Writing Group in NYC

Lakshmi and I are starting a writing group in NYC. The inaugural meeting is this Sunday, December 2nd, 11AM – 2ish, coffee shop location coming soon. It doesn’t matter if your interest is poetry, children’s lit, creative non-fic, or screenwriting – everyone is welcome (even if you’re “only” a reader). Feel free to tell/bring friends or post the info as a bulletin on your myspace.

At meetings we plan to workshop members’ writing, do writing exercises, etc. Let me know if you want to come so I can give you all the details about the location (include your email if I don’t already have it). If you have something short (like a poem or an excerpt from a story) that’s ready for workshop, email it to me by Friday (short notice, I know) and I can send it around before Sunday.

I hope to see you there!

Luv,
Kat

PS – If you’re an out-of-stater, you can participate remotely by emailing your responses to writing prompts to the group or posting on a blog.

On Savoring a Good Book

I was recently talking to Christina about the idea of rushing through books. This discussion was brought about because we had just gone to see the Times Talks interview with Philip Pullman on The Golden Compass and she had been rushing to finish the last of the His Dark Materials trilogy so as not to have the ending ruined at the discussion. It happens that she did not have the time to finish the book and the ending was revealed during the question and answer portion of the evening. I later asked Christina whether she was bummed about having the ending spoiled, and she said that she actually was not because she could now savor the rest of the book without the mad dash to finish it. We agreed that the fear of spoilage was a little too familiar after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this summer.

No obsessive Harry Potter fan that I know went to any of the Deathly Hallows release parties (or left their house on July the twenty-first) out of fear that the long awaited conclusion to the series would be spoiled. There was outrage at the New York Times for printing their review of the book two days before its release date. And fans the world over finished all 759 pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the sun rose on the twenty-second of July. Personally, on Saturday, July twenty-first, I went swimming at the public pool and baked cookies to pass the time before my copy of the book arrived at 3:30 in the afternoon. My original plan was to read through the night, but I ended up pacing myself. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Monday the twenty-third. I would have liked to give myself a week to really savor the experience, but my fear of spoilage was too great.

But, by rushing, had I spoiled the experience anyway? I had discussed in depth the idea of the literary carnage left in a speed reader’s margins with my friends who were also Harry Potter fans. Next to plot spoilage, not being able to really digest the book was my biggest fear. There is the argument that you will never absorb everything in a good book on the first reading and your relationship with the book grows by rereading. I read an article (forwarded by Andrea) from Time’s website entitled “Harry Potter and the Sinister Spoilers” by Lev Grossman and Andrea Sachs that defends spoilers using this rational. The writers claim that if knowing the ending of a Harry Potter book ruined the reading experience, fans would not read the books multiple times. Grossman and Sachs actually go so far as to say that “spoilers are a myth.” I agree that prior knowledge of a novel’s outcome has no affect on the literary merit of a book, but spoilers can affect your reading experience.

Plot is the victim of spoilers. Plot is the stuff that gets your heart rate up, causes a flush in your cheeks, and renders you totally unable to put the book down. Plot belongs to the first breathless reading of a book when you have no idea what is going to happen. It is not plot – what happens in a story as opposed to how it happens – that causes the discussion, obsession, and even derision that is necessary for longevity. A story endures because of well-developed characters that grow as they are rediscovered over and over again, but the suspense created by a well-plotted novel is spellbinding and can only be experienced once. The Harry Potter books are both character and plot driven. An entire book was written debating the duality of Snape (The Great Snape Debate). Another book, Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End, theorizes about both character and plot. But to discuss spoilers is to discuss plot, and J.K. Rowling is a genius when it comes to plot. Rowling’s ability to surprise no matter how much fans hypothesize beforehand is magical. And to spoil a book is to take away the magic of first discovery.

* * *

So what do you think? Is it more important to savor a good book or to find out what happens? Do you agree with Grossman and Sachs that spoilers are a myth? Even if spoilers do not affect the literary merit of novel, I still prefer to experience a book for the first time as the author intended it. I will sacrifice time with the characters to experience the magic of plot. As to whether that is an even trade, I can only say that I can reread Deathly Hallows as many times as I want, but I can never read the novel for the first time again.

Pumpkin Hummus

I found this recipe by googling 'Pumpkin Hummus'. You can follow this link to the original on Cooking Light's website (I omitted the fresh parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds). I first heard of pumpkin hummus in a magazine interview with Ewan McGregor in which he eats the aforementioned health snack. Pumpkin hummus sounded delicious, and, though, I might not look as sexy eating it as Ewan McGregor, I wanted a piece of the pie (pun intended).

When Joe invited me to a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book discussion, I thought it the perfect opportunity to make pumpkin hummus (pumpkins are for Halloween as Halloween is for Harry Potter). I made it the day before to make sure it wasn't disgusting and it wasn't! It was so delicious that I might never make traditional hummus again. I brought it to the party with Whole Wheat Pita chips (pitas cut into wedges and toasted at 350 degrees), cucumber (very refreshing), and red pepper (brings out the sweetness). If you make one recipe from this blog, please make this one!

Pumpkin Hummus

2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 garlic clove, chopped

Place all ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth.

* Technically, as long as the garlic was finely minced, you could avoid using the food processor.

One Year Ago Today

So it was exactly one year ago today that I had my Spinal Fusion. I had to be in the hospital at 6 AM and I went into surgery at around 8:30 or 9:00 AM. The surgery lasted for about 7 hours. It took so long because I had an anterior and a posterior fusion - or two surgeries done at the same time - also called a back-front-back which went something like this:

1. Back - went through the back first, removed all of my hardware and replaced it with new metal, then stapled me shut
2. Front - flipped me over, went through the front and put a cage (the Cadillac of hardware according to the doc) between my L5 and S1 vertebrae to ensure stability, stitched me shut
3. Back - flipped me over again, removed the staples, tightened the hardware and stitched me closed

I'm writing this around six o-clock pm, and a year ago at this time I was in the recovery room (also called the ICU) vomiting up the anaesthesia. I couldn't feel any part of my body below my chest (thank you, epidural), but, somehow, it still hurt. It was also extremely upsetting because every possible precaution had been taken to prevent my throwing up, including an all liquid diet the day before and nothing for over 12 hours before the surgery, numerous anti-nausea shots, an anti-nausea IV drip, and a seasickness patch behind my ear. The vomiting, which was as close to an Exorcist experience as I ever hope to have (green projectile barf, enough said), persisted for hours and it was a full 24 before I was discharged from the ICU and sent to my room.

