Floriday....a Florida Holiday

In the fine tradition of the more well-off residents of Michigan, I am heading to Florida for a few days to soak up some sun, so as to be able to make it through the rest of this snowy winter. My Seattle sister, her husband, and their two daughters will be travelling there for a conference for my brother-in-law's job, and I will be staying with them on the beach. I can't wait to see the girls. The last time I saw them was at our wedding in October, and at this age children develop so quickly. The 3 year old is already talking so much more than a few months ago, and I can't wait to talk about first grade with the oldest! I bought a swimsuit at Nordstrom, a store that caters to the snowbird. I hope to have some cute pictures to post next week! Bon voyage...

End Times

The time has come for us to say goodbye to another year and hello to the next, which will most surely pass even faster than the last. The folks at Detroit Dilettante (that's just me!) would like to wish my past, present (none!), and future (maybe!) readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year! For me and Husband, formerly Fiance, it has been a year of extreme ups and downs. In January Husband lost an uncle much earlier than one should ever have to say goodbye to such a youthful and life-affirming person, then in April his father got sick (somewhat back to normal), and then, if that wasn't enough, Husband ended up in the ER with chest pain in May, which we honestly now think was extreme anxiety from the previous 5 months of family trauma.

The upside of this year came when Husband received a clean bill of health and then in October...married me! It was a perfect ceremony and a nearly perfect reception (what am I bitchin' and moanin' about? well, lame and insignificant stuff...weather suddenly turned very cold for day-of, band was a bit clueless about wedding pacing and etiquette though great at what they are actually paid to do, bartender was a bit of a dud). The food was great, location beautiful, the company the greatest, and everyone travelled to and from northern Michigan safely, thankfully!

The best thing was having all our friends and family together in one spectacularly beautiful place! There were a few key people missing, but they were there in spirit, I felt the love!

And now, a few months later, the best thing of all is to look at the pictures and marvel over how great my friends and family are (new and pre-existing), how wonderful that everyone is in good health and still flourishing despite the grueling journey to northern Michigan in autumn, and to realize how the silly little "problems" with the wedding fade as time passes and only the good stays lodged in this heart and mind. I cannot imagine a life better than the one I have, with its problems shared amongst an incredibly supportive cast of family and friends, and solutions coming from the grace of God/Buddha/the good earth! My only wish that I cannot accomplish alone this year (through my own grit and determination, to differentiate from other wishes/resolutions which require only my efforts) is that my circle of friends and family should expand to include usually silent neighbors, people who Husband and I should meet for reasons of fate (??), and those in need of whatever help I can offer, who I hope can make themselves known to a sometimes-blogger who thinks she understands much of what goes on in the world, but is probably more often than not guilty of living in a cloud of dreams...though with beautiful clouds come beautiful rainbows. Happy 2011!

Craftsifaction

I was able to channel my strong desire to create and sew my own wedding dress into some other projects. I finally finished a side table/bench I've been working on since early autumn, when I dumpster-dived (curb-scavenged, really) for this worn, old bench in my neighborhood, which I rescued from town dump oblivion by lifting from the roadside and spiriting home in my arms under a light drizzle.



I spray-painted the legs red...thinking it would be nice to have some color in the house. I then took to gutting the moldy cushion, unveiling a flat piece of wood.



Then came the winter, and with it, a crisis of identity and lack of utility for the bench project, and a bout of Seasonal Affective Disorder for me, preventing me from leaving my bed, let along mustering the creative energy to face the red-legged bench.

Alas, the sun came out in late February, bringing with it a desire to undo the red, bring back light. So I painted the legs off-white, wiped the top to make sure no mustiness remained, and cut to size a length of decorater fabric (given to me as a birthday gift by my Sandy in Austin, along with an old copy of Vogue Sewing...she knows me so well!).

I glued down the fabric, smoothed it, cut the edges, and glued it under...



...and, voila!



I am going to put on this bench a lovely flower lamp that used to belong to my grandmother, and that my mother brought with her, with love, in an airplane carry-on from the west coast. The moral of this post: accomplish your work in your own time, in your own way...go with the flow because S.A.D. and winter will have their way, but you will have the last laugh...and the last craft.

