Ten on Tuesday: 10 thinks (things) I loved about summer camp

I did not get to attend a "traditional" summer camp... my mother had no idea why anyone would want to live 8-to-a-cabin and spend the day learning to ride, swim, kayak, and shoot a bow and arrow. (Also, I'm an only child and she had some difficulty letting go.) I did ultimately go away in the summer, twice: the first time to Northwestern, where I studied Algebra II, and the second time to Hampshire College, where I studied advanced math.

Did I love it? Yes, I did! For all the following reasons...

1) Math
2) Surrounded by smart people
3) Lopsided boy-girl ratio
4) First kiss
5) Friends for life, or at least through the college era
6) Finally got my asthma correctly diagnosed
7) Friends who are boys
8) Counselors who were Really Smart Girls/Women
9) A look at life in an academic community
10) The confidence to leave home and go far away to college

I should probably explain a bit more. I spent my adolescence in a small, insular town in Indiana. Academic success was not encouraged in girls. Plus, I had acne, a mild stutter, and terrible social insecurity. Getting away for two summers really gave me a sense of what the wider world was like. When I applied to elite colleges on the East Coast, I actually knew some people who were doing the same thing, unlike my classmates in high school. Going to summer camp literally changed my life and I'm so grateful to both programs for giving me financial aid and all the encouragement I needed.

Ten on Tuesday: what I did this weekend

We were afflicted by bad weather, plus I wouldn't leave the dog at home alone, so fireworks are not on this list.

1) Ate at Ruby Tuesday. Enjoyed the salad bar and loved the crab cakes.
2) Did a lot more reading for the Hugo Awards.
3) Ate at Captain Jimmy's, a local bar. They've started to distill their own vodka and rum; we had nice house-specialty cocktails. My Cod Francaise had too much undercooked garlic but the DH liked his burger.
4) Watched a lot of Wimbledon tennis. Dominika Cibulkova had to postpone her wedding because she unexpectedly beat the #3 seed. Sam Querrey beat the Novak Dkojavik, seeded #1, in a huge upset.
5) Cooked some amazing eggplant and a cherry almond Dutch Baby.
6) Saw "Finding Dory" and loved it almost as much as I loved the first movie. I really hope they make "Finding Hank" next!
7) Put the tomatoes, basil, and zucchini plants in the raised bed garden.
8) Caught up on Scream Queens.
9) Finally finished the last season of The Mentalist.
10) Protected the little dog from all the distressing noise of Independence Day.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things on this summer's bucket list

I'm a school teacher, so having a bucket list for the summer really means accomplishing all the things I don't have time to do during the school year. That involves a lot of reading, movie- and TV-watching, cooking, knitting, etc. I also plan to watch as many hours of the Olympics as humanly possible...

Books I want to read:
1) Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
2) Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
3) The God Stalker Chronicles by P C Hodgell
4) The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
5) The Obelisk Gate by N K Jemisin
6) Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
7) Fire Bound by Christine Feehan
8) The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
9) Lamentation by Ken Scholes
10) Black Wine by Candace Dorsey

Movies I want to see:
1) Star Trek Beyond
2) Independence Day: Resurgence
3) Southside with You
4) Cafe Society
5) Suicide Squad
6) Finding Dory
7) Now You See Me 2
8) Florence Foster Jenkins
9) Ice Age: Collision Course
10) Jason Bourne

Recipes I want to try:
1) Fish Cakes with Herbs and Chilies by the NYT
2) Lamb Wellington by Yotam Ottolenghi
3) Dal by Smitten Kitchen
4) Limeade by Serious Eats
5) Lasagna Soup by A Farm Girls Dabbles
6) Baked Chicken and Leek in Turmeric Coconut Sauce by She Simmers
7) Whole Wheat Milk Bread by Two Red Bowls
8) Fresh Rice Noodles by Grace Young
9) Shanghai Soup Dumplings by Epicurious
10) Ceremonial "Pigeon" Pie by Bon Appetit

TV shows I hope to watch:
1) the Olympics
2) Mentalist (yes, the TiVo has some old stuff on it)
3) Quantico
4) NCIS New Orleans
5) The Expanse
6) The Magicians
7) Crossing Lines
8) Scream Queens
9) Luther (late to the party and thank you Netflix)
10) Person of Interest

And, of course, I will spend tons of time with this little guy:

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things I did last weekend

1) Had a terrific lunch at Great Wall in Florence, MA. They look like a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant, but the gourmet menu is just marvelous and tastes like home cooking.

2) Got bubble tea at Lime Red Tea House. My favorite is the grapefruit with green tea and "boba".

3) Cooked Malaysian Radish Cake with bean sprouts.

