Friday Night Lights - They're Coming Back!!!

I'm so happy to share that Friday Night Lights, one of me & Scott's most favorite TV shows is coming back next fall. Its future was uncertain for a while, which made me sad bc it's such a great program. So there you go. If you're looking for a fun show to watch in the next week or two before new TV starts up again - check out hulu.com or nbc.com and get hooked :)

Until I Find You

Whew...finally. This book was the longest I can remember reading in years. 820 pages of thick and chewy John Irving writing (which is, of course, full of lots of details!) He's my favorite author though, so I have to say I appreciate the artful way in which he assembles a cast of the most random characters and weaves a really detailed and meaningful plot.

This book followed Jack Burns through a big portion of his life, starting with when he was 4 and his mom (a famous tattoo artist) takes Jack throughout Europe to find the father that abandoned the two of them. They know that Jack's father is a skilled and passioned organist and tattoo addict, so by checking in with tattoo artists and churches they're able to be hot on his trail.

They don't find him. And from then on Jack's fate is at the mercy of a world of girls... and to overly simplify the storyline, it's pretty much about the life of a boy who is sexually molested by older women and how that marks him for life (get it, like tattoos?) That is a line on the back of the book - that each of the main characters are marked for life.

So, Jack eventually becomes a famous actor. He win's an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2000, which made me smile bc it was like a little inside joke. John Irving won the Oscar that year for Cider House Rules.

I'm not going to go any further. There is a BIG twist in the plot about halfway through in which most of the first half of the book is kind of rehashed, but it was good. Ultimately, worth the investment of time it takes to read 820 pages.

Do I recommend it? I am not going to go *that* far. Like most Irving stuff, there's more than a fair share of "weirdness" in it (and my fear is you'll read this book on my recommendation and be like - "Jamie! What the heck!?") My favorite Irving books are The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules. This was maybe the 3rd in line behind the two of them.

10K this morning!

Dear North Carolina,

Love you, for real. But I just have to ask you something. I loved you so much this week when it was in the 70's and even 85 on Friday afternoon. For real, that was awesome. So my question is why the heck is it 40 degrees on the day of my 10k? It was frickin' freezing, and I'm just curious as to why you're doing this to me. Was it something I said? If it was something related to sneezing and sniffling, that was more directed at the tree pollen, not you.

Coldly yours,
Jamie

....

So yeah, other than the crummy weather, the 10k was really fun! I did pretty well, I think. I *felt* awesome the whole time and didn't have to walk at all! And Scott was a good sport and woke up early with me and stood in the cold to cheer me on. I'm not totally sure what my time was bc the big clock by the finish line was on the 1/2 marathon time (which started before us) and I forgot to stop my watch, but based on when I looked at my watch a few minutes after I finished, I'd guess it's around 1:02 or so. Not bad for my first time! :)

Onward to my next race, which is the Philly Broad Street Run - 10 whole miles! I found a couple runs that were recommended for Italy, so hopefully I don't get in too bad of shape during the week and a half out of the country!

Oh - this picture is when I was ALMOST done, I don't know what's up w/ the face I'm making. I think it was supposed to express "I'm so super strong and awesome, I ran 6.2 miles. Raaaaah" But in Scott's defense, it's a hard expression to really capture. :) You won't see me trying out for America's Next Top model. Not bc I'm 5'4" or anything, pretty much just bc of my inability to take a good photo. Tyra would not be proud of this.

Hot Pockets/Mini Calzones

Dude, these things are AWESOME! Not at all like Jim Gaffigan's Hot Pockets.

This is from the cookbook my grandma got me called "Silly Snacks, Classroom Treats and Cookie Dough Fun" that's predominantly a children's cookbook, I freely admit this. I am neither a teacher nor a mother. But there are also some gems in here for the healthy adult in you as well (for instance - Fruit and Oat squares.) I ate the leftovers from this recipe tonight and I'm so sad that they're gone. And strongly considering making them again in the near to very near future. Additionally, Scott approved them for official inclusion in our "Rotation". So you know they're good. Since they're gone, no picture tonight.

