Back on Track and well over 50

[feminist54]

A quick gray good moriing to you all, yet one more day where oatmeal makes sense (hopefullythe last time for a bit).
Had a big cheat last night when I met a friend for dinner in New paltz, and we ended up at the Thai place, and had pad thai I have not walked around NP since last summer, and since M. was shoppping for a wedding present, we shopped a bit--shops have gone way upscale--more like the clothing & gift stores in Woodstock! Used to be that Handmade & More was the most expensive gift, jewelry & clothing shop( did see a pair of wide leg jersey pants there by a company called Comfy USA which lived up to their name, but at $82, not budget comfy). Thank goodness that Manny's art supply and book shop still is around.
Tonight I have dueling functions, so I will be late to the book group which meets at our house OOPS! (LX will play the hostess until I arrive). We are discussing Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun-- we picked this as one of those influential books of our youth--I read it in junior high. Esther Forbes' Johnny Tremain which I read in 4th grade sent me on the path I now travel--forcusing on liberal democracy. The two next influential books were de Beauvoir's Second Sex and Kate Millett's Sexual Politics...and Ladies those 4 books influenced my world view...what books or films or??? did it for you...I am thinking about this because I have to figure out how to get my students reading more, so they write better...and modeling is the best way, imho.
Food for the rest of the day will be turkey roll ups, cheese for snack &, 3/4 c Chocolate Special K (say a plaque yesterday in Handmade & More that said something to the effect: We have to save planet earth, its the only one with chocolate), and dinner will be quiche & salad & wine

Have a good day on the beach

[Chris55]

All packed and ready to hit the road tomorrow morning. Will check into the hotel and then head to NP for the rest of the day, eating at the Japanese noodle place. Saturday we have reservations for our Italian dinner splurge over in Gardiner, Sunday into the city. I need comfier nice looking walking shoes. I always feel fine dressed for the city, but my feet always look like a country bumpkin! I have nice flats but they all seem to give me toe cramps by the end of the day, so I will be wearing my brown LLBean shoes that I can walk in for miles without a problem.

I will have to think about the life-changing books. I read many classics in high school, but didn't actually like most of them. The ones I liked that I made my kids read were "Hiroshima", "1984", "Fahrenheit 451", and "To Kill a Mockingbird", which is probably one of my favorite books. I had them read a lot of historical fiction, but not the flag-waving red, white, and blue kind! My youngest was very interested in the Japanese detention camps during WWII so he read a young adult book called, "Under the Blood Red Sun", but we also watched "Snow Falling on Cedars". I had read the novel and knew it would be too long for him, but that's one I liked a lot.

College was spent reading a lot of holistic psychology and education books for fun. The only feminist book (if you can call it that) that I remember vividly was "Against our Will" by Susan Brownmiller, which probably made me angrier than anything I had ever read in my life, so I guess that was a life changer. It was unusual in that it contained massive amounts of research so it really put teeth into the subject.

One book I recently read that was pretty amazing was "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggars. My daughter handed it to me and said that I had to read it, that it made her so angry that people in our country would be treated so badly. If you haven't read it, it's a true story about a Syrian man who stays in New Orleans after Katrina and gets arrested and detained while trying to help his neighbors. A really sad civil rights story in the wake of 9/11. It could inspire some good discussions and essays.

Well, off to gather the last few things, chargers for electronics, etc. Hoping the rain stays out of the Hudson River Valley this weekend!

[feminist54]

Chris, you're in luck, today is supposed to be the off and on stormy day, sure was stormy over night!
One group in my Politics of Prejudice class just reported out on the historic (mis) treatment of Japanese in our country...by the way,have you heard from your exchange student? Ho is she and her family doing? IMHO, we are not really hearing all the follow up details--esp. about the nuclear reactor....
I will have to pick up Zeitoun...always looking for books to add to the book critique list that will move the students out of their comfort bubble.
The chocolate Special K is okay for a treat, but I think the flakes taste very sugary--more like frosted flakes...prob. better with milk, but I ate them flake by flake...so for that reason good munchie food. Food today is hard boiled eggs for breakfast, celery & cheese, turkey rollups for lunch, special k choc. for afternoon snack dinner ???? depends on if I am dining alone or with LX& friends, but I just might make some southwest soup, preparing for cinqo de mayo.
Tomorrow night Iam have my closest colleague over- Jerry has been teaching history at Marist for 49 years! next year, will be his 50th and last...I'm serving pan seared sea scallops, grilled green beans (or asparagus) mashed cauili (replicating the meal I had in Chicago)...starting with bluecheese, pecans & endive, ending with ????thinking about making fresh ricotta and serving that with fresh berries--deconstructed cheesecake. He is also a gourmet cook, so the pressure is on
Well, off I go for my last day of classes...this semester has zipped by!
Haopy SoBe

