Bread makin'

I indicated in the last post that I have start making bread. One of life's great frustrations in graduate school is an immense feeling of guilt when you pursue hobbies instead of dissertation studies. That is particularly true now, that I am done with classes, my days consist of unstructured time and I have only myself to blame for any lack of progress. So, although I would love to start crafting, woodworking, playing with bikes, etc., but I don't usually let myself. But baking, I figure, is a marketable skill that also delivers immediate returns and helps the marriage, all at the same time! So, to that end, I have started collecting cookbooks, baguette pans, pastry cutters, and mixing bowls to assist me on my way (oh, yes, baking is a wonderfully gear-oriented pursuit). I've had a few successes and failures, tried cheese bread, ciabatta, whole wheat, cinnamon rolls, and ...  English muffins.

In my mind, this was one of the holy grails of making bread: being able to bust out English muffins before breakfast would forgive a lot of sins, so I was excited to give it a shot. Interestingly, you don't bake the muffins at all, but instead pour them into crumpet rings dusted with cornmeal and fry them. Who knew!?! The crumpet rings that I acquired were slightly too big for our pan, but things generally worked pretty well, and the results were tasty.

 Toasting on the fry pan...

 A closeup. You can see the cornmeal covering the top.

The finished product. We didn't take any photos of the nooks and crannies, but I can assure you that they were there.

Thanksgiving in Maine

It's been a cozy Thanksgiving week up here in Maine. Rebecca and I flew to Boston on Saturday, spent two fun-filled days with our friends Nick and Jess, then took the train up to Portland on Monday. We've been on Peak's Island all week with our buds Carol and Jackie. The weather has a distinct chill to it, but it has been sunny most days, so we were able to run around the island prior to our Thanksgiving feast.

We also sampled some of the local delecacies, including fresh lobstah, clam chowda, and silly accents. I've been getting into baking lately, which will be the subject of another post, but it was fun to have fresh-backed bread to go with your lobster dinner. I wish I had some more photos to put up, but, unfortunately, the designated photo-taker of the family, R-----a, takes the photos and hoards them for up to a year before they are able to be shared. The drawbacks of having a fancy camera: you have to process them before you can share them (and if you only process them once in a blue moon, nobody can see the photos until they've forgotten they wanted to. Sigh.) I guess I just have to keep re-learning the lesson that I should take any photos that I have any expectation of seeing in the near future. Cut out the middleman or woman, so to speak. Anyway there are a series of photos from the past month that capture all the fun that we've been having, but I'll have to wait to post them.

In the meantime, some photos, taken by Carol, of our cooking fun:

The aforementioned fresh bread

The lobsters getting ready to be enjoyed.

 Rebecca taking photos for her private collection

 Yummmyyy....

Contemplating where to begin on Thanksgiving

 A different view of our intimate dining table, Jackie on the RHS

lotses of visitors

Fall has arrived in DC (see below), and with the leaves, many visitors seem to be *dropping* by our place (get it, nudge wink nudge?) anyway, first Jesse, then Meredith and Adam, then Mads, soon Nick and Jess will be staying in the guest cottage aka the pull-out couch. It's been nice to see everybody, but October has been a complete blur. Add to that the temporary misplacement of my battery charger for the camera, and I haven't posted anything in awhile.

Nevertheless, here's to making up for lost time. I haven't talked about Matt, our new housemate, but he's an interesting guy. He took off after high school and worked on a few different ships (the sailing kind), serving as crew and visiting places like Haiti, Cuba, and the entire eastern seaboard. Apparently, there a few of these 'tall ship' sailing vessels that ply certain routes, go to festivals, and take students for live-aboard terms. And, because they are old technology, they take many people to crew. Matt came back from sailing after a few (5 maybe?) years, went to school at Maryland, and now works as an engineer in and around DC. His major project these days, however, is to build a log cabin by hand out near Shenandoah Nat'l Park on some land that he bought. So, he spent his summer and evenings after work putting rocks up for his foundation, and will eventually put logs on top of that. As you can see, he's a pretty interesting individual. And he's only twenty-eight!

All of this biography is to lead up to the photos, which I took last weekend when we went out with some friends to visit the cabin and hike around. The leaves are in color, and it was a really fun day. This weekend should be full of adventure too, with Halloween parties, high school football games, and more visitors. Stay tuned for more photos!