Pizza Rollers (Whatever, they should be called hot pockets...)
1 package refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 c pizza sauce/marinara sauce
18 slices turkey pepperoni
6 sticks of mozzarella cheese (I used string cheese...)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Roll out pizza dough to full size, and cut into 6 even sized rectangles. Spread about a tablespoon of sauce on each (in the center), lay a string cheese down and place 3 pepperonis on top of that. Roll up and pinch edges.
3. Place seam down on greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake for 10 min or until golden brown and enjoy.

Don't burn your tongue. They can be boiling lava hot. Everything will taste like rubber for a week. (Seriously, you'll enjoy the Jim Gaffigan video...)

Movin' On Up!

So, we def have a lot going on in the job department at our house!

Jamie Update- I've been kind of on the down-low about interviewing for this position and stuff bc I was trying not to get my hopes up. I heard about the opportunity through the Masters program I'm in at NC State...I'm going to be a Summer Co-Op Tech Writer! :) I'm so completely ecstatic to be taking a job that's on a career path in which I'm really interested! And if we stay in NC (see Scott Update) I'll be going to grad school full time in September.

Scott Update - Had an interview in Rockville, MD (suburb of Wash, DC) last week which went really well and is under consideration! He has another interview lined up down here in NC next week, and we're just taking it all one day at a time for a while. There's a chance we could be looking at moving in the next few months, which has a lot of pros and cons and we're looking at it all. Either way, he's really excited about the possibilities at the Maryland company and the NC Company (not listing their names in case of google searches and stuff!)

This is a big lesson in patience for me. It is not my forte, but I think it's an important skill to learn. It's very hard not to know where we'll be in 6 months, but we'll be okay either way and I'm actually quite thrilled with our opportunities at this point in our lives. More info to come...as soon as we figure it out!!

Apple Dumplings & Ice Cream

Mmmmm, these bad boys are baking right now! I pulled the recipe from Pioneer Woman, and she has a ton of really helpful pictures of the step by step assembly of these delicious and low-cal dumplings (hahahahah...right).

Apple Dumplings
From - Pioneer Woman Cooks

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

And we also made some homemade ice cream last night to take along. We're headed over to my parents' for Easter dinner and dessert as soon as the dumplings are sufficiently browned.

Happy Easter everyone! We wish we could be there for the Long Easter Egg Hunt - with Kelly pregnant I'm guess it's a pretty small field of competitors and we'd get even more coins and candy :)

Smarty, you're weird.

Dear Smarty,

You're too cute...we absolutely adore that you let us hold you and I really don't know too many cats that would lay like this on their mother's lap. It's not very lady-like. But oh-so-cute. :) And you were purring too, which was also quite endearing.

It actually makes up for your waking me up at 7:00am this morning by eating a receipt I left on the floor. It was loud and annoying and I said some things I didn't mean when I threw you out of the room. In my defense, I was in the middle of a dream. And you need to start understanding that sleeping in on Saturday mornings is the way we operate...okay? You will be fed. Don't fret. I know you're excited for that 1/3 cup of diet food, I mean who wouldn't be?

Love,
Mom
**I apologize for my pajama/lazy Saturday morning look. :)

Anniversary Cake = No Go

We FINALLY remembered to bring our Anniversary cake home from PA last weekend... and I was thinking we could eat it on March 21st... bc it's our 1 year and 5 month anniversary (and who doesn't celebrate that, am I right?? :) ) But... alas, it kind of thawed on the way home and got...um...really gross. I tasted a small piece and spit it out. So sad, it was so delicious on October 21st...

Before (1 year and 5 months ago today):

After...


And since I'm now looking at wedding pics, here's a few more... :) What a good decision I made a year and 5 months ago.


