Pie Month

Happy Leap Day, everyone! Today marks a celebrated day for me. It's one out of every four years that Pie Month is extended by one day at Marie Calendar's. This is a good thing. Without this extra day, I would have missed out on one more pie.

Kevin and I have always loved Marie Calendar's pies. That was one of the worst things about living in Utah County for years--they don't have a single Marie Calendar's location, and we were constantly tortured every Pie Month when we saw the TV commercials. Now Pie Month is a celebration of living in wonderful Salt Lake County.

I love pie. For many years, I've requested a pie instead of a birthday cake. In his family tradition, Kevin makes a wonderful pastry pie crust, and a deliciously stunning key lime pie. And the list of my favorite pies has grown. It's almost embarrassing, but Kevin and I have had eight, yes eight pies in this, the shortest month of the year. And each one has been so memorable. In order:

• Lemon cream cheese
  
• Kahlua cream cheese
  
• Razzleberry
  
• Double lemon cream
  
• German chocolate
  
• Cherry
  
• Razzleberry
  
• Kahlua cream cheese (tonight's pie of choice)

This is our last pie until a new Pie Month rolls around in October. By then we'll have saved up enough tins to get our own free pie. Here are all the official Marie Calendar's pie tins we've saved, which we can cash in for 50 cents each:

It may look crazy, but there are worse pie lovers out there. The woman behind us tonight had what looked like 30 pie tins. That's hard core. I just admired her pie-eating skills so much. So next Pie Month, if you see me rummaging through your trash to salvage your discarded pie tin, you'll know why.

Exponent II: My Guest Post on Authenticity

I have a guest post up at the group blog Exponent II on "The Work of Authenticity." This is a blog meant to honor the Exponent II publication started by great female LDS minds such as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and Claudia Bushman (wife of Joseph Smith biographer Richard L. Bushman). I consider this post a follow-up to my earlier post on Existentialism and Absurdism. Check it out, if you like.

Independent Film Review

I've been diving into the 1990s animated series The Critic this last month. I never saw the show when it was running, but watching it on DVD has been a hilarious experience. Like Homer Simpson, Jay Sherman is a big, fat loser. Unlike Homer, Jay is extremely intelligent, a film critic with a PhD. As a result, it the comedy is geared more toward the educated with its remarks on literature, philosophy, and culture.

In one scene, Jay chaperons his son Marty on a date to the movie theater. Jay is looking at the posters on the wall, horrified at spending two hours with some Hollywood kitch. Finally he spots a poster for a French film and cries out loud enough for everyone to hear, "A foreign film! At last! We're saved!"

I'm not a huge movie buff, to be honest. I'll be watching a Jane Austen flick this Sunday night instead of the Oscars. But the way it's worked out is that Kevin and I have seen four independent films this month, which is usually how many times we go to the theater in a year. It's been a great cultural experience, and I am proud to support the Salt Lake Film Society in its efforts.

The first independent film we saw was U23D, which showed at Sundance this January. I've made the last two concerts in Salt Lake, and I can testify that this movie, on the IMAX screen in 3D, is the next best thing. They played four songs from their latest album, plus some good standbys. The camera shots were amazing, and the 3D additions were worth it. What made this funny was the age group of those in attendance. Seventy percent of the audience was between 35 and 42. One of the guys who sat on our row took a look at Kevin and me and said, "Wow! Look at all the 30-somethings in this theater!" That made Kevin pretty mad until I reminded him that 30 is really not all that far away. Yeah, way for me to break it to him gently.

We saw The Savages with Christina and Dave. It was pretty good, both a drama and a comedy. It's about a brother and sister who put their father in a nursing home. The brother is a theater professor, and the sister is a temp who has an MFA in creative writing. Basically, they remind me of the crazy English majors I know, and they were totally neurotic. That's what provides the comedy, but made me cringe because sometimes it was just a little too close to home.

We saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly this Friday with Jen and her partner Brian. It's definitely the most creative of the films we saw, as it is told from the point of view of a man who has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed except in one eye. This is based on a true story and the memoir he wrote by blinking his eye. Man, it was hard to watch at times. I guess you could say it was very French, with a healthy dose of morbidity, and it leaves you with a little hole inside your heart.

