Delicious!

I tried this new recipe tonight. Justin LOVED it- which is unusual. He usually is pretty indifferent to food and will say it was "good" but tonight he loved it. I had had this butternut squash for almost two weeks and was needing to use it but procrastinating trying the recipe for curry that David gave me (all of those spices overwhelm me!) so I went in search of another idea. While it isn't as adventurous as the pumpkin potato curry that David made (meaning it didn't require ingredients like "asafetida" and "fenugreek seeds") it actually was the first time I cooked with fresh sage leaves and the first time I pan-fried pasta. The result is wonderful. This took me about an hour and a half but the outcome was delicious so I thought I'd share.

Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Pine Nuts
feeds 4

1 medium butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. (Note: The raw squash rind can irritate your hands. If they start to itch or tingle, wear gloves.) Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the fresh sage leaves and also toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. (Don't let it start smoking.) Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until they begin to just shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

(Repeat the last step with the rest of the ingredients. We split it into two because none of our pans are big enough to accommodate the entire recipe. It's very important that you not crowd the pan too much - you want the pasta to really pan-fry, not just steam up.)

I even took a picture:

Chilly Willy

Today's high is 59 degrees which is CHILLY for Santa Barbara. It makes me feel like winter is coming and gets me even more excited for our trip back home. Yesterday I saw a commercial that showed the outside of a house that was covered in Christmas lights and snow and I almost got giddy at the thought that we will be back in Iowa in less than a month!

I think I'm going to start listening to Christmas music this week- Justin protested but I think I'm going to anyway. I am so ready! I see people on facebook reporting that they're hearing Christmas music on the radio already- do any of you Santa Barbarian's know which local stations play Christmas music??

Family- I can't wait to see you and I love you so much!

Touche Marissa.

I told you I'd been whining- check out Marissa's blog post.

The Sunday Blues

I can't help it. I know I just had 4 days off, and Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and Christmas break is exactly 35 days away. But I can't help it- I've got the Sunday Blues. I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

Yes, I like my job.
Yes, I am grateful that I HAVE a job.
Yes, I need money.
Yes, I just had 4 days off.

It's not rational, right? I may be the queen of irrational!

Case in point:
The weather here has been driving me bonkers lately. I literally groan about the fact that the sky is so blue that it hurts my eyes. I have to spend my entire run squinting because it is SO sunny. I'm over it! I want clouds! I want snow! I'm O-V-E-R it! It's November for heaven's sake- this Iowa girl wants WINTER!!!

Told you- irrational. My California friends roll their eyes when I complain about the weather. I don't blame them- it's ridiculous. I can't help it- the feeling that is- but I can try not to complain. :)

So Thanksgiving is coming up and we are planning to spend it with our California family (the Folmars!) down in the OC. Last year we went down with them and had a lot of fun. Marissa was 4 months pregnant then, and now we have the wonderful Sydney Allison (aka Cupcake) to entertain us. Looking forward to getting away- even thought it will likely be sunny and even warmer than Santa Barbara.

35 days until Iowa.

It is a powerful notion

Every once in awhile my husband gets a GEM of an email that I can't resist sharing.

Undergrads. So naive. So clueless.

Here's the email:

********************

I received a non-pass. I feel as if it was because I was unable to properly express my thoughts into words for the essay on God. It's very difficult to do so in such a short period of time (people have been unable to prove Anselm for centuries, let alone a month), and I feel as if I could prove my belief that Anselm's Ontological Argument is, in fact, correct to you... if you would be willing to consider taking time out of your schedule to lend me your ears and eyes, and, if I did convince you, be willing to look into the situation of my grade.

After all, you are a philosophy teacher who is interested in the betterment of the soul by attaining knowledge. Does this not sound like an enticing philosophical offer?

Let me know when and if you're ready to believe in God.

It is a powerful notion.

Thank you for your time,
(Name has been removed to protect the ridiculous)
*****************

Justin's response:

Dear _______,

It's almost September. As a philosopher, I would love to hear your take on Anselm's argument. Having a discussion about the existence of God would surely contribute to the betterment of both of our souls. However, as a professor, it's part of my job to make sure students learn how the real world works. You can't do an assignment three and a half months later and expect your grade to change. So, although it does sound like an enticing philosophical offer, it is not an administrative option. Nice try. (P.S. I've believed in God ever since the day I wrote a paper on Anselm in my first intro class. You're right- It IS a powerful notion.)

Sincerely,

Justin Clark
*****************

Priceless.