[Chris55]

Relaxing at my nice inexpensive CLEAN hotel in Fishkill. They have wondows that actually open, so we're getting nice fresh air. I usually get claustrophobic from the air in hotels, so nice to have the option of unfiltered air. Just had a very light Japanese meal, soba with veggies, including some fiddleheads. Not as much flavor as I would have liked, so borrowed some wasabi from my son's plate and that did the trick. Next time I'll go with a Yaki Soba with shrimp, I think.

Had greek yogurt and banana for breakfast, nuts for snack on the road. I packed bagels and sandwiches for the guys, but I had a couple of meat/cheese rollups and a container of veggies and hummus. Forgot the darn V8!!Just had a Kashi bar for dessert at the hotel with a cup of tea. Hopefully breakfast won't be too bad - I brought my yogurts to supplement the fruit and starches on the breakfast bar. Don't know what we'll be up to tomorrow since it's supposed to be around 75. I should have packed capris! But I don't exactly fit into last year's. Need to do something drastic about that as soon as we're done with the weekend's food orgy! Maybe we'll be able to get some walking in tomorrow - Walkway over the Hudson or Minnewaska. I've been wanting to do both, but I think the state park is having cleanup day tomorrow, so maybe we'll put that off for another time.

Your dinner for Jerry sounds wonderful. Scallops are one of my favorites and I love them browned and lightly cooked. Are you making your own fresh ricotta or are you getting it somewhere?

Time to catch up on my reading. DS is working on the last section of his last paper that's due on Monday. It's an easy biographical paper for his Western Music Appreciation class, no references, mostly his opinion about the music he grew up with and the music he's liked in the class. But he needs to get it DONE!!! That way he can relax and have fun with us this weekend. He has classes Monday, then a week before his finals start, so timing for the trip is good. We also dropped off boxes so he can pack up before we move him back.

Gail, have you been to the beach or kayaking yet? Last year I kayaked really early in May and then never got out again for various reasons. Hoping to do more this summer! I think I need to work on my upper arm strength first, though!

[lisa0702]

Good Morning!

Chris, I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the hotel and having a good time. It sounds like a god time.

I received a call from Costco Friday night to let me know that the dog food (Kirklands Signature) has a recall and my bag was on the recall. I learned that Costco's dog food Kirklands brand is really Diamond. My dogs had already eaten some. So I went to Costco to get my money back and then went dog food hunting. I know you are suppose to wean a dog off when swithcing brands but I cant so I hope all goes well. I kept them with chicken. I bought a brand called Fromm and they offer different meals instead of just one. The lady was so kind and patient and told me that I was the 5th person from Costco. And on top of that I had a vet appointment because my german shepherd had a little lump on the side of her and all it was just a cyst and nothing to worry about after paying 100.00 plus 100.00 for flea,heartworm pills. How fast my money goes these days.

Today I am going to run and take it easy. Notice I am up late? I actually did not wake up til 6:30. The heat must have gotten to me yesterday.

Gail and Chris, I have never been kayaking. That sounds like fun. Is it hard?

Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday.

[Chris55]

Good morning, ladies! Glad you got to sleep in today, Lisa!

