Zumba

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I should be hole-punching syllabi and finding a binder to put them in. But somehow, as organized as I am about other things, it works better for me to get that all done after the first day.

So today I spent most of my day in 2nd grade, which was fun. I had the time free, so I helped Jenni do reading assessments with her kids. They were sweet. One girl wanted to hold my hand, another kept asking me who I was going to take next, I think hoping it was her turn. When it was, she wanted me to make sure I knew what a good read she is.

And then I came home and things kind of just went south. Nothing big. Just some little things that added up to a sour mood. But, that was okay, because I was going to Zumba.

That's right, Zumba. Where a roomful of white women try to pretend they have rhythm. Actually, some don't even pretend. And that's half the fun--you are just as awkward shaking your booty as your neighbor is. And, it's almost always guaranteed that there will be someone so awful that watching them in the mirror is so entertaining it takes your mind off of how hot and sweaty you are.

Tonight there was a substitute instructor. She's been in the classes before, but I've never taken a class she's taught, and if I can help it, I won't do it again. She is super enthusiastic, and I think that's why we don't mesh. I'm never very extroverted, but especially not while exercising. And if you want me to sing along to the music and shout out Zumba every once in a while, I need a drink or two first.

But all in all, the class was great. I went with a great friend, and the endorphins helped me kick the sour mood. And, tomorrow's the first day of classes. What could be bad about that?

Farmer's Market

I rarely wake up, have coffee, and do whatever I do on Saturdays (bike, watch Project Runway) with time to spare to make it to the farmer's market before it closes at 1 PM. Today, I made it, and found these glorious looking items from Seedtime and Harvest. The tomato is already half gone (open faced toast/sandwich thingy with tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella), and I'm super excited to put the giant shallots to use. I'm not sure what I'll do with the carrots and eggplant yet, but I think reading through cookbooks and websites is half the fun.

PR

Anyone else out there watching Project Runway? I just watched this week's, and I have a few things to say:

1) In reference to the ending, Go Tim Gunn!!!

2) If Gretchen and I ever had to work together on anything, we would have words. And I would win.

3) What is up with Casanova's man boobs/V-neck sweater this week?

4) I can't wait to see next week's episode where Michael Kors describes an outfit as something someone would wear to a "Church Bring a Pot Dinner." Apparently he doesn't attend many potlucks.

Books a plenty

Lately I've been reading books I might not otherwise pick up. Not because I'm trying to branch out, but more because I haven't found any recommendations that seem like the kind of books I would pick up.

But, I've read some good ones. First, I read Lucky, which is Alice Sebold's autobiography. Or memoir...I'm not sure what the difference is. It was not particularly easy to read. The first few pages detail her being raped during college. And you keep thinking that the book will get past the rape eventually, but never does. Which I suppose is the point--you don't just get past rape. So I'd probably recommend the book if you want to read a memoir about rape, instead of just a memoir about Alice Sebold. It does explain a lot about The Lovely Bones though I think.

I also read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I will not be reading another book in the series. Probably ever. But not because it sucked. In fact, the characters were interesting, but the random violence and suspense got to me. I don't like horror movies or thrillers, and this book was some of each. I actually had nightmares from it, which almost never happens to me. So, despite being interesting, I'm not subjecting myself to that again. If you're not bothered by it, go for it. You'll also learn a lot about the Swedish social welfare system and the author's views on economics, which was kind of interesting. Also amusing were the precise descriptions of each and every electronic device used. It wasn't just a laptop, it was an Apple Powerbook 450GHz computer.

The last book I finished recently was The Glass Castle, another memoir, this time by Jeannette Walls. The writing in the book wasn't really very impressive, and I didn't like the ending, but the story of Walls' life growing up with a drunk father and somewhat crazy mother was super interesting. And surprisingly, she doesn't demonize either of her parents, though she easily could. They do some awful, selfish things, but Walls still recognizes their humanity. The one complaint I would have is that I felt like Walls describes a lot of events in her life, especially the latter part, without really going into depth. I would have like to know more about how she moved from being poor and homeless to being so successful. Her childhood and descripts are colorful enough though that I would still recommend reading it.

I just started reading The Help, and I think I'm really going to like it.

For the love of...

I have now lived in Sioux Falls longer than anywhere else in my adult life. I've grown to like, and maybe even love it. Really. But occasionally, I get restless and wonder about pulling up the roots I've worked hard to put down, and moving on to a new adventure. And as much fun as it is to think about, right now I'm tied down pretty securely, given 2 more years in my school program. But a girl can daydream.

This weekend I went to Minneapolis with a friend, and started thinking about all the things I could do in a city like that. We went to horse races, which I wasn't sure I would love, but did. I picked horses solely on their names, and only won with Abounding Aptitude. Of course.

We also visited the Schells brewery on the way home. Schells Stout is probably one of my favorite beers ever, so it was great to get a free glass at the end of the tour. And the grounds are beautiful, though maybe charming is a better word. Old brick buildings built on a hillside, along with gardens and a mansion, make it feel more European than Minnesotan for sure.

