The Leen

I don’t have much new to report. We’re doing okay in these parts. Not great, but okay. There have been some majorly frustrating elements to life lately, but none of it’s really anything I feel able to or willing to share here. I will say that the past few weeks haven’t exactly lived up to that really boring 2009 that we were hoping for, but oh well. I guess a whole year of boringness is too much to hope for. We are, however, hoping things will calm down again in the somewhat near future so we can at least have another boring interlude soon.

Bottom line: we’re all healthy, Elanor’s doing great, Brett and I are fine — it’s nothing relating to our health or our family relationships. It is something that’s really frustrating, though, and to be honest, kind of consuming. I just don’t have anything much to share that isn’t, well, about this annoying non-boring stuff. Ugh.

Anyway, moving on, because I’m bored and annoyed with myself as I write this, so I can only imagine how bored and annoyed you, like, two remaining readers must be.

I’m almost done editing Brett’s French Press post. I think you’re going to enjoy it. I’m sure it will give you a good insight into who Brett is, as well as give you a great guide for how to make a delicious press at home.

So, I am hoping to get that post up in the next few days. Until then, I’ll leave you with this scene, which happened a week ago as we were lounging on the futon, watching cooking shows on PBS, while Elanor and Brett were trying to recover from a cold. We’ve been watching a lot of cooking shows lately, which completely whets our appetites for amazing food and gives us inspiration for things to make here at home. We’re also lazy, though, so we watch these shows with an element of, I don’t know, masochism, because some of the things that these chefs make are, let’s face it, not going to happen in this kitchen, amazing and tasty though they may seem. (Especially the things that include meat. Poor Brett. I think he wishes I were not a vegetarian anymore. Oh well. That’s not gonna happen, I can tell you that for sure.) This scene sort of typifies that experience.

Jacques Pepin was on at the time. He’s become one of our favorite people to watch (we also enjoy Julia Child’s baking show). The following scene unfolded as we watched. It is definitely an insight into Brett and his personality and tastes, and it made me laugh.

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Jacques is chopping, cooking, about to add a bunch of onions, garlic, scallions, and celery to something sauteing in a skillet. We are gaping at his amazing chopping skills and wishing we could mince garlic and dice onion so deftly. He adds the onion and garlic into the skillet, and in his thick and charming French accent, identifies the mystery item already sauteing away.

Brett: What’s he got in the skillet?

Me: Bacon, I think he said.

Brett, with a massive eye-roll and a groan, as he falls back onto the pillows: God, I love this man.