Trip is going well. The weather is variable - warm and muggy one minute, then cloudy and windy, so just carrying jackets. Yesterday we did the 1.2 mile Walkway over the Hudson, which was pretty fun. There was a huge Aids walk going on, so it was crowded. Then the wind kicked up so I ended up putting the hood on my jacket up just to keep my hair under control. I've let it grow out a bit and still haven't gotten used to carrying hair bands or clips. Then we drove up the Hudson along the river and explored Kingston a bit (wave to Jo!). Ended up having lunch at Deising's, which lived up to its reviews. I had a cup of soup and half sandwich. I wanted something warm and stupidly chose what ended up being a deep fried one. Dinner was a complete over the top Italian meal that I had been planning for - veal parm, homemade cavatelli, wine, bread with olive oil, salad (did sneak those veggies in there!), and split a huge dish of tiramisu. Packed up the leftovers for my son's dorm fridge and dropped them off.

Today it's into the city, maybe Chinese in midtown or pizza downtown depending on where we end up when we're finally hungry again! Hopefully more walking will help wear off some of the calories!

Kayaking is a lot of fun, Lisa. But I don't go in the ocean or in anything other than a calm lake or gently flowing stream! I have a bare-bones kayak that can't handle any more than that. Ocean kayaking is big by us, but you really need to take classes and wear helmets and wetsuits. What I do isn't hard, the hardest part is getting the thing on and off the roof rack of my car. Wish I could just leave it by the water and slide it in when I want to paddle. It's so peaceful kayaking on the lakes - you're low down in the water and it's almost a zen kind of experience.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

[feminist54]

Hi all:
The Walkway over the Hudson is spectular--you can really see how the Hudson River School of painting came into being...taking the train into NYC from Beacon down, you also see the majesty of the river (right by West Point is the deepest point in the river--World's End--and the point were the chain was stretched to block the Brits...)
There is a commercial for the local weather that says in the Hudson Valley it changes every ten minutes. (I started outside this a.m. reading the NYT, until the wind picked up...and now its cloudy).
Chris, if you drove over the old 9w bridge into Kingston, you were right next to our house! How did you come to pick Deisings? There are a lot of places to choose from uptown & in the Rondout (where we live).
Long time ago LX and I built our own kayak/canoe....would lug it down the hill to the Rondout creek; then we bought an inflatable kayak--much lighter. Now LX prefers her boyfriend's motor boat...I still like sailing (on the Clearwater) or kayaking or canoeing...but have not done so on the ocean since I was in my 20s!!!!
Dinner was a success..the sea scallops were succulent & sweet. The ricotta I made--it is real easy.
The basic recipe is 3 C whole milk 1 C cream heated in nonreactive pot until its 190 degrees --candy thermometer needed (stirring occasionally), the adding 3 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice--usually the juice of one big lemon--, stir slowly 2 x and then let sit for 5-10 minutes before pouring into a cheesecloth & strainer to let sit for 60 minutes for regular consistency ricotta, or 2 hours for cream cheese like spreadability. Refrig, it will last 2-4 days. When it is warm, it is delish on toast, cracker, pita (which I did not do this time)
(you can tinker with the recipe re: type of milk, ie., 1.5 c whole 1.5 cups 2% and lite cream.... you can also add in vanilla or other flavorings)

Now back to the last set of papers, before exams....

[Chris55]

I will definitely have to try the ricotta, and maybe some homemade mozzarella, too. DH grew up in Bensonhurst and had fresh ricotta all the time.

Yes, I guess we drove right by your house, and right past every Catholic retreat house on the east coast! DH loves trains, so we were all over down by the tracks and waterfront until I told him to stop already, we needed lunch and DS wanted to see some of the old houses. He likes to take architectural photos. I picked Deisings from the internet. Last time we were down for a weekend it was DS's birthday and I was looking for a nice bakery. We never did get there back in November (explored Poughkeepsie instead), but I remembered the place. We were planning on our big Italian meal at Lombardi's in Gardiner that night, so we wanted just something light and relatively quick. The food was very good, especially for the carnivores who love those sandwiches dripping with meat and cheese and fat! Soup was delicious, and the potato salad was excellent. The lunch plates we had would have been $4-5 more in NP. I had to drag the guys away from the cakes and cookies, but did let them buy a box of cookies, which we had yesterday. DH is already planning on eating lunch/dinner there when he moves the kid home in a few weeks. I may skip that trip, don't think my waistline can handle it. But I'm requesting a couple of loaves of rye bread as takeout!

