Pearl

Wednesday... no laptop joy

2012-02-01T16:43:00.000-06:00

Monday, I was told by 4 pm... then it turned out I needed a new laptop. Overnighted, have it Tuesday by 11 am.

Tuesday, at 11 am, I was told 3:30 pm... 3:30 pm, told Wednesday morning.

Wednesday, at 10 am, told noon. At noon, told 2 pm. At 2 pm, told "close of day... " and still waiting.

Lesson: buy a back-up laptop.

Question: what do people do do have no laptop, back-up laptop, wi-fi, digital stuff... at all?

Answer: Live serenely.

What did I get accomplished since the laptop crashed? (On Saturday/Sunday still had laptop without wi-fi or anything but basic word processing...)

Hung handles in kitchen (final WME piece for kitchen) and placed IKEA tin buckets of utensils on then, instead of counter
Took out trash and recycling (pile of cardboard boxes) twice
Washed five cashmere sweaters and all tights in gentle cycle of washer
Did 2 other loads of laundry
Cooked pork loin in slow cooker
Cleaned out old food from fridge
Cleaned off/decluttered top of dining room table
Brought 2 bags of books to my office on campus
Recycled pile of magazines
Shredded old bills, letters, etc., waiting in pile
Cleaned out car of garbage, extra "stuff" and bags
Took pillows and old quilts to vet for use with sick/boarding animals
Took load of clothing and household goods to Goodwill (after photographing for taxes)
Took a long, hot bath
Shined all my sinks
Cleaned and de-calcified my humidifier
Swept and cleaned off front and back porches, including dumping old dirt in planters and pots
Baked brownies
Watched 2 Netflix movies on DVD, several movies via Netflix streaming, and most of Dexter season 1 (I am teaching a class on that right now)
Prepped 4 classes without laptop, "old school" with notebook, pen, and post-its
Travelled in to on-campus locations twice to check email... twice in 4.5 days--weird
Enjoyed the quiet in my apartment without digital "noise"

Yeah. Quite a bit... because I couldn't write my book review, my novel, my lessons, or my blogs. No wi-fi world at all to distract me... weird. Quiet. Serene... unless I was worried someone was trying to get in touch...

William Morris, Week 3

2012-01-28T14:43:00.000-06:00

Note: my web contact is out for the weekend, so am writing this off-site. Monday, I'll be back on track.

Having said that, this weekend I am taking on the dining room. Which is the spot where I dumped boxes, bins, and "stuff" when I move din... still hanging around. Unfortunately. (I definitely have to provide some before-after shots of this, as incentive for me and simply so you readers can see what I mean. It's not Hoarders... but still a mess.)

This area will take at least two weeks to clear, since I have no idea where some things will go, and others will need to move to my study... once that is prepped. And I'll have to make some big decisions.

Basic "quick" tasks:

Clean off dining room table and stop using it as "storage dump"
Take 2 paper bags of books to office this week
Clear out paper clutter from move
Get donations to Goodwill
Get donations to my vet (quilts and old pillows)
Get donations to Salvation Army (printers and laptop)

Longer-term decisions/tasks:

Decide what to do with stereo (keep or donate)
Decide what to do with LPs (keep or sell)
Move papers/bins to study for filing
Re-organize hutch
Re-organize bookshelves, including cookbooks
Hang curtains
Buy a rug

Most of this is removing/dealing with the clutter... which needs somewhere to go. After that, I can really "design" anything like curtains and a floor covering.

For the floor, I am considering buying squares from Flor, a chain (now local to Dallas) that sells carpet squares. Easy placement, easy moving, fits any space. The living room may get the same treatment. For someone who moves every 4-6 years, this is a great minimalist solution. It will entail a trip to the store to really see the tiles, as they call them, but I foresee packing, moving, and placement as a snap.

In the end, I want a cozy place to entertain friends, as well as a nice place for me to eat meals daily. Not a storage locker.

Something like this:

If I were in Paris... January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T08:24:00.000-06:00

And I sooo wish I was in Paris: things in my department are coming to resemble Louis XIV's France.

If I was in Paris today--where the weather is rainy and cold--I think to cheer myself up I would do some things I really, really love. Some of my favorite Paris things, to remind myself of what a beautiful and wonderful city it is.

First, I'd catch breakfast in one of the cafes at the eastern end of Ile de la Cite, to watch the sun rise. If I was lucky and woke early, I'd walk along there via Ile St. Louis, up the central street, and enjoy window shopping or simply the quiet, 18th-century buildings. After coffee and a croissant, I'd proceed to Notre Dame, walking through the gardens behind the catherdral to the central plaza, and go inside to light a candle at the feet of Jeanne d'Arc. This early, the statue might not be so crowded with people taking flash pictures.

Then I'd head towards the Musee D'Orsay and, once inside, climb right up the the third floor, from the southweatern staircase to see the Impressionists: Van Gogh, Caillebotte, Manet, Monet, Degas. I'd see the paintings and then the smaller, dark rooms with the pastels.

Musee d'Orsay cafe

I'd cross the Seine to check out the bookstores on Rue de Rivoli, including the gardening bookstore in the western gates of the Tuileries, then sit and read in the gardens, probably by the western pool (unless it was really both rainy and cold, in which case--no). If it is rainy and cold, I'd look at the gardens, wave, and proceed up to Avenue de l'Opera and one of my favorite cafes there for lunch, sit and read and eat there while watching Parisians and tourists pass.

After lunch, I'd head for the Galeries Lafeyette, where I could pick up wonderful souvenirs for everyone, including myself, in their two in-house shops for that kind of thing, then have another after-lunch coffee while staring out at the backend of the Opera Garnier.

Then I would proceed to the area of the Arc de Triomphe, where my yoga teacher, Julie Platus, gives 90-minute classes in her studio/home. After a delightful class, emerging stretched, relaxed, and energized, I would head up to Sacre Coeur to get a final look at the city as the sun goes down. I'd like another candle at the feet of Jeanne D'Arc, and head home on the Metro for a simple, filling bowl of lentil soup and a chunk of good crusty French bread.

Spring 2012

2012-01-25T11:52:00.021-06:00

Spring 2012 by pearl2164 featuring a paisley skirt

Having paid more attention to my clothing during the last week and a half (in part, because the semester started and I have to be "public" five days a week), I have made a pretty good start.

I decided to focus on working my many, many accessories more consciously, and not wearing jeans weekly. So far, so good.
Last week I made a couple of happy discoveries. First, that a wine-colored silk blouse I had not worn for a couple of years now fits again. Second, that pushing jeans out of the way made room for more skirts and pants (all of them black, of course) in my rotation.
The above Polyvore represents what's in my closet this spring (barring the beautiful Hermes scarves--I wish!). I do have scarves that essentially match the color combinations here, oh, and more shoes and jewelry. The colors overall are more subdued, shades of wine and navy rather than bold cobalt and red... not certain how I feel about that, but it's looking good thus far.
There's more blue in there than I thought, frankly, and that's good.
In my opinion, the only thing I'm really missing are good knee-high boots and a killer dress in a print, perhaps in a Diane Von Furstenburg-style faux wrap.

Doorblocker... finally!

2012-01-24T08:18:00.000-06:00

Apparently, last night the UPS man left a package on my doorstep without knocking, rining the bell or otherwise letting me know. Nice surprie this morning!

In it was my new "as advertised on TV" doorblocker, which is basically two styrofoam tubes to be insterted in a cloth envelope, trimmed and necessary, and slid under the back kitchen door. Did, did, and did.

Now, we'll wait and see about the draft in there.

Which has been fierce.

My immediate complaint: it is u-gly. Black cotton cloth, kinda slouchy. If it works, maybe I can bedazzle it to make it less unsightly (not really, but in principle). And by "works," I don't just mean keeping the draft out (priority #1) but being able to open the door without adjusting the blocker or the rug every time (priority #2).

William Morris in the Kitchen

2012-01-22T12:29:00.005-06:00

My tasks were/are these:

~~Find a rug for the backdoor that will fit comfortably under the door when open, and allow me to double-scrape shoes on entering~~
~~Get a draft-blocker for the backdoor~~
~~Buy Ball jars and transfer beans, grains, and other pantry foods to them~~
Rethink placement in drawers and cabinets for better organization and easier access during work sessions (in process)
Hang handles for two IKEA utensil pains near stove
Lay down new drawer/shelfliner paper (in process)
Make an accurate record of the contents of my pantry (in process)
Hang a bulletin board for notes, messages to myself
Consider relocating teapots to dining room hutch

Nowhere in Target or SuperTarget could find draftblockers; I am now searching on-line for them, and if I cannot find them that way, I'll sew some.

The jars were not easy to find, but when I did I was glad I could see the pint and quart side-by-side. My initial thought had been to buy quart jars, but realizing how big those were (right: 4 cups!), I changed to the pint version (2 cups). This is more in keeping with the amount I buy from bulk bins at my favorite grocery store. And lo, when I changed/filled the jars, nothing was as much as 2 cups... except the quinoa which I had double-bought. (Lemonade: quinoa salad coming up this week!)

I recycled the glass jars I was using (old food jars) and repurposed the tins
I wrote down what I had on each shelf on a 4x6 cards as I did, and posted it inside the pantry door for reference, using the clear bins I bought at Container Store
No need to label anything, since I can clearly see what and how much is in each jar

I ended by buying two rugs for the kitchen, one a black half-moon which fits comfortably right up against the jamb. The pile is low enough that the door wings open comfortably. I also bought a red, flowered rug that I ended by putting in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen: there is a tiny, 1/2" step up there and the wooden lintel is actually not attached at all, so it got junk stuck under it, got kicked out of the way, and tripped me several times. Now, with the rug there, not only do my feet have a warm welcome on cold mornings but no tripping will occur. The cost for both was about $22 at Target. Since my larger red shaggy runs are shredding their rubber backing quickly, I am considering going back for two larger versions of the flowered rug (another $40) which would be money well-spent, I think, in both style and comfort.

I've already moved a few things around in the kitchen, but in general my conclusion is that I am very happy with everything where it is. I might change up a drawer in order to put the ovenmitts and potholders away, but that is the only thing that ticks in my brain.

The biggest game-changer was that I bought a countertop over/toaster at Target as well. The stove in this apartment (well, all the kitchen appliances) are big, energy-draining things that really need to be changed out for smaller, more efficent ones. The stove in particular is a problem: the temperature gauge is off by 100 degrees (!) and the interior space is humongous, where I don't need it. I don't really use it, because of these issues. I'd rather store stuff in it--which I will do, now!--and cook on my new little countertop. My Le Creuset casseroles and Dutch oven fit inside, and I can cook/roast a chicken or bake bread in here. I also saved $10 on the price, which was 20% of the total; I compared it to the other models, for twice the price, and decided I didn't need a digital/push-button set-up (I swear, that was the only difference, for $40 more!).

I've also always hated the microwave the landlord left: 2.2 cu. ft. of microwave, to be exact. Again, I don't use nearly that space so the countertop footprint was annoying. I used it more to put things on. It's going into storage in the apartment, and I'll get along without it.

The kitchen already looks lighter and more efficient.

Today's tasks: completing #4, 5 and 7.
The positive aspects: about 50% more counterspace and an entire cabinet shelf emptied (pots now stored in old stove). Brilliant!

Monday: Got #4 & 7 done. The kitchen looks and feels so much better! Today's tasks include #5 and washing the floor and laying the rugs back down.

Cooking This Week and My New Deal!

2012-01-22T11:58:00.000-06:00

Ths week I am really pleased because I started a new deal with my nephew, who is 20 years old. He and I are going to be diet-and-exercise buddies, long distance. Both of us agree that we need to lose weight and simply become healthier in 2012, so we're pairing off.

This week: Start and keep a food and exercise diary. Then we'll talk by phone and make specific plans for healthier diets and cookery, more exercise, and hopefully weight loss. No goals set yet, just observing our regular habits (hint: mine were terrible during this first week of classes! Stress played its part, as did poor planning.)

I did cook this week, however:

Southwest Chicken with Black Beans (in the slow cooker)
White Bean and Sausage Soup (also in slow cooker)

In both cases, the main ingredients came completely out of my pantry and freezer. In the chicken recipe, I used dried black beans (after overnight soaking), two chicken breasts, and a jar of salsa (locally-made, too). With nothing more than a little homemade chicken stock, oregano, and cumin, this was a really easy mix, left to cook on low for 7-8 hours.

For the soup, I used dried white beans (again, after overnight soaking), homemade chicken stock, and two chicken-and-apple sausages (organic, made locally). A can of diced tomatoes, a splash of white wine, bay leaf, and chopped onion: mix it all together, cook on low for 5 hours. In this case, I didn't have the 5 cups of chicken stock, so used about 3 cups water: tasted a little weak, but fine in terms of seasonings.

The great news is that everything came from stuff I had on hand, which is always my plan. Here's a great site for slow cooker recipes that are also healthy--not always the same thing, unfortunately.

William Morris and Week 2

2012-01-21T08:45:00.002-06:00

Again, I'm focusing on the small changes/improvements necessary for each room in my house, keeping in mind Morris's advice for living.

This week, I'm working in the kitchen. Like the bedroom, it needs only a little work, since I did a lot of smart things when I moved in. For once, I really thought about where different things needed to be located relvant to the fridge/sink/stove triangle of use. I also focused on how to make good use of the counter space, which was much larger than in my old apartment, but still not as much as I'd like, or laid out as I would like.

And my landlord left/included the world's largest microwave, which takes up a solid 15"x15"x24" block of said counter. I'd store it somewhere, but that would mean giving up a solid chunk of a cabinet or closet space--and it is so huge! And unattractive, but that's another issue.

Tasks I'll take on this weekend:

~~Buy or relocate a doormat for the back door, allowing me to double-wipe feet at both entries~~
Place a draft-blocker at the back door, where a surprising amount of cold air swoops in (while warm air escapes)
Hang simple handles on the wall by the stove in order to hang the utensil pails that are right now taking up space on the countertop
~~Rethink the contents of the two lower cabinets where I store pots and pans, strainers, and larger electronics, so that I can more efficiently use them~~
Check and record the content of my pantry cabinets (wth accompanying GPS)
Buy a box of quart-size Ball jars and transfer pantry goods now stored in random jars into them for a better look and more helpful clear storage (this includes beans, pastas, and some cooking ingredients)
Possibly relocate teapots to dining room hutch
Find anything ripe for donation/discarding, like unused appliances or pots
Hanging a bulletin board in the kitchen to post notes by phone and door
Biggest task: lay down new shelf paper

These tasks can be completed over the weekend, with one efficient shopping trip and some time. The handles and shelfpaper I already have in hand; the draft-blocker, jars, and doormat can probably be found at Super Target (what can't?).

~~Doormats~~, draftblocker, and ~~lower cabinets~~: Friday
Pantry tasks: Saturday
Shelf paper and teapots: Sunday

The donations/discards will come naturally.

Update from Friday: My visit to Target did not yield the doorblock or Ball jars, so today it's SuperTarget and maybe WalMart, the only other place I can think would sell them in boxed quantity. I did get the dootmat at Target and re-think the four lower cabinets. Several things got relocated, most importantly the small crockpot, right under the outlet/countertop where I use it.

The fact is that I have a number of pots I no longer use, that need weeding out. On with the experiment!

If I were in Paris... Friday, January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T09:23:00.001-06:00

I would definitely head over to the Palais du Luxembourg and see the exhibition on Cezanne et Paris, an exhibition of over 80 works by the master painter. My favorite, of course, are the apples, pears, oranges and other still life paintings, but I like a good Cezanne on any day.

Afterward, weather permitting, a nice stroll through the gardens would be wonderful. I would suggest a visit to the small but delightful Musee Zadkine, but it is closed for renovations.

It might be even better to stroll over to Bon Marche and window shop, but the area of the 6th arrondissement near les Jardins du Luxembourg is rich in shopping, street sights, churches, and certainly cafes. One can walk in any direction and find entertainment. I particularly advise a walk down Rue de Rennes. You can visit the chocolate shop of Jean-Charles Rochoux, as I did.

I would also recommend a visit to St.-Sulpice, a church featured in The DaVinci Code, but more importantly featuring wonderful paintings by Delacroix. I also love Saint-Germain-des-Pres, an abbey and
square that form an early part of the history of medieval Paris. Best of all, Saint-Germain is nearly next door to Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots, two of my favorite cafes and the center of existentialist Paris. Pricy, but no better sightseeing of Parisians than here.

As you walk through this are, keep an eye out for the many statues, monuments, and rememberances of Paris history. In America, we're not used to have two millenia of history documented everywhere around us, but Parisians pass these everyday, monuments that form a rich history and certainly part of their self-possession. Like this one of revolutionary figure Danton.

The Express Checkout Experiment and Checking In

2012-01-18T07:15:00.000-06:00

2011 was a great year for my personal style. During the past several years, I felt discouraged about buying new clothes and my overall style, simply because I didn't fit into what I saw as the neatly defined style categories for women in department stores, chain stores, and big box stores.

You know: like Trendy Junior, Scary Boho, Mutton-Pretending-to-be-Lamb, and Dumpy Matron.

I define my style as classic/feminine/original: I love the classic lines and styles of 1940s and 50s designs, I wear dresses and skirts as often as jeans or trousers, and I work well with accessories. I avoid too much flowery/fussy/ruffle- or bow-sprigged stuff, sleeveless or tight-fitting clothing, cheap fabrics, and absolutely hate to see myself coming and going. I had more or less resorted to my "go to" favorites: trousers, jeans, and pencil skirts with man-styled blouses. This had gotten pretty routine, and thus boring, while I had a closet full of jackets, sweaters, and dresses I was avoiding. I had even given up working my many, many accessories.

Changes? Investment in better support lingerie, a couple of simple purses, good quality coordinates, and time.

So what did I do in 2010-11 to update and improve my style?

First, I revitalised my closet with the Express Checkout Experiment. Choosing 15 items and only 15 items to wear for 2 months forced me to realize how many extras were hanging around but not being worn--literally. I eliminated multiples and almost-but-not-quite impulse buys. Things that still had tags on them. Things that had worn patches I was hiding. I eliminated anything I didn't feel comfortable in, didn't look good in, or didn't like (yes, there were surprising numbers of all three). I like and need color in my closet, but worked around a limited palette: black, mid-gray, chocolate, white, red, turquoise, and shades of blue and purple.

Eliminated beige, cream, khaki, yellows, and almost all green. Okay, yes, there's a lot of black. Work with me!

Remember this from my original E.C.E. post, from 10.22.10? All of these pieces are still rotating through my regular closet wear, except the argyle dress and the purple piece. I've replaced the argyle dress (too short, too "junior") with two different black dresses. One I bought in Paris that has a more youthful feel, and one from TravelSmith that is a great conference dress (always makes me feel feminine and slim). Both can be dressed up/down more easily than the argyle one, and both are more realistically me. I haven't yet replaced the purple top.

But the lesson in both cases was appropriateness: the dress was too young for me and the top was too bulky and shapeless. Neither did me any favors. Lessons heeded and learned!

