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It's 2:00 on New Year's Eve day, and probably the last thing I have time to do is blog, and yet, since it's my favorite thing to do lately, here I am! This has been a wonderful vacation....reading, watching movies, lazing around, even a great little shopping opportunity the past two days. Yesterday I decided to use up a free movie pass I had, so I went to the Evanston Theater to see Crazy Heart, and then at the very end of the movie, the sound went out. So although we sort of know what happened, we don't really 100% know. And they gave us another free pass, so I'm back where I started in terms of things to do that won't go away. Like free passes, gift cards, etc.
Crazy Heart - Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal and the music. This was wonderful. Back to that great genre about a guy in the middle of his life living day to day. In this case, he is a singer songwriter driving from town to town living hand to mouth. The music is lovely. It's a good old fashioned story, age old; Remember all the talent is not always out there in front of us, being recognized by the media; sometimes it's driving around the country in a beat up Silverado, living in crusty motels and playing in bars.
Julie and Julia - I made myself and the people at the library crazy for a few days trying to get this dvd. I think Amy Adams is one of my favorite actresses. This is a great little movie about a woman who decides to blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking every day for a year. Every other scene takes us back to Julia's life as the wife of an American diplomat in Paris. She's fun and curious and a learner and looking for something to do with her time. Since she loves to eat, she takes a course at Le Cordon Bleu. The rest, as they say, is history. As a bow to Julia and to the film, I just made the Chocolate Almond Cake from Mastering for our New Year's Eve party tonight. Everyone reading is invited. If you want to show up, just get here around 9 tonight. Have your kids bring their X Box controller...New Years Eve will be a Modern Warfare 2 free for all if you're a teenaged boy at our home tonight. The rest of us will enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and the chocolate cake. I'm still planning to make a Vasilopita, which is traditional New Year's Day greek bread. I'll bake a coin into it, and the person who gets the slice with the coin will have good luck for the rest of the year.
The timer is going off on the Julia Chocolate Cake. I have to take it out of the pan to cool on a rack now. Here it is baking in the oven:
Oh no, it's quarter to three and I haven't got my table ready, read the paper, nothing, let alone the bread. At least I can get those bread ingredients going to room temp.
I still have to frost this cake, too.
Today Peter and I had an excursion to the new Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. We were both deeply affected by the experience. Me, because it was a reminder that we can Never Forget what happened in Europe in the 1930s and 40s under Hitler's rule. Peter, because he had no real touchstone or picture in his mind about this tragic history. The museum's architecture is dramatic and dark, with occasional slashes of light coming in when you least expect it. The exhibits flow in chronology from space to space and room to room. Throughout the experience, screens show videos of survivors recounting their experiences. The history is complete and jarring and disturbing and thought-provoking. This museum chronicles one of the lowest points in our world's history. Unfortunately, similar situations still occur around the world when despots are allowed to prevail.
Someday I'll recount my grandmother's experience as someone who was chased from her home and country at 18 years old, never to return. She always used to say "we were refugees honey". But I didn't know what that meant until I was an adult. I mean what it really really meant.
Today my friend Sheila came over and we hung around and chatted and caught up on our lives while I made us Quesadillas, Cream of Broccoli Soup and Egg Nog Pudding. The Quesadillas are the standby food that you'll get if you're ever here and you're hungry for something warm. The Cream of Broccoli Soup was born of my skim milk that was past the expiration date plus leftover broccoli from Christmas day. The Egg Nog Pudding was in a little Paula Deen recipe book that is due at the library. I'd taken all the book marks out except for the one for this pudding, because of that milk. Everything was yummy, and Sheila and I were sated with all the comfort food.
Here's the recipe for the Pumpkin Cheesecake I made for our Thanksgiving dessert. If you recall, I combined both Martha's and Paula's recipes in terms of ingredients, and used Alton's method for the baking. It's a long recipe, but it goes fast, and the cheesecake will be worth it.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE1 3/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Tbls Light Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
6 Tbls. Melted Butter
Butter bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan, cut a parchment circle to fit the bottom and butter the parchment. Combine all ingredients well and press onto bottom and sides of the pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool thoroughly.
Assemble all the following ingredients and let them soften to room temperature:
1/4 cup Sour Cream
4 8 oz. packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup pureed pumpkin (or 15 oz. can of pumpkin)
4 Eggs
2 Tbls Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Allspice or Cloves1 tsp. Vanilla
Turn Oven back to 250 degrees. Beat Sour Cream 30 seconds to coat the bowl. Add softened Cream Cheese 1 brick at a time and beat until smooth. Add Sugar, beat 1 minute.
In separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients: Pumpkin, 4 Eggs, Flour, Spices and Vanilla.
Now add 1/2 the pumpkin mixture to the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Repeat with the rest of the pumpkin mixture, taking care not to overbeat. Do not overbeat. Wrap the outside of the springform pan in foil, and pour the cheesecake mixture into the cooled crust.
Place the springform pan in a 1" waterbath. Which is to say, get a larger pan than t
he springform pan, put the foil wrapped springform pan in it, and add 1" of water to it.Bake at 250 degrees for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
The secret is to bake this Low and Slow. (so it doesn't crack)Once the edges are set, and the center jiggles, turn off the oven and open the door a crack for 1 minute. Then close the oven door and leave the cheesecake in there 1 more hour.Take the cheesecake out and cool in the refrigerator 4 hours to overnight.
Push - by Sapphire is the novella on which the movie Precious was based. I've just read it in two short blasts because I couldn't put it down. It's a person's story, and although it's a work of fiction, it's written with truth, and you know it could all be true. The world is so cruel but filled with such goodness. Precious Jones is among the most beautiful characters I have ever met in a book or movie. No matter what had happened to her, she always knew love when she encountered it.
Funny People - I was a little hesitant about this one. Generally Adam Sandler is difficult for me to watch. Too silly, too overacted, too silly. He's growing up, though, and I loved this movie. It's about comedians and LA and what if and being a jerk and being a good guy, and being young and getting older. It's serious and funny and amusing and I almost didn't want it to end. However, it ended perfectly, and I'd definitely watch it again, which seems to be a new barometer for movies for me. Maybe not a new barometer, but one that I realize makes a difference. This has been a great week for movies. I love vacationing at home.
A Christmas Story - Every time I pick up the Tribune, one of the writers is referring to this movie. The cheesy leg lamp, and the little boy's longing for that one special gift for Christmas. It turns out this is a 1983 movie, and we'd never seen it. I won't be watching it again and again, but surprisingly, I think Peter enjoyed it. It paralleled his life this year, because he also wanted something that he didn't think he'd ever get. Why do boys want something violent? What brainiac man invented guns? How has the invention of guns bettered our civilization? Ever? How is it that guns are OK? I don't get it don't get it don't get it. Why do we compromise our values and then justify rather than own the compromise? I'll say it here. I compromised my values with one of Peter's presents this year. I'm not happy about it, and to see his happiness is strange, because he compromised some of his values for this too. I don't want him to feel guilty because that's an awful way to feel, and yet, I want him to grow up and not play violent games. It's all a question mark from here in that department.
Merry Christmas to all. I'm feeling a little extra Christmas spirit this morning as a result of too many Peach Cosmos last night. Mix up the vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry juice. Yum at the time. Not so yum waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep. The benefit was that I was able to finish a great little Christmas book on Christmas morning.....
You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augustin Burroughs. I'm on this Augustin Burroughs kick right now...not quite as obsessive as the Leonard Cohen thing from last year, but pretty intense nevertheless. If you mention Augustin Burroughs to most readers, they say oh...Running With Scissors... and their memories conger up all the worst and craziest parts of the book. My memory kind of forgets the sad sick parts and remembers little bits that weren't so bad. And so I continue to read everything Augustin has written and writes. This year it's this great compilation of longer short stories about Christmas. We journey with him through his life in Christmases. My favorite was the beautiful love story about George. In a way, though, they are all love stories, and they got me through my hangover this morning.
Sunshine Cleaning - I'd better start writing in red now, because the movie titles have to be in green. Not that they have to be, but they do. While anxiously going back and forth to the library hoping to find Julie and Julia on the shelf (With new releases you can't reserve), I stumbled across Sunshine Cleaning. Yea! I really wanted to see this one. Michelle came over, and we watched and it was wonderful. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are sisters who get into a new business. It's sweet and quirky. One of my tops for the year.
My Life In Ruins - This movie was at the theaters for a minute, or maybe a week. It was panned, but my mom loved it. And I really liked it too. Nia Vardalos plays Nia Vardalos, this time as a history loving tour guide in Greece. She falls for Poopy Kakas, the hairy greek bus driver who keeps telling her how thin she is. Poopy cuts his hair, speaks english and turns into a hunk by the end of the movie. Nia has a pretty voice when she sings Never on Sunday (Ta Pedia Tou Piraia) in Greek. Here's your Christmas present - go to You Tube and WATCH THIS
Hey, all of a sudden (5 hours later) I'm feeling much better.