Yesterday we drove into the city and got there just as the police were removing the barricades from the side streets that were blocking off 5th Ave for the bike trek. We got a spot right on 40th and 6th, around the corner from Kinokuniya. We pretty much spent the day in bookstores, ending up at the Strand and Union Square Park. It still hurts my head to look at that park and think about what it used to be like. I worked right near there during my first two years of college and wouldn't walk through the park even though it was a short cut to my office. We had a nice day, had some good cheap Chinese food for lunch but headed back to NP around dinner time to drop the kid off. Had some pizza for dinner and headed back to the hotel. More pizza (and a salad!) on the way home today, Boston Pizzaria Regina. Needless to say, Phase 1 starts again tomorrow and so does my walking. First order of business will be a grocery store trip for veggies. We have birthdays coming up this week and next, not sure what I'll do about that (mine, DH's, and DS's). I was trying to count our Italian night/tiramisu fling for all three but I doubt if they'll let me get away with that. Maybe I need to make some of that ricotta. If I pile it in a graham cracker shell and cover it with berries or chocolate shavings and a drizzle of amaretto, maybe I can call it a cake!

[feminist54]

Good Monday Evening all:
Well, next time you driveby our house you'll just have to stop (we are between the old 9w bridge & the old church come bar/restaurant now for sale)...
have you been up to Mohonk? You can hike during the day, and if you have (expensive) lunch or dinner its free, and you can hang on the porch for tea and cookies at 4, or use any of the gamerooms...and then there's Beacon if you like funky town and contemporary art at DIA...North there's Hyde Park (you need to go to ValKill) and Rhinebeck... Olana is just below Hudson (an antiquers heaven)...lots to do in this area, plus Woodstock (the real one, plus Bethel where the concert was) up 28 past Woodstock into the Catskills there is alot to do, too...(we are mapping out what to do with LK's Cousin & gf for 10 days besides hitting NYC....so I'm in tourist guide mode). becasue the CIA is in Hude Park, many chefs stay in the area, so most restaurants are good to great!
Just finished grading my last paper--though tomorrow I have 3 exams and other work coming in all week--Tonight I will finish reading Rachel Maddow's book.

Food today : 2 hard boiled eggs & pineapple, celery & cheese, turkey rollups with avocado and coleslaw, cuke salad, and dinner was a chicken sausage with italian herbs by Thin & Trim (70 cals each, and just need to be heated--5 sausages at about $4.50 a pkg--they have other flavors--chipoltle, spinach...) with shirataki spaghetti served with a large spoonfull of left over ricotta, a sprinkle of parm & some sautee'd garlic mmmmmmmm. Quick, Filling and SoBe. For dessert I will have a 1/2 cup of choc special K later.

ciao...

[Chris55]

Thanks for ideas on exploring! We tried to just DRIVE onto the Mohonk property one late afternoon in the fall and they wouldn't let us in. Told us to come back in the morning and pay some ridiculous amount of money per person. We just wanted to see the hotel, not hike, but nothing doing. I did check out the restaurant menu and the prices were frightening. I would like to hike in the preserve at some point. DS hasn't taken advantage of any of the hiking trips - they were all in the fall when he was swamped/overwhelmed, which is a shame because he loves to hike.

I would like to go to the CIA at some point, too. I've been hearing about the restaurants there for a very long time. Maybe next year's birthday with the kid, he'd get a kick out of it, even if it was just lunch.

I'd like to go up to Woodstock again, just myself and DH. My boys do not like going to funky/crafty stores, but I love to. We actually got our wedding rings in Woodstock but haven't been up there since we picked the rings up back in '78.

I need to make a strict plan for eating this week. Asparagus is on sale so I think I will buy a huge pile of it to roast and eat all week. Our farmer's market opens next week, so that will help in my quest for good veggies. I'm thinking chicken tonight, something light to counteract all that fat this weekend. And I need to cook up a vat of beans or chili or bean soup. We're supposed to have rain all week, so warm and steamy will be good. It's amazing how my garden just popped while we were gone - all my hostas were barely poking through the ground; now they look like plants!

