verbatim

More Movies

I have to start keeping track of what induces me to move a particular movie to the top of my Netflix queue. This time it was "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," which someone must have persuaded me was a must-see. It's not. This story of a man (Casey Affleck) who goes to prison for a crime his pregnant girlfriend (Rooney Mara) committed just didn't quite do it for me. I honestly don't know what the point of the movie was; it was so slow that I thought I must have missed something. I like Affleck well enough (although Andy had a terrible time understanding his quiet drawl), but there just wasn't much to keep us interested.

Yesterday the whole family went to see "Noah." I didn't know a thing about it (except of course that it was going to be a retelling of the biblical story of Noah's ark). A dat later and I still don't know what I thought about the movie! I'm glad I saw it, and it was interesting and exciting and thought-provoking, but it was also really strange—particularly "The Watchers," which did not feel even remotely biblical to me as portrayed, more sci-fi-ish. I mostly enjoyed the struggles of the various characters to follow their hearts and convictions. I'd be interested to hear what any of my readers thought of the movie. (Although if you're going to say you didn't like simply because it doesn't follow the story exactly as presented in Genesis, you can hold your breath. This isn't a documentary, after all, and the story in the Bible, even if you believe it is true, is very short and leaves room for plenty of details to be fleshed in. I'm all for filmmakers embellishing existing stories as they wish.)

If Found...

A couple of weeks ago I was on my way to pick up Julie from Bat Mitzvah tutoring (yes, round 3, eek!) when my phone rang. I saw on the caller ID that it was Julie, so I figured she was calling to say that she was done early or running late. I said "Hello" and had a split-second heart attack because it was a man's voice on the other end! Luckily he was smart and kind enough to say right away, "Hi, I was out jogging and found this pink LG phone, so I looked at the Contacts and chose 'Mom.'" He described where he found it, which is on the way from our house to the bus stop, so clearly it had fallen out of Julie's backpack and she never noticed! He lives in our neighborhood, although I don't know him, so I drove over and picked it up. We are so lucky that it didn't fall in a puddle or get run over by a truck—and that it was found by a good samaritan! (You may recall that Pete once lost his phone, and within hours I got an email from AT&T saying that the data charges on his phone had just gone through the roof. For the record, they were really nice about not charging me.)

Anyhow, I got to thinking that if Julie had a smartphone with a lock screen, the jogger wouldn't have been able to get to her Contacts. That's the case with my iPhone—if you don't know my password (and aren't a hacker), you can only make a 911 call from the lock screen. So I downloaded an app called Contact Lockscreen Info, which lets you add 2 or 3 lines of text to your lockscreen. It's free if you use one of their wallpaper images or a whopping $0.99 if you want to use your own photo, like this:

Obviously I blanked out the phone number here, but just as obviously it's my home landline and not my iPhone number. If you don't have a landline, you could type in your email address or whatever. You can adjust the size of the type and the color of the banner, too. Nifty idea, huh? (Pete pointed out that writing your contact info on a piece of masking tape and sticking it to the back of your phone is not only free but also still readable even if the phone is dead. He's right, but I like this better, and I figure if a nice person wants to return my dead iPhone to me, they'd just plug it in, as I would if I found one on the street.)

99% Done

The bathroom is nearly finished! 

We still need the sconces on either side of the mirror, but here's the vanity with marble top (and a big mess because we haven't started putting things away yet) (and my hair looks insane):

You can't slam the drawers and cabinets—they just gently ease closed when you give them a little push. 

And here's the finished shower enclosure:

We still have to install the handle on the diverter for the hand-held shower.

Other than that, all we need are the accessories (towel bars, toilet paper holder, etc.) and a few other minor tweaks.

Andy hasn't tried the steam yet (this weekend!), but so far his favorite thing is the "soft-close" toilet. As with the drawers and cabinets, you drop the lid and it closes, slowly and silently, all by itself. Violet finds it intriguing, too:

Zero Gravity*

The other day we watched** "Gravity," and all I can say is "Meh." (Which I did in fact say on Twitter, prompting Diane to reply, "Meh, exactly. Honestly, the alligators could have eaten her in the swamp, and I wouldn’t have cared.") Andy agreed, but Pete liked it.

