Chicken Livers & Dirt

West End UMC sponsored a series called "A Place at the Table." The series is planned for 4-5 Wednesdays in late June-late July; the topics seemed to revolve around ecological issues related to food. I think they showed "Food Inc" at one of the presentations. I hope they continue it beyond July. It costs $10 a person.

Last week's presentation included a viewing of the documentary "Dirt" & a catered meal created by Martha Stamps, formerly a chef at The Yellow Porch, currently chef at Martha Stamps Catering & Events. The tag line on her website is "local, sustainable, divine."

The food was really yummy! The menu was incredible; all or most were local ingredients.

• herb & garlic roasted chicken
• citrus marinated broiled chicken lives - Julia's favorite!
• dragon bean salad with tomatoes & corn
• sweet potato fries - everyone's favorite!
• melon, cucumber & shaved fennel
• squash casserole - really incredible
• green tea with lemon grass & ginger
• peach & blackberry cobbler

The local farms represented were:

1. Green Mountain


2. McDonald Farms


3. Swafford Farms


4. Wedgewood Urban Farms


5. Delvins Farm


6. 2620 Essex Place


7. Warner Park Garden

What an awesome deal for yummy food & great presentations & supporting local farmers! Nashville truly is an amazing community filled with conscientious individuals trying to make a difference in small & big ways!

Drivers License Center

I must share my bits of wisdom learned from my experience at the DLC. As a government employee I realize that bureaucracy exists, there are never enough resources to complete the work in the most timely or efficient way.

However, as a recent patron at the Driver License Center, only wanting to renew my soon-to-expire driver's license, I was sorely disappointed in the service I received. I truly wish I was eligible to renew on-line as I do most of my business. However, apparently a new photo was required so I arrived at 9:25am at the Hart Lane location, only about 1.5 miles from my home, with a magazine in hand.

I stood in line for 30 minutes to reach the "info" desk, gave my completed form, old ID (with photo I like and looks similar, hair is slightly longer, maybe look a little younger as I was childless and a newlywed 5 years ago) and $22 in cash. The clerk asked if I was paying cash or debit/credit and I answered cash and received a number and was told to wait. Carrying my water bottle as always (it's hot in Nashville!) I was told that drinking is not allowed. WHAT!?

There is not ONE sign posted stating that fact. Also how are you going to enforce that? You don't have enough workers to run this place!

I sat another 30 minutes to wait for my number to be called, then proceeded to another window to hand the same documents. The clerk at this window informed me that if I'd paid with debit/credit card, I could have gone to the side area, paid immediately & proceeded directly to the "get your photo taken" line & been done in 5 minutes. WHAT!?!?!?

Again nothing posted stating this part of the process.

I stood in the photo line & as I got close (one person in front of me) it stopped. The photo taker worker disappeared. OMG! What is wrong with this place? Finally the original "information" worker calls my name, takes my photo, & I move to the line to wait for my ID to be printed. While I wait AGAIN I hear a person, interrupted by the automated intercom PA system, try to announce that if you're here to renew your license, you can pay with debit/credit card & be done in 5 minutes.

UNBELIEVABLE!

The irony - I usually pay for everything with debit or credit card. I had to scrape together the $22 in cash. I thought cash would be faster!

In the 1 1/2 hours I was there, that was the first time I heard this information. There is a digital TV display with inane, not relevant, information scrolling on it & the PA announces the gazillion RANDOM numbers of people waiting to be served. Also there are posters stating no use of cell phones or pagers (it's 2010, who uses a pager??) as it is inconsiderate to the citizens & workers of the DLC.

Really that's inconsiderate? Seriously! How considerate is it for me to have wasted 1 1/2 hours of time I could have been elsewhere as a contributing citizen of my community. Family time in the least! Luckily Jai was home with Julia, I didn't have to be at my job & I speak English. There were MANY people there with young children, probably needing to be at work where they are paid by the HOUR & English was not their primary language.

The DLC opens at 8am, but today, my last day of summer vacation, I decided to sleep late. UGH! Of course, I've had all summer to renew my license, but I hoped to be thinner and tanner for my new photo. : )

Here are my bits of wisdom. I suggest you use them.
1. Leave your children at home with another caregiver or go when they're at day school program
2. Go when they open at 8am & bring something to read or your Ipod
3. Go on a middle day of the week, not Monday or Friday
4. Pay by debit or credit card if possible
5. Don't care about the photo! : )
6. Be friendly, smile, thank the DLC worker - they have a crap-tastic job
7. Thank goodness it is an every 5-10 years process

Pay It Forward - : )

40th Birthday Party

It's hard to believe it has been 10 years since Susie & I had our big 30th birthday party - before Arizona, our careers in education, marriage & Julia. WOW - how much life has changed!

August 1 isn't here yet, but you know I love celebrating for at least the whole month. I started early since Susie came home for her annual summer visit on July 9 & had to leave on July 22 (best air fare & she has a summer job) so we planned the soire for mid-July.

