NIGHT OWL: poetically Tuesday

Soaring high above the snoozing fauna,
Hunting each floor, the gym, and sauna,
Logging patrons in and out of their proper nest
I brew and arrange feed aplenty for each guest.
Making lists of tasks to accomplish is wise
As is detecting and swooping upon each mouse, I surmise.
Working the night stint is getting real rough
I'll stifle my resolve to say enough is enough.
Though frazzled, ruffled, drooping sits this night owl
It'd be wise to endure and not throw in the towel.
Falling asleep as the dawn breaks the earth
When bright grayish cloud-light springs forth without dearth.
Crisp frozen air garners feathery displays
Shivering, fluffing, hooting remain shut-eye delays.
At daylight, off to slumber I'd much rather drift
Than tossing and turning and cursing C-shift.

Themes!

As I always seem to have trouble coming up with ideas of things to share here on Double Dekker, I figured I could start themes for each day of the week. Here are my themes:

Week in Review Sunday
Healthful Homemaking Monday
Poetically Tuesday
Book Review Wednesday
Thankfully Thursday
Recipe of the Week Friday
Simply Saturday

Week in Review Sunday: Because every week is special.

Healthful Homemaking Monday: I'm not quite sure what will become of Monday's postings but there are a lot of topics that I have become quite passionate about recently that have to do with the choices that we make on a daily basis that effect our family's well-being.

Poetically Tuesday: As an adult its all too easy to get caught up in the seriousness of life. My ritual of writing poems will be an attempt rekindle my long abandoned creative side. I'd like to attempt to repossess the skill of creativity and this seems just the way to do it!

Wednesday Reader: Reading and life experiences are great ways to accomplish cultural and world exploration. Because my life feels limited in its breadth of experiences lately, reading is a way I can choose to gain knowledge and examine the world without leaving the comforts of my living room! I don't think I'll attempt to read one book a week but when I do finish a book or a chapter I like, I'll write a blurb about it here.

Thankfully Thursday: When I was growing up Thursdays were my least favorite day of the week. It always seemed to rain on Thursdays. It was not yet Friday but it was far enough along in the week that I began to grow weary. Now that it rains everyday here in Portland, I've decided to change my tune about Thursdays and dwell on gratitude instead. Not just because Thanksgiving is around the corner but because its always good to be mindful and abundant in the expression of thankfulness!

Recipe of the Week Friday: Recipe of the week is more for me to share a meal idea from the week so I can keep myself in check. This will help me remember that I need to be creative in the kitchen instead of just serving mac 'n cheese and ramen which have been staples in our home for the past few weeks. It will help me be motivated to make something fun and try something new if I have to share a new recipe on my blog. Also In the Kitchen is already a prominent 'label' on this blog so it should be pretty easy.

Simply Saturday: Simple living is a big idea that weighs on both Jeff's and my hearts. Saturdays will be an ode to minimalism.

Obviously it is important to keep in mind that I am in no way an expert on any of these topics but I am just passionate about them and would like to share snippets from Jeff's and my life together.

A Little Bit Goes a Long Way

With the vibrant changing leaves, the cooler crisp air, and consecutive rainy days- the beginning of my favorite month, November, started out with both of us falling ill. Jeff was fraught with the sniffles and a hacking cough while I suffered more flu-like symptoms and my own version of Jeff's cough and cold... (thanks babe.) Luckily, we happened upon our weekends (Tuesday and Wednesday) together so we could rest and heal our weary bodies and tired minds. After getting 15 hours of sleep on Monday, Tuesday we lazed about- I was in no mood to do anything and Jeff is eager for days of pure relaxation- even when free of illness. By Wednesday we were both feeling slightly more energetic, a bit stir-crazy, and thus ready to take on our long awaited project: simplifying our apartment. We had already discussed how we were going to rearrange the furniture- I made several drawings of floor plans- and we made lists of items we wanted to share or store.
It was during my lazing about on Tuesday that I happened upon several blogs that were devoted to "minimalism." For both of us, "minimalism" was an entirely new label to a concept that both of us had previously contemplated: eliminating the unnecessary. In the past, the underlying principles of minimalism resonated with both of us as more of a desired ideal than a tangible practice. I read a few blog posts out loud to Jeff and we both grew enthusiastic and energized about organizing and minimizing our unnecessary clutter. Reading the posts gave us momentum to begin the project. However, in the ensuing hours, I was challenged by my realization of how attached to my possessions I really am. Honestly, going through our stuff was not as easy as I would have liked it to be. During the most desperate moments of this project: when most of our possessions were strewn about- Jeff wondered aloud where we had kept all this stuff prior to it filling up our living room and entryway. He had a valid point. Where did we ever have room in our apartment to store all of this stuff? We also wondered why we hadn't done this sooner. Because efforts to simplify and minimize is ever-continuing, we are not striving to proclaim a lifestyle of complete minimalism by any means. We are, however, planning to hold onto and apply what we learn so that our possessions and activities fill our lives with meaning and purpose rather than clutter.

