping the baby from the back to the front); I do not want to compress your baby's chest. No, no, no.

Non-fiction

I am still dragging myself through that flu book. It's not that I don't like history or thinking, but it is just taking me so long to read it. I'm about 2/3 of the way through.

I did manage to read Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair in about a minute and a half. It was enjoyable like Laurie's website is.

I wanted to share with you Laurie's list for having better relationships, because I think everyone can learn from it.

Have more sex. Hire a cleaning service so you spend less time being resentful. Go out on dates at least once a week. Always be kind, even when you want to be mean. Listen more, talk less. Don't drink too much wine at a party and accuse him of ...anything. Wear sexier stuff to bed. Have your own life. Have your own goals, interests, and activities. Don't give up being whole. Don't pick someone who'd need you to be less than you are. Choose well. Don't criticize his driving.

I'm working on a few of these. The mean thing. The criticizing the driving thing. I think we need to work on the housekeeper thing too.

Nonfiction: 3.5

#17 Attend three ethnic celebrations in Philadelphia

The dude and I went to "America's Czestochowa" for the 42nd Polish-American fair. We got there in time for lunch so we split an order of pierogi (potato and cheese), a golubki (even though the dude thinks he doesn't like cabbage), plackis (or as we call them latkes--my great-grandmother spoke Polish and Yiddish, though she was Catholic), and a steamed kielbasa sandwich on rye. The dude also tried a Żywiec. And a woman randomly handed him some kind of apple and pear cider which he enjoyed as well. (Because when Polish old ladies hand you a cup, you drink.) Later we found someone with a great pot of bigos, but we were too full to get it (even though it was only $2). Seeing the steaming concoction convinced the dude that we have to make it for our Christmas dinner--we're hosting the relatives on December 26.

At one of the little stands, the dude fell sway to cwikla, beetroot and horseradish relish, which they served to him on a small disc of smoked kielbasa. Of course, he bought a huge jar--the price difference between normal size and huge was only $1. That kind of thing sways him. This will be our appetizer for 12/26.

We wandered through the craft stands. Mostly standard crap fair fare. There were a couple of amber peddlers, and the dude bought me a beautiful pendant for my birthday. (No photos until October.)

Good clean fun!

#91 Paint Craft Room

It's Labor Day, so we labored. The craft room is painted. Ceiling, trim, and walls. Right now, it looks like a big white box, so no photos; you'll just have to take my word for it. You will be able to tell in the photos when the room is complete. Stay tuned.

#21 Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

Thank you all for being so kind as to not mention the um, ballooning disaster in Canada before my flight. In fact, through my own negligence, and my family's protectiveness, I didn't hear about the accident until I showed up for my flight on Saturday evening. Four of us were oblivious which meant four more of us were either idiots or extraordinarily brave--or like me, they just figured what are the chances? (Or like one woman, you can just get totally loaded before you go up in the balloon. Interestingly, she was fulfilling her "life's ambition." It seems to me that your life's ambition shouldn't be something you have to get smashed to do, but that's just me.)

Our pilot reassured us that in 25 years of ballooning, he's never had an accident. I went back to my family--my cousin's husband didn't ride but the whole famn damily came to see me off--and asked who knew about it: they all did. I overheard my cousin explaining to Lala:
"The balloon caught fire."
"Well, some people died but some people were only injured."
"Some people jumped out."
So I double checked before we took off: "If it catches fire, jump or no?"

Armed with this important information, I had one of the top 10 experiences of my life. It was smooth sailing over the trees--sometimes through them, and no, the basket doesn't swing when you hit a tree--where the wind took us. It was beautiful and peaceful. I can't wait to go again.

My pilot does European tours. I'm thinking the next flight should be to the Alps in January for the Chateau d'Oex Balloon Festival. Let's see if I can convince the dude.



My photos (l-r): the balloon ready for inflating; looking up; balloon packaged for another day. Top: self-portrait.

#58 Lunch eaten

...and steps taken toward #27. I had the turkey sandwich with coleslaw and Russian dressing on rye. He had the portabello burger. We talked shop, home dec, and weird uncomfortable things just to, you know, show how cool we were with weird uncomfortable things...

#58 Eating More Lunch

So today, Mr Graphics showed me a photo of his kitchen--and it looked exactly like mine. Well okay, we painted the same color, and I have black and white floor tile and he has black and white counter tile. It's like we were separated at birth. Anyway, we're going to lunch on Friday. I'll be 2/3 of the way there. I have to say the two lunches I have had with people outside my department have been the easy ones--people I work with regularly and get along with and can see myself being friends with. I have no idea how I am getting a third...the president will invite me to lunch? Or...does the time I went with my boss to Marathon with an assistant dean to talk about the publication we do for his college count? I totally forgot about that.

