Eggs in a Basket (and in My Refrigerator)

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Lazy weekend mornings are something I have been enjoying very much over the last several months. W and I like to sleep in as late as we want, then take time to make coffee “the hard way,” in a French press or a chemex pot and eat breakfast while lounging on the couch with the dogs. These breakfasts have included eggs for a while now, something I had not eaten in years of avoiding animal products and being a mostly strict vegan.

Making Coffee

Eggs

I have never exactly toed the party line on every issue: I have always eaten honey, and am not often inclined to ask at restaurants if, for example, their bread contains eggs. I question whether there is, in fact, a true “party line” at all. I think most people have to find what works best for them as individuals. Nonetheless, soi-disant vegans do not eat eggs, and I had not straight up eaten a fried egg in maybe three years.

Eggs and Bread

When I had eggs again for the first time, they were eggs delivered straight from one of our local CSA farms to W’s office (they receive egg deliveries pretty regularly — I don’t know how that arrangement came about but I’m not complaining). It’s a small, ethical, organic farm right here in our county, which made it something I felt much more comfortable about than I would grocery-store eggs. That morning, we also had a fresh loaf of sourdough bread from the farmers’ market, and W made eggs in a basket. To this day, that is one of my Most Memorable Meals. Everything about it was perfect.

[7/366] Eggs in a Basket

Breakfast

Since then, I have often requested eggs in a basket, which I did this morning and the chef kindly obliged. It’s a little indulgent, to eat eggs when I clearly don’t have to. I get by without animal products most of the time, right? But the whole lazy weekend ritual is pretty indulgent in and of itself.

I see this as a sort of luxury food. I don’t bake with eggs, for example. Why bother when I have tons of vegan recipes and there’s nothing noticeably different (to me, anyway) between vegan cookies or cupcakes and their non-vegan varieties? Just because I am having eggs on a Saturday morning, I am not going to start putting them into my cookies.

I had added organic Greek yogurt to my diet about a year ago, when I was having problems incorporating protein into my on-campus lunches and was simultaneously experiencing some slow-to-resolve running injuries. I’m not sure that it’s made a huge difference in the injury issue, but it has kept me on track nutritionally even when I’m stuck eating lunch in my office. (Bags of pretzels and granola bars were not doing the trick, and hummus and veggies really wasn’t, either.) I still keep all of my dairy-free products in the house, though, like Earth Balance, Tofutti “cream cheese,” soy milk, and so on. Given the choice, I will take the vegan option almost every time, but if I am eating some local, organic, eggs from one of our CSA farms on the weekend, I am not going to sweat it.

Bloody Mary..Garnishes

I am also not going to sweat it if I occasionally add a Bloody Mary or two to the long, lazy breakfast. Especially if I’ve just finished a long run. But please hold the Worcestershire sauce — I’m not interested in drinking any anchovies with my cocktail, thanks!

I have always said that I eat the way I do because it works for me and is sustainable, both in terms of nutrition and the environment. That was true when I completely avoided eggs and dairy and I hope it is still true now.

Creative Projects for 2012

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For the past two years, I have taken at least one photograph a day as part of Project 365, and it’s been one of the best creative efforts I’ve participated in lately. I have really loved documenting my days and my years in this way — looking back over the photos brings back so many memories of days and details and moments that might otherwise have faded away. As you might be able to predict, I’ll be doing the project again this year, with a bonus day thrown in because it’s leap year!

As always, I’ll be sharing a lot of the photos here, including the most recent one in the sidebar. You can always follow along with everything on flickr, too, if you like. I often take more than one photo a day, and everything will wind up there. If you’re doing Project 366 (or something similar) this year, would you leave me a comment so I an follow your photos, too?

Doris

In other photography goals, one thing I would really like to work on this year is portraits. I have gotten pretty decent at photographing dogs and still-lifes of food and drink, but portraits are often difficult. First of all, I tend to take pictures indoors in low lighting, making it easy to get a blurry one if the subject moves. Second of all, well, not everyone wants me sticking a camera in his or her face, you know? Dang, man, but why do people gotta be so difficult?

Talk to The HAND.

Ai yi yi.

At any rate, to get myself inspired, I made a new photo set of all my favorite portraits since I started flickr (and digital photography, at all) back in 2005. There’s a pretty big range of quality and technical skill represented there. I think some of those might have actually been taken with a Motorola RAZR, the camera phone I had before I got a digital point-and-shoot, iPhone, or DSLR. Man oh man. Anyway, I chose my favorites just based on how much I liked the photo, the moment, the memory, or whatever it was I captured. I’m hoping that as I keep trying to take more portraits going forward, I can work on improving them technically and capturing the subjects better, too.

(Note to my friends: be ready! I could come for you at any time.)

