Hodge Podge

We haven't had a lot of time lately to update the blog, but here are a few photos from recent events. First, here are a few pictures from Finn's open house. Finn had a starring role in 2 out of the 3 plays. In the first picture above he played Clyde Monster, a little kid monster who was afraid of a person jumping out at night and scaring him. We found out that people and monsters agreed a long time ago not to scare each other - good to know!

Here Finn is playing Little Billy Goat Gruff as he tricks the troll into letting him cross the bridge. (That's the tall, tall grass behind him. They were hilarious.)

Nanna came into town to visit from Ecuador just in time to go to the open house with us. Woo-woo!

This is Finn's friend Lewis who is in his class and also lives in our apartment complex. Lewis did a great job of stepping in to play Big Billy Goat Gruff when the kid who was supposed to play him was running late.

Jack helping me clean up the balcony.

The pretty balcony table that Patrick and the boys bought for me.

...and the pretty little table Patrick bought for me for our upper balcony. plus a couple of cuties!

We still have pictures from Mother's Day and Scarlett's birthday party to come. Much love to all you mommas out there!

Thirteen.

R.I.P. Frank Frazetta

Cooking Pt. 2!!!

Here's the second excerpt from my 1989 Gault-Millau guide, The Best of France. This could be one of those blog entries that no one cares about but me, but I really do find this book super comforting and inspiring towards the end of the school year!! It's very well written, and always seems to me to be a perfect example of the French inclination to make anything that's not totally prosaic, like a washing machine, a little better than it needs to be.

Anyway, this one is about a chef named Joel Robuchon (up top) who is perhaps the greatest living cook at the moment. He was awarded "Chef of the Century" in 1989, and, despite numerous threats to retire for good, still runs his restaurant in Paris as well as spinoffs elsewhere (including Las Vegas!).

I've never eaten his food, although I tried once when Em & I were in France for our honeymoon. The hostess on the phone was polite, but was definitely somewhat amused when I inquired as to whether there were any reservations available in the next month!

I also once tried to cook a recipe from a wonderful cookbook of his, and ended up with the best sauce that I've ever made - a fennel cream sauce - but a failed meal due to my complete inability to cook monkfish. I always feel like giving his recipes another shot, but I think that it's like trying to read a book about football and then play quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

So here's what Gault-Millau says about Joel Robuchon:

How is it that the most gifted chef in France manages not to be tainted by the mountainous praise heaped upon him by the press? Simply because deep down, Robuchon, who is far less timid than reputation has it, has remained a craftsman whose tour of duty isn't over.

I love that so much!!!

And the food:

Other wonderful creations appearing on the menu from time to time include lobster with coriander and baby vegetables, rack of lamb under a light coating of crumbled truffles, and a heavenly puree of potatoes with olive oil and creme florette that is Robuchon's passport to paradise.

I think that it's the potatoes that got him the award - he wrote a whole book about them! And finally:

If you could treat yourself to only one sensational meal in Paris this century, come here.

I tried!!!

Cooking!!!

One of the things that I find interesting about teaching is how cyclical it is. Every year does have its unique challenges and triumphs, but there are a thousand things, large and small, that appear like the weather year after year.

Of course there are the obvious repetitive things: football in November, summer vacation, etc. But the other circular aspect that is less obvious is the predictable pressure and release at various times that always make one thing or another seem appealing or horrible.

For example, there is the energy coming off of a long vacation that enables a teacher to decorate a classroom and create daring new lessons. Also, it is possible to read new books and listen to happy music in the morning. Regular exercising is easy!

Conversely, there is the lethargy that sets in around April that only allows NPR in the morning and makes working out a struggle. Lessons become more like, "Read pages 115 to 163 and answer the 47 questions at the end." Also, only well-known books can be read, like Nero Wolfe and The Fountainhead that hold no draining surprises.

When things get rough towards the end of the year one of my other favorite things to read are books about food. This is partly because they are so soothing, but also because I am sooooo looking forward to the summer when I have the energy to actually cook!!

So one of my favorites is a terrific restaurant guide from Gault-Millau called The Best of France (it has to be an edition from before 2000 when new ownership messed it up). The great thing about this book is that the writers are soooooo into food, and their writing approaches ecstatic heights when describing a good meal. It is so relaxing, but also inspiring, and I always come back to it as Spring sloooooowly turns into wonderful summer!!

Here is an excerpt from my 1989 Best of France book. This one is about a restaurant called Auberge de l'Eridan run by a well-known chef named Marc Veyrat (shown in hat):

Since 1983, this fiery man from Savoie (a region of rough and, apparently bad-tempered people) has needed all the tenacity and optimism he could muster to realize his dream...He would, at times, go so far as to throw out his customers, only to suddenly call them back for an absolutely unforgettable feast (and it is they who have become his most faithful clients).

And the food:

We begin with an inspired combination of two foie gras, one mild, the other sharp...Then on to the fillets of turbot rolled and poached in raw milk perfumed by pink palourde clams...roast chicken whose breasts are "beaten" and served in flattened escalopes with lean and fat bacon and - the key - marjoram.

I don't know what half of these things are, but they sound good!! And finally:

The assorted desserts will bring tears to your disbelieving eyes.

I can't wait for summer!!!

Woodstock!!!

Here's a nice little collection of Woodstock pictures that I found online recently. Not that everybody hasn't heard enough about it, but I just thought that this collection captured a kind of sweetness about the event that I hadn't really seen before. Enjoy!!!

Talent!!!

Howdy everyone - I hope that everyone had a good weekend and a productive Beltane : ) I spent the Walpurgisnacht (Friday night for the un-illuminated) judging the first annual Franklin arts competition!

I was honored to be asked to be a judge, and despite my usual inclination to get home on Friday night as quickly as possible, I really enjoyed the experience!!! We had a very good crowd and, as usual, everyone was really supportive of the performers! It's one reason that I really love doing things like this: you get to see that the community and the students can be incredibly supportive and positive, as long as they are not being asked to write another essay : )

Here's me and my fellow judges waiting for the contest to begin as the people came in. There are two things that I learned from the experience: one is that it is very difficult to judge people, especially our students, who are so awesome for just doing this!! Secondly, a cell phone is not necessarily the best thing for taking pictures in dim light.

Although there were many categories, including spoken word and dance, the most hotly contested was the music competition. Franklin does have some terrific young musicians, and this contest really proved that!! Here are the two winners, Adrian and Jonathan. I tried not to be influenced by the fact that Adrian is one of my favorite 11th grade students, but it really wasn't necessary since they really stood out, even in a strong field.

These two are step-brothers who moved to the area recently from Hawaii, and they are both super-talented!! Adrian (in the hat) plays ukulele (I was happily reminded of Nick and Chris!!) and has wonderful stage presence. They are both great singers, and Jonathan later competed in the dance category (and won) by doing some moves, like spinning hand-stands, that you would only expect to see on Apple commercials. They got the crowd clapping along and on their feet at the end, and I would be really surprised if either one of them had trouble getting a date for the weekend : ) They definitely deserved their win, and were part of a really fun night for all of us!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Bathrooms and Cat!!!

Still slogging through the end of the school year. In the meantime, here are two cool versions of a room that is often neglected:

And one cosmic cat!!!



Happy Wednesday - hope everyone is feeling well!!!