Reading

Lately, I've been reading a lot more nonfiction than fiction. Earlier this year, I finished reading Ghost Map, which is a pretty interesting read if you're interested in cholera, epidemiology, or social history. I didn't think that most of you would be that excited about it, and frankly, there are enough serious flaws to the book that I can't recommend it. The parts about epidemiology are great, but I didn't find the author's pontification on urban life to be particularly interesting, or enlightening, and could have been edited out. The loss of focus to the book was a serious flaw in an otherwise interesting read.

However, I'm reading something now that I think would be of more interest to anyone coming by my blog. I don't consider myself a serious foodie, but I like food, cooking, and eating. I also really like reading books about the aforementioned topics. Heat is written from the perspective of a journalist and cooking enthusiast who somehow managed to get a job as an extern in Mario Batali's kitchen. Buford writes well, and has a good story to tell. It's compelling reading, and has not only managed to inspire me to spend more time in the kitchen, but also to look into Batali's recipes and techniques. I've had mixed opinions of Food Network celebrity chefs, but Batali comes across as a guy who genuinely has some technique, and is a lot more interesting than his TV image. (Speaking of which, I tried to watch Rachel Ray cook Thanksgiving dinner in an hour. Was flipping through channels and caught about a minute or two, after which I went back to cartoons. I find her voice grating, and my son commented that what she was making didn't look very good.)

Anyhow, the other book I'm reading, but left at home, is Spice: The History of a Temptation. It's not nearly as fast of a read as Heat, and not as much fun. It's interesting though, if you have any interest in the history of spices, and the role they have played in exploration and expansionism. I haven't gotten that far into the book, and I'm more interested in the role spices played in social history, but it's not bad so far. I'm not going to give it a hearty endorsement yet, especially as I haven't finished the book, but if you have an interest in the topic, it's not bad.



I've had a resurgence of interest in cooking, and have been playing with the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book. I'm a big fan of the basic bread recipe, and I enjoyed the olive oil dough, but I'm lukewarm on the brioche. I also decided it was time to toss out my old spices and start over with small jars from Penzey's. I've threatened to do this several times in the past, and after some really disappointing experiences, I decided it was worth the investment - and really, it's a lot cheaper than what I found at the grocery store. Speaking of which, I'm shortly off on my final run before Thanksgiving - I need about 4 things, as I'm testing some new recipes this year. I'll try to get some photogenic shots of anything that turns out particularly well. It's strange making a break from the Thanksgiving dinner I'm used to (my mom's), but I think it's time to try out some new traditions.

Books

At one point in my life, I read much more than I do now. I think this was before having a child, and probably before I went to grad school. I still read, but there's been a definite drop in both the quantity and quality of my reading. The past couple years have been particularly difficult - after the deaths of my mentor and my dad, I've wanted to avoid anything serious, anything potentially distressing, and preferably no discussions of cancer in my books. That's mostly left me with mysteries and science fiction, although I admit that most of the Twilight series also snuck in there. (I haven't read the last book, and I probably will. At the same time, I think it's a terribly written series and the female protagonist is a wet washrag.)

Two weekends ago, I went to the bookstore with Julie, ostensibly to knit. We didn't ever get around to that - we wandered around a lot, and yakked a lot, but didn't pull out the knitting. I did, however, purchase some books. I just finished The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, volumes 1 and 2 over the weekend. It looked promising - it had great blurbs, it was a NY Times Bestseller, it sold itself as

"...a bodice-ripping, action-packed roller-coaster ride of suspense, betrayal, and richly fevered dreams."

With a line like that, I couldn't resist. I wasn't looking for high literature after all, I was looking for escapism.

The first chapter was promising, but the book rapidly got bogged down in its own language, overly convoluted plots, and poor pacing. Parts of the book stretched on forever, and critical scenes were rushed and hard to follow. By the time I finished reading both volumes (evidently this is one larger work that was packaged into two smaller paperbacks for ease of handling), I still had no connection to any of the characters, and had lost track of much of the intrigue and the rationale for most of the actions. It was bizarrely violent, gory, and completely nonsensical, and lacked any sense of fun.