A Date Downtown

Fiance and I went on a rare date last night (to put it in perspective, before last night, our dating life was scheduled to be placed on the Endangered Species List). He won tickets to a Red Wings game at work, so the destination was downtown Detroit. To begin the night, we decided to take in a word-of-mouth favorite, Slows BarBQue. Apparently, famous people like the Rolling Stones and Bill Clinton consider it a must-go when in Detroit (and I ask you, when in Detroit? Not since I've lived here!). Anyways, I am not so foolish as to ignore a commendation from Bill Clinton regarding homestyle eats, so we Googlemapped our way to Corktown, the Irish neighborhood downtown where Slows is located. Slows faces the deserted and barb-wired Michigan Central Station, a building which never fails to fill me with awe (and regret that it sits there abandoned).

The picture, by yours truly, is shaky, a result of not using a flash or something, I don't know, I am terrible at taking photographs. It's hard to see, but some tagger lacking a fear of heights or an instict for self-preservation sprayed "Save the Depot" near the top of the building. Slows is basically surrounded by rundown buildings and small businesses that don't look too booming...I guess some years ago this is where my Irish family would have congregated, had I grown up in Detroit, but now it doesn't look like too many people consider this as a destination neighborhood for much other than barbeque.

At Slows, Fiance and I had The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever There Was. I will not accept any comparisons or alternate best-mac'n'cheese comments from anybody unless they first taste Slows' mac'n'cheese, end of story...that is an open invitation to meet me at Slows to resolve any debate. I felt a strong urge to photograph my own plate of mac'n'cheese after taking a few bites, to commemorate the event, but was frankly too embarrassed. So I finished it off, along with amazing ribs and brisket, and washed it all down with some local microbrews. I unfortunately had to change my plans for dessert, due to extreme fullness...I was so disappointed I had to pass on the Chuck Norris, a dessert that will kick you in the face! (If my dear readers would like to see a picture of the famous mac'n'cheese or the much-desired Chuck, check out http://www.slowsbarbq.com/.) The place was packed with red-clad diners who'd had the same idea as us. We finished up and waddled to the car to proceed the mile and a half (can't walk after eating that food!) to Joe Louis to watch the Wings...lose to the San Jose Sharks in a shootout.

I looovve going to hockey games! And it is even better when you have good seats, row 16 in our case, right behind the goal. After pro baseball, pro hockey is my favorite in-person spectator sport (sorry football - though this statement excludes Longhorns football, which actually trumps baseball and hockey). And Red Wings fans are crazy...a lot of them are little old ladies, who fit into the cute but crazy category. Detroit is Hockeytown U.S.A., after all. Though the Wings lost, it was a great time, and a great date! And to top it off, we were able to get out of the Joe parking garage in less than 2 minutes, an amazing coup upon which I still marvel!

This little boy waved his hat around the whole game to get on the Jumbotron, mission accomplished toward the end of the 3rd period...hooray!

Remember December

So I'm back again, almost a month since my last post. Wow, December tends to fly at the speed of sound. That sound being the Rat Pack Christmas album, the best darn Christmas album there is, though the Beach Boys harmonize a very close second.

Still waitressing, don't want to talk about it.

I may be moving into an actual office, which will hopefully spring me into the thick of my profession! Will keep you posted....

Now down to business. For Christmas I got crafty this year, a euphemism for frugal, which itself is a euphemism for cheapo. So I made the Fiance's niece and nephew a puppet theater out of the hideous giant medicine cabinet that actually hung in our tiny bathroom (shrinking it even smaller) when we moved in. We removed the monstrosity and hung a flat mirror in its place. Hey, we don't have children yet, we have plenty of room to choose form over function. On with the puppet theater.

I took this thing, which only would have hit us in our heads in our tiny bathroom, and removed the doors and hinges. I washed it (it had baby powder on it - eewwww) and primed it.

After priming, I painted it with chalkboard paint from Home Depot (they also have dry-erase board paint!) on the sides, front, and the "display area" top (which was the bottom in the yucky powder vanity). Then I painted the bottom insides and very top part light blue (left over from painting our kitchen). And then, handy Fiance removed these little curtain rod holders from above the kitchen windows (where we now have wide-slatted blinds), and screwed them into the top front of the puppet theater, into which I fit the gold curtain rod that came from either the kitchen or some other formerly curtained window in our home. Then I cut some felt into the shape of fake grass and water and glued it to the bottom of the theater. I recoated the chalkboard paint twice. Then I rested. For a bit.