The theme was ice cream & we had lots of it. All homemade by our new ice cream attachment (anniversary present for Jai & I which we've talked about getting for YEARS!); I made ice cream EVERY day for 2 weeks with Jai & then Susie's assistance. It was insane, but fun! YUMMY work, too! : ) We had traditional ice creams made with LOCAL dairy milk & cream as well as non-dairy varieties made with soy milk & creamer & also sorbets made with lots of local, fresh fruits & juices.

We had lots to try, many non-traditional choices. No Neapolitan here - seriously no vanilla, milk chocolate or strawberry!
Sorbet: basil lime, watermelon basil, watermelon (all fruit, no sugar/honey) [all but the lime were local]
Soy: vanilla, mint chocolate chip (local mint), green tea & ginger
Dairy: coffee, banana, lemon-lime, peach (local), dark chocolate (local Olive & Sinclair chocolate, really intense flavor), goat cheese & honey (all local ingredients)

We also made some snacks, most were of the healthy kind. I made 2 bean dips - one with garbanzo beans, parsley & lemon juice (I call it "Hummus" though I don't use tahini), the other with black beans, cilantro & lime juice (I call it "Caribbean Bean Dip"). There were lots of corn chips & veggies for dipping. In addition to the cold dessert stuff, I baked my famous banana bread & my delicious & easy chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. YUM! We created an adult beverage of sangria (Jai's speciality) & a non-alcoholic summer punch with tea, juice & lemonade (Susie's concoction). Our friend, Mike, brought his yummy spinach & artichoke dip. OMG - it is good!

Lots of friends & family arrived, many early enough to see Julia, some hadn't been to our house before & of course eat the ice cream. : ) Thanks to everyone for being a part of our milestone celebration - it was lots of fun! Also thanks for the gifts - they were thoughtful & generous.

I'm looking forward to the next 10 years! Life truly is good!

5K #2

Race for Autism at Crockett Park in Brentwood, TN - good cause, great weather

Susie, Joel & I woke at 5:30am, got to the race site by 6:30 to collect our bib number & pre-registered T-shirt & also got our sibling photo taken before we assembled with the other runners. There was a slight snafu with Susie's bib - someone else named Suzanne J. apparently showed up before us & got her number. NIGHTMARE! Eventually it got worked out, Susie got a new bib number, but it was annoying to deal with it as we prepared to run. It delayed us getting our pre-race photo of the 3 of us; Susie doesn't have a bib on in it.

Bonnie & Buddy arrived just as the race started so we waved quickly as we ran off with the crowd. Less people than July 3, but it was a congested course initially so a slow & frustrating start for all of us. This time I didn't have any panic/anxious feelings, felt good most of the run. I still had my slow points somewhere between miles 1&2, then again around 2.5 miles as I saw runners ending their race & I still had to finish.

Lots of people were walking earlier than I expected, but I forget that not everyone is running the event. Thankfully no people with strollers passed me like on July 3rd. I think they started in front of me! : ) I hoped the firefighter in FULL gear didn't pass me. If that had happened, I would have stopped running & walked. I mean really if I person in that heavy jacket, pants, helmet, face mask, oxygen tank runs faster than me, what is the point??!! I saw him cross the finish line, only about a minute slower - yikes!

I pushed it the last 0.10 to finish, trying to catch my previous time, but I was a second slower. However, the 3 of us discussed the start & really believe that the congestion contributed to all of us having a slower time. Joel was really annoyed at his time! Thankfully at one of the downhill parts, I ran really fast (I don't usually do that); I suspect that helped me have a similar time.

We saw B&B on the course once & then again at the finish. It was nice to have cheerleaders; hopefully Jai & Julia can come to a race in the future. It's so early for both of them & really who wants to wake a sleeping child - no one exactly! Bonnie said something about inspiring Julia to see all of the runners, especially me, Susie & Joel, being healthy & active. It's true; luckily Julia seems like a natural athlete, she has a great tennis ball throwing arm & football/soccer kicking legs! : )

The weather was great - overcast (not sure about rain which might have been nice), decent humidity (it's all relative), lots of shady parts of the course.

Overall it was a great day to run!

Joel & I are discussing our future runs, probably not going to do one in August, too hot, though there is the Tomato Fest 5K run/walk which benefits our local East Nashville YMCA (soon to be just referred to as the Y which we say now). We looked at the race calendar, there are a few possibilities for Sept. & Oct. The one at Centennial Park on Sept. 11 seems like a good day for something positive & the cause is for prostrate cancer which Jai's dad had. There's another local race at Shelby Bottoms on Oct. 2 as well as the Germantown 5K on Oct. 9. Joel really is excited for the Rudolph one in December. At least it will be cooler, actually I think that race is in the evening on a Friday so Julia & Jai might be able to be there.

Jade is the New Black

I don't have much to say (I think!) other than this is a clever name for a new OPI nail polish color. My friend, Anne Marie, used to get together once a month for a pedicure at Magnolia Spa in East Nashville, but we'd taken a break in the winter months. Last month we got together for one of our summer childless Friday date (Sam goes to a Parent Day Out program) & that is the color AM got on her toes. She encouraged me to get something different too - I chose a lime green kind of color from OPI's new "Shrek" line. It looked good; it definitely caught people's attention. I received many comments & compliments.