I don't think it's that I don't like steampunk - Girl Genius amuses me, and I enjoyed the Difference Engine, but this book really left me cold. In some ways I think it's comparable to Jonathan Norrell and Mr. Strange, at least in terms of being somewhat in need of an editor, but Norrell and Strange was a much better book. I didn't enjoy that one very much either, but at least I didn't want a refund of my time quite as badly.

Overall, I was disappointed, and I'm recommending a pass on these.

I should feel guilty.

And I sort of do. I spent most of the time I was awake on Saturday working in the lab. I started an experiment so I can have something to talk about for my individual progress meeting on Wednesday. But I did sleep half the day, went book shopping after work, and spent the evening watching a movie. I finally got around to seeing Pan's Labyrinth. I'm rather behind on movie watching. It was a good movie - I'm glad I saw it, but I can't say that I liked it. I'm wimpy, and the violence in the movie was a bit intense for me, and more gruesome than I honestly care for.

Today was not a productive one. I did a lot of laundry, hung out with my family, knit, and read. I don't have a photo, because I am a bad blogger. I'm working on Go With the Flow Socks (ravelry link) from Interweave Knits, published within the past couple years in the magazine and also in Favorite Socks. It's not a quick knit for me, and I don't know why. The stitch pattern is dead simple, and even I have it memorized. I have been creeping along on these, and finally managed to turn the heel and almost finish the gusset decreases after some prolonged knitting. I read The Alchemist's Daughter. It was okay. Since I picked it up on sale, I think I got my entertainment dollars out of what I paid for it, but I wasn't that impressed. I needed some escapist reading today, and I got that much out of it.

Spent part of the evening getting some desperately needed exercise, and have put in a bit of time on working on reviewing a manuscript. I don't think it's ready for publication, but sometimes it's harder than you might think to put your criticism on paper. I'm almost done, but need to commit some more time tomorrow. To which point, my boss has already e-mailed me tonight and asked me if I had intended to provide feedback. Sigh. I can't win. And really, I don't want to go back tomorrow. It's become far more aversive than I want to admit lately, and I wish I could stay home more and more each day.

Food books

There are times when I think it would be fun to be a serious food person. I'd love to have the time to cook - really cook - learn good techniques and some technical skills. Unfortunately, my lifestyle and my schedule don't really fit that dream. So I make up for it by reading.

One of the last times I went to the bookstore, I picked up Garlic and Sapphires, but Ruth Reichl. (Image from Amazon.com, as is the link). It was on the bargain book table, something I have a hard time resisting. A hardcover book for $3.00 usually needs to come home with me if I think it might be at all good.

I had not read anything by Ruth Reichl before, so this was more or less a pleasant surprise. This is not an incredibly substantive book - it's light and fluffy, a memoir of working as restaurant critic for the New York Times. Reading the reviews on Amazon.com, I can see how people come to the criticisms they do. It does become a bit repetitive, and there is only so much reading I can do about how wonderful a food tastes. Personally, I'd rather be eating it than hearing how good it tastes, but I can get some vicarious enjoyment out of it. There are elements of this book that do become tiresome, but the book was also clearly written during a time that was very important to Reichl, and one she remembers fondly, and wanted to memorialize.

I wouldn't rush out to buy this book, but if you like reading about food and high end restaurants, pick it up at the library or at a used book store. I'll be keeping an eye out for her other books, which are supposed to be better than this one.

More to come this weekend. Things are a bit brighter than they were at my last posting, although I won't claim things have suddenly become sunshine and roses. My family is doing better, and I'm able to see some positive things again. (Thank you for the e-mails etc. They helped, even when I didn't feel like talking so much.) Somehow I have also forgotten that I need to be at work today, and now I need to run the vacuum to suck up at least the top layer of dirt in my house, shower, and run off for a few errands before I spend the rest of the day in the cave of the lab. I'm hoping to find enough time this weekend to cook something good for dinner, maybe try out a chocolate chip cookie recipe from the New York Times. Evidently, if you leave the cookie dough to sit for a day, the cookies are better. This is something I want to test, even if my waistline doesn't agree.

