The grading is unrelenting. The crud is not entirely cleared from my system. I still owe you the promised post on plagiarism.
Must be time for a meme (specifically, the ABC meme, which I saw at jo(e)’s)!
Accent: Not usually. When I taught lots of kids from Maryland and Virginia, I’d drift a little southern. Out here, I sometimes drift a little surfer (dude!). But, despite having spent the bulk of my childhood in New Jersey, I don’t have a Joisey accent.
Booze: Usually single-malt Scotch, but this time of year mojitos.
Chore I Hate: Besides grading? Dishes. Thankfully, my better half does ’em, else we’d all just take turns eating over the sink.
Dog or Cat: Dog. It’s an allergy thing.
Essential Electronics: My iBook and our wireless router. (The microwave comes a close second.)
Favorite Cologne: Don’t have one. We have jasmine right outside the front door, though, and I very much enjoy its scent on the breeze.
Gold or Silver: I’m ambivalent.
Hometown: I grew up in Ridgewood, NJ. However, I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for longer than I’ve lived any place else, and it feels most like home of all the homes I’ve had.
Insomnia: Only when febrile.
Job Title: Assistant professor/assistant coach (elder offspring’s soccer team — I have no expertise!)/Mommy.
Kids: Two.
Living arrangements: In a house on a cul de sac with the sprogs and my better half.
Most admirable traits: Sense of humor. Tendency to keep struggling with a problem until I’ve at least subdued it.
Not going to cop to: How much I enjoy certain “reality” shows. So let’s just move on, shall we?
Overnight hospital stays: Just for the sprogs (giving birth to ’em, once when the elder offspring was very sick as an infant).
Phobias: Serious crowds. Serious heights. Slugs in my garden gloves (ew! ew! ew!). Other than that, I’m fine.
Quote: “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” (Emma Goldman)
Religion: Raised Catholic. Now, not so much.
Siblings: Three brothers.
Time I wake up: Generally, after the alarm persuades me I cannot escape, 6:09 am.
Unusual talent or skill: Touching my nose with my tongue.
Vegetable I love: Almost any of them if they’re grilled, but especially sweet potato slices grilled with Korean barbecue sauce.
Worst habit: Procrastination.
X-rays: Teeth, ankles, knees. Also, a couple MRIs of knees. Knees are poorly designed.
Yummy foods I make: Dutch baby. Pizza (on the grill). Apple crisp. Borscht.
Zodiac sign: Pisces.
Re: grading: you’re doing them a favor. They need you. Truly. (Speaking as a student, albeit an ancient graduate student, at your very same university.) Repeat after me: I’m doing them a favor. I’m helping them. They may not realize it, but I’m helping them… And DAMMIT, make ’em write, and keep after ’em until they write WELL. I spent FAR too much of my 2+ decades of post-baccelaureate professional life coaching incompetent writers.
Re: dog/cat allergies: I grew up with dogs, and was hideously allergic to cats. But I met this guy, and ended up taking him, his cat, and his motorcycle to be my lawful wedded family. After several years of allergy shots, I react to everything BUT cats. Dogs, most green growing things, dust mites… (We’ve evolved, too, and now our family numbers three cats and no motorcycles. Cats are cheaper, especially when the motorcycle(s) are classic British bikes.)
Re: Yummy foods: what’s Dutch baby? And how do you grill pizza? Does it travel well? (Camper looking for ways to use the grill on vacation.)
Now I know why I resonate with you so much: I’m a fellow native of Bergen County (and a recovering Catholic!).
Borscht? *wrinkles nose*
“Dutch baby” gives me horrific mental images.
I knew the day would come that I’d be reduced to giving recipes on my blog!
Dutch Baby
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Get a big, high-sided, oven-proof skillet, put half a stick of butter (1/4 cup) in it, and pop it in the oven to melt.
Meanwhile, get out your blender. Into the blender, put 1 cup flour (I use 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat), 3 Tablespoons sugar, 4 eggs, and 1 cup of milk (I frequently use soymilk, but cow milk works, too). Blend until combined.
Pull the skillet (with the melted butter) out of the oven. Pour the batter right on top of the melted butter, pop it back in the oven, and bake 18-20 minutes (until puffy and starting to brown on top).
Cut into wedges and serve. While you can eat it with syrup, it is much better with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Grilling pizza: The trick is to set out the dough for the crust and grill one side of it, then flip it and put the toppings on before grilling the other side. Some prefer to put the crust directly on the grill, but since I prefer a thinner crust, I use perforated pizza pans instead. Given that the dough could be made (and frozen) ahead, this seems like the kind of thing that could work on a camping trip.
Tara, what have you got against borscht? I make a really good borcht that balances the sweet, sour, and savory flavors nicely.
I know this doesn’t have anything to do with *you*, per se, but I like the changes that have happened to the meme. Especially to “N.”
Accent? bad southern
Booze of choice? mama’s recipe
Chore I hate? cleaning out septic tank, not much else
Dog or Cat? neither, did have a dog
Essential Electronics? yes, DELL
Favorite perfume/cologne? skinnen men bracer
Gold or Silver? gold
Hometown? Hampton, SC since 1806 (my family, it wasn’t Hampton until 1878)
Insomnia? definitely not
Job Title? retired, internet surfer
Kids? 3 boys, 3 grandgirls, 3 grandboys
Living arrangement? 1 wife, in a small house
Most Admired Trait? ooh, dependable
Not going to cop to? scams
Overnight Hospital Stays? 3, all when a child
Phobia? being chased
Quote? “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Yogi Berra
Religion? weak Baptist, if truth be told, agnostic
Siblings? three sisters
Time I wake up? 4 to 6
Unusual talent or skill? hybridize Daylilys
Vegetable I love? collards
Worst Habit? Seneca
X-rays? MRI’s L-4, L-5,
Yummy foods I make? Toast and syrup.
Zodiac sign? twins, Gemini, but don’t have one