Then came the part I dreaded and put off, literally until Christmas morning: I cut some red velvet velour fabric I've had for years into two panels, the approximate shape and length I desired (as you can see, a tad too long, but that's better than too short). I turned the fabric under on the inside and sewed to create an inch long loop. Then I slid the panels I'd cut and sewn onto the rod and popped it back into place. Voila!


So it's a terrible picture (below), but here's the final product. In between sewing the curtains and touching up paint, I made a batch of caramel brownies. The bag of caramels contained popsicle sticks to make candy apples, so I took the popsicle sticks, cut some felt into heads and glued them to the sticks, slapped on some googly eyes (love those things!), and twisted pipe cleaners into arms and legs (gluing to make them stay put on the stick). So I had puppets for the puppet theater. These took me about 30 seconds each to make, and surely would take only twice as long to destroy, but they were more presentation than anything else. On that middle chalkboard slat (just below the stick puppets), I wrote "___ and ___ 's Playhouse" in chalk (of course), cut off those pesky white threads hanging on the curtains, and we were on our way, brownies and puppet theater in tow. Don't you think that on that crazy crafting planet where Martha Stewart is president, I would be McGyver? I mean, come on, taking the unused sticks from the caramels and combining them into my plan to make little puppet people?? So I rode to Christmas dinner with a satisfied, accomplished glow. And the kids loved the theater. And after two minutes, one said "What happened to your puppet's mouth? It's not there anymore!" Yes, my stick people were not going to last.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! More to come in 2010!

Back in Business

It's been over a month since I posted, and this time I am not going to make that empty promise to post more frequently, because right now, I know that is unrealistic. What I will say is that I will make an effort to post more than once a month, and hopefully write at least once a week (again, possibly unrealistic). So there. My explanation for slacking is that I've started working more often-balancing my chosen career with the waitressing job-and have actually begun the process of really working on our wedding.

The wedding planning so far (after already getting a caterer and venue) has entailed fun stuff like looking for a dress and figuring out decorations, but this coming week is about locking in lodgings, and officiant, and entertainment. Scary stuff, but we're ready! So there, B, that is the wedding update! Not so exciting yet, but I hope to post some good stuff soon (though the best place to look is the wedding website, or the phone of course!).

To catch up since my last post, the month started with a trip to D.C., courtesy of my dad. We met there for an annual meeting of his specialty professional group, and I learned a lot about a very interesting area of work (that he thinks would be great for me to get into, and that is quite a hot-button issue in Detroit-labor unions). I enjoyed the meeting, though I struggled at times to understand what was being discussed. You think you know what's what about things, that you can wrap your mind around anything given a few minutes to digest it, until you step outside your little patch of the world and find seemingly infinite worlds of information, practice, and belief; which leads me to my favorite quote to sum up living in this universe: "The complexity of things - the things within things - just seems to be endless. I mean nothing is easy, nothing is simple." Apologies to Alice Munro if I misquoted!

I throw that one out there when I need a wise soul to commiserate with over our overly-complicated world. Maybe a simpler quote, from a certifiable wise soul, is "There are more things in heaven and earth...than are dreamt of in your philosophy." (If unsure of origin, drop everything and read Hamlet now.)

When I wasn't participating with my father in meetings, or contemplating the cosmos (see above), we sure made good use of our time. A VIP tour of Congress; a trip through the National Gallery (see an art critic contemplating, below); an (always fun) train ride to and dinner in Alexandria, breakfast at the Mayflower; touring of Ford Theater (where President Lincoln was shot, and where Dad and I did our best to blend in with the enthusiastic Japanese tourists); chamomile tea with the Dolly Madison (or a very good historical reenactress); not to mention our awesome launching point at the Hay-Adams Hotel (the only better place would have been the White House a hundred yards to the south of where we laid our heads after a long day).

