Phew. I’ve survived another Minnesota winter. Mind you, the calendar may say that spring
started with the vernal equinox on the 20th. However, the very next day, we got three inches of very wet snow that resulted in thick, icy roads and thick, icy tempers. Every year I find that I have to dig deeper to get through the discomfort of the season. That said, I don’t have an exit strategy, so will need to find a way to make next winter more pleasant. Perhaps more hand-knit sweaters will do the trick (wink). Perhaps a trip to a warm climate may be the ticket.
The month did fly by in a flash. In a nutshell, I worked very hard at school, designing an entry door for the coffee shop, taking a midterm test in lighting and in architectural history, writing a short paper analyzing Pillsbury Hall (pictured above, via Essential Architecture) in the context of Richardsonian Romanesque, fighting a vicious and elaborate computer virus, and much more. I wish I had pictures of my work, as well as some of the knitting I have done recently, but I still haven’t taken time to get a good groove with picture uploading and posting on my new(ish) computer.
I got a small break from school and put my feet up. Of course I had plans to bail out the house, but I mostly wandered around in a state of suspended animation, so relieved not to have deadlines. I devoured Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir Blood, Butter, Bones. Despite the terrible resolution (above picture, via Random House), you can tell that the book is going to be fantastic by its really excellent cover. Kakutani thought the memoir rocked, too, so I'm not dreaming.
Hamilton is the multitalented owner of Prune*, a divine New York City restaurant. She is very highly regarded among influential food industry folks and chefs, such as Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali. A few years ago I ate brunch at Prune, which is the teeniest restaurant. The menu was utterly unpretentious, the food so smart and delicious. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Hamilton described opening her restaurant. Her writing is honest, and it didn’t take long to find the connection between who she is and her interpretation of food. I also enjoyed reading about her incredibly bohemian childhood and coming of age on the streets of NYC, as well as her life as wife and mother of sons. Hamilton has a strong roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic that I found inspiring. I would recommend this to anyone who likes culinary essays or memoirs. Better, listen to the author read the audiobook!
Last week, for the last day of the boys' spring break, we went to the NCAA men's Division 1 swimming and diving championships, which were held at the University of Minnesota. I secretly hoped one of the boys would come out of a day of thrilling races wanting to participate on a swim team, but my wish would not come true. Close, though, as Winston was glued to the diving practice that took place in the adjacent diving well. I don't think he saw a single race. Later, we watched a few rounds of diving. All Win could talk about was taking diving lessons. We met a coach for a St. Paul club, who kindly gave us his card.The team practices at St. Kate's, which is so close to our house. The team also has five practices a week, and I don't see Winston sticking it out, though I would love to be wrong.
I’m looking forward to April. School will ramp up to its culmination, and I will be hard at work on final projects. The boys will start summer soccer. Seriously. I have foolishly agreed to manage a U9 boys’ team. It’s true…I’m unmotivated if I’m not overextended. I relish the sun’s increasing warmth and anticipate the greening up that will come with April showers.
*For your convenience, I tried to provide a link to Prune. However, the website uses the insidious Flash and since I have disabled plug-ins (temporarily), I cannot even enter the site. I encourage you to Google it and click on the menus. You won't regret it.
*For your convenience, I tried to provide a link to Prune. However, the website uses the insidious Flash and since I have disabled plug-ins (temporarily), I cannot even enter the site. I encourage you to Google it and click on the menus. You won't regret it.