Movies, Movies, Movies. 'Tis the season to escape. I am happy to report that I sent out one Christmas card today. Watched a movie the night before last, went to the movies yesterday, and watched another one last night.
The Wrestler - Why didn't anyone tell me how wonderful this movie was? Click on this link to listen to Bruce Springsteen's The Wrestler while reading this. The Wrestler is about a famous 1980's Big Time wrestler 20 years later. Mickey Rourke is amazing in this role. It's a signature role in a singular film. I'm not sure that everyone will want to go to the places that this movie will take you. It can be raw, and in that, it's very honest. It touched my heart.
Up In The Air - Is probably the best movie at the theaters right now. George Clooney is so easy to watch. He actually sent an e-Christmas card to me and all my friends yesterday. It's this one:
He looks like one fun guy. In Up In The Air, he plays a man whose career involves traveling most of the year. His home is up there, in the air, and in airports and hotels, and he is perfectly happy with his life choices. It's an easy, funny, and sometimes poignant movie.
Taking Woodstock - I'd seen the previews for this at some point, it came out for a minute and was gone. Dimitri Martin stars as Eliot Tiber, who, according to the movie, was instrumental in putting together the owner of the farm and the promoters of Woodstock. It's a sweet movie about a more innocent time. Maybe innocent isn't the word to use, but if you watch it, you'll see what I mean. Maybe a more simple time.
I can't officially review Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, because after struggling through the first 100 of 500 pages and just getting to the point or question of the story, I decided to skip to the end to get it over with. I could scream at the time wasted on this one. It's a long boring read with way too many details and not enough editing. Sorry you lovers of this book. I wonder why you liked it? The title is all it's got going. Read it if you've got a couple of years to put into a drag of a story.
Here's what it takes to get a Christmas card from me to you: First, I go to a few stores and look at cards. I search for a card with a pretty picture or graphic, and a sentiment like Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas. I will consider Seasons Greetings, but it's not my first choice. At each store, I'll pick out all the cards I like right away... There might be 20-30 designs in the running. Then I'll get down to 4 or 5 designs/cards that I would actually send. I'm also looking for quality papers like Crane or William Arthur, and this is usually happening in the two weeks before Christmas. The stores may or may not, by this time, even have any good stuff left. Sometimes I go home empty handed. Then cards start pouring into our mailbox. My favorites are the ones that have been lovingly painted or drawn by artists (my godmother, Annette, and our dear friend Helmut). Often Jenny or Dee will send a hand made card.
I'd love to send out hand painted cards, and one year made separate P-E-A-C-E letter stamps which I heat embossed onto each card.
So here we are with a house full of incoming cards and nothing outgoing. I've reduced some of the stress by only sending out cards every other year. Except this year is a year to send them. Here we are on December 22, and I haven't sent one card! I must confess to having a few boxes ready to go, but they are boxes of 10, the designs are all different, and there are about 120 families and people on our list. Do the math. I'm in trouble. The boxes, address book, gold pens purchased especially for the job, Peter's school photos, and photos of the three of us are all on the dining room table, and have been for a week. My husband and son don't have one bit of a care about Christmas cards. They don't even look at the ones that come into the house unless I point them out specifically. It gets worst. So now I have to choose which card to send to which person on the list. I make a list of people who got that card, and I keep it with a sample of that card. (Forever). I also have a Christmas card list in the back of my gift record book, and I mark that too. I have to decide which person gets which photos, if at all. This year the post office has conspired against me with stamps that are less than wonderful. So if these cards get done, I'll use the snowflake stamps saved from the 39 cent stamp days along with the 5 cent teapot stamp. Less than perfect, let me tell you. I'm just thinking now that I could actually make some personalized stamps! That would help. I also decided to send our photo and greeting via email (to be green and to actually get a greeting out to everyone). However, I don't want them to have to click on a link to get the e-greeting. I started to send our Christmas family photo to a few friends, but it looked so plain that I didn't press send. I've got to get that photo over to Photoshop and make it into a card that I can get back to iPhoto so that when I send it, it will be right there in the email. I wonder if I could put music with it too? Probably better not even go there. In other blogs I close by saying "here I go" I'm going to do this project right now, and I'll post the results later. Not today. Today I am going to go out in the messy snowy weather and see Up In The Air with George Clooney. There's a 1:10 show. I need an escape from this Christmas card madness.