I went to D.C. once before, with my older sister. We stayed in Maryland and took the train in that time. I have some words of advice when it comes to touring D.C. Stay in the city because it saves you that travel time, especially if you are a chronic morning dallier, like me. And if possible (and by the way, I did not pay for my own flight, so take this advice with a grain of salt and a peak into the pocketbook), fly into National (a.k.a. Reagan, if you thought trickle-down economics worked). You can take the train to the city in fifteen minutes from National! Try that from Dulles or Baltimore, just try it! Final word of advice: see the Mall in daylight, sunset, and at night. But especially at night, when those miles of white marble shine through the darkness, when Lincoln's temple looks its most lincoln-y, when the Washington Monument shines with possibilities reaching to the stars, and when the energied rush of the city has taxied off to the suburbs or to heat up the streets of Georgetown, allowing you to contemplate your country at its symbolic and political beating heart.

D.C. has an Eastern Market, which we did not go to, but that apparently bears some similarity to the farmers and artisans market of the Eastern Market of Detroit, one of my favorite places in my home city. Yesterday, the Fiance and I took his sister and her two children, and his brother and brother's girlfriend to the market. They all seemed to like it - what's not to like? There is something for everyone! I bought some butternut squash, swiss chard, and a big basket of carrots for about half what it would have cost at the grocery store (all told maybe $3.50). And shopping accompanied by live music and people-watching rather than cart-bashing. But alas, Good Girls Go to Paris was not at the market (maybe because it's getting chilly?), so instead of crepes we ate at the Russell Street Deli right by the market sheds, which was awesome! I had an Avocado Melt, continuing my trend of ordering my meal around the inclusion of either avocado or goat cheese. This deli was right up my alley: real maple syrup and no high fructose corn syrup!!

But before our foray to the Eastern Market, and after returning to Detroit from D.C., my mom came to visit me here. I don't think she was exactly impressed with the city, but we had hard time with some logistics. We go to a store on Monday to read a sign "closed Mondays," etc., etc.! And she bemoaned all the driving that had to be done in the suburban sprawl of Motor City. We did get to the U of M v. Purdue game. That was fun. I love college football - if pro football had marching bands I might say the same of it. Other than the game and a brief foray into Detroit (with a stop on the interesting Belle Isle - I definitely will go back), we mostly hung out and talked, always a nice thing to do! I was sad to see her go, and look forward to another visit from family, though I'm not holding my breath on seeing anyone else before the wedding next October. Below is the conservatory at Belle Isle. There was no docent (no sign of anyone in charge until we came across a man watering some plants about 30 minutes in), though that just may be during the fall/winter months. It was very peaceful, but not nearly as well kept as the active Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor (institutions attached to the powerhouse university seem to weather the recession better that most). However, the slightly unkempt Belle Isle conservatory had a deserted, wild, and melancholy feel that seemed to fit the city it inhabits.

I end this post with a note on Thanksgiving: I am thankful for the year that has passed so far, with a change from a steady income but no time to spend with family, friends, or my new surroundings, to a life that is less economically certain, but heading in the right direction in all possible ways. I went from what I still see as a dead end to a world full of possibilities (if not the security I desire). I was able to spend more time with many members of my family than I have in years. I have done new things in my career, in artistic endeavors, in exploring Detroit and other areas of Michigan, and I have learned good things about myself in the process. So, if I don't say it again, thank you to all of you who had a part in my ever-changing, ever-interesting life! I hope I have had a positive effect on your year (and life) as well!

Where Have I Been??????

It's been 3 weeks! This neglect won't happen again! So, where have I been? Here, there, everywhere. A little east coast last month, and a little west coast this month. I went to San Diego to ring in my dad's 60th birthday with him and family. It was lovely! See...?

We went to the zoo, where we saw these flamingoes dancing...

We marvelled at an awesome aircraft carrier and a neat soldier statue on the harbor (and again were reminded of the HUGE military presence in the city-not the first thing you think of when you think SoCal).
And we went to the aquarium in La Jolla, from which you can see forever...
Most of all, I enjoyed just hanging out with my family. The memorable times often happen during downtime, whether surrounded by wise elephants or groovin' flamingoes, surly balloon artists or sad seahorses, freeway traffic or miles of sand and surf.