Here's a question about the intraoffice lunches (#57), do I have to go out with them? Can we sit around the lunchroom together? I mean, so long as we're eating and talking, does that count? You never know what little nuances there are to these list items until you start doing them. At any rate, if it's the latter--the lunchroom conversation counts--then I have to add NS, JH, and HB (they're thick as thieves and move as a unit) and KB. That KB lunch was funny. JH (a different one) said that KB wanted to raise goats and marry a farmer, and I turned her on to Farmer's Only. She thinks I may be responsible for her future happiness. Well, good, she deserves it.

(And that means I am down to 14 with one person leaving at the end of next month...I should try to do more to have lunch with her before she goes.)

#57 Eating Lunch

I forgot that when I went to Newport I actually fulfilled a second goal--I had lunch with two of my coworkers with whom I had not eaten before. One--the senior vp--I wasn't sure how I was going to get lunch with him. Much easier than I thought it was going to be...The other one, well, I wasn't sure how I was going to get through a lunch with her. But I did.

Just what does a billionaire serve for lunch? They eat just like the hoi polloi: wings, cheeseburgers, hot dogs (she had a hot dog), potato chips, a pickle dish, salads, cottage cheese (?). Dove bars and store bought cookies for dessert. Went all out, she did.

The countdown continues, 18 left: BC, BE, CM, DM, HB, JH, JR, KW, KB, LM, MG, MK, NS, PH, PM, SS, SS, TM.

21, 20, 19, 18...

The countdown begins! I have booked my flight on the balloon. I know, you've been wondering when I was going to do this for almost two years! (The dude did get this trip for me for my 39th birthday.) D-day is September 1, weather permitting. I'll be taking my flight with my cousin's husband--the dude is not so keen on the heights. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

#40 Take a sewing class AND #53 Learn CPR

The Haverford Adult School catalog came a few days ago. I signed up for beading boot camp and an applique class. I am going to work on my sewing skills, people. Whoot!

They are also offering Red Cross Certification in CPR.

Two birds, one catalogue.

#15 Read 16 works of non-fiction

For a person who studied contemporary American women's fiction, I know a lot about the Victorian period, especially the New Poor Laws--that's what the dude wrote his dissertation on, and good spouses make good editors. Or something like that. Actually, we would offer polite criticism like "these two sentences should be two paragraphs." And the critiqued would yell, "It's perfectly fine the way it is; you don't know anything." Following a generous period of sulking, the critiqued would take the editor's advice. It was like clockwork. But I digress. I just meant to say, I know a little about the historical and cultural period in which our tale is set.

This book offers a fairly interesting sketch of a subject that is near and dear to my heart, the functioning of medical colleges. I know that the orphaned dead would end up in the medical schools of Philadelphia (from Skeleton Stories); I'd really love to do more research on how the place where I work dealt with the procurement of subjects.

Ultimately, I thought this book lacked organization. Sometimes it felt like the author had no clear direction. Lots of backtracking. Lots of interruptions for whole chapters that were meant to provide context, but it wasn't woven together terribly well...or maybe non-fiction isn't meant to be read in half hour spurts on the bus.

It was fine but I never felt like I opened up the book to find out what happened next...and it was a tale of a lurid court case. I really should have wanted to find out, but the court sections were dense and had the Newgate stink about them.

Non-fiction: 2

#66 Visit Newport, RI

I left my house at 6:00 am to fly up to Providence to interview the donor, and boy, what a trip.

Our hostess showed us her private home, offering us a picnic, and brought us to visit "The Farm".

By the time we got to town, we only had an hour or so before we were scheduled to head to the airport. We did walk a bit down Thames and Bellevue, but we didn't have enough time to tour any homes. But then again, I mentioned the tour of the private home, right?

As usual, Philadelphia airport SUCKS, and ATC had to delay our flight two and a half hours. Apparently they can schedule flights, they just can't stick to the schedule. Even our pilots were perplexed because there was no weather in Phillie. It's just the crappiest major city in America.

#90 Rip up carpet in craft room

I thought we weren't going to finish today. I was still packing up the room (and sorting, lots of sorting) at lunchtime. I suppose the experience of taking up the carpet in the bedroom--and figuring out how to deal with the disintegrated rubber mat--paid dividends today. Armed with our dustpans (yes, the secret to taking up rubber mat that has stuck to the hardwood), we made quick work of the carpeting.

This floor is in the best condition of all the hardwood we've revealed so far. It's very exciting.

#97 Paint the shutters

Done. Man, I was smokin' this weekend!

Before:


After: