esprit de l'escalier

Trip to Charleston

I went to South Carolina last week. A friend from high school had a vacation house through work and invited some high school and college friends, and five of us showed up. We ate well, wandered the beach, did some puzzles, rode bikes, watched some basketball, etc. We were outside of Charleston and wandered the old part of the city over several days. It was nice to be away and to explore a new (old) city.

I knew about the city's connection to the Civil War, but I hadn't thought about its connection to the Revolution as well. I learned today that Charleston was one of the first cities to create historic preservation laws (I think in 1931, if I remember my lecture correctly), and its commitment to preserving its historical legacy is evident.

No trip is perfect, and I had some hiccups along the way. I brought my Dad's little point and shoot, to supplement the polaroid and yashica mat, and it proved to be too small for my own good. It got lost/stolen/disappeared somewhere/how the end of my second full day. Which screws up my photo-a-day project, and I lost some PFR shots. SIGH. But I did do 2 PFRs while I was there, so there will be some pie posts forthcoming.

Now I'm back to school and work, trying to figure out my new routine, trying to find a job, etc. For now, enjoy a couple of polaroids from my trip. Click on them to see them larger at Flickr.

Spring is finally here

Today was brisk - I can say "brisk" now that it is officially spring. (It is never "brisk" in winter, only varying degrees of cold.) I'll take a brisk, blue-skied spring day, though, thank you very much. And I'll take a Friday that ends the quarter.

Sorry I have been MIA from this space - I have been buried in final papers. I'll be missing for a while longer, as I'm going on a little trip Sunday and will be gone for the week. I can't wait to have a week of relaxation, friends, and the ocean. Yay! Reading for pleasure! (Two excellent books on tap.) Photographing things that I don't see everyday! And I did I mention the ocean?

Before I leave, here's a photo of Frank to tie you over.

Pi Day PFR

Yesterday was 3/14, or Pi Day. In fact, it is now recognized as such by Congress, who recently passed a resolution to formally designate March 14 as Pi Day. Which I think is great, as does Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), who is “kind of geeked up about it.” It's also Einstein's birthday, as well as about 8 people I know. (Happy belated my dears!)

One such friend, who holds this auspicious day as her own, is my friend Cristina. I helped her celebrate by bringing her an apple pie and asked if she would be willing to guest judge a PFR again. How could she refuse? Here are the details:

Pie:
Apple with crumble top baked to order from the Bread Basket in Gahanna, pictured above. (Disclosure, I am absolutely nutty about their berry scones.)

Guest judges:
Cristina, last seen judging in PFR #7 last May. Still considers herself a pie novice.
Miss X, who wished to remain anonymous, not much of a pie eater, more of a pie maker.
Me, who was dubbed a "pie-storian" last night, a name I quite enjoy.

I realized just now that I forgot to ask for overall rankings from our judges! I'm forgetting protocol, which is not good. But here are the judges conclusions.

Filling:
I was assured when I ordered the pie Friday that they use only fresh granny smith apples for their pies, which was evident by the lovely tartness of the fruit. The bakers left the skins of the apple on, which I found weird. Cristina "appreciated the weirdness of the apple skin." Miss X found it distracting.

I loved the tartness of the apples and the overabundance of cinnamon (a weakness of mine). Cristina liked that the filling was not too sweet and found it reminiscent of her homemade applesauce.

Crust and top:
Miss X liked the topping and said, "The crumbly jazz is tasty." I also enjoyed the topping. Everyone especially enjoyed the overly browned bits.

I almost forgot to ask about the crust, which was not a great sign. It wasn't a bad crust, it just wasn't memorable. Cristina said, "I didn't even think about the crust, but I think it works with this pie. It's more fresh-fruity than lardy, so I don't mind it. It goes well with the crumble top."

In the end the birthday girl declared, "I would like it for breakfast." Which sounds like an endorsement.

Goodbye Wonder Bread

With a great amount of sadness, I read yesterday on Columbus Underground about how the Wonder Bread factory in Columbus is closing. I'm sorry for the workers and for Columbus to lose an icon.

