lululu

Every few days something crosses my mind to post here, but the fact of not updating in a month makes me feel like I need to squeeze out an epic narrative about what we’ve been up to. Rather than wait for that, I thought I’d just start posting those little things. Like this commentary from an education-related blog. It’s mostly about the recent New York Times Magazine piece about New Orleans (a much-covered topic in education journalism and TFA alumni newsletters). There’s a quote at the end that articulates well what frustrates me about 90% of the education reform commentary I read on my beloved liberal political blogs. Okay, here, I won’t make you read the whole post to get to it; here’s the Louisiana state superintendent on whether schools should be expected to successfully educate kids in the face of all the other social ills (from the magazine):

“It would be convenient to say that it’s a whole lot of other people who need to be part of the equation,” he replied. “But we have the job. And we have to do something.” Pastorek said he didn’t want to fall back on the excuse that he had heard from many other school officials, in Louisiana and elsewhere — that it was impossible to fix their schools until other social problems had first been corrected.

But then he switched direction somewhat. In many ways, he said, he was sympathetic to the Ravitch position. “If we want to really get kids to the level that we want to get them,” he said, “and we want to do it in a more efficient and effective way, then we would be well served if we took care of those kinds of problems — if we provided more resources to kids from conception to early childhood, if we took care of mental-health issues and physical ailments and teeth and eye examinations. Including, you know, where these kids go home to sleep at night. I’ve lived in this community a long time, and I can’t imagine how I could ever feel comfortable in neighborhoods that these kids live in at night. And yet they do, and we still expect them to do well.”

Pastorek paused for a moment. “So, now, can I solve all those problems tomorrow afternoon? Can I even get the attention of the people who have control over those things? Right now, in New Orleans, after Katrina, the answer is no, I can’t. But I can’t take the position that I can’t succeed unless I have those things. I have to take the position that we’re going to do it in spite of that. Now, will it be hard? Will I be less successful? Probably yes. But I have to take that approach, because I don’t have really any other cards to play.”

Me again: So yes, I think we ask too much of our schools, but throwing up our hands until we’ve ended poverty is not an acceptable response. And that’s why *I*…conduct research that is vaguely related to the field…

The only poetry I read anymore is email spam. Like this:

the accommodation at mall, yadgar chah, the observing in itself, but the computing of however, was shrewd enough to see that this carelessness, that listless manner burst out in a paroxysm of spectacles. So far i was well on the way to proving too much tea, and they always upset the servants..

Our honeymoon venue gets a mention at the top of the NYTimes website, unfortunately because it’s threatened by wildfires. Guess you can never go back.

In other news, we leave tomorrow for our mountain vacation, Colorado by way of Lake Tahoe and Wyoming. Does occasionally remembering to bring our own bags to the supermarket make up for the ho-jillian gallons of gas we’re about to burn driving our air-conditioned bubble across the American West?

Yes, I finally got around to rotating the masthead/backdrop. You may remember this one from fall 2006. (Has it really been so long? Remember puddledog?)

Seized by a fit of online-life-chronicling productivity, I’ve also created a few new albums in gallery, one general summer album featuring pictures from Bryan’s first climbing trip in a few years, and one from our weekend camping trip in early June.

Even better pictures, though, if you’re on facebook: Cameron has posted a collection of old family photos that feature some truly compromising outfits. Like this one:

Guess which one’s me!

We had an excellent summery dinner tonight that I thought I’d post. It was the first time we’d made the bruschetta (but expect to see it in miniature form at a future party in our future backyard); the salad is on its way to old-favorite status.

Bruschetta with summer squash, bacon, and blue cheese
(from Cooks, where else?)

Toast the bread as close as possible to the time at which you plan to assemble the bruschetta. If you prefer, grill the bread. After trimming the ends, you should have 8 to 10 slices. The topped bruschetta goes back under the broiler for a couple of minutes before being served.

Serves 4 as main dish, 8 to 10 as appetizer

1 loaf country bread , about 12 by 5 inches, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces, ends discarded
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic , peeled
4 medium summer squash and/or zucchini (about 2 pounds), halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into matchstick-sized pieces [very easy with our v-slicer, very tedious by hand]
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces bacon (about 4 strips), minced and fried in small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 8 minutes, then drained on paper towels
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Adjust oven rack to about 4 inches from heating element and heat broiler; broil bread slices until golden brown on both sides. Brush both sides of each slice with oil and rub with garlic clove.

2. Combine squash and/or zucchini, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in medium bowl; let stand 5 minutes, then toss in bacon, cheese, and basil.

3. Divide mixture evenly among bread slices; broil bruschetta until cheese begins to melt, about 1 1/2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon, Balsamic, and Pine Nuts
[adapted from several recipes]

5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion , minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Place spinach in large bowl. Fry bacon in small skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel–lined plate, leaving fat in skillet. Return skillet to medium heat and add oil, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened. Add balsamic vinegar; swirl to incorporate. Turn off heat, add spinach to pan and toss gently to wilt. Sprinkle bacon and pine nuts over spinach. Serve immediately.

While everyone else I know has been engaged in a flurry of wedding attendance for at least a few years, in my adult life I had only attended one–my little sister’s, hi Cam!–before my own. But now I’m finally joining the party(ies); I’ll be slurring toasts and stepping on feet five times in the next year. Six if you fudge a little and count my uncle’s wedding a few weeks ago. So thanks to all of you for finally settling down.

This week, Sous learned how to drink out of the toilet. We are so proud.

I finally got around to posting and labeling photos from, well, basically the whole spring. Check them out quick because I’ve got another album or two brewing. (As has often been the case over the last nine years, most of the best shots are poached from Clare. Properly credited of course.)

“Food and Puppy” has some new additions, including pictures of both food and…the puppy. Also a few of people.

For those of you who don’t believe we made a dress for our dog and held a quasi-religious ceremony in her honor, boo-yeah.

I also posted an album of one of the more unique places we walk the dog, the Albany Bulb, a park that borders the Bay and the horse track, and sits on top of an old landfill. It’s got a permanent Burning Man vibe, and on early morning strolls we’re always concerned about stumbling into someone’s makeshift living room.

Last but not least, shots from our recent weekend at my parents’ ranch for my uncle’s wedding. Many posed shots, some ceremony, some water sports, and many embarrassing karaoke moments.

Take THAT, Simon and Garfunkel.

If it’s wrong to light up a big old charcoal fire two feet away from your apartment building, on the fire escape, then I don’t want to be right.

Sous outgrew her second collar. We got her a new one in brown and pink, so people will stop thinking she’s a boy.

how delighted I am about the CA supreme court decision? GIDDY.

Also, it is just me, or is Gavin Newsome at least cousin to Bill Pullman?