So, that said, it's a year later. A year seems like a long enough time to fully recover when you're lying in a hospital bed, but it's really just the first phase (especially when you're recovering from your second surgery in one year). But in the hospital, I needed two nurses to turn me over in bed and a call button to go to the bathroom, so, no matter how tough my current situation is, it's not as hard as it could be. I wish that certain things about the future were a little less scary (like a job and the fact that all of my friends are moving away just as I'm getting better - which is a completely selfish feeling on my part, I know), but that's just the way things are at the moment. I also wish that this post were slightly more cheery and celebratory, but there you go - I felt that I had to post something because it's exactly a year and this is what came out.

I’m better and we should have a party.

This post is about a month old (been living in my journal with an eviction notice), but seeing as it is about my ten month doctor’s appointment which was supposed to be my nine month appointment before it got cancelled and rescheduled three times, I think I am right on schedule. Better late than never, right? That seems to be the theme of my entire spinal fusion experience. First surgery didn’t work? Try again! Better late than never! But, seriously, this post is serious. Because my ten month appointment brought some seriously good news that only paled in comparison to the news I received at my six month appointment when I found out that my fusion had FINALLY healed completely. At my ten month appointment the doctor said that I was doing so well and everything had healed so perfectly that I did not have to come back to the office for an entire year! I went to my six month appointment with so much trepidation (it was at the same time after my first surgery that I found out that my fusion had failed) that my only possible reaction at receiving good news was relief. When I left my ten month appointment with the knowledge that I was doing so well that I didn’t need constant monitoring anymore, I could not get the smile off my face. I believe this was the first time that I left my surgeon’s office with a smile that was not worn out of mere politeness. And would you believe it, the smile was still there after I left the elevator, went through the front door, walked down the street and waited at a red light. I just could not forgive myself if I did not post something about how happy I felt upon getting that news.

I would be lying if I said that the experience of having two spinal fusions in as many years was not a really scary and really painful one or to suggest that this good news means that I am now not scared and pain free. I would also be lying if I said that knowing that I am fully healed has made me stop acting and feeling as if I were not. I do not know if not rushing out to grab the life that I have been missing means that I am lazy or unmotivated or, perhaps, emotionally paralyzed. Maybe I never had a lot of ambition to begin with. I always felt that ambition was not a virtue, but that it brought out the worst in people. I don’t know. Here is what I do know: I cannot stay in bed forever and that I am really frigging happy that I don’t have to go back to the doctor for a year. Oh, and I’m jobless. This weekend, I went to an open call for Central Casting in New York. They cast a lot of the extras for movies and television shows in NYC. I tried to be an extra once before and it did not work out. Back then I was the actor who thought that being an extra was going to get me places (possibly into the union). Now, I’m the girl who just needs to make some money and sees all these actory types as caricatures of a former self (but not caricatures that I'm laughing at!). Also, I’ve been working pretty hard on a children’s novel that I’m writing for my cousins in Florida (Christina’s editing it!). I feel really excited about that.

I have no idea what kind of job I would be good at. There are probably a lot of jobs that I could do. I just don’t know what they are (again, maybe I'm too lazy or too scared to figure it out). I do know how I feel when I write and how I feel is good. I feel like windows are opening up in my head. That’s a strange explanation. I’ll try again. I enjoy writing and it is work at the same time. Sometimes it takes me twenty different rewrites before I get a sentence that works, but when it works I feel like a really difficult puzzle piece has just been slid into place. The window opens, it fits, it feels good. That’s how writing makes me feel and that’s just about the only thing that I have going for me right now that makes any sense. That and reading books. If I could get a job reading books! Maybe I’ll have to research becoming a literary agent (or more like getting a non-paying internship with a literary agent). For now, the extra people haven’t called. I’m giving the whole working-as-an-extra-thing two weeks before I apply to Starbucks. And this blog another sentence before I force it back on track. This post was supposed to be a nice, formal (possibly even witty) piece of writing about getting good news from the doctor, but I guess I slipped up and just said what I felt. Oops. What I meant to say was: I’m glad that I’m better and that we should have a party.

To Lakshmi with Brie

I haven’t been posting much on this blog for the past couple of months. It was one part laziness, one part computer time rationing due to the pain involved with sitting for long periods of time, and one part does anybody even care? Half of my posts were recipes and I didn’t think that anybody was reading them – let alone using them. Then Lakshmi said that she enjoyed reading my stories about cooking the recipes even if she did not subsequently cook them herself. Well, that made me feel better. So when she recently asked for sandwich ideas using brie (only my most favorite cheese in the world!), I realized that I had both stories and recipes for her. My initial suggestion was a sandwich featuring sliced green apples, turkey and brie. Read on for some more inventive options.

Before I get into the recipes, I’ll back up my declaration that brie is my most favorite cheese in the world. When I was a kid (don’t remember how old), we had a picnic with some family in our backyard. Before the picnic, my mom came home with two wheels of brie and I was psyched! Only then did I find out that we would be sharing the brie with the family. Now I was not a terribly stingy child when it came to food. Sure, I liked getting the biggest slice of pizza as much as the next kid, but my brother was the one with food sharing issues. It was David who stuffed an entire bag of fruit snacks into his mouth so he would not have to give one to me. But brie was an entirely different story. Determined not to sit idly by as my extended family consumed my brie (not realizing that my mom only intended to put out the first wheel anyway), I hid the brie between the pots and pans underneath the sink. And then preceded to forget all about it. It was not until two weeks later when my mom was rummaging through the refrigerator while I was within earshot that I remembered what I had done. I could have sworn I bought two bries was all it took for me to remember my hidden plunder. Still hopeful (what can I say, I was a kid), I pulled out the brie only to find that it was green.

Here is a sandwich that I found on foodnetwork.com. It was made by Tyler Florence and features brie, turkey and apple butter. I had to try it, because I recently brought back an Asheville, NC souvenir of award winning apple butter from The Moose Café. I did not follow the recipe exactly. The other day my mom bought a huge turkey breast and we baked it in the oven. Yesterday, I made a sandwich by toasting a roll with a little olive oil and topping it with brie for the last minute toasting to start melting it. I added about two slices of turkey breast and some apple butter. Mmmm! Definitely worth my trip to Asheville!