Where i am now...

So, it had been several years since I touched my college journal. It was fun to read through and see how I've changed or grown and to see how I am still the same person I was back then. Funny how certain insecurities are still present, the lack of a core group of friends-unfortunately still a running theme, as well as my ever present career identity crisis.
However, I'm now a 26 year old woman, about to celebrate my 1st year marriage anniversary to Jeff- still my best and dearest friend. I am very happily married and love living in Portland, OR. Things could not be better. Jeff is very appreciative and lovely to spend time with. He challenges me intellectually and socially and we love to snuggle. We have a small apartment of our own and we are trying to live simply. I graduated from College, Jeff decided not to, but I'm not using my social science degree in an employed setting. I don't regret going to college- I did learn a lot from my experiences- But I wish my going to College had been on my time frame and not my parents. Not to say that I'm unappreciative of my parent's heavy encouragement and support during college, but I don't think I was ready academically. Now that I'm older, I have different academic interests that I would love to pursue but won't be able to because we are trying to save money for a house, for Jeff to go to nursing school, and also for kids. I'm also scared to go back to school because of how difficult it was for me the first time. I realize I'm more mature now-to some degree- but I'm sure that my insecurities would once again out weigh my desire to succeed.

Highlights of October

In October we hung out with Jeff's family alot!
Got to see my good friend Laura for the first time since the wedding.
We went to McMenamins to see Toy Story 3
We watched a few sports games with Jeff's family
Celebrated my 26th Birthday!
Played Rock Band Beatles edition
Jeff got his haircut.
Drove to OHSU for some medical tests
Got sick with cold and a cough
Slow danced to the Beatles CD I got for my birthday
Went to Bread and Ink twice in the same week!
Made pizza three times
Tried baking a carnival squash.
Started our simplifying project
Cleaned out three drawers
Gave away some books
Cleaned out our closet

Recent Culinary "Experiences"

The theme of food is a prominent one for this blog. The reason is because the kitchen, when not messy, is my favorite place to be. Well, I should modify that, when its not raining, being outdoors is my favorite place to be, but because its been raining so much lately the kitchen definitely tops my list!

Tonight we made potato leek soup for dinner! We both loved it and Jeff requested that I make it several more times this fall/winter! We used organic chicken broth, leeks, bacon, cream, and 3 different kinds of potatoes: 1 Yukon Gold potato, 1 Red Skinned potato, and 1 Russet potato. We left the skins on the potatoes even though the recipe called for stripping them because we like the varied textures and the roughage is good for us!

Yesterday evening, while watching the Trail Blazer game, I made a pear, gorgonzola, and walnut pizza. Jeff, not being the biggest fan of gorgonzola cheese, didn't appreciate the fusion of flavors. But I was pleased with how it turned out. Here are some photos:

A morsel of Gorgonzola and a slice of pear:


Before Baking:


Freshly baked pizza!:


The final product:

Medical Update

Yesterday I had two tests done on my heart up at OHSU hospital. An MRI and an echocardiogram. For the MRI I had to have dye inserted through an IV which wasn't fun, but in the scheme of things it wasn't so bad. Before my MRI, a cardiologist came and spoke to me about participating in a clinical research study. OHSU is a learning hospital which means they have medical students working along side the doctors and they have a full wing of the hospital designated to medical research. After hearing about the study, I had Jeff come in to the room and listen too. Even though I knew it's ultimately my decision whether or not to participate I wanted his opinion because I trust him and knew he would tell me if its something he thought I shouldn't do. Plus I was secretly hyped up by idea of being crammed into that loud machine for near 45 minutes (or more) and couldn't really think straight. I decided that I would participate in the study because it would help further their study of fibrosis (hardening of the heart's interstitial tissue) in Adult cardiology patients vs normal hearted folks. Besides the MRI, the research also consisted of a shorter Echo and a walk test (walking for 6 minutes as fast as I could up and down a hall way). I felt pretty silly doing the walk test but hey its for a good cause, right? I go back in a year and have another MRI, another echo and do another walk test (all paid for by the study). Here's to medical research! :0)

Simplifying Project

We are currently in the process of moving. Not out of our apartment. But moving away from our clutter... Organizing our lives so we have more time to do things we want. An upheaval if you will of everything in our apartment. The first step is complete. We made a list of everything we need in our apartment. Everything else we've decided is either going in storage (aka our closet) or we will be sharing with others. Because we tend to create too many dishes and don't clean the ones we have, we will try living off of one fork, knife, steak knife, spoon, plate, bowl, cup, mug, cutting board etc. for each of us. While I'm not sure where I heard this idea-probably multiple sources, we are both excited about trying it out. We want a kitchen that isn't so filled with clutter. Its gotten to the point where I won't eat breakfast until Jeff gets home at 3:00PM because I'm so tired of the mess that I can't even think about going in there. (We will be keeping our extra dishes at easy reach in storage so when we do have guests over for a meal they won't have to eat off the place mats.) While we clearly aren't doing anything as provocative as limiting the total number of items in our apartment to 200 things, as was suggested by author Leo Babatua in his book "The Power of Less," our plan its just drastic enough for us, we hope, to help us accomplish our priorities.