I am not my job. It's not my whole life. What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

You spin me round round

So this was my first attempt at spinning. It's a thick single, which I don't plan on plying, ever. I'm reasonably happy with this, even though it's not as even as would be idea. Considering how confused I was trying to use the spindle, I don't think this is terrible, although if I told you it was underspun, I'd be lying through my teeth.
And yes, I lost the information on this, but I bought it from the Three Fates Collective, at SAFF, which includes Sanguine Gryphon, Dragonfly Yarns, and another woman (I'm sorry my mind is failing me!) Really pretty stuff, and nice folks too.


Take 2 is really just more of the same, but a different color. I figured a few things out since then, but I would like to remember what I did to the roving so that I could spin this. It's just as overspun as the green stuff, but I washed and weighted the green yarn in order to try to set the twist. The blue still needs the same treatment. Also from SAFF, and I can't find my card. Big lovely balls of carded top, I think. Soft and lovely, and I wish I had purchased a lot more.

Now on the spindle is this:


Thinner, but you can see that I still get a lot of variation in the thickness. This stuff is BFL, and I can find the label, but it's not next to me.

Bought a copy of Spin to Knit last time I was at the bookstore, as I couldn't find any other books on spinning and I wanted a reference NOW. I'm understanding that a lot of spinning is really about the fiber preparation, and that's making this make much more sense. At some point in the nearish future, I'll buy more fiber to play with. I would like to be able to spin enough wool to knit a pair of socks. I just think it would be fun.

Speaking of which, still knitting. Green sock is incrementally closer to being done, but at the stage where it feels like you're knitting the foot forever. And suddenly, it's 9:15 and I'm exhausted from my day. At least it's a good weekend for knitting.

Quiet Saturday

Clearly, I am not the most skilled blogger at photographing my own feet.

I've spent most of the morning updating my Ravelry information, adding photos of old FOs, shots of things in progress, basic tinkering. Doing a little bit of knitting, mostly working on a new sock for the husband. This is the Undulating Rib sock from Favorite Socks. It's pretty dull, but since it's done on big needles (3s and 4s) it will be done quickly. Sometimes I do have an urge to knit up the stash, as well as to crank out a quick knit. His feet aren't hugely large, but I'm used to knitting for my own feet. This is definitely a man sock colorway. It's drab.

He's getting a new pair of socks as I never finished a pair I promised him. They were more mosaic knitting, and ended up looking rotten and I didn't like them enough to frog and re-knit. Plus he just managed to full the other pair I made him. He says they still fit, but we had a brief discussion about how he should not assume the socks I knit are machine washable.

Speaking of socks, I wanted to show these briefly before they're finished:

Dragonfly Yarns, Skinny Sock. I wish I had knit them a little tighter. Tons of yardage, and I'll be knitting a pair of kid socks out of the leftovers, I think.

Interestingly, I've noted that I have a tendency to stall on socks after I turn the heel.

I'm a little tense these days, heading out of town in the next couple weeks to be with family for a major surgery. Lots of knitting, lots of casting stuff on, but not a whole lot of finishing. If you're on Ravelry, you can go check it out, but I'm not going to detail it all right now. You can look at it as being very undisciplined, but really, it's more a matter of me trying to find the right things to give me some comfort.

Speaking of which, I've been on a mystery binge. Dark Tort by Dianne Mott Davidson, Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke, and Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle. If you're wondering, my murder mysteries sometimes don't involve food, but lately not so often.

Back soonish, and hopefully I'll be slightly more interesting....

Weekend food blogging

I'm not as good about cooking during the week as I would like to be. The weekday schedule is highly variable, and it's questionable on any given day as to when dinner is going to happen. Even living in the south, it gets chilly, so I had been on a soup kick. Last weekend I made squash soup, which was excellent.

First you chop up some vegetables, and soften them in some olive oil and butter.


Then you cook them in chicken broth until the vegetables start to fall apart, puree them with a stick blender, and add a little salt and pepper to taste.


I've also been in cookie-baking mode, but I don't have the recipe perfected for these lovelies yet.

