Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Overdue
I need a new camera. I took a million pictures but they are all so blurry. I've joined the anti-flash revolution. Now I need a camera to come with me.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Turkey Turkey
Thanksgiving was lovely but I am seriously at a place where I never want to cook again.
Nightly suppers are turning into nightly take out and it's getting vicious with the hamburgers people. Any suggestions on quick and inspiring suppers would be appreciated.
For example, these sound good but does anyone seriously think I'm going to make this as a side? I don't think so.
One by one my pregnancy cravings have just been dropping away. Chipotle?-over it. Pasta-it's done. Pizza-no more.
I don't want any more cheesy, gooey, carby stuff anymore. It just doesn't have the same appeal. As sad as that is, what does my appetite long for now?
So initially I had thought i'm going to make really consistent menus, like pasta Mondays, soup Tuesdays, sandwich Wednesdays, yeah. that um, is never going to happen. It's more like McDonalds Monday, McDonalds Tuesday,... OK it's not that bad, but you see where this is going.
What I really need is one day of cooking then three days of recovery.
Nightly suppers are turning into nightly take out and it's getting vicious with the hamburgers people. Any suggestions on quick and inspiring suppers would be appreciated.
For example, these sound good but does anyone seriously think I'm going to make this as a side? I don't think so.
One by one my pregnancy cravings have just been dropping away. Chipotle?-over it. Pasta-it's done. Pizza-no more.
I don't want any more cheesy, gooey, carby stuff anymore. It just doesn't have the same appeal. As sad as that is, what does my appetite long for now?
So initially I had thought i'm going to make really consistent menus, like pasta Mondays, soup Tuesdays, sandwich Wednesdays, yeah. that um, is never going to happen. It's more like McDonalds Monday, McDonalds Tuesday,... OK it's not that bad, but you see where this is going.
What I really need is one day of cooking then three days of recovery.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Race man, Race
So I'm watching the Amazing Race last night, which I haven't in years because it gets kind of tedious when they play out the same old story lines over and over again ("we're dating--are we really right for each other?") with the same inevitable ending ("he's abusive! get away!!").
This season looks interesting because it features all sorts of DIFFERENT stereotypes like "goths!" and "hippies!" and Chris even notes, "granolas!" which are like hippies with money.
Immediately we notice the Asian-American team, Ronald and Christina, (ethnicity unknown apparently?), and all their Asian fervor. In my search for their ethnicity I come up with this link to Rice Daddies, a blog about being an Asian-American father or perhaps father to an Asian-American and all the stereotypical media confrontation we AAs deal with. Now I'm not a powerhouse in this community, having majored in WOMEN's studies versus ASIAN studies, but I thought his blog was linkworthy.
In this blog, I saw he accepts pictures of babies for his banner, and it said "Hapa babies are more than welcome." What are Hapa babies? They're half Asian-half Caucasian--Hapa babies are Gideon! Gideon is a Hapa baby. That's when the race thing really came out for me. There is a category for my child, one that is fettered with the many connotations of race in America (many not good, some just plain weird.) I'm not finished with my thought process yet, but I would recommend everyone read this article from this weekend's Post. My Favorite part of the article is about how "Whites"--are we allowed to say that now?--don't believe racism still exists, or that is as pervasive as it still is and because "white people 'control the discourse on what constitutes race in this country," says Paula Rothenberg, a senior fellow at City University in New York and author of "White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism."
I better put that on my goodreads list.
Anyhoo the whole point being that the reference to "yellow fever" sent me into a tizzy from which I have not recovered. More thinking on this will occur, no doubt.
Many cool blogs have been discovered from this initial interest in Ronald and Christina's ethnic background, and this conversation with self and others must be said (I believe).
Blogs to read later:
Rice Daddies
Racalicious
Kimchi Mamas
Note I have not read all the blogs above so if one is a crazy fascist group posing as a blog, please disregard.
This season looks interesting because it features all sorts of DIFFERENT stereotypes like "goths!" and "hippies!" and Chris even notes, "granolas!" which are like hippies with money.