The good news:

I donated/tossed about one-third of my overall wardrobe (my emotional clothing baggage, if you will!), including shoes, bags, scarves, and overall accessories;
I bought five great new pieces in fall 2011, pieces I see as the center of my closet now, while spending only 60% of the in-store retail price;
I actually re-discovered my specific likes and dislikes, and thus moved toward a more organized/comprehensive personal style;
I updated/invested in my hair and jewelry to fit my new style choices, and I lurv both.

The bad news:

I still have multiple pieces of clothing baggage from a decade ago, unable to detach myself from them (why?);
I realized yet again that I will be happier and my entire wardrobe will be more available to me if I lose even ten pounds (which is not a ridiculous notion and definitely a healthy one);
I have a few $$$ of untapped resources in my closet, for no good reason--seems so very wasteful.

The best thing was that with focus, I found that I didn't have to spend a lot to gain much, much more. Letting go of all those useless/wrong clothes made me feel better in every way, buying several new pieces of jewelry for myself (some found on Etsy) was a sound investment, and changing my hair was a bigger physcological charge than I imagined! Even adding on professional coloring every 3 months (my hair holds color forever), this is a great investment in myself.

Don't you love self checkout?

News from the Newly "Morrisized" Bedroom

2012-01-17T08:48:00.004-06:00

After one night in the "new" bedroom, I can state the following:

it is now cleaner, prettier, and more serene... which made me sleep better
the dawn-simulator woke me as advertised with brightening light and, at the 30-minute mark, wind chime sounds--no jangling alarm.

I did realize that I cannot use the sleep mask, because that would definitely block the "dawn." I'll have to figure that one out. But the light was slightly too bright at 30 minutes (top intensity) which I easily adjusted down two notches. The chimes were just loud enough.

Not having a pile of papers, mismatched clothing, and sheets on the loveseat--just my class today--was a giant step forward.

I had also done my other morning prep work: set out the cat's food, dish, and spoon, and prepared the coffeepot to perk while I was in the shower. I put away the clean dishes on the counter and stuck the used cat dishes immediately into the cleared dishwasher. Felt great to be slightly ahead of things in the a.m.!

And by 8, I had 1K written in novel!

William Morris and The Bedroom, Day 3

2012-01-16T16:53:00.005-06:00

The only short-term task left is reorganizing the underbed boxes that hold my linens, including sheets, pillowcases, and quilts. Which will, in turn, clear off the green velvet loveseat in my bedroom and make it usable.

I have three boxes under there. One for unused curtains and random linens. One for flannel sheets. One for cotton sheets. I also store a couple of extra blankets in plastic covers under there.

I have a lot of room under my bed.

The sheets are the most pressing re-organization category. In the last year I have donated two sets of flannel sheets and discarded one set of older cotton sheets. On my bed, I use four pillowcases and one bottom sheet weekly, plus a down comforter + quilt in winter and a lightweight quilt in summer. (Top sheets for each set are stored.)

But here's the legacy of hoarding and home shopping: I have two cotton bottom sheets + pillowcases in pink, one in white, so three sets that rotate through the spring/summer/autumn months. In flannel, I have a striped set in red/green/blue/white, a pink set (yes, solid pink), and a set with blue roses: these rotate throug the colder winter months. Six sets of sheets for one person seems excessive, but since it used to be nine sets...

Tasks for today, to finish:

~~clear off the loveseat and hang up/put away all the "stuff" lurking there~~
~~dust and wipe down the underbed boxes~~
~~organize cotton sheet sets into one, flannel sets into a second~~
~~cover the loveseat's fading upholstery with a throw~~
~~vacuum, dust fan's panels, empty trash can~~

I also received the treat I bought myself as a post-New Year's gift: a dawn light simulator-alarm clock.

I've wanted one of these for a long time, and the price was finally right. This is said to allow one to wake with more energy, as the light gradually brightens over a 30-minute period. It has a radio plus 3 "sounds" (including birds, if I want to make Jack crazy!). I'll be able to ditch the clanging alarm clock.

Plus, I did a load of dishes in the dishwasher, 2 loads of laundry in the washer/dryer, emptied and put away both, printed and posted week's proposed outfits, charged all electronics. I've still got prep to do for first-day class tomorrow, but in general I'm ready... I think.

Next week: William Morris and the kitchen.

What I cooked this week

2012-01-16T09:14:00.001-06:00

As usual, I am trying to combine my cookery with frugal planning. This week I made lentil soup and a Mexican/Southwestern salad.

Lentil soup is one of my favorite home cookery soups. I have a great recipe from Epicurious.com, found under the reviews for the basic soup recipe (check out the Cook from San Francisco's notes). I also use the recipe found in The Moosewood Cookbook. The great thing about lentil soup is that it is filling and cheap; as a cold-weather soup, it is perfect. I can also dress it up as much as I like: make it vegetarian or add pork, bacon, or sausage.

I used my Le Creuset 2 qt. Dutch oven for all of it; this gave me three 2 c. servings; increase as necessary for your table. It will also last up to a week in the fridge.

This week, I cooked it as follows:

saute one chopped white onion + 1 tsp. minced garlic in 2 tsp. olive oil until translucent
add 1 tsp. dried thyme, a bay leaf or two, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional) and stir for 10 seconds
add any or both of the following and saute for three minutes:

1 lb chopped sausage (chicken or pork)
1 c. chopped vegetables (carrots or celery)

add 1/2 c. washed lentils and 5 c. liquid (chicken stock, vegetable stock, water), 1/4 c. red wine (optional), 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, and grind in black pepper to taste
bring to a boil, then turn down to a bare simmer and let it cook an hour
add one can diced/no-salt tomatoes and heat through
serve!

I used hot Italian chicken sausage, and the outcome was a zesty alternative to the sometimes bland flavor of "just" lentils. I cooked three slices of bacon to crisp texture and crumbled it over the top. Delicious. You can also top it with sliced or shaved cheese, a dollop of yogurt, or fresh-cut herbs. With a salad and hearty bread, this can be a full meal; it can also accompany a sandwich or simple chicken or pork dish. Besides being cheap and filling, it doesn't need a lot of tending while cooking, so can be completed while you're doing something else in the kitchen or nearby.

I also made what most people call a Southwestern salad hereabouts: meaning a lot of Romaine covered with black beans, corn kernels, chopped plum tomatoes, chopped red onion, and sliced avocados, with a vinaigrette dressing that incorporates lime juice, oregano and chili powder. I combined everything but the Romaine and the avocados separately, storing it in a bowl. Then tossing that on top of the lettuce and adding the avocados on top, with the dressing on the side, made for a great lunch. The salad is simple (1 can black beans, 1 cup corn, 1 lb. chopped tomatoes, 1/2 red onion) but fresh; the second day, the flavors are even better. It all lasts about three days in the fridge.

The dressing is the ticket: finding the right combination of flavors. You can add tortilla strips, sour cream or yogurt, and shredded cheese--or aoid all those calories by keeping it simple.

This is a nice alternative to the regular green salad, but can also be a meal--combine with the lentil soup, for example, or a sandwich, or a simple tortilla wrap.

Oh, and my money-saving adventures included using one of my gift cards for the movies: I saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Iron Lady both on the same card, going to morning matinees, so that I have money left for two movies.

Bedroom, Day Two

2012-01-15T10:21:00.007-06:00

Today I am taking on the three tasks of repairing the dresser (and reorganizing it), hanging the two posters, and getting the multi-plug in place.

Repairing the dresser: This is simple. The dresser, an inexpensive but pretty IKEA one has inexpensive cardboard floors to its drawers. The center one has bulged downward, due to the fact that I stored pajamas, slips, and bathing suits in there--apparently heavy as a group. That affects the bottom drawer, by pushing it open--constantly. To solve this problem, I propose to use duct tabe to lift the cardboard back into place, followed by moving the heavier clothing to the bottom drawer and putting the t-shirts into the middle drawer.

For this, I need duct tape (bought clear duct tape: worked perfectly).
.
Hanging the two posters: I have all the materials I need. The right size picture hangers and a hammer.

Placing the multi-plug: here, I have to buy the right plug from Home Depot. Since I live in an older complex, the outlet requires a two-prong plug. Once it is in place, I can plug the bed light and the phone into the plug, leaving an extra outlet available for my nook, the laptop, or whatever I need to read, work, or watch a movie in bed. Ahhhhhh... luxury! (Bought three: now study light works, too!)

This is obviously a simple series of tasks, so today should get 'er done.

~~Hang large poster (2 hooks)~~
~~Hang small poster (1 hook)~~
~~Buy and insert plug; replug phone, bed light~~
~~Repair dresser drawer with duct tape~~
~~Redistribute clothing for weight on bottom~~

2012 Declutter: Week 1

2012-01-13T19:19:00.006-06:00

My goals for this year include decluttering, donating, and re-thinking my apartment, car, and office space into a cleaner, leaner space. My inspiration is, as before, the wonderful quote from William Morris: "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." (Thanks to Jules at Pancakes and French Fries for reminding me!)

First up: the bedroom. The coming week I'll be tackling the basics in this room.

This is the simplest space to fix in the house, which is why I start here. The tasks for initial improvement are as follows:

reorganize the closet, top to bottom
repair the dresser and reorganize the drawers
hang two framed posters
buy a multi-plug for behind the bed; plug in phone and lamp, with extra outlet space
reorganize and declutter underbed storage of bed linens
buy a new mattress and boxspring (long-term goal)

See? Simple. Most of these tasks can be completed once I buy a few items: duct tape, a multi-outlet plug, some storage boxes. A trip to Home Depot and Michael's, and I may be done.

Let's start with the closet. What gets stored in this closet?

On the floor:

the vacuum
the mop and bucket
the washbasket
the drying rack
an electric fan (probable donation)

On the left side:

smaller, framed art and personal photographs (top shelf)
postcards and cards used for projects, memory boards, and creative exercises
baskets of extra beauty and health products
boxes of "stuff" (to be culled, donated, tossed)
beading materials and mailing envelopes, bubble wrap, postal tape
smaller gift bags, gift wrap, ribbon, cards

On the right side:

blankets and afghans, some in storage bags
jewelry box and extra pieces in larger jewelry boxes

My biggest issue is that none of the current storage boxes match, so right now the interior looks jumbled and cluttery even though everything is neatly packed up in a box. Second, there's no real logic to what's on what shelf, or why there are similar things in other closets in other rooms.

I like the open baskets for the beauty/health products (extras bought on sale or in multiples). They need to go on a shelf where I can see them easily, so this height is good. One basket has facial care and cosmetics, one has lotions and skin care, and one has medical stuff including sinus and allergy pills, aspirin, and the rest of the quick-grab stuff. This shelf will probably not change much.

But the boxes! Ugh! One simple idea I favor: replaced the currently mismatched photo boxes with three to six photo boxes all in either solid red, white, or black from Michael's; not only would that match the stuff in the closet, but throughout the rest of my apartment. I can also replace the clear plastic boxes with solid white ones from IKEA already in use elsewhere. You might say I am too matchy-matchy, or that the door is kept closed and no one goes in there but me... but yeah, it bothers me.

Solution: I got four white photo boxes from Michael's on sale ($8 total) and shifted everything into these. I also incorporated two IKEA Kassette boxes of approximately the same size. Much better looking, and the six boxes more easily hold what was jammed into three. I didn't really want all-white, but I would have had to wait on the photo boxes at Michael's--white was the ONLY solid color in stock--and so I settled, which turned out better than fine.

I can also pick up some relatively inexpensive storage bags at the Container Store for my two afghans; everything else has a plastic zip bag. That makes the blankets easier to store and stack, plus I can see which one is which, when it comes down to it. Both afghans were made for me by my crafty grandmothers, so storing them carefully is important.

Solution: I got two sets of clear cubes for three afghans (oops!) and one summer quilt; one large cube for the thicker summer-weight quilt; and thinner clear bags for the unhung curtains and one thin summer-weight quilt. Come warmer weather, I'll need something in which to store my large down comforter, but that's April's problem.

The breakdown of tasks is, then:

~~buy photo boxes at Michael's and replace mismatched boxes (Goodwill)~~
~~buy 2 storage bags at The Container Store for afghans~~
~~gather similar stuff from other closets and relocate like:like~~
~~cull all stuff to be stored (discard, donate, relocate)~~
~~organize and label boxes and fill appropriately~~
~~redistribute stuff to be stored elsewhere~~
~~toss stuff to be discarded~~
~~set donations aside~~

Days to complete this: Saturday.

If I were in Paris... Friday, January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T09:50:00.000-06:00

Of course, if you're a Friday the 13th-a-phobe, you'd stay home. Or maybe because the weather is only a cloudy 46 degrees. Brr...

This might be a good day to visit the newly refangled Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature, the Museum of Hunting and Nature. This is one I've never visited, but it is in the rue des Archives, in the Hotel de Guenegaud. The museum is not far from the Place des Vosges (another reason to go!) and is housed in two 17th & 18th-century aristocratic homes, preserved for this museum. One houses the hunting part of the museum, and the other, the celebration of animals in nature. Paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and the various tools and equipment of hunting and animal preservation are presented; during the 16th through 18th centuries, hunting wasn't just a royal sport, it was one way that humans interacted with nature, where the preservation of the landscape, the forests and wild parts of "civilized" estates was key.

Currently there is a rather subversive exhibition by Francoise Petrovich, where she has placed her scupltures in rather irreverent juxtaposition to the art and implements of the hunt. Comic and controversial, the exhibition continues until January 22.

You can follow up by tucking into a nice cafe meal of lapin aux lentils.

Or at the Petit Palais, the final days of an exhibition about La Comedie Francaise, showing the company's treasures from close to 338 years... since the 1673 formation of the troupe after Moliere's death. The show includes paintings, sculptures, archival documents, stage settings (in miniature), and other objects from the company, actors, actresses, directors, playwrights, and designers.

And, at the Musee Balzac, is an exhibition dedicated to "la grisette," a female figure of the early 19th century, the dressmaker, seamstress, and servant. One hundred works--visual and literary--are part of this exhibition on the young, working class female professional... and her life, personal and professional, between 1815 and 1850, as Balzac's world embraced her.

If that doesn't appeal to you, you can take the Metro to the 18th and see Kathputli, dancers and marionettes from Rajasthan. This traditional Indian dance art--combining live dancers but focusing on puppets--is rarely seen by Americans. On Fridays, starting tonight until the end of the month, the show runs two hours from 7-9 pm.

Or, at the Odeon, one can see one of the great 19th-century French classics, La Dame aux camelias, orignally written by Alexandre Dumas and starring Jeanne Balibar, the French actress and singer. According to the description, this is a bit of a deconstruction of the original play, ironic rather than romantic, perhaps verging toward the notion of 19th-century realism rather than melodrama... which is where the play (and later film) have come to reside. This might be a very good twist on the rather dated (and puritanical) classic version.

Personally, I'd include a visit to Angelique for some cocoa--simply to warm my bones!

2012 Goals: The Beginnings

2012-01-12T10:52:00.000-06:00

Given my ambitious personal goals for 2012, it is time I get started, right?

Having thought it over, my January goals are the following:

Resources/Health: improve my daily energy, so I don't feel quite so tired at the end of every day
Resources: deal with money issues hanging on from 2011 and re-think spending for 2012
Creative Closure: submit second mss. to editor by 1.31
Community: develop one new and one old "group"/community for 2012
Living Situation: Goodwill, Salvation Army, and eBay by 1.31; insulate front and back doors

Since the spring semester begins on 1.17 and I have three new classes to jump-start, these goals are certainly do-able for the remaining part of the month.

Daily energy: this is the toughest, because it will require long-term changing of habits involving meals, exercise (ugh!), and hormones. You can't buy or find energy--you have to make it, yourself, by doing things differently. Not my strong suit. But... necessary. Changes will include:

eating every 3-4 hours;
increasing complex carbos (fruits and vegs, whole grains with B vitamins) to match already present proteins;
taking vitamins daily;
taking hormones every day;
exercising 30-40 minutes at least 4 times weekly;
getting 7-8 hrs. sleep every night;
scheduling/organizing all of same, so as not to get behind/stressed.

Money issues include things like studying my monthly bills for where I can cut expenses; getting 2012 taxes completed; continuing to pay my credit cards steadily, while NOT using them (!); making my weekly/monthly grocery bills leaner--again, all long-term planning issues. It wouldn't hurt to get a jump on my 2011 taxes, either; since I've been keping better records, that should be easier than it ever has been.

Submitting the second mss. means writing at least five times weekly, with a weekly page tally of about 25-40 pages. I'm 2/3 of the way through this mss., but need editing time as well. That means one to two hours daily for writing.

Enriching my group work might already be solved: I have an invitation to join a local women's group in my area of expertise, I am working with a local theatre group already on a solid project, and I have a social group that should be meeting again (for the second time) this month. Again, just needs scheduling.

And the work on donations, selling, and the house? One shot deals, each of which require some preparation time but nothing too much. I can get one of these done per week, or over a particularly empty weekend.

What accomplishing these means is that by the end of this month, I'll feel better (although I am considering that the "energy" issues are really a three-month project, considering the need to change old habits for grounded, new ones), my bank account will be leaner and meaner, my house will be cheaper & warmer, more clutter will be gone, I'll have two new group relationships developed, and I'll be moving onto mss. #3... a great kick-start to 2012!

Fighting "Should"

2012-01-04T10:57:00.004-06:00

O-kay.
I've had two visits with my sister over this break, and both focused on her story of my brother-in-law's frustration at work over an ex-employee, begun with the phrase, "You're sort of a feminist, what do you think?"

First, I am not "sort of" a feminist. I am a feminist, as unpleasant as that word has become for many (and why?).

Second, the problem doesn't have anything to do with feminism, feminist thinking, or even really women, other than the ex-employee was one.

The problem as I see it is that my brother-in-law, like many including myself and my sister, are thinking about how the world "should" work, and not how it does. Bad idea, and I am actively weaning myself from that point of view.

Why? Because "should" is for fiction writers (and yes, I use it). "Should" is the same as "fair": not an active force for real in the Universe. I do believe in justice, karma, living consciously without harming others, and respect. I no longer believe in "should."

Thank the Powers That Be!

"Should" is useless. Let me explain. This employee was once an active, productive worker; she became a problematic subordinate who threatened to sue the company, saying my brother-in-law was sexist. He isn't, but not the point. He did everything right, including documenting her below-grade behavior; his bosses love him, especially since the bottom line has increased every year he's been in charge of this part of the company. His evaluations, bonuses, and raises all point that out.

She lied. She misrepresented her work, his attitudes, and her situation: she outright lied on paper and in person, and that was proven. BUT she got her settlement. The company paid her to go away, rather than go to court.

As my sister said (forcefully, at least four times in two conversations), "This shouldn't have happened. She should have been fired without reward." She's right in "should" terminology: but it did. And a year ago! Why are we talking about it as if it was today? Twice?

