Poor Things

[Daily] Words

eastofmina — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:23:15 +0000

Somehow–amidst the planning, grading, teaching, and saying yes to more responsibilties–I keep reading. I think that I would go crazy if I didn’t have the quiet thought that it brings to bits of time throughout my day. One practical help has been matching the different sorts of time I have throughout my day with the various genres/lengths of books I have stacked (piled?) on our desk.

In the morning, before school, I’m reading in the Gospels (in addition to reviewing the passages preached on the prior Sunday). I find that the gospel writer’s masterful storytelling divides into smallish sections that I can read, consider, and pray through on my drive to work.

I keep poetry on hand at my desk at school. When I need a break from planning, or some mental refreshment over lunch, I pick up the poet I’m currently reading (Thom Gunn at the moment, although CH brought me M.Moore’s Selected Poems for my birthday, so she’s going to temporarily take over).

When I get home from work, often while CH is finishing up dinner, I tend to read through a couple online news articles/political commentary/blogs. It’s the sort of reading that reminds me that there is a world outside my classroom … and it doesn’t require full brain-power (which fits my post-teaching day mental energy).

Prior to falling asleep, I’ve gotten in the habit of reading non-fiction. It’s been one of my goals over the last six months to break out of my solo-fiction habit … and I’ve been somewhat successful. Non-fiction’s chapters/sections tend to fit better into the 15-20 minutes that precedes my falling asleep at, you know, 8:30pm with the book in hand. I’ve been working through The State of Africa by Martin Meredith as well as The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books when they show up. I highly recommend The State of Africa. It addresses the recent history of Africa, beginning in the various independence movements in the 1950s and 60s, to early dictators and failing economies, and up to the present day. It’s a sobering read which has helped to place my other historical knowledge into context. Once I’m finished with it, it’ll get it’s own post.

A friend just gave me The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection by Robert Farrar Capon, which has elbowed my other nighttime reading aside for the week. It seems like good reading for a fasting season, as it addresses notions of food, both festial and ferial (which is my new favorite word, referring to any day on the church calendar without a feast), and it’s place in our life and worship.

Fiction (and various books I’m reading for school) are left for the weekend, when I might have a couple hours to devote to one story. I’m re-reading Dracula by Stoker with my seniors, reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by Joyce in preparation for our next unit, and a used bookstore find: Mistress Masham’s Repose, a children’s book by T.H. White. The Emigrants by W. G. Sebald is next on my list.

Practicalities

eastofmina — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:58:44 +0000

Or, stuff we’ve learned about shopping for two in Los Angeles

A friend sent me an email a couple months ago, asking for ideas about keeping a food budget down. My (very delayed) response to her ended up being longer than I expected … and perhaps will be interesting to others. Here are a couple principles that have helped us generally keep costs down:

Buy (almost) nothing processed.
Processed and pre-prepared food costs a lot. Avoiding dry cereral, premade lunches/dinner (even TJs), juices, soft drinks, salad dressings, packaged salads, frozen vegetables, desserts, bread products (cinnamon bread etc.), most canned goods (artichoke hearts are my personal exception) etc. helps me avoid pricy items. We keep to the general principle that if we can’t make it, we should rethink having it a part of our normal eating habits.

Buy (almost) no snacks, and few desserts.
This is a carry-over from my childhood, but we do our best to avoid purchasing snack food. We always have plenty of tea, bread, jam, and cheese on hand (especially for when CH is reading or writing all day) — but most snack foods have a bad ratio of cost to “filling tummy”/nutrious value. This does mean that we eat a fuller breakfast, lunch and dinner than most people. But, adding a side dish to dinner or toast to breakfast tends to be significantly cheaper than pretzles between meals.

We tend to not make desserts unless we are having guests. CH misses this more than I do, but it’s a quick way to lower costs.

Make meals from what’s in the house, vs. shopping for particular recipes.
I’m convinced that our CSA box (and keeping other veggies–onions and potatoes on hand) helps us reduce our food budget significantly–but it has less to do with the actual price savings on vegetables. Since we’ve purchased the box, I’ve gotten into the habit of letting it plan our weekly meals. This means that I cook with whatever is in it, and I alter recipes to fit whatever ingredients we have on hand. This has definitely gotten easier as we’ve built up our basic pantry, but even when we were first married, it cut down our midweek running out to the store for one item. If I were without a CSA, I think I would try to shop once a week at the grocery store (or farmer’s market) and pick out roughly the same amount of fruits and veggies based on what looked fresh and was cheap, and again, let that determine my menu planning.

This does mean that vegetables (plus rice, pasta, couscous, etc.) are the centerpiece of most of our meals–if meat is a larger part of your eating expectations, I think the same principle would apply. Shopping for what is good and cheap, and cooking based on that. This is gotten easier with the abundance of google-able recipes. I’ve definitely decided what to make for dinners by googling the two disparate ingredients left in the fridge and discovering a list of recipes using them.

