Sabbath

Today was my first day off. How is it that it's only when I'm away from home that I manage to have a complete (er, almost--I still worked for an hour) day off? I slept in past my alarm, so I didn't make it to church with the methodists this morning. And I had planned to take the train into Stuttgart, but, well...the best intentions, you know.

So with a few hours of daylight, I strapped on my walking shoes (you know the pair--the sketchers I've had since undergrad) and took off. I walked along the river, among the vinyards, to Ludwigsburg. There are giant locks just above Marbach, a wonder to look at. It's a pity there weren't any ships out. I've enjoyed watching locks fill and empty ever since I studied in England and studied the English countryside.... There were also plenty of water fowl out. One poor bird kept flapping up the river ahead of me and resting until I came along again. Poor thing. Bird brain, really.Were he just a little smarter.


They have an old baroque city, and also a christmas market. For an hour so, I enjoyed the crowds of people, the smells of roasting nuts and Glühwein being served, and the stands and stands of crap. But it's European crap, so it's automatically classier, right? Right?

I do wonder who does indeed make purchases at such stands. Usually they just sell trinkets, little christmas ornaments or leather goods or carved figures from the Erzgebirge. What it seems most people go there for is the Stimmung, the atmosphere. And the drinks. Oh, the drinks!

One week down...

...and four more to go. It seems as though time is going so very quickly, and yet it can't be over fast enough. I find myself having to stop, pause, remember to take this time for what it is--the opportunity to finish up my dissertation so that I can go back to Nebraska with a lighter load and a easier conscience. Thank goodness the archive has set times when it is open, and I try to use that time to the fullest. It opens at 8:30 and closes at 8 in the evening. I get in by 9 and stay until a little after 6. On Saturdays, they have a special card you can swipe and work from 10 to 5. Today I did most of that.

Here's hoping that I continue to progress well, and achieve my goals for the trip.

Los! In den Archiven!

In a few hours, we'll drive to Omaha so I can board a plane for Germany. This time tomorrow, I'll be checking into the archives and setting up my home for the next month. And hopefully work there will be productive. To help me acclimate to the timezones so I can focus better, I've woken up at 5.30 this morning after going to bed at 12. With the help of some benadryl on board, I should sleep like a baby.

I've still not packed (!) and I have to finish up this chapter and send it off. Hmmm. Does someone not want to go? If the young man were coming with me, it would be easier, I think. But tickets are over $1200, and, well, that's a bit outside of our budget.

Hopefully I'll update a bit more while I'm in the archives, offering little fun stories about the time I spend outside the archives. Thank goodness for German work hours--the archives close at 5:30, and so I'll have a few hours of downtime in the evenings. Weekends? Free. And so many people to come visit, I don't know how it will all get fit in.

Bis das nächste Mal,

e

Mending

Today I left work to go to the cobbler, where i picked up my old leather satchel. I've used it for the past 10 years or so, and it's carried me thourgh job interviews, intercontinental moves, and through work on my dissertation. You can imagine my sadness when, about two weeks ago, I picked it up and one of the straps broke.

Fortunately, I found a cobbler here in Lincoln who does leather repair. And for a mere $20, I hope to have another good ten years of wear.

As I biked home in the cold (yep, it's cold. I now wear a face mask/Balaclava to commute) I thought about how good it is to mend things and not simply throw them aside, and how wonderful it is to repair something enduring for a mere $20, rather than spending $50 every year or two on something badly made that doesn't warrent repairs. Rather than tossing a bag every few years, I can help employ a craftsman and own fewer things made in sweatshops.

Time, time, time

Dear friends,

Many, many apologies for my negligence. It seems getting married, moving, working full time, and writing a dissertation have gotten the better of me. I find it an incredible challenge, staying on task and completing assignments; I write this as I'm working with undergraduates and trying to teach them about time management. Blerg.

We have, however, found a church, and taken care of the basic necessitites for a simple life. Hopefully, soon, we will also have our home in order, with enough bookshelves for our books and everthing in its place.

I hope to post more regularly as the weather gets colder and I want to come home and nest.

