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 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 side dishes

Since a lot of my family is vegetarian, and includes people with shellfish allergies and gluten intolerance, this list may look a bit limited to those of you who don't suffer from such constraints.

1) Salad... always. The basic romaine, tomato, cucumber, basil, radish, and a dressing of olive oil and rice wine vinegar, is always a winner.
2) More salad. My family loves to put fruit in salad. One classic is the strawberry, avocado, papaya with lime juice, walnut oil, and a turn of black pepper.
3) Another is the crisp pear, toasted nuts, gorgonzola over mixed field greens with a little olive oil and white wine vinegar.
4) My FIL makes an amazing side dish of fresh corn (barely cooked in boiling water, or lightly grilled) taken off the cob, mixed with toasted walnuts, shredded basil, and a lot of grated Parmesan. The trick is to toss in the cheese while the corn and nuts are still hot, so cheese sticks to every bite. Then top with the basil just before serving.
5) Another FIL classic: hot rice, mixed with toasted pecans, shredded sage, grated Parmesan, and a hunk of butter. It's decadent and delicious, and dresses up left-over rice like nothing else.
6) Fresh bread. Duh!
7) White rice, of course.
8) When the weather is cold I love to make a huge tray of roasted vegetables. I use sweet potatoes, onions, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage... and I'm certain I'm forgetting a few.
9) My aunt makes an amazing quinoa salad that generally includes feta cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, scallions, corn (fresh off the cob, if possible), and a can of chickpeas, all dressed with olive oil and rice wine vinegar.
10) Mashed potatoes (even if nothing is being served with gravy)

10 on Tuesday: ten thoughts on this year's Oscars

Since I put the ceremony on TiVo, I've actually watched it all the way through! (I love the 21st century.)

1) I like Billy Crystal as the host. He's tasteful and moderately amusing.
2) I don't know why everyone loved Rooney Mara's dress... I thought it looked like it didn't fit correctly.
3) Loved Jessica Chastain's dress.
4) Also loved Milla Jovavich's dress.
5) Glad to see The Artist win so many honors.
6) Sorry Moneyball didn't pick up any hardware.
7) Meryl Streep gave a really great acceptance speech.
8) I want to see Cirque du Soleil in person sometime.
9) I want to say something nice about Angelina Jolie (I'm usually a big fan of her work), but that leg thing was just awkward and her hairdo made her look old.
10) Wish I'd had a chance to see more of the nominated movies prior to the awards ceremony.
11) Ryan Seacrest should have just slugged The Dictator.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things to do inside when it's too cold to go outside

It's almost too cold to go outside right now...

1) Read
2) Knit
3) Bake
4) Cook
5) Clean the house
6) Do the dishes
7) Play a board game
8) or a card game
9) or a video game
10) Watch a movie and snuggle on the couch.
11) This is a family blog, I can't say it outright...

Ten on Tuesday: 10 favorite soups

I love soup! One of the challenges I face, being married to a vegetarian, is coming up with good soups that he'll eat.

1) Miso soup: hands down, my favorite soup. I don't make it at home anymore because it's available for lunch at my school, every day. I love putting different seaweeds into it, or trying out noodles in it.

2) Tomato soup: I posted last week about this amazing recipe for it. My husband even asked me to make a second batch of it!

3) Hot and sour soup: I don't cook this at home because it involves meat, but I almost always order it when we go to a Chinese restaurant.

4) Tom Kha Gai: a delicious Thai hot-and-sour soup with coconut milk, lemongrass, and chicken in it. Once again, I've never learned how to make this, but I indulge in it once a month (the coconut milk adds some serious calories!)

5) Cream of broccoli soup: available at lunch about once a week; not healthy, but so yummy I can't pass it up!

6) Cream of mushroom soup: I'm on a quest to find a really good recipe for this, as the canned versions don't stack up to the real thing. When I can get it at lunch, I always do.

7) Cheeseburger soup: I don't know what goes into this and I don't think I want to! But wow.... so yummy...

8) Pho: I've only had this a couple of times but they were memorable! I wonder if a vegetarian version would be easy to make?

9) Mulligatawny: this can be up or down depending on the restaurant, but I've eaten some fabulous versions of this at our local Indian restaurant.

10) Italian Wedding Soup: the canned version of this nearly killed my affection for it, but I've had a few good homemade versions that really converted me back to loving this.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things you do every day

Every day, I...