4) Also cooked Stir-fried Pork with Basil and a Fried Egg. 

5) Nearly set myself on fire trying to light our new grill (a Traeger wood pellet, in case you're wondering. Poorly designed. Don't get one.)

6) Scared all the neighbors with my yelling when I nearly caught on fire. That was awkward.

7) Discovered a new blog I love: My Name is Yeh

8) Had a bunch of students over for dinner.

9) Went to Commencement and said goodbye to my seniors.

10) WON THE TEACHING AWARD!!! (I'm still in shock, and so happy.)

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things I wish I knew more about

I wish I knew more about...

1) Geography. (I have a terrible sense of spatial orientation and while I'm good at memorizing routes, so I don't usually get lost, I have no idea how our local roads link our local towns together. And forget anything on a larger scale!)

2) Economics.

3) Biology.

4) Psychology.

5) Probability.

6) Game Theory. (sounds so cool, makes so little sense to me)

7) Native American culture.

8) Religions other than Christianity.

9) Making candy.

10) Making cheese.

The Big Reveal

And here are the answers as to which were true and which were false:

1) I love to bake and will make cookies and bread at least once a week. TRUE
2) I have degrees in English, Math, and Physics. TRUE
3) I'm allergic to every major species of tree in New England. FALSE (I'm allergic to everything except the maple)
4) This time in CT (8 years) is the longest I've ever lived in one town. TRUE
5) I adore horror movies. FALSE (mostly hate them, although I have a sneaking fondness for the original Scream)
6) I'm a morning person. MOSTLY FALSE (I prefer evenings, but I've seen people who truly Are Not Morning People and I do better than they do.)
7) I'm terrified of fires, and will not grill anything except under duress. FALSE (I love fires in a fireplace, fires in a wood stove, and fires in a grill)
8) I wish we could keep chickens, but we live in a part of town that isn't zoned for them. TRUE
9) My favorite sports are basketball and soccer. FALSE (that would be volleyball, tennis, and baseball)
10) I used to ride horses and compete in dressage when I was a little kid. TRUE (my parents forced me to quit when we moved away from NY because the nearest riding stable was too far away)

Ten on Tuesday

According to our beloved taskmistress, this week's topics is "10 things that might or might not be true about you."

1) I love to bake and will make cookies and bread at least once a week.
2) I have degrees in English, Math, and Physics.
3) I'm allergic to every major species of tree in New England.
4) This time in CT (8 years) is the longest I've ever lived in one town.
5) I adore horror movies.
6) I'm a morning person.
7) I'm terrified of fires, and will not grill anything except under duress.
8) I wish we could keep chickens, but we live in a part of town that isn't zoned for them.
9) My favorite sports are basketball and soccer.
10) I used to ride horses and compete in dressage when I was a little kid.

So there! Five true, five false. Which do you think is which?

Ten on Tuesday: last 10 books you read

1) Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. SF space opera. The narrator is sympathetic but mysterious, the scale is both vast and intimate, and the author has completely nailed the "sense of wonder" that I want from my SF novels. This is short-listed for the Tiptree, Clarke, and Nebula Awards. Highly recommended!

2) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, a reread for me. Interesting ideas, but the book hasn't aged well as several of the major concepts have more recently been criticized or debunked.

3) Revived by Cat Patrick. YA suspense/horror. A very engaging read, although further reflection made me realize the less realistic points of the plot. Recommended if you like YA suspense.

4) The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, a reread. Ditto what I said about Outliers.

5) Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Memoir/graphic novel. This is an amazing book, both in the artwork and in the way the story unfolds. Highly recommended!

6) Living Witness by Jane Haddam. Contemporary mystery. One of my favorites in the long-running series about detective Gregor Demarkian. Recommended.

7) How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. Contemporary mystery. The series-ender to Penny's series about the Quebec Police Force. A terrific book but you really need to have read the rest of the series for this one to make sense. Recommended.

8) Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. YA SF. A good entry point to their long-running Liaden series. I enjoyed the book but found it a little "preachy".

9) Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy Sayer and Jill Paton Walsh. Mystery set during WWII in Britain. The authorized continuation of Sayer's series about Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey. Very enjoyable; highly recommended!

10) The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord. Utopian SF/romance. Also short-listed for the Nebula Award. Highly recommended!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 thoughts about the Olympics

1) I love the Olympics. I put aside all cynicism and revel in 17 days of unabashed national pride.

2) I watch everything I can and try to Tivo everything else.

3) I'm so glad that snowmobile X and snowmobile freestyle haven't made it to the Olympics yet.

4) I don't really understand moguls as a sport, but I appreciate the athleticism it takes to excel in it.

5) Short-track speed skating is nuts.

6) So is skeleton.