The super secret waterfall that Matt took us to near his cabin

 Matt in tour-guide mode

 Gratuitous water/leave artsy shot

brunch the next day including old housemates Meredith and Adam on rhs

A-B-D

So I (finally) crossed the threshold and got a dissertation approved by my committee! That means, I can now kick back for the next 8 years and finish my dissertation.

I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do with myself, but this past weekend, featuring a trip to West Virginia with Rebecca's work friends, was nice. One coworker has a beautiful house up in the mountains, complete with saltwater pool, and we spent a relaxing few days up there running, swimming, and listening to a bluegrass band at an outdoor concert.


That being said, I didn't take any photos. The photos below are from a our trip to Minnesota at the beginning of August. Here is Rebecca howling at the sled dog operation we visited...

And the obligatory wedding guest photo

Ok, this is awesome

I was killing a few minutes today, and I quickly added this to my must-have list. Perhaps it's the engineer in my, but I love gadgets that have more than one function. Santa, are you listening?
You may also consider browsing that site if you're looking for great gift ideas. Samurai sword umbrella, anyone?

Karunch time

One Friday morning, long ago, when Rebecca was out of town (mid-April) ....I was biking to school, which is a nice way to get some exercise. The route that I take to school is not the nicest trip, but it's a nice compromise between riding through city traffic and using trails when available. Anyway, Friday morning I was riding this path to work when - oh no! - bikesaster struck.

Riding down a hill about halfway there, my foot slipped off the pedal, the crank kept spinning (it's a fixed-gear bike), whipped around and hit my foot, causing the bike to keel over and dump me on my head! I skidded to a stop and rolled over to a curb. Fortunately, there were no cars behind me. Even more fortunately, I was wearing a helmet, which sacrificed itself to save me. I heard it crack with the impact. The immediate damage: a few broken spokes on my wheel, a cracked helmet, and some scraped up hand and leg parts. A good Samaritan came over to offer help and gave me some napkins he had. Plus, I was only a few hundred yards from the metro station, so I walked back and locked my bike there, then went to the health center at school.

.......This incident is notable for several reasons. 1. I have a wicked scar to prove it happened. 2. I finally downloaded the photos that I took of my bent bike frame (below) after it happened. And, most importantly, 3. I finally (almost) have an able replacement. By this weekend, my new roadster should be ready for unvieling. So, enjoy the photos, and the anticipation!


Hmm...this photos seemed more dramatic at the time. You can see above the fork is bent funny - the two sides should be parallel. You can also see the frame, where it says 'schwinn' is bulged inwards. Which means it is bent.
In fact, the thing is bent so much the wheel now hits the frame and it is unrideable. So sad. But, onto my next bike (stay tuned)

Du montreal

It's been a crazy few weeks: parents, weddings, canadians, and more parents! First, Carl and Debi visited us on the way back from London. It came at a busy time: Rebecca had some deadlines at work that were non-negotiable, and I was preparing a presentation for a conference in Montreal. In the event, they arrived Tuesday afternoon, we met for dinner and checked into a B&B. Staying at our house was mulled about, but it was decided, due to the 90+ degree heat and humidity, that they would be more comfortable in an air conditioned space. Wednesday, we all took off to go to Spa World (after watching the US beat Algeria). It was Rebecca and my birthday present to the two of them. Spa World is a 24-hour Korean run spa center: baths, jets, pools of various temperatures, many saunas, the works. It was an extremely relaxing stay, where we spent 5ish hours chilling out, then came back into town for dinner.

The next day, CD and I just cruised around town. We took in a few soccer games, did some shopping, watched Toy Story 3, and just generally hung out. It was a very fun time. AFter dropping them Friday at the airport, we drove down to Richmond to attend Alex and Amy's wedding. Alex is an old friend from college, and it was really great to see their event and meet more of their friends and family.

Saturday night we made the drive back to DC, took Sunday to do some work and catch up, then I left Monday to Montreal for the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists, at which I presented a paper. This was also during the Montreal jazz festival, which features concerts every day, some free and some not, but it was just a very fun atmosphere. Montreal is a great city anyway, but it was especially exciting last week. The Ng family came over from Toronto on Wednesday, and Rebecca flew up that night, so we were all able to meet up for dinner and to spend some time together. The conference itself was good too - met some folks, gave my talk, and learned a lot.