Tonight we saw the WWII drama Atonement. This one amazed me. It's funny, it's much more "Hollywood" than the other independent films we saw. I loved this romance, and this is the best I have seen Keira Knightley. I also thought the child star was magnificent. This movie entrapped me and brought me in from the beginning, entertaining me throughout with its bright colors and English landscapes. I was a little startled by the leap ahead in years, but it worked out for me in the end. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing this again.

Dreaming of Red Rock

I've been aching to get down to Southern Utah. Yesterday I found out that my backcountry reservation for a backpacking site in Chesler Park was approved for this spring. Yea! Chesler Park, which is in the Needles District of the enormous Canyonlands National Park, is one of my top three spots. My brother Matt was wonderful enough to print and frame this picture he took in Chesler Park and give it to me as a birthday present. It now has a spot on the most looked-at wall in our house:

One more thing, Matt and Brooke went down to St. George last weekend and were awesome enough to go to Zion National Park. Here's my favorite photo from their trip:

I'll get there, eventually.

Camus can do, but Sartre is smartre

After posting on what I want in life with more clarity than I expected, I'd like to do a post on obfuscation, taking a chance that a few of you will bear with me.

I didn't enjoy literature until my senior year of high school, when I was introduced to existential theory with Crime and Punishment and The Stranger. This is very late for a person like me who is willing to devote her life to literature if she can. Never before had fiction been taught to me through a philosophical lens that I could pick up or put down to apply another philosophy. At the time, my English teacher kept asking the class if any of us were converts to existentialism, but I think she was disappointed that not one of us raised his/her hand. Probably because we didn't really get it. It took me a few years to feel existentialism deeply. Maybe it takes moving into adulthood to really experience true ennui and dread (*smiling slyly*).

Critical theory was my favorite part of graduate school. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it's essentially where philosophy goes to die. We English majors pick up a struggling theory and coddle it, keep breathing into it to keep it alive in its semi-vegetative state. In grad school, I added to my favorite philosophies phenomenology and its relativism. I then dove deeper into the most wonderful postmodern ethics of Emmanuel Levinas (my favorite philosopher), who would reject the existential idea that we're all alone, saying we're completely tied to the other, and places the needs of other human beings above that of the individual. However, my love for his ideas didn't shake off my pull towards existentialism; It just layered it.

Lately I've realized that I've been wrong about calling myself an existentialist. I'm an absurdist. Camus states in "The Myth of Sisyphus":

"Thus I draw from the absurd three consequences, which are my revolt, my freedom, and my passion. By the mere activity of consciousness I transform into a rule of life what was an invitation to death..."

While this has a grim tone to it, Camus is describing why the only way to cope with the world is through the acceptance of our absurd existence, with acceptance that there may be meaning, and we might find it, but it's not essential, and basically most of us drift along (the unacceptable alternatives are the leap or faith or death). Kinda sad, right? But to me, the ever-questioning individual, possessing relativism and somewhat devoid of absolutes, this makes sense. This is an aspect of Western philosophy that grabs me and says, "Yes! this is what I think sometimes." But then we have Eastern philosophy to explore. Did I mention that I keep the Tao Te Ching with me at work? *Sigh* But that will take even more posts to explain or obfuscate, depending on how you see things.

Valentine's Day

I had probably the best Valentine's Day ever yesterday. Kevin and I decided to grab some bacon-wrapped filets mignon and cook them up at home. Add sparkling cider, my favorite cranberry feta Costco salad, twice-baked potatoes, shrimp cocktail, camembert cheese and double lemon cream pie, and it was a candlelit dinner in heaven. We both dressed up, and listened to my new Jack Johnson CD, who reminds us of Hawaii and relaxation. It was an evening where we never had to look at the clock.

And, Kevin gave me what will likely end up being one of the best gifts I've ever received. This is a gift that says Kevin really knows me.

I hope you all had a great day too!

What do you want out of life?

Have you ever been asked this question, point blank? Have you ever answered it with equal frankness? I think that in any culture—not just in Utah—people easily fall into the expectations and demands of others. And that’s not always a bad thing. Selfless acts are important. Conforming to society to some extent is a necessary part of the human condition.

But ultimately, shouldn’t we at least ask this question of ourselves? In my opinion, the question is more important than the answer, which may shift depending on our circumstances.