The two of them are reliving the "should" of it and missing the point. The bad girl left. She's gone. And his bosses still love him, didn't blame him, and told him so. The decision was made over his head and he's not been held responsible... except by himself. He thinks his other employees don't respect him because of this--but he's not dealing with that issue, which is right in front of him. He thinks his bosses don't respect him--which is patently untrue and in fact the reverse is true: he doesn't respect them, because of their decision, which was a business decision, not a moral one (for them). Both my sister and her husband are angry, frustrated, and worried about something that is over for everyone else. They are stuck.

"Should" creates this: it makes you replay the same thing over and over, wondering why it didn't work out like LAW & ORDER or BUFFY (because they're TV shows, dude!). "Should" gets you stuck in the past, not seeing clearly the present or the future, taking away your opportunity for change.

I say it: those students "should" have done their homework, that politician "should" have gone to jail, that guy "should" have called me back because we had a really good time... BUT they/she/he didn't.

My advice to myself: Let it go. Move on. I have to deal with what's really in front of me and how I can effect a different outcome next time--by changing my methods, or response, or communication. I cannot change or control others, only myself. "Should" is about what other people do--as I see it or as I want it. It is useless, because they won't or can't or don't want to and I cannot make them by the method I am using now.

I am not responsible for the behavior of people who "should" behave better. I can only respond to what they do/choose in the most honest, direct, open way possible as I feel is right. Which doesn't mean it is right for everyone--only me. And maybe I need to learn a new way to communicate with the "should" folks, rather than expecting that their morality/situation is exactly the same as mine: it usually isn't.

And I "should" let "should" go.

Community Thoughts from France

2012-01-03T11:02:00.000-06:00

Over at A Femme d'Un Certain Age, she posted a lovely notion of "community," quite in keeping with my own desire to expand and grow my personal community: those I connect with on a regular basis in terms of services and shopping.

What a bonne idee!

Not just your friends, colleagues, co-workers or neighbors, but the people you interact with on a regular basis... Hah!

This would include

the people who run my salon Shag and cut or color my hair, Kevin and Kelly (seriously good hair stylists, people!);
my tailor, who does such a great job shortening my skirts and pants, or even reshaping them; my neighbors, who feed and watch Jack while I am out of town;
my coffee crew at White Rock Coffee, who let me sit every Saturday and work for hours without interruption;
the ladies at Neiman-Marcus and Nordstroms who are my perfume consultants (at the Jo Malone counter in N-M) and skincare consultants (Angel at the Chanel counter at N), who are ridiculously helpful;
the men at Dunlap-Swain who care for my car and occasionally me (while in car breakdown-mode);
even the greengrocer at my favorite grocery store, who slips me free produce because he's a genuinely nice guy.

Probably more, too, once I think about it for a while, folks I should definitely acknowledge this time of year but all year... who make up my world. This should definitely be part of my 2012 resolve: to act more positively on a weekly, monthly basis with these folks.

The suggestion, too, underlines a difference between French social interaction and the American version of same, in that we in the US are used to shopping in big box stores, chains, or onlines, creating distance between ourselves and the people who sell us our favorite products or who provide necessary services. This year I have been so very grateful for the people who provide those services that I feel as if I want to make bridges and connections, rather than step away from them.

One event that sharply underlines this for me is the closing of one of my favorite two restaurants in Dallas. Now, I don't have a restaurant where they know my favorite drink and serve it just right, let me know when my favorite dessert is on the day's menu, or let me sit and read for a couple of hours before I order... sigh. Time to start scouting again for a replacement.

And certainly, time to be mindful of the invisible threads of interaction between myself and those around me, every day. A great place to start 2012!

Resolutions -- or Goals! -- for 2012

2012-01-02T09:37:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again, and I have to assess 2011's goals and repurpose them for 2012.

Thankfully, this is not too hard to do, since I have been pretty steadily working on each of my 2011 goals and thinking a lot during the last week about how to revise them for 2012.

Here we go!

2011's goals were, as I took them in this blog:

Improve Overall Health
Change My Living Situation
Manage My Resources
Build a Better Community
See Creative Work to Closure

Health: This was only an okay goal, over the course of the year. While I worked on stabilizing my hormones and depression, I did not embrace exercise. For that reason, my weight and overall condition did not improve (note to self: it's true about exercise!). Positive outcomes: my depression is under control, my mood swings and other perimenopause symptoms are under control. My allergies/sinus problems flared up in the final weeks, but using a humidifier every night (!) as well as increasing my intake of H2O hugely improved that, rather than the OTC remedies I started with. Overall, I am in great health. Negative outcomes: my LDL cholesterol is high and not coming down, my weight is still over the line and not budging except bits and tweaks. I need to lose serious poundage and remember to maintain my health through habits of hydration, nutrition, movement, and meditation.

Living Situation: 100% improvement, maybe 150%. No more crackhead landlord, no more cracker box, reduced rent, more green space, and more light. Thsi one was a total success, despite sacrificing a good deal of savings on the 3-month overlap of spaces.

Resources: Time is a constant battle, between "shoulds" and "want tos." Yo, I'm human. However I did add the Rescue Time Robot to my desktop, and it tells me I am 79% more productive than average. So shut up, Critic's Voice! Money is another, different battle, but this year I did pretty well. I have a more affordable appartment (and even though I might only be saving $100/month, the happiness factor makes that huge). I rearranged my retirement $$ is a way that makes me feel more secure. I opened several successful venues of frugality for decluttering, including selling unwanted items. Energy is the real battle, and that's the 2012 focus.

Community: This, too, was a success. I joined a short story group of women I enjoy and while we've only met once, I look forward to more meetings. I opened myself to the performing community in town, and am building bridges there. I opened myself to the community on my campus, and am trying to open out of my division, my school, and into the university in a positive way. I need to set more goals here, however, and be open to groups of strangers.

Creative: This was a big success! I sold my first novel (coming out in June!) and have almost completed the second, which I am certain will be equally salable. I sent out my short plays in a month-long binge and have had one hit so far, and three rejections (so I've got a long way to go). It felt great, however, challenging myself to complete and submit projects.

Overall, 2011 was a good year in terms of my goals. I plan to build on that in 2012:

Improve Overall Health: not much change here in direction. However, I plan to focus specifically on maintaining good habits (like using the humidifier every night) while building new ones (like 30 minutes of movement every day). I'd like to add daily meditation and vitamins, but I think I'll be conservative in this area, since it is one that truly needs daily focus.

January-April: make it a habit to spend 30 minutes every day in movement of some kind
May-August: add daily meditation (which will work with my 2012 summer plans)
Sept-December: add supplements and vitamins
get a mammogram
get a colonoscopy
get a dermascan

Living Situation: This is easy. Renew lease on apartment (i.e., don't move!). More, start researching the pre-fab house I love in detail through contacting the company and chatting with them. And start looking at the places I think I want to build it: Oregon, Northern California, and Washington are the three places I'm thinking about now. But they might stink once I look around. So... research.

Resources: As ever, my biggest battle will be managing time. I have come to hate scheduling and to-do lists. And yet.... I need a new car, I need a new mattress & box spring, I need to pay down (or off) my credit cards. All worthy goals, all hard to do at the same bloody time! This year I want to build on my basic foundations of frugal saving and repurposing and decluttering: I find that I am about done with the wholesale donations to Goodwill, etc., and while that is an easy and intelligent manner of getting things OUT OF MY HOUSE (and onto my tax savings) I must needs find other ways to open what one of my favorite blogs refers to as "additional revenue streams." And finding new energy is part of the Health intiatives above, plus the hormones.

Community: continued reaching out, across phone, email, work/personal connections to develop relationships with new people/groups as well as people I already like, love, and connect with.

Habitat for Humanity: in the Dallas area
Alum group: for connections and fundraising/support of current programs
Short story group
Theatremakers/academics/women in both

Creative: Here, I have very specific goals

Finish and sell second and third novels
Binge with short plays in February and Sept-Oct
Journal daily: dreams, ideas, etc.
Finish and send two reviews
Finish and send encyclopedia entries
Polish and send two articles (from ALA papers, 2011) to journals
Present two-three conference papers (one scheduled, July)
Blog daily (in either blog) and continue to post my own photos

Here is my overall goal for 2012: Make lemonade all year long, every day.

I am so tired of negativity, including my own. I really believe everything is an opportunity, seen in the right light. Context and response are everything... they can turn what looks like failure or an impass into something wonderful. Not to be goopy or stupid about it, but to stop letting myself define my view by others' vision. Ugh! Especially since I am butt-tired of the men in my life having stupid, negative, misanthropic outlooks anyway.

Oh, does that sound negative? Nope: it's all good.

Home for the Holidays

2011-12-22T08:53:00.000-06:00

Finally, I am home--at my folks' house--for the holidays.

Sadly, thus far I have mostly been dealing with my out-of-whack sinuses, decorating the tree, and sleeping. But those are my regular "first days' home stuff," in fact, where I catch up on what I've been missing: sleep, regular meals with nutritional food (Fig Newtons and pickles are not approved!), and TV.

I admit: mostly bad TV, which occasions comments and sighs from parents sitting in the same room.

No, they don't like the Kardashians. They are horrified by RHBH. The Vampire Diaries make them wince, as do NCIS marathons, What Not To Wear, and various other pop culture shows I love--in small, moderated doses. But since I am sharing the consistent round of news and game shows--hey, I figure we're even, since those are at the bottom of my list along with sports and talk shows. Part of the holidays is remembering why we love each other but don't live together: TV is one big reason.

Of course, we all love The Closer.

Good news: three TVs in-house. One downstairs, one in living room, and one in master bedroom.

Semester completed!

2011-12-17T22:39:00.000-06:00

Finally! All grades are posted -- and it took some time because I graded the final exams for my sophomores, then considered each student's overall grade and individual grades in turn, making sure I was really accurate in their final grade.

I am satisfied!

All grades in means the semester is "officially" over -- but I have one student with an outstanding assignment, notes for the junior and senior playwrights, and filing to do.

So tomorrow is all for errands and cleaning!

Winding down: the Final 48 and a Hanukkah Treat!

2011-12-17T09:35:00.001-06:00

I am definitely winding down, both in terms of energy/accomplishment and this semester.

I only have two tasks ahead of me for the "official" teaching semester left, and both will be done today. Then I have a handful of tasks for tomorrow (Sunday) before I leave town, cat in hand, for the holidays.

My local gifts have all been given. Having coffee now with one great friend and lunch today (or, hopefully, tomorrow) with another couple.

Social obligations: check!

Housecleaning. Is there anything as irritating as coming home to a sloppy, dirty house? Don't think so, so everything needs to be whisked through (at least) so that the house smells good, sparkles, and the trash is out, the laundry done, the dishes put away, the fridge emptied out.

Of course, I have a list.

Resolves for vacay:
1. Have fun!
2. Finish novel for editor
3. Write 2 book reviews
4. Go to the gym or work at-home treadmill everyday: build up stamina!
5. See family and friends as much as possible!
6. Prepare syllabi for spring semester
7. Consider goals for 2012: specific and general
8. Read a lot!
9. Watch TV: bad bad bad reality shows, NCIS, The Closer (final season!), and generally revel in having full access to the tube for 3 full weeks... it's like heroin to me.

And yes, I LOVE this!

I admit it: I'm crazy

2011-12-15T10:37:00.000-06:00

It's a seasonal thing. Perhaps if My U had trimesters instead of semesters, the entire November-to-January holiday season wouldn't bring on a fit of vapors and waves of resentment, but it does.

Why?

My own fault: I overscheduled meetings with grading and evaluations and reading plays and friends. Every year I wonder why I don't learn, but I never do. Or... one friend suggested I was too conscientious: just buzz through the exams. Just whiz through the plays and papers. Just whip out the end-of-semester evals.

On some level I know she's right: students barely read and register their written evals at this stage: they're too tired, burnt-out, or hyped for exams to log the very real suggestions made about their attitude or growth, unless it is unequivocally positive. Even then, their internal self-critique suggests we're a/ lying, b/ stupid, or 3/ whizzing thru the writing... It is a challenge to get them to take positive criticism gracefully.

On another level: people in administration (above our individual chairs) seriously do not get what we do during this period--and by "do" I mean giving exams and all that goes with it but even the varying nature of the coursework that demands different methods of evaluation. For example: in the theatre history course, it is appropriate to give a 3-hour final to test their knowledge of terms as well as their synthesis of concepts. In playwriting, however, it is appropriate to ask them to write or revise previous exercises in writing (beginning: ten-minute plays, advanced: full-length plays). In neither case, can an electronic Scan-tron test be given: so the notion that 48 hours after an exam period is enough time to evaluate, grade, and post grades for all comers is, well, stupid.

But there you are: the divide between faculty and administrators.

It is also ridiculous to ask professors--who do not choose the time of their final and cannot change it--to grade finals under the duress of time, which only leads to stress. When grading finals, the fact is that one should read no more than 5 essays or papers or short plays in a row before taking a break... because if you're asking students to think, you cannot grade their work like a short-answer true/false exam.

The conundrum is that we professors are asked to address students with rigor--high expectations, complex concepts and skills, prepare them for the professional and adult world--but not at the expense of timely posting of grades.

Sigh.

Makes me realize that, again, I'll have to adjust my timetable next semester to avoid the Maytime frustration of this same deal. Final plays due earlier. Final papers (in my drama lit course) due earlier. Plan for others' parties, final meetings, and so forth by avoiding the crush of time... And makes me realize--again--that faculty are now operating in a consumer culture where the administration is most interested in the customers' happiness--and not, in fact, any of the things they say they are interested in. But in this economy, when the customer is paying $50K per annum for the product, one can see why their complaints might be louder, their voices might be heeded, and we might just be becoming a service industry.

Apologies... and a treat (hey, it's the holiday season!)

2011-12-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

I've been neglecting the blog posts, because I've been:

writing and delivering 40 individual evaluations for my undergraduate students, as well as wrangling 3 sets of evaluation meetings between faculty teams and 50 individual students
giving a review and final exam for 29 students
collecting, reading, and grading plays by 10 adult students, 9 juniors, and 3 seniors (total of 36 short plays and 3 long plays)
reading and evaluating 100 applications for 1 job opening
ordering books for next semester's classes
creating end-of-semester handouts to demonstrate to students what skills and knowledge they have accrued over 15 weeks
developing surveys for each course to help me plan improvements for next fall
oh, and attending three holiday parties...

Not much. Sigh. it always makes the holidays so stressful. But the evaluations and exams seem to have gone very, very well.

But in the spirit of giving, here's a treat.

Past posts, this blog + Holiday Treat!

2011-12-10T11:10:00.000-06:00

Previous posts, this time in years past. I notice big gaps: could that be because of the mix of exams, evaluations, and simple overwhelming end-of-semester hoops to jump through? Could be.

Today I am at the coffee shop, working on grading the final exercise of my sophomores, reading and evaluating the work of my adult writers and compiling/posting their grades, and writing the first few of my evaluations for my sophomores (to be given Monday). Oh, and answering questions from same about their grades/standing and/or what will be on final.

2008: Christmas decorations in Paris, end of my sabbatical.

2010: My wish list for last year. I actually ended up with most of these, bought for myself.

My Christmas shopping is nearly done:

DFW friends -- complete! including hostess gifts from Dude, Sweet Chocolate (Bishop Ave. District)
Distant friends (to be sent by mail) -- in process
Nephews -- yes, more gift cards bought with acquired "reward points" from various accounts
Dad -- not yet done
Mom -- done (including birthday)
Sister -- done (including birthday)
Brother-in-law -- gift card, done

Wow, do I feel ahead of the game. (Satisfied, calm breath....)

Treat = Bruce singing Christmas song!

Better watch out!

One more time... and Hoagy Charmichael treat

2011-12-05T12:06:00.000-06:00

Well, it was a weekend full of crazy student plays and grading and sleeping--finally! The weather here in Big D has turned "winter-y": meaning it is a constant cold, damp rain that seeps into one's bones and takes root.

Crazy woman that I am, I still have my bedroom window open... for fresh air. I sleep bundled under two quilts, one regular and one down. In flannel pjs. And socks. And I love it!

The downside is that when not bundled in quilts, one must wear sweatshirts and other generally bulky, warm layers... resembling the Michelin Man (or L'Homme de Michelin, if one feels the need to become more elegant). Not usually a good look, but at home? Alone? Who cares.

I am now in the end-of-semester part where a/ students finally realize what the math means; b/ grading must be done quickly so as not to pile up; c/ every day has some kind of final, evaluation, or meeting scheduled, which must be handled before I spend the holidays at my folks' house...

The treat: Hoagy Carmichael himself playing "Stardust" on the piano. Sublime!

Wow! The end of it all....

2011-12-01T22:23:00.000-06:00

Today, I completed two out of my four courses. In the undergrad class, there remains the review and the final exam to come... plus of course grading the exam. In the night course, there remains... a final meeting to discuss the class over drinks.

And the final meetings were, well, great.

Monday sees the end of the other two courses, leaving only the final revised plays to stream in slowly (for the seniors) and quickly (for the juniors). And the individual students evals (I have a total of 28+3+9=40 to write and gobs to deliver) and eval meetings (two days' full).

Sigh. Only 14 days from now it will ALL. BE. OVER.

Wow! Good news!

2011-11-29T12:42:00.002-06:00

I took the car in Monday because it was nearly undrivable: part/labor was 40% of what they quoted me.
I just sold duplicated translator pen on Amazon: only posted it last week! It will pay for 75% of the repairs.
My students who revised their papers have shown incredible growth on this second version: THANK YOU!!!

And now, just some pretty pictures...

Gary Cooper--my favorite photo of him

Tom Brady and baby... his.

No idea: just a gorgeous photo

Oh, Damien Lewis! I missed you as Alceste

Tyrone Power, of course

Louis XIV as Apollo, of course

Djimon Hounsou

Giving gifts: for minimalists, connoisseurs, and those who have everything

2011-11-26T11:44:00.000-06:00

I was al-most a complete non-shopper on Friday. Living in DFW--the Land of Happy and Endless Consumerism!--I avoided the malls, and (although I thought about it) Costco and Ikea. I ended up buying only a little something in CVS.

Nowadays, in any case, I do most of my shopping online. I buy gifts through sites like Etsy, Heifer, World Vision, and drugstore.com, not only to take advantage of getting them shipped to the recipients directly, but to stay the heck out of the malls. Really, as a person who hates crowds, why would I go shop at the banal and annoying landscapes of local malls when I can stay home and run up my credit balances in peace and quiet?

There is no compensation.

Seriously, pepper spray? Midnight openings? Trampling people? Sigh.

One of the great problems is that Dallas for all its malls and outlet malls does not boast an urban area like New York, Chicago, or Paris that includes a holiday spirit of lights, decorations, and gorgeous windows. Or even people watching. The malls do feature constant choirs, bands, and other groups, but there is little to no opportunity to simply sit and watch people go by; the only cafes (like Starbucks) are always crowded and short of seats, with people impatiently waiting by your elbow. Yikes!

So strolling from shop to store to study the decorations, to watch families or shoppers enjoy is impossible. Ugh--it is hideous. The entire notion is to buy, as quickly and thoroughly as possible, to spend and save at the same time, and to get back into the SUV and drive home. In this situation, the flaneur (or flaneuse) is wasting her time.