DS has two more classes this week, then finals next week. I'm so proud of him! There have been some major issues with the Japanese faculty, very frustrating, but he's been e-mailing and speaking to people to get his needs met. The one FT prof we spoke with before enrolling, who had promised to give him ind study classes when he maxed out of Japanese language classes, took a sabbatical this year to research in Japan. He had also assured me that the dept was financially stable and supported by the administration - I asked due to language programs being cut in Albany. Now only adjuncts are teaching, they evidently lost another FTer a few years ago and never replaced them. Anyway, the guy moved to Japan permanently and evidently the administration was hedging on hiring a FT replacement. Enter my son, who is closed out of one of his required classes and needs to actually keep taking the language so he can prepare for study abroad and scholarships that require language testing by the Japanese Consulate. I helped him craft some e-mails to his advisor and department chair. He finally got a face-to-face with the department chair yesterday and she thanked him for his e-mails saying they have been instrumental in convincing the admin to hire someone FT and add another section of the class he (and 8 other Asian Studies majors!) need. Hopefully this is being resolved within the next few weeks. He did also put in a plug for his adjunct language prof, who is a native speaker and has been really wonderful. My quiet son is learning to advocate for himself. Very proud mom here!!

[BytheSea]

Good Morning almost noon !

Whew! It's starting to get exhausting here ! Juggling wedding planning and grandbaby readiness (they're not due to October but October is also the wedding!)
At this point I should be so broke that I won't be able to afford shopping for food and THEN I should loose some weight! No, I shouldn't complain, it's just not moving at fast as I would like. The last time around I was dropping a 1 lb per week and now it's like 6 oz per week. I've been keeping a journal of the food consumption and it isn't wandering off the SoBe path, maybe my portions are too much. I'll try measuring for a week and see if there's any change.

Okay enough of the pity party - ---- News from DS and DDIL last night, it's official, we'll be welcoming a GRANDDAUGHTER in October!!! Baby Bean is a she Between us and the DDIL parents (we're both having our first grandchild) this baby shall want for nothing! Even DH is getting into the act - he has decided that he will be in charge of getting her her first pair of cowboy boots, denim jacket and jeans! Oh my !

Lisa - I see Chris gave you the best run down on Kayaking. It is tranquil and not difficult. My transporting the kayak has gotten easier since our DD has bought a home with the bay right accros the field from her. I do some ocean kayaking, but only when it's calm and the water has warmed up (usually late July/August). I went out once and the wave action picked up - I was nervous, made it in on a wave and almost out of the kayak, when another wave came up behind me and ----well let's put it this way, I was digging sand out of places I didn't know I had. I think I felt sand in my hair for a week!

Chris - Congratulations on you're son's first year under his belt! No longer the new kid on the block. And good for him, to speak out and up for his education and along the way helped out several others and may have even secured new employment for someone .

Feminist 54 - almost time to put you're feet up for just a wee bit ! classes are over but I seem to think that you're work isn't really done -

Time to get back to work. Ladies take care and keep beaching ! ~ gail

[Chris55]

Oh, Gail! A granddaughter will be SO much fun. Not that I have anything against boys, lol! Just sometimes I feel a bit outnumbered here. Happy happy shopping!

I'm officially back on track. Other than my wine, I'm doing a strict P1. Although there's this very ripe pear calling to me - may have to get DH to eat it. Yesterday I roasted 4 lb. of asparagus, packaged some up for the freezer and have enough for leftovers the next few days. I also made a big vat of chili with three kinds of beans, lots of hot smoky spices, and a big spoonful of cocoa powder. It came out yummy, tried some for my snack and will have it for dinner tonight or tomorrow. Packed up a few servings for the freezer, too.

Rain, rain, rain. But it's looking just misty and my walk buddy is ready to roll. If it starts raining, we will detour for coffee/tea.

Got a pair of $10 Coldwater Creek black jeans in the mail yesterday. Luckily I had read the reviews and saw that they ran small. My other pants from them are size 8's and snug, so I ordered a 12 thinking they would shrink to a 10. Well, they're smaller than my 8's!!! I'm wearing them a little at a time hoping they stretch a bit before I need to wash them. Hopefully they won't shrink too much, and hopefully I WILL shrink! Women's clothing sizes make me crazy.