This second suggestion is not a recipe, but something from the menu at NYC restaurant Serendipity 3. This was Pam’s favorite restaurant when she was in high school and I went there with her during the summer after our freshman year of college. We had just finished a five hour wait for tickets to the Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, and decided that we’d like to wait some more. It took us about forty-five minutes to get a table right next to the kitchens in this über trendy spot, but the food was delicious. We split the following sandwich (how cheap!) and each had a fishbowl sized frozen hot chocolate. It was Pam’s first time tasting brie and it was my first (and only) time at Serendipity 3.

Pretty sure this was the sandwich:
A Summer Bries smoked turkey, sliced apples, melted brie and alfalfa sprouts, served on raisin pumpernickel with Russian dressing 14.00

Movie Recommendations

I've got a few movie recommendations. Some are for specific people, but anyone is free to watch!

For Teresa - Lea - interesting, sad foreign film - about a seriously scarred woman's escape from her world through poetry.

For Pam - 1408 - All John Cusack, all the time! He hasn't appeared so vulnerable (or hot) since Say Anything. Also, keep your eye out for Grace Is Gone in which John Cusack plays a father and husband whose wife has just been killed in Iraq- it's out in November or December and 'they' are already talking Oscar.

For anyone else - Down By Law - I don't care if you didn't like Coffee and Cigarettes! Or if you think black and white films are pretentious! This Jim Jarmusch film is basically a three man show (Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni, John Lurie). I rarely laugh during films as much as laughed during every scene featuring Benigni.

Delicatessen - This film is dark, hilarious, visually stunning. And they eat people. Check it out. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of Amélie, is one half of the directing team. The other half is Marc Caro. The movie is worth watching just for Dominique Pinon's (the stalker ex-boyfriend in Amélie) portrayal of the clown. He's actually kind of, dare I say it, sexy.

Ginger & Garlic

These recipes feature fresh garlic and/or ginger. I am posting them for Bryan who 'lifted' a massive amount of garlic and ginger from kraft services and is in need of some culinary inspiration.

The following is my favorite Hummus recipe. It's very simple. If you like a smoother consistency you could put everything in a blender or food processor. Personally, I like a chunkier texture. It feels more like food. The recipe is a tad vague, because it is really to-taste. You like more garlic; you add more garlic. It feels a little dry; add more lemon juice or Tahini.

Hummus

1 15oz. can of Chickpeas
3 Tbs. of Tahini
The juice of 1 or 2 lemons
2 Tbs. of Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic (minced)

Mash chickpeas with a fork. Mix in other ingredients until desired consistency.

Can add more olive oil, lemon juice or tahini for a smoother consistency.
Can add more garlic to taste.


Turkey Meatballs (Ginger)

• I served these gingery meatballs at Lakshmi’s birthday dinner with soba noodles and Coconut Sauce (Sounds really delicious, right? Ha, I say.). I really liked the meatballs – the ginger gives them a spicy flavor but they’re mild and pretty flavorful. I would make them again, but I am not sure how I would serve them. The soba noodles were fine, but the sauce was bland. A more experienced cook would have added some soy sauce or tamari sauce to add some much-needed flavor. If you care to attempt the original recipe, it called for 8 ounces of cooked soba noodles. The sauce consisted of 2 tablespoons lite coconut milk and 1 cup of non-fat reduced-sodium chicken broth (using a regular broth would add more flavor if you did not want to try soy sauce). Combine in a small saucepan and simmer for 6 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. The meatball recipe is as follows.

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried)

* I cooked these in a small amount of olive oil and vegetable oil in a pan on the stove for about ten minutes because it was hot and I did not want to turn on the oven. I am posting the directions as they were written in Shape Magazine (which I was looking at in my dad's apartment - of course, I glanced right over the exercises and went straight to the food).

Preheat broiler. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well and form into 16 small meatballs, about 2 inches in diameter (I got about 21 meatballs, but I used a 1.4 pound package of turkey and slightly increased the other ingredients to compensate). Place meatballs on a broiling tray or aluminum-foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place under broiler for 13 minutes, turning once when halfway cooked (after 6-7 minutes).

I haven't tried these recipes from the August 2007 issue of Cooking Light Magazine but everything I've made from them tastes excellent no matter the fat content and I intend to make them as soon as I get a chance.

Greek Lamb Burgers

Saté Burgers

Apricot Turkey Burgers

Ginger Carrot Muffins

A beginning and an end.

I apologize for my lack of updates (if there are any of my very few readers who are actually offended!). I’m doing well – I finished my physical therapy just over two weeks ago and I’ve been doing my exercises (though I did skip last night) and swimming as often as I am able. The next step in my recovery feels less definite: keep doing my exercises forever. My next phase is literally the future – an exciting and terribly scary prospect. I’m feeling better because of my exercises, but I still have enough pain that it’s burdensome and causes a fear about the idea of getting through a day at a job (for which I’ll probably start applying in September or October). As of now, I have no well-defined plans for the future. I do think that it is a good thing to set goals and work towards them, but past experiences have taught me that sometimes it’s better not to have expectations – or at least not to feel surprised when a major event or change occurs in life that is entirely unforeseen. As of today, my only plan is to await the arrival of my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’ve never preordered a book, nor have I ever actually counted the days until a Harry Potter release. During college, I enjoyed the first four books, but when the fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, came out I was busy with school and it was not until right before my first spinal fusion (winter of 2006) that I finally read it. Since my surgeries, however, I have reread all of the books and listened to the audio versions countless times. I’ve always had a close relationship with books, but never has an author meant so much to me as J.K. Rowling. Having my two spinal fusions has been depressing at times, but never overwhelming because I’ve had these books. Whenever I was too exhausted to read or even watch television, I listened to Harry Potter on my iPod and felt instantly better about my situation because Harry’s life was so horrible. Obviously, I’m aware that Harry Potter is a fictional character, but he’s also been a faithful friend. So, as I near the end of my recovery and the beginning of the future, it seems appropriate that I am awaiting the conclusion of this beloved series.

Blend On!

We may not be having tropical weather on this 4th of July, but that can’t stop you from enjoying a tropical drink!