Now, on the other hand, I highly recommend Etsy for shopping locally or simply "small businesses" --shoppers can buy vintage or handmade, and the crafts for sale are myriad. From computer cases and decals, to jewelry to knitted scarves, mitten, hats, to handmade books and ties, to photographs, prints, and sculptures, to soap, the beautiful things about Etsy is that one buys directly from the artist, thereby supprting creativity and craftsmanship.

The other glorious thing is that if you have no idea what to buy, Etsy can help you find the right thing. Or, on the other end, you can create a list of gifts you'd like yourself (as I did this year and send it to your family and friends. Hah! No more hairdryers.

If you want to give something to a minimalist or someone who has everything (and seriously needs nothing more), try World Vision or Heifer. My father wants nothing: every year, he gets a goat, given directly to a family in African. My mother gets to sponsor a woman starting a small business. Give a goat or chickens, give a child a backpack full of school supplies, give a piece of a well for a village, sponsor a child for three months... whatever. These two organizations are legit. No matter what your notions, you can give locally or globally, gifts for families, women, girls, children, or villages, and feel great without contributing to the clutter or chaos of our Western world.

Another way to give is through Kiva, an organization where you lendmoney that is given to small entrepreneurs as start-up funding and so forth. You can put as little as $25 in on a shrot-term loan,a nd when it is paid back, loan it out again to another small business; surprisingly, that is a HUGE amount in parts of the world... and you'd just spend it on one hardcover book no one will read! Or a gift card your nephew will use for one video game.

And there's no pepper spray involved.

Happy Thanksgiving! with a Treat!

2011-11-24T09:17:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a bit of a surprise: I realized that I was quite sick with a cold. Realized this when I was trying to ride my bike to the grocery store for milk and last-minute T'giving items. Oops. Turned right around and got in the car...

Upside? I got the turkey breast cooked (yum!), the kitchen cleaned and dishes done, took a long nap (after taking meds with a hot toddy, so there you go!), read, and watched TV. I didn't get to the movies, or any of the more ambitious things that entailed leaving the couch.

More upside? Today I feel much, much better. Still stuffy and congested, but no longer achy all over or feverish.

So today it's movies, turkey and asparagus and pumpkin pie, and home to watch more movies, courtesy of Netflix (X-Men and True Grit).

I have to give thanks for family and friends, a lovely place to live, my general health, a steady job I mostly enjoy (with benefits), a car with new brakes, and things to look forward to in 2012. Good things are always happening, if we pay attention.

What got "done" on Wednesday, 11.23:

Grocery shopping, including color remover for the white/pink towel
Email
Twitter
Tumblr
Posted on both blogs
Read... a lot!
Naaaaaaaaap (thank you, meds and toddy!)
Cleaned off bike and covered on porch
Picked up apartment, downstairs and upstairs
Took recycling out (more today)
Cleaned out fridge
Cooked turkey breast: lemns, garlic, herbs... mmmmm! House smells great!

That's about it, but as I said, I feel better. All over! And... treat:

What got "done": Tuesday, 11.22

2011-11-23T11:53:00.002-06:00

Since I was constantly distracted by the looming vacation and a very sore throat, bear with me.

Prepped quiz, exercise, and lecture for history class
Prepped PowerPoint for same class (really, revised/added to PPt already in place)
Posted on other blog
Sent emails about next semester's classes, assignments, this semester's assignments...
Checked email
Texted
Twittered
Tumblr'd
Taught class: gave quiz, gave great lecture-discussion (active participation!), handed out/explained exercise
Went to Target for printer paper, candles, and color remover (didn't have last one)
Dinner
Opened mail: first of three catalogues I ordered from Amazon.Fr arrived: all on exhibitions I wanted/needed to see but in Paris this past summer; this one was on Edouard Manet; looked it over
Sorted catalogs and tossed them
Took out trash
Made notes for next set of scenes for the 2nd novel
Read

I think that with a few more days, I'll be able to sort through what's going on right now.

What got "done" Sunday and Monday... plus a TREAT!

2011-11-22T10:09:00.002-06:00

Sunday:

Weekly breakfast routine
Grocery shopping: two stores + gas
Laundry: 3 loads, including turning the white towel pink, thanks to pink wash cloth in "white" load. Sigh.

(side note: finally washed all summer clothes and hung them in "seasonal closet": I'm officially done with summer... but is summer done with DFW?????)

Read paper, cut coupons, reviewed sale circulars... began dread of Black Friday
Cleaned out fridge and took out trash
Cut up vegetables, planned meals for week (including T'giving), put flowers in vase
Naaaaaaaaaaaap
Graded.
Twittered
Tumblr'd
Blogged
Went to birthday party for friend and stayed longer than I thought I would: nice party! Chatted up 1 yr. old and dog... 4 yr. old flirted but avoided me.
Came home and finished last load of washer/dryer

Monday:

Morning routine before class
Class @ 9 am: good show from students!
Met with playwriting student to discuss his short piece and revisions he's already made
Met with probationary student to discuss his in-class performance: good meeting!
Email, Twitter, Tumblr
Went to 1 pm show of student-written short pieces, 1 by my student
Class @ 2 pm: student actually finished her play, lots to talk about... yay!
Called parents to clear up non-emergency
Dinner
Graded
Watched Valentino film, fell asleep
Prepped post for other blog
Insomnia: read Nook from 1 am-430 am.... sigh.

Two crazy days... and in a few hours.... I'll be on vacation for the rest of the whhheeeeeeeeeek!

Here's your treat for today: watch for the sharks in the gorgeous blue waters!

What got "done": Sunday, 11.20

2011-11-20T18:59:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a long day.

Laundry: three loads, including towels
Groceries: list, bought, and shelved
Breakfast at diner
Loaded and ran dishwasher, plus sink strays
Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap
Bath
Shower
Twittered
Tumblr'd
Email
Graded scenes and plays
Attended party for friend, 40 years old (dinner, visited, played with one-year-old and dog)
Filled car with gas

What got "done": Saturday, 11.19

2011-11-20T15:18:00.000-06:00

Slept late, 2nd day in a row... meaning 8 am
Phone call with friend: both of us missed semi-planned breakfast
Email.
Twitter
Tumblr
Errands: tailor, prescriptions, catfood, gift card... + Crate&Barrel (oops!)
Lunch
Cleaned upstairs
Hung up, folded, re-arranged clothes/closet
Took out remaining summer clothes and threw 'em in laundry basket for washing
Naaaaaaaaaaaapzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Read
Shifted funds for car repair payback
Green tea
Jamesons (oops!) with ice
Trash and recycling out
Went to reading of a former student's play--turned out to be authored by 2 former students. Saw three more former students, plus wives, and various people I know from Dallas theatre community. A nice night! Got home about 12:30 am....

What got "done": Friday, 11.18

2011-11-19T11:20:00.000-06:00

Met with students in extra class at my house
Picked up house prior to students' arrival
Picked up car at garage, paid for new brakes, discussed future repairs (oy!), drove home
Read.
Twittered
Tumblr'd
Emailed and cleaned out all email boxes
Posted blog here
Generated grocery list for week
Generated to do list for weekend and next holiday week
Long distance call to friend
Went to production of OTHELLO
Met friend for drinks/dinner prior to OTHELLO; nice convo

That's it: not much, but the cleaning, class, car, and production sort of took more time than I planned. Oh, well, now it's Saturday and time for errands.

If I were in Paris... Friday, November 18, 2011

2011-11-18T10:21:00.000-06:00

Of course, this is the time that the decorations are up and Christmas windows are on view, so the first thing I would do if I were in Paris, is to head over to "les grands magasins" and see "les vitrines" and then go inside to see the decorations.

Pictures from 2008, when I was on sabbatical.

This year, Printemps has done a Karl Lagerfeld series of windows, featuring the designer as a series of tiny doll figures with models. The windows are apparently brilliant, including sixty animated figures and opened by Lagerfeld himself (who must enjoy the constant use of his "self" as a character and a bit of a self-conscious joke).

In the 16th at the Musee Guimet, there is an exhibition by Rina Banerjee, an Indian artist.

Also in the 16th, the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves St. Laurent have an exhibition the photographer Gisele Freund that looks amazing.

In the 9th, this weekend is an open door event at the ateliers of artists from "Anvers aux Abbesses," in the spirit of the holidays, I assume.

Also in the 9th is the centenary exhibit for the composer Massenet, at the Biliotheque de l'Opera (always worth visting, anyway).

And once I'm in this area, I cannot avoid the temptation to stop in and browse through Fauchon and Hediard, cheek-by-jowl. Time for a tin of Christmas tea, or some biscuits, or a delicious spicy mustard for cold-weather foods. Mmm. And they will nicely wrap anything for you, which is almost a treat in itself.

What got "done": Thursday, 11.17

2011-11-17T17:25:00.002-06:00

Feeling a little "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" today....

Car. Not. Done. Brakes fixed, but the turn signals are the hold out: they ordered the wrong part from downtown. Sigh. Tomorrow--they swear!

Prepped and taught history class
Told students I was cancelling their second paper and redistributing the points across three other assignments (Yay! Huh? was their response)
Re-did PowerPoint on French Renaissance
Handed out participation points in each of my four classes: we're getting to the wall and the people with low participation are suddenly getting desperate! Yeah, it's NOT just showing up.
Upgraded class site on My U's in-house course website do-hickey (platform?)
Graded scenes and plays for adult students, for tonight's class
Tweeted.
Tumblr'd.
Blogged on other site.
Read all email boxes and responded; emptied email boxes for week
Chatted with co-worker about production he directed which just opened (seeing t'morrow) and life in general
Chatted with wife of another co-worker and his kids in hallway
Got invited to "game night" of co-workers I like
Rode cab to and fro, to My U; have to do it again in, oh, 45 minutes for night class
Called parents, only to be told they were going out to dinner and couldn't chat! Huh!
Ate lunch (and dinner, soon)
Chatted with a different co-worker about her kids (it was like a holiday! I saw 3 of my co-workers in 1 day!)
Taught night class
Waited for cab... waited for cab... waited for cab.

That's it so far, but I do have night class... so who knows what could happen!

More pretty Becks for you...

What got "done": Wednesday, 11.16

2011-11-16T18:27:00.002-06:00

Okay, this is a theme--just for this week.

Today, I cancelled office hours and did not have my afternoon class--by agreement with my students. Instead...

Dropped car at garage for brake job
Visited ATM for cash (for cab later)
Walked to work (exercise!)
Taught 9 am class, which was a bit of a wrestling match with students' lack of focus
Chatted with student after about his revisions and how they were going
Sent emails to students about meetings
Called cab; waited for cab; called again--cab had someone else in it; cab #2 came and brought me home (50 minutes wasted!!!!)
Changed out of teaching clothes/into work clothes
Picked up kitchen, dining room, living room
Put away dry dishes
Made lunch, coffee for me
Wrote blog post for this one
Tweeted
Tumblr'd
Wrote 2 pages of novel... procrastinated and fidgeted.
Bought ebooks online, moved to Nook
Organized desktop
Emailed
Wrote 1.5 more pages... procrastinated, fidgeted
Got call from garage: brakes need new calipers, too; add $200, and pick up tomorrow!
Made more coffee
Replaced burnt-out lightbulb
Fed cat
Poured glass of wine
Put on sweater (apartment coooooooool!)
Facebook'd
Fidgeted...

Sigh. Not what I'd call a productive day, but more time left to finish tasks. (Isn't he pretty, though?)

Realization: Depression

2011-11-16T14:43:00.003-06:00

Today on my way to the garage to drop off the car for a brake job (sigh), I passed my old apartment. The very last one, that I left because landlord was a crack addict with guns and a grudge against his ex-wife and my neighbors... and he lived two doors away. And the apartment was a crackerbox, which was why I was thinking about it before I found out about the crack/guns/grudge business.

Today I realized this: the last two years in that apartment I was just depressed. In a depression. Emotional and physical.

Wow.

I mean, I already knew this--which is why today I am actually not as depressed as I was and doing fine, thank you, but I was depressed then and there in more specific, focused, real way. And that apartment had become the setting for my depression. So today as I drove by it, I realized why I didn't even want to look at what was a perfectly good building (nice georgian brickwork and a lovely, lovely magnolia tree I actually do miss).

That building equals two messed-up years and my own fault. I was depressed. and getting no help--because I didn't know what was wrong and thus wasn't questioning my feelings and thus ignored the signs of my withdrawal and tiredness and lack of engagement with anything beyond the needs of a single day's duration. And apparently my situation wasn't evident to anyone. (Did I mention I was oblivious and not asking for help?) I don't blame co-workers, friends, or family, because frankly how could they see what was invisible to me?

I didn't break down in tears in public.
I didn't gain or lose weight in big numbers.
I didn't stop shaving or washing or cutting my hair or my nails.
I didn't cut myself.
I didn't not show up for work or meetings or other commitments, although I was aware of taking sick days, or "mental health days" or rescheduling meetings to never or... no one else was.

What happened? I did talk to friends--because I wanted to find the name of a good therapist. The surprising result was wasted time and money with two "therapists" who were useless, except that the second blessedly sent me to an endocrinologist, which was what physically started me on the road to help... but conversations with friends--all women--who said, yeah, you're depressed and I know because I was/am depressed and you've got my symptoms.

Huh.

What was wrong with me? I had changed--and you've have to know me to understand that these things that follow were 180degrees unlike me--but they were where I was at.

First, I had no goals and couldn't plan anything long-term (meaning beyond the week).
I had no ambition for my job or career.
I was wearing the same clothes every day--with minimal variations.
I was sleeping on the living room couch every night--without pulling out the sleeper. I wasn't cleaning my apartment beyond the necessary.
I was watching the entire canon of MURDER SHE WROTE on Netflix, season after season, hour after hour after hour...

What did I do?

I met this endocrinologist, and we put me on bio-identical estrogen and progesterone and testosterone and thyroid hormone.
I stopped going to/paying the bad therapist #1 and #2 and made my own list of goals, short-term and long-term--and then I made those goals, or some of them. Some are still in process.
I stopped sleeping on the couch... mostly.
I stopped "retail therapy" and started saving and paid off debt in a big, bad way.
I moved and decluttered my stuff along the way (dumped out the past and moved on!).
I took a vacation I planned that was in no way work-related.
I grew my hair and colored it the way I had wanted to for years.
I set goals for 2011 and worked to meet them, with the overall goal of increasing balance in my life.
I started writing daily, again.
I decided not to look for validation from my boss or boss's boss or students, but from my work (teaching and writing), my creativity, and my friends and family.

I stopped making myself crazy with the things I couldn't control--like bullying and mendacity and misogyny and rudeness (ok, well, mostly!) and let things gooooooooooo!

It wasn't until today that I realized how well I am doing, and how far I have come in two years, a little at a time. So, yay me!

What got "done: Tuesday, 11.15

2011-11-15T21:44:00.000-06:00

It rained here, briefly, today. I wish I'd been this stylish.

Went to 8 am meeting for changes in new university curriculum; other people signed up from my department didn't show; stayed after to ask some questions/clarify.
Got gas for car: down to fumes.
Prepped and taught 2 pm class: Elizabethan theatre, stage spaces, Hamlet, and Faustus; more student questions than usual -- good sign, despite antics of "disrupters."
Had painful conversation with two undergrads who got bad casting or no casting about why women in department are cast for looks (no, they're not! Really!).
Stopped at grocery store for dinner materials: realized nothing thawed but leeks. Oops.
Posted at other blog.
Tweeted.
Tumblr'd.
Read Tuesday's blogs.
Completed 5 new pages of novel; edited last five. (obsessively, 1,344 new words.)
Printed out and graded monologues, scenes from beginning playwrights to hand back tomorrow.
Sent email to students whose in-class participation has improved markedly; encouraging!
Read, edited, and posted emails; deleted and filed student emails from week.
Cooked dinner: chicken breasts with salsa, asparagus.
Cleaned out refrigerator (Happy Refrigerator Day! Honest!).
Loaded and ran dishwasher and in-sink strays.
Dumped two bags of garbage (post-fridge cleanout) in trash container outside.

Still reading? If so, here's your reward.

What got "done" today: Monday, 11.14

2011-11-14T19:27:00.003-06:00

1. Flat tire discovered/reported/fixed. By Tire Man.
2. Car got 112K check-up. Needs: front brakes, oil pressure switch, electrical system check-out. Sigh.
3. Round #1 of short plays from morning writing class: complete and successful!
4. Cover art and cover copy forms successfully completed and returned to publisher.
5. Chat with co-worker about exchange of key documents via email. (Dox not yet sent...)
6. Memo for credits re: a student spending Spring 2012 in London, written and sent to Internat'l Programs. Deadline: tomorrow.
7. Serious talk with afternoon writing class about completion/responsibilities, followed by 90-minute writing session (because no one had work ready).
8. Convos with 2 students from tomorrow's class--two different convos--almost cheery!
9. Kitchen picked up, dishes washed in dishwasher and strays in sink.
10. Gift list produced on Etsy, ready to be sent to family and friends for Xmas 2011.
11. Impressed student in monring class with my knowledge of/current obsession with Vampire Diaries.
12. Ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
13. Daily pages in second novel completed.
14. Car status reported to concerned friends.
15. Two blog posts, Twitter feeds, Tumblr queue.
16. Emails read, deleted, answered, forwarded... sigh.

Time for a nap!

My Favorite Things: Dior's New Look, 1947+

2011-11-13T22:14:00.000-06:00

The post-war designs by Christian Dior, referred to as "The New Look" are among the most beautiful clothing designs of the 20th century, in my humble opinion.

The clothing reflected the post-war boom, the luxury of non-rationing, and a return to a traditional female silhouette. Despite being a feminist, I find the styles of the Dior clothes of this period, as well as the advertisements and photographs for them, simply beautiful.

Dior put yards and yards of fabric into the skirts. The fabrics were silks, satins, chiffons, and other materials with a beautiful hand. The colors and details--like buttons--were perfect. Dresses, suits, coats, ensembles. And hugely influential on women's clothing through the 1950s and into the 1960s--when a whole new silhouette emerged.

If I were in Paris... Friday (I mean, Saturday!), November 12, 2011

2011-11-12T11:12:00.001-06:00

Travel down to the 15th and see an exhibition at the Maison de la Culture du Japon on the "floating world" or ukiyo-e, until 12.17. One hundred and fifty engravings by eight masters of the 18th-century art form, depicting the streets of Tokyo and other cities: geishas, kabuki, samurai, merchants, and the common folk of Japan represented by such artists as Utamaro and Hokusai.

These engravings are beautiful and capture a world long gone in Japan, but still a living part of the people there today. This style of engraving was highly influential on such Western artists as Vincent Van Gogh, James Whistler, Odilon Redon, Henri Fantin-Latour, Toulouse Lautrec, among others.

Go go go!

Then I would walk over to the Musee d'Orsay for what promises to be a fantastic exhibition on the Aesthetic Movement in England during the last part of the 19th century: "Beaute, morale et volupte dans l'Angleterre de Oscar Wilde." Oh, my heavens!

Go to my exhibition!

And then a lovely walk along the Seine east, toward Notre Dame... stopping somewhere for a coffee or a glass of wine.

