So it took a long time (1 year!) but I finished. Some of that length was due to it being dead tree edition (DTE), but most of it was due to the complexity of the story. Many times I went back, reread parts, reviewed the inserts, browsed internet forums, etc. I think this is definitely a book you need to read more than once to catch all the nuances.
I was surprised that the story “Ship of Theseus” was as interesting as the story in the margins. Many times I would focus on that story and get through many chapters before going back to read the margins, notes and inserts. I expected it to be secondary to the Jen/Eric story but there are actually two complete, well written narratives here.
Regardless of the extra time a DTE book cost me i think that is how this book is meant to be enjoyed. The different pens of the margin notes, the different materials, shapes and sizes of the inserts – something would be lost if you could not hold these things in your hands and feel them. If there is any reason left to get a DTE book – this is it.
I recommend this book but I do think its for advanced readers. Casual readers may lose interest and readers who do not want to do additional research or discuss the hidden theories, philosophies, or intentions may become frustrated. But if you like books with a lot of depth, this is the title for you.
I have been doing some slow cooking lately and have been using this hand me down crock pot which I think was actually from my Nana and Boppa. It works but now that I have been doing this more, I can tell there are some things its missing. For one, its small. For two (and biggest) the interior is not removeable so you always have to wash it by hand. Boo!
The The Other told me that new crock pots are only $30 on amazon AND they have a removable dishwasher safe interior. Yay!! Plus its larger! Double Yay! So I ordered one and it arrived yesterday.
For the first meal in my new crockpot I decided to make Mississippi Roast – simple and delicious. Simply delicious. Seriously, if you own a slow cooker, you need to make this recipe. Plus I think with only 3 ingredients, its counts as “Clean Eats” 🙂 Here is the recipe if you want to try it yourself, which you totally should.
The start of the meal:
4.5 hours later (on high)
I decided to serve it over egg noodles so here is the finished product.
So now that I have eaten all that deliciousness I decided to go for a bike ride. I’m lying – I rode my bike before I ate – after I ate I just laid on the couch 😛 But seriously I did ride my bike today, although indoors, but tried a different strategy which I think worked out great. Instead of planning to ride 5 miles, I set a timer for 30 minutes then played a video of mountain bikers on the screen and listened to my audio book. Since I wasn’t focuses on how many miles I had left to be finished the ride actually felt much shorter and I actually rode farther than 5 miles!
I am pretty proud of my steady pace as well. Only one dip in the center there which is when the cats started fighting. Because of course they can’t let me exercise in peace.
The Other and I made a Blue Apron tonight. I am not usually a huge fan of pork chops but I am a sucker for mashed potatoes, peas, and goat cheese. In certain situations kale is alright too.
We decided not to put the spice mix on the pork chops, not because it was too spicy but because it had a licorice flavor (Ground Fennel), which I dislike. Overall turned out better than I expected, and the pork chops had a nice flavor.
At the recent LSCC annual cat show there was a photographer who specializes in show cats. One of the perks of having a vendor booth (especially one right next to the photography booth) is that I am able to sneak in my kitties for professional photos!!
I expected to be Luna, being the more shy cat at home, to be a complete pain. I was actually a little nervous about letting go of her, sure that she would run off the table and out into the show hall and everyone would know I snuck in my cat. However although she was nervous at first, once the photographer got her interested in a toy she was amazing!! We got all the famous kitty show shots – side profile, over the shoulder, 1 paw up, close up – it was amazing!
Brutus on the other hand – our brave out-going boy – was having none of it. Besides the first picture where he doubled up with Luna, he spent most of his time hunkered down and jumping off the table. Luckily the photographer was great and had a lot of tricks to get some good pictures out of my bad cat.
As Magritte gets older, she is becoming less interested in grooming which is resulting in mats – lots of them. She has also become very very grumpy about being brushed so its very hard to keep up with it. We decided to get her groomed but its hard to find a groomer that does cats. our vet recommended a mobile groomer which turned out to be fantastic!!
They come right to the house and do everything in the van. It took about an hour and from what they tell me Magritte did great! The groomer was very nice and listened to what we wanted, and any concerns we had (I thought Magritte might bite since she has been so grumpy lately). I highly recommend this service and will definitely use again, not just for Magritte but probably to wash all the other stink-kittens as well.
Before and After
Brutus on the other hand isn’t that much of a fan. Magritte came back looking and smelling different, and now Brutus has trust issues. Its been 3 days and he is still growling and hissing at her. The first day was the worst – in this video he is actually growling at Luna. He is such a drama llama. (best viewed with sound)
For my Birthday, The Other got me an indoor bicycle trainer and we finally got it setup and I did my first workout! It was exhausting but great to ride my own bike although not great to realize how out of shape I have become over the winter!!!
My plan is to ride while watching TV or listening to audio books to help get me a jump on the season. With some 70* days last week I don’t have much time!!
Tonight made two Blue Aprons, kinda by accident. I started with Sumac-Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Salad and realized The Other would not like it. Between the raw kale and ancient grains I knew this wasn’t a dish for him.
Conversely, we had a Hominy & Poblano Pepper Pozole recipe that I knew I probably wouldn’t like. Although I love soup, I’m not a big fan of Pozole, especially since it’s usually done spicy.
Both dishes came together pretty fast, and making the soup second probably helped the salad taste better since the ingredients had time to meld.
The Other said the soup was great – good flavors and not too spicy – and I really enjoyed the salad. I liked the sumac sweet potatoes since that spice is a little sweet and added great flavor without being overpowering like brown sugar usually is. Overall two great meals that I would recommend.
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