Quotes of the week

I love teaching. As much as this year has been clouded so far by the politics, and feeling invisible, it is an indisputable fact that I love to teach. I'm trying to get back to, get focused on, get entrenched in that love and passion as much as possible, and block out the B.S. that threatens to demoralize me. A couple of gems popped out this week (with only two days of instruction!) that I have to share.

The first one needs a little background- I recently had the opportunity to see a SMART Board-- one of the teachers at my school uses one. It's an interactive whiteboard. I won't bore you with details, but it would be an AMAZING tool to have when teaching music notation. So my colleagues suggested that I ask for one. I asked and the answer was no- they can't justify the expense for a part-time teacher.

I'm not here to rant about that response-- the response it is what it is. Here's the funny part:

I did a lesson on notation this week with a projector (something like an overhead projector, except it projects whatever is on my computer screen). The lesson went really well. But at the end of the lesson a 3rd grade student, who is new to our district, says to me, "You know, you REALLY need a SMART Board."

Ha! Priceless. From the mouths of babes.

The second gem came from a kindergarten student: At the end of class, I was walking them to recess when one of them says to me "Did you know that I'm rich?"

Me: "No! I didn't know!"

Kid: "I'm really rich. I promise."

Me: "Cool!"

I mean, what else do you say??!

I love teaching- kids rock.

Red Rock with the Demmins!

Last Saturday we went into the back country to visit Red Rock with the Demmins! Red Rock is this awesome swimming hole that you hike to with huge boulders that you can climb and then jump off of into the water! I didn't take my camera with me but on the way out Jane fell asleep in her backpack as David was carrying her back so I had to snap a picture with my cell phone- it was too cute!

She didn't even wake up when David took the pack off! Soo worn out!

Goofball!

I had the pleasure of watching Jane Ella Demmin last Friday while her mom and dad had to attend a funeral. She is getting so big and smart and SO funny! As I was getting ready to leave she slipped on her dad's shoes- always a goofball! I have a feeling she's going to be blessing people with laughter for a long long time!

Maybe Clumsy IS the Word?!

As you can see by my picture, I'm a big fan of the SUPER Big Gulp. I'm a fan of drinking SUPER Big Gulps filled with Diet Cherry Coke. What I'm not a fan of is sitting in a puddle of enough Diet Cherry Coke to fill a SUPER Big Gulp. That's what happened yesterday when I was trying to get into the car with my oversized beverage. Maybe clumsy IS the word for me?! I literally had to swim out of my car- I had Diet Cherry Coke-soaked undies. Diet Cherry Coke was running down my bare legs (I was wearing shorts). It wasn't pretty. But surprisingly I found it to be pretty funny, especially since it happened in front of two UCSB Housing Maintenance Workers. Hi there fellas! Nothing to see here! Just 79 cents down the drain. Or, down my pants and soaked into my car seat that is.

Speaking of things that make my life better (the Super Big Gulp, not spilling) I've had the pleasure of lovely company the last two days in a row! Yesterday I went for a walk with the Demmin girls out on the bluffs that they call "More Mesa". Lovely view as long as you don't venture onto the beach....apparently that's where the nudists hang out. Yikes. Then got to enjoy some delicious vegetarian lasagna that Stacy had made- yum! Jane is so cute with her baby dolls- she hugs them and rocks back and forth like she's rocking them and makes this cute little cooing noise like- "awww"- it's adorable!

Today I went downtown with the Folmar girls and hung out with Sydney while Marissa cleaned some things out of her classroom (she's taking a leave of absence this year to stay home with Sydney!) Then we went downtown to eat lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe- Yum- where I promptly sat down in a puddle of balsamic dressing (did I mention I'm wearing a white sundress today??) What is WITH me sitting in puddles? Luckily we had a baby with us which naturally meant we had baby wipes- this was a mess that would have had the Tide-to-go pen trembling in fear. It looked like I sat in poo. Lovely. Luckily the wipes worked like magic and I was able to finish the afternoon without further embarrassment! :)

It's great to have friends! I am thankful!

Totes?

When did the word "totally" become such a burden to utter? Has anyone else noticed this? I'm seeing more and more people (especially on facebook) using "totes" as slang for "totally". This bothers me. I can't explain why. It's not like I never abbreviate, I def do. (Justin doesn't like that one- "def"). But totes? It sounds like something someone from an 80's movie about Valley Girls would say. "Totes" is "def" my new "nails-on-the-chalkboard"....it totes makes me shudder.