Anyone who grew up in the area knows the factory because of it's huge neon sign and the wonderful yeasty bread smell that emanates from it. You can see and smell it from the highway. I always thought I was lucky to grow up in a town with a bread factory, as opposed to a tire factory.

When I was a kid, there was a yearly summer festival at the little 1950s strip center down the street from my house. The parking lot would be partially closed, there would be games, Elsie the Cow (or some bovine stand-in), and a guy dressed as a bag of Wonder Bread, handing out miniature loaves of squishy bread.

Heart (part 2)

I haven't posted any Etsy love in a very long time. My list of favorite sellers has become unwieldy, and I don't page through it as much as I used to. (Which is probably a good thing. As much as I love supporting artists, the wallet is a little thin these days.)

Okay, so I'm not the greatest at making these little collages, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. Apparently I'm into orange and foxes - it makes me think of the Little Prince.

1. I love the simplicity of this necklace. Local Library little drop.

2. I love Katy Horan's work, here's her letterpress at Little Paper Planes.

3. Joanna Rutter has the sweetest pins and necklaces. I like the Mr. Fox pin.

4. I have been crushing on Morelle forever. I constantly keep favoriting different bags.Burnt orange truffle clutch.

5. How cute is this guy? Gaspard E. Pinopine stuffed fox by Ninon.

(Click the image to see it larger. I hate that Flickr doesn't give me better sizing options.)

Lucky

Guess where my Dad went last week?

Also, I should have said, "More things I love on TUESDAY." Because Mondays are long and I have no idea why I thought I'd have blogging time today. Sorry for the fake-out. Etsy love tomorrow.

(Photo courtesy of my father.)

Heart (part 1)

The weather continues to be wacko around here, but I'm looking forward to the purported 70 degree weather tomorrow. Has anyone else been watching Flight of the Conchords this season? Because I *love* the song above. It's from an episode directed by Michel Gondry. How could I not love it?

I happened to catch Writer's Almanac on Tuesday, just in time to hear the poem "Late Winter Rains" by Amber Coverdale Sumrall. Lance has been talking this week about reading aloud, and I had just heard this poem, which is gorgeous by the way. I encourage a listen. I think poetry should be heard.

Not only is the weather getting better, but I've got three trips ahead of me. I'm off to Charleston over my break with some old friends. I can't wait for a break from school, hanging out by the beach - even if it's cold - and taking some photographs. In early April I'm going to Chicago to see Andrew Bird with Natasha. Over my birthday I'm heading to Minneapolis for a week to visit family and go to a professional conference. It just so happens that M. Ward is playing and I'm going to meet up with a friend/old professor to see the show. I cannot wait. 

As an extra treat, here's an awesome video that Bird did with my favorite post-apocalyptic marching band, Mucca Pazza. God does this video make me miss the Hideout.

Andrew Bird with Mucca Pazza - "Fitz & The Dizzyspells”

More things that I am loving Monday. Have a good weekend!

Happy birthday, Ira Glass!

Today is Ira Glass's birthday. His 50th, if you'd believe it. While some of my friends may still harbor hard feelings about your leaving Chicago for New York to pursue TAL the tv show, I am happy for your success. (I haven't seen the show, but promise to move it up my Netflix queue.)

I discovered you about a decade ago, on Sunday mornings in college. I'd have the alarm go off at 10am and would lie in bed and listen to people's stories from around this country. You understand the power of narrative and the power of radio. I thank you for the gifts of these stories. I still talk about some of my favorites. I podcast the show now, but still listen. I hope you have many more years of storytelling in you. We need good stories in hard times.

Editor's note: One of my all-time favorite stories came from the Fiasco episode. It's about a production of Peter Pan that goes horribly, horribly astray. Please listen if you need a laugh.

A more recent story that I also love is called "Dr. Phil". It's about break ups, music and Phil Collins. I think a certain blogger should listen to it - I kept forgetting to email it to her.

**UPDATE: Proof that my dear friend Bird might be over (at least partially) her anger towards Ira.