HELLOOO out there....

Hi folks, just a quickie, only to say, thanks for all the folks out there who have helped me, loved me, and supported me. I believe that you cannot say thank you enough, so again THANKS

Happy June!~ And Happy summer, almost officially. Lately things around here have been a bit of a whirl, which seems to have become my regular way of life. I wonder if I'd be happy if it weren't that way... Has anyone noticed a sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop? I have. I feel a crackling of anticipation, is it external or internal? Does it matter? I suppose not. Possibly it's the excitement of the change of seasons, or the sudden rise in temperature, causing me to want to move, do, or otherwise take action. I have a sense of impatience, and now that I write about it, I feel that it is almost entirely internal, I am impatient for the end of the 2007-2008 school year, in order to regroup myself professionally. After a few days, I'll be working with a completely different population than I have been these past 5 months: from 4-9 year olds to 14-21 year olds. YIKES! Young adults! It's been a while since I've worked with this demographic, and I admit a little nervousness. Mostly excitement, optimistic anticipation, but a tiny bit of anxiety, which I feel is simply situational. I will be working in Sheepshead Bay, which is also new, and interesting. Maybe I'll go to the beach after work...walk along the pier and bring home some fresh fish for dinner. I have 10 days in August in Toronto & Nova Scotia to look forward to, something I've been missing in my life since grad school started: TRAVEL! I promise I won't go on and on about it, except to say that if anyone gets the opportunity to visit the Maritimes in Canada, GO! You will be very happy indeed that you did. I went to Cape Breton Island, about 10 years ago, and it was so mind blowing, like stepping into another time, in nature, very very far from my experience of city life, and pretty different than most natural settings I'd been inn up until that time. I will say no more, and invite you to look for yourselves. And what's everyone else doing this summer?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday, and I'd like to be the first to say "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" You are a true survivor, a champion of the underdog, and the downtrodden, and a perpetual looker-on-the bright side! Thank you for instilling that positive slant on my outlook in me, I have steadfastly clung to it through many trying moments in my life. Mom, you are so much more than an inspiration for me, and for everyone your life has touched, and I thank you. So, enjoy this beautiful Spring weather, remember all the workers who made it possible for us to enjoy the working conditions that we do (or endure, as the case may be), being Mayday, it used to be a very different kind of celebration, more on that later. Does anyone remember the old slogan "Mayday is Jayday?" If you do, share your memories, whatever you can piece together at this late stage... I remember one Mayday in particular, and a very early morning shot or two of Cuervo....but that's another story, and somewhere, out there, is a picture of my cousin Ingrid and I at the frontline of the Yippee parade, clutching various party supplies, immortalized for HighTimes magazine....remember, ingie? i do..... have a great day, love Nadsquad

Back to work...

Hey Folks, Another spring break comes to a screeching halt today. I decided I needed a rest from flying all over the globe, so stayed local, spent excellent time with family and friends. But another week off wouldn't hurt. The guanciale was really good in the linguini alla matriciana, albeit very salty. I will use less next time. But my mom was happy. I believe that when you are feeling down, or a little under the weather, nothing fixes you up like a nice plate of pasta. Or pizza. One time when my stomach wasn't quite right, I stopped into Roma Pizza (7h ave and Berkeley, Bklyn) for a slice, and it fixed me right up! Happy Monday, everyone, and stay dry and cheerful, if possible...