This Here's a Teachable Moment

2011-11-10T00:18:00.004-06:00

Today, my life was enlarged/rewarded/made happy by two of my writing students presenting lovely pieces in class, and the growing skills of their classmates in giving feedback.

Today, my heart was broken by the growing "scandal" at PSU and the reactions of the media and others to it.

First of all, "scandal" doesn't cover it: that's a word you can use when a mayor/senator/president/presidential candidate gets caught with his baby mama/mistress/underage girlfriend on camera. Or the college president/football player/pro athlete gets caught gambling. This is the sexual abuse--rape--of children over a 15-year period (at least) that was either covered up or "managed" or "handled" or ignored by people connected with the athletic program or administration of PSU...

Second, don't blame the PSU students for celebrating the culture of football or the culture of winning at all costs. Look around, folks, and see what you're teaching your kids. For example: the entitlement of the NBA union negotiations (and I use that word with tongue in cheek). The language, the jockeying for control, and the sinful amount of money being fought over--all of which would be better used in America's food banks that buying bling for already super-rich basketball players or basketball owners or (worst!) basketball agents--just points out how much our culture celebrates athletes and their bad over-privileged bad behaviors. That's what our kids see and emulate... with our approval far too often.

So are you surprised when disappointed PSU students overturn a media van or demand Paterno's return?

And, by the way, Paterno didn't abuse anyone, he reported what he was told about... he didn't follow up on the report, it seems, which is ethically and morally wrong, yes, but not the same as what is alleged about Sandusky. He merely allowed it to be handled, or to go on, and to keep Sandusky in place, I guess. And yes, Paterno has been a great coach for a long time. And yes, he could have used his huge power to make changes in 2002 when he knew something (!) but he didn't. He reported a man he had known and promoted and worked side by side with -- and that was it.

I am not excusing him.

C'mon, folks, this is the same country where every 9 seconds a woman is abused by her boyfriend or husband... and nobody sees. Or 2.7 kids are the victims of bullying annually (2010 stats) -- and nobody stops it. Or where a married congressman tweets his private parts to multiple women he's never met... and then lies about it... and then has to be forced out of office because he himself has no shame about it. Or where an African woman who was attacked by a rich, white man can't go to trial because the DA decides she's not "credible enough," even though it seems clear the man is a serial abuser, if not rapist--not that she wasn't abused or violated, mind you, simply that he cannot present her as a believable witness against a rich, powerful, white man because 12 jury members wouldn't buy it.

If you don't like the world I've described... do something.

And, so... PSU: this is what we in the academic biz call a "teachable moment."

Rent or Buy?

2011-11-09T12:55:00.000-06:00

So this year I attacked my "living situation" by fixing an immediate problem (my landlord) and a long-term problem (lack of space).

Since April I have been living in a lovely apartment with what feels like twice the space (moving from 750 sq. ft. to 1050 sq. ft.), with more windows (only 1 more, to be honest--but better views, more light because not backed up on building), more green space (LOTS more green space, trees, grounds), a back porch/patio, and more quiet. It feels more open, more peaceful, more homelike.

I have rented since I was 21 and moved to NYC. Through grad schools--two degrees, two schools--and here in DFW. Even now, in what is really a boom market in Dallas for buying, I rent.

Why?

Every few years I yearn to buy a house. I look, I price, I think... but I don't.

1. I like the flexibility and freedom of renting. If the apartment gets too small/too expensive/too loud or the landlord gets too fussy/a crack habit/guns/too present or too absent, I can go. Moving is a pain, but the landlord who lives two doors away with a coke habit and handguns is no joke.

2. The plumbing is someone else's problem. Ditto landscaping, insurance, termites, and taxes.

3. "Fixer-Upper" is what I can afford in terms of price but not time... so there we are. I'm not buying to flip, I'm buying to nest.

4. I don't want to retire in DFW. But I'm thinking about retirement homes now, as vacation homes/rental properties, etc.

2012 will become the year of researching where I will build this house:

When I know where, I can plan when.

What the future location must have:

access to major airport for ease of travel
access to decent medical facilities (just in case!)
no freezing winters, no muggy/100+ summers
seasons: 4, not 2
bookstores, restaurants, museums, theatre/performance venues (or university with same) within reason (4 places I spend my time)
view of mountains or ocean... or both? + trees
no extreme weather: hurricanes. tornedos, blizzards, droughts

Ideas? Anyone?

Priorities

2011-11-08T09:20:00.003-06:00

It is quite possible that my priorities are out of order. I mean by other people's standards or expectations.

This is something I have been considering for some time.

For example: after I moved again (to this lovely new apartment), one co-worker remarked, "You moved? Again? Why don't you just buy a house?" Like me, she meant. Her first act on moving here 17 years ago, was to buy a house. Of course, she was hired at a better income level and with complete security so... we weren't exactly in the same place then. Another colleague, from a different department, said something similar only a couple days ago: surprise that I moved again, to another apartment, rather than buying a house.

But why have I moved four times since I came to this town, living in five different apartments for periods between one and seven years? Why not buy a house and be like everyone else with homeowner security?

Good questions.

For example: after I got tenured and promoted the first time why didn't I turn around and focus my energy on the next promotion? (There aren't all that many in the academic world, outside of moving into administration, ugh.) Why didn't I invest my time in writing and publishing in academic journals and books, like everyone else? Especially since I like research and find history fascinating. Why put my time into teaching, which is more and more becoming a low-level activity for professors? In other words, I am not defining "success" in traditional academic terms, and possibly not in the terms of My U.

What then are my priorities in the area of teaching, research, and academic progress?

Good questions.

As a kind of sideways answer, I can say that 2011has been about exploring and pushing at new areas in my life for balance. Like improving my living situation by moving to this fab new apartment, decluttering my goods, and turning toward buying land and building a house for retirement (2012 project!).

Like building a new community, improving my current community, and making new ties professional and personal for career, health, and sanity reasons. Initiating new projects to build connections across job and personal lines.

Like changing my diet to a non- (or low-) sugar/no processed or fast foods/three-meals-two-snacks a day minimum. Increasing exercise -- walking, biking, yoga -- for heart health. Taking care of allergies.

Like adding creative habits to my weekly activities: writing prose, photography, cooking, even teaching.

Like working on my resources: money of course, but also time and possessions and friendships and skills. Like using my time in more intelligent, more positive ways -- ways that please me, support me, feed me.

Some of this I have been successful at -- on my terms. So considering priorities and consciously setting some -- for 2012 -- is next. And I can say that it has been a long time since I've even been interested in setting short-term or long-term goals. This is another healthy step.

The Delights, Surprises, and Excitement of the Weekend...

2011-11-07T13:41:00.001-06:00

So many good things happened, which left me limp on the couch Sunday night... but happy.

First, Happy 144th birthday to Marie Curie: only winner of TWO Nobel Prizes in two different fields! One of the first memorable biographies I read as a third grader that made me know women could do anything!

I was able to get together with a couple that I like very much; I met them in 2010 at Oxford, but hadn't seen in some time. We got together for drinks at a swanky bar downtown, and what turned out to be great conversation. It was a thoroughly delightful pre-dinner meeting. The best outcome was that the wife, who is also a lawyer, knows a lot about buying land -- which I plan to do and know nothing about. She was more than willing to talk to me about the process, especially since I am buying to build, and -- again -- she knows all about that.

Friday, I went to a dance concert with several friends, with dinner beforehand. I also had a thoroughly good time on this occasion. The dance concert was quite stunning, with six of the nine pieces really impressing me; the pieces were choreographed by alumni of the program, reaching back to the mid-70s, which was equally impressive. And, again, the conversation among friends was delightful and challenging.

I also had a mightly productive meeting about next summer's trip/teaching at Oxford. Halleluyah! Now all I need is an apartment for 3 weeks in June.... anyone?

On Saturday, I ran errands. I racked up another $15 in credit at a local vintage clothing shop: I sold only two pieces, but they were quality. I also gained two bags of clothing for Goodwill -- out of the house, is my mantra right now! This weekend, those two bags will join the other three bags of clothing, household goods, and "stuff" at the donation center (tax deduction!).

I also figured out how to work the small grant I got on My U's ID at our bookstore. Nothing like credit, especially when coupled with my faculty discount... now if I can remember to go in there and buy, rather than the regular B&N stores!

I graded a pile of papers, scenes, monologues, and exercises over the weekend as well, pushing ahead like a good little worker bee. The result: a very nice pile of graded papers (complete with notes) for students. Makes them feel good, makes me feel good.

Friday was all social and creative. Saturday was all errands and cleaning. Sunday was all grading, cooking, planning. So happy to feel productive!

And then there was cleaning... bathroom, laundry, kitchen. Cooking... salad chopping for the week, salmon with Old Bay, cranberry-orange muffins, and tonight, crockpot chickpea soup.

Photo of the Day

2011-11-06T17:38:00.000-06:00

Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger.

If I were in Paris... Friday, November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T10:11:00.000-05:00

And it's back... my favorite round-up of things I will miss in Paris. Sigh... but I love it.

Time to head back to the Musees des Arts Decoratifs, because they always have beautifully curated and informative exhibits, like...

One that's closing after today: "Face A Face: un project de Matthew Bakkom" in the library of the museum (111, rue de Rivoli). This includes images drawn from one of the initial donations to the museum.

One on toys, "Plastique ludique: Libuse Niklova designer des jouets," which closes Sunday. Czech designer Niklova designed toys during the mid-20th century.

One on jewelry (always a favorite with me!), "Alphonse Fouquet (1828-1911) - des dessins pour des bijoux" which are Fouquet's drawings for the glorious items created by this master jeweller during the second half of the 19th century. By the way: his son Georges Fouquet's shop is on view at the Musee Carnavalet as designed by Alphonse Mucha: glorious art deco work. It is a wonderful "family" business.

And speaking if the Musee Carnavalet -- the museum of Paris history and a lovely jewel box to visit itself -- they ahve an exhibition on the the depictions of Les Halles, the great shopping market in the heart of Paris from medieval times to the present. They also have an exhibition on "Le peuple de Paris au XIXe siecle" which looks to be fascinating: views of the city's populations from beginning to end of the most important century in the city's history (or is that just me?).

If it's Friday it must be...

2011-11-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

This is one of those "good news, bad news" entries.

Temptation or Reward?

Good news, first: I bought myself four Sprinkles cupcakes on Tuesday to celebrate a big event: orange, pumpkin, dark chocolate, and -- of course! -- red velvet. That's not the good news -- this is: after several months of working on a "no (less) sugar" eating plan, I DIDN'T REALLY WANT THE CUPCAKES!

Huh? (the tiny part of me that still craves sugar is trying to formulate a protest, but in her weakened state gives up)

That's right. Not only did I not dive into them once I got them home, I stuck them in the fridge and had one with dinner (as dessert) on Tuesday. Meh. Okay, it was the orange, but still. Again, one on Wednesday for dinner... didn't finish it. Still meh. Looked at box and thought, I could eat another one. Didn't. Yesterday... ate the red velvet, didn't enjoy it nearly as much as usual (happy meh!) and dumped the last one plus box.

This is amazing and super-great news for me.

It's the girl behind him... that's the expression!

Bad news, now: Apparently, I don't teach at a university but at a middle school. Sigh. Yesterday's class was like watching paint dry: students unprepared, passing notes, slumping into naps, and staring at me while drool tracked down their chins... I exaggerate only a tiny bit. And when we started to discuss the play assigned for the day and none of them had read it (very clear, very quickly)... class was over.

Good news: My night class is full of eager, committed writers. They are indeed struggling with their latest challenge, but taking big risks. I love teaching them!

Picture my debit card thus...

Bad news: My bank froze my debit card because I ordered something from Amazon.Fr -- except that they only froze two of the three books I ordered... so they allowed one charge (one the same order, from the same card) and cancelled the other two... and froze my assets. All to "protect me" -- but they didn't want credit for that, I guess, because they didn't tell me about their white knight actions. Instead I found out last night trying to buy groceries with said debit card. Oops!

Eat the box: my advice!

Good news, along the lines of the top story here: Frozen dinners stink. Last night I bought myself some frozen entrees for dinner (with credit card!) -- 9:30 after my class and no dinner yet, nothing in the fridge -- and microwaved them. Perfectly good manufactuers, organic stuff -- it all tasted like bad truckstop hash. Ugh. The good news, then, is that after a year of cooking at home for myself and not buying processed, frozen, or otherwise pre-crafted food, I can distinctly tell the difference between my delicious meals -- or even a fresh salad -- and the chemical/additive/processed junk in the frozen aisle. Blindfolded, no doubt.

So I guess "good news" wins. let the Happy Friday Dance commence!

Thursday -- Express Checkout Experiment

2011-11-03T08:36:00.000-05:00

Autumn version, 11.3.

I have not been particularly successful at organizing my closet this fall. I am unsure why -- because autumn is my favorite season, after all, all sweaters and suede jackets and scarves -- but apparently something is standing in the way of my choosing 15 favorite pieces to mix and match throughout the weeks.

Here are the basics:

white man-style shirt (actually, shirts, as I have a loose fit and a close fitting version)
blue man-style shirt
blue striped man-style shirt
black turtleneck (lightweight; the cashmere has to wait!)
black v-neck sweater
blue cashmere boyfriend cardigan
jeans
black trousers
black ankle-length trousers
black pencil skirt
black a-line flip skirt
brown a-line flip skirt
black-and-white polka dot dress
gray sheath dress and coat
black sweater coat

That's a lot of black and white, and a little blue... All of it goes beautifully together and gives me the chance to work accessories like no body's business, to be casual one day and formal the next...

But I think I need a little inspiration, and a little red, purple, and aqua (my other favorite jewel colors) to give me a much needed boost.

(I am also not counting the black/gray/white t-shirts and tanks I wear as layers under the sweaters, or the jackets, like my favorite caramel suede jacket that comes out fo the closet now to be worn all winter long, in the Big D.)

Etsy shout-out: Sky Koltun

2011-11-02T19:30:00.000-05:00

Last month I ordered some jewelry from Etsy from Sky Koltun, a native New Yorker making original pieces.

I bought her Philosophy bracelet, in the petite size (meaning it doesn't rach quite so far up my arm as the "regular" size).

Philosophy bracelet (her picture)

Her Joan of Arc bracelet, in all silver (it also comes in a silver/copper/gold style as well).

Joan of Arc bracelet (her picture)

Her labradorite/silver ring.

Labradorite ring (her picture!)

Each of these was as beautiful in person as in her photographs, and make quite a statement. I love them. They are simple, stunning pieces that work with my classic/casual style: they go as well with jeans as with a sheath dress and coat.

I don't buy a lot of jewelry, although I've accumulated a fair amount over time. I don't feel comfortable with the oversized jewelry advertised for women my age, or flashy pieces made without great technical skill as cheaply reproduced pieces (and therefore found everywhere, worn by everyone...). I also don't buy "statement" pieces -- which I consider these three to be -- usually, because that makes me uncomfortable.
However! All these pieces are great investments for me, because they will last (well-made!) and are simply elegant. Each piece will improve the outfit I match it to, but not overwhelm the clothes.

And I like them!

I couldn't ask for more.

More "Oxford" news

2011-11-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

I just heard from one of the several conferences I applied to for 2012. This particular one is at University of Exeter in early June -- my proposal was accepted, contingent on my being able to attend. I got the okay from my Oxford program head, as long as I am not missing on the Monday. Now (fingers crossed) hoping that panel gets scheduled midday Tuesday or Wednesday, which will put me on the British rail system for a six-hour round trip but worth it all the way...

This is an international conference that sounds fascinating--not that I'll experience much of it! but the same group that was at St. Andrew's a few years ago. Delightful and itneresting group of French scholars.

BTW: I also heard from a different conference, this one American in L.A., and they turned me down. Too many proposals, too few spaces. Tant pis!

Planning for Paris

2011-11-01T07:27:00.000-05:00

Next summer I'll be in Paris before teaching at Oxford, again.

What will I be doing? Of course, going to Tolbiac and researching -- happily! Visiting museums and raiding their bookstores, as well as finding at least one, new museum. Walking the Seine and riding the Metro and sitting in cafes enjoying the sights.

What else will I be doing? I'll be stocking up on my favorite items that I cannot get outside of Paris.

Like:

Repettos. The classic ballet flats, on sale in July.

In 2010, I bought classic flats in a textured black. I can't wait to see what's available in June 2012, but I plan to buy two pairs.

Mixa lip balm. Wonderful stuff, in a drugstore lip balm.

Great scent, great texture, buttery soft balm.

Monoprix cashmere. Yes, good quality cashmere in Target-level clothing.

Good enough for Ines and me!

I have two gorgeous v-neck cashmere sweaters -- just like this! -- from Monoprix. I wear them once weekly during winter, and they have yet to pill, they hold their color, and I love them.

Pharmacy and Monoprix brands of skin care: do not knock it!

Avene, Nuxe, and other fantastic stuff I can stock up on, trying new products -- again, once the sales start everything is disounted, too.

Lush Happy Hippy. In the good formulation... not the US version.

Happy shampoo/bodywash combo with the brilliant scent of fresh-squeezed grapefruit!

Tea. Specifically, Mariage Freres Tea.

I spend at least a couple of hours in one of their shops deciding which of the many black, white, green, or red teas I want to take home.

Ahhhh, happy pre-summer thoughts.

My Favorite Things: "Soul Driver" by Bruce Springsteen

2011-10-31T13:10:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! I found myself driving south to San Marcos, Texas, to see a play, then driving back... 24 hours for the entire trip, 10 of which I spent on the road. But I stopped for barbecue going south, and you know I love me some barbecue.

The rest of the weekend was cleaning house, putting closets and drawers in order because the autumn weather is FINALLY here and I am wearing sweaters and jeans and socks and warm jackets. Wow! I ahve all my windows open, so the house is chilly... but full of fresh, cool air. I wear thick socks and a sweater or sweatshirt indoors, and I don't care!

This coming week is all about finishing the mid-term grading, planning for the end of the semester, ordering books for next semester... and moving forward. I feel healthy and in a pretty good place.

In that spirit, I offer "Soul Driver" by Bruce Springsteen.

This is, hands down, my favorite Bruce ballad. Rare footage of rehearsal, and the best version available. I've never heard this live in concert. Also shows how very good a guitarist Bruce is, right up front.

In the recorded version, I love the moment when he laughs!

When I get married, this will be my wedding song. Down the aisle, first dance, whatever.

Janis Joplin, just 'cause it's Friday

2011-10-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

Live recording from Eagle Rock.

Nothing like her.

Three things I am happy about today...

2011-10-27T09:41:00.003-05:00

1. Tonight is my night class: my adult writers are a great bunch, taking all sorts of risks. I love this class!

2. This week I wrote 15 pages of my novel-in-progress, and I'm not done yet.

3. I've been sleeping like a baby all week--no insomnia, no restless nights. Makes a huge difference in how my days go.

All this makes me aware that focusing on simple pleasures demonstrates how lucky I am.

10.27 -- John Cleese's birthday

2011-10-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

OH. MY. GOD. Funny after 42 years...

