early summer comings and goings
Travel and other commitments have kept me super-busy this summer (in a good way, mostly).
My trip to L.A. to see family was really wonderful. It was simultaneously relaxing and stressful, however, because I had so many tasks to accomplish while at home. So in between visiting three of the L.A. area's best farmer's markets with my mom, I also had to revise papers for publication, start research for an independent contracting job, work on my summer syllabus, and work on a conference paper. I felt awful every time I told my mom I had to take a break from cooking or making jam in order to do more reading or writing... but such is the life of an academic, I suppose.
Some highlights of the L.A. trip included:
-a meal at Palate, a truly phenomenal food and wine establishment which was, as I understand, started by one of the Patina group. The "Porkfolio" appetizer alone was worth the trip--house-made salami, mortadella, speck, and other delicacies shone. And if you're veggie, there are plenty of other delectable options (not least of all, dessert: panna cotta and Valrhona chocolate pudding).
-tons of good Mexican food, seafood, sushi, dim-sum, and other regional specialties
-seeing my family, between trips to the Santa Monica farmer's market, the beach, and a dinner party at my parents' house (my mom and I made grilled rotisserie leg of lamb, a grilled baby squash and green bean salad, pasta salad, tiramisu, and an apricot tart)
-cooking and hanging out with my mom, which produced dishes such as creamy wild mushroom soup; cornmeal-crusted trout; Napoletana-style pizza (homemade crust, of course) with three cheeses, tomato sauce, and homegrown basil; almond-cherry biscotti; strawberry liqueur; and two kinds of jam with farmers' market fruits, one strawberry, one apricot
-getting to hang out and reconnect with my friend Jonathan (lifeofreilly)
-seeing my dog Maya, who is old and infirm, but still living the good life, with lots of walks and good food
-lots of scenic trail-running, from Sage Ranch (up Woolsey Canyon) to Ahmanson Ranch
-rock-climbing at one of the farmers markets, where they had one of those portable rock-walls
Unfortunately, I irritated one of the tendons or ligaments in my left ankle with all the hills I ran, since I guess my body wasn't quite up to it (I went from 1x week of hilly trails in Bloomington to 2-3x week in L.A.) so I've had to take a week off running. *sigh*
I returned to Bloomington in time for the Durga Tour, featuring workshops with Tempest and Asharah; both dancers also led the community-ritual-jam-session Motif, with music provided by Tim Rayborn.
I'm still processing a lot of what happened at Durga--the instruction was excellent, the vibe was positive, and I learned/experienced a lot. I was thrilled to have as much down-time with our guest artists as I did... but then, I suppose it helps to be able to lure unsuspecting guests to my apartment with vegan and gluten-free food to fit everyone's needs. That, and I love geeking out with fellow intellectual- and artistic-types. It was also lovely to get to hang with the Dark Side gals... yay for collaboration!
Currently in NYC, living the big city life before heading to Athens tomorrow. Chris and I have cooked up a storm, danced at least one night away, and generally re-connected, which has been pleasant.
I'm pretty sure I meant to post about other things here, but I've been too busy. Now, back to reading/packing...
My trip to L.A. to see family was really wonderful. It was simultaneously relaxing and stressful, however, because I had so many tasks to accomplish while at home. So in between visiting three of the L.A. area's best farmer's markets with my mom, I also had to revise papers for publication, start research for an independent contracting job, work on my summer syllabus, and work on a conference paper. I felt awful every time I told my mom I had to take a break from cooking or making jam in order to do more reading or writing... but such is the life of an academic, I suppose.
Some highlights of the L.A. trip included:
-a meal at Palate, a truly phenomenal food and wine establishment which was, as I understand, started by one of the Patina group. The "Porkfolio" appetizer alone was worth the trip--house-made salami, mortadella, speck, and other delicacies shone. And if you're veggie, there are plenty of other delectable options (not least of all, dessert: panna cotta and Valrhona chocolate pudding).
-tons of good Mexican food, seafood, sushi, dim-sum, and other regional specialties
-seeing my family, between trips to the Santa Monica farmer's market, the beach, and a dinner party at my parents' house (my mom and I made grilled rotisserie leg of lamb, a grilled baby squash and green bean salad, pasta salad, tiramisu, and an apricot tart)
-cooking and hanging out with my mom, which produced dishes such as creamy wild mushroom soup; cornmeal-crusted trout; Napoletana-style pizza (homemade crust, of course) with three cheeses, tomato sauce, and homegrown basil; almond-cherry biscotti; strawberry liqueur; and two kinds of jam with farmers' market fruits, one strawberry, one apricot
-getting to hang out and reconnect with my friend Jonathan (lifeofreilly)
-seeing my dog Maya, who is old and infirm, but still living the good life, with lots of walks and good food
-lots of scenic trail-running, from Sage Ranch (up Woolsey Canyon) to Ahmanson Ranch
-rock-climbing at one of the farmers markets, where they had one of those portable rock-walls
Unfortunately, I irritated one of the tendons or ligaments in my left ankle with all the hills I ran, since I guess my body wasn't quite up to it (I went from 1x week of hilly trails in Bloomington to 2-3x week in L.A.) so I've had to take a week off running. *sigh*
I returned to Bloomington in time for the Durga Tour, featuring workshops with Tempest and Asharah; both dancers also led the community-ritual-jam-session Motif, with music provided by Tim Rayborn.
I'm still processing a lot of what happened at Durga--the instruction was excellent, the vibe was positive, and I learned/experienced a lot. I was thrilled to have as much down-time with our guest artists as I did... but then, I suppose it helps to be able to lure unsuspecting guests to my apartment with vegan and gluten-free food to fit everyone's needs. That, and I love geeking out with fellow intellectual- and artistic-types. It was also lovely to get to hang with the Dark Side gals... yay for collaboration!
Currently in NYC, living the big city life before heading to Athens tomorrow. Chris and I have cooked up a storm, danced at least one night away, and generally re-connected, which has been pleasant.
I'm pretty sure I meant to post about other things here, but I've been too busy. Now, back to reading/packing...