Lately, I’ve been really into blending. Using the blender, I should say. We bought it last summer to enjoy tropical drinks (i.e. margaritas), but I hadn’t used it until last week. My cousins Eric and Grace (who live in different areas in Brooklyn) came over to my dad’s apartment after my PT appointment. I was making this spicy-chicken-Indian-dish (one packet of chicken tikka masala spices, one can coconut milk plus a 1/4 cup water, three tablespoons of tomato paste, frozen peas, sautéed onions mixed together in a pot and served over basmati rice – so good) and an Avocado Salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing from Everyday with Rachael Ray (naturally, I had to toss the avocados because my dad bought them so far in advance that they went bad, but the dressing was still good over romaine lettuce). I didn’t know what to make for dessert, and, as it was wicked hot that week, I didn’t want to turn on the oven. I decided on a mango lassi and my foray into blending thus began. One tip – if you’re following a recipe for a smoothie or a blended drink, don’t worry about diverging from the directions. Taste it and if you want more yogurt or fruit or think you’d like a little sparkling water (personally, I hate sparkling water), go ahead! Since, in all probability, you’re making a tropical drink, blending should be relaxing and stress free!

Mango Lassi
recipe from A Little Taste of India by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah

1 lb. 2 oz. ripe mango, chopped (you could also use mango pulp from the frozen food isle if mangoes aren’t in season)
1 cup chilled milk
1 cup plain yogurt

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and serve cold – add ice to make it a little colder if you like. So, actually, the book says you should blend or chop the mango into a pulp and then push it through a sieve to remove the fiber. I made it once with mango pulp from the store and there was no fiber (already removed, I guess) and when I made it for my cousins, I didn’t have the book so I didn’t even think about straining it until we were drinking down a glass of fibers, I mean, mango lassi. Still delicious.

Blueberry Banana Drink
my own recipe (like it hasn’t been done before!)

1 or 2 tablespoons of honey
1 ripe banana (could be frozen)
about 1 cup of frozen blueberries
Yogurt and milk to taste (you can use the equal parts formula from the recipe above)
ice cubes

Blend together and enjoy!

Cantaloupe-Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
adapted from a little book about smoothies

three slices of ripe cantaloupe
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 ripe banana (could be frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice
three tablespoons of yogurt
1/3 cup milk (I didn’t have much yogurt so I supplemented with milk)

Blend and enjoy! This drink was so tropical and delicious! Make it. Now. I mean now!

Tia Celia's Flan

My Aunt Celia is one of the best cooks around. This Cuban flan – a type of baked custard – has been one of my favorite desserts since I was a kid. It's super creamy, delicious and requires very few ingredients. This is the version of her recipe that my mom has always made. I believe that my aunt uses four egg yokes and two eggs - which produces a thicker texture - and then uses the remaining whites to make meringue. This version is slightly lighter but the flavor is the same and you don't have to separate the eggs.

1 1/2 cups sugar separated
6 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Step One – Make the caramel
•Dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in pan (I used a round metal bowl, but my aunt uses a rectangular loaf pan) over low flame until melted and golden brown.
• Once sugar is melted, use as much of it as possible to coat the sides of the pan.

Step Two
• Preheat the oven to 325º
• Beat six eggs and rest of the sugar (I decreased sugar to about 2/3 cup) until sugar dissolves. Beat in the remaining ingredients.

Step Three
• Strain mixture into the caramel pan. (You don’t really have to strain it – I didn’t and my mom never does). As you pour the egg mixture over the warm caramel, you’ll hear an extremely pleasant crackling sound, like pop rocks.
• Place dish in a pan of about 2 inches of hot water and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. It took almost 2 hours in my oven, but that's my oven.
• Remove from oven and cool before chilling for a few hours.

Christina's Birthday

Below is a pictorial essay of the day of Christina’s birthday celebration. I say day of because the first few pictures were taken on my way to her apartment – either while waiting for a bus or through the window of a bus. At Christina’s apartment, we made Black Bottom Cupcakes from a recipe in the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray. I thought the cupcakes were a little sweet, though Bryan said they were the best he had ever eaten (a bit of hyperbole, perhaps?). The cheesecake filling is excellent, however, and I usually add it to a box of Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix. I make the cake and then drop tablespoons of the filling over the entire surface of the cake. I don’t really care for most cake, but this is my favorite recipe.

This day was pretty exciting for me – not only was it my first time at Christina’s apartment in almost two years, but it was the first big social event that I’ve been to since my surgeries that hasn’t been at or very near to either my house or my dad’s house. It made me so happy that I finally felt well enough to go out for the day with my friends. And Christina and Jon kindly provided a beach chair for me to sit on. I’m sure everyone was jealous. I have to say, though, that I kept glancing up instinctively waiting for Pam to get there (she’s in England).

It’s very strange to me to observe how everyone’s lives have gone in different directions since graduation. Although my life went in an unexpected direction that included two spinal fusions, college (which was the last thing that I did before I had my operations) still feels close, as if I just graduated. It’s like when during your first year of college, you’re still talking about high school because you don’t know who you are yet as a university student. Having two surgeries sent me into a form of limbo and I know that I’m not the same person that I was in college (how could I be?) but I haven’t had the chance to figure out how I’ve changed so I’m still stuck back at Rutgers. My friends’ lives have moved on, and I have to find my place as a member of the group and the universe in general again (you see, I’ve been living in a distant place called Bed for two years). It’s not as though I didn’t feel at ease with my friends, but more like I don’t yet feel at ease with myself (does one ever?).

Enjoy the pictures – I have more and I’ll put them on Shutterfly as soon as I get a chance. Let me know if you’d like the link to the album. I should say that none of the people in the pictures realized that their photo was being taken. I prefer taking candid shots because I think they look more natural (though often out of focus).


This is an ad on a bus stop lean-to. It is a drawing of a city skyline and real city buildings are reflected on the glass.


I took this picture inside of the same lean-to, hence the gray dots. I thought the tall, triangular building was neat.


Me taking a picture of me as reflected in a camera advertisement. Kind of meta, no? The ad says Your dad is not a horse's behind.


I took this picture from the bus. A real tree and a tree of ladies. I thought it looked cool.


Some cars on a roof. Kind of precarious looking. Also taken from the bus and you can see the bus lights in the sky. Come to think of it, it would be kind of neat to travel all around cities on public buses and take pictures through the windows and make it a sort of book.


This picture was taken at Central Park where Christina had her birthday picnic. I purposely moved the camera to blur the image because I only wanted to show how many people were at the park but not actually be able to make out their faces.


Chris pouring wine and giving directions.


Christina and Jon. Cute, but would be cuter if it weren't out of focus. Please mentally remove that ugly baby carriage. Or, if you're a Photoshop whiz, literally remove it and give me the photo.


Bryan, Lakshmi, Cui.


Tiff and Lakshmi.