When I got back, I had one day to decompress, and it's been run, run, run ever since. I feel like I am wearing my own personal groove into the M-14, hustling back and forth between Wayne and Washtenaw Counties. I met with my clients (I need more!), attended a 2-day trade convention (learned that it is necessary to sink way more money in!), networked with a fellow tradesmen, got a fever and then got better, became more involved in my literacy volunteer organization (I'm a mentor now), got a different waitress job (did not put too much effort into that one), paid my bills, reorganized my office (was a disaster), reorganized basement (still a disaster, but a neater one), dog-sat, and slept a little. So, I hope that answers the question posed in this post's title.

As for the corn crop, I'm hoping that we don't get a frost for at least another month. I have some small ears and some big ears-the big ears are the ones that have received the most direct sunlight. When I walk in the cornfield now I can actually smell corn-it is really cool! Also, our tomato plants are still yielding, after 3 months! Either it's beginner's luck, or we really do live in suburbia's promised land. Here's the latest in corn-if you look closely you can see the cornsilks and follow their origin to the growing ears!

Ice Cream, Mutant Tomatoes, and Dad

I am dedicating this post to my Dad, who inspired me to post today when I spoke to him on the phone and he asked about the blog. I will try to make this interesting, Dad, but I think we already talked about almost everything going on in my day on the phone earlier...

One thing we didn't talk about was my ice cream-making skills. Last week I used my machine for the first time to make cherry frozen yogurt. I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, and its directions state that 20-30 minutes in the machine should present edible ice cream. What I had after 20-30 minutes was pretty runny, so I just put it in tupperware in the freezer and it was good the next day, just more like sorbet. But it was very, very good.

Tonight I am making mint chocolate chip ice cream, with mint I picked this afternoon from my backyard. It is incredibly satisfying to pick something from your yard and eat it. It is even more satisfying to turn that edible yardstuff into ice cream! The results are still pending, but I have dipped my finger into the custard that is cooling (the pre-machine step is to make a minty custard), and it is very, very good.

On the topic of fresh mint, I cannot get over the fact of growing food in my own yard. I was raised, as I have said before, in a desert city, and tomatoes don't grow on trees, let alone tomato vines, there with much success (although my Aunt N and Uncle J, living at the foothills of a rocky, sandy mountain on the edge of town, obviously have not heard that news, because they have repeat raging success with their tomato plants).

It's not as if Vegas is a totally barren wasteland (visit neighborhoods built pre-1990 to find a desert oasis), it's just that people have to work harder at growing non-desert plants there, and water is scarce (more so now in a city of millions than when I grew up in same city of hundred-thousands). And Vegas does a fantastic job of making people feel guilty for every drop of water consumed, as well it should considering the water level at Lake Mead these days. And gardening things like tomatoes, mint, and corn takes plenty of water.

My fiance and I ate our first tomatoes from our yard last night. There were only two ripe ones , each from a different plant (we have two), so I cut them in half and gave us both a piece from each plant. They are cherry tomatoes, but these things are big. Some of them are beyond golf ball-size (though no golf ball-size fruits are yet ripe). We ate normal cherry-sized last night, but I wonder about those mutants. Our tomatoes, if I can judge based on only two, are wonderful. They smell and taste like warm sunlight and redness. I don't think that is anything but a lame description to someone who has eaten only grocery store tomatoes, which is why that 'real tomato virgin' should go straight to a farmers market asap and get a sunlight-tomato and realize my description is not lame, it's true! The only four people who read this blog (please, correct me if there are more!), have all experienced real tomatoes, so the sunlight/redness description is sufficient at this time. I have 100+ tomatoes waiting to ripen on the vines, and I go out every morning now to check on them, and tie twine around the branches too heavy with fruit now to support themselves. I have several pieces of twine connecting vine branches to our fences. I am sure the neighbors are thrilled.

Back on water, I have a theory that while Vegas and the entire American west is the hotspot for growth in America right now, as the twenty-first century progresses, places where food grows and water runs with ease will gain in popularity--headline in 2015: Detroit Boomtown! Okay, it's a bit of a crazy theory, but so are desert boomtowns! Look at Vegas, but even worse, look at Phoenix! I think that original Las Vegans** enjoyed the wealth that came from the boomtown development, but also look back wistfully on the pleasant, mosquito-free, small city with all the benefits that the Vegas Valley offers, but with none of the big-city problems that exist now. Anyway, a more likely theory is that the rest of the country will steal water from the Great Lakes, resulting in water for everyone, maybe just cheaper for those who actually live in the Great Lakes states.