In other news, I fell while out running today. Like, to the ground, like, SMACK. This is not the first, or even second time that this has happened. What IS a first is that I was running WITH JoAnn at the time (it usually happens when I'm running alone). Which made me feel slightly less pathetic, mainly because I was distracted and somewhat amused by her scream of surprise when her running partner hit the deck (so to speak). She remarked later that she was surprised at how loud it was- my body smacking into the pavement that is. I can't believe I haven't broken a wrist by now, since I almost always catch myself with my hands. Banged up my knee pretty badly but managed to (not at all gracefully) roll into the wet grass just after the initial impact. I don't know if clumsy even describes it. It's funny because we were just talking the other day about running during pregnancy (no, I am not pregnant at this time) and I was saying I would like to continue running when I get pregnant. Maybe I'll stick to the treadmill.... I haven't fallen off of one of those...yet.

Back to Blogging

I know. I didn't blog about going home. I just couldn't bring myself to do it! I'm not sure why- I posted pictures of my cutie niece and nephews on facebook. I just felt so sad about leaving Iowa that I didn't feel like re-capping the whole event on my blog- its all just too depressing. The minute I walked into our apartment it hit me like a ton of bricks- I am not going to see my family until Christmas. Ugh.

So I choose to ignore it. Instead I will blog about some very random but funny/interesting (to me) stuff. But, if it isn't clear, I had a wonderful time at home. Too wonderful. I love my family- Brummers, Clarks and Gripps alike. Miss you guys.

So on to the blogging. My birthday and anniversary were awesome. Justin got me a facial and a massage for my birthday- sooo relaxing. Then we had a party at a wine bar in Carpinteria on Saturday with a bunch of friends. Turning 30 was not half-bad!

For our anniversary we went to dinner and a movie. For our anniversary PRESENT we finally broke down and bought ourselves a flatscreen TV! When I told the guy at Best Buy that our current TV was 8 years old his response was "Well then anything would be an upgrade!" True.
Mom requested a picture:

We also got some new shelves- inspired by Aaron and Megan! Justin did the hanging/placing of the shelves. I think they look pretty good! Again, mom requested photos:



On a more random note...I saw this sign at a laundromat today and thought the unneccesary quotation marks were pretty funny:

On a completely un-related note: I want to share something that has made my life dramatically better. I stumbled across this find when I was on a side-trip down the cookie aisle, my temptation about to get the better of me. Luckily, these babies jumped out at me and life hasn't been the same (or any fatter) since:
Seriously. Do not go another day without purchasing these bad boys. You will thank me, I promise.

So, I've got some other randomness to talk about but I'm thinking I'll save it for another day. I'm hoping it won't be quite so long between posts...I'll try and do better. :)

Return Policy

So I had to go into the Apple store on State Street today to exchange the shuffle charging cable that I bought last week since contrary to what the salesperson told me, it is NOT compatible with my 2 -year-old shuffle. No big deal, right? I got to the store 5 minutes after it opened and already EVERY sales associate (there were probably 20) was working with someone. I waited a few minutes and then parked myself at the counter until someone appeared to help me.

Luckily they have what I need in the back. For $10 more than the one I'm returning. Seriously? Shouldn't newer stuff be MORE expensive? Or is it an antique now, thereby making it more valuable? Oh well.

As I'm waiting for the exchange to happen this 20-something girl comes up to the counter and announces that she needs to exchange her IPhone. The first sentence out of her mouth is: "I knew you guys were coming out with the new one when I bought this one and the lady told me I could exchange this one within 30 days". So the guy says "So you want to exchange this one for the new one?" Turns out no, since the Apple store has a 300 person waiting list, she has one on hold at the AT&T store so she wants to just RETURN this one.

It gets better.

She doesn't have the packaging. She has the receipt, but not the packaging. The associate tells her she needs to have the packaging to make the return. She's all loud and says "Who keeps the packaging???!!" And I'm thinking...didn't you JUST say you KNEW they were coming out with the new one and planned to return this one all along? I would guess that YOU would keep the packaging in that situation.

It gets even better.

She doesn't have the charger. Or the head set. Both of which came with the IPhone when she purchased it. She argues that those things are 3 hours away- can't she just return the phone now so she can get her new one at the AT&T store, and then bring those items in at another time?

Seriously?

The guy goes back in the back to "find out" if that's possible (I'm pretty sure he just went and had a snack) and meanwhile she's swearing under her breathe "Who keeps the bleeping packaging?"

I had a REALLY hard time not answering her as I stood there reading the prominently displayed return policy to myself which states in the 3rd sentence:
"The iPhone must be returned in the original packaging, including any accessories, manuals, and documentation."

Justin Sweats Love

In case you didn't catch it, the sweat on his chest is in the shape of a heart.