7) And so is halfpipe skiing.

8) I should be knitting but I'm too tired, and I'm usually trying to work in front of the TV.

9) I love having a little TV in the kitchen. I've gotten a lot of baking done with the Olympics on in the background.

10) The little dog loves the Olympics because I'm spending more time than usual on the sofa, so he gets more snuggling.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 books on my to-read list

I actually have a pile of more than 50 books that I've bought but not yet read... I also have a couple of library books out and over a dozen novels waiting on my Kindle. But having said all that, here are the ones I'm hoping to read before Xmas.

1) Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson

2) Abaddon's Gate by James SA Corey

3) The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

4) The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

5) God's War by Kameron Hurley

6) Ghost Spin by Chris Moriarty

7) Shadows by Robin McKinley

8) Parasite by Mira Grant

9) Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

10) Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

Ten on Tuesday (late): 10 songs that make you want to dance!

1) "Love Shack" by the B-52s
2) "Just Like You" by Voice of the Beehive
3) "Smooth" by Santana, featuring Rob Thomas
4) "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith
5) "Groove is in the Heart" by Deeee-Lite
6) "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
7) "Bizzarre Love Triangle" by New Order
8) "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin
9) "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred
10) "I'm Only Happy when it Rains" by Garbage

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things I want to do with my summer

1) Read a lot
2) Catch up on TV viewing (like Body of Proof, which I haven't even started watching the 3rd season and now it's been cancelled!)
3) Keep trying new recipes
4) Catch up with family. We've got THREE (count 'em, three) different mini-reunions this summer, not counting the one at my aunt's funeral last week
5) Learn all about the math section of the ACT...
6)... and the SAT
7) Relearn calculus
8) Lose some weight
9) Knit something really different, like lace.
10) Finish knitting my first sweater.
11) Knit more mittens. Like these:

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things to bring on a picnic

To be honest, we're not a picnicking family. Younger Son and I both have horrible reactions to bug bites and DH insists that everyone wash their hands just before eating. Older Son hates the heat and doesn't like most traditional picnic foods... and there you have it. We'd all rather stay inside and eat at the table in the air-conditioning.

But on the rare occasions that we go picnicking, this is what we bring:

1) Bug spray
2) Hand wipes
3) Citronella candles
4) Lots of blankets and beach towels for sitting on
5) Brownies
6) Lemonade and ginger ale (my favorite "mixed drink" ever!)
7) Hummus and veggies
8) Potato chips
9) My knitting
10) A word game

Ten on Tuesday: 10 favorite TV Moms

This is a tough one for me. My taste in TV shows tends to run toward shows where mothers largely are nonexistent (Numb3rs) or pretty much duds (Angel). However, I'm always happy to try...

1) Sharon Agathon on the revamped "Battlestar Galactica"
2) Bones on "Bones" - and also her BFF, Angela
3) Grissom's mom on "CSI"
3) Callie got to adopt her two favorite kids just as "CSI - Miama" ended... does that count?
4) Snow White on "Once Upon a Time"
5) and also Emma on "Once Upon a Time"
6) Montana on "CSI - NY"
7) Doris McGarrett on "Hawaii 5-0"

Dang, I'm lame. Can't think of any more, and I have to leave for work in a few minutes.

Help me out?

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things I'm looking forward to in the month of May

Yikes! Totally forgot to post yesterday.  Super-quick post now, just before midnight...

1) AP exams (I'm a high school teacher)
2) Graduation
3) My college reunion
4) Really putting my garden together
5) Hanging out in the backyard
6) Long walks with the dog
7) Mother's Day (I hear I may be getting a grill!)
8) Grilling
9) Wearing shorts again
10) Sleeping under something less bulky than a down comforter

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Goals for 2013

I have a bunch of goals for this year. Many of them are the same as last year, because I actually met all my major goals for last year and felt really good while doing so.

1) Read at least 104 books (rereads are OK so long as they aren't the majority of the list)
2) Try at least 52 new recipes. (sandwiches do not count. Paninis and smoothies do.)
3) Watch at least 26 movies that are new to me.
4) Be kind.
5) Get more exercise.
6) Keep losing weight.
7) Be better at keeping track of everything.
8) Focus on the positive
9) Try to eat raw vegetables every day (NOTE: I'm already failing at this!)
10) Knit at least a little bit every day

Ten on Tuesday: 10 favorite holiday cookies

Yikes! It's almost Wednesday and I haven't even thought about my list...

1) rolled and cut-out sugar cookies with sprinkles
2) rugelach
3) nutella mochi
4) cranberry-pecan bars
5) lemon bars
6) oatmeal cranberry cookies (just follow the recipe on the Quaker Oats box, but use Craisins in place of raisins.
7) biscotti
8) peanut butter blossoms 
9) pizzelles
10) almond cookies (I'm so tired that I cannot Google the correct recipe right now, but they're super almond-tasting and have something like almond paste in the center.)