Hanging out with nephew Nathan at a park
Street shopping with Gabe and Sandra
Rebecca poses with moose in old town Montreal
Rebecca, with my classmate Adan and his girlfriend Liz, set out for a Bixi ride

DC Folks

The Rents were in town visiting Rebecca and I, on their return from visiting sister Lisl in England. The timing was a bit troublesome: mid-week, during the hottest weather so far this summer. Of course, we don't have A/C in the house, so we wisely insisted they stay somewhere that did. This led to a more harmonious visit. They arrived late Tues, and we pretty much just had a bite to eat then went to bed. Wed, we started things off by watching the US defeat Algeria in an incredible soccer match. We watched in a hotel bar with a bunch of random folks. It was stressful because the game was so close, but in the end it was great.

We followed the game up by renting a car and heading to the suburbs, where we treated Carl and Debi to a day at Spa World. Despite the name, it's not a place that sells spa equipment, but rather a huge Korean-run spa building with various pools, jets, tubs, showers, and saunas at different temperatures. You pay a flat fee to get in, then cruise around and just relax. There is a men only area with the pools etc., then a mixed area with different types of saunas and a food court. I don't think it is quite what the rents would ask for, but I think that they enjoyed it in the end. We followed it up with a dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

And tomorrow it's off to friend Alex's wedding, then back to DC for a day, then I head up to Montreal for a conference and Rebecca joins me midweek. bye for now.

Rebecca hogs the spotlight, Kennedy center in the background

Mom and Dad enjoy the swelter of DC evening.

What a beautiful morning

In case you were on a different planet these last few days and weeks, the World Cup is in full effect. The US capped a dramatic first round with an incredible last minute victory yesterday, and it seems that everybody is getting into the action. Here in DC, they even put up TVs in the middle of busy downtown parks so that people could watch the action. Of course, this is old hat for nations with a bigger futbol culture, but it's really exciting to see here.

In my department at school, the multinational composition of the students makes for some pretty heated debates and exciting watching. If you haven't been checking it out yet, it's not too late! The tournament runs until July 11, and it is already very memorable. In the meantime, U-S-A! U-S-A!

Mr. Gans goes to Washington

Dad came out to visit this past weekend. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but we managed to make it to a soccer game, the 'Newseum': a museum dedicated to journalists and news coverage on the mall, and enjoyed a series of pleasant dinners and leisurely brunches in the spring (bugless) weather. It was a nice little trip. The Newseum, in particular, has some very powerful images in their Pullitzer exhibit, a chunk of the Berlin wall complete with cement watch tower, and handful of other interesting thing that we shied away from due to the large number of obnoxious kids that seemed to be shadowing us through the place. I was especially sad not to be able to try the 'news reporter' exhibit where you get to be the on air talent. I had some really good one-liners, a plastic smile, and a genuine-sounding laugh I was going to bust out for the occasion. Next time, I guess. C'est la vie.

For dinner on Saturday we went to Montmarte, a fancy french place in Capitol hill. The food was delicious, and it seemed like an auspicious meal to bookend my entry into vegetarianism - for the remainder of my life, or until I advance to PhD candidacy, whichever comes first. I am hoping the deprivation will be just the push I need to make some swift progress this summer. So far so good, but I have to admit that the vegetarian options and most restaurants, especially latin american ones that I normally love, generally suck. But, that's the sacrifice I guess. Wish me a speedy return...
At the DC united game with friend Ben. The team lost, but hey, the seats were good.
The view from the Newseum balcony, looking towards the capitol. The Canadian embassy over Rebecca's right shoulder, obscuring an otherwise lovely view.
The other side of the Capitol, during our post dinner walk back towards home.