But for now, friends, I'd like to let you know that the (still messy!) room which functions as an office also has a full-sized bed. You should make use of that bed just as soon as you can.

Love,
e

Updates (not too-lates?)

Hi all,

I know, I know...I've fallen far far behind in my blogging duties. Please forgive me.

For those I've not talked to recently, or those who might just be reading for kicks, there's some big news! Last month, BF...er....F and I became officially engaged, and since then, it's been a race to figure out the wedding, plan a move, find a job, finish the dissertation, and write two articles.

Surely, I'm forgetting something.

That seems to be par for the course right now.

But it's been fun, if not crazy. Finding someone whom I want to spend the rest of my life with, who understands the craziness of life and also helps me keep perspective, who loves me and makes me feel safe, and who throws amazing pots to boot--I didn't think it would happen this quickly, or even at all, frankly. So imagine my surprise when I met someone who voluntarily waives his two-year dating requirement to get married.

I'll not be writing so much on this personal front--and not much about the wedding, either. Planning so much so quickly has been great, as there's not a bunch of time to agonize over every detail. It is, however, a bit like planning a major conference, and wanting all things to just go well and for all to leave fed and happy--and us legally and churchily married.

Thanks for your patience with me, and hopefully more over the summer travels included in these life changes to come.

In two months, I'll be writing you all from the Midwest, a place I never thought I'd live, but about which I'm happily optimistic.

More Little Things

I'm sitting at Bea's desk, Edward (she's kindly loaned it to me!), writing on a warm spring day. The front door is open, and light is streaming across my computer. Oh, how I love the spring (despite allergies!).

Here's my view:



What a wonderful ting to have my landlords' dogs looking after me.

And my inspiration on my bedside table, which makes my room smell heavenly:



It's the little things, indeed.

The Little Things

The last few weeks have sped by so quickly. Tomorrow, I'll get feedback on my final chapter of my dissertation (except for the introductory chapter, which I should be able to write in about a week) and hopefully learn that I only have about a month's more work to do on it.

In the mean time, I'm busy calling people, organizing things, and using my handy-dandy checklists/wikis for taking care of business.

To give you an idea of the details I've taken care of just this week:
-Figured out who is most affordable for tent rentals, plates, etc.
-Ordered samples for my mother's dress (and she's going to wear the sassiest little dress--I love how flattering these silhouettes are), which will mirror my own dress in terms of classic style, while still being conservative enough for her.
-Ordered the material for my dress
-Called our local pig roaster who was--I kid you not--down in a hole, digging, when I called. ("I'm breaking up--sorry, I'm in a hole right now") Who needs to sample his food, when it's clear that he's got the country pedigree necessary for roasting a pig?!
-Found folks to cater the dessert (yes!)
-Got quotes for printing invites (and an amazing friend who has already taken care of the design. Wohoo!)

Now, I think I'm going to stand by my assertion that a wedding can be organized in under 40 hours. BUT. (A huge but) I must point out that a good friend of mine got married at our church just a few years ago, and I'm able to go with her florist, etc, because I know they'll do a great job. I know it's also pretty quick because:
1. The ambiance of the party is important, not its perfection
2. My husband-to-be is incredibly easy going on this and is happy to let me make most of the decisions
3. I know what I want, and have plenty of friends who are helping with specific aspects. This makes my job SOOOO much easier.

Also a great help is the fact that one of my dreams, baking my own cake, will not be happening on the scale I thought it would. This is aided by the knowledge of how long it took to bake this one, which I won't write the details for, but simply show you what two days of work looks like in cake form:

set-up: the kitchen looks clean now.... (note the coffee cup--it was too early for wine)


what do you mean, 15 cups of batter will fill two 5-quart mixer bowls and then some?




quality / consistency control: all the batter in one bowl to help make sure it's uniform, after being made in two separate bowls

Wedding day: Assembly:


Joel cut off the top of one cake to make sure that it would make for a flat surface


The bottom layer: cut from the third, largest layer, as it would have been bigger than the cake stand.


Do the two mixers look familiar? Now they are making butter cream (about twice as much as there needed to be, since I had calculated for three, not two layers).