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Mitts or Mittens I Want to Knit!

I can't believe you want me to limit myself to only ten patterns! I have literally over 100 on my Ravelry queue, not to mention all the books of patterns I own.

1) Karisma Mittens: I love a good cable, and these are just gorgeous.
2) Woodruff by Jared Flood: another great cabled pattern
3) Lucky Hearts Mittens: a gorgeous fair-isle mitten, and I actually bought the kit to make them last year. I think I'm just waiting to find the perfect recipient before I tackle them.
4) Antler Mittens: remember what I was saying about loving cables? Oh, yeah, baby...
5) Anemoi Mittens by Eunny Jang: these mittens have always been a goal of mine, from right around the time I started learning to knit with two colors. I might be close to being able to tackle them. The gauge is a lot tighter than anything I've ever made.
6) Fiber Fish Mittens: these are another pair I've been dreaming of making for a very long time. I still don't trust myself with entrelac.
7) Let it Snow Mittens: a much more subtle cable, very beautiful and understated.
8) Fallberry Mitts by Anne Hanson: a gorgeous mitt with long cuffs and a sweet cable.
9) Nunt's Cabled Wristwarmers: another gorgeous cabled mitt
10) NHM-10 by Terri Shea: I actually want to make everything in Selbuvottir, and I'm about 4 patterns into that project.
11) Glitten by Julia Mueller: I love the idea of the glitten and I have two cousins who desperately want them. I bought the yarn for both projects exactly a year ago, and then promptly misplaced it. This won my heart over all other glitten patterns because of the cool cabling pattern.
12) Chickadee Mittens by Susan Anderson-Freed: I really want to try out the top-down construction and see if it makes my thumb-joins any better. (Right now, they range from pretty-OK on single color mittens to just-atrocious on some of my two-color mittens.)

And yes, I know I went over ten. Forgive me?

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things for which I am thankful

I am thankful for so many things this year! It's been a year of some major transitions, most of them positive, and the rest I'm trying to view as learning opportunities...

1) My family. They're healthy, reasonably happy, and very supportive of me.
2) My job. In this uncertain economy, it's a blessing to have work I love at a respectable salary.
3) My co-workers. For all that I roll my eyes about certain things, I am very very lucky to work with such kind, conscientious people.
4) Our house. We moved in just about 10 months ago and it's been marvelous living in our own space. Sure, we still have to figure out things like the 2nd story storm windows and the north gutter, but overall it's a lovely space in a great neighborhood.
5) My health. These past three months have been the healthiest I've been in years, if not decades. The asthma is under control. I'm on a manageable diet. I have more energy and I haven't had a major illness all fall term.
6) My friends. Knitting group, reading circle, the other parents at the bus-stop... they make me smile, they make me laugh, they tell me how to resurrect my nearly dead rose bushes...
7) My crafting. I love that I know how to knit, crochet, and weave. It calms me down and makes me feel artistic. (This is a hoot because the people who know me in person know that I am NOT artistic... at all...)
8) My kitchen. It's just an amazing space and I love cooking in it.
9) Our president. I don't usually bring politics into the blog, but I lived in fear of the racist, elitist, misogynists taking over. They've been enthusiastically rebuffed for the next few years, and I am grateful.
10) Our local library. It doesn't actually save me any money, because any book I like enough gets purchased, but it has introduced me to so many new authors!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! What are you grateful for?

10 on Tuesday: ten things on your mind right now

1) The election! (I voted straight-ticket Dem, and it looks like everyone for whom I voted has won)
2) The weather! (there's a nasty Nor'easter headed our way, and I'm supposed to drive down to New Haven and back tomorrow.)
3) Volleyball! (my team's last game is tomorrow, assuming it doesn't get cancelled due to weather)
4) NaNoWriMo! (Yes, I signed up. No, it's not going well.)
5) NaRoWriMo! (Just heard that Avon is taking open submissions of romance novels until Dec. 10th. Pity mine isn't really a romance novel...)
6) Tired! (too many late nights, plus a nasty side-effect from some medicine that kept me up with horrible nausea and stomach cramps two nights ago)
7) Final exams! (starting Monday, for the fall term)
8) Dogs! (I want one very badly, and my allergist just confirmed that I'm not allergic to them)
9) Idiots! (some friends of mine are spewing a lot of hate around Facebook and Twitter, most of it connected to the elections)
10) Red Sox! (After this horrible, horrible season, it's nice to see some signs of hope, such as David Ortiz getting a 2-year contract for DH)