Immediately we notice the Asian-American team, Ronald and Christina, (ethnicity unknown apparently?), and all their Asian fervor. In my search for their ethnicity I come up with this link to Rice Daddies, a blog about being an Asian-American father or perhaps father to an Asian-American and all the stereotypical media confrontation we AAs deal with. Now I'm not a powerhouse in this community, having majored in WOMEN's studies versus ASIAN studies, but I thought his blog was linkworthy.
In this blog, I saw he accepts pictures of babies for his banner, and it said "Hapa babies are more than welcome." What are Hapa babies? They're half Asian-half Caucasian--Hapa babies are Gideon! Gideon is a Hapa baby. That's when the race thing really came out for me. There is a category for my child, one that is fettered with the many connotations of race in America (many not good, some just plain weird.) I'm not finished with my thought process yet, but I would recommend everyone read this article from this weekend's Post. My Favorite part of the article is about how "Whites"--are we allowed to say that now?--don't believe racism still exists, or that is as pervasive as it still is and because "white people 'control the discourse on what constitutes race in this country," says Paula Rothenberg, a senior fellow at City University in New York and author of "White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism."
I better put that on my goodreads list.
Anyhoo the whole point being that the reference to "yellow fever" sent me into a tizzy from which I have not recovered. More thinking on this will occur, no doubt.
Many cool blogs have been discovered from this initial interest in Ronald and Christina's ethnic background, and this conversation with self and others must be said (I believe).
Blogs to read later:
Rice Daddies
Racalicious
Kimchi Mamas
Note I have not read all the blogs above so if one is a crazy fascist group posing as a blog, please disregard.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Fabulous
Fabulous guesses everybody but there was only one winner!!
Nonny Jan-that's right, only grandma Ratke knew the final picture for what we supposed it could be (because it was totally made up and unintentional).
Picture one!: A representative of the Lollipop Guild. This would make sense, because it's Nonny's favorite movie. This is actually a Christmas outfit with the onesie turned backward. He can never wear this again because I bought a Newborn size like a dumbass.
Picture two!: A pea pod. This would also make sense, because Nonny bought him this costume. When I showed this picture to my students they were confused, with guesses ranging from a piece of candy to "dots" to "a vegetable thing?"
Picture three!: A boxer!! "Like Rocky?" Nonny asked? my alternate and also acceptable answer would have been: Backstreet Boy. We thought of both as we rolled his sleeves up.
This was my first week back at work and I think my body is going haywire trying to produce enough adrenaline to handle the load. There are definitely two realities in this world: Pre and post parent. There is seriously no in between.
Nonny Jan-that's right, only grandma Ratke knew the final picture for what we supposed it could be (because it was totally made up and unintentional).
Picture one!: A representative of the Lollipop Guild. This would make sense, because it's Nonny's favorite movie. This is actually a Christmas outfit with the onesie turned backward. He can never wear this again because I bought a Newborn size like a dumbass.
Picture two!: A pea pod. This would also make sense, because Nonny bought him this costume. When I showed this picture to my students they were confused, with guesses ranging from a piece of candy to "dots" to "a vegetable thing?"
Picture three!: A boxer!! "Like Rocky?" Nonny asked? my alternate and also acceptable answer would have been: Backstreet Boy. We thought of both as we rolled his sleeves up.
This was my first week back at work and I think my body is going haywire trying to produce enough adrenaline to handle the load. There are definitely two realities in this world: Pre and post parent. There is seriously no in between.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
CRap
It's NaBloPoMo, and I forgot to blog yesterday. I suck at this. I could have totally blogged too, I just didn't.
Let me tell you what makes me happy.
Dosai.
That is all. (for now, not all that makes me happy.)
Let me tell you what makes me happy.
Dosai.
That is all. (for now, not all that makes me happy.)
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Happy Halloweeeeen!!
Guess what Gideon dressed as? He has three costumes!
Costume 1:
Costume 2:
Costume 3:
Friday, October 26, 2007
Coolest Thing Ever
Want to see the coolest thing ever? I made this. OK not really. I found a site that makes this. Consider the possibilities, people. CONSIDER!!!!!!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
A Quiet Moment
A special day has passed recently, without much fanfare. It was the day that Gideon was supposed to be born. That day was spent doing normal day to day things. Swinging in a swing, bouncing in a bouncer, smiling at nothing, sleeping sweetly. I could say schmaltzy things about babies and the sense of self, but those things have been said before. Instead I present you:
Then:
Now:
Then:
Now:
Pee Stories
In a pee update, things have gone from bad to worse in diaper town. I'm talking about a RASH. He has not bumps, but a little red swelling. A line of swelling has turned painful looking, though no reaction to touching has occurred. Imminently the search for strategies has ensued.