So, this is what my blog is about Dad. I hope you are not asleep already. It is like an episode of Seinfeld ("It's a show about nothing!") without the humor. I will work on the humor if you promise to read on.



** I count myself as an Original Las Vegan although I obviously wasn't around 100 years ago at its founding: in a town this new, it was rare to meet many natives my age (uuhhh...31) in town up to a mere few years ago. Now it is nothing to say you're from Vegas, but the switch from novelty to old-hat came very recently. Original Las Vegans were born there. Everybody else moved there (usually from California and New York--Oregon, we feel for you) and turned it into a logistical quagmire.

Various Regional Observations

Just a few observations about my new home: the hometown diner, the awful traffic solution/problem, and the elephant in the road, uh I mean room.

#1: Coney Islands

Though you wouldn't guess it from the name, a Coney Island is generally a Detroit coffeeshop (haven't seen any in Ann Arbor, but correct me if I'm wrong) that serves regular Denny's-type fare, hot dogs (which I guess you would expect), and some pretty good Greek and/or Mediterranean food (which you wouldn't expect if you don't live in Detroit, but makes sense if you do). I don't have much to say about Coneys, except that they are everywhere, possibly more everywhere than a Waffle House in Georgia is everywhere (this is because Coneys come in buildings of all shapes and sizes, with different peoples names on them-and you are never more than a stone's throw from a Coney). Another thing worth saying about Coneys is that most people seem to have a devout love for one or two. Another thing is that Patti Smith had her wedding reception at Lafayette Coney Island. And the last thing is that Coneys are way better than greasy spoons like Denny's (ugh)and IHOP (ick), and are one of those Detroit quirks that, like many things Detroit, you have to go to appreciate and know.

#2: The Michigan Left

The Michigan Left is the pernicious work of a traffic expert in need of some advice from this Dilettante. If I could get the ear of whoever invented the Michigan Left, I would indeed give him/her an earful. For those who don't know what I am talking about, here is the concept, gathered from rumor, myth passed down, and my own conjecture: It is ostensibly safer and more convenient to not turn left on the street you want to turn left on and instead either a) continue straight through an intersection, make a U-turn, and then take a Right onto the street you just passed, or b) take a Right where you want to take a Left, and then make a U-turn and then continue through the intersection. I have to make a Michigan Left every time I want to go west on the 96 freeway, which would be okay, I guess, except for the fact that there are speeding cars exiting the freeway only 30 yards from where I peer to my right to see if it's safe to make my U-turn. So I usually end up pulling in front of a car exiting at 60 mph, in order to end my wait in a long and impatient queue gathered on a bridge over the freeway (said queue possibly in fear of the infrastructural security of said bridge, given road conditions in Michigan--see #3).

In another scenario, I am cruising along in the left lane of traffic on a major road, when all of a sudden, the car in front of me comes to a dead stop, because the driver of the car needs to make a U-turn, in order to take a left (actually, now a right) at the intersection we have already passed through! Sigh....I prefer the practical Pittsburgh Left to the Michigan Left. The Pittsburgh Left is the practice of the first person in the left-turn-lane line turning at the moment the yield-left light turns green (those brave Pittsburghers correctly presuming that the oncoming traffic will not beat them if they move fast, thereby keeping traffic flowing, not doing a bit of harm, and getting where they're going a minute sooner).

#3: Michigan Roads

Like many other parent-expatriates (not expatriates that are also parents, but people expatriated from the geographical region of their own parents), I receive mail from both Mom and Dad (not married) that recounts various bits of news to me. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes it is advice, sometimes it is an update on friends or family, and it is always touching and much appreciated by this Dilettante, who misses her family. So recently I received from Mom a Parade Magazine article listing the worst roads in America. There were several towns listed (for example, Gatlinburg TN, West Orange TX) and then "any road in Michigan." Not "Detroit MI" or "Flint MI," but any road in Michigan. And I wholeheartedly agree. Another thing you have to go to really know, though that one I'd like to keep under wraps.