I think my favorite part of the weekend though was a bike ride on Saturday. The idea had sounded good, until I saw the heat index predictions. I love riding, but riding when it's hot, sunny, and humid is more torturous than pleasant. But, the weather was perfect. It was cloudy/foggy, and cooler for the entire ride, and the sun just started breaking through as we headed back to the hotel.


What amazed me most was how bike friendly Minneapolis is. I have heard it advertised as such, but since I just started riding this summer, I've only started noticing these things.

Our ride on Saturday took us around three of the lakes nearish downtown Minneapolis. The great thing was that most of the paths were one way, bikes only, which made things really simple. We also accidentally ended up on a greenway that you could take all the way downtown, or to light rail. It ran past some of the most amazing community gardens I've seen. Sitting downtown Minneapolis Saturday night we saw people using the dedicated bike lanes (cars have to park away from the curb, out of the bike lane). We also saw more pedicabs than regular cabs, and a lot of different kinds of people riding. It was great.

And, Sioux Falls is a good place to bike too, despite a biker being hit and killed last week. I'm thankful we have the bike path we do around the city, and despite my recent wanderlust, I'm happy to live where I do.

Sunday

I spent the day yesterday running video at church (let's not talk about how that went), and then geocaching. We found 16 caches, which was a good day's worth, but the best part was exploring Palisades State Park.


For a couple of the caches we hiked some trails into the area, and walked over the bridge at Devil's Gulch, where Jesse James supposedly jumped. I didn't get any pictures of that, but I found this sign really interesting. Not sure why mystery gets short-changed and remains uncapitalized.

We also saw three of these caterpillars on one of the paths. They were really quite beautiful. I'm curious what the spiky horn on the head (or rear?) is for. I'm also a little afraid to ask.

Not the most flattering picture, but a nice view of the scenery.

I had never been there before, but it's well worth the visit. It certainly doesn't feel like something that should exist in South Dakota.

Giddy!

So I am giddy tonight, because tonight I saw a movie at Filmdrome. Art, classic, and independent film. In Sioux Falls!!!!

Now I'm not someone who loves every indie film or only watches art films or whatever. But, I do like some, and more than that, I love the idea that my town, a town like Sioux Falls, has something like this!

As cheesy as it sounds, walking into a museum every once in a while, or watching an independent film in a theater feeds my soul. I just walk out feeling like all is right with the world.

Wow, that does sound cheesy.

Anyway...

THIS. IS. AMAZING.

I am eating cherries I paid $11 for, and it is worth it.

Prayer

I love the language in the Book of Common Prayer, and this prayer has been on my heart the last few days:

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give
him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Marielle

Ang and Ryan had a baby, Marielle, and I got to hold her. Isn't she cute?

This is getting a little ridiculous

I made guacamole on Tuesday, and there is still hot pepper oil from the jalapeno on my hands. Now, I made guacamole last weekend, the same way, and had no problems. This time, I maybe handled the seeds a bit more, and wasn't as aggressive in trimming out the white part (which I learned is called the placenta...ew). Apparently that is where the capsaicin resides.

I didn't know I had actually acquired the oil on my hands until I went to take out my contacts Tuesday night, and my eyes burned. And teared up, and I generally wanted to claw them out. There was much hand-washing with soap and water and googling to find out what might help get it off. Apparently alcohol could be tried, so a quick wash with vodka and I called it good.

Wednesday morning more burning. Intense burning. I thought I had done serious damage to my eyes. I rinsed with rum this time, thinking my classmates may think I have a drinking problem if I show up smelling like a mojito, but oh well. The worst part is that the only way I can tell if it's still there is by sticking my finger in my eye and seeing if it burns. Rum didn't help.

Then I remembered I have latex gloves in my backpack from school, left over (but unused) from an oral mechanism exam I did. I donned the gloves and finally got my contacts in. Someone recommended milk, so yesterday I soaked my hand in milk. No better. So I'm still using the gloves to put my contacts in and take them out, but this is getting a little ridiculous.

This is where I leave you

Last night I went to bed early, 9 PM. It was downpouring, making the living room a few decibels too loud, given the rain on the skylights. Plus, I had a good book. So I stayed up late finishing it, and like any good books simultaneously wanted to read it all the way to the end, but also knew that meant I would soon be finished with it. Tear.

This is where I leave you was a book I don't really remember picking up, other than that I remember getting the recommendation from NPR books. The thing about the book is that it's about some incredibly hard stuff (affairs, divorce, infertility), but is done in a way that doesn't make you want to claw your eyes out (Revolutionary Road style). In fact, I really liked Judd Foxman, the protagonist.

Somehow, Jonathon Tropper lets you really get the gravity of what the characters are facing, but also lighten it up with humor. At times the characters lean toward caricature, but not often enough to really bother me. They do fight a lot, I will say that. Like physically punch each other out.

Anyway, if you need a little relationship drama (who doesn't?), I would highly recommend it. Or if you want to read about a family sitting shiva.