In the last couple of months, a coworker and I compiled a list of things we’d each like to do before we die. My list, in part, contained the following: Climb King’s Peak and Lone Peak, run a half marathon, rent a beach house for one month, and write a collection of short stories.

But what do I want to do before I die is a bit different than what I want most out of life. Setting aside what everyone else might want from me, what do I want for myself? Here is the answer:

• To continue academic involvement, whether teaching classes, taking classes, attending conferences, or writing on my own time
  
• To enable Kevin to be very happy in life, including career, home life, and personal development
  
• To decide on my own terms when or whether I become a mother
  
• To maintain long-term, fulfilling, peaceful, and mutually-beneficial friendships
  
• To increase my connection to Nature and develop my own personal spirituality
  

What about you? I’d love to know if you’re willing to share it.

Two Kitties

It's been over a week since I've posted an update to the kitty situation at our house. Video footage speaks for itself, so feel free to take a look.

Here are the two girls, sitting so stately on the humans' bed.

And here is a film representment of the two different personalities.

Here's Phoebe after we gave her a bath Saturday morning. "What the heck is that rat tail that keeps following me around?"

Masterpiece Theatre Addiction

Those who know me well know that I hardly ever watch television, especially on a schedule. My life is already so scheduled, that I just can't really fit in another commitment to be in my living room at a certain time on a certain day to watch a show. What's more, I don't have cable (yes, we have rabbit ears), so how much out there is really worth planning for?

But for the last few weeks, I've made an exception for Masterpiece Theatre on PBS Sunday nights. By chance, I was flipping channels and found Northanger Abbey. I then found out they were doing "The Complete Jane Austen," and the next day at work that's pretty much all I could talk about. Rachel printed off a schedule for me and brought it to my desk, saying, "Here's your Sunday night for the next couple of months." And I know that she's right.

There's something wonderful about reading Austen or watching an adaptation. It's soothing, it's familiar. It's got insight. I've watched Mansfield Park and Miss Austen Regrets (a semi-biographical piece). I missed Persuasion the first week, but my mom has recorded them all, giving her the luxury of having her Sunday nights open (she called me during the last five minutes of Mansfield Park to tell me Gordon B. Hinckley passed away--I wouldn't come to the phone!). I really enjoyed the Miss Austen Regrets, as it was fun to see a new story, and I like how Austen was portrayed.

The next three weeks are the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, the real authoritative adaptation. I like the Keira Knightely version, but it falls far short of this production. Since I have it on DVD, I'll probably work on some other stuff while it's on.

Bedroom Remodel

Because we're in our first house, Kevin and I know relatively little about home improvement projects. That was actually one of our criteria when buying a home--that it didn't need any immediate updates. But after only a short while spent in our pale-green bedroom with smoky blue/teal carpet and yellow curtains, I knew that we needed a change.

The first update we made was to get rid of all the curtains in our bedroom and throughout the rest of the upstairs. In our bedroom we put Hunter Douglas blinds, and I love the pulley system to change the direction (versus a wand that is twisted).

That was over a year ago, and we have slowly been moving toward a completed goal. Earlier this fall, we moved our bedroom out into the living room area so we could paint the room a lovely "toasted wheat" color with a white matte ceiling. We ripped up the carpet, padding, and floorboards, and we hired someone to come and sand and seal our floors. We chose to not stain the oak boards because we knew we were going to buy a dark pine wood bedroom set from Ikea, and wanted our floors to have a light, natural feel to contrast. We then purchased said bedroom set, and I spent the weekend after Thanksgiving putting it all together (the two six-drawer dressers were definitely the most time consuming). Just last week, we finally picked up the quilt cover and lamps for our bedside tables, and the picture is almost complete.

Update: Here is a picture of our bedroom as it was decorated under the previous owner of our home:

And here's our bedroom now:

There are still a few touches left to do:

• Replace the light fixture with new ceiling fan
• Find desirable area rug
• Find small baskets or canvas boxes for bottom shelf of bedside tables
• Find dark wood wall shelves to place our nature photography on

What can I say? I'm glad that even though it's taken time, Kevin and I have actually finished a project (well, almost). It's a lot of work. I can see why there's a business for interior decorators.