Tiff and her boyfriend Jesse.


Some lanterns at Tavern on the Green. I know it's such a touristy thing to photograph, but I couldn't help myself.

Monarch?

A wind chime in my backyard.

I took the following pictures of a butterfly in my backyard. My mom said that this is a Yellow Monarch. It is either feeding or laying eggs on this milkweed plant, which is consistent with Monarch butterflies. But as far as I can tell from searching on the internet Monarchs are usually orange. If this is, in fact, a Monarch, it may be on its springtime northward migration back to Canada (or starting an early southward migration?). It was hard to take these pictures as the butterfly kept moving from one plant to another and then between the spherical umbels (or the grouping of individual flowers that form an umbrella-shaped flower head). If you know the correct family of butterflies to which this one belongs, let me know. This sounds like a question for Marc and Teresa, so I might have to ask them.

So long, Chuck.

These used to be my most beloved shoes. I loved them all the more as they became worn and faded. They’ve sat on a shelf in my closet for almost two years. I put my Converse away before my first spinal fusion, because I needed, for a time anyway, to wear slip-on shoes. No bending allowed. But they haven’t seen pavement (um, with the exception of this photograph) since I stowed them on that shelf. I have nerve damage in my big toes – a common and expected result from spinal fusions as the L5 nerve to the feet must be moved during the operation – and any pressure (from shoes that were probably too tight to begin with) hurts them. Now I have to wear ugly, wide shoes that don’t press on my toes. The nerve damage causes a weakness and an inability to resist force – as in, I step down from a bus and my toe gives out. And it hurts. I used to feel the pain in both of my big toes on a fairly constant basis, but the left one has only been caving in against the sidewalk periodically and I’m sure the right is close to follow. My doctor said to give it nine months to two years (from the date of surgery). Either way, I think that my Converse are retired for good. But they’ll stay on the shelf. And if I move, I’m sure that I’ll be tempted to bring them along. They remind me of my pre-spinal-fusion life; of a time when I didn’t even know that I needed surgery. That time hardly seems real anymore, but I guess these shoes are proof.

Road Kill

Last night, a block party was going on in front of my house. Astrid was coming to pick me up so we could go out for ice cream. I told her to meet me at the end of my street. As I was waiting for her car to pull up, I spotted this poor toy frog. I wished that I had brought my camera. This morning, Ginger (my dog) and I walked down the street. I photographed, she pulled on the leash to cross the street. Pinky the Pomeranian came by and barked at Ginger like he wanted to rip her to pieces. He neglected to notice that he (minus the poofy hair) is just about the size of her head (she does not have poofy hair). That explains the picture.

One big, smooshed together post.

Get your ducks in a row.

I’ve been meaning to update my blog every week for the past three weeks, so instead of multiple entries, here is one big, smooshed together post about my trips into the city for physical therapy and other stuff:

Next week will be my fifth week of Physical Therapy and the first time that I only need to go in for one appointment instead of two. As I progress in my therapy, I am able to move more and the exercises become easier, or, less hard, as I’ve learned to say. Calling an exercise easy quickly eliminates it from your routine and advances you to the next level. Not that I’m not totally psyched when I get new exercises (it means that I’m getting stronger), but blending in the easier stuff gives me a bit of a break in my routine. And then there’s the fact that with each new exercise, I still find it hard to believe that my body will actually be able to go there, that it will not break. This is not a totally irrational fear, because my back did happen to break a few months ago after my first spinal fusion failed. My physical therapists tell me that this mistrust in my own body will fade, but I wonder how long it will take. In The History of Love, Nicole Krauss writes about an Age of Glass when “everyone believed some part of him or her to be extremely fragile. For some it was a hand, for others a femur, yet others believed it was their noses that were made of glass…. This period lasted a relatively short time…. about a century.” She goes on to write that the illusion became vestigial, that this feeling of fragility resurfaced from time to time after the Age of Glass was thought to be over. I wonder if and when my fear that my back will break again or that I’ll eventually need another fusion will go away, or if it will remain for the most part dormant but always waiting and able to creep into my thoughts.

So, enough of that slightly depressing stuff! I haven’t just been sitting around afraid that I’m going to break. I’ve been enjoying this new stronger and less painful me. I’ve seen my friends more often in the past four weeks than during my two years of surgeries and recoveries. My PT is in the city, so I stay with my dad and am able to see my friends who live in and around New York. Three weeks ago, I made falafels for Joe (and my dad) from this Cooking Light recipe (I doubled the recipe and served them on top of a salad instead of in a pita). We got bubble tea and went to a nearby park that I discovered with Christina, Pam and Lakshmi. There we saw two huge rats either fighting or loving it out. They were close enough that I could see that one had a bald patch on his butt. We also saw a girl walking a cat on a leash. It didn’t seem to mind at all. The cat only reminded me that I want a cat of my own to name after a Harry Potter character and possibly walk on a leash. Last week I made fajitas for Christina (and, again, my dad). (I thought) they were pretty good and if anyone wants the very simple recipe let me know and I’ll post it. After dinner, Christina and I listened to the Pinkberry theme song (PIN-KBE-RRY, pinkberry!) until we could actually hear it’s echo bouncing around our skulls (Pinkberry for me, Pinkberry!). Soon after that, Jon joined us for the swirly goodness (as it’s called on their website), and we discovered that pinkberry actually is swirly and good and hopefully not just a fad (I still love Bubble Tea!).

Other than seeing my friends more often, these past weeks have brought a couple of other post-surgery firsts. For one thing, I’ve ridden the subway a few times. Initially, I was terrified that I wouldn’t find a seat and that someone would smash into my back. It’s been fine, though I did almost fall when a woman tried to get to the exit before the car had stopped. The train is certainly faster than the bus, but I do miss looking out the windows as I travel from one destination to another. Lately, riding the MTA buses is the only time that I can appreciate the city views. My former New York internships were basically walking tours of the city – I got to know Tribeca (when I was at Sherry Films), Soho (Elevation Filmworks) and the East Village (The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church). But since my surgeries, stepping onto the New York streets has a dizzying affect. I’m instantly overwhelmed and unable to notice even the storefronts. As I’m walking, I can only focus on the throngs of people as I try to navigate around them. Without my cane, which created an invisible yet impenetrable two-foot circle around me, I am constantly trying to protect myself from the people that could hurt me. This is a perfect example of how my own Age of Glass affects not only my psyche but my behavior. In fact, I don’t think that I would have ever noticed Pinkberry were I to have walked by it instead of ridden passed on the bus on my way to PT.