Now the assembly. Whipped cream and raspberry coulis between each layer. (I'm working so fast, you can barely make out my outline.)


Crumb-layer? On. What you can't see is Joel, the cake elf dancing a jig in the background. Best. Sous-pastry-chef. Ever.


The final result. A massive bride's cake (served with extra whipped cream and coulis) and the smaller, more modest groom's cake.

The bride and groom--I would much rather have used them as the topper!




Little Liam, who stole the show, didn't seem to want a try of the cake. What I don't have a picture of is him sampling the wares as we assembled. And of course, me, who slipped upstairs once the cake was done to put on something more party-appropriate.

Deadlines, line is dead

Friday deadline for a section of dissertation?

There's nothing like time running out to make the creative juices flow.....

55 pages down, another 20 to go?

At some point, I noticed that I had way too much on my plate.

Perhaps it's when I realized that I had gone over a month since reading a book.*








*Of course, I'm still reading parts of books for my dis. But actual books I sit down and read from cover to cover? It's been way too long. But don't worry. I almost-kinda know what my invites and programs will look like....

Checklists and Systems

It seems like most folks plan with pretty notebooks, clippings from magazines, and dreamlike visions.

Me? I've got a wiki-spreadsheet and document so that I can share with all those helping plan.

Who is the academic who plans events on a regular basis?

Assignment Cake? Completed.

Last week was full of fun (and a bit of stress) as we traveled down to Atlanta for Matt and Lauren's wedding. The atmosphere was phenomenal and it was such a joy to be a part of such a special day. That ever detail reflected something about Lauren and demonstrated her mother, Jackie's ability to capture a feeling with her entertaining--amazing.

You can see photos (and the cake that took two days of work--one of me baking, one of Joel and I assembling in the hours leading up to the nuptuals) at the AsianCajun blog, too.

Cake Hubris?

I know, it's been ages since I've posted. Life is full. Dissertation, teaching, job market, living...it's just full.

So I'll skip over the update concerning Chuck City, and instead offer a preview of the weekend. We're going to Atlanta for the wedding of good friends/family, and I'm...

...baking the cakes.

Yep. For a wedding with 20 guests, I'm making a three-tiered monster, as all in attendance not only want their cake, but eat it, too. My kind of wedding guests!

I'm totally excited (and honored!) to be undertaking such a project. The logistics promise to be difficult. Just to give you a hint of what I'll be working on this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (with spurts of dissertating in between), my shopping list:

What I believe I will need.....

11 cups flour (cake flour is good, or all-purpose--NOT self-rise!--would work just fine)
1 c cocoa powder (I like Trader Joe's; Hershey's dark also works well)
baking soda
baking powder
salt
9 lbs butter (unslated)
12 c sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
32 eggs
vanilla extract (real stuff, please)
almond extract (real stuff, please)
4 c buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream

2 bags dark chocolate/bittersweet chips (giardelli is good)
cream of tartar
instant coffee (optional; only if you have it)
rum (just need a few tablespoons; whatever you have on hand will be good)

1 c heavy cream

3 c whipping cream
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
a few tablespoons honey

6-8 bags frozen raspberries
5 fresh lemons (for the juice)



-3 boxes for transporting, one that can fit 14" cake with a bit of wiggle room, another for the 10", and a third for the 6".
-aluminum foil (for lining boxes--to be safe, one roll)
-plastic wrap. Not sure what I want it for, but it might help
-two pieces of carboard, one that can make a 10" circle, another a 6" circle (I will cover these and put them between the cakes to make sure that the cake is structurally sound). A box from the liquer store would work just fine.
-wooden skewers (like the kabob sticks) -- I use these to also suppor the layers. One bag will be more than enough.
-standing mixer (I'll try to bring mine; having one there will make my life tons easier--that's right, TWO mixers) and possibly a hand mixer (but not necessary)
-my cake caddy for brining the groom's cake over

bonus: parchment paper, margrin or crisco (for greasing the pan)

Means of decorating the cake/displaying it. Please consult with your beloved; a sheet of plywood cut 16" or larger can be covered in aluminum foil would work just fine. Cloth can be draped over it, or what have you. But some sort of display/transport material would be best worked out ahead of time--I'm assuming L knows how she wants it displayed.