The cure for diaper rash, says the internet?
Good old fashioned nakedness.
What does nakedness mean? This question can not be pondered until you have dealt with a machine that produces foul foul things, things that hundreds of years of technology has attempted to trap.
Oh no, says nature, you can not hold ME down. And so the list of things that have been peed upon will continue.
And with it, a new list shall begin. Oh you know the list I am talking about, though its monstrous name will not be mentioned here.
Let us just say that every day is laundry day in our house.
The cure for diaper rash, says the internet?
Good old fashioned nakedness.
What does nakedness mean? This question can not be pondered until you have dealt with a machine that produces foul foul things, things that hundreds of years of technology has attempted to trap.
Oh no, says nature, you can not hold ME down. And so the list of things that have been peed upon will continue.
And with it, a new list shall begin. Oh you know the list I am talking about, though its monstrous name will not be mentioned here.
Let us just say that every day is laundry day in our house.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Dinners
I've been cooking a lot more lately!
Mon-Greek Shrimp Pasta-very good and very easy. Make a salad of feta, tomatoes, and oregano. Cook the shrimp with garlic, butter and olive oil. Make some pasta (we used penne). Add the shrimp to the pasta, add the salad to that, and you're done. Ate this for days.
Tues-Chris made a creamy corn and potato chowder (under my guidance). This reminded me of leek and potato soup and it was delicious. In Atlanta we used to go to this place called Taquieria del Sol and they had a spicy Shrimp Corn Chowder there that was to die for. This tastes exactly like that without the Shrimp and the spice. Easily modifiable-add some hot sauce and those little shrimp (or some cut up shrimp) and you're there. Ate this for days too.
Wed-McDonald's. It's Monopoly time at McDonalds. It's a good thing I don't gamble.
Thur-Spam Fried Rice. Chris claims this is his favorite dish. It's good comfort food, and after making it for six years, it's like sleepwalking. Freshly minced ginger makes the difference here.
Mon-Greek Shrimp Pasta-very good and very easy. Make a salad of feta, tomatoes, and oregano. Cook the shrimp with garlic, butter and olive oil. Make some pasta (we used penne). Add the shrimp to the pasta, add the salad to that, and you're done. Ate this for days.
Tues-Chris made a creamy corn and potato chowder (under my guidance). This reminded me of leek and potato soup and it was delicious. In Atlanta we used to go to this place called Taquieria del Sol and they had a spicy Shrimp Corn Chowder there that was to die for. This tastes exactly like that without the Shrimp and the spice. Easily modifiable-add some hot sauce and those little shrimp (or some cut up shrimp) and you're there. Ate this for days too.
Wed-McDonald's. It's Monopoly time at McDonalds. It's a good thing I don't gamble.
Thur-Spam Fried Rice. Chris claims this is his favorite dish. It's good comfort food, and after making it for six years, it's like sleepwalking. Freshly minced ginger makes the difference here.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Night Time
Night Time from Jane Yang on Vimeo.
How have I been sleeping, everyone asks. Is he sleeping through the night, they want to know. AHHH !! I don't know!!
Sometimes he sleeps. Sometimes he doesn't! Sometimes I don't know day from night!
Chris and I are trying to use the scheduling method of child rearing. Everything is going fantastically, except that 1) I keep getting off the schedule, 2) am not sure how to adjust for his developmental age, and 3) Gideon has gas and reflux which keep waking him up and off his "schedule." Two steps forward, one step back...now imagine it in sleepwalking terms. It all seemed so much easier when I was reading from the book. Then it was all head nodding and mmhmming and why doesn't everyone just do this-ing.