Keep meals (and meat) in the freezer.

I try to cook for the freezer every other (ish) weekend. I usually make a couple lunch portions, and at least one entree. Soups, beans for tacos, quiches, pizza dough, pie dough all freeze well. I find that having a couple lunches in the freezer helps us avoid eating out with there weren’t enough leftovers, or we’ve run out of bread, meat and cheese. Having at least one dinner in the freezer helps out in the “Ugh, I don’t want to cook, we have nothing in the house, let’s go get fast food” syndrome. If I’m making something for dinner that freezes well, I’ll double it for the freezer. I also keep meat in the freezer (buying it when I find it on sale, etc.), which can help along a meal that needs inspiration.

Find creative ways to cut costs on staple items; have staple meals that cost very little.

Once we figured out what our staple items were, we’ve worked to cut costs there. I only tend to research costs and go to different stores for staples. Here are some examples of ways we’ve cut costs: Bread (making it), flour/sugar/couscous/rice/beans (buying it in bulk), coffee/eggs/milk/cheese/butter (shopping where it’s cheapest, TJs), and alchohol (we now do a once a month/every other month shop at Total Wine).

Canning isn’t always cost-effective (although it’s gets cheaper after the first investment in cans), but canning tomatoes or food that we get for free ends up being pretty cheap. Making stock and broth is fairly cost effective (and a lot healthier). Making jam is slightly cheaper than buying it (and it makes good, cheap gifts). Granola is cheaper to make (especially in bulk).

Although I get bored more quickly than CH, I do appreciate having a couple stock meals that I can count on. We eat some variation on veggie pizza, pasta or couscous w/veggies, spicy fried noodles (or rice), main dish salad, and tacos … most weeks out of the month. In the winter some of these get replaced with a squash based meal or soup at least once a week.

Be realistic.

The downfall of my budgets is always pretending that we’re not going to buy things that we actually will. There were some months last year that we completely cut out all sweets, alchohol, and non-staples … but most of the time I found it better to be realistic about the things that are important to both CH and I. One of these things, for us, was having stuff on hand for guests. One of the ways we were able to entertain and feed large groups on a small budget was picking and choosing–we’d prefer to eat less meat and have more space in the budget for entertaining. Another is alchohol. I realized that we would buy it, so it was better to budget for it and try to be careful about where we purchased it.

Also, a random note about entertaining: It occured to us at some point that entertaining didn’t have to be expensive. Having a welcoming home has almost nothing to do with the extravagentness of food; pizza, salad, and wine has made for many rich evenings full of conversation. This was eye-opening for me, and has helped us keep opening our home despite having a small food budget.

A side benefit to these principles, is that we’ve ended up being more creative with our cooking, eating generally healthy and well-balanced meals, and doing a lot of experimenting.

R. Card Hyatt

Psalm 4: a poem in trochaic meter

eastofmina — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:51:40 +0000

Answer me, oh Lord,
when I call on you.

Once you gave relief—

I was in distress–
now, again, how long
shall I be ashamed?
Men, who lie and speak
vainly, they will fall.

Answer me, oh Lord,
when I call on you.

Silence.

Ponder your

heart and offer praise;
put your trust in God.
Some will say: Show
us your life, your grace.
Light upon us, Lord.
Answer me, oh Lord,
when I call on you.

More than grain and wine,
joy abounds in me.
Peacefully I lie,
sleep and rest because
safe in Him I dwell.
Lord, you answer me.

Psalm 3: In couplets

eastofmina — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:12:47 +0000

Many, many come against me, claiming
There is no God; they lie,

Thinking there is no hope.
But you, to whom I cry,

Remain strong and gracious.
You answer me and I will not die.

I sleep and awake, sustained.
I will not be afraid, of those who try

To come against me. My
Strength is in the Lord on high.

Psalm 2: a shortened villanelle

eastofmina — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:37:27 +0000

Why do the nations rage?
The kings counsel and plan.
Why do the people plot in vain?

They consider their wisdom and age,
And lay God low before man.
Why do the nations rage?

But the Lord will not be caged;
He laughs. They will not stand.
Why do the people plot in vain?

His anointed will come;
Before Him, all enemies run.
Why do the nations rage?

All people of all ages
Bow before the meek, mighty Son of Man.
Why do the people plot in vain?

Blessed are those who
Humbly seek refuge in His plan.
Why do the nations rage?
Why do the people plot in vain?

Psalter Project: Psalm 1

eastofmina — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:52:30 +0000

CH’s family has the amazing tradition of incorporating homemade gifts into their Christmas celebrations. Each family member makes a gift for the person whose name he or she drew; I drew my father-in-law’s name this year and made him a poetic psalter. For each of the first ten psalms, I wrote a poetic “translation,” putting them altogether into a handmade book. I’ll be posting the poems throughout the month of January.

