Archive for February, 2009

School takes time.

Published at February 25, 2009 in Edumacation and Revising reality. 4 Comments

Who knew?

All three of my classes had projects due this week. And it’s not the writing of the papers that’s so much the problem, it’s the damn fussy citations.

Last one goes in tonight, a paper on globalization, very open-ended. I decided to give voice to my displeasure at having to read Thomas Friedman’s NYT Mag article, “It’s A Flat World, After All,” by pointing out how absurd it is that he talks up how wonderful outsourcing is and only once mentions money as a motivator — which he quickly dismisses. It’s all about the ideas, y’all. My God! The world is flat!

One of the last readings in the class is an op-ed by John Yoo(!) and John Bolton(!!) on returning treaty power to the Senate. Like I trust anything those two have to say about the Constitution or international relations.

Make up your mind, Mike

Published at February 12, 2009 in Rich fucks, Political theater and New York Fugging City. 6 Comments

I just heard on WNYC that Mike Bloomberg — who, you may remember, was a Democrat, then became a Republican to run for mayor because he had a better chance of winning a primary what with the lack of a deep bench (and benchwarmers) on the Republican side, hosted the Republican National Convention, then became an independent when he was term-limited and couldn’t run for mayor again, then decided he wanted to be mayor again after all because he was, in his own mind, irreplaceable, and got the City Council to do an end-run around the twice-approved-by-voters term limits by fiat, and now is talking with the Republicans about rejoining the party and running on their ticket.

Got all that?

Now, billionaire Bloomberg self-finances his campaigns. He’s the mayor, and has been for years. He’s got name recognition up the wazoo. He could easily run as an independent. So why the footsie with the Republicans again?

A day in the sun

Published at February 1, 2009 in Junebug. 3 Comments

Warm in the sun

Foodblogging: Tuscan White Bean and Fennel Stew with Orange and Rosemary

Published at February 1, 2009 in Food. 1 Comment

Been a while. I’ve been cooking, and even taking pictures, but I just haven’t been posting. Here’s a delicious one from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson:

Yum!

2T olive oil
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped,
2 med. carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
1/2 c. dry white wine
1-1/2 c. veg. stock
1 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1-1/2 c. cooked or one 15-oz. can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1T minced orange zest
2 t. minced fresh rosemary leaves or 1 t. dried

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the fennel and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring, until the wine is reduced by one-half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, potatoes, tomatoes and juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes soften, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the zucchini, beans, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the ingredients are tender and the desired consistency is achieved, about 15 minutes. If a thicker stew is desired, puree 1 cup of the stew in a blender or food processor and stir back into the pot.

3. A few minutes before serving, stir in the orange zest and rosemary. Serve hot.

Like a crazy cat lady, but with kids

Published at February 1, 2009 in Misbegotten health care and Zuzu eats babies. 11 Comments

Does anyone else find the whole octuplets story disturbing?

First, there’s the whole issue of how much the media kvells over mega-multiple births (as long as they’re the right color, of course, or not immigrants) * or women who have child after child because Gawd commands it. TLC has essentially become The Litter Channel, with multiple shows dedicated to glorifying enormous mutliple births (Jon and Kate Plus Eight) or right-wing Quiverful families (17 Children and Counting, though now there are 18), in which this kind of family is presented as gosh darn wacky and loving, with nary a mention of the downside, such as the health problems that mega-multiple babies can have, the enormous expense (both medical and non-medical, the toll on the mothers’ bodies, and in the case of the Duggars, the fact that the whole enterprise is held together by the labor of teenage and preteen girls who shoulder almost the entire daily burden of caring for their siblings and parents (seriously — each child has a “jurisdiction,” which for the girls is “doing all the cooking or laundry for 20 plus childcare for any younger sibling who’s been weaned at 6 months so Michelle can get pregnant again” and for the boys is “walking the dog.” There’s a reason the Duggar girls all look exhausted). It doesn’t help that suppliers of baby products, such as Pampers, rush in to donate diapers or other items (sometimes even houses and minivans) — at least for a while. Once the cameras go away, you’re still left with a huge number of infants to change, clothe and feed.

Then there’s the rather disturbing statements the grandmother of the octuplets has made about her daughter: Continue reading ‘Like a crazy cat lady, but with kids’

One benefit of the crashing economy

Published at February 1, 2009 in Real estate and New York Fugging City. 2 Comments

Renter’s market!

After I read that article, I poked around Craigslist for apartments in Manhattan.  Damn.  Lots of them that are very close to what I’m paying now, with no fee, and some close enough to walk to work.  One of the things that I *don’t* like about where I live now is that, while I’m geographically closer to work than I was over in Kensington, the commute time is about the same because I have such a long walk/bus ride to the subway.  So I spend an hour and a half to two hours daily commuting.

If I could get a place in Manhattan, I could cut that down to half an hour or less.  I’d love to have an extra hour in my day to walk the dog, go to the gym, hang out with friends, do something crafty, or just relax.  Or sleep later.  And if I lived much closer to work, I might even be able to use a dogwalker only on the days when I have class, thereby saving some cash.

Not only are rents coming down, but a lot of landlords are paying the exorbitant broker fees (I saw lots of listings from brokers stating that there was no fee — which can run $12,000 or more — or that the fee was covered by the landlord) and they’re being a little more forgiving about credit.  Which is less of an issue for me than it was last summer, since I’ve paid off most of my debts, certainly all the ones which I was behind on.  But I’d been certain that I’d have to wait at least a year before making any kind of move in order to build up a good reputation again.  Not anymore!

Other than the expense and hassle of moving, I don’t really see a downside to doing this.  I don’t have a lease to break here; even if I sign a lease somewhere else and rents continue to fall, I can renegotiate or leave at the end of it; if I get a rent-stabilized place, that affords me some protection from increases; I’d get closer to work, which means I recapture time in my day; there are even 1 BRs in my price range, so I could put a door between me and the cats; I could afford Manhattan.