Good, Happy Things

It's a new month, and I've been wanting to post on a few random, very happy things in my life. The first is my dear Aunt Voni and Uncle Len. I received this picture from Voni in the last week or so, and I have been keeping it on my desktop because it makes me so happy. They live out of state, and I hardly ever get to see them. In fact, they have yet to "meet" Kevin in real life. They are two amazing people, he with a PhD, a love for bears (bears always remind me of him), and an interesting resume as researcher, academic professor/dean, and entrepreneur. Voni has the bio to match: master's degree, English teacher, social worker, massage therapist and energy worker. They enjoy ideas, good food, and great discussion, three things that I also love, and I feel like despite the generation gap, we connect on a multitude of levels. I miss them terribly, but I want them to know I'm thinking of them and love them.

On a lighter note, yesterday I received a package containing the dress for which I've been searching for a couple of years. I know that a nice black dress is the staple of every woman's wardrobe, but despite all my attempts, I could never find the one that had the versatile mix of casual and formal, as well as sexy and modest that I needed. I have always loved the jersey dress look, and I finally found this dress on BlueFly by designer BCBGMAXAZRIA. I tried it on first thing last night and have success!

The last item I wanted to post on were these flowers. I love this picture from Brooke. There's something about the photography that makes my soul a little warmer. And today I have a special reason to celebrate. Pink is the color for breast cancer, and after a breast cancer scare this week following my annual checkup, everything has checked out completely normal. I had great support from Kevin and coworkers. I just want to tell all the wonderful women in my life to stay healthy and take care of yourselves.

Winter Book Review

Because I spent years studying Early Modern British Literature in graduate school (that’s 1500-1800 for those of you who’d like to get specific), for a long time I had neglected contemporary fiction. What’s more, my undergraduate survey classes really didn’t help me keep up with the most current literature, either, and for that I’ll place slight blame the disconnect and slow-paced nature of the shining ivory tower of academia.

This week I went out to lunch with a friend, Rosi, who I truly admire for her free spirit and unique artistic insights into the world. As we sat in Squatters Brewery eating hummus, between a roaring fire and windows that revealed a raging, blowing snow storm, we talked about the novels that we’ve most recently read that have stayed our psyches since we’ve closed the cover. I came away from that meeting with a new list of must-reads that I feel an urgency to get to.

I thought I’d share with you three contemporary novels I’ve read this winter that have meant a lot to me. All of them have met me with mystery and familiarity, with family and with warmth. I’ve been immersed in them, and I’ve become a part of their stories.

The first is Peace Like a River. Someone lent this to me, but I didn’t pick it up for several months. By the time I started falling in love with this book, I forgot who had introduced me to it. I made calls to family members and friends, all of whom had never heard of it, before I finally asked Rachel, who was the elusive benefactress. Leif Enger, the author, is a writer on NPR, and I’ve enjoyed his short pieces. This novel tells of a family whose son has become an outlaw, but through their bonds and determination, the father and remaining two children experience unexpected miracles and beauty in their journey to find the prodigal son. It’s a relatively clean and benign piece, and I love the narrative told through eleven-year-old Reuben and the enchantment he finds with the American West, even in the 20th century.

The second is The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett. She’s famous for Bel Canto, which is now on my reading list. My father-in-law gave me The Magician’s Assistant for Christmas, and I started reading it that day. It’s a wonderful real-human story of a woman who married her gay stage partner after performing with him for 20 odd years. She then lived with him and his partner, nursing them in their illnesses until both passed away. The story begins with the aftermath of her husband’s death, and her discovery of his past. The tolerance, the forgiveness, and the real human emotion were astounding to me in this unique family drama. In addition, this story drives itself. I thought I was barely into this novel when I realized I was over half way through. The ending left me very satisfied and warm, but I had a hard time shaking the story and preparing myself for something totally new.

The third is my current read, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It’s a great piece that takes place in Barcelona, Spain. So far it’s a bit of a bildungsroman, told from the point of view of an eleven-year-old boy who is enchanted by books, novels, writing, and appreciates their mystery but soon falls prey to typical adolescent fears and desires. It’s sensual, mysterious, and insightful for those of us who find magic in a story each time it’s told. And I love reading something that takes place in Europe, and the closeness that those countries and cultures have to each other. I did all my grading last night for my night class so that I can devote my entire evening to immersing myself back into this novel when I get home today.