Reception

Walrus, Dubious..Good Lighting

Regarding the blog in general, I also have some more thoughtful posts in mind that I’d like to write, including some relationshippy stuff (from my past, not my present) inspired by Allstate’s Mayhem Guy commercials, thoughts about the way I eat (spoiler: eggs and dairy are now occasionally involved), and credit card debt. Love, food, and money? That sounds serious. Hopefully not too serious. Often I get into writing simple recaps and wry remarks here, and I don’t wind up putting as much thought and planning into my posts as I’d really like to. I’m going to work on that, but, you know, in my own way.

Stargazing, Listening to Space

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Last night (or, more accurately, early this morning), I found myself bundled up in layers of winter clothes while a chihuahua in a sweater shared space on my lap with a DSLR and telephoto lens. What brought me there? The Quadrantid meteor shower. Or, more literally, a man with an Oldsmobile.

W had read about the meteor shower and posted a link to Facebook. After reading the article, which described the shower as being highly active and one of the year’s best, I decided we had to try to see it. Why not? How often do I actually take action on ideas like this, after all? I am much more likely to forget about it or to determine that it would take too much effort to follow through.

But with my partner in crime (and two of the three dogs), I had no excuses! We drove out of town looking for a place with no streetlights and a clear view of the northern sky. We finally pulled off the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, with the big, dark, starry night sky opened up right in front of us. As soon as we stopped the car and got situated, we let out simultaneous gasps as we both chanced to see the first big meteor at the same time — amazing.

(image source)

From then on, we mostly watched and waited, trying to determine if we were seeing faint, distant sparkles (what most meteors look like to the naked eye), or if we were just imagining it with our tired-but-hopeful eyes. (The camera and lens turned out not to be super helpful.) As the time went by, we each saw a handful more very distinct meteors, each beautiful and separate, but not a big storm of falling stars like you might envision. Nonetheless, it was beautiful, and an adventure completely out of the ordinary.

Once we were home again we fell asleep listening to Space Weather Radio, a service that uses radar to scan the skies and creates a pinging noise every time a meteor is detected. Amidst the static, there were quick, quiet pings, and longer, more sustained noises as bigger bodies were detected. Incredible, isn’t it, to be able to listen to space?

Year in Review: 2011

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Here we go again, y’all: it’s the end of the year review! I really do love completing this every year, and reading everyone else’s.  Much like Project365, it faciltates self-reflection in an interesting way. Speaking of Project365, stay tuned for my Year in Photos post coming up soon. Please feel free to do the questionnaire on your blog or answer any of the questions you want to in the comments. If you do a blog post, leave me a link so I can go read about your year!

Note: This year, I took the liberty of re-phrasing a couple of the questions. I never liked having the pressure of visiting other countries, so I changed that question to “places.” I also don’t really make “musical discoveries,” so I re-wrote that one, too.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Had a seriously ill/injured pet — Egon’s back injury and surgery were definitely new for me. I also earned the job title of Lecturer. I had a few photography gigs by special request (some were even paid).

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Last year, I wrote: “For 2011, I would like to: run a half marathon in under two hours, bike a half century (50 mile) ride, compete in at least one more triathlon, publish that article, and take action to achieve better job security.”

I came close on the half marathon goal and I’ll keep working on it for 2012. I completed the triathlon in August and earned a promotion at work that allows me a lot more security. I did almost nothing in the way of cycling beyond the triathlon training, and as far as my article, I, well…got distracted.

For 2012: I’d like to keep working on that half marathon goal, ride my bike more regularly (whether for commuting or sport), continue work on the article, and try to make healthier eating more compatible with my relationship (i.e. not just eat whatever he’s eating).

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

A friend from work had a baby girl in August — cute as a button. I had the pleasure of doing her portrait for both the birth announcements and the family Christmas card — so much fun!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

I’m thankful to answer “no” to this question once again.

5. What places did you visit?

I traveled to the usual destinations in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, went to a conference in Kentucky, had a bachelorette weekend in Savannah, traveled to spectate at a race in St. Louis, ran a race in Savannah, visited with friends in Asheville and family in Tennessee.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

A nice road bike, an HDTV (which is already on its way), a coffee grinder, my own office at work.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

May 5th – Cinco de Mayo dinner with Golightly, PSP, Brunbec, and W.

May 31st – First date.

July 2nd – Golightly and PSP’s wedding, my first photography gig

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

The job promotion, I suppose. It was neither likely nor easy. I’m proud and satisfied and I just hope I can do it right.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Second-guessing myself and my judgment in a few personal situations; being immobilized with indecision. But not in a major way — I wouldn’t say anything’s been a real failure this year, thank dog.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No illness; only minor running overuse unjuries.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Renting my new apartment was a pretty great thing: it is by far the nicest place I’ve lived and I still love it even after the shine’s worn off. Of course, I did not “buy” it. Let’s say the washer and dryer. I still love doing laundry in my own machines enough that it is not a chore.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My dog. After a rough start, he wound up dealing with the surgery and recovery very, very well. Certain students were wonderful as well.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Plagiarists and cheaters. I simply cannot brook these behaviors; I cannot.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Paying off old debt (and acquiring new debt in the form of dog surgery bills, goddammit), general overhead. I’m a teacher, so I feel like it’s pretty probable that my answer will always be “general overhead.” Rent and basic necessities/bills are by far the bulk of what I spend money on.