1) check e-mail, Facebook, Google News, and my dozen favorite blogs.
2) Brush my teeth (about 5 times a day. Haven't had a cavity in my life!)
3) Brush my hair, because having long, curly hair requires constant maintenance.
4) Shower. Often twice a day. I sweat a lot and have a horror of smelling bad.
5) Eat.
6) Knit, crochet, or weave.
7) Read. (I read 68 books this summer!)
8) Hug my husband and kids, and tell them that I love them.
9) Take my allergy medicine.
10) Sleep.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 ways to prepare for a big storm

We rode out Hurricane Irene with only a little water in the basement, so I'm feeling incredibly grateful for my good luck. We were, however, prepared for the worst! Here are my suggestions:

1) Put candles in 2 or 3 central locations and place a full box of matches with each stash of candles.
2) Similarly, put flashlights in obvious locations. We have a lot of handcrank flashlights so I didn't have to stock up on batteries.
3) Catch up on laundry before the storm hits!
4) Cook plenty of food that won't go bad quickly (no mayo or sour cream!) and tastes OK at room temperature. PB&J sandwiches are probably the most obvious choice, but we also had hummus, crackers, cheese, carrot sticks, a pasta salad, a potato fry-up, and leek fritters.
5) If you're worried that the basement might flood, move your valuables to higher ground.
6) Don't put beer in the fridge if you think the power might go out. Instead, focus on drinks that will taste OK without chilling or ice. I personally like my gin-and-tonic (or vodka-and-tonic) without ice, so that was fine.
7) Gas up the cars.
8) Dig out the board games or books that will entertain your children during the long hours.
9) Have a calm, reassuring talk with your children about what is forecast to happen, and what you're doing to prepare for it.
10) If an evacuation seems probable, have favorite toys and a few changes of clothes packed well in advance. Scout out your route. Make sure the pets are welcome at your temporary destination (and if it's a relative's house, do point out that leaving the pets behind is NOT optional. Not everyone understands our devotion to our furry-children.)

Ten on Tuesday (late): 10 random things

Well, it looks like Carole is on vacation this week, so I'll just have to make up my own topic!

Ten random things in my life:

1) The Red Sox have a new batting line-up tonight and it's messing with my head. (For the record: Ellsbury, Scutero, Gonzalez, Pedroia, Ortiz, Lowrie, Crawford, Veritek, and McDonald. I'm used to Scutero batting late, like eighth, and Pedroia batting second.)

2) I went to the Korean store today and got home-cooked Korean side-dishes, which I'm now eating over white rice. I have almost no idea what's in them, and I certainly don't know how to cook them. (Note: one claims to be fish cakes with vegetables in spicy sauce. The other is called "Seaweed in oil" and certainly tastes like it.)

3) I should learn how to cook Korean food.

4) I seem to be coming down with a summer-cold.

5) Being in the middle of both The Stand and Feed, this is unduly alarming to me.

6) I really shouldn't have been playing Pandemic while reading The Stand. My germ-paranoia levels may be at an all-time high.

7) Almost all the Patricia Wentworth mysteries are now available as e-books, which may have lead to a little purchasing binge on my part.

8) Next year, I want to try growing okra again. (I tried two years ago, and my garden-mate weeded them out by mistake.)

9) Apparently the Red Sox are now back in 1st place in the AL East.

10) Recently, my DH checked the standings, and found out that the THIRD PLACE team in the AL East (that would the Rays) had a better record than the first place teams in the AL Central and AL West. Something seems wrong with this system.

Ten on Tuesdays (late): 10 favorite bumper stickers

Whew! Yesterday was so busy that I completely forgot about Ten on Tuesday until this morning! Now, I have to clarify that I don't have any bumper stickers on my car, just a bunch of parking permits for the various parks near us.

1) Gandalf for President - a classic, but one I still love
2) Republicans for Voldemort - was very popular in 2008, I believe
3) If You Think Education is Expensive, You Should Try Ignorance - don't know where I first saw this one, but I've seen it enough times to remember it.
4) COEXIST - where the letters are made of different symbols with religious significance... I don't know how to describe it if you haven't seen it for yourself
5) I'd Really Rather Be Biking - can't remember where I saw it, but I love the sentiment
6) If You Can Read This, You're Driving Too Close - another classic
7) My Kid Can Beat Up Your Honors Student - because that's probably true...
8) I Support The Right To Arm Bears - because I love Sandra Boynton's artwork
9) Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, For You are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup - another classic
10) and I had to look this one up to remember exactly how it went... I'm Not An Alcoholic, I'm a Drunk: Alcoholics Go to Meetings

Ten on Tuesday: 10 favorite herbs

I haven't had much luck growing any herbs except mint and basil, but I'm trying a lot more of them this year (oregano, rosemary, and sage) and we'll see whether I get better at it...

My favorite herbs for eating are
1) Basil - grows well, tastes delicious. This year I'm growing lettuce basil, purple basil, and Thai basil in addition to my usual globe basil.
2) Mint - grows like the weed it is, tastes delicious. This year I'm growing chocolate mint and lemon mint in addition to regular mint.
3) Cilantro - I cannot grow this at all, but I love it on my food. I'm so glad that my local grocer stocks it year-round.
4) Dill - no luck growing this either, but I love it so very much... particularly on salmon... yum....
5) Tarragon - since going flexitarian I haven't had much chance to eat this, but I used to love it in chicken salad. I should try it in a roasted tofu salad sandwich this summer.
6) Oregano - tomato sauce just isn't the same without it.
7) Chives - are these an herb? Or just a member of the onion family?
8) Bay leaf- I've never even thought about growing this. Does it grow in New England? I love using this in soups and stews...
9) Thai holy basil - I think of this as a different thing than regular basil. It's the crowning touch in any Thai or Vietnamese cooking I plan to do.
10) Lavender - I've never grown it, or even cooked with it, but I have a couple recipes that call for it and I love the smell in sachets and herb mixes.