15 Days and Counting!

Can't believe only 15 days until we go back to Iowa! I can't wait to get there!

In the meantime...4th of July this weekend. No major plans, we'll probably hang out with some friends, maybe go to the beach. Then, next Tuesday we're heading down to San Diego with our friends James and Marissa (and their new baby Sidney!). We mentioned to them a couple of weeks ago that we hadn't been and wanted to make a trip down there this summer. Marissa's best friend from college lives down there with her husband and so James and Marissa suggested we all go together and stay for FREE with her friends! Awesome...because we are poor!

Speaking of being poor- I scored an awesome purchase at the thrift store today! A super cute brown corduroy blazer for $2!! What an awesome find!

Anyways, not much else to report. I'm headed to book club tonight to discuss "Son of Hamas" a story of a man whose father was one of the founders of Hamas and who grew up to become a spy for the Israeli government and eventually became a Christian. Thursday I'm going to the Santa Barbara Zoo with my friend Shannon and her 1-year-old son Hank. Should be good times- I'll try to remember to take pictures!

Thanks Megan!

I forgot to say "thanks" to Megan- she is posting again despite their incredibly hectic life right now- moving up to Cedar Falls and into their new house! Craziness! I told someone yesterday that Aaron and Megan bought a house and they were like- "your OLDER brother?" Um no.

Congrats to Aaron and Megan and Wyatt! Can't wait to see you guys. And Megan- you are an awesome blogger we LOVE seeing Wyatt and hearing about your lives! I'll try to be better too!

Denver!

We had a great trip to Denver over the weekend! Right around Justin's birthday I had gotten an email alert about cheap airfare Santa Barbara to Denver. We had to travel by 6/15 so we went ahead and went for the weekend- it was totally worth it! As you can see Audrey is getting SO big! She loves to go through my purse, try on my necklace and sunglasses and even pretend to put on makeup with my makeup brush! It's really cute. She also has this new thing where she points to people and says their gender- she sounds especially excited when she sees a boy- "Boy!" and she'll keep saying it until you acknowledge it. It's adorable.

She warmed up pretty quickly- I think it helps that we were on her "turf". Here we are snuggling and watching the Lakers:

Here she is with Daddy and Uncle Justin:
It was funny all weekend Graham and Marie kept saying "Uncle Justin" and "Aunt Rachael" trying to get her to say our names. I think we might have two of the hardest names there are to say- especially "Rachael". Marie and I were sitting at the table while Audrey was eating a snack and we were trying to get her to say Uncle Justin and Aunt Rachael and Marie was saying that she said "Abby" (Justin's sister's name) when they were home for cousin Ren's wedding and all of a sudden Audrey (who is always listening!) says "Abby!" What a punk. :)

It was great to see them- I wish we were all going to be together in July! I actually had a dream last night that I ran the Bix with Marie! :( I know she wishes she could run it, and I do too since I'll probably have to run alone. :( I'm not going to force Justin to run with me this year! He'll run it on his own too. It'll be ok- I'm running a 15K on July 4th weekend with JoAnn so I should be set to go for the Bix.

So now I'm enjoying NOT working over the summer! Although I did teach a couple of private lessons yesterday, but I didn't have to go in until 2:00! I actually got up and ran 5 miles with JoAnn at 7:00 this morning, so I'm not being too lazy but now it is 10:30 and I'm still in my bath robe....I should probably go run some errands and clean up the house a bit! Especially since Justin left for his office (aka Starbucks) at 9:30! This is the life- I love summer!! 27 days until Iowa!!

I'll leave you with a video of Audrey. I started saying "Oooh!" when she put on my sunglasses and she eventually started copying me so I caught it on video- so cute!

Summer Time!

One more day of school before summer vacay! I had a momentary lapse in judgment and considered working over the summer- I have to say I am a bit relieved that didn't pan out. I would rather pinch pennies than work this summer! I will be teaching privately a bit, so that will be some good extra income, but just one day per week. The rest of the time is for summer fun!

This weekend we are flying out to Denver to see Graham, Marie and Audrey. They won't be back in July when we go home so we decided to take a quick trip to see them rather than going a whole YEAR without! I'm really looking forward to getting out of town and seeing some family- especially Audrey who is going to be 2 in just a few months! Time is FLYING.