Once I get it just right, I'll share, but I'm still working out the details. Nothing better than a chocolate oatmeal chocolate chip and dried berry cookie. Yum!

I was hoping to do a bit more cooking today, but I'm feeling a bit under the weather.

I've also been reading a new book that came in the mail on Friday - Nigella Express. Thanks Bells, for introducing me to her recipes. I've been getting a kick out of reading the cookbook, and dreaming up what to make next. The recipes all sound mostly like guidelines, which is fine with me - she's got some lovely sounding ideas. I just read two reviews commenting about the refined sugar and fats found in the recipes, but I think that I can live with the occasional splurge... Food is for eating and enjoying.

Finished The Historian today. It was okay. I wouldn't recommend running out to find the book. Lots of atmosphere, not much in the way of a plot or character development. It wouldn't have suffered from some more judicious editing.

There's been knitting, but flickr is being strange and I can't see my photos, which means I have no idea which photo is which...

So what have I been up to? Now with less fiber.

• In December, I started running. I've been doing the ubiquitous Couch to 5K program. I'm in week 6, which is the farthest I've ever made it in this program before. I owe that to two things - first off, running outside instead of on a treadmill, and secondly, the availability of a podcast, so I can just concentrate on what I'm doing, and not have to track the time. I'm really enjoying it. I've found that the running is doing a lot to improve my mood and control my anxiety, even though I'm also discovering that I am in need of some new gear. Namely running tights, as my calf muscles become miserable when they are cold. My biggest realization is that I am old, and I don't recover well. However, I was pretty excited when I realized I ran 2.6 miles the last time I went out. Not bad considering how sedentary I've become in recent years. This is a great site for tracking a walk or run, btw.
  
• I'm trying to read books again. This sounds strange, but when you spend a large percentage of your life reading technical articles and textbooks, searching for more things to read, and writing technical articles yourself, it's really easy to go home and try to turn off your brain. I'd fallen into the habit of watching too much TV. Now I'm just trying to finish some of the books I pick up. The first book finished this year was The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore. It wasn't remarkable, and in fact was a very silly and fluffy read, but that's what I could manage. I'm also reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson. Yes, I typically read several books at once. Just like I knit...
• Work. There's been a lot of it. It hasn't been going so well, frankly. I'm a research scientist by trade, and I've spent most of the last year trying to get a method to work. I finally got it, but then I couldn't boost the sensitivity enough that I could make the method work for what I wanted it to do, which means that we had to re-evaluate my project. This also means that I have spent a year not generating useful data, and that, my friends, is depressing to a research scientist. As much as I know I am not my data, or my publication record, and that those should not be tied to my self esteem, it still is amazingly challenging to stay optimistic in the face of hard work for naught. The good news is that I've switched projects, and now I have a new method that's not working...
  
• I've even gone out to see 2 movies in the past few months. We found a cool theater here, and I've now seen both Juno and Hotel Chevalier in the theater. Plus, I went out to eat at a real restaurant both times! The movies were good. The restaurant I went to before Juno was very good - a French Moroccan place - and I will definitely be going back. The TiVo is pretty full of stuff to see as well, and if the Packers weren't in the playoffs, I'd watch a movie tomorrow night.
• I've missed Jon and Steven a lot. I'm rather bummed that the writers strike is still ongoing. But, that also means that I've used Netflix more, and have been watching Freaks and Geeks (excellent, but painful) and Babylon 5. Yes, I am a nerd, and darn proud of it.
  
• I also have another confession - I'm a bit of a news junkie. Following the political race has been fascinating, and despite not really loving any of the candidates, I've spent a lot of time following the news. I've also repeatedly gotten a recommendation for "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me" which I listened to for the first time in lab today. I loved it. Now that I've got my laptop connected for wireless at work, I'll be listening to a lot more NPR in the lab. I also like Science Friday. Told you I was a nerd.
  

I can't think of anything else at the moment, and I want to read for a little while before I fall asleep. The Historian is sitting next to me, so that's probably going to be my choice. I'm reserving judgment until I'm done with the book, but I will say that it has been keeping me entertained for a little over 100 pages so far.