Hope everyone has a good day off (if you have it off - I do! Woot!) Scott is off to see some March Madness action in Raleigh today w/ my dad. How fun for them. :)

Pesto Pasta

Mmmm, a Weight Watchers recipe that is still so tasty!



Pesto Pasta
3 tbsp pesto sauce (store bought...unless you're super ambitious to make your own...)
3 cups mixed veggies (I use frozen "California mix" veggies w/ carrots, califlour and broccoli)
1 c fat free evaporated milk
4 c cooked pasta (I use wheat noodles pretty much always now...)
1 oz part skim mozz cheese (yup, I use more than an oz, sorry... prob more like 1/2 to 1 cup)

Directions:
1. Heat a large non-stick pan coated w/ cooking spray. Add pesto sauce & veggies, stirring until softened and thawed.
2. Add milk, bring to boil & simmer for 4-5 min. Stir in pasta and cheese; cook until heated through. Yeilds about 1 1/2 c per serving (4 servings.)

One thing I realized about halfway through making it this time is I could use the ENTIRE bag of frozen veggies and the ENTIRE can of evap milk and just add like another tbsp and a little more pasta and have more leftovers. So yeah, haven't tested that one yet, but I think you could totally make the recipe a little bigger and it'd be more functional bc it'd more fully utilize the stuff you're buying for it anyway.

Saving the Earth is soo Glamourous :)

My sister (in-law, but that sounds so not fun!) Kelly sent me this article from Glamour and I think there are a lot of helpful tips in here for "Going Green" and lessening your impact on the environment.

http://www.glamour.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/03/green_tips

What I love about these tips is that almost all of them also line up with one of my main goals, which is spending less money! :) For instance, not buying bottled water or using less energy in your house BOTH end up costing you less! Now if only they'd make hybrid cars cost less than regular cars and those energy efficient lightbulbs a little more reasonable... for now this is good!!

My newest resolutions are going to be switching to rechargable batteries (after we use up the stockpile we already bought of disposable ones), switching to primarily online banking (bc stamp prices are going up AGAIN!), and keeping appliances and non-essential stuff unplugged when we're not using them.

I don't have an accent

Hmmmm - I don't have an accent, at least not according to this quiz. That's comforting. :) Although, I must say that I watched Jon & Kate + 8 last night for the first time on TLC. I had no.clue. it was filmed in Elizabethtown - soo cool!!! It's a fun show to watch too. Erica and I even stalkerishly drove by their house this past weekend. I enjoyed the show a lot, but I must say, now that I've left PA, I can TOTALLY hear the accent and pick it out. It lies in the heavy vowel sounds - like hOOOOme and phOOOne.

Do you have an accent?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
North Central
Boston
The West
The Inland North
The Northeast
The South
Philadelphia

Oh Susanna!

Over this past weekend, I got to spend a few hours with my favorite Pennsylvania baby , Susanna. While it stinks that I don't get to see her too often, it's kind of neat when I do bc it's every few months and babies change and grow so much in only a few months' time.

First, here is a series of pictures that makes me laugh (pretty hard, actually) where Scott came over at Christmas to see her.

Hmmmm, I don't know him but he seems nice...

OMG, wait a second, he's not my Daddy!!!

MOOOOOOM! I think he's here to murder me!!!!(end scene) Funny, huh?

So, fast forward to this past weekend, Susie Q is now 7 months old and a lot more social. Or maybe I'm a lot better at holding babies than my husband? IDK. She loooved my necklace and tried to make off with it a few times. Kel, you're gonna have to watch her. She already has a thing for jewelry.

Me and Susie - with her slobber crab. She loves that thing.
Making funny faces for the baby. She likes to giggle.
Susanna & Kelly
Again w/ Mommy

We had a few hours to catch up w/ the girls (and Haydn for a little!), chow on some food like we have high school metabolisms again and laugh a lot. It was so much fun and I wish we could do it more often. Stupid North Carolina. (Just kidding, NC. I heart you. Esp bc you're going to get up to 70 degrees today.)