Psalm One
an English sonnet

Man, woman: blessed are you,
When walking, standing, sitting,
If you refuse to dwell with those who
Live by scoffing and by sinning.

Man, woman: the blessed tree
Will be well-planted
Near water, flowing free,
Always yielding, never dead.

Man, woman: if you walk away
From God, you will not stand.
Blowing far, you may
Be like chaff, like sand.

Therefore, O man, woman of the Lord:
You alone will stand, in Him moored.

Icebergs behoove the soul

eastofmina — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:21:34 +0000

I also wrote a review of Alfred Lansing’s Endurance for December’s The Examined Life (I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to introduce this amazing book–and it’s also a part of (one of) my resolutions for 2012: Read more non-fiction.)

Here’s a taste of the review:

Alfred Lansing opens his account with, “The order to abandon ship was given at 5 p.m.” He proceeds to unfold a carefully researched, non-fiction retelling of the events of Earnest Shakleton’s failed trans-Antarctic voyage between 1914 and 1916. Shakleton and his men spend nearly a year moored in the ice pack of the Wendell Sea, survive several open water voyages, and somehow endure over two years drifting in the Antarctic wasteland.

The rest of the article can be found here. Be sure to browse through the rest of the articles as well!

R. Card Hyatt

Joyful Mysteries

eastofmina — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:06:42 +0000

I’m sitting at the Hyatt’s kitchen table at their home just outside of Budapest. It’s gently snowing outside, and I’m finishing up the last of my January lesson plans.

Although Christmas has been a time to return to places that (once were and somehow still) are home for several years now– I feel this more acutely this year. I hadn’t seen my sister since August, my in-laws since last May, most of CH’s siblings since our wedding. The process of re-acquaintance is strange. Visiting the C’s in London reminds me that this takes time. It takes two year old H a full 24 hours to crawl up into my lap and ask for a story. Re-acquaintance takes time, but before long the easy conversation flowing from years of common experience comes again.

Before leaving for Europe, I got to meet CSD’s new little girl: Cora Joy. I love the discovery of what friends become, over time. When each of my best friends from college got married, I discovered something new about them (both by who they married and the way they do life as part of a couple). As they’ve each had children, I see a new side, learning something of them that I’d never previously experienced. Seeing DSC and CSD as mothers allows me to know something in them that I’d otherwise never know. Seeing TC as a father is a new thing, that makes perfect sense. None of them have essentially changed, but the expression of their selves in this state reveals something new. I love it.

There is a unique delight in deeply knowing a humanity created in the image of an infinitely immense God.

Best Of

eastofmina — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:02:05 +0000

the alphabet poem beginnings:

A black cat dies every Friday …

As beautiful clouds drown,
eternal flowers grow heavy …

A boy carefully doubts everything …

A beast can depict everyone’s fear–
going half-insane. Just keep living …

More to come …

Harvest Supper

eastofmina — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:11:19 +0000

One of the things I hated most about the college life was the dorms. Although it’s not impossible, it’s very difficult to be hospitable in a dorm room. When CSD and I first moved out of our little room in Horton/Emerson, we celebrated that autumn, along with DSC and others, by holding a harvest supper. This was not Thanksgiving, but it was a celebration of Harvest, as adults. There was much dressing up, much cooking, and much reading of poetry. Even at this point, we were realizing that the little things mattered. We all sat at a long table (despite it usually requiring numerous mismatched tables), used real plates and dishes (again, mismatched), and lit candles.

Joyous Gard’s Harvest Supper this last weekend marked the sixth time we’ve celebrated this meal together. Considering we’re all under 30, six is a lot of anything. This meal helps us mark the time, often by who surrounds the table. One year NG’s parents joined us; it was the weekend of her baptism. One year, CH and BP were in town, nearing the end of the puppet trip. As I’d not seen my husband-to-be for nearly four months prior, this one stands out. The poetry selections varied each year, often depending on the relationships we were in (i.e. often the boys were left with selecting poetry). But, the abundance of food, drink, and lingering remains throughout each year. This year, the missing faces, belonging to those in other parts of the nation and world, stand out. But, new faces remind me that anything made up of people must continue to grow to remain beautiful.

I don’t often spend time reminiscing, here. But today I can’t help it. Harvest Supper was where I learned how to throw a formal dinner party–without sacrificing the glory that is a thrown together weeknight dinner when 3 extra guests show up. It is in this space that I grew to learn all the little things that make people, and specifically people of our strange generation, feel safe and comfortable in a home not their own. I learned what makes a celebration really a celebration.

I love this supper. I love the energy. I love these people.