Arranging our furniture differently so we can create a more inviting environment for conversation and hospitality is another part of our project. Just picturing it in my mind our place gives off a different vibe. The Television, which we don't use that often, will no longer be the focal point of our apartment. :0) Our dining table will be the first thing you see as you walk in through the entry way. Unveiling the bottom portion of our beautiful picture window-as the couch will no longer block some of the natural light-will hopefully allow us to cut down on our electricity usage (during the day at least) and allow us a fuller view of autumn's changing leaves.

My make up drawer, which is probably the scariest drawer in our apartment is another area that will receive an afternoon of cleansing. When it comes down to it I realize that it is not necessary to keep 3 tubes of non-water-proof mascara which I used in California (especially with all the rain we have here.) Do I need 4 half-empty bottles of foundation or the Blush container that is cluttering up my drawer whose contents have been depleted for 5 months now? You get the picture. It is not pretty.

Clearing out our clothes has been a much debated part of our simplifying project. Not debated as whether or not to go through our clothes, but as in- which items to keep or share. Jeff likes certain clothes on me more than I do. And while I'm willing to give up my 5th pair of jeans, I have several jackets that I am partial to. It is perhaps the most necessary part of the process as we need more space in our closet to store the "un-necessities.' But also the most difficult. The thing that will help is remembering that there are so many clothes that we don't wear that someone out there could use and maybe would love to have.

We are excited about all these changes... I will keep you posted on how these ideas work out for us and hopefully post some pictures when the moving is complete.

Birthday Pizza

Jeff came home with beautiful flowers and a the Beatles 1 CD for my birthday.

After listening to the CD and slow dancing together in our living room we couldn't figure out what else to do to celebrate. The day before, we had already gone out for breakfast at Bread and Ink to celebrate my 26 years. We agreed we didn't want to spend too much more money and figured we were both hungry for pizza of the homemade variety. After going by Winco to pick up the necessary pizza ingredients I realized I was hungry for birthday cake. We quickly scoped out Fred Meyer's dessert selection and picked out two frosting filled cupcakes with gigantic frosting flowers each proportional to the cups of cake.


It was around 7:15... too late, we thought, to start making the pizza if we were to stop by his family's house later. So, we decided to head on over to the Dekker family's house for Josh's beef and vegetable curry. Although I didn't get around to making the birthday pizza until tonight, I did take a few photos of the garlic, basil, shallot, yellow & red tomato, gruyere & mozzarella cheese pizza. It's in the oven now wafting heavenly scents of tomato, spices, and cheese through the kitchen...I can't wait to taste it!




The tomatoes used on the pizza were from Jeff's mom who gave me this beautiful box of fruits and veggies complete with a small bouquet of autumn colored mums. I can't wait to use the rest of this fresh produce in my cooking!

Making Time for Books...

One of my goals for September was to read every day at least one page if not fifty. While I might not have read everyday, I did finish reading 4 books! Which is huge for me. As much as I might say I love to read, honestly I simply don't make time to enjoy a good book. Thankfully working the night shift desk job at a hotel has provided me with plenty of time to indulge in my new hobby.

At the encouragement of our friends who visited us in September, I took up Ellen Raskin's novel,The Westing Game, for pleasure reading which was a delightful and thrilling read! Highly recommended.

For insight into the industrialization of food, farming and gardening, and personal finance, I read: Animal Vegetable Miracle; In Defense of Food; and More than Enough. I am inspired by the authors' words of wisdom and excited by the opportunity to learn more about the fusion of culture, gardening, food, economics, ecology, and health. As a student at heart, I can't help but wonder why Sociology of Food is not a larger discipline in academia. The job of my dreams at the moment would be to become a professor of Sociology: anthropologically researching the history of food, teaching courses on food practices, and ultimately helping students acquire the tools to make thoughtful choices when it comes to what they eat. Within this "discipline" there are so many areas of interest to me: the agricultural transition from hunter gatherer practices, industrialization of processed "foods", varying cultural mindsets and habits that accompany people through their lives, dieting practices and the health of America vs. other cultures, body image and food, the influence of the Great Depression on food practices, the demand for budget food instead of quality. Quantity vs. Quality, contrasting GM and Organic and what it means for our future food choices, the ever-evolving concept of the meal and so much more!

I am convinced that reading takes us to a new levels of cultural understanding, gives us insight into the minds of great thinkers, and allows for personal growth through new challenges. My goal of reading at least 4 books every month will continue until at least the end of the year! I can't wait to read more!