I don’t necessarily think of my new reaction to the city as a negative. It’s only one of the things that I’ve noticed has changed since my surgeries. I’ve also discovered that I love to cook. I’ve rediscovered that I can be happy going places and doing thing in books when I can’t go or do on my own. As I child, I read as many books as I could. They were my video games, my TV. But they were also my friends when I didn’t have many. Though that lonely, friendless part of me that only went places, did things, and had friends in books all but disappeared in high school and especially college, I welcomed her back during my recovery time after my surgeries. And, although the going and doing with friends that has happened in the last few weeks has been absolutely wonderful, my surgeries made me realize that I can be satisfied by very little – if I would even dare to describe a book as very little.

Another post-surgeries first that is very exciting is swimming! A few PT sessions ago, I was cleared for swimming – only certain strokes like the breaststroke and sidestroke that don’t cause an extension, or curving, of my back. The public pool (for which I, upon learning that I could swim, promptly bought a badge) is only open on weekends until school lets out. So I was only able to go once last week, but I still managed to stress out my back. I went to physical therapy with a gargantuan knot to the left of my lumbar spine. They gave me a massage and told me to relax a bit on my exercise routine and to limit my swimming to not actually swimming. Just walking in the water. Tak and Brian, my physical therapists (Tak is doing his internship under Brian), told me to lie on top of a tennis ball and try to massage the knot out. I tried it a couple of times (Jon and Christina can attest to that), but it just hurt more. At my session on Thursday, I had an electrode machine and a heat pack on my back to loosen the knot, and another massage but still no luck. I told Brian that even after a year and a half of constant pain, I had managed to get used to feeling better (which I had been since starting PT). Three weeks had spoiled me. Apparently, I like being spoiled.

I figured that it would take a few days to get rid of this knot, and today (Sunday) it’s finally feeling better. I went to the pool yesterday and this afternoon and didn’t overexert myself – just some light kicking while holding onto the edge and today I added a bit of sidestroke. As I was walking home, I realized that my back wasn’t hurting. I felt for the knot and it was still there, but had majorly decreased in size and pain. Wahoo! Besides knot removal (or lessening), the pool is also good for reading. In these past two days, I have almost finished The History of Love. It’s been taking me an absurdly long time as I’ve only been reading on the train to and from the city. In other exciting news, I actually talked to Teresa twice this week! Two times in one week is a record!

Here are a couple of shout-outs:
The first goes to Tak, even though he will never read this blog. He was doing his internship for his PhD at the place that I go to for PT. I worked with him for four weeks, but he finished his internship on Friday, so I’ll probably never see him again. But he did a great job. Now it’s back to Brian. Well not really back to, more like starting over with.
My second shout-out goes to Pam, who read and commented on my blog even though she’s in Berlin. I hope you’re having a great time! Come back sooner than later. To my blog and this country.

The following pictures (and the one at the top of this post) were taken during a fun night about two weeks ago right before Pam left the country. I saved talking about it for these pictures, but, to sum it up, Cui, Lakshmi, Tif, Christina, Pam, Randi and I all went out for dinner and bubble tea.



T(if)L(akshmi)C(ui)



C(hristina)P(am)R(andi)



We sat on the second floor at Lili's for the first time. In this picture, I like that the word sushi is reflected on a mirror on the first floor.



After dinner, Jon joined us (he's on his Blackberry!). Pam, Randi, Chris, Jon and I went to this new coffee shop called M. Rohr's for some tea (I guess we hadn't had enough bubble tea). It was cute and pretty homey. Much less crowded and hipster-ish than DT-UT, which is closing next week anyway.



Two chairs at M. Rohr's.

I use weights!

I think that I gave physical therapy a bad rap in my last PT post. After I left PT today, I realized (or, maybe, it was pointed out to me by my physical therapist…) that I’m going to have good days and bad days in what inevitably will be a long recovery). Yes, these exercises kill my already annihilated muscles, but I can’t expect to be better in one week when it took a year and a half to get me this way. My last post just reflected my disappointment at the pain catching up with me after feeling so awesome at the start of physical therapy. Apparently, I was doing too much exercising once I got home. Go figure – me an excessive exerciser? Ha, I say! I’m just going to have to embrace my inner underachiever and not expect too much from myself too soon.

I am proud to say, however, that today was my hardest session of PT yet. They kicked up my routine to a level two by adding a truly wicked exercise. Of course, I’m sure the physical therapist just made that up to make me feel better about that exercise being so hard, but I’ll be damned if I don’t brag about it anyway. Level two, baby! I’ve also been doing weighted exercises for my legs and I might be moving up from ten pounds to twenty! Level two, baby! But just in case you’re worried that I might get carried away and try to pump it up to a level three tonight, let me assure you – I’m going to go lie down and watch a DVD. Gee, this underachieving feels an awful lot like my last year and a half…

The Most Delightful Turkish Delight

I like this photo best - that's why it's first.

Where does one find the most delightful Turkish Delight? Turkey, I suspect. Actually, I know. About two years ago, a woman in my dad's office went home to Turkey for a vacation and brought back some real Turkish Delight. The most delightful Turkish Delight that I have ever had. I bought the candy seen in these photos today - at Corrado's Family Market - and it's the best I've had since. I've only ever tried one other variety (excepting that first real stuff), but as that was a travesty of epic proportions, finding a comparable option is blog worthy (or maybe not?).



Isn't the suspense just killing you?



Not yet unveiled...



Almost.



I ate a piece. Sort of wish I had gotten the bigger box.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Bagel

Blueberry Goat Cheese Bagel

This is a recipe for Pam, because it involves goat cheese and Pam has loved (or, at least, liked, right?) goat cheese ever since she first tried it at my dad’s apartment. If you aren’t a fan of goat cheese or just don’t have any, you can use cream cheese instead. I promise that if you try this, you’ll feel like you’re eating something gourmet. A blueberry-covered goat cheese that I got from Costco inspired this recipe. It was delicious spread over a piece of multi-grain health bread. The following is even better.

Toast a blueberry bagel, spread on some warmed (or at room temperature) goat cheese, and top with fresh or frozen blueberries. When I've made this, I’ve only used frozen blueberries, so I warm them for twenty seconds in the microwave and then add my slice of goat cheese and put it in for another twenty seconds.

Happy Memorial Day!