15. What did you get really excited about?

Watching the finish line at the St. Louis marathon, shooting my good friends’ wedding, eating vegan food in Asheville, Egon coming home from the hospital, meeting someone new just when I needed to.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Florence + the Machine’s “Heavy in Your Arms”

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? happier, maybe, but probably the same
b) thinner or fatter? fatter by five pounds — thank you date nights at restaurants!
c) richer or poorer? richer — thank you salary bump!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Reading for fun, strength training. (Oh ho ho, same as last year. I need to create space in my life for these things, apparently. I will officially…try.)

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Feeling guilty for saying “no.”  I always feel as if I am “working on” this issue but I never feel that it’s resolved. I try.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

In Tennessee with my family, trying (successfully) not to strangle anyone or get disgustingly drunk. Cooking dinner with my brother, fretting about gifts, and trying to mind my dog.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?

You know I did; don’t make me say it like some kind of big goober.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Doctor Who. I always knew I would love this show but it seemed so overwhelming and I didn’t know how to get started. I mentioned this to W on our first date, during the inevitable “What do you watch on TV?” conversation, and he was all like, “Oh, I can help you with that.” So we watched all 6 seasons of the new version of the show together and I fell in love. Someday I’ll watch the older show, too.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope, but this year it’s just barely.

24. What was the best book you read?

I would love to say it was David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King, but I didn’t get very far into it before I started re-reading Infinite Jest for work. I very much enjoyed Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.

It wasn’t a really big reading year for me, though: I read a lot of things I wasn’t thrilled about, and am at the moment partly finished with more novels than I actually finished! I blame W. My normal reading time has always been at night, in bed, before I fall asleep. That’s not what I’m doing with that time slot now.

25. What music did you get excited about?

Nothing new this year, really! Hence, my normal year’s-end mix CD did not happen this year. Bummer.

I listened to Adele and to Mumford & Sons, just like everybody else did. I got the new Decemberists album (“The King is Dead”) and EP (“Long Live the King”), and the new Death Cab for Cutie album (“Codes and Keys”) but I didn’t get too excited about any of that. I think my favorite album from this year was Kanye’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” which was actually released in 2010. Oops.

26. What did you want and get?

*blush*

27. What did you want and not get?

An injury-free year of running, a sub-2:00 half marathon, a road bike.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

What did I see…hmm… Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part II), Breaking Dawn (part I), The Hangover II, Paris at Midnight, Bad Teacher, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, Contagion, In Time, Super 8, Bridesmaids, Captain America, Our Idiot Brother, Source Code, The Adjustment Bureau, Horrible Bosses, and probably a few others. Early in the year I caught up on 2010′s Black Swan and 127 Hours. (To figure all this out I had to consult both the blog and a list I found online of 2011 movies.) I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite. I did really love the final Harry Potter movie: every single scene was good. Bridesmaids was great, too.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

On my birthday, W took me out to a really nice dinner and then we stayed up a little late drinking champagne and singing along with the stereo. The next day I had friends over for a small get together and very nearly everyone showed up whom I’d invited and a lovely time was had by all. I turned 34.

30. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?

Honestly, I can’t think of anything. Maybe spending the Christmas/New Year’s week holed up in a little cabin in the Smokies with a case of Champagne and my boyfriend and our dogs and some snow. That would have beat the pants off of Reality Christmas.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Desperately Wishing for Cooler Weather. I hate trying to get dressed for work in hot weather; it is impossible. I would like for my personal fashion concept to involve as many blazers and cardigans as possible.

32. What kept you sane?

Twitter. Mostly.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

David Tennant. Man, he is just fabulous. Also The Doctor, as a character.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Protests around the world (in the Middle East and the Occupy movement) and, to a lesser extent, the Republican primaries.

35. Whom did you miss?

Far-flung friends, as usual, but no one person in particular this year.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Willard.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

Qui patitur vincit. Trust your instincts. Wait and watch and see. Don’t run Rock ‘n’ Roll branded races. Drink more champagne.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

This on is always a stumper. Here. Have this:

Sigh no more, no more.
One foot in sea, one on shore.
My heart was never pure
And you know me
You know me.

And man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing.

Love: it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you,
It will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be.
There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see
The beauty of love as it was made to be.

– Mumford & Sons