This is an ex-parrot.

10.26 -- Natalie Merchant's birthday

2011-10-26T08:21:00.000-05:00

Love this song!

Beautful celebration of different women.

The New Novel

2011-10-26T08:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday wrote 13 pages on the new one. Playing catch-up after a week without. Felt fantastic!

10.25 -- Helen Reddy's birthday

2011-10-25T17:28:00.000-05:00

Haven't heard this in a while. She wrote it as well as recorded it.

1975!

First Night

2011-10-25T08:58:00.002-05:00

Last night I sat down with five women--three of whom I already knew--and plunged into our new short story discussion group. We're meeting monthly to talk short story--our first, "Why I Live at the P.O." by Welty.

Last night, however, there was no short story talk--only introductions that led to talk about husbands, kids, jobs, illness, depression, anxiety, isolation, and re-creating ourselves in midlife (everyone was 40-50). Sounds depressing, right?

Not at all!

We talked, laughed, shared, gabbed, drank $2 margaritas, and planned the next meeting--where we will surely discuss Welty's prose.

It was interesting to hear these other women talk about the same problems I've been dealing with for the last two years. And more. Gave me a better outlook on Tuesday than I've had in some time.

Here's a link to Welty's story online: hilariously Southern! http://art-bin.com/art/or_weltypostoff.html

Just for Sunday fun!

2011-10-23T12:51:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned how much I love French commercials and advertising?

Ooh la la! C'est magnifique!

Here are some more from the old version of this blog:

http://pearlinparis.typepad.com/myblog/2010/07/paris-is-hot.html

http://pearlinparis.typepad.com/myblog/2008/12/orangina-youtube.html

http://pearlinparis.typepad.com/myblog/2008/12/orangina.html

And my favorite:

http://pearlinparis.typepad.com/myblog/2008/12/public-service-announcements.html

Yesterday's Coup

2011-10-23T12:48:00.000-05:00

Saturday, I made a coup at Buffalo Exchange here in the Big D.

http://www.buffaloexchange.com/index.php

Buffalo Exchange is a thrift store chain that buys and sells clothing, shoes, and accessories. I managed to get them to take two coats and three dresses, receiving in exchange scrip to use in their store. A decent amount, too. The rest of the stuff, that they didn't take, will go directly to Goodwill next week.

I've been meaning to check them out again for some time (in July I got shot down with an armload of coats). I am also told to bring said coats back in 2-3 weeks for successful sale/trade; I have two pairs of boots, too.

Woo-hoo!

Part of my clearing out the closet action. These were clothes I bought and never wore, or clothes I bought and didn't wear because I felt wrong in them, or in one case something given to me I didn't particularly like. Three great reasons to unload clothing so someone else can love it. And Goodwill will take the rest.

Shaking it off... and moving on

2011-10-22T10:01:00.003-05:00

Last night I took a friend to a departmental event. For the second time this semester, the friend turned to me and said, "Really? C'mon--really? This is it?" I had no answer. That was indeed "it." Disappointing.

The same friend and I had coffee this morning, and she told me to shake it off. Shake. It. Off. In other words, don't obsess about a situation I had nothing to do with, can't change, and can only get into a tizzy about.

She's right.

As I have been feeling all week, this is a signpost in the road. Now it has become a Big Glaring Red Neon Signpost...

The next step is an anvil on my head, dudes!

What does the sign say?

I want to avoid the anvil.

And the good news keeps coming...

2011-10-21T17:19:00.003-05:00

Today I had three productive meetings. (I know: hardly seems possible!)
First, with one of my writers to talk about her play. Lovely meeting, lovely discussion. Very productive.

Second, with a colleague in French who is part of a conference bringing in an African playwright next semester. I have agreed to stage excerpts from one or both of her plays during the conference with our students; we might find a second staging and an opportunity for students from multiple departments to meet and question the playwright, depending on how my chair responses.

Third, with a colleague from Creative Writing with whom I hope to form an alliance to connect our students in projects writing across genres: plays, screenplays, prose, and poetry.

Great "first step" meetings, all of which will bear great fruit, I hope.

Great Fruit

Let's try this again

2011-10-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

Starting today and ending in one week, I will get my study in terrific working order! Yes, I've said it before, but now is the time...

Thursday: Sort out paper clutter on tabletops

Friday: File holding bin into filing bins

Saturday: Buy new shredder and put it to good use

Sunday: Clean out three old bins into new bins

Monday: Hang art and bulletin boards in study

Tuesday: Change closets for season

Wednesday: Vacuum, dust, water plants

Thursday: Re-organize shelves, notebooks, boxes

By next Friday, I'll be working in a newly-clean study.

Celebration!

2011-10-19T18:49:00.000-05:00

I just got the excellent news that my three colleagues and I will receive a small grant each for a course proposal in our new curriculum, and that were are further eligible for a sizable grant for developing said course for Spring 2013.

This is huzzah! news of the highest order. First, because it will promote the very goals I am interested in as a teacher and scholar. Second, because I will be able to work with three colleagues I admire.

Third, of course, because My U is supporting our great idea and hard work with monies, thus not simply talking the talk but walking the walk.

And... more news

2011-10-18T18:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I hired one of my former students to research grants for current projects. If we find some stuff to pitch, she'll help me write grants for funding or underwriting. I'm hoping we can find some monies to over-fund the department projects.

This is a great thing! She'll do the research, she'll help with the writing and the pitch, she'll be paid and earn creds for resume, I'll get money.

Downside? None.

And I'm giving her my Craigslist coffemaker (my dream coffeemaker!) and my Craigslist chair and footstool. Even more upside! These things will be out of my house, out of my life and happy happy happy with new people. Sigh... of pleasure.

News on the Rialto!

2011-10-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

Just got off the phone with a former student of mine. Over the weekend I heard about a new resource that is going to be in place for my school by the end of this semester... and it triggered an idea in my head.

I touched base with this student--who was always a favorite!--to get his advice on 1/ whether he thought it was viable and 2/ whether he could help. Both answers were: Yes!

Huzzah!

This will mean more grants and funding--because there is no free lunch (sigh)--but I can start small and move slowly toward world domination.

Or simply exciting possiblities.

Ah, technology... perhaps my paranoia is unfounded.

In this case.

Follow-Up: Glass Half-Full

2011-10-17T10:52:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of optimism, I follow up yesterday's email of discouragement and astonishment with one of optimism.

If, as I believe, we are moving toward a period of disconnect between our academic pedagogy (or teaching) and free-for-all practice sans faculty, there are good things about this, for me, as well.

Like the opportunity to look outside my own department for collaboration. Right now, the projects I have built with colleagues from Medieval Studies and Creative Writing, from Music/Composition, from French, and from Film and Media Studies/Playwriting as well as the proposal for an interdisciplinary course including faculty from Music, Dance, and English to be taught in Spring 2013--all of these make me very happy right now.

Because of the chance to work with friends and new colleagues on exciting short-term projects.

Like the opportunities for my students I created and am creating. Getting my students into collaborations with professional actors and directors, with award-winning playwrights, with students from other disciplines, and even with each other. Getting my students produced and published. Getting my students into excellent internships.

Because of the chance to let my students test themselves in the Big World and to bring their writing to completion, in front of an audience.

Like the opportunities for my own writing and artistic work. The novel in pre-publication and the one being written. The three book reviews. The dramaturgy situation with a local theatre and playwright friend. The encyclopedia entries. The historical study in process. The two articles being developed from conference papers. The grants I hope to win for my own projects and the residencies I plan to earn.

These are short- and long-term projects that excite me, and that will make me a better writer/teacher/scholar/person.

Like the time to be spent with friends and family, instead of co-workers.

After all, one of my 2011 goals was to create a better, stronger community external to work. Which is all on me, after all. I've been doing pretty well, but attention must be paid!

All of this is made possible by the very argument of yesterday. Seen in this light, the glass is more than half-full.

What am I doing, then?

2011-10-16T11:58:00.009-05:00

Warning/Disclaimer: Serious Questions verging on Rant

Recently, I was informed (along with my co-workers) that the most important experiences of my students during their time in college come not from my classroom (or any classroom) or from their work in our mainstage performances, but from their own independent productions.

In fact, it was emphasized that their future success will come primarily from whether or not they direct, act, stage manage or design these independent shows. Not from anything learned from their faculty. Not from any application of analytical or critical work or study of literature. Not from any evaluation of projects, even to allow students to articulate their own intentions or aesthetics.

I found this... astounding. And quite unsettling.

It is agreed, further, that we put no guidelines or limits on their choices of material or how to handle that material. That there is no post-mortem to evaluate or even discuss how they did what they did, even when students use monies from school grants or divisional budgets. That there is minimal, if any, supervision. That encouragement is the only approach. And by "agreed" I mean "understood," a slightly different nuance, but the two words are interchangeable in this context, because the subject was never discussed.

What I hear, I think, is that despite achieving tenure, earning three degrees, and 24 years of practical experience as director, playwright, and literary manager, I may be completely useless to my students' educational process. And by "educational process," what is meant, it seems, is a self-organized series of student-driven and student-focused events without the outcomes of grading, analysis, critique, or review of any kind.

In fact, I strongly believe in encouraging students to take artistic, aesthetic, and collaborative risks, to expect them to challenge themselves by taking on unfamiliar and difficult material, and to move them toward interdisciplinary collaborations and mixed-media events. But I don't see the problem in also creating a rubric for post-event analysis, for articulate and public discussion before, during, and after the performances, and for faculty providing informed critique to their students on multiple levels. After all, that is why the university employs and tenures faculty, to hold those conversations in the classroom and out, if I am not mistaken.

If a student doesn't want or need these, why then is this person at university? Go West, Young Man or Woman (or East) and get thee to auditions! This, too, is a time-honored form of entering show biz--in fact, this is the one that is millenia-old, while university programs in theatre and theatre training haven't been around for even a century.

I'd love to take part in a series of conversations wherein students articulate and discuss their artistic, political, and interpersonal choices. Where they must recognize failure as well as success, on several planes. Because they'll have to do this, too, to get grants, residencies, financing, jobs and roles, as well as the time and space to produce their future work.

I also don't understand the statement of disconnect between the skills and techniques we teach in the classrooms (including those in history, dramatic criticism, and cultural studies) and production processes and outcomes.

After all, the faculty are members of (and paid by) an academy of learning--a university--which requires a huge amount of money per student per year to attend this specific program with the expectation, I would imagine, that students (and their families) pay so much money in order to study with faculty hired by the university as intellectual and practical experts. Not simply the opportunity to work in a variety of spaces with minimal resources without accountability.

And whether the money is paid by parents, scholarships from the university or other sources, loans from the government, or some other resource, the traditional notion is that while extracurricular opportunities are necessary and exciting, the tuitions and fees are aimed primarily at the chance to work with superior faculty--all of us--and to learn from a variety of approaches and points of view.

Or that's what the brochures say.

We know that students learn as much if not more from failure than they do from success, or from working within boundaries and limitations than they do from being turned completely free.

What if they can't even identify the difference between failure and success? or see how a failure is also an opportunity for success, or a partial success, or simply growth?

What if they have no accountability? How will that prepare them for working for someone else, or applying a grant, or thinking a process all the way through, or weighing consequences?

What if they can't articulate their goals, beyond "Let's put on a show!"?

What if they receive nothing but encouragement and positive support, where critique of any kind is seen as negative?

Then, to my mind, no matter how many shows they've put on to the applause of their peers and their family, we've failed them.

Career "something" for Saturday

2011-10-15T11:24:00.001-05:00

Today's career move was actually "moves":

First, across my virtual email desk came a request for interest in turning the recent presentations for the Crime/Mystery Colloquium into a published volume of collected essays. I immediately returned my "Yes, please!" and an attached abstract of my paper, as requested.

Second, I contacted two former students about projects. The first one I hope to hire to write a couple of grants for me, to produce student writing with professional actors and directors (and pay them decent wages for said work!), and the second one to schedule some Skype workshops with my writing classes.

Just throwing it out into the universe!

Three times the reviews

2011-10-14T16:03:00.001-05:00

... for books.

Delightfully, academics are often asked to review books for scholarly journals. I am currently reviewing three books for two different journals. "Delightfully" because reviews are a source of free books in the area of one's expertise--and scholarly books are expensive.

I am reviewing Women, Medicine and Theatre, 1500-1700 for a historical journal. The author links the appearance of women on the theatrical stage with their roles in medical mountebankery... if that's a word. I'm enjoying the book and will turn in the review this weekend.

My next two reviews are for a theatre history journal, both due separately in November. One is of the study Moliere, the French Revolution, and the Theatrical After-Life, and the other Women on the Stage in Early Modern France. Both are by scholars I respect. Which means, I hope, that I will enjoy those reads as well. One is by a retired expert in 17th-century French theatre, and one by an emerging scholar in 18th-century French theatre.

One of my mentors once said to me, do something for your career every day. I think that's mostly good advice (how about, "five days a week" instead of "every day"?), and try to remember that that means doing things not for your career, as well.

Yesterday's "something" was taking on a dramaturgy project by a local playwright (and friend) with a local theatre company, where the play's director is someone I've known for a long time, as well. This is pretty exciting, in fact, because I'll be working hands-on in a new theatre project with two people I really like: the playwright and director.

Binging... in a good way

2011-10-13T02:06:00.000-05:00

As I noted last week, I recently participated in a submission binge with other playwrights. Throughout the month of September, fellow writers and I shared submission opportunities as well as advice, support, and cautions.

I chose to focus on submitting only short pieces: monologues and ten-minute plays. I did so because I knew I had one monologue and two short plays ready--in my opinion--for submission, unlike the longer pieces I have written. All of these different pieces are older, not written recently, and because I didn't really plan ahead, I hadn't read and "rid up" the longer pieces. And I thought that with only a few short pieces I'd be more able to determine what I should send where: only short pieces, with certain styles or subject matter, or number of actors, or minimal set.

What happened was a surprise, on several levels. First, I ended by submitting one monologue and eight different ten-minute plays to a total of thirty-nine different sites, with a total of 54 submissions. Since my goal was 30 total submissions, this was far and away a success.

Second, although I started out planning on submitting only one monologue and two plays because they were "ready," I ended by making minor and major fixes on six more plays and sending those out, too. In one case,only to one site, but still: that's one play to one site more than I had done in August.

Finally, this was good for my writer's morale, since I hadn't felt much like a playwright in some time. I'd been concentrating on the novel and the conference papers-turned-articles, and mutli-tasking as a writer is difficult, as I've learned. It's not the writing itself that is difficult, but keeping the energy of the different genres and subjects focused and moving forward, as well as finding depth in each piece when you're splitting your attention. But now I've thrown out 54 submissions into destiny's wind, and I'm waiting for the results.

Of course, it will be two to six months before I hear from most of them, and up to a year for a couple. So being ready to send more submissions as they roll across my desk (and I'll be checking every Friday and Saturday among various sites)... which they certainly will.

Conference Paper: Willliam Gillette

2011-10-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

The paper I gave last month was on an American actor, William Gillette, who was a very popular performer during the last quarter of the 19th and into the first four decades of the 20th.

Gillette came from Connecticut, where his father was a crusader for a number of causes--among them abolition--and his mother who was descended from Puritan leaders. And before you jump on that, it was the Puritans who brought intellectual depth to the country from England... as well as a number of other things.

Gillette began an apprenticeship as an actor at a young age, coming in contact with Mark Twain. Twain became his mentor. he was not immediately successful; it wasn't until he was 28 that a job with the Frohman brothers allowed him to incororpate skills as a playwright, actor, and director (at low pay). But his first production carrying all three roles was enough of a success that he co-authroed another with the famous novelist Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy, some of which titles ought to be familiar.

Wikipedia notes that Gillette is best known for his inventions to the world of theatre (I disagree!), but these include "realistic stage settings, and special sound and lighting effects." He also wrote about realism as a style of acting and staging, articulating for the American theatre what the European theatre already knew--which is not a bad thing. Typically, during Gillette's lifetime American theatre lagged the Europeans in staging avant-garde styles--which realism was, at that time.

Gillette came to international success as the playwright and lead actor in The Secret Service and Sherlock Holmes, in the mid- to late-1890s.

And this is where I came in. My presentation was about Gillette's "creation" of Holmes as an enduring and iconographic character. Gillette co-authored--or authored, depending on how you slice it--the first successful Sherlock Holmes performance script (mixing 7 different stories); his co-writer, perhaps, was Arthur Conan-Doyle himself. Gillette was the first actor to use/wear the deerstalker, the Inverness cape, the bent pipe, to use the words "Elementary" and "Hunt's afoot!" I researched and wrote about Gillette's creation of Holmes as a character on paper, but more importantly on stage: the start of a character image used by scores of actors and writers since, including the most recent actors Downey, Syder, and Cumberbatch.

The crux of my paper was the development of this character by Gillette, and its subsequent development by other actors, films, playwrights, TV writers, comic books, and fanzines... The immediate image of the detective has become incredibly pervasive in our culture, affecting writers like Chandler, Hammett, Grafton, Crais, and Child.

Student writers at work

2011-10-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

This semester, I am teaching three courses at My U for playwrights/dramatic writers, with three different populations. One class is junior undergraduates/all majors, one class is senior undergraduates/all majors, and one class is non-tradition students/adults.

I am cooking up or have cooked up some nice projects for these groups.

My senior playwrights are writing a full-length play, which will become the basis of our spring playwriting festival. As a part of this, I am coupling each one with a student composer, who will write original music to go with the performance, probably in taped (rather than live) versions. I have also coupled each one with a professional mentor who will work with the student during the semester on this full-length project by Skype in four meetings.

I have also arranged an inter-disciplinary project whereby each playwright will work with our screenwriting professor to transform a 10-minute play into a ten-minute screenplay as an exercise in format and form.

For both juniors and seniors, I am organizing another inter-disciplinary event celebrating the birth of Joan of Arc. Happy 600th, Joan! For this occasion, each playwright will write a short piece (a monologue or a ten-minute play) that might be selected to be performed in a staged reading at Joan's birthday party next spring in April 2012. Alongside their work, will be readings and debates by students in a Medieval Studies course on the History/Biography/Image of Joan of Arc. All three classes will be celebrating together, and sharing the writings each class brings. We may also open it up to the Creative Writing area in general: I have a meeting about that next week, which means more poets and prose writers possibly coming on board.

Some rockin' 600th birthday for the Maid!

I am also organizing our 2012 playwriting festival: three full-lengths, as I said, but this year I want to invite the students who dropped playwriting in favor of other courses to have the one-atc plays they wrote last spring (2011) performed in our reading series, directed by students and acted by students. The full-lengths will, I hope, be directed by professionals from the area, as some of them were last year. And the casts include professional actors. This is my Next Big Project.

For my adult students, I am looking for ways to cross them with my undergraduates. No projects defined yet, but I hope to find something to show off the work they're doing so well.

This is truly exciting, because in dramatic writing, it ain't done till you perform it for an audience... and getting it to an audience is surprisingly the tricky part.