Physical Therapy

I’ve been meaning to post an update on my back for a while so here you go. Two weeks ago, I went into the city for my six-month appointment after my spinal fusion and the doctor said that everything has healed perfectly (hooray!). That means that my L4, L5 and S1 vertebrae – or the bottom three in the spine – have formed a solid and unbendable piece (which did not happen after my February 06 surgery, causing my screws to break). Being solid and unbendable also means unbreakable, at least in terms of physical therapy. So I started last week.

I had two appointments already. After my first appointment, I was amazed at how easy the exercises felt. My back didn’t hurt a bit – only my much-neglected (on doctor’s orders!) muscles burned. And it wasn’t a painful, mutinous burn, but a thankful and long awaited pain. On my second visit, I was even allowed to use a weight machine for the legs, which caused them to wobble as my thighs remembered that they weren’t really made entirely of Jell-O (yuck!). But I welcomed this feeling and even encouraged it again once I got home only to be surprised – my arms, my legs, my back suddenly weren’t grateful. They were angry!

My muscles that had be so patiently atrophying for a year and a half were angry like my back when I got home from the hospital after my first surgery. Before my spinal fusion, I expected to wake out of anesthesia in total and utter agony. I’d been told that I would feel like I’d been hit by a truck. In my first moments of consciousness, I braced myself against the pain. Only it didn’t come. I didn’t feel anything. Literally. I was totally numb from the chest down. I was also mentally numb and the morphine haze left me feeling like I was drifting somewhere above my body. Sure that the hit-by-a-truck pain would start any second, I hit the button that sent the numbing morphine through a tube going into my spine as often as I was allowed – every ten minutes.

As I got up the courage to wean myself off the epidural and transition to pills (induced by the constant painful vomiting caused by said morphine and the fact that I couldn’t go home with a needle in my spine), I expected to feel the residual effects of my truck accident, I mean back surgery, but I didn’t. I’m not saying that I didn’t feel pain, but it was manageable. I guess that’s why they call the doctor’s that figure out your perfect pill regimen pain management doctors. After I was discharged from the hospital – with a prescription for half a dosage of a mild narcotic in an attempt to stave off the nausea – and moving around more (you only do physical therapy twice a day if you’re lucky in the hospital) the pain started to show up.

Just as my first surgery seemed easier then the horror that I imagined, my first physical therapy sessions seemed a piece of cake compared to the warnings I received from several people in which I would “really, really hurt”. And just as I didn’t feel the gravity of my surgery until my second week out, I didn’t feel the effect of my physical therapy until a few days later. But that pain lets me know that my exercises are doing something, and, after all, I expected it so it shouldn’t really come as a surprise. I thought my muscles were eagerly waiting to be put back in form, but it turns out they got used to being lazy, couch potatoes and are going to put up a fight. They were shocked into compliance during those first couple of PT sessions but now they’ve got on their boxing gloves. Which is fine. They don’t realize it yet, but that’s exactly how I want them.

PS - I finished the Mists of Avalon a couple of weeks ago and have moved on to The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (as recommended, again, by Pam). If you have an opinion on the next book that I should read, let me know. I'm thinking something by Philip Pullman. Maybe The Golden Compass, part one of the His Dark Materials series. Look out for posts on a recipe for Pam and pictures from my Bubble Tea adventure with Christina and two surprises!

Anniversaries

On the ninth of every month for five months, I have “celebrated” or at least marked the anniversary of my November 9th spinal fusion. Tomorrow is my six-month anniversary and the most significant so far. It was at my six-month appointment after my first spinal fusion that I found out that the surgery had failed and I would need a second operation. At my last appointment, three months ago, the doctor was optimistic about the success of my fusion and I have no reason to fear a third, but I can’t help being nervous. I know that when I’m lying on the metal X-ray table tomorrow, I will be suspicious of the friendly demeanor of the technician. I will not be able to stop myself thinking that she already knows whether something is wrong, whether my screws have broken again.

I try not to focus on the screws and instead on the positive, on the complete unlikelihood that my fusion could fail again. But I can’t stop myself from dreaming - from waking up in the middle of the night thinking that I’m back in my hospital bed or in my surgeon’s office receiving bad news. I don’t blame myself for having dreams or being anxious about my second six-month appointment (when there should have been only a first). I just wish that I could feel something in my body telling me that this time is different - maybe a lesser degree of pain or exhaustion than I felt after my first six months. At this point, I’m operating on a combination of faith, positive thinking (with the exception of this blog post, of course), and percentages. As in, there’s less than a two percent chance that my surgery could fail this time. Unfortunately, I’m one hundred percent sure that I’m dreading my doctor’s appointment.

Up there with anxiety and dread, is a sense that I have no control over my future. I was never someone that needed to feel in control of my destiny. I’ve always had tons of ideas about what I could do with my life, plenty of plans, but usually found that any target I had paled in comparison to reality. For example, during my sophomore year in college I spent months planning a summer trip to California to be an actress. I even tried an extreme diet – my very own combination of Atkins and Suzanne Summers – to get ready for all the bikinis I’d be asked to wear in suntan lotion commercials. Instead of going to Hollywood, I went on two amazing volunteer trips, one of which put me on a roof in West Virginia, partially in charge of the high school students tasked with replacing said roof. I mourned my summer plans for about a minute, feeling that the surprise trip to the edge of a Mountain in McDowell County was better than anything I had envisioned.

I always felt that relinquishing control over my plans worked in my favor, until six months after my first spinal fusion. I started looking into MFA programs for Poetry and found out, instead, that I’d be having another surgery. Suddenly I felt that a little more control over my ‘destiny’ wouldn’t be a bad thing. Who was I kidding? I was all about control. My first surgery was on my terms, after I’d gotten through college and could take the necessary time off for recovery. The second surgery was totally out of my control, unless, of course, I wouldn’t mind being a cripple. So even as I was looking for job possibilities on the internet this morning in hopes that my six-month appointment will lead to physical therapy and increased mobility, I do so only because I have to plan. I have to do something to mark these six-months, to acknowledge that they occurred and are significant. So I look for jobs, write this blog, and say a prayer that my second six-month appointment will be cause for celebration. And that the next surprise that life gives me will have nothing to do with a hospital bed.

In the garden.

I was in the garden (still reading The Mists of Avalon) and I decided to take a few pictures. That's not such an unusual event. Since my surgeries, I've probably taken close to a thousand pictures of the flowers in the yard. This is a tulip.



This is a bird bath.



Same tulip, different angle.