Happy Birthday to me! (and Eric)

Well, after crashing my bike and living to tell about it, I flew out to San Diego to meet Rebecca and attend Nick's (a friend from Cal) wedding. The weather, expected to be delightful, was an un-California-like cold and rainy 55F when we arrived. "El Nino", some say. Ill-equipped in my boardshorts and sandals, we nevertheless went hiking in a nature reserve area near Temecula, where friends Jeff and Kim live. This had the perhaps inevitable result that one of my sandals pulled off in the tacky mud (the kind that cakes on the bottom of your shoes and become progressively higher until it feels like you're wearing platforms) and I had to walk the remaining few miles barefoot with mud between my toes. After completing our adventure, we quickly retired to a local restaurant for some delicious Mexican food. We returned to the house to do work (Rebecca) and chop wood, pick grapefruit and tangerines, and play with dogs (Will). A delicious grilled chicken-lamb dinner awaited us with the falling of the sun. Kim, who has graduated from chef school to motherhood, did her best to convince our tastebuds that it was time to move back to California. A few lbs later, I was ready to agree.

We left the next (Fri) morning to head downtown to San Diego and check things out. We walked around Mission Bay, had lunch in Pacific Beach, and strolled the cliffs at La Jolla - all in (now) very California-like 75F degree weather. If anything could convince Rebecca to move to California, it was a day like that. Let's just say, she didn't say 'no'. After wrapping up the afternoon, we ventured back up to see two other friends, Chris and Jen, who live in Escondido. There, we enjoyed a heated round of darts and croquet, as well as some homemade carne asada. Mmmm.

Saturday we went back into San Diego, picked up friend Sid (who was also going to the wedding) at the airport, checked into the hotel, went to the wedding (ate, toasted, laughed, cried), then called it a night and woke up in time to make our 7am flight back to perdition. I mean DC. Besides being a bumpy landing into Dulles, the flight was notable for Rebecca having convinced the flight attendants to sing happy birthday to me: in fact, they got everyone to close their window shades, turn on their overhead lights, and sing me happy birthday. When I 'blew' out the candles, they turned their lights off. It was really hilarious and really special. Thanks Rebecca and Southwest Airlines flight attendants! Our housemates, Meredith and Adam, picked us up at the airport with party hats and whistles, and cooked another delicious dinner besides, so it really was a special birthday.


The groom and me at the Mission Bay wedding
Sid and I sporting the cool Junior Ranger hats

Sid, Rebecca and me at Point Loma overlooking Coronado
With Chris and Jen at their home near Escondido.

The aforementioned delicious dinner with roommates at home.

Un movee from Frahnce

After leaving Norway on Thursday, I flew into CDG, trained into Paris. There, I met up with friend Franck, we went to a nice restaurant for dinner, walked around his neighborhood (st. germain), then retired for the evening.

The next several days were spent wandering around, taking photos, visiting musee d'orsay, renting velib bikes, eating, shopping, and generally enjoying Paris with my friend. It is easy to lose track of time whilst dining at cafes with really good food and looking at all of the lovely buildings and museums.

Franck is a former coworker of mine from Boston, and, although French, he spent enough time traveling around in high school to speak (fluent) English with an American accent. He used my visit to practice this skill which he doesn't often get a chance to practice. Unfortunately, he tended to talk a little loud and in crowded places. Some of my favorites: while waiting in line for a movie, which meant queuing outside the theatre packed fairly tightly together, Franck to me: "oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, cutting in line is a French national sport!". And, any time while crossing the road close to a car: "Uhm excuse me! I'm trying to walk here!" ... Of course to all the world he sounds like an irate American. Meanwhile, the I'm trying to keep a low profile...didn't work so well, as you can imagine!

Update: I finally finished a video of my adventures with Franck and Beaker in Paris. Somewhere during the trip, we started recording clips, then we started staging scenes, and then... we got a bit carried away. It's a bit long, but I'm not trying to break into film making, so that's okay. Without further ado, enjoy!

Oslo on the quick

Went into Oslo on Wednesday, saw the sites. Vigeland Park, the Fortress, the Nobel Peace Prize museum and Norwegian resistance museum (from the outside), the national gallery, as well as a norwegian salvation army! It was a very enjoyable day with my lovely sister. I didn't get photos from all the exciting places we visited, but here's a few more...