Hope you all caught that--9 POUNDS of butter. 32 Eggs!

It shall be glorious. I plan on documenting the progress and sharing it with you all.

Happy Tuesday!

VD

Yes, yes, I know. I hate schmaltz. You all may remember previous posts where I put up pictures of open heart surgery, joke about venereal disease (hence the "VD" title of this very post), and I generally wear black.

So, while I'm not wearing black (blue, green, and white today, actually), I still try to remember that Valentine's Day can be so very very lonely. And a horrible excuse for buying things. My gift today will be a beautiful evening with soup and games, perhaps with a few heart-shaped biscuits. Because that's how I roll.

And so, since today is overly hyped as a day of buying and receiving, I'd like to remind you that it's the small things that show you love the ones you are with--the making of small things, the small attentions, the very best way life together in community works. Don't go buy tons of flowers, or jewelry, or chocolate (though I'm thrilled to get chocolate any other day) because that's what you are told to do. Make things, be thoughtful. For your co-workers, your family, your friends.

Today, by the way, is St. Valentine's Day. Saint Valentine, I will remind you, is the patron saint of bee keepers.

So on a day like today, I think of all those I love and who love me; if I could, I'd give my favorite bee keeper a hug.

Domesticity

Winter is a time for staying in, building a fire, and reading a good book.

Because I tend to (read: always) run on the cold side, I enjoy curling up in a small ball under the covers with a cup of coffee. And now, recently, I've begun not wanting to travel out as much, but to stay in and make things.

In the past, this has manifested itself as cooking, cleaning, perhaps an odd knitting project or two. But now, it includes mental preparations for making a home. Refinishing furniture, sewing little girls dresses (a good friend in Germany just had her second baby, and she'll need a dress!), mending things.

Mending things?

The other day, I saw a tear in TJ's work overalls. And so I asked if I would be allowed to fix them.

Now, they aren't good as new, but hopefully I would not shame my mother with the job I did (I tend to be careless about small details, while my mother gets all of the small things perfectly). I know, I used white thread when I was instructed to use blue. But you didn't put blue thread in my sewing kit, Mom!

Here's the patch I sewed on:




Does the material in the background look familiar?

Those of you who have been a roommate or a close friend over the past 15 years will recognize the pattern--they are from my favorite pair of pajama pants I've had since High School. In the last year or two, they have gotten quite thin through the seat. A week ago, they tore.

(And what satisfaction I get out of wearing something through!)

Now my pajamas have new life, and hopefully TJ will be stuck thinking of me every time he gets ready for work.

What does the future hold, I wonder?

So much seems to be happening in life right now. I won't be getting into it much, but suffice it to say that my head is spinning. And it includes me trying to write my dissertation in just a little over a year.

As we prepare for another season of Lent at St. B's, I'm reminded about how important spiritual disciplines are. For now, I'm trying to remain in the moment, enjoying what I have. It means focusing on a simple life, looking to God and understanding His blessings in these things, as well as remaining faithful to Him by waiting to see what He has in store.

I look forward to sharing this with you all in the future.

Notes on Theodicy

This morning, as part of my morning read, I came across this passage from Guardini:

"How an evil exist, and the destruction caused by evil exist, in a world God created? God wanted the world to be good and healthy; has it not in fact proved a failure? The answer is that God wished the world to reach its culmination in man's freedom and He must therefore give this freedom the power of decision, even against Himself. But, it is urged, Got knew from eternity what form that decision would take. Why, then, did He create the world at all? One possible reply is that these questions touch upon the realm of absolute mystery and therefore both the questions and any answers we try to give them are necessarily inadequate. None the less, a man has to put these questions; it is the only way he can express the most disturbing note in all existence. Why, then, did God bring a creature into being when He foresaw the way it would go?" (From: "Freedom, Grace, Destiny")

As Sudan stands on the cusp of the Referendum, pray for how freedom is used and the future only God foresees.