Class

I'm in the second week of my second summer class, Craniofacial Anomalies. Today we heard 14 presentations on genetic and other syndromes that include craniofacial disorders. All I can say is this: It is a miracle babies are born without craniofacial anomalies, and if I ever have a baby, I will be paranoid.

Sore

When I was in California last week, I missed my bike. I actually thought about it at least 3 or 4 times throughout the week, wishing I had it with me so I could ride a bit. That's weird.

Tonight I finally got back on it despite some wind, and it was great. Not quite as great on the middle miles where the wind was blowing hard, but still great. Only about 20 more miles and I'll have ridden 300 so far this summer.

I also played kickball tonight with people from church, and it was really fun. I was maybe not the worst player (there were 2 eight year old boys playing), and even made a couple of catches. I think mainly I was afraid the ball would hit me so I caught it, I'm not sure.

I do know that after a 14 mile ride (after missing my bike for a long time!) and an hour and a half of kickball, I will be sore tomorrow.

Must Read

I would never have picked up A Dirty Job on my own. But, I joined a summer book club, and already missed the first meeting...so I thought I had better make sure I make it to the second one.

And I loved the book.

Describing the plot would just make it sound dumb, and anyway you can read that for yourself. Here's why I liked it--Charlie is an interesting protagonist. And there is an amazingly interesting cast of supporting characters, including someone named Minty Fresh. The book is clever, somewhat plot driven, and although the ending was somewhat unsatisfying to me, I would highly recommend it. Who wouldn't want to read a book about Death? (I wouldn't, but having read it, I'd recommend you do)

Skymall

I should be going to bed. Actually, I should be in bed as my alarm is going to go off at 5:45 AM tomorrow, and that is early.But going to bed before it's completely dark just seems wrong. And, there are some very disturbing items in the Skymall catalog that must be discussed.

1. Sperm ShoesI'm not even really sure what to say about these. Other than why, oh why, do they have a sperm on the side? Seriously, why? Because of sperm's athletic prowess?

2. Giant Chair
This I just do not understand. It looks so...uncomfortable. The poor man's feet aren't even touching the ground.

3. Mermaid Fins

Weirdly awesome, for every girl who ever wanted to be The Little Mermaid. When I first saw them, I thought the girl in the middle was the mom. Which would have been weirder.

It's late, and everyone else is long in bed. But I wanted to say how grateful I am this week for old friends. Situations have changed, I've moved away, but it's still amazing to be able to talk about everything and still feel comfortable enough with old friends to rummage around in the fridge.

Barbecue at John and Donna's

Annabelle wasn't quite sure who I was after having not seen her since Thanksgiving (she quickly warmed up to me)

John, the grillmaster

A lovely dinner and night in San Jose

Things I Learned from Eclipse

Here's what I learned from the movie Eclipse last night:

1) Vampires carry backpacks from The North Face, and they also carry ginormous tents up gigantic rocky mountains, when a smaller tent really seems much more practical.

2) Vampire families do an excellent job of color coordination, and their wardrobe would make a great winter collection for some designer. Also, when preparing for battle, they don only gray and black.

3) If your boyfriend is a vampire, and you are camping in a ginormous tent from The North Face on a rocky peak and it is snowing outside, you will become hypothermic. You must have a wolfboy to keep you warm. Wolfboys are also good when you get sick of hiking because they can carry you everywhere.

4) If your boyfriend is a vampire, you will no longer have any interest in doing any activity outside of laying down and staring into his eyes, sitting down and staring into his eyes, or standing in a group of people while staring in his eyes.

5) Edward and Bella wear the same lipstick color (Sarah McQ noticed this too).

Books

I realized I haven't blogged about what I've been reading lately. Or even recently...or in the distant past. It's been way too long.

Being in school and all I didn't read a ton this spring, but when I went to Hawaii with my parents I finished up Censoring an Iranian Love Story, and read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Censoring an Iranian Love Story was interesting...I wasn't sure what to make of the narrator, or what to make of the entire story really, though I liked the writing style.

I was (and am) a big fan of Pollan's books. I definitely think those will be worthy of re-reading. I was also a big fan of a book called Little Bee, a fictional tale of an immigrant, as well as In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, which reminded me a lot of Jhumpa Lahiri's writing.

I started The Lacuna, but didn't finish it. I'd like to sometime, just somehow let it slip by me. I did finish Marilyn Robinson's Home, which I liked, but not as much as Gilead.

I was really excited to read some of Kate Braestrup's writing after being fascinated by an interview she did on Speaking of Faith. The first book I read was Here If You Need Me, and I'm glad I read that one first. The writing wasn't compelling, but the actual, gritty stories about the day to day realities of her job kept me interested. I then read Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, and found it so uninteresting I'm not really sure why I read it all the way through. I guess I was hoping for more vignettes about her job.

I'm currently reading The Lonely Polygamist, and I'm not sure yet what I think. I'm about halfway through, and it's not boring enough to stop, but certainly not a page turner.