I think the facility that created this being should upgrade its manufacturing process or something. Oh wait. That's me.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Eating Well
Menu for this week:
Sunday: Smokey Shepard's pie-did not have cumin or paprika for some reason--so I used curry and it was just as good. This uses ground turkey which I told Chris was healthy, but then he noted all the butter, sour cream and heavy cream in the recipe probably added all the fat we needed for the week. I love this because it has lots of veggies and the best mashed potatoes in the world. These mashed potatoes have sour cream! They are so easy to make and yummy. I'm always using this recipe for my mashed potatoes. I don't like this recipe because it makes enough to feed way more people than Chris and myself. So we had to throw some away.
Monday: Linguini with White Clam Sauce. This dish is so good if you season well with salt, and so bland without the salt. Even better the next day, terrifically easy and seems like a grown up meal. Even though it seems barbaric, i use the baby clams. They're so ... teeny. I have the version from the book which did not include white wine or lemon. Both seem like good additions.
Tues: Supposed to have cream of mushroom soup, but alas, the lack of good produce at Shoppers thwarts us once again. Instead, we eat at Hollywood East with Jeff.. Yes we took our baby to a den of germs. Actually there were only about 10 people total in the large restaurant, and we sat in a corner. The baby always sits in the stroller with both his carseat canopy and his stroller canopy up, creating a bubble dome which prevents people from touching or even looking at the baby. Chris insists this cannot prevent germs from getting to him, but I beg to differ.
Wednesday: Ham, Cheese, Egg and Tomato grilled in a sandwich in the oven. We got a lot of ham people. Just butter the bread (particularly the edges) on one side, put in your ingredients, have your oven at 450, put your sandwiches (butter side out) on a baking sheet, 5 min per side, and you have some molten deliciousness. I bet this works with any combination of ingredients, like brie and pear, or ham and gruyere perhaps?
Thursday: Butter Chicken. I have sung the praises of this tremendous recipe before, and I shall sing them again. I took out the peas though. I always bought frozen peas and then had them in my freezer for months until I made this recipe again. But I used up the peas for the Shepard's pie and could not bring myself to have the peas in the freezer again. I just got rid of them!! But it was still good. It's that cream at the end--it just kills me..with deliciousness.
Tonight-Ledo's pizza?
Sunday: Smokey Shepard's pie-did not have cumin or paprika for some reason--so I used curry and it was just as good. This uses ground turkey which I told Chris was healthy, but then he noted all the butter, sour cream and heavy cream in the recipe probably added all the fat we needed for the week. I love this because it has lots of veggies and the best mashed potatoes in the world. These mashed potatoes have sour cream! They are so easy to make and yummy. I'm always using this recipe for my mashed potatoes. I don't like this recipe because it makes enough to feed way more people than Chris and myself. So we had to throw some away.
Monday: Linguini with White Clam Sauce. This dish is so good if you season well with salt, and so bland without the salt. Even better the next day, terrifically easy and seems like a grown up meal. Even though it seems barbaric, i use the baby clams. They're so ... teeny. I have the version from the book which did not include white wine or lemon. Both seem like good additions.
Tues: Supposed to have cream of mushroom soup, but alas, the lack of good produce at Shoppers thwarts us once again. Instead, we eat at Hollywood East with Jeff.
Wednesday: Ham, Cheese, Egg and Tomato grilled in a sandwich in the oven. We got a lot of ham people. Just butter the bread (particularly the edges) on one side, put in your ingredients, have your oven at 450, put your sandwiches (butter side out) on a baking sheet, 5 min per side, and you have some molten deliciousness. I bet this works with any combination of ingredients, like brie and pear, or ham and gruyere perhaps?
Thursday: Butter Chicken. I have sung the praises of this tremendous recipe before, and I shall sing them again. I took out the peas though. I always bought frozen peas and then had them in my freezer for months until I made this recipe again. But I used up the peas for the Shepard's pie and could not bring myself to have the peas in the freezer again. I just got rid of them!! But it was still good. It's that cream at the end--it just kills me..with deliciousness.
Tonight-Ledo's pizza?
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Conundrums
I have to go to the dry cleaner, but I have this baby. Can't leave it in the car. Awkward to carry carseat and dry cleaning in together. Cumbersome to take stroller out. Don't even get me started on that sling.