It's now almost a week later. And look! On Christmas day I went to my new Adobe Photoshop, somehow got the picture into it, and stumbled on a ready made Christmas theme "border". I added the text in red, and somehow got it back to my desktop file and back into iPhoto from where I sent it to everyone I email. Yea! A green greeting just in time.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I can't believe it's over. I could have read about the town and the people in this book forever. It takes place in the early 1960s, in Jackson, Mississippi, and details the lives of "the help" (the black housekeepers) and the "clients" (the white women) in whose homes they worked. This is a very special novel set against a turbulent time in both Mississippi and the United States. I couldn't wait to find out what happened with Constantine, and then I couldn't wait to find out about Minny's "terrible awful". I know they can't wait to make the movie, and I pray that talented unknown actresses will be chosen for the various roles. If they cast Julia Roberts as Celia, or Meryl as anyone but the librarian or benefit guest, I don't think I'll be able to watch. This is a very visual story, and I want it to be true and real.
Nights in Rodanthe - This was on On Demand for its last night, so I watched it a few nights ago. Surprise, although formulaic in a Nicholas Sparks little book way, the movie was very sweet. Diane Lane is such a natural, and Richard Gere is one of the most talented actors of our time. I think of stories like this as part of the Bridges of Madison County genre. However, I'll take the book Bridges over Nicholas Sparks, but I'll take the movie of Nights over the movie of Bridges. Got that?
Good Times - Last night I threw a little impromptu "girls' night" for every woman friend who has an email address in my address book. There was no time to call, sorry everyone else. It was so great to welcome everyone inside on a cold night for drinks, appetizers, a few sweets and laughs. I served a typical menu for me. Something with cheese (Hot Feta Artichoke Dip), something greek (Courabethes are little powdered sugar holiday cookies), and something chocolate (Chocolate Truffle Cake- Michelle's recipe). And what I was calling Cosmopolitans, but were really Pomtinis (vodka for the laughs and Pomogranite juice for the antioxidants) mixed up in my first foray with a cocktail shaker and sugar rimmed glasses. Other festive foods were red and green M&Ms, red and green soaked-in-rum maraschino cherries and Fritos. The only natural healthy option were the baby carrots. Funny how we went through bags of Fritos, but only half a bag of the carrots! Too fun, and thanks to everyone for coming and making a party, cause it's the company who really makes the evening. OK, I gotta run, because bead group will be here any time now.
How did this happen? My desk is once again a huge pile of mess. I am going to take care of it right now, and as a reward I'll go finish off my pumpkin risotto for breakfast. (don't look at the time on this post if you don't want to know too much about me today). I guess it happens one day at a time, and slowly, sneakily, and maybe while I'm sleeping. I'll post the "AFTER" photo within an hour. Why do I save every scrap of paper? I might just have to pile up the scraps in the interest of speed here, but I can certainly make more white space. Here goes.....
Oops, I can't begin yet, I've got to review that book you see front and center. It's
Magical Thinking by Augustin Burroughs - It's a great collection of true stories, short stories a
bout Augustin's life. He is such a great easy-to-read writer. Really honest and from the heart, with a ribbon of neurotic compulsive sarcastic commentary sort of rounding it out. As we all know, I don't watch the news except for 60 minutes. I read the Chicago Tribune or the main daily newspaper of wherever I happen to be every single day. But a lot of time I gloss over the political-world-long article information. Which is why this particular couple of sentences were my favorite from the book: "I never watch CNN. I hate news and information and anything that threatens to puncture the bubble of oblivion in which I live". My personal bubble isn't quite as oblivious as Augustin's although I wouldn't want to take a test on world leaders and world affairs right now. I haven't watched Jeopardy in a few years, and often feel like I'm on information overload. "the bubble of oblivion" It's magical. Augustin knows magical thinking to be where you think something and know that it will happen. I think magical thinking is me thinking that somehow, without my physical input, I'm going to wake up one day, come into my office, and my desk will be perfect. It never happens though. Although tomorrow it will happen. Only it will have been magical thinking the book + me putting everything into a place. It's only about a degree outside, and of course it's time to pick up Peter from school. I hope I hope that Steve will do it. So I have to go downstairs to check which could derail the plan. Stay tuned kids....3 HOURS LATER!!! Ta Daaaa!....