So maybe I'll be a better blogger this summer? Who knows. If life gets more blog worthy? I don't know what has ever constituted "blog-worthy" in my haphazard blogging career, but I guess I just know it when I see it. I'm not feeling it today really, but a certain sister-in-law of mine who is AWESOME at updating her blog has NOT updated in almost two weeks. I find myself grumbling about the lack of updates while simultaneously aware of the ironic nature of my grumbles. So I am forced to update my blog. Nice work, Megan. Seriously, did my mom put you up to this? :)

Speaking of my mom, I miss her! I am so lucky to have such an awesome mom. I miss my whole family- Brummers AND Clarks. I have a niece I haven't even met yet! Gracie! I'm tired of California and I can't wait to visit Iowa in July! One of the most annoying things about California lately is "June Gloom". It's been 60's and overcast until 3:00 in the afternoon every day this week. I'm over it. Nothing makes me grouchier than knowing that it's hotter in Iowa than it is in California. If its not at least going to get hot here, then what good is it???!! California Shmalifornia. Overrated.

Some of the things I'm looking forward to during our Iowa visit:
1. Family (obviously) I can't wait to seem my niece and nephews especially!
2. Summer weather- hot hot hot!
3. Thunderstorms!
4. Brueggers!
5. Bix! I am 95% certain I'm going to run it. I'm planning on running a 15K with JoAnnJuly 4th weekend, so I should be more than ready for the Bix.
6. Grilling out at my parents house- get ready to feed me dad!
7. Air conditioning!
8. Miniature golf with the Clarks!
9. Downtown Iowa City!
10. Family Family Family!

Alright, that's all I've got for now. I'm super tired so this post is kind of fragmented but hey, something is better than nothing. (Right mom?)

Cello + Saxophone = Frienemies

Recently I was asked by colleagues to play my cello at a work function. My initial gut reaction is no WAY! I haven't played cello in public since I was a freshman in college! Recently my repertoire includes such fan favorites as "Hot Cross Buns" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"! As I stood there, desperately searching my brain for a possible excuse the band teacher walked by. Before I know it, the colleague doing the asking stops the band teacher and asks him what his main instrument is. Unaware of the conversation taking place, the band teacher informs her that he plays the saxophone, and she in turn suggests that we play a duet....

I'm sorry...I think I just had a stroke. Did you just suggest that I play a duet- nay, an hours worth of duets- with a saxophonist? A cello/saxophone duet?

I managed to hide the incredulity (you should be impressed!) and commented (nicely) that there isn't a lot of literature written for saxophone and cello duets. Lord......have........ mercy.

I know- I sound like a snob. Anyone reading this that didn't grow up with me or raise me is probably thinking- what's the big deal? But you have to understand- I was RAISED to be this way! I played for Candace Wiebener- she said the word "band" like she was saying "dirty toilet". And the suggestion of a cello/saxophone duet? In the words of Tony Soprano- fughetaboutit. I have respect for woodwinds/brass/percussion, but come ON! The cello and the saxophone are NOT friends. No way, no how. I briefly dated a saxophone player when I was a sophomore in highschool, so I should know.

When I told my mom this story she said- "That's what happens when a state doesn't have music education in schools!" Ohhhh SNAP!

How do you REALLY feel about California mom? :)

**Before some know-it-all starts commenting on this post about how cello and saxophone duets DO exist, I have to admit that after I published this post I tried googling "cello saxophone duets" and found that there are a couple of reputable ones out there- but still, probably not enough to fill an hours worth of background music. And it's worth noting that this blog entry shows up fifth on that google search. So there.

Justin's Nicknames

Justin told me tonight that the following are the nicknames that he has aquired at the gym thus far here in Santa Barbara:

First was "Old Man River"...I'm pretty sure I explained this one in a previous post, but in a nutshell, it refers to the other players thinking he is "old" because he is a grad student, married and...(gasp!) doesn't have a cell phone! Old Man RIVER!

Then several people started calling him "The Assassin" in reference to his long-range shooting skills. Needless to say, this is Justin's favorite title, because it makes him feel dangerous.

Sometime later he acquired the nickname "Jimmy" in reference to the movie "Hoosiers" because people in California don't know the difference between Indiana and Iowa. You know what I think of that.

Finally, and most recently, fellow ball players are arguing over who is going to guard "The Professor".

I, for one, can't wait to hear what's next. :)

Pre-Spring Break

So, pre-spring break I have all these kids telling me about their spring break plans going to St. Barth's, South Padre, Hawaii etc. etc. So a kindergartener says to me last week:

"Mrs. Clark, where are you going for Spring Break?"

I reply:

"I'm going to stay in Santa Barbara and relax"

He looks at me, like I'm confused and says:

"No, for SPRING BREAK. Where are you going?"

Only in Montecito.