sciatica, Omie, and Guanciale,

Hi Folks, sorry it's taken so long to post, but I've been a bit busy. Because I work, and usually play, on my feet, I have suffered intermittent attacks of sciatica. If any of you readers out there have ever worked on their feet for any stretch of time (like you former-and/or present food professionals-you know who you are!), you may suffer from it also. It's literally a pain in the ass, or hip, sometimes also in the leg and the foot! It is also a bit of a mystery to health professionals, too much sitting, too much walking, not enough walking, too much/not enough stretching, anything from the above, to sleep deprivation, or even stress can set it off. Sorry to bitch and moan, but it's put a kink in my regular dash-and-do modus operandi. Speaking of the dash-and-do M.O., I now know how my Omie felt when sciatica would strike her. Omie was my German grandmother, on my father's side. She suffered intermittent bouts of it all her life. This Wednesday would have been her 100th birthday, she tried to hang on, but let go of her last breath 3 weeks after her 98th birthday, 2 years ago May 9th. If there ever was a whirlwind force of nature in this plane, it was Omie. Those of you who knew her were witnesses, recipients, and sometimes targets of her lightning-fast style. In the words of my friends Eliza and Kim, she was a true "Attagirl." (More on Attagirls later). She could get more stuff done before breakfast than anyone I've ever known. It was a point of enormous pride to her to "get things done." And woe to anyone who slothed around. Oh, no, not when the sun is shining, and if the day were rainy, there's plenty to do inside! Organizing, cleaning, planning, troubleshooting. Even relaxing on the beach was a perfect time to brainstorm something new and different to prepare and cook another day. People used to laugh at us when we did that. We could be in the middle of eating lunch and be talking about what we should make tomorrow, or tonight, or for the next occasion when we got together with a group of people, sometimes my mom, sometimes my father, always with some extended family members (my cousins Ingrid and Karen, and their parents, Enno and Rae. Omie taught me how to recognize what was in season, and how to purchase foods, especially fresh veg and fruit. She was very practical about it, though, she did it because the stuff was cheaper and better quality than goods that had to be imported from far away. Nobody ever heard of a "carbon footprint" when I was growing up around Omie. I still attempt to buy and cook locally grown stuff, in season. It's sort of like living my life in real time (like traveling in real time). And I still do it because the stuff is better and cheaper than goods that are out of season, or that you can't grow in the Northeast. Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule, more later on those. So Happy 100th Birthday, Omie, I hope you are snuggled with the animals in the barn, at this time of year, there would be baby animals, which was one of your favorite things in the world, caring for young creatures. I blow a kiss to your picture, and hold you in my heart, as always. About the guanciale, I am making a traditional pasta all'amatriciana, inspired by the2-lb. package of Niman Ranch guanciale's appearance at my food coop yesterday. I am still searching for a recipe for guanciale confit, as opposed to simply slicing and rendering it, or slowly simmering it, for the sauce. I just feel that it would be so much more mouth-blowingly good if I confit it before composing the rest of the ingredients. And if any of you read the NYTimes article written by Florence Fabricant (Dining In, Wednesday, January 16th) on the famous pasta from Amatrice, or Rome, depending on which side of the debate you're on. The dish's provenance is a highly controversial topic in Italy. I couldn't care less where it originated, why waste time arguing about these things when we could be cooking and eating wonderful things together? Are you rolling your eyes at me now?? Do I seem too corny? Peace-loving? Yeah, well, too bad! I am one of those folks who really does think we could all get along if only we could put these sorts of petty arguments aside, have a nice plate of pasta, a glass of wine, and shut the hell up. I go prepare my guanciale now. I'll let you all know how it comes out, maybe. Happy Sunday. Nadsquad

paragraphing, furniture, hair, neologisms

Hey! OK, MB, I'll keep my eyes open for stuff for you, but I cannot promise anything. Glad it's not gloomy in SF, it is no longer gloomy in Brooklyn, just misty as a magic morning should be... I am looking forward to being out in the mist, absorbing the wonder of new shoots and buds popping up all over Prospect Park. I am attempting to fumble through this paragraphing feature, we'll see if it works, if not, I will attempt to fumble/stumble through again, or maybe not. Thanks for the tip, though. It may be a while before I can coherently post anything, computer issues, time management issues, and a need to pull back and reorganize. NOT changing the hair, at least not yet, so thanks for the compliments, everyone. love Nadia

Whatever happened to paragraphs?

This is my 4th post, and I am frustrated by the format it ends up in on the actual site (in other words: what you are reading now, if anybody's actually reading this... I paragraph when I write this, as any reasonable person would. But when it posts, it's all a mass of words, blithering out without a gap in sight! arrgh! Val, no, not "buffet," please! It makes me think of those "family" restaurants out in Pennsylvania where they let you eat lots of beige food, piled on top of salad bar fare, what Calvin Trillin referred to as "stuff stuff with heavy." you all know what I mean. have a good day, and try to stay sunny, despite this GLOOMY April weather.