The view from the top of Holmenkollen, above where the national ski jump area is. This view is from a cafe, there is a ski mountain behind me, a nursery school that meets off the parking lot down to the left, a xcountry ski track that goes directly in front of us, just beyond those two buildings, and the start of the sled run: to the left of the building in front. Oslo is in the background.
At the royal residence in Oslo. In the background is an army guard with a fancy tassel hat, a gun, and little kids pestering him.
One of the many cafes in Oslo. Note that it's ~ zero celsius, and although this cafe has heat lamps, many don't. But they all have some sort of fur or skins on all the seats so your butt doesn't get cold. Brilliant!
Some of the many sculptures in Vigeland park, where most of sculptor Gustav Vigeland's works are displayed.

Hei from Norge

I'm writing you from the frigid arctic air here in the Kingdom of Norway, where I'm visiting my lovely sister Lisl, her husband (also lovely) Rhodri, and the ninos Rhiannon and Tryfan. I arrived on Friday, so it's been 5 days so far. Initial thoughts: people really like snow and skiing here. Also, things are very expensive. Oh, and they say 'hei hei' when they great you in shops. It sounds like 'Hi hi', but with some intonation changes that I find hard to replicate.

Apart from those observations, and the usual stereotypes about boring Scandinavians, the bland personalities, the prevalence of German automobiles, the striking similarity of the way people look...I've found things here to be pretty great! For one thing, they're serious about exercise. Every town and neighborhood has a cross-country ski area in close proximity, and they're groomed daily. What's more, at least one area per town is floodlit, to be skied during the long arctic night! There are lots of ski-to huts which offer waffles, coffee and assorted other snacks. These huts are operated by each local ski club, and are generally open every weekend during the season. It's pretty cool to be able to leave my sister's house, drive a mile or so to a trail head, hop on some groomed ski tracks for 3 or so miles, and end up at a cabin with tables, fireplaces, and hot food. Of course, on the way to the cabin cafe ('hyttes' or huts - the generic name for a mountain cabin), you pass many a family that has pulled off the side of the trail, started a fire, and has some hot dogs cooking. It's the total weekend thing to do. No wonder Norwegians dominate the ski events: it's all they do in winter!

Well, not all. As it turns out, they're serious about soccer too. So serious, that every soccer club in every town has a year round field. Not indoor field, mind you, but an outdoor field with artificial turf and hot water pipes flowing underneath to keep the snow melted. It's surreal to drive by the huge snow drifts and see these square patches of green. It's not an idle pursuit either: every time we've passed one of these fields, people have been practicing on them. So, that's a serious check in the positive column: any country passionate enough about soccer to have year round pitches in the snow can't be all bad.

So far, to recount the activities of the last few days, we've skied thrice, played squash once, gone down a crazy (groomed) 3km sledding hill, checked out the museum which houses the ship Amundsen took on his voyage to the South Pole, gone to a shop which finishes reindeer and sheep skins, and made various trips to markets, bakeries, and shops (which, of course, is equally fascinating). Tomorrow we go to visit Oslo.

Below are selected photos and videos from the trip so far:

Lisl bargaining for reindeer skins at a crazy fur shop.
driving pas the holmenkollen skin jump above Oslo
Norwegian supermarket. Rhiannon and Tryfan are looking at the cow dancing out of the barn above the milk aisle. You push a little button on the wall, and the show starts with animals dancing and singing. It only lasts 30 secs, but it's cool.

Playing catch with Rhodri and Rhiannon. I love Tryfan's excited look in the background.
Lisl and I skiing on one of the many trails surrounding their house. Groomed nightly, of course.

southern snow

I realized that I hadn't posted any photos of the unseasonably large amounts of snowfall we had in February, affectionately known as Snowmaggedon 2.0 (1.0 was just before Christmas). It was officially the snowiest season ever in the district of columbia, and I was there to see it! I also sledded and snowboarded in my neighborhood, which was exciting for the novelty, if nothing else.

Although northern city newspapers love to report on how ill-prepared the city was to move the snow, how poorly the public transportation system fared, etc., all of that business is expected: after all, when you don't get snow very often, there is no reason to be prepared for it. The thing that surprised me was how quickly cooperation and civic spirit devolved into a 'me-first' mentality, whether it was finding a spot on the bus, fights over a parking space, or getting food from the grocery store. That's just human nature, I suppose, but it always frustrates me to see how quickly people turn ugly when something is rationed. Ah well, city life.

Enjoy the snow photos below...