These pictures were taken in the backyard, but I also took a few in the front. As I was crouching down to get a shot of a particular salmon colored tulip, I heard footsteps coming up behind me. They're getting closer. Closer. It's either my brother or I'm about to be mugged...

Or it could be the mailman. Crisis averted.

Not my Blueberry-Nut Bread

This really delicious recipe is from Jane Brody’s Good Food Gourmet. I’m not sure if you’re supposed to post recipes from cookbooks so if I’m committing a blogosphere crime, somebody please let me know.

Before I type up the recipe as it appears in the book, I’ll mention a couple of changes that I made (out of necessity). Firstly, I used frozen blueberries (from Whole Foods which has the best frozen products I’ve ever tasted). Secondly, I violated the cardinal rule of cooking/baking – always make sure that you have all the ingredients before you start putting the dish together. We usually have orange juice, but on that particular day we didn’t so I substituted grapefruit juice. I could have squeezed an orange, but I’d rather eat the orange and eat the cake.

If I made this recipe again, I would probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup. I would also like to try baking this bread with dried cranberries instead of blueberries.

BLUEBERRY-NUT BREAD

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt (optional)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup blueberries (preferably fresh)
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the over to 350º F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (if desired).
3. Add the butter and the beaten egg to the flour mixture, stirring the ingredients to combine them.
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the orange rind, orange juice, and water. Add the juice mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in the blueberries and pecans, and transfer the batter to a greased 9X5-inch loaf pan.
5. Place the pan in the hot oven, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Kat’s Note: this bread is great warm out of the pan or toasted the next day.

My Favorite (Turkey) Burger

I take my tomatoes on the side.

So far I’ve posted recipes on this blog that I created (er, knocked-off) or made (almost entirely by myself). My mom made this turkey burger and she thinks that it’s from a recipe though she can't remember where it came from. My only contribution to the dinner was the Fresh Chive Mayo (mayonnaise and a generous amount of chopped fresh chives from our garden – dried would be fine as well). I also made the Roasted Acorn Squash (roasted with olive oil and a bit of salt – it was incredibly and unexpectedly sweet) but that was leftover from another meal.

This burger recipe is a shout out to Teresa. We (coincidentally) made the same Rachael Ray burger (stuffed with cheese and bacon) so I thought that she might like to try this one. This has been my favorite burger (turkey, beef or otherwise) for a long time and I hope someone else enjoys the recipe.

Ingredients
Olive oil, for cooking
Ground turkey meet
1 packet mushroom onion dry soup mix
1/4 cup water
Garlic powder and pepper (optional)
Monterey Jack cheese, to top burgers
Rolls (Kaiser or Italian) or buns
Fresh Chive Mayo (optional)
Lettuce and tomato, to top burgers

Mix ground turkey meet, packet of soup mix and water together. Form into patties. My mom made four – usually we make smaller burgers so about five.

Cook burgers in olive oil over medium heat until meat turns opaque. You can dust the top of the raw side with garlic powder and pepper if desired. After flipping the burgers, top with cheese and cook until the meet is done and the cheese melted (you can cover the pan to help the cheese melt).

Serve with lettuce, tomato and Chive Mayo on a roll.

Challenge: if you can make an equally tasty burger with fresh ingredients (i.e. no soup mix) I would love to have the recipe!

Napkin Rating: My brother suggested that I give my recipes Napkin Ratings. As in, this recipe is so messy that you need X number of napkins. I only used one, but also only finished half of my burger. My mom and brother needed two. So, on average, this recipe receives a Napkin Rating of 2.

Today I was relaxing on the chaise, cool in the shade of an umbrella, with a good book (The Mists of Avalon, recommended by Pam). My mom was trimming the hedge. She was taking it down by a couple of feet and it was tedious work in the hot sun. I decided to help, because my comfortable lounge in the cool shade accompanied by my good book was not as relaxing when watching my mother toil at the hedge.

Thus began my first post-second-surgery yard work. Basically, I chopped up the branches that she had already trimmed so that they would fit into one of those big brown leaf bags. I barely filled half a bag and there’s a ton left to do, but it felt good to do something of use even if it was punctuated by frequent water and then bathroom breaks. Baby steps.

Cape May, April 2007

I recently went to Cape May with Astrid and her Mom. It was my first post-second-surgery trip. We spent one night in a very cute, old inn. My back held up pretty well when we were there, but when I came back I crashed for about a day and a half. Or a Day.5 (day point five). It was grey, cold and windy in Cape May, but it was nice to test myself with a trip. Of course, two days later, it's bright, warm and sunny. Ah well.

Below is a pictorial essay of my trip, though, as I have a bizarre eye when it comes to photographs, I'm not sure how representative it is of our stay in Cape May.



Didn't I tell you I bought a boat? Just kidding. This is outside the Lobster House.



Again, outside the Lobster House where it's usually very pleasant to sit and eat. On Tuesday it was cold and very, very windy, but we ate outside anyway. With my hood up I looked like a bum eating lobster salad. But it still tasted good. The lobster salad, not my hood.



The afore mentioned lobster salad. Astrid's mom laughed at me for taking this picture but I kind of like it. This was when we first got to Cape May, and, undoubtedly, before she realized that I take pictures of weird things. Still, I think Jon and Christina would be proud that they passed on the tradition of taking pictures of food.



A freaky little wooden doll drilled to the outside wall of a doll shop. I know that she's wearing a sailor dress but I think she looks kind of goth. Is it just me, or was she an extra on Buffy (as a vampire of course)? I didn't go into the shop.



This shop was closed both times that Astrid attempted to check it out. I still managed a shot of all of the little doodads out front.




Astrid loved this lamp. She asked the innkeeper (oh, I used the word innkeeper!) where she bought it.



A turned over table at the beach. I couldn't actually get onto the beach because the sand from the dunes had blown a mountain (er, hill) onto the boardwalk steps and I couldn't risk the fall.



A picture of Astrid. I just liked the unintentional glowy, ethereal look. Do you think Astrid's magic?



Who knew that my camera could take underwater pictures?



A mailbox outside a shop. The store sold things like incense and books. The shop smelled nice. The lady behind the register and I talked about the practicality of digital cameras after she and Astrid finished laughing at my photographing of her shop windows. I didn't post those shots. This is just a guess, but I don't think that starfish was plucked from the Cape May shore.



The final chapter in this pictorial essay and one of my final shots taken in Cape May. That is a beautiful seahorse caught off the dock at the Lobster House.