I pour milk in my cereal and baby starts crying. Leave cereal to get soggy? Leave baby to hyperventilate?
I'm sleeping. Baby has gas. Aid baby with expulsion of gas? Continue sleeping? Try to force Chris to aid baby with expulsion of gas, given that he's going to work the next day, but also given that I haven't slept more than three hours straight in two weeks?
See also: Things I did not think about before expelling a baby out of my midsection.
I pour milk in my cereal and baby starts crying. Leave cereal to get soggy? Leave baby to hyperventilate?
I'm sleeping. Baby has gas. Aid baby with expulsion of gas? Continue sleeping? Try to force Chris to aid baby with expulsion of gas, given that he's going to work the next day, but also given that I haven't slept more than three hours straight in two weeks?
See also: Things I did not think about before expelling a baby out of my midsection.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Ina, Fabulous Ina
How I love you
I love your warm smile
Your sparkling eyes
I love your laugh
And your deft spotlessly clean hands
I even love your bad perm husband Jeffrey
Your recipes look divine
So easy to make
So french in style
You can cook
And bake
Like so few of us can
Why did you never have kids Ina?
Were you too busy camping in France?
Were you too busy with your nuclear energy advisor position during the Ford and Carter administrations?
Were you too busy teaching yourself how to be an amazing chef?
I will be your kid Ina
Make me a coconut cupcake
Make me a potato pancake
Make me some brisket Ina
My soul to cook like Ina!
This is my ode to Ina Garten, whom I revere as perhaps the most fabulous chef/celebrity ever. Forget Rachael, Giada, Nigella and all the others. How could they compare?
Yesterday I made Croque Monsieur. 1) I made a roux. 2) It failed to thicken. It thickened after i let it sit. I failed to thicken it, perhaps is the correct statement. However, the sandwiches were easy and delicious and I will definitely make it again. I invited Jeff over thinking that 8 sandwiches would be too much. I think actually we could have eaten them all. I could have eaten them all. Thank you to all the ingredients that made this recipe possible. Thank you ham that my parents bought me that I didn't ask for. Thank you expensive Gruyere cheese that I'm glad I splurged on. Thank you cheap white Giant bread that helped me cut costs thanks to that expensive ass Gruyere but still tasted good toasted and smothered in cheese. Thank you broiler that works. And lastly, thank you Ina for making it all possible!!! Much love.
I love your warm smile
Your sparkling eyes
I love your laugh
And your deft spotlessly clean hands
I even love your bad perm husband Jeffrey
Your recipes look divine
So easy to make
So french in style
You can cook
And bake
Like so few of us can
Why did you never have kids Ina?
Were you too busy camping in France?
Were you too busy with your nuclear energy advisor position during the Ford and Carter administrations?
Were you too busy teaching yourself how to be an amazing chef?
I will be your kid Ina
Make me a coconut cupcake
Make me a potato pancake
Make me some brisket Ina
My soul to cook like Ina!
This is my ode to Ina Garten, whom I revere as perhaps the most fabulous chef/celebrity ever. Forget Rachael, Giada, Nigella and all the others. How could they compare?
Yesterday I made Croque Monsieur. 1) I made a roux. 2) It failed to thicken. It thickened after i let it sit. I failed to thicken it, perhaps is the correct statement. However, the sandwiches were easy and delicious and I will definitely make it again. I invited Jeff over thinking that 8 sandwiches would be too much. I think actually we could have eaten them all. I could have eaten them all. Thank you to all the ingredients that made this recipe possible. Thank you ham that my parents bought me that I didn't ask for. Thank you expensive Gruyere cheese that I'm glad I splurged on. Thank you cheap white Giant bread that helped me cut costs thanks to that expensive ass Gruyere but still tasted good toasted and smothered in cheese. Thank you broiler that works. And lastly, thank you Ina for making it all possible!!! Much love.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Baby Faces
This is no one trick pony. Gideon's many faces keep us entertained, especially as they're all caused by no reason we can discern.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Interview
Before we came home from the hospital, I asked Gideon a few questions about life. You may be surprised by what he had to say.
Gideon's First Interview from Jane Yang on Vimeo.
Want more videos?
Gideon's First Interview from Jane Yang on Vimeo.
Want more videos?
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