[Chris55]

Wow, FB is full of chatter about the Obama announcement. Most very positive, but I have family in NC who are horrified by the vote there and some of the responses from people in that area are so bigoted and scary that it makes me so glad I live where I do. I have a nephew who teaches theater in a small town and he's been very vocal about supporting gay rights. I'm very proud of him.

The scale is happy again . I'm down almost 5 lb, slow but at least it's moving in the right direction. So I've overcome the weekend fling, plus some. Now if I can only keep this up!

It's pouring here today, so probably no walking, maybe some yoga stretches instead. Leftover chili for lunch, lean burgers and piles of veggies for dinner.

[feminist54]

Wow, what I was typing just disappeared so this will be a very truncated version since I have a pile of grading to plow through...
Chris, congrats on the scale movement, and you should be very proud of your DS for taking responsibility for his education...many students still expect others to tell them what to do and how to do it, and allow them to do it whenever the mood strikes (including their helicoptor parents), which is not going to serve them well in the real world where deadlines are real, and so are the consequences...

Gail: Grandbabies are grand because you can always hand them back and cowboy boots are the perfect gift and sentiment for any girl! October though is going to be wild around your place!

I am glad that the Prez came out so to speak, civil rights should be universal, and that is what all civil marriages are, they give the couple rights and responsibilities by the state--the important words that make all marriage ceremonies civil unions are the ones that begin with "By the powers invested in me (the officiant) by the state of (fill in the blank) I now pronounce you _____+ ______."
Religions have their own place, I believe in the separation of chuch and state:especially after Cardinal Nolan's comment that Catholics are allowed to practice "discriminatory justice." Which I translate justice to mean just us (who ever belongs)...I also think that all religions that are playing politics should lose their tax exemptions...my humble opinion as a tax paying citizen who does not get any breaks even though as a woman I earn about 75% less than men (and thus, I should only pay 75% of all my taxes?), and my marriage & family is not recognized by many.

The amendment in NC is going to hurt straight couples as well. since domestic partnerships etc are no longer going to be recognized. That also means that corporations' marriages ( another word for mergers) are also suspect...

The sun has come out...hopefully the deck chairs will dry off a bit, so I can grade outside!

Food today : scrambled eggs with one of the chicken sausages (mmm) , turkey rollups and cuke salad for lunch, snacks spec K or popcorn, dinner : thinking I will get some shrimp to go with my broc... and, I do think portion size matters so i am trying to pay attention.
Yesterday I did have pizza (which was served at one of the many meetings I was sitting through), first breadlike substance in weeks...thank goodness it was from a good pizzeria, and was topped with veggies...wiuld have hated to have wasted my fall off the SOBE wagon on medicre pizza or worse...

ciao

[Chris55]

I like your "just us" interpretation! I'm with you on taking away tax exemptions from churches that lobby. The bishop in Maine took up collections to repeal the marriage equality law here, took money that was donated for other purposes and used it for the campaign, and cancelled a grant to a homeless teen shelter that was supporting marriage equality (most teens in the shelter were gay). They haven't gotten a dime from me since and motivated me to get involved in getting out the liberal vote. It's coming up again in November, hopefully enough young people will vote to pass it this time. I also donated our old mini van to the homeless shelter. I've been church shopping a bit lately, not ready to deal with baggage from any of them, but will continue to visit occasionally.

I didn't get my walk today because it was pouring. Never did my stretches eighter. Had coffee with some friends instead, talked political issues, kids issues, and then went off to do my United Way good deed for the week. Burgers on english muffins for dinner (I'll probably gain 2 lb. of bloat tonight), salad, leftover asparagus, pinot noir. Banana for dessert.

Tomorrow's plan is shrimp, fiddleheads, salad, soba noodles, wine. Leaning towards making a small carrot cake for b'day cake. Funny, I just found homemade ricotta recipes I had clipped. Not sure if I'll have time to fiddle with that tomorrow, but looking at your directions it shouldn't be any harder than doing the cake. Not sure it will be festive enough for a double birthday (myself and DH)!