Peace, Love and Recycling!

So, I have done a little digging and realize that I can recycle virtually everything! Well, not EVERYTHING, but a LOT of things that I used to throw away! (And it's good to know that they have a Holiday recycling program - for wrapping paper and Christmas trees mainly.) I'm not sure why, but it makes me feel really good to be doing my part. We started setting aside paper and cardboard to take to the recycling facility near our house. That's magazines, snack/cereal boxes, junk mail (and shredded up credit card offers, of course) and plain old paper. It's pretty exciting. But maybe I'm just a dork like that.

I do have to say I wish they made it easier for more people to do this - if not by having paper recyling pick-ups with the trash and other recyclables at least communicating the information a little better. We're getting there!

If you live in Wake County and want to be cool and recycle, here's a link to where the paper recycling centers are. Our planet thanks you!

Who's good for the next 10 years on her Tetnus shots?

Me! I just did my big girl duty for the day and got my Tetnus booster this morning so I can go to school (and play in piles of rusty metal! YES!) It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, but the nurse seriously warned me in a Debbie Downer-esq way that it WILL hurt tomorrow (waaaah waaaaah). Duh, look at my immunization record. I've totally gotten this vaccine before and know that. Sometimes I just try to live in a dream world.

In other news, we had a fabulous trip to PA, though it was very quick. It was really relaxing to spend quality time with family and friends...We got back around 8 last night so of course going to the grocery store didn't quite happen. I was crossing my fingers the grocery fairy would have stopped by but she must have missed us. Bummer. Smarty was so happy to have her parents home too. The purring was deafening.

Smoothies

I made these just using ingredients we had on Monday morning after spinning class and it really hit the spot. And it made two servings so I could share :) Usually when I do a high intensity workout like spinning in the morning, I'm useless until I have Gatorade. I'm proud to say I didn't have a drop of it on Monday and I think it was bc of the smoothie! It's a miracle!! :)

And we're leaving today to visit family in Pennsylvania so I had to get rid of the smelly banana and leftover strawberries...so I made them again! They were really simple and healthy too.

Delicious Breakfast Smoothies

Ingredients
1 cup cut strawberries
1 banana, sliced up into a few pieces
2 single servings of yogurt (I used Fiber One Strawberry yogurt which was great...but any flavor would work.)
1 cup(ish) of milk

Directions:
Put all ingredients in blender and blend. (Rocket science, right!?)

Maybe I'm not *supposed* to go to Grad School

I'm pretty fed up at the moment with NC State, the way we have our medical records in this country and the fact that I can't register for Fall classes until I figure this BS out. And that I might have to get another shot, which I'm still a pretty big baby about.

So, part of the application and "becoming a student" process at NCSU and in the state of NC is prooving you've gotten all the immunizations you should have as a child. I get that, and I'm glad they do it. BUT... it's the most ginormous PITA. I admit, the first time I filled out the form my mom and I just wrote in dates. I missed the fine print about needing "official documentation" and getting it signed by a doctor. I called my doctor in NC and they didn't give a ratsass about it or act like it was a request they'd ever heard before.

Fast forward to NOW, when I'm trying to register for classes to take this Fall and I get a message that there's a hold on my account. A term that scares me bc it feels like I've been delinquent on a payment or am some sort of outlaw. I call the health center and they not so nicely inform me that I need my old immunization records. I also was given the option of going to a doctor where they could perform blood tests to see if I've gotten *some* of them, and readminister the others. God Bless my Mom who miraculously materialized the records from somewhere. It's what I got when I graduated High School.

