Handmade

Thank you Katie for documenting the whole process

Julia Childe would be so proud. I made an apple pie in a convection oven. To be exact, I made a raspberry apple pie in my convection oven. Did I read the directions? No. Did I own a mixing bowl? No. Did I lug all the ingredients up and down flights of stairs and through subway corridors, hopping trains, and tracks, and managing not to trip all at the same time? Yes. Did I use a crappy knife to peel the apples? Yes. Did I cut my finger peeling apple number one? Yes. Was all that worth it in the end? Absolutely.

There is something very primitive about being a grad student, or just a student living in a high rise building in general. We don’t have much. We can’t buy much. And we make do with what we have on hand (which is often very little). That being said, I think there is something very humbling about not having technology always on hand to help us get through the list–be it a recipe or a task. We can’t always just turn on the kitchenaid and watch everything blend together. Sometimes, we have to do it all on our own– blood, sweat, and tears.  And just when I am ready to give up, I think to myself, my ancestors didn’t have a kitchenaid. They were somewhere on the Oregon Trail, out in the middle of nowhere, and had to pull off the road and start mixing. Cavemen didn’t have a kitchenaid or a dull knife–they probably had a sharper rock and bigger arms to get the mixing done (if apple pie was part of their diet).

If technology had always existed, we wouldn’t have words like “rustic” which you use to describe crust that is falling apart as you place it in the pie plate. We wouldn’t have words like “handmade” which is what you say when you account for the jagged edges around the pie or the flour that never quite got mixed in. And let’s be honest–cobbler would never have come to exist if it hadn’t been for handmade pies that fell apart.  I am certain cobbler was born from pies that never quite held together, crusts that were so fragile they broke (into crumbs of goodness), and people that didn’t have plates and had to use bowels instead. How do you explain and account for your falling apart handmade pie as your guests arrive for dessert? It’s cobbler! Voila!

I was lucky enough that my handmade pie held together (as did the first week of grad school in New York City)! And let me tell you, gathering around warm pie at the end of a long week of new everything– it felt good to taste something familiar.

This cup is for my new Milano family. You are all so talented and amazing. And to Katie–who has been there all week (through thick and thin, and beyond). 

NYC!

If you need a challenge, I urge you to try to cram your life into two huge duffel bags, throw a dart in a new direction, set your sights on new smells, new faces, and new places and head out. Don’t worry about getting lost–someone is always around the corner with the answer, signs will point you in the right direction, and the pounding that you feel in your chest will eventually settle down to its regular rhythm again. In the process you will find new muscles you never thought you had that will come in handy when your are dragging your baggage (called your life) around the streets of a new city (I mean this literally and figuratively).

You will realize that an unknown place that once felt too big to handle suddenly becomes small, compact, and manageable. Crowds of people, lines, clutter, slow walkers, fast walkers, busy corners, hustle and bustle will wear you out. Coffee shops, parks, public gardens and museum galleries will become your new refuge to seek out the calm and quiet. And along the way you will find a whole host of folks that are in the exact same place in life as you–a major transition.

My latest cup of cosmos is overflowing: NYC

Most recent happenings and observations include (but are not limited to)

A pigeon roaming the baggage claim at JFK

A shoebox of an apartment, crammed with too many people with too many things

Random mist that falls from god knows where and lands in your hair/mists your face (gross) as you walk down the street

Sales tax that surprises me at every purchase (something I will probably never get used to)

A grubby homeless person on the train that gave an incredible speech about what a poor candidate Romney is and to do everything we can to support Obama–I happened to agree with everything he said and he made some good points

Washington Sq. Park is one of my favorite places

New Yorkers are super friendly–don’t believe everything you hear

New Yorkers are so friendly that they walk you where you need to be, before heading off to where they are going

People apologize for their shoes

Dress to impress ALWAYS–Tim Gunn is not joking

If you feel dressed up, chances are you are still underdressed

The subway is hot and smells like pee–it’s just the way it is–and it’s quite clean compared to India, Morocco, Egypt, etc.  so no complaining

At 10pm rats come up for air and roam the tracks, but they are small compared to the rats on the tracks in India…so be thankful

There is always going to be some sort of mysterious puddle somewhere…don’t think too hard about what it is…actually…don’t think about it at all

If you look like you know where you are going someone will stop you and ask for directions

I need a blindfold walking to class up 5^th Ave–the shopping is unreal

Personal goal: find a new coffee shop everyday

You walk your dogs off here and the blisters are well worth it

Humidity is not my friend

The water taxi to IKEA rocks!

Not everyone wears heels to work–you change into them when you get to the office

The lines at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are so long you think a tornado is heading this way and this is the last day to buy anything–but this is just normal everyday grocery shopping in NYC

Not everyone on the streets wears deodorant and everyone should

Restaurants are open late (LOVE THAT)

People walking around are from all over the world

Every time you turn around you spend money

The first time you take the subway alone feels like the biggest accomplishment of your life

It seems that there are fewer hours in the day on the East Coast then the West Coast

The city never sleeps

If you don’t hold onto rails in the subway you will fly forward/backward

Asking people for directions is more reliable than an iPhone

The Farmer’s Market has the biggest sunflowers I have ever seen

The minute you take a shower and head out into the world you will feel like you need to shower again

Wait for the crosswalk sign or risk being flattened

Walk fast–you can cover more ground

Don’t call your friends on the West Coast when you get up in the morning–they are  still sleeping

Find a post office for snail mail

Help a tourist take a picture

Eat everything

Remember to run

Smile

Get plenty of rest–be it a park bench, coffee shop, chair, subway car, or bed

Find a friend–things are better in pairs

Find lots of friends–the more the merrier

And most importantly–Enjoy a cup. It’s New York!

This cup is for Jessica: who's last cup in the city was my first cup in the city (which I find so poetic). Thank you for helping me land on my feet. 

My forever home.

Somewhere in the midst of packing and seeing all the faces that need to be seen, all the hugs that need to be hugged and all the runs that need to be run, you feel like trying a new indesign program on your computer. Then you want to post it for all the world to see--and no matter how many times you post it, it just doesn't post and so you give up. But along the way you find a perfect day in Portland. The perfect day was a success--not only because of the people who made it perfect and the place that is perfect--but because it was successfully posted to your blog. That perfect picture makes up for the last few not so successful/perfect posts. And so now--for what I hope to be a most successful adventure (scattered with a few perfect days).

This cup is for Portland. You are always my home and forever in my heart.