We are now the proud owners of an Apple Airport Express (courtesy of me Mum and Da). My computer is broadcasting "a Guinness-soaked musical body blow to our little Bose clock radio/CD player as I write this. I would like to say that it was as easy to set up as everyone says it's supposed to be. Really, it was easy. For me. Since Josh did all of the actually work. He spent the better part of the evening trying to get all of the various gadgets involved configured so that I could use the internat and play my MP3s on the stereo at the same time and so that both of our computers (one Mac, on PC) could use the Airport Express. I think it was complicated by the fact that Josh's computer is old and is not wireless enabled, so we have it connected directly to the main router, while the Airport Express has to relay the wireless signal from the router to my computer. And the printer is not even set up with the Airport Express yet. I think it's time to get Josh a new computer. Funny how one new gadget always leads to another. You'd almost think someone was planning it that way...
I had some rotting bananas sitting around for the first time in quite awhile, so I made Jenn Szopinksi's infamously delicious banana bread. When she was my housemate, we used to beg her to make it for us. At one point, I made it so often, I had the recipe memorized. If you have some decaying bananas cluttering your kitchen, give it a try. It's easy, and, boy, is it good:
1-3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup overripe smooshed bananas
1/3 cup butter
2 tbs milk
2 eggs
Set oven to 350 degrees.
Combine 1 cup of the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add bananas, butter, and milk. Beat until blended. Add eggs and remaining 3/4 cup flour. Beat. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes.
Wait 10 minutes before removing loaf from pan.
I'm not sure whether I have only noticed it recently, or whether the distinction is actually being used more widely, but I've noticed that in polls and other forms of data where race is important, "Caucasians" or just plain old "white people" has been replaced by "Non-Hispanic whites". I think I prefer the new phrase, to be honest. It's something I can point to when people try to guilt me for making other people feel their non-Whiteness so acutely just by virtue of my White presence. I can say, "But I'm excluded too, now. I'm a non-Hispanic white!"
And "Non-Hispanic" is how I often feel. My parents remarked, when they landed at the Ontario airport two miles from my house, that there were a lot fewer minorities getting off the planes there than at LAX. True, Rancho Cucamonga is pretty typically white and suburban. But we live in what you could accurately describe as an hispanic ghetto of the area. There are two stores within short walking distance that advertise hand-made tortillas, and immigrant workers (all Hispanic every time I've passed by them) line up for day labor at a government trailer two streets north.
I would really like living in an Hispanic area if it wasn't for the completely inexplicable glares of hostility that I get from people sometimes. I'm talking about the ones I get when I'm not driving (those could definitely be explained away). For example, last night I dropped into the Jax Market down the street for the first time. Josh needed NyQuil, and it's the closest grocery store to us. I was definitely the only Non-Hispanic White in the place, and, boy, was I made to feel it. I got a glare for saying excuse me to get around someone. The cashier made it very plain that it was an inconvenience to speak English to me by sighing, raising her eyebrows all of the time, and trying to make out like she didn't speak English very well, even though her accent was almost flawless. I would have tried my rusty Spanish, but if you read a posting on my blog from a few weeks ago, you'll know how well that's worked for me in the past.
Maybe I'm looking back with rose-colored glasses, but I don't really recall people being so openly hostile to me in Guatemala. Yeah, we were targetted for unusually high pricing at the market and probably more-frequent-than-average thefts, but people didn't glare at me in the street or at the store. Most people at least gave the appearance of being friendly. And I always had the impression that any weirdness or staring was more because I was a foreigner than because of my race. Most Guatemalans I knew were happy that I was interested in their culture, although they were definitely amused by my Spanish and my attempts to learn to tortillar. Yet here I am, in the U.S., with other Americans getting mad at me for being in their grocery store. Some of whom, I might add, have probably spent less time in Central America than I have.
It doesn't make me mad or anything. I just don't get it, and I wish there was something I could do about it.
I realized that I eat a lot when I gained 5 pounds over the last month because I only had time to go to the gym about twice each week. Hmm. For those of you more concerned about eating tasty food than about your waistlines, here are some of the treats I've been cooking up:
Becky posted her aunt's recipe for strawberry cake on her blog quite awhile ago at my request. I finally got around to making it. This is some of the best cake ever! It took us about a week to finish it off (good to the last bite!) and I'm about ready to run out and rustle up some strawberries to make more. The recipe is pretty simple. I am reprinting it here, because for some reason the track-back URL doesn't want to work:
"CAKE- Mix {1 White Cake Mix, 3 Tbs. flour, 1 package Strawberry Jello}
Add {3/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup water, 4 beaten eggs}
Stir in 3/4 cup strawberries. Reserve the rest of the strawberries.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
"ICING- Combine remaining strawberries with 2 cups of confectionary sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter. (I used a hand mixer) (my icing was chunky and strange looking, but was absolutely delicious, don't fret!)"
I added the tiniest bit of milk to the frosting, and that pretty much got rid of the chunkiness. The frosting was the best part. :)
Also, my new favorite quick and dirty chicken recipe is Asian Chicken & Water Chestnut Patties, from Epicurious, of course. (Yes, I do get recipes from other places, but its's so EASY to plug the ingredients you have on hand into the Epicurious search engine, and the recipes are almost always" delicious.) The noodle salad that the editor recommends is also very good, but the vegetable chopping became a bit more time-consuming than I wanted for a quick meal.
A piece of mail found its way to me today against all odds. It was addressed to me with my maiden name at my last address in Hillsdale. Somehow, it made its way through the four different addresses and the name change I have gone through since I left Hillsdale. Loyal little piece of mail, searching for me all over the country. Was it a friendly missive from a long-forgotten comrade? Were belated wishes for well-being contained in the worn envelope? Of course not! It was a Discover credit card offer.
It's my first day back at work, and I'm already waxing nostalgic for my long weekend. How, you might ask, does one know it was a good weekend? When it had the following elements:
Superhero movies viewed a second time on the big screen: 1
Afternoons spent seabathing: 1 (Okay, so I didn't really get in the water, but I could have if I wanted to. Plus, I just like the word "seabathing".)
Rooftop parties attended: 1
Tasty drinks concocted for said rooftop party: 4
Number of fireworks displays viewed: At least 15-20
Wedding photo albums completed: 1 (minus a few captions)
Miata shifter boots sewn: 1. Seriously. Check out my photos: Old and Busted. New Hotness.
Fitness classes skipped: 1
Pounds of pasta salad eaten: At least 2
Pounds gained: See above
Early nights: 3
Late mornings: 2
Days until next vacation: 14