So I fax it in to them. Then call and today's woman likes to evidently cradle the phone so it lies in her neck somewhere bc I can't understand a word she's saying. (Do they not teach phone ettiqute at State? Maybe they're just bating me to see how long it takes until I wig out on them.) Now they're saying I need a Tetnus booster or something, which I know I got less than 10 yrs ago (at least I think, time is flying now so who knows...) I'm in effect sending them a faxed form that was updated 8 yrs ago. How this is helpful, I don't know. (see, I graduated 8 yrs ago...ouch)

I called Susquehanna a second ago and have the option of getting my medical records sent to me for a fee of $25. Which is fabulous bc it might confirm the fact that I need the booster shot and then I'll get to pay for that too. And get a needle in my arm. The fun seriously doesn't end.

And on top of all of this - why are my medical records impossible to locate? They're MINE! This is all a little too hard for someone who was born in America, GOT the dang shots, got admitted to college and managed never to get polio and rubella and spread it around. Again I *get* the logic, but it should be a little easier than this.

Sorry to vent, but I just had to. If you ever want to go to a North Carolina state college, plan at least 3 months to locate these documents.

Cheeseburger Calzone

This is one of our favorites - why did it take me so long to post the recipe? I'm sorry world, for depriving you of this most enjoyable dinner and leftovers.

A note on the picture - it really tastes a lot better than it looks. Have you ever tried to photograph a calzone?? Huh? Have you? Then stop laughing...

Cheeseburger Calzone
Recipe from Kathy M at my shower - thanks!!

1 lb ground turkey
1 c shredded cheddar cheese (we usu use 2%)
3/4 c KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 rolls of prepared pizza dough (Pillsbury)
olive oil, Parm and pepper

Directions:
Place first roll of pizza dough on greased baking sheet or pizza stone.
Brown turkey. Mix all ingredients together and spread onto dough. Place the other roll of dough on top and pinch edges. Mix the olive oil, Parm and pepper to taste and brush on top of the dough. Bake at 350 for about 20 min or until crust is golden brown.

*KC Masterpiece is a sub for 2 Tbsp mustard and 1/2 c ketchup

A note on the KC Masterpiece. I love this stuff - growing up my sister and I doused everything we could in this wonderful sauce. Now I'm a lot more discerning in my tastes...for example I eat vegetables willingly now and don't turn up my nose at *all* potatoes. So when I received this recipe it called for ketchup and mustard. BARF! Who eats ketchup and mustard!? Certainly not me. When Scott requires mustard from the grocery store he has to ask me a few times and I always give him a nod like "ok, if you make me, I'll pick it up"... and when I finally (grudgingly) get it at the store I stare at all the mustards w/ a disgusted look on my face and pick the cheapest one and throw it in the cart quickly bc I don't like touching it. I'm a child...I realize this. So I automatically went to the trusty substitution of KC Masterpiece and once again, he rocked.

I love blogs...

I just wanted to let the world know that. I don't know how I ever got through the day without reading my friends' and strangers' ramblings, recipes and judgements. Far be it for me to push my beliefs on anyone, but if more of my family and friends were to start blogging, I'd read them. Often. Just sayin.

Ziti al Forno

Scott's favorite (and a lot of my family's actually) thing to get at Biaggi's is Ziti Al Forno. It is delicious, and at Biaggi's has a crazy assortment of crab & lobster meat, proscuitto, shrimp and God knows what else! This recipe was a step toward achieving that... at least a little! In true Jamie style, it had some healthy substitutions so as not to overdo it :)

Ziti al Forno

1 lb ziti rigate (I used whole wheat noodles)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c heavy cream (the non heart attack inducing substitution: skim milk.)
2 pinches ground cinnamon
salt & pepper
3 oz proscuitto (one thick slice from deli, chopped)
1/4 to 1/3 c grated Parm cheese

Directions:
Cook ziti as per directions on box and set aside.
Preheat oven to 500 (!!) degrees.
Add olive oil to medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 3-5 min.
Stir in tomatoes and bring to a bubble.
Add cream/milk and season sauce with cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
Add chopped proscuitto to sauce and stir with cooked pasta to combine.
Coat 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray or melted butter. Stir sauce and noodles together. Top with Parm cheese.
Place in the oven for 10 min, covered.

