Thanksgiving Crisp

Yesterday, for Thanksgiving, I baked an apple cranberry crisp.  Used a recipe from The Art and Soul of Baking, a cookbook with loads of great recipes.   

A crisp is similar to a cobbler or a crumble.  It’s a fruit based dessert, usually with no bottom crust, covered with a strudel crumb topping.  The recipe I used had an oatmeal topping, adding crunch to the fruit.  I love the contrasting flavors of tart cranberries with the more mellow Granny Smiths.  Add a bit of cinnamon and you have a delightful treat.

Steps along the way:  First, in the dish, prior to adding topping… then hot out of the oven…  then enjoy a la mode!  Scroll down for the close up….

Cranberries. . .

Not to scale. 

Birthday Cake

Baked a chocolate cake for Dan’s birthday.  Cake and frosting both were made from scratch.  Hope it’s good – I used a new recipe…  

This Day in History

Today, Friday the 13th of November, in honor of Dan’s 50th Birthday, here are some “historical” events that occurred on this date.

• 1789 – Ben Franklin wrote in a letter to a friend, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”.
• 1843 – Mount Rainier in Washington erupts.
• 1850 – Novelist Robert Louis Stevenson was born.
• 1927 – The Holland Tunnel beneath the Hudson River opened to the public linking NYC and New Jersey.
• 1934 – Garry Marshall (actor, director, producer, writer) was born in New York City. 
• 1942 – The minimum draft age was lower from 21 to 18.
• 1947 – Actor Joe Mantegna was born in Chicago.
• 1953 – Actress Frances Conroy (“6 Feet Under”) was born.
• 1954 – Actor Chris Noth was born in Madison Wisconsin.
• 1955 – Whoopi Goldberg was born in New York City.
• 1956 – An Alabama law regarding segregation on buses was declared invalid.
• 1959 – Dan was born.  The 13th was on a Friday that year too!
• 1959 – My Dad proposed to my Mom.  (Yes, on the very same day my husband was born!)
• 1967 – Actor Steve Zahn was born in Minnesota.
• 1979 – Ronald Regan announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.
• 1982 – Vietnam Memorial dedicated in Washington D.C.
• 2009 – Dan celebrates his 50th birthday!

Running injury update

So, after about 6 weeks of rest and physical therapy, my IT band was no longer hurting.  My physical therapist suggested I go for a test run:  walk 5 minutes, easy run for 5 minutes, repeat.  On my very first running step I felt pain.  It wasn’t in my IT band, but more in the area of my hamstring, close to the knee.  This was the pain I felt months ago, prior to the IT band issues that took me to the PT’s office.  Discouraging.

I went back to my primary care doctor who recommended an orthopedic.  I took the ortho’s first available appointment, 2 weeks out.  I waited a week then tried another test run – couldn’t believe it, no pain at all!  Very encouraged, I tried running again the next day.  I had some pain that day, but not too bad.  I delayed my ortho appointment a week, and started to do short runs every other day.  Pretty consistently I had pain behind my knee, each run hurt a bit more than the last.  Finally it was hurting too much to continue to run.  I decided that running wasn’t the best idea, stopped running, and waited for my ortho appointment.

The orthopedic sent me for an MRI and last Friday I went back to the orthopedic for the results.  I was surprised and disappointed by the news.  No soft tissues issues, but I have a mild stress fracture.  The doctor suggested I stay off my leg – no running, and minimize walking, though no crutches are needed.  When I asked “for how long?” the doctor said it was hard to tell.  Basically he said until it’s better.  Not exactly sure how I’ll know when it’s better.  It doesn’t hurt very much when I walk.  Going up and down steps does hurt a little, though.  I guess my “time off” starts from when I had the MRI instead of when I first stopped running in early September.  Just guessing, I’d say I probably won’t be able to run until 2010.

So I obviously need to revamp my exercise program.  I started working with a trainer a few weeks ago, attempting to improve various muscle weaknesses and imbalances.  Hopefully that will help prevent future injuries.  I’ve also been swimming more.  Plus, this week I tried water running, which is like running but completely non-impact.  It’s a weird thing.  It must look idiotic too.  Actually I’m not sure my technique is correct.  From what I read on the internet, water running should increase heart rate.  When I do it, my heart rate feels a bit like I’m walking, even when I increase my pace.  Planning to attend a class that my physical therapist’s offers in water running.

Just as I was getting used to the idea of no running for a long while, I got sick.  Maybe it’s a cold, not sure yet.  (Hopefully it’s not the swine flu.)  Anyway, now I don’t feel like doing anything.  Ugh!

I broke a plate there once…

I’ve moved frequently in my adult life.  This is due, partly, to the fact that I wanted to experience life in various places, to find out how cultures differ, experience different climates, discover how values and political views differ from place to place.  I enjoy exploring new places and find that I learn and grow with every move. 

I spent my entire childhood in the same house, never moving a single time.  Advance to post college years and the picture changes.  I’ve moved about every 2 to 4 years.  In this respect, I suspect my life is different from most Americans my age who often are living the “American Dream” (house in the suburbs).  In contrast to that typical lifestyle, I feel a bit like a modern-day nomad.

I’ve lived in 2 countries,  3 different states, 6 different towns, and 4 different time zones.  I’ve only owned a home once.  When I was in my late twenties, I bought a condo in the town where I grew up.  I only lived there a couple of years (of course).  That home remains the largest place I’ve lived as an adult – a 2 bedroom condo, tiny compared to the typical suburban McMansion.  Other than that brief stint of home ownership, I’ve lived in a series of one bedroom apartments ranging from about 550 square feet to 950 square feet.

We’ve called some of our rentals “home” longer than others.  One thing that eventually happens when we move somewhere new – I drop a plate.  Until that initial plate shattering, a place doesn’t really seem like home to me.  Not sure why Dan never drops a plate; I have the corner on that market.  I’ve have been gradually decreasing the number of our plates over the years.  I guess after another couple of moves, we’ll have to buy new dinnerware.

Is Reality TV Replacing Theatre?

This past weekend Dan and I attended the world premiere of “Mrs. Whitney” at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre.  That’s the third play we’ve seen in the last 6 months at the Magic Theatre.  Like the other plays, this one was terrific. 

Each time we go to the theatre I look around the sparse audience.  Each time I jokingly ask Dan, “Well, how’s it feel to be the second youngest person here?”  While I ask in jest, I wonder – where are the 20-somethings?  The 30-somethings?  Er, the 40-somethings??  It’s rather alarming how few people go to the theatre these days, and the ones that do go, well they tend to be “of a certain age”. 

I can’t help but wonder – where are the people of my generation? Are they at home watching reality TV?  If so, what does that say about the future of theatre in America?  And perhaps more alarming, what does that say about my generation?  Is this one of the things Gen-X will be known for – replacing quality theatre with second-rate TV?

Alcatraz Crossing

On Saturday I did my 5th Alcatraz crossing.  It was my first crossing of 2009 – earlier this year I had a shoulder injury that kept me out of the water.  In 2008, I swam from Alcatraz 4 times.

I did the crossing with Water World Swim.  We met at 6:45 Saturday morning, climbed aboard the Dauntless, and headed to Alcatraz.  Even though this wasn’t my first crossing, I was a bundle of nerves on the boat.  The conversations around me were an absolute surreal blur, only partly due to the ear plugs I had in to prevent the icy water from entering my ears.  Soon the boat stopped near the island and the swimmers jumped into the water.  When I jumped I rapidly went down in the water.  It’s always shocking to jump in – the sudden bracing cold, the noise of the water, and you can’t see anything in the murky water of SF Bay.