You know I adore George Clooney, but frankly he's not in the movie that much, and he didn't have such a meaty character. And you also know I can't stand Sandra Bullock, and she's in it the whole time, so that was obviously a big part of the problem. I just had no interest in what happened. And the efforts to flesh out the characters didn't really work for me.

One thing, though, is that if I ever thought of going into space, you can forget about it now. Never. I won't even go scuba diving. In fact, any activity where there's a chance of running out of oxygen and you can count me out.

I really can't believe it won so many awards, but there you go. (Also, because I heart  Neil deGrasse Tyson so much, I can't ignore the scientific errors he pointed out in the film—although he claims to have liked it. One of his main complaints was one of mine, too: "Why Bullock, a medical doctor, is servicing the Hubble Space Telescope.")

*What Neil deGrasse Tyson said the movie should have been named if scientific accuracy was involved. Then he decided on "Angular Momentum" instead. 

**I say "watched" because we watched it on our ginormous-screen TV. I usually say "saw" when I go to the cinema. I am aware that some of you will claim that the reason I did not appreciate "Gravity" was that I did not see it at the cinema, but I don't think that would have made me like Sandra Bullock any more—indeed, there would have been more of her to dislike.

3 Things I Forgot to Mention Last Week

Thing 1: Steph turned 17 in December, which means that more than a year had passed since she could have gotten her Learner's Permit for driving. She just wasn't interested. But then last week she got interested all of a sudden, and started studying, and went for the test, and passed! I let her drive the last 1/4 mile home from the RMV. Now I know what it feels like to be a grownup.

Thing 2: Also last week, we went to visit Wheelock College, which is right next door to Simmons. So everything we loved about Simmons's location we obviously loved about Wheelock too, and the whole Colleges of the Fenway thing. We were there on the Friday before spring break, though, so we didn't get to see as much action, and we didn't get to see a dorm room, but we did see the lovely cafe, library, common area of a dorm, a classroom, and so on. Everything looked great, and they have a terrific Early Childhood Education program, so we have another school to put up at the top of the list.

Thing 3: On Saturday I went with a group from my temple to the Greater Boston Food Bank for an afternoon of volunteering. We had to sort the donated food products by category (cereal, juice, pasta, etc.), ensure that the packaging is intact, check the expiration date, and put into boxes. The bins full of food come down a big conveyor belt, and when things heat up, you feel like I Love Lucy working at the chocolate factory! But in truth there's no worry, because it's more like an airport baggage carousel—if you miss something the first time, it comes back around eventually. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun, and at the end they told us how many thousands of pounds of food we had packed up for needy families, and it was a lot (though I forget the number). I can't wait to go back.

Pasta and Cheese Monday

Andy was in New York on Monday, so for Meatless Monday I made something that he doesn't love but the rest of us do: classic mac & cheese. (Yes, I know I complain that Meatless Monday invariably ends up being some variation on pasta and cheese, but, well, it's soooo good.) I mostly used Mark Bittman's recipe. It was delicious right out of the oven, but leftovers the next day were just eh, so make this for a group that will eat it all at once.

Macaroni and Cheese

2½ cups milk
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup bread crumbs

Heat the oven to 400°. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let it stand.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water to the point where you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.

In another small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Add about ¼ cup of the hot milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk, and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir.

Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss in the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper. Dump the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top  with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve piping hot.

 

And Now for Something Completely Different

Book group met last night to discuss The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. Add this to the list of books I never would have picked up if it hadn't been assigned. I thought it would be too much in the sci-fi/fantasy realm—not a realm I am fond of—but in fact it was more magical and just plain interesting.

In some ways it's just your average novel about immigrant life in New York City at the turn of the last century. But what makes it different is that the two main characters are not human. Chava is a golem, a manmade clay creature brought to life to serve one master. Here's the official definition of golem: "In Jewish folklore, an image that comes to life. From the Middle Ages stories were told of wise men who could bring clay effigies to life by means of magic charms or sacred words." Ahmed, on the other hand, is a jinni. (Scrabble players will recognize that as an alternative spelling of genie; djinni, djinn(s), djin(s), jinni, jinn(s), and jin(s) are all good Scrabble words to keep in mind if you have a J on your rack!) And what's a jinni? "In Arabic mythology, any of the supernatural spirits less powerful than angels or devils. Evil spirits of air or fire, they could take animal or human form and could dwell in inanimate objects or under the earth."