*Can I just say every time I use my food processor I love it more and more!? This was a big one for the old FP. First off, the onion and garlic are chopped so finely you could (but why would you?) drink it through a straw. It's awesome for yummy sauce where you don't have to "chew" onions. And secondly, I got a block of Parmesan cheese rather than the pre-shredded stuff and shred it with the food processor attachment. It is so much tastier this way...

One month!!!

In a month we'll be in ITALY! :) Anyone excited? No? Just me and Scott? Oh well, I have a blog and I want to share my excitement. Here's our tentative itinerary at this point...

April 5 - take off!!

April 6 - 9am local time - arrive in Rome
Take the train to Florence
Check into hotel and try to get on local time... Drink lots of local wine.

April 7 - April 9
Scott doing conference stuff intermittently throughout the day, Jamie sightseeing on her own and drinking lots of wine. I'm considering a day trip to Pisa, but still not sure if it's worth the travel time... We're going to do the Uffizi together (which is the most popular museum in Italy or something like that).

April 10 -
Last day of the conference, that afternoon we're hopping a train to Venice! We're staying one night there and will most likely drink lots of wine.

April 11 -
Sightsee all day. We def need to hit Piazza San Marco and Doges Palace, and probably just do the rest on foot. I read a gondola ride costs 90 Euros. Um, that's like $150. Yeah, for like an hour.

April 12 - 12:04am - we're taking the sleeper train overnight to Rome! The plan is to drink a little wine so we can fall asleep. But not too much so we can still figure out the trains in Italian. It's a delicate balance.

April 12-14 - DO Rome. We want to do a day with the Ruins, including the Colleseum, Forum, and Pantheon. A day walking around and hitting the big stuff like Spanish Steps and Trevi, etc. And at least half a day at the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica.

April 15 - go home :(

So yeah... I'm working on getting tickets reserved for the museums we want to go to. That's a fun (not) thing about Italy - you can't just go to museums, you have to reserve them to avoid lines or something. We've both been very committed to sampling all the Chianti we can find prior to our trip so we are prepared. Good bottles of wine are $6.99 and under, right?? :)

Chicken Fajitas

It's been too long since I made this dinner, and it was even better than I remembered! And a bonus is that since it uses lime juice as the main liquid in the marinade (as opposed to oil), it's pretty healthy :)

Chicken Fajitas

1/2 c fresh or store-bought lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.25 lbs chicken, sliced crosswise
1 medium onion, sliced
2 green or red peppers, sliced
wheat wraps
sour cream
cheese

Directions
Combine first 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinate in refridgerator for at least 30 min. Heat a large non-stick skillet and coat with cooking spray. Saute onion and peppers on med-high heat until tender - about 5 min. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chicken and marinade to pan and cook until chicken is cooked through. Add vegetables and reheat thoroughly. Serve with cheese, sour cream, salsa...whatever your heart desires :)

5 miles this morning!

So, big accomplishment, I ran 5 miles this morning. Maybe it's weird, but I feel the biggest accomplishment is actually getting my butt out of bed to do it... It was kind of slow pace-wise, but Nike+ told me I still burned 523 calories! Not too shabby. Of course I then proceeded to eat 2 breakfasts and down some Gatorade, so we'll call it even. :)

I was thinking I'd like to start working out in the mornings more. It's such a fabulous feeling to have it all done with for the day right now. And I feel really awake and alert. The sun rises here at 6:40 now...and only while out in the glorious NC 55 degree morning did I realize that'll change with Daylight Savings this weekend. Dang! I guess the flipside is we get more evening daylight... which is also good.

The Namesake

This book was really good. It centered on the child of two recently immigrated Indian parents, Gogol Ganguli. He was given the name because it commemorated a tragic accident his father had been in - and survived - and his father's favorite author, Nikolai Gogol. (I keep wanting to type Google!) It kind of follows the family as Gogol grows and tries to distance himself from his heritage and, at times, his family.