What about you? What have been your recent amazing novels?

Two Omega Cats

Or "Blanket Buddies"

Or "Aja Gives Up"

After nine days, we've gone from total hatred to just complete worn-out acceptance.

I've got to find something else to post on. I was just telling my coworkers this morning I'm really turning into a crazy cat lady with only one obsession. Please, winter, end! I need to get out and hike!

Outtakes: Oh no! It's on Video

I was sorting through all the pictures we have stored on our camera and found these three random videos that have been taken on accident. The video setting is only a couple of clicks away from the still photo setting, and I think it often gets set there when the camera's being handled. I've noticed that this only happens when I'm behind the camera. Apparently Kevin always checks the settings first, smart guy.

First, there's Aja.

Then, there's Christmas morning at the in-law's.

And lastly, there's Kevin on a hike up at Albion Basin.

New Hiding Spot

New Arrival

Last week I had a wonderful birthday. I had two family parties, two fantastic dinners out, and a lot of fun. Thank you for those who remembered, and for those who didn't know, there's an explanation--I don't like telling people about my birthday or making a big deal out of it. Part of the reason is that it is just a regular day for everyone else.

Kevin really made it a special day for me, and later that night we went out with my parents to Market Street, which is in my top three for favorite restaurants. Then we went out to visit a foster home for kitties. The reason, I'd like to announce, is that we have a new arrival just in time for my birthday week. Introducing Phoebe!

Phoebe is a Maine Coon, like Aja. She's about four months old. Her mother was a feral cat, and the litter was discovered in November. Each night rescue workers put out traps and captured the mother and her kittens. Phoebe was the last to be captured, so she spent a night or two outside in the snow by herself before succumbing to the traps. She'd been at a foster home ever since, and she was the last of her litter to be adopted.

I signed the adoption papers for her Thursday and we picked her up Friday after work. So far it's been a hairy 24 hours. When I initially expressed an interest in Phoebe, the folks at the rescue warned me that her foster people thought she was exceptionally shy. This makes sense since she's been wild, but since I've had lots of cats and experience, I was up for a more challenging adoption. She struggles when we hold her, although she purrs easily enough. Last night she and Aja met. At first they just sniffed noses, then Aja began growling, and then both of them broke into hissing. I think it's going to take a few weeks to calm down these two mad kitties.

Last night we gave Phoebe the entire basement while Aja happily slept up in the bed with us. When we went downstairs this morning to find Phoebe, she was gone. We searched the basement no less than six times over during the day today. We rearranged all our junk in the spare bedroom several times. Finally, I at last found Phoebe after pulling out the bottom drawer in a dresser. As Kevin says, cats are good at not being found when they don't want to be found. Since that time, we've been cuddling with her and trying to get her to eat.

Despite everyone getting used to each other and the little scare today, I'm so excited for this adventure. As I've told Kevin, we've got a good home and a lot of love to give. I'm thinking we can help this shy kitty out where a lot of people couldn't. I'll let you know how it goes!

The Buddy

To an aunt like me, it doesn't get better than this. Unfortunately, you can't hear the reason I took this video to begin with--he was absolutely squealing with delight. It's a crappy mobile phone video, but it's very precious to me. And no, I'm really not bouncing him around like that to try to get him to spit up.

Midwinter (Tribute to Christina Rossetti)

Snow on snow, snow on snow

Quiet farmhouse

Cat in sunbeams

Girl in hat, woman in blankets

Fuzzy, sleepy

Lighted tree

Top Withins

My friend Heidi lives in England, and recently took a trip out to Top Withins. Those of you familiar with the Bronte sisters will recognize the feeling of this place. She took this picture, which has fascinated me since. I could look forever at this tree.

Saturday Night

Christina gave a full post to last Saturday night when we got together with our husbands. Kevin and I love keeping company with the Christina and Dave--we always have such fun discussion, complete with good stories and light sarcasm. It was a blast to have dinner, play games, and celebrate Christina's birthday. What's more, these are the first pictures of the inside of our home--you can even see our photograph of Courthouse Towers in Arches, as well as our other friendly visitor: Poe.