What did I miss?

10 on Tuesday: ten things I love about my family

My family... I wasn't sure, at first, if we were talking about my nuclear family (husband and two kids) or my extended family (parents, in-laws, step-mom, cousins, cousins-in-law, aunts, uncles, second cousins, cousins-by-marriage, etc.)

Then I thought about it, and realized that most of these apply to both groups, and it's silly to try to draw a line.

1) Love: even when we're mad at each other, we still love each other.
2) Good food: my family is packed with people who love to cook and eat, and I share in that joy with them.
3) Good books: my family is also packed with librarians and bookworms, so there's always somebody with whom you can share a new novel.
4) Good math and science: my side of the family is heavy on scientists and my husband's side is heavy on mathematicians, so there's always somebody around who can explain tidal pools or sub-woofers or Cauchy's Theorem.
5) Travel: I travel less than everyone else in the family (I'm a home-body, and having two small children makes long flights challenging) but everyone else travels to really cool places, and brings back pictures and spices and stories. I love hearing and seeing all of it and one day soon I think we'll join them in traveling more.
6) Traditions: we've lost some of our traditions as my grandparents' generation passed away, but we still know that stockings get opened before breakfast but big presents wait for after breakfast, and children get one present the night before Xmas, and everyone who has a job has to send a red envelope to anyone who's still in school on Chinese New Year's.
7) Loyalty: even when I've screwed something up, I know my family will stick up for me.
8) Kindness: this is something I've worked on with my children, and it mostly plays out in the larger family, too. We're kind to each other. We're gentle with each other's feelings and we play fair when we play board games.
9) Fairness: goes hand-in-hand with our notions of kindness.
10) Stories: we all share stories, whether it's the time that my cousin made herself throw up to get out of eating calves liver, or the time I nearly took out my aunt's mailbox. Sharing these is part of what binds us together!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 favorite one-hit wonders

Oh, this is a such a rich topic! I had to hit Wikipedia to make sure everything I liked was actually a one-hit wonder. It turns out that while I love Concrete Blonde for "Everybody Knows" they had a much more major hit called "Joey." (Yeah... once upon a time I actually knew that. I must be getting old.) Similarly, my favorite song by XTC is "Mayor of Simpleton" but they had a much larger hit called "Dear God" - but I remembered that before looking them up.

1) "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy
2) "No Myth" by Michael Penn
3) "Wild Night" by Meshelle Ndegecello (featuring John Mellencamp)
4) "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred
5) "Take on Me" by A-ha
6) "99 Luft Balloons" by Nena
7) "Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil
8) "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak
9) "Jump Jive N Wail" by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
10) "One of Us" by Joan Osbourne

Now I want to go load up my iPod with 80s music!

10 on Tuesday: ten favorite smells

1) vanilla
2) cardamom
3) cinnamon
4) orange
5) lime
6) freshly cooked white rice
7) freshly baked bread
8) warm honey on freshly baked bread (they really are different smells!)
9) happy, fairly clean dog (NOT freshly washed dog - bleah! - but just a dog that hasn't sat or rolled in anything awful.)
10) chocolate

Ten on Tuesday: 10 things in my freezer RIGHT NOW

Alas, I now am sure about why I signed up for Ten on Tuesday: it forces me to blog at least once a week.

1) frozen yoghurt, in "vanilla" and "pomegranate" flavors
2) all-natural grape popsicles
3) peas
4) puff pastry
5) chopped spinach
6) edamame, both in and out of the pod
7) veggie burgers, about 5 different brands and styles
8) two shrink-wrapped pieces of salmon in chili sauce
9) samosas
10) coconut milk (which was once in a can, but doesn't keep well after opening, so I put it into 1/4 cup containers and froze it.)

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Ways to have fun on long car rides

1) Food and drink. Something that's neat to eat, not too horribly unhealthy, and easy to share. Grapes and bite-sized pretzels are ideal.
2) If somebody else is driving, a good book.
3) Or knitting.
4) Or crocheting. (My husband does most of the driving.)
5) Books on tape if it's just grown-ups in the car.
6) Read aloud from a "Miss Manners" book - it always makes us laugh, and sometimes triggers a good discussion.
7) XM radio - often it's the only way to follow the Red Sox when we're traveling.
8) Bring some math problems to work on with my husband.
9) Drive at night. You will see the countryside from a different perspective.
10) Have a DVD player for the kids. Seriously, it's the only way to stay sane with small children on a long trip.