So, yeah, not your run-of-the-mill historical novel right off the bat. But it's a credit to Wecker that it reads like one, as long as you remind yourself every now and then that the main characters aren't human.

Everyone in the group really liked the book (well, one a little less than the rest of us). It was a bit too long but always interesting and suspenseful, as Chava and Ahmed make their way in their new lives while trying not to be found out by the humans around them. They also don't realize that there is an evil threat looming over them from some mystical black magic that has fallen into the wrong hands.

Even if you don't think you like fantasy novels, I urge you to give this one a try. It's really well written and endlessly fascinating and unlike anything I've ever read before.

Next month we are doing Mary Coin by Marisa Silver. 

A Whole Decade

Ten years is a long time to do anything, but blogging? A decade in blog years is, like, eons. But here I am, 10 years to the day since I first hit that big green PUBLISH button. 

My kids have grown from ages 2, 4, and 7 to 12, 14, and 17, which is mind-blowing enough. I was still buying Pull-Ups when I first started blogging, and now I'm visiting prospective colleges. Man.

I've made many new friends via this blog, kept old friends apprised of what's going on in my little world, and generally just continued babbling. And I want to thank every one of you—frequent readers, lurkers, visitors—for sticking around and being part of this. 

The Internet was a different place in 2004—blogs were just starting to really boom, although now by all accounts they're heading for extinction. Twitter and Instagram and Flickr and Tumblr didn't even exist (nor iPhones!), and Facebook was a one-month-old experiment just for college students. But through it all, you've hung in there and read my stuff, taking time to comment on-line or via email (or, increasingly, on Facebook or Twitter), and for that I'll always be awed and grateful. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: You are the reason I do this, because otherwise I'd just keep a private journal. It's all about the conversation.

Warmest thanks for hanging in there and helping me make it into the Ten-Year Club.

Slow Cooking

Every 5 or 6 six years I remember that I have a slow cooker, and today was the most recent occurence. I made this chicken recipe, which was delicious except that the sauce didn't thicken up as promised, so it was more like a juicy consistency. Maybe next time I will boil it on the stove for a bit. There was also quite a bit of sauce/juice (likely because it didn't thicken up?), so I think I would up the chicken a bit so as to have more leftovers. (It called for 6–8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and I used 8, but 10 or 12 wouldn't be a bad idea. It also said you could use 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead, but I can't imagine why you would want to do that.) Finally, it's called "Sesame Chicken," but the only thing sesame-ish about it is the toasted sesame seed garnish, which was barely noticeable. Maybe try a hint of toasted sesame oil in place of some of the vegetable oil...?

Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken

6–8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or a combination
½ cup honey
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable  oil (Maybe replace some of this with toasted sesame oil next time, like 2 teaspoons or so?)
1–2 tablespoons chili paste (I used about 2 teaspoons of sriracha.)
¼ cup minced scallions
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons cornstarch
⅓ cup water
4 to 6 cups cooked rice (We used brown.)
Sesame seeds, for garnish
3 scallions, sliced, for garnish (Whoops, didn't have any scallions left for garnish.)

Season the chicken with  salt and pepper and put into the slow cooker.

Combine the honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, oil, chili paste, scallions, and garlic in a bowl; mix well. Pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 3–4 hours. (I turned the chicken pieces once so they'd absorb more flavor.)

Remove the chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Cool the chicken slightly and shred into bite-size pieces.

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add the mixture to the slow cooker; stir to combine with the sauce. Cover and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. (As I mentioned above, maybe next time I'll put it in a saucepan and cook it harder on the stovetop so it'll thicken up better.)

Return the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat. Divide the rice among serving dishes and top with chicken. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

More Potty Talk

We are in the home stretch of our bathroom renovation project (see here and here if you haven't been following along). We had forgotten that we wanted an "accent" stripe in the midst of the white subway tiles in the shower, but luckily we weren't too far along (no grouting yet) and it was easy enough to do:

That's the same tile we're having on the floor:

 

We have to tile the part of the ceiling that's over the shower because we're having a steam shower! (For Andy, not for me.) Amazing how putting the tiles diagonally looks so much nicer than straight:

Most importantly, of course, is that the kitties get to hang out on (and under) the dropcloths every day: