I've Got Crabs

In eight years of public school teaching, I think I've only taken five personal days for illness and a couple of family weddings. Shoot, I didn't even take a day off when I was planning my own wedding!

But this year has been really tough. I wake up earlier than ever before, I have a wicked commute, and I teach at four different schools. To compound things, from April to June my husband and I have completely opposing work schedules; we're lucky if we have dinner together once a week.

So Marc and I agreed to play hookey. We took a random Thursday off after all my spring concerts were done, and we headed up to Honeymoon Island State Park. It's a great hideaway, about 40 minutes from our house in St. Pete. Decades ago the island was home to eight little bungalows, perfect for honeymoons and a romantic rendez-vous. The bungalows are no longer there, but a dog beach, a 2 mile nature trail, a visitor's center, and some amazing wildlife make this a place I hope to visit again soon. Hopefully with our soon-to-be-purchased kayak!

My favorite creature this time around was the gopher tortoise. He tucked his head in when we approached him, but he gradually came around. Less friendly were the crabs. They're pretty when you just see one or two of them...

...but when hundreds of them begin to chase you, well, that's just a little too National Geographic for me.

Analyze This

I want to preface this by saying that I am not making fun of a religion here. I understand that religion is important to many people, and I think people should practice what they wish, as long as it encompasses treating people with respect and love.

But in light of the recent Katie Holmes-Tom Cruise frenzy, I feel that this is relevant and at least somewhat interesting.

Marc and I went to see Ozomatli a few nights ago, and left the car parked on the street for probably around 5 hours or so. Plenty of time for someone to go around and stick pamphlets under windshields, one of my pet peeves. I hate this form of advertising or "spreading the word," it's an invasion of personal property and more importantly it always causes litter problems.

Anyway, the pamphlet this time was not the usual ad for a local happy hour or half-price appetizers after the concert. Instead, it was a very lengthy questionnaire designed to serve as a personality test. As an education student I took many a personality test, but never before had I been asked questions like this. A sample of my favorites:

• Do you browse through railway timetables, directories, or dictionaries just for pleasure?
• Is your voice monotonous rather than varied in pitch?
• Are you normally considered "cold?"
• Are you a slow eater?
• Do you smile much?
• Do you go to bed when you want to?
• Do you have a tendency to tidy up a disorder of somebody else's household?
• Does emotional music have an effect on you?

As it turns out, this is an introductory activity to see if you're a good fit for the Scientology Life Improvement Center. I found the questions to be pretty bizarre. I'm curious about what they're looking for--do they want a slow-eating monotone statistician who always sleeps eight hours, or are those negative qualities? I wonder what TomKat would say.

Flighty People

Every once in a while I really kick myself hard for not carrying a camera with me at all times. I used to have my digital camera in the car, ready at a moment's notice. But it's really hot here in Florida and I'm afraid that it may not withstand the temperatures.

Nevertheless, I regret not having a snap of the car I have now parked next to TWICE at the local grocery store. This is the decal attached to the rearview window:

Thoughts While Cleaning My Closet

Any garments that are seen in pictures that also depict the only asshole I ever dated should not also be seen in my closet. Especially since I broke up with said asshole in 2001.

I have way too many striped tops.

I have way too many yellowed race/organization/festival t-shirts, and hardly anything to wear to work or out to a restaurant/bar/concert.

I need to find a deodorant that doesn’t ruin all my silky shirts.

On the off-chance that overalls come back in style, it’s highly doubtful that I’m going to be able to wear the same size that I wore in 1995. (While listening to Pearl Jam on my Sony Walkman and rollerblading across a college campus. Super-cool.)

A Quick Bite of the Big Apple

I had a wonderful time in New York last weekend, and as always I hated to leave so soon. Although the weather down here in Florida feels a lot more like spring!

I only had two and a half days to spend in the city, but I feel like I did a pretty good job of packing in as much as possible without feeling completely drained. Saturday I went to my first ballgame at Yankees Stadium. I love baseball, but I don't generally go to games even when I'm with Marc on a game-related trip! But this is the last year of the New York icon and I felt like I should see it before it's gone. I'm so glad I went--temps in the 60s, a very authentic subway ride, and some "real" locals surrounding me in the stands. It's a cool ballpark and I'm glad I got to be a part of its final season.

We had every intention to eat dinner at The Spotted Pig, a gastropub recommended to me by a foodie friend. But lots of people had the same idea on a Saturday night so after giving our name to the host we decided not to wait for nearly two hours and we hiked to Steak Frites instead. I've had better steak, but the atmosphere was nice, the potatoes were incredible, and I watched Marc do a magic trick that made the trip worthwhile--I watched him wolf down a salad as if it were a plate of cheese.

Sunday was one of the greatest moments of my musical life. I saw a performance at Carnegie Hall.

To many, I'm sure this doesn't seem like much of a big deal. It's just a big brick building with pretty good acoustics and famous people come play there. But it is so, so much more than that, as it has been for more than a hundred years. Each lobby and hallway reminds guests of the remarkable history of the place. Portraits of Oistrakh, Perlman, and Barenboim, letters from Ives, Tschaikovsky and Dvorak! It's a Who's Who of 19th and 20th century music history in America, and I think that's what makes it so special...it's truly an American icon. Through school I learned all about Milan and Paris and Esterhazys and all the important European palaces and cathedrals that musicians still treasure. But the US got a much later start and we have very few sacred places that can tell some of the same beautiful stories. Carnegie Hall is one of them, and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to sit in her balcony for a few hours.

Monday--my travel day--flew by. Marc and I braved the cold and wind and headed to the Upper West Side for delicious burgers at Big Nick's. We then hustled through the dinosaurs and a few mammals at the Museum of Natural History before he went to work and I caught a plane.

It's funny. I lived most of my life in South Carolina, yet I feel more comfortable navigating Manhattan than I do Charleston or Myrtle Beach. I love New York. I usually set limits for myself, trying not to visit the same cities or again and again. But I could see New York over and over and it would be a different city for me each time...new food, different weather, a museum I haven't yet explored, concerts, parks, Broadway musicals. It just never gets old. I love New York.

If You Were In New York City This Weekend

...and could only do one absolutely awesome thing, what would it be?

Brownie Pudding

My big dessert weakness is usually ice cream, and 9 times out of 10 I race to Publix to buy some chocolate-based treat like Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk or Edy's Rocky Road. But every once in a while I need something a little more substantial, something baked or saucy or sweet to the point where I can feel my teeth starting to crumble a little bit.

Such was the case last week. I wanted cake but I didn't want the added aggravation of going to the grocery store--you see, I had no eggs. Kinda limits your cake options.

And then I remembered this golden nugget from my cousin Mary. I hadn't made it in a couple of years and now I scratch my head and wonder why?! It's easy, the ingredients are all staples that you have in your kitchen anyway, and the end result is a warm, comforting, and delicious treat. Crispy edges like a homemade brownie with a rich fudgy sauce, better than any pudding I've ever tasted.

Now go buy some good quality vanilla ice cream and get to work.

Brownie Pudding

Batter:
1 cup sifted flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup nearly boiling water

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, 2 tbsp baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.

Mix the brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Pour the hot water over the entire batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.