It was a very educational book for me - I didn't grow up in a place where there were a lot of ...um, not white people (shout out - Yeah Elizabethtown!) I don't know that I've ever *really* pondered what it must be like for a first generation immigrant family. This was a book where I feel like I got a glimpse of that struggle. For his parents, Ashima and Ashoke, their struggle was being so far away from the family and friends they grew up with. Additionally, watching their children grow up in America, as Americans, embracing Christmas as a secular holiday, and have a world of opportunities and be exposed to a world of vices they did not have themselves. For Gogol, it was being torn between his parents' traditional and stifling Bengali traditions which didn't integrate easily into his Americanized life and the normal kidhood everyone strives to have. But he struggled to fit in with others because his confidence was stunted because of his name and unclear identity. At one point in the book, they talk about ABCD's - American-born Confused Deshis, which seemed really appropriate to Gogol's struggle.

Gogol's name was a very central character in this book. It made me wish I knew more about the original Gogol...but he's a Russian author and I have a feeling it'd be boring :) Essentially, he grew up a child in America with a Russian first name and an Indian last name and was totally ashamed of both, leading to some identity issues and a surprising amount of soul searching. I'll definitely think twice before I saddle a kid with a weird name!!!!

Parts of the book dragged... and until the *very* end I really didn't know if I was going to come away with a positive overall view of the book. But the end was really moving and really fitting and satisfying.

A quote I liked from near the end, as Gogol is going through his childhood room and reminiscing on the events of his life:

"...And yet these events have formed Gogol, shaped him, determined who he is. They were things for which it was impossible to prepare but which one spent a lifetime looking back at, trying to accept, interpret, comprehend. Things that should never have happened, that seemed out of place and wrong, these were what prevailed, what endured, in the end." - p 287

Going Green

So, down here in NC we are in the midst of a big drought. And even though Cary doesn't have as strict restrictions as some parts of the Triangle, I've become more mindful about how we use what we've got. I think that this mindfulness has spilled over (no pun intended) to other areas of our life and we've decided to slowly phase into a greener lifestyle. Even if you don't buy into global warming or whatever, it seems like if everyone could use less "stuff" that it would be better for the planet - and why would it be bad to do something good for the planet? Ok, I'm starting to sound like my 9 yr old self while reading 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save The Earth.

We're not the perfect green family yet. We still drive 2 Jeeps, which we'll be changing within a few months. I think a major criteria for the Green changes we make will be how big of an impact it has to our lifestyle and budget.

Green Goals:
1. In the upcoming months, I would like to totally phase out store-bought cleaners. I think I can make my own! I recently discovered this website and think any combination of these cleaners would be doable.

http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm

I already do make my own kitchen cleaner (for cleaning off the counters and cabinets after I cook and whatnot.) It's super easy and works well, and it's also a LOT cheaper than buying Windex Kitchen Cleaner or whatever crap we were using before. I got the "recipe" from Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. It's 1 tbsp dishwashing soap and 1 cup warm water into a spray bottle, and totally does the trick.

2. Today we were at Trader Joe's and I saw something that intrigued me. I got 2 washable kitchen cloths...in hopes of dramatically reducing our paper towel usage and waste. They're kind of like shammy cloths - very absorbent and you can wring them out. And I intend to wash them weekly to keep them, you know, not nasty.

3. And in the more "extended" future (as in within the next year or so) we'll be on the market for another car to replace the Wrangler. We will definitely be getting a more fuel efficient smaller car, possibly even a hybrid. And down the road we'd love to get a Hybrid SUV to replace my Jeep. Hopefully in the coming years they'll become more available and the prices will come down a little.

That's all I can think of for now - but I've made a "Green" Tag so I hope to do some update posts as I check some of these off my list and think of more :) In the words of Michael Jackson and my first favorite song:

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror,
I'm asking him to change his ways,
And no message could have been any clearer.
If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make the change."