I surfaced quickly and began to swim.  Swimming is such a solitary activity; it’s a time in which I live in my mind.  Not only that, but being in the middle of SF Bay makes one feel even more alone.  That said, I wasn’t alone.  I could see some of the other swimmers to my right.  They were moving faster than me and soon they were in front of me.  I kept them in sight for a while, but eventually I could no longer see them.  I worried that I was falling behind.  I could see the Dauntless occasionally.  We had a number of kayakers on this crossing, and I could see various kayakers much of the time I swam.  That was reassuring.

Sighting always proves challenging.  To my left the sun was rising, turning the water golden, in a beautiful display of nature.  It was a breathtaking sight…  I was headed for Aquatic Park, straight ahead.  The opening of Aquatic Park’s cove is flanked by Muni Pier and a seawall.  When I would raise my head to look forward I often could not see much, as waves would obscure my view.  Other times I could see the buildings along Fisherman’s Wharf, but unfortunately the buildings didn’t seem to be getting closer.  This caused a mild panic and I tried to swim faster.  I’m not sure why, maybe due to nerves, but I felt like I wasn’t moving.  I wasn’t alone – that nagging panic and self-doubt were my constant companions.

Eventually I saw the cove’s opening.  There were kayakers on either side of the opening, and, in what felt like super-slow-mo, I swam through the opening.  Once in the protective cove of Aquatic Park, the water became smoother.  I had less than a quarter mile left to swim.  As I swam toward the beach, the sun completely blinded me.  I knew the beach was straight ahead and so I kept swimming hoping that in my blinded state I wouldn’t swim into a boat or another swimmer.  When my hand hit sand I knew I had arrived.  At the beach.  I slowly stood, stopped the timer on my watch (49 minutes), and I walked out of the water.  As usual there were tourists standing by the beach and, as usual, they stared as I came out of the water.  This scene, in which I feel like I’ve played a role numerous times, causes a mix of conflicting emotions.  Happy and satisfied that I completely the swim, but conspicuous with tourists staring as I come of the Bay.

There were a couple of other swimmers on the beach who had also swam from the Dauntless.  There were 13 swimmers that jumped and there were now 3 of us on the beach.  I wasn’t sure if the rest had already gone home.  I turned and looked back toward Alcatraz.  I saw the Dauntless near the opening of Aquatic Park, so apparently I wasn’t the last swimmer to arrive.  (As it turned out, I was actually in the middle of the “pack”.)  I pulled off my 3 swimming caps and, in my dripping wetsuit, I began walking to the pier where the Dauntless was to return.  I must have been a sight – walking down the street in my wetsuit, my eyes ringed by goggle marks.  When I arrived at the pier the boat still had not returned.  I stood shivering on the pier for what felt like years and eventually the Dauntless returned.  I got my gear bag and headed to the South End Rowing Club to take a warm shower.

Overall it was a satisfying experience.  My shoulder, which I had worried about, didn’t hurt during the swim.  I also was pleased that I didn’t have to be repositioned in the water.  (When a swimmer drifts off course, they are picked up by the Dauntless and repositioned in the water.)  Before the swim, I had worried that I’d be cold in the water.  My hands and feet were a little numb while I swam, but I wasn’t particularly cold in the water.  I had felt fine in the water, managed to keep the panic under control, and successfully made it to shore.

Pea Soup

It’s super foggy in San Francisco today.  Below is a photo of the view from our deck (just outside of our living room).  Took this at 8:30 AM.  That’s a photo of Telegraph Hill.  Seriously.  OK, just trust me.

Long weekend in Yosemite

We just returned from 4 days in Yosemite National Park.  It’s about a 4 hour drive from San Francisco and we try to go about once a year.  We’re both avid hikers.  While spectacular views can be had from the valley out of your car window, hiking to a view can’t be beat.  Here’s a snapshot of me at the top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park.  I’m at 8122 feet elevation here, atop a massive granite dome.  In Yosemite, granite is king!