Snow piling up outside our bedroom window
Don't call the tow truck! View of the tow truck stuck on our street (with car hooked up) for approximately 2 days.
As you can see, they didn't exactly get around to plowing the street for a little while...
View of snowing rooftops and the national cathedral in the background.

Snow Schmow

I've just arrived back in DC after be snow-exiled in NYC for the weekend. We left Friday 11am, just as the snow was falling, and all of the transportation options to get back into the city (included our first bus, and our rebooked bus) were canceled on Sunday. So, work had to be missed, and our trip to NY had to be extended. Spare a tear, really.

All of which is to say...no crazy photos of Rebecca and I in the snow in DC. Oddly enough, New York got maybe 2 inches of snow on Saturday during the DC snow deluge. It was definitely cold up there though. To satisfy your curiosity, I'm re-posting photos taken by my good friends John and Carrie and their Capitol Hill snow experience.

Also, it one of those I-don't-believe-it stories, our roommates skied from our house, through the streets, down to the memorials, and back. Happily, they made a video about. Enjoy!

Mustache Club

What do you think to yourself when you see a young, energetic man, reasonably well dressed, carrying himself respectfully, and going about his business in a dignified manner? You think nothing, right? But wait: Everything seems entirely normal about this city-dwelling fellow, except: he is mustachioed. You probably thought of something derogatory, didn't you?!

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot recently. In the movies, the characters with facial hair are the bad ones. Well, really only goatees and mustaches; Call it the Chuck Norris phenomenon or whatever, but bearded guys are usually on okay in movies. In fact the bearded young gentleman seems to be an increasingly common occurrence in my daily travels. The message is clear, the word is out: it's okay to be bearded. Even in the class of undergraduates I teach, there are a few bearded kids. That's really new, I can't remember a single classmate, bar the odd rebellious one, who had a beard when I did my undergrad (ten long years ago). Yet now, while perhaps not commonplace, the beard certainly does not draw the looks askance that the brother mustache does.

Yet, why? Why this mustache hatred? In many other parts of the world, thinking specifically of South Asian, the middle east and latin America, the mustache is a desired facial amenity. In fact, if you lined up all the men in the world side by side, I suspect somewhere near 20% might have mustaches. For some myseterious reason though, those men wouldn't be in America. We've all heard the quips about cops and hicks wearing mustaches. Back in the 70s, though, mustaches were cool for non-cops too! What the heck happened? Did mustaches get associated with afros and bellbottoms and suffer their same fate? Do you have to be a truck driver or 'uncivilized' type to sport a mustache? I see many older gentlemen sporting the stache. But their is a mustache-sized hole in the membership of that club: men under 40.

The mustache has so much going for it. It is more hygenic than the beard. It is easier to care for. It doesn't trap nearly as much food or other random treasures. If anything, the mustache is like an aristocratic beard: the same thing only better. It can be waxed, shaped, curled and styled. It can be brushed, dyed, or scented. In short, it is a versatile tool for the adornment of any man's face.

Like all good things, I expect the mustache to make a comeback. As alluded to earlier, the beard is now showing up in strange places, and where the beard goes, the mustache follows. And I'm not talking about purpose-driven, isolated events like movember or halloween parties. I'm talking about walking around, sporting a stache, and not getting funny looks: I'm talking about social acceptance. We're not there yet. But we will be. And I, my friends, I will be waiting.

Battle of the Bulge

I've been feeling the after-effects of a holiday season filled with intense eating. Combined with the cold weather, the extra lbs I've been carrying around have made it more difficult to get excited about going running, swimming, biking, or exercising in general. It turns out that recovery from any abnormal or traumatic event, such as eating heavy meals of salty meat three times a day for two weeks, takes more time as one ages. It seems I'll be struggling under an extra winter layer for a few weeks yet. Curse all those delicious family meals!

And yet this week the weather warmed up and we were able to ride bikes in the pleasant 50F weather. A friend from college, Nick, was in town visiting this weekend. After riding to and from the pool for a nice swim workout, he suggested that we cash in our brownie points for an afternoon of football watching. And, really, who was I to refuse? The three of us (Rebecca, Nick, and me) made a dent in the meal you see below, but regretted it for the remainder of the evening.

My stomach can't possibly be as big as those eyes! Lazy weekend football meal, 1/16/10