News: Novel

2011-10-05T20:31:00.001-05:00

So... yes, I am going to be a published author for fiction. I've already been published as a scholar, but this is new territory for me. I've written a novel, that's due to be published in 2012. I'm waiting on a specific date, because I'm just about to start the editing process with my official editor.

When I know more, I'll pass it along. I am very pleased and excited about this: it is certainly what I would term a "popular" novel, not intended to be considered great literary fare. But I wrote a compelling story with interesting characters. In my opinion.

And frankly my aspirations are not to be literary--which I consider in most senses to be pretentious--but read.

Many of my favorite authors "aspired" to the stature of popular or "low culture" status: Charles Dickens, George Sand, Edith Wharton, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Robert Crais, and J. K. Rowling, for example. And every playwright prior to the advent of the avant-garde in the late 19th century.

A wonderful gallery of colleagues.

Goodbye, September. Hello, October!

2011-10-03T15:54:00.001-05:00

Well, so much for good intentions! Although I enjoyed writing about my delightful meals in Savannah I got nowhere with my plan to blog about food everyday. One of my favorite topics, from any standpoint, and I still couldn't get myself on the page. What gives?

September.

Warning: whinging ahead! I am actively soliciting your feedback and suggestions on how to "get on with it."

I have been surprised by the number of challenges September brought to my life from all directions. If you've been trying to follow my blog this month, I have been more notable by my absence than my presence.

Why? September!

Work challenges! This first month of classes and administration and student interaction has been a series of uphill sprints.

T-shirt armor

Just when I thought I was done and back on level ground, uphill again... full speed!

Before I get into full-speed whinging, though, let me point out the following:

my first novel got bought this summer and I hope soon to have a publication date from my publisher;
in a recent binge, I submitted 8 short plays and 1 monologue to 54 different site for production or competition;
I've got my senior undergrad playwrights involved with student composers, nationally known writing mentors, and, soon, local professional directors and actors;
I've got my junior and senior undergrad writers involved in a Spring 2012 celebration of the 600th birthday of Joan of Arc, where their original writing will be featured in public performance;
I'm writing three reviews of scholarly monologues for two different journals;
My recent conference paper went smoothly and offers yet another possible article, with some rewriting and development;
I'm writing encyclopedia entries for French theatre (17th-19th centuries), due in December, by invitation and for remuneration;
I've been invited to help form a local short story "bookclub" with some women I really like.

This is all good stuff that's happening: improving my community, working on my creative projects, supporting my teaching, and certainly developing my career credits. And the list above all makes me happy... countering:

Challenge #1: Not becoming sucked into an All Work/All The Damn Time situation. This is a constant challenge for me, and always has been. I tend to immerse myself in my work, and this year (2011) is supposed to be about finding balance. Making work 20% of my life, instead of 95%.

This requires me taking the time to schedule time with friends, making new connections across campus, and using the 15-minutes-per-task approach to house maintenance and grading. I am certainly more conscious about getting other things into my day; I have also realized that I have to set boundaries for myself about putting time into preparing classes, grading, and my own writing.

And yet! (Devil on my shoulder, here...) I am trying to infuse new thinking into my classes, which had begun to feel "old" and boring. To break old habits of putting off grading until the "night before" and to keep the classroom lively and fresh. This requires consistent time invested daily: for my class meeting Tuesday and Thursday, for example, I am spending time on the class on Friday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, beyond the in-class time or student meeting time. Too damn much!

Challenge #2: My absent colleagues. Seriously. I work in a graveyard, where the colleagues on my hallway (five men) all keep their office doors closed all the time. I see my colleagues once monthly, at our faculty meetings. I share no committees with my colleagues--because we have no committees. Seriously? In an academic department? Grant you, I don't want more meetings per se, but I am in our building four days out of every week, and I see 1-2 colleagues weekly. In a department with 17 faculty members.

Not in my hallway!

This is just... weird. We never socialize; for instance, right now we've just welcomed three new colleagues and a guest artist with... nothing. Pointing them out at faculty meetings. The guest artist is with us through October and I've yet to see him. All email, all the time. This mostly just makes me feel disconnecte
Challenge #3: Return to Drah-Ma that comes with being back in classes and the few small meetings. Email seems to heighten Drah-Ma, rather than diminish it. Moments of over-reaction, over-acting, and under-empathy. Sigh.

Challenge #4: Maintaining the good eating, sleeping, and creative habits I flourished with this summer. Keeping the fridge stocked with fresh vegetables and fruits, then remembering to eat them (ah!). The Lazy Me emerges, looking for the quick grab-and-eat stuff of the past, the extended nap, the "do it tomorrow, Scarlett" attitude I worked so hard to nix.

Week of Food, day 1: France and Savannah

2011-09-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

This week I am going to talk about food, cooking, eating and drinking.

One of the groups I follow on Yahoo has been talking about all things French, and one of the constant points of conversation is the difference between the American and French notion of food. This is a great topic, and a very rich one, but the focus of the online discussion always veers into weight, overweight, overeating, and the idea that the French and Americans eat so very differently. American women mourning their bodies, sadly.

I agree that the French and Americans view food differently, but the focus on weight and diets in this discussion is too often on some magical idea about French cuisine and doesn't recognise some basic facts about French habits of eating or the fact that not every French woman is thin.

First, portions. The French (and nearly everyone else in the world) simply eat smaller portions of everything. In France you cannot buy a Big Gulp or a Venti or a SuperSize or Buckets of whatever. There are no all-you-can-eat buffets and endless helpings. They do not think of dining out as a Value Meal. They do not have fast food--or not in the sense we mean.

Instead, they eat less. Servings come in 4 or 6 ounces, not Big as Your Head. This is especially true for meat: in grocery stores and restaurant, a 4-ounce serving of meat is ample. Side dishes come in at about the same size. Salads are big, but if ordered in a cafe, they constitute a meal. My favorite salad is the warm goat's-cheese salad, which usually comes with four toasted rounds of goat cheese on half slices of bread, plus greens. Puh-lenty of food, and never leaves one groggy and overwhelmed post-dining.

Great meals, like in the restaurant Le Grand Vefour, come in courses, allowing ample opportunity for conversation, enjoying the food, and leaving something on the plate.

Second, no multi-tasking at meals. You don't drive through, or watch tv, or work. You might read, or listen to music, but primary attention must be paid to the food on your plate, whether home or in a restaurant. Yes, the French are constantly on their phones, but not during a meal. And you sit: you don't get something to go and walkabout with it, eating on the street.

Third, a light hand with sugar and frying. The French cuisine is not based on covering everything with batter and deep-frying it. Ergo, fewer calories. It is similarly not based on infusing everything with sugar, corn syrup, and sweeteners. Seriously, if you want to be alarmed, start reading labels not for fat or calories, but for sugar content. All American processed foods, including yogurt and juice, contain some form of sugar, and diet items contain those nasty faux-sugar substitutes.

Fourth, simply great ingredients. French cooks--home or restaurant--do not skimp on quality in produce, meat, and in fact everything. They expect and buy fresh materials, keeping ingredients only 1-3 days before cooking them. Again, this requires more time spent on preparation, but results in the most delightful product.

That said, the meal I had at the Olde Pink House in Savannah on Friday night last was not controlled. Oh my goodness, I set out to have a spectacular meal, and I did: a four-course feast of Low Country cooking, dressed up in a sparkly purple gown.

My starter was a plate of Blackened Oysters, six of them, wearing three different relishes: watermelon relish, pear & apricot chutney, and green tomato chow chow. The last one was the best, to die for. The other two weren't sad, however. My waiter gave me a taste of the Riesling with this, just a mouthful, that he recommended.

Then I had the BLT salad: fried green tomatoes and sweet bacon with black pepper thyme buttermilk dressing, which came in a little tower or sandwich. I knocked it over and ate it all. With this I had a small glass of champagne.

For my main course I had an off-the-menu item, Jumbo Shrimp and Grits. Recipe? Here it is. I ate about half of this, as it came with a delicious mess of collard greens. With this I had a glass of California chardonnay.

For dessert, I had key lime pie... real, authentic key lime pie. And coffee.

It was all great. It took me close to three hours to enjoy it all, from starter to coffee, and then I walked back to the hotel--about a quarter mile. I should say that I had a martini before dinner, one of the best I've had in a while. Delightfully full--not groggy, not swollen--after. Beautiful presentation, excellent waiter.

Off on an adventure!

2011-09-22T09:03:00.000-05:00

Sorry to be so spotty about entries lately. I am off today to Savannah, Georgia, to a conference and have been writing and prepping my presentation over the last week. It is al-most ready to go, which is good, although I am not up until tomorrow at 4 pm.

Very excited about going to Savannah, which is a place I have never been before. I plan to visit the home of Juliette Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, as well as do a walking tour of the historical sites on Saturday. And eat good Low Country cooking and barbecue.

My presentation is on William Gillette, the American actor who created the persona of Sherlock Holmes for the stage, which then made its way into film and television. I am talking about the enduring legacy of Gillette, even in the newest batch of Holmes films and programming.

William Gillette, about the turn of the century

Gillette as Holmes on stage

Gillette was an inventor and playwright as well as actor, and left his "castle" in Connecticut, which one can still visit. He was a friend and protege of Mark Twain.

Cooking, Food Shopping, and my Pantry Challenge

2011-09-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

Life has been so very busy that I haven't been cooking as much as I like. I am focusing on quick salads and easily prepared main dishes--and after all, I only have to feed and please myself.

Here's what I have always hated about making salads: constant cutting, dicing, washing, spinning of the different elements. Solution: I've started buying really good, high quality organic lettuce in plastic packs. A mix of "super greens" and bags of romaine hearts as the basis for twice-a-day salads. My initial concern was the higher cost--seems ridiculous, on the face of it, right? just wash the damn lettuce! I tell myself... but I don't. The outcome, however, is that it is so easy to grab a handful of clean greens, chopped romaine hearts and dump them into a big bowl, add cherry/grape tomatoes, snap peas, chopped celery, crumbled feta, and either a half-can of tuna or a sliced hard-boiled egg. And whatever else is in the fridge.

How stupid was I?

Ok, I am all over that. The outcome is a great lunch for me at school twice weekly, plus at home ease.

Once cooler weather comes I want to start playing with slow-cooker soups again. Mostly beans, chicken, and beef, plus vegetables, using homemade stock or organic boxed broth.

This week I cooked:

Black bean soup, with organic pork sausage, onion, garlic, and thyme
Chicken breasts rolled around roasted red pepper strips and goat cheese
Salmon with Old Bay and lemon

Because of my low-carb diet, I am not cooking breads, cakes, or anything like that. In other words, my flour, sugar, and various cooking supplies are going begging. One pantry shelf is completely full of these supplies, while I waffle about what to do with them. My constant notion: cook cupcakes or cookies for my students. Love the process, give away the results...

Another week in my closet

2011-09-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

For the first time since classes started--requiring four days (or more) weekly when I dress for teaching and meetings out of my house--I feel as if everything has fallen into place gracefully.

This week, for instance, I made a two-week list of possible outfits, including accessories and shoes, and posted it inside my closet. Every morning, I am ready to go... although there have been tweaks.

What a relief! Outside of ironing something every day since almost every piece is linen or cotton, this has made my life so much easier.

To be honest, I have managed to make it easier by:

consistently wearing one of three pairs of shoes: black ballerines, black sandals, brown sandals
almost consistently wearing one of two pairs of earrings: my amber-silver drops or gold hoops
carrying the same orange-pink tote/purse daily
going with simple blouse/tunic/t-shirt + skirt combinations and dressing them up

But this week I didn't feel as if I was simply grabbing something from my closet. The time put in to make a list (for two weeks!) and post it has definitely been worth it. Not only am I sure what I plan to wear is clean and pressed, but I have accessories selected.

Which in turn means that I am making it a point to include all my summer scarves, necklaces, and bracelets as I move toward--you guessed it!--weeding them out. I have already added several necklaces, several pairs of summer shoes, and another summer scarf to the donation bin building for the next big end-of-month donation run. I also made a point to turn my hangers backwards and am keeping track of which pieces of clothing don't get into regular rotation: again, end purpose is donation of those same items.

It is not as if I didn't take these actions before: weeding out closets, donating or discarding items, finding new ways to include less-used items. I always did, but without really connecting these actions or putting them in a bigger picture, especially economically. Now, by doing all this consciously, I have a closet full of clothes and accessories I love and wear, I don't feel guilty about the unused items (they're gone or going!), and I don't impulse shop. Sigh of pleasure....

I really cannot wait to do this soon with my autumn clothes, but the other part of this is the big, open closet in which I keep my in-season clothes, compared with the smaller, cramped out-of-season closet. When I can see my clothes hanging in an organized, not cramped manner, it is so much easier to realize what has to go, what I love, and what I love that needs to be worn--or donated.

And pick out those 20 items that will form the basis of that checkout experiment challenge.

September goal

2011-09-14T11:21:00.001-05:00

Yes, on top of the "7 in 7" I am adding a September goal... in part because my month has gotten hijacked by teaching, thanks for inspiration from Unclutterer.

Why am I surprised that the 14 hours I spend weekly in the classroom, plus the 14-20 hours spent weekly preparing the classtime has hijacked my house, my cooking, my friendships, and my personal work? It is, after all, familiar territory. I spend 1-2 hours outside class for every hour I spend teaching... plus meetings with students, emailing students, in meetings with faculty peers, and planning projects (two on burner now).

This is, however, why I set the resolution about both Community and Creative Work for 2011: so that my day-to-day teaching would not overshadow these necessary elements of my life.

Completing the organization and decluttering of my study is a necessary step in both these areas, since the study includes not only my at-home writing/research space, but an area for sitting down with friends.

What needs to be done, now? Completing the organization of my study. Started it, got well into the task... and then stopped. I need a new shredder (killed mine!), need to file paperwork, need to hang bulletin boards and framed art, need to clean off flat surfaces.

October 1 is the new deadline for this project being DONE.

Buy new shredder
Shred sensitive documents
File all retained documents in filing bins
Hang bulletin board
Hang framed sampler
De-clutter flat surfaces and study floor
Get rid of cartons, boxes, extra bins in recycling and Goodwill

Good luck to me!

"7 in 7," Day 4

2011-09-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

So far I am a leetle behind... the last two weeks have been so busy! And more to come on the countdown to Savannah, next week.

But here I am:

~~return two pairs of shoes ordered online to the intown outlet~~
~~return Amazon items via mail~~
~~return Talbot's cardigan to store and order correct size~~
donate/drop off two printers plus materials to the Salvation Army
contact Buffalo Exchange about their autumn donations
list two items on eBay for sale
meet with The Tax Man and complete my 2010 taxes for refund

Today is going to be a light day--no dropping off, in other words.

New "7 in 7" Challenge

2011-09-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

This week, I am challenging myself to a new "7 in 7" challenge, all concerning tasks I have been putting off.

They are, in no particular order:

return two pairs of shoes ordered online to the intown outlet
return Amazon items via mail
return Talbot's cardigan to store and order correct size
donate/drop off two printers plus materials to the Salvation Army
contact Buffalo Exchange about their autumn donation "needs"
complete donations, business & medical expenses for 2010 tax forms
meet with The Tax Man and complete my 2010 taxes for refund

By next Friday, these should all be done...

Oh, and going through my closet last weekend, I found not four but six items to donate, including a two-piece suit I haven't worn in at least two decades. It was lurking deep in the back.

Does that mean I can buy two new wardrobe pieces?????

And... we're off!

2011-09-09T11:28:00.001-05:00

Three full weeks into the semester and it feels like the sprinting part is over. Now for the marathon!

So far, my semester has been wonderful. I teach one class of sophomores, one of juniors, one of seniors (all these are undergraduates), and one class for night-school graduate students getting their Master of Liberal Studies degrees. Quite the variety of experiential knowledge and individual behavior. out of the gate, the juniors (closely followed by the night-school group) are the best students: energetic, vibrant, joyful, and curious.

We've also had one week of break from the dense heat of north central Texas--and while I am mindful of my fellow Americans being hammered by Irene and other storms, brush fires and droughts, the fact is that it is a blessing to have days where one can go outside during the day and not simply feel ill from the heat and pollution. My parents lost power for four days during Irene, but had little else happened except a basement flood. My sister lost some shingles and got her house soaked, of course, but also very little real damage.

Because I spent the week not only in classes (14 hours weekly in class, about double that in preparation!) but student and committee meetings, I am behind in my own housework. I must putter today, cleaning out email boxes as well as real boxes, bins, sinks, and showers.

I hope you are all well.

My closet and the experiment

2011-09-01T10:21:00.003-05:00

Last year I waded in to the Express Checkout Experiment, and found that I could certainly dress myself well with only a portion of what was in my closet... and have no regrets about not wearing the rest. I ended with 20 pieces (adding 5 onto the original 15) and was very happy and surprised at the result.

It also kickstarted my 2010 donation spree, wherein I gave away a good portion of my clothing because I wasn't wearing it.

What did I learn from this? Plan ahead.

Having faced the fall-winter future of my wardrobe, I did in fact do the bold thing and bought four very significant pieces in one week's swoop:

the gray merino long cardigan
the gray merino sheath dress
the dark red ponte dress
the black merino long cardigan (second pass)

This is unusual and quite a big leap for me, but it wouldn't have happened without my previous stalking of fall styles I could afford, followed by a surprisingly fun couple hours of trying things on. Everything I bought I consider investment clothing, that I will wear for ten years at least on the job and to slightly dressy events. I imagine the two cardigans will also be worked in combination with jeans, trousers, casual sweaters, and tees, making them even more useful.

Bonus: these clothes and colors are right up my style alley, which will make me feel good as well. Good about the price, good about the quality, good about the overall look. Yay, me!

This weekend, given the extra day off from teaching (thank you, Gods of Labor!), I plan two things. First, a swoop through my fall-winter clothes to find the four things I must now give to Goodwill. "Item in, item out" is the new rule in my house. Second, an overall scope of same wardrobe with an eye to what beyond that needs to be discarded, mended, given away, or thrown out; out of that will come a list of what else I need (not just want) to buy.

I already know one of those need-to-buy will be a classic pair of charcoal or chocolate flannel trousers.

Beyond that, however, the list is empty. And before I can buy anything more--in any case--I have several items to take to my tailor for alteration. Another switch: using the tailor for more than turning up hems. For instance, I have a lovely maxi-length straight skirt in a paisley pattern of light and bold turquoise, light and bold cocoa, and lavender; it is too long and straight for me to wear as it is, but I love the overall fit and the colors. The tailor is going to turn it into a nice knee-length pencil skirt, and Voila! I have 5 or 6 sweaters and blouses that will match. Never wore it, going to wear it. Happiness.

And just for fun, here is what I am considering next: a new scent: Jo Malone's Wild Bluebell.

Yes, the picture is not what does it for me--kind of scary, actually--but the scent. It is very fresh and clean, without being sweet. I think it might be an interesting alternative to the Vintage Gardenia I already use, also from Jo Malone.

It is hard for me to discover a new scent I want to wear regularly. How about you?

Last seen at Talbots...

2011-08-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

Even as I said, I went to Talbots this weekend, and brought a friend. Applying my own techniques, I studied the website ahead of time and knew what I wanted when I went in. Almost immediately, I met a very helpful salesperson--Olivia--and shared with her what I was looking for and interested in.

The outcome:

Cardigan-coat: bought in gray

Dress: bought in same gray

Dress: Bought in this color burgundy

Plus, I took advantage of my 20% off as a teacher and 15% off for opening a new account.

I spent two hours trying on jackets, tops, trousers, and skirts, but essentially I came away with the best choices for me and what I need. And I saved some money (A lot of money!). This combination will carry me through fall/winter/spring conferences off-campus, as well as teaching and theatre/nighttime performance events. All of it can be accessorized with the shoes, scarves, bags, and jewelry I already have, as well as other pieces from my wardrobe.

And it's not all black! This is huge for me, as black is my go-to color. But this very soft, heathery gray can easily be matched with black (or navy or brown or yellow or pink or....) and the wine dress will easily work with numerous cardigans, jackets, and coats I have.

The dress is gorgeous. The picture here doesn't show it well, in fact, but it is a ponte knit that holds up beautifully while the dress is very feminine and soft in cut. The petite comes to exactly the right length on me. Both dresses surprised me, and I'll need to be aware of the right shaper undergarments, but with that in mind, I was thrilled!

Given that my shape and height are the opposite of these models, this combination is a great choice for me: professional, feminine, polished, and easy. What could be easier than a slip-on dress and cardigan ensemble?

One of the best shopping experiences I've had in a long time.

What to Wear? Some notions

2011-08-27T11:21:00.001-05:00

According to the NYTimes, we're headed back to the 70s. Their recent slide show (Thursday's edition) looks even better online, but here's a few of the choice looks I'd like to adapt for me.

Ferragamo--love the coat over the skirt/blouse combo

Jacobs' plummy pantsuit: my favorite!

YSL's le smoking, in white

Ferragamo, again: pinstripes

This is Ralph Lauren pinstripes (ignore the decor stuff)

Michael Kors pantsuit

The chiffon and georgette blouses give me pause, but the sexy menswear adaptations I love. The surprisingly clean lines, pinstripes, charcoal tweed, black-and-white combinations with pops of colors: all great. And don't ask me why the purple velvet pantsuit is my favorite: it is so very not Oscar Wilde in a poet's suit... and yet it makes me think of this:

Wilde

And this...

Dietrich

Colette

Deneuve with YSL: muse and designer

I think the plum pantsuit has a combination of color, fabric, and line that really does it for me. But the Kors pantsuit makes me wish I had those long legs...

If I were in Paris... Friday, August 26, 2011

2011-08-26T08:33:00.000-05:00

I am almost tempted to bypass this post today. This first week of school has been chock-full of drah-ma already. Sigh.

I wish I were in Paris, mes amies!

I never really talk about the 13th, but it is an arrondissement that has blossomed and my connection to the Tolbiac brings me there on a regular basis. I have come to appreciate its quiet nature, in a part of Paris that seems almost suburban, in the sense of lacking tourists (beyond summertime scholars).

Almost three years ago now, exactly, I posted this about Tolbiac and my adventures there.

What I didn't mention then is that Tolbiac, indeed the entire BnF group, put on some of the best exhibitions in the city.

Right now, the Tolbiac has two exhibitions running through September 4, that I think are worth seeing.

"An African Summer Season," which includes maps, drawings, photographs by Europeans about Africa from the Renaissance through the 18th and 19th centuries. The exhibitions considers how Europeans saw the continent--literally as a land mass--first, the coasts and later the interior areas. It also considers how "mapping" defines an area through the eyes of those exploring and depicting.

"Paul Jacolet" focuses on the the engravings, watercolors, and drawings of this artist who studied Japanese techniques and, then, married them to an awareness of Western art.

By the way, at the Opera Garnier, the BnF has an exhibition on "Opera's tragic actresses" (through September 25), which I would say is worth seeing (another exhibition I would give my eyeteeth for!). This exhibition focuses on a few of the great 19th to early 20th centuries singers who worked at the Opera Garnier, showing them and their careers through photographs, objects, jewels, costume sketches, and Rare documents, as the site says.

At the Richelieu, there is a show on "The art of illumination in Islam." Again, this promises to be a focused, brief but delightful show that would take a visitor only an hour or so, and then one can settle to lunch or a coffee at a nearby cafe.

But if I stayed in the 13th, I would certainly explore the area near the Tolbiac or take a little bit of a walk. One can get really great Asian food--Vietnamese or Chinese, especially--in this district, which was at one time where new immigrants from those countries settled. Similarly, go see La Butte aux Cailles, a little neighborhood with a lot of good eating possiblities as well as simply charming, narrow streets and interesting buildings.

If you are at the Tolbiac, be sure to walk across the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir, a foot/cycle bridge.

Very cool bridge, lovely walk.

Express Closet Experiment, Week 1 & Talbots

2011-08-25T09:44:00.002-05:00

This first week of classes, meetings, orientation it has been a blessing to have a clean, edited, organized closet.

I was able to make a list last Sunday of what I wanted to wear each day, and follow it.

all clothes were washed and ironed, hung by item and color
only the clothes I wear are in the closet and visible
accessories were right there: scarves in a basket, folded neatly, and necklaces hanging on hooks inside closet
shoes are neatly lined up by the front door, where they come off when I enter the house
sunglasses are tucked in purse, also by door, with reading glasses inside carrying case in purse

I also pared down my makeup. I like a "no makeup" look, so I got rid of excess eyeshadows, lipstick colors, blushers, liners, etc., that I had lying around. Now I have less choice but things I love to use. After applying serums, eye and throat cream:

concealer under eyes
either cream moisturizer and liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer (lighter feeling)
pale champagne eye shadow (brightens tired eyes) with brown or blue liner
bronzer on cheeks, nose, chin
translucent poweder swept over all
matte lipstick (color) or gloss (neutral)
black mascara

This takes between 5-7 minutes. Since my goal is to look polished and simply brighter and better than naked face, this much is perfect. Pop the lipstick and bronzer in a bag for the purse with a small kabuki brush, and go. I always carry gloss, which is a Sally Hansen product to add just a touch of shine and color, without glop. Best gloss I've ever found: no stickiness and no glop.

Ahhh!

I have always make weekly lists of daily wearing choices, but now that I have cleaned everything up, I can find what I want, rotate beyond "regular" choices, and get out, dressed well, more quickly. This week, I am adding the possiblity of changing my purse during the week (thanks to purse organizer!) and adding a couple new pairs of shoes to my rotation as well.

And I stayed cool during the week, outdoors, inside the car, and inside the classroom! More important I felt good as a leader in my division, a teacher with new students, and someone with precious little time this week to fuss about my look.

I have also finally started looking at fall/winter weight clothes (hard to do when it is 107 outside!) and foresee a trip to Talbots in my future. Their merino wool separates look like they would fit my short, curvy shape--not looking like ultra skinny models, of course. But I am looking for a coat-dress ensemble for this year's conferences.

I like this long, shaped cardigan-coat

Tho sleeveless, this dress appeals

I like this better, but only possible in black

I like this skirt shape for me

Again sleeveless, but with above skirt and long cardigan?

I'll have to go in, try on a bunch of things, including pencil skirts, some in petite... there's a Saturday. And the possibility is of course, I'll have all new conference gear in black. I'd rather some color, like the dress color, but might not happen. In any case, these actually answer my needs for polished and comfy conference gear. Add a couple of blouses or soft sweaters, and I am good to go. Shoes, accesories, purses--all stocked up already.

Of course, I can only buy this if they fit, look great, and I'll wear them for another ten years with everything (or nearly) in my closet. Again, the classic style of these and the possiblity of black, dark red (my preference), or gray makes that seem not so difficult.

Shopping frugally in a consumer utopia

2011-08-23T10:46:00.001-05:00

This being Tuesday, my focus is frugality, but given the onset of the new semester at My U, I want to talk a bit about style and shopping.

In case you weren't aware, the Big D is a consumer utopia, where shopping is a sport. I have never lived anywhere with so many malls, gallerias, strip malls, big box stores, chain stores and high-end luxury chains (if you can call Chanel, Hermes, Jimmie Choo, and Tory Burch "chains"--but aren't they? Chain boutiques?) in such a concentrated area--which the DFW areas is, despite sprawl.

The big boxes and chains have replicated, moreover, until one doesn't have to drive ten miles in order to shop in a major anchor-department store, discount big box, or mall chain. One does have to search out the small and concentrated areas where the high-end chain boutiques live, but they are, basically, within 3-5 miles of each other, clustered in Dallas, in Fort Worth, or in the suburban enclave where the rich hang out.

And the farther from Big D's center/downtown you drive, the bigger the stores: H-U-G-E. Like our churches, in fact. The suburbs apparently cater to tremendous crowds gathered at once, while in town not so much.

This is the culture. It extends not only to clothing and accessory shopping, but to restaurants and gourmet food sites, home decorating sites, and technology. DFW-ites SHOP.

That said, DFW is not a "style" mecca. Shopping is encouraged--nay, required, but style is not. It is more elusive, just like everywhere else.

I used to live in NYC and shop like the best: daily, rigorously, and ruthlessly. Even on a starter salary in book publishing, I shopped... hence, credit card debt but a fabulous array of accesories and shoes I still wear every week. That was the old me, however: the new me wants style without debt.

Here's the first in a series of frugal tips I have learned by living in this shopping utopia, each of which applies, I think, to anyone living in our American consumer culture:

Stay out of stores, malls, and gallerias if you don't want to spend money: don't browse, "stop in," or "take a quick look." I always walk out with something, and whether it is a $5 bottle of body lotion or a $300 pair of shoes, it is an impulse buy. I will be sorry. Then what?
I don't go to T.J.Maxx or SteinMart or Marshall's anymore. This is a personal decision, sparked by two things: the constant condition of chaos and sloppiness in every outlet, and the fact that every buy I make is an impulse, drawn on what "might" be there when I stop in, not careful thinking about what I actually have and what I can afford, right now. Again, whether it is a $5 or a $300 impulse, it is a waste of my money. And time, later, when I have to donate/sell/trash the item.
I shop catalogs of stores I like, then go in and try on only the pieces I've picked out as possiblities--with the rock-hard knowledge that I probably won't buy anything. I take the catalogs with me and use the salespeople as resources. If they don't have the item in my size or color, which is the closest outlet that does?
I go to the mall to look for one specific item. I did this last year for a "white button-up blouse": before I went I wrote down what I wanted from the blouse (basic design details about cut, collar, needs), and which stores I would visit. I blocked out an entire morning (not a weekend one!), parked close to the most likely store, and looked at nothing but white blouses. Tried them all on, went back and bought two from the same chain--one a kind of boyfriend style, one shaped--and was happy that I had spent my money well. Bonus: I now know which stores fit my shape and size best--no need to waste time with the ones really tremendously wrong for me. Cancelled their catalogs, too.
Basically, a store is a last resort--once I know what I want to buy, or at least have a very good idea.
If you want help, do not go on a weekend between 11 am and 330 pm.
If you do not want help, go on a weekend between 11 am and 330 pm.

That's it, for now. Just a starter smaple of some pretty simple ideas about how to avoid debt, impulse buying, and to give an end-run to consumer addiction. We all have to buy things every day, but I find that the more conscious I am about how I buy something, the better.

First Day of the Semester

2011-08-22T18:32:00.000-05:00

At My U, today is the first day of fall 2011.

Not a bad first day: met with both writing classes. Beginning playwriting seemed fierce and surprised at how much fn we had. Advanced playwriting seemed truly interested in the challenges ahead.

Of course, I have some nice perks for the advanced writers, which are just starting to emerge...

Tomorrow is the big, lecture-oriented class... so we'll see what happens then.

So far... so good.

Travelling question: suitcases

2011-08-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

Martha asks, "Could you please mention what sort of luggage you used, and whether you would recommend it? I'm off for a 12 day trip to London, Paris and Munich in late October, early November, almost all work, but dressy casual work. I need to replace old and heavy luggage. I've been thinking about Eagle Creek Tarmac 28", but am now wondering if a Red Oxx Sky Train would be better, provided I cut down what I take. I'm strong, but am leery of hauling a non-wheeled suitcase from train station to train station. Any thoughts? Thanks!"

I bring three items: a 21" or 24" roller bag, a backpack or full-size tote bag (carry-on), and a purse (pack or carry-on). This will cover me for 5 days to 5 weeks (using the larger suitcase).

I have an inexpensive fabric roller suitcase, 21", with no exterior storage space and an interior-lid net/zip compartment. It also expands 2". This is perfect for travel for 3-10 days, in my opinion. Something like this.

For longer trips, I have a 24" roller, also expandable, with an exterior compartment and an interior-lid compartment. I've used this American Tourister suitcase for anything from 10 days to 6 weeks. It is indestructable.

Personally, I highly recommend a roller suitcase for so many reasons. Europe is filled with hotels & B&Bs without elevators, train stations, bad pavement, busses and subways. I also recommend that you bring nothing more than a 20-24" for 12 days--which will limit your packing--and plan to buy a small suitcase in one of these cities and fill it with souvenirs and memorabilia. Or bring a folding tote in your suitcase. I've done both with great results. Easier and smarter than leaving space in the suitcase you bring: you'll never leave enough space for what you buy. Get the best roller wheels you can buy: meaning smooth and durable. I don't worry about them being all-direction swivel, but simply not cheap.

The fact is that you don't want a heavy, clumsy suitcase and you don't want too many clothes. For instance, you won't need more than one all-weather jacket this time of year. It should be waterproof in case of rain, fold small for your daily carry-bag, and keep out wind.

And on that note: do bring something to use everyday while you are out and about. Like a tote that zips across the top. I sometimes use a backpack, but that doesn't translate well to shopping. A cross-body bag is best, one with zippers and several pockets to stash the wallet, the map, the subway tickets, etc., that won't bother you while you walk.

Thursday's morsels

2011-08-19T10:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was out all day at My U doing pre-semester meets/n/greets thinly disguised as faculty seminars.

Our "orientation" period has shrunk from a 2-day retreat and 5 days of student meet/n/greets to 1 day of university/school faculty meets and 90 minutes of student meets/n/greets. Not completely certain this is better...

However!

My spanking new printer came yesterday! The UPS Man is my new BFF, and my vacuum, which was formerly my Favorite Appliance, is now second to the fabulous wireless printer... Hooray!

I sense jealousy, however, when the spanking new laser pointer gets delivered...

Tagged by Tish

2011-08-17T11:53:00.001-05:00

Tish at A Femme d'Un Certain Age today included my 6.15 post on packing as well as my comment in her lovely blog.

I must admit: packing and thinking about packing has gotten easier since I purged my closet. It took moving and eight months of hemming and hawing, but in May when I came to pack for a 10-day trip that included a conference in Boston, a very casual visit to my family in New York, and a visit to old friends in D.C. with a day of museum-hopping, I had a well-pruned summer wardrobe that could be fitted down for each event. I'll be reliving this process for an upcoming weekend conference in Savannah this September, a four-day trip that will combine giving a paper and mingling with other academics with touring Savannah's historic and gastronomic sites.

I look forward to holding the same kind of purge for my winter-fall wardrobe, but since "fall" begins somewhere around October 20 here in the Big D, there's no rush.

It has made a huge difference not to have excess or--better word!--superfluous clothing in my closet. It also makes a difference to have everything in there ready to go in terms of fit, repairs, and cleanliness. Small, consistent progress and, in some cases, simple attention to detail make it so easy without stealing time and energy from me.

Should I say now that I am returning two pairs of sandals I ordered on-line because once I got them I realized they were both impulsive buys and superfluous? Why not? Pretty but unnecessary additions to my working wardrobe.

What did I add to my summer wardrobe in 2011?

a vintage scarf bought on Etsy that depicts Greek tourist spots (turquoise, orange, and white)
a brown skirt with white trim from Coldwater Creek, on sale
a green skirt, same source, same sale
a white Tignanello purse, bought on Ebay
an orange canvas/brown leather tote bag, found & free

That's it. Surprises me to say that, as usually I feel some huge gap that needs to be plugged. Not so this summer, apparently.

Midnight Margaritas

2011-08-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Practical Magic (1998)

Fab-u-lous Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, as well as Sandy and Nicole.

Frugal Groceries

2011-08-16T09:18:00.000-05:00

This long hot summer I have improved my eating habits by focusing on fresh produce. Everyday I start by making myself a smoothie with range juice and fresh berries, drinking 8 oz. of hot water with lemon, and having a half-caff coffee. I often follow up about an hour later with quick oatmeal.

Lunch has become a green salad with organic greens, tomatoes, snap peas, and whatever else I've got: red peppers, green peppers, cukes, celery. I add a sliced hard-boiled egg, 1/2can tuna, or leftover chicken breast strips (again, whatever is lingering in the fridge that is all protein/no carbs). Red wine vinegar and olive oil drizzled on top, salt 'n' peppa.

Dinner is usually a combination of another, smaller green salad, steamed vegetable, and protein, whether eggs, salmon, chicken, beef (in moderate doses), turkey, or pork.

Snacks include fruit, or homemade yogurt, cheese, or dark chocolate.

And no, I haven't completely given up temptation: wine, G&Ts, and regular chocolate drops in to visit quite often.

Benefits: I am waking up every morning with a ridiculous amount of energy, which lasts through the morning. My skin looks great, especially since I am also working to drink 48-72 oz. of water daily--which is a lot. I am usually full, and when I am not it's just about time for a snack, which I have on hand. Easy clean-up and maintenance, too, as dirty dishes are limited and slide right into washer, which gets run about every two-three days, thereby saving water and energy. I am starting to lose weight without a lot of added exercise; more walking, standing, and movement during the school year will increase that, I hope.

Big upside: I eat and drink out less often. Doing my accounts recently, I realized how much money I was spending monthly for meals, coffee, drinks... that savings should be increasingly be apparent.

Downside: This eating plan is definitely costing me more money for groceries, even when I shop sale items, use coupons, and don't overstock. This week I spent $100 for groceries, including vitamins, flowers, and pantry items. If I subtract the long-term bits, that still leaves me with $55 for produce and dairy. That seems high.

First, there are simply fewer coupons for fresh produce. The grocery store where I do the bulk of my weekly shopping has great prices, and shopping specials still leaves lots of variety. I am going to spend more money--for a while--on good fruit and vegetables buys until I understand the weekly amounts necessary.

I could go to the French practice and shop daily or every other day, but given that I am driving to and from the grocery store, rather than stopping somewhere (like a market) directly between office and house... that doesn't appeal. Plus, unlike most French cooks I am working with frozen meat rather than fresh-bought. I'd rather plan a week's menu and see what gets left over... then refine my scale.

Once fall comes, as well, I'll change to use more beans and the heavier root vegetables of fall and winter, like onions, turnips, parsnips, beets, and carrots--all of which (except onions) are loaded with natural sugars, and so need to be limited. More ginger, shallots, peppers with them. More apples and citrus.

Of course, it sensibly strikes me that saving money weekly is perhaps less important than spending a little more and getting a better variety and quality of diet... and avoiding those avocado-bacon-Swiss cheeseburgers I love so much.