I know, I know, although it's neat, there are still piles of scraps of paper on this desk. So the pile in front of the keyboard are the "to do" next even tonight pile. The pile to the left is the ongoing idea pile, books to read, etc.... The yellow thing is a box with pens, remote, glasses and scissors in it. The pile under the computer paper feeder is the resume/application etc. pile for when I apply to be a substitute teacher in the various school districts. It's taken 3 hours, but Santa and I are so much happier. No magical thinking here today, just plain old easy hard work. It's time for breakfast.
How to get a lot done. Get up, get dressed, take child to school because husband had to leave house early, come home, get busy. NOTE: there was no checking email. This computer is my best and most insidious friend. If there was nothing else I wanted to do in the world, it would be a great little thing to have and use. Since there is so much I want to do, it's really a detraction and an inspiration killer.
I've got classic country blasting through the house, and really want to post pictures of Saturday's sale, and maybe some decorating, but it will have to wait, because as soon as I finish writing this, I'm going back downstairs.....oh! which reminds me why I came up here in the first place to iron a tablecloth because the table is cleared off for in case I have my bead group here tomorrow. OK, iron is warming up. Maybe while I'm ironing I could get the photos into iphoto and over here. Last night was fun; it was movie night, and we watched a quirky sweet little movie called
Paper Heart - with Charlyne Yi and Michael Sera - I loved this little sort of story about making a documentary about what is love and does it exist and do you believe in it. It was just a pleasure to watch and perfectly edited and maybe not acted but maybe so, and perfectly sweet. Then, since Chris had also rented another movie but wouldn't have time to watch it that night, I came home and watched
Four Christmases - You can't go wrong with Vince Vaughn. I find 
him to be so regular and down to earth and funny and laid back and just a little annoying so that he's not too perfect. Add that sweet little Reese Witherspoon and make up a story that has the best opening scene in a movie in forever that I can remember, and you've got a fun little winter evening.
OK, There's the picture of my table at the Artisan Fair on Saturday. Next time it will be sharper. Maybe even edgier? Ideally, my sign would be on the wall behind me, or on the front of the table. In this case we were using cafeteria tables, so I was compelled
to put things on the bench. Watch out for compulsions. All in all it was a fun experience. I sold mostly jewelry, and a little bit of everything else. I like signage as we all know, but there's too much, here, just like on the main street of my town. I'll take my own advice next time and tone it down!
Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog - The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline - The whole time I've been reading this book, I've been obsessed by the author's last name. Scotto-line. It turns out that she is of Italian descent, so maybe it's pronounced Scottolini. I hope I can stop thinking about it now that I'll be returning it to Susan. I can hardly tell you about the content because of this name, Scottoline. I kept waiting for an explanation or pronunciation, but it wasn't in the book, and I don't have time to google right now. The book is a compilation of the author's columns from the Philadelphia Inquirer. She writes a sweet readable column about her life and her family. She loves animals, and she's really fun. Her adventures aren't so much amazing as they are little aha life moments made more colorful by her writing. It's a good connector book to read between heavy hitters. My neighbor is supposed to drop off a heavy hitter to me in the next day or so. I can't wait.
OK, so the Artisan Fair is finally this Saturday. I've been beading and sewing and planning and stressing and avoiding all week, and I'm almost ready. All I have to do now is to really plan my time carefully, not drink anymore (three white russians at Linda's last night ouch) and get to bed early, and it will all be fine. As soon as I have my final table set up, I'll post a photo.
Of course when it rains it pours, and the yearbook checks are all due this week, too. (have I mentioned that I'm the mom who is collecting and counting yearbook orders for the students and staff of the Junior High School?) We're talking some 900 orders.
And last night in the fun spirit of my three white russians I told Steve that I'd go to a holiday party downtown tonight! And today is Bead Group day, and Sue's birthday so I can't possibly miss that. And there are a couple of house sales to hit tomorrow. Can't miss those, because you never know......
I think I'd better get moving.
I didn't move very far. You've gotta LOVE google. I googled "how to pronounce Scottoline" and here's what I got: http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/Scottoline
too funny. I hope I can now stop obsessing.
Oh no, it's quarter to three and I haven't got my table ready, read the paper, nothing, let alone the bread. At least I can get those bread ingredients going to room temp.