I wish I'd taken a photo as today we got new colors as we met for another pedicure. It's summer so we wear our flip flops a lot more than in winter. This time we went to Empire Beauty School in Cool Springs. The cost is much cheaper as students provide the service - it's a great deal. We both got awesome colors again - bright coral/red color for me, a matte purple for AM. This will be it for awhile probably as I return to work in a week. Ah, the summer ends so quickly these days - 7 weeks flies by when you're busy traveling around the city & country.

When is Labor Day? : )

Playdates

Play dates can be a parent's salvation. The child gets to play with other children her or his age hopefully (not always necessary) & the parent gets to interact with other adults his or her age (maybe this is true, not always necessary). : ) I participated in a few of these encounters while on maternity leave, then again last summer & this summer, too. We met friends at the zoo, the pool at the Y, someone's house, downtown library for story time, the park - you name it, it felt like I did it this summer. It was fun, Julia had a good time, I had a good time.

But there's a but ... I don't know, busyness, too full calendar, not enough down time. Yet I remember feeling so alone & bored sometimes as a new parent, especially when Julia was really little. I had to get out - I hated being stuck at home despite the fact that I love being home. It's such an ironic paradox, you know. What is that about? Where is the peace, satisfaction, solace of being at home, my safe place? Why do I feel the need to fill up my time with appointments & stuff?

Sometimes I feel like I'm never alone in my house. I'm alone when I leave to go to work, but that's it. Jai rarely participates in play dates. They go to the library or park often. Julia interacts with children at the Y and church nursery. However, this summer there were only a handful of times I was at my house with NO ONE ELSE there. It's rare - the last time was many days ago. Jai & I joke about him going to get a pedicure (I like to do that) & have lunch with his invisible friends (again I've done that a bit this summer with VISIBLE friends). However, Jai isn't alone during those activities, he watched Julia so I could enjoy myself.

However, I have to ask Jai to leave with Julia in order to be alone at the house. It's different & yet it's not. Before Julia was born, even while pregnant, I was a busy person; my appointments usually were all out of the house, after work, in the evening, on the weekends. Yet I didn't notice the lack of alone time in my house. Usually I was home before Jai got off work so I had that time.

I realize that being alone is a relative experience. Getting up at 6am when no one else is awake (to exercise or write a blog post or read a book) is an opportunity for solitude. Having a child changes your life - I have less time for me. I'm selfish - I want more ME time.

July 3 Firecracker 5K Race

Joel, Susie and I used to run in high school. Joel is a much more talented runner in my opinion, he's a natural athlete, especially for running; he has the body shape and of course LONG legs since he's 6'4", almost a foot and 1/2 taller than me. Joel ran on the cross country team at Overton HS also. I ran with Susie for her to get in shape for soccer and for me to fit into my band uniform. It worked. : )

I didn't run in college - aerobics was the popular exercise in the 80s & 90s. When I lived in Thailand, it was a great way to keep in shape and also see the sights of the city I lived in. I ran EARLY in the morning because of the heat; I loved seeing the citizens prepare and then feed the monks in their bright orange robes. It was a wonderful way to start the day.

However, I stopped running when I returned to the USA in 1995 - something about my knees ... haha. That excuse actually kept me from running for 15 years. I even tried to run on the treadmill at the gym, but I heard it's bad for your knees so I stopped doing that (plus I'm afraid I'm going to fall off).

Recently I tried again to get on the weight loss band wagon (ugh, it's a constant evil part of my life!) and I struggle because I want to eat what I want to eat. Even though I usually eat healthy most of the time. I participated in the "Biggest Loser" competition at work, lost about 8 pounds in 2 1/2 months, not great, and toyed with the idea of running. However, after not losing much weight, I decided to do it. Joel is my trainer and we started gradually, walking around the block a few days a week, then starting running it. This was around mid-April.

Eventually we got up to running the loop around the block 3 times, thinking that was almost 3 miles, which we thought was perfect as we planned to run a 5K in June or July. We registered for the Firecracker race at Maryland Farms on July 3 and ran it yesterday morning at 7am. Usually we run around 6am when it's slightly cooler. It was sunny and warm at MF and this was my first road race, first race period!

It was exciting and exhilarating and exhausting! All of the anticipation and anxiety - lots of emotions. I had a slight panic attack (I don't know how else to describe it) as the race started and I was running amongst all of these people, hoping I could keep up, not knowing exactly what the course was like. Of course Joel was GONE as he runs faster than me anyway (those long legs). Also he's competitive and wants to get a good time and running at my pace isn't going to get it.

We both struggled in the last mile, especially because it was ALL up hill basically, and we were hot and tired. We were dying! However, we discovered later that we'd been running less than 3 miles for the past 2 1/2 months, a lot less, about 2.4! We mistakenly listened to what someone said the distance around the block is instead of clocking it ourselves.

We had a great time though and have 2 weeks to train for the next 5K on July 17 in Brentwood with Susie, too. We'll increase our distance and endurance so we don't die out there in the sun! : )