I’m sick and it’s storming outside. It’s like God and my body are performing a blog-ervention…

"Lee, you know we’ll always love you but you’re just not the same person anymore and we can’t watch you throw your blog down the drain without saying something. You’ve been staying up partying with your “textbooks” every night until the wee hours of the morning. You spend all weekend on the couch tripping out over your “A&P homework” and when you do leave the house it’s just to go fool around with another computer at that “job” or to go to “class” with your massage therapy friends. Either you sit down and write a blog entry right now or we are going to have to walk out of your life. We can’t sit here and watch you act like your blog isn’t important. Don’t do home work. Don’t run errands. Just sit at your computer long enough to catch all of your friends up on what’s going on with you lately…"

Or something like that. It’s hard to hear Exactly what they are saying over the coughing and the thunder…

So here I finally am again! Mostly what’s been happening with me lately consists of sitting at my desk or on the couch poring over books, with just a dash of classes, work, driving to and from said classes and work, and the occasional hour or two of sleeping thrown in for spice.

“Books?!” You say. “But I thought you were in a massage therapy program?” Yes that’s true, but you would not Believe how much bookwork there is for this very hands on craft. Just like singers learn languages and music theory as part of learning to perform, budding massage therapists have an overwhelming amount of anatomy and ethics and theory to learn. The anatomy is the biggest chunk by far. It is fascinating stuff and I do find myself often turning to Dan to say things like, “Did you know that connective tissue is thixotropic and piezoelectric?! Isn’t that fascinating?!” (Which is usually met with a blank stare…) But I really wish I had had an A&P class at some point in my higher education. I feel like I’m starting from scratch with a rather difficult subject. (Interesting point on how massage students study A&P: We do not dissect anything But we do “palpate” all manner of things on each other in class… For a grade… Ever palpated a classmate’s Ischial Tuberosity before? Yeah, I thought not… But I have!)

And then there is the carting of the table to practice client’s houses for practice sessions, at least two a week. I don’t think I mentioned that yet. They have already sent us out to lay our hands upon living, breathing people! The only concessions to our ignorant status being that we are asked to focus only on certain stroke that we have already seen in class and preferably work on healthy practice clients. It’s still pretty scary!

I cannot stress enough though just how wonderfully all my friends have risen to the challenge of being my guinea pigs! I am getting tons of practice, which is good as I have discovered a decided lack of coordination in the left hand. This greatly impairs my ability to Beat, Hack and Slap my clients in a rhythmically pleasing way. (I know you think I am kidding but these are actual names of actual techniques!)

The school itself is beautiful and I get there early each day, as I leave work between 3 and 4 and class starts at 6:45. It’s quite a treat to sit by the pond in the evening and watch the bumblebees and butterflies and birds and frogs and koi. Also I find it a great place to study and refocus after work.

The teachers are all very good and, other than a brief lecture on my deplorable handwriting, I have acquitted myself reasonably well so far I think. If not, it’s certainly not for lack of trying hard, as Dan can attest. (He is Very patient with me through all of this!) I feel very fortunate to be part of this program, which is clearly very well thought out and thorough in its preparation of budding massage therapists. Not only does it focus on understanding the body and the technical aspects of the work but it also attempts to address how to set up a successful practice and also how one makes the jump from just a good manipulator of tissues to understanding the work on a more intuitive level. It’s great to be held to such a high standard but I am still sort of scared that I’m not going to be able to successfully master the intuitive art part. I know I can learn the stuff from books but getting it in my body is hard for me. Still, I have at least another ten and a half months to try to figure it all out!

Another exciting massage related opportunity I’m going to have is that Thomas Myers--who studied with Drs. Ida Rolf (invented Rolfing), Moshe Feldenkrais (invented the Feldenkrais Method), and Buckminster Fuller (invented the “tensegrity model” among other things)--inventor of Kinesis Myofascial Integration (which I think is a fancy term for deep tissue work to improve posture and ease of movement) is teaching an advanced class at my school and I managed to get signed up as a “model” for one of his students! I’ll be receiving his entire program (albeit from a student) of 12 pretty intense sessions over the next few months. It seems like a perfect time to be taking part of something like that. I’m hoping to get a lot out of it both physically and educationally!

And, last but not least, I am Highly anticipating becoming an Aunt sometime very shortly. My sister-in-law Kim is due on the 28th!

So that’s the news from Lake Woebegone where the women are trying not to have a nervous breakdown, the men are patiently supportive and the public radio station is having the Longest Fall Fundraising Drive EVER! Ahem.

A Shocking Discovery

I was washing dishes last night, an occupation generally free from flashes of deep personal insight, when I found myself singing a little ditty along the lines of, “I’m going to dry this dish and put it away.” Stunning lyric material, I know.

But when I realized what was happening I found that it was actually Jarring to hear my own voice. "Oh, right. I have a voice and that’s what it sounds like," I thought. And I realized that I haven’t actually sung in so long that I had actually forgotten somehow what my voice sounded like!

It wasn’t half bad. For a dish drying song.

Peace Baker

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Let it be told throughout the land that I have achieved, yea verily, all by my little old lonesome, just this very afternoon in fact, a little something I like to call: World Peace! Not that I’m one to brag or anything… (Well actually they’re called World Peace Cookies. But there’s no need to quibble about semantics at a time like this. Don’t you agree?)

Okay, I know you are thinking, “Cookies? Whoop de diddly doo…” But you have not been listening to Dan sing their praises for the last two years. You were not there when his mom brought the book containing this very recipe to the beach in May. Pandora like, you did not taking a quick peek inside and find yourself instantly and hopelessly enthralled. But I did… hence the excitement.

The cookies in question are intensely chocolate on chocolate, slice-and-bake, sandy textured, slightly salty members of the “sablé” family. More importantly, they turned out on my very first try! (Do not be fooled by their rather humble appearance. They are delumptious I promise you.)

The book in question is: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan—co-author of Baking with Julia (as in Julia Child!). And what it contains is a comprehensive offering of Greenspan’s favorite tried and true recipes, everything from biscuits to fancy party cakes. These are not fantastical creations of a bored pastry chef, trying to come up with some never before seen confection. Oh, no. Fear not intrepid baker! These are Greenspan’s “All-American, All Delicious Apple Pie” and “Real Butterscotch Pudding” and “My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies.” Familiar, simple things that you really want to make anyway. Not only that, but Greenspan lovingly describes them all in such a delightful way that with each new recipe you feel you must a) call in sick immediately and b) spend all day baking so you can try This one without delay. Then you make the mistake of turning the page and… Better call in sick for the whole Week.

Just as all little girls have to go through their romantic horse stage as a precursor to real romance with the opposite sex, so too perhaps every young woman at some time or another must fall in love with a cookbook in preparation for more serious homemaking down the line. If so, this is mine. Just holding the book for the first time gave me the feeling that all I needed was my own copy and I could be an initiate of that mysterious adult fraternity of people who can actually put butter and flour and sugar and eggs together and come up with something delectable and not remotely hockey puckish. Greenspan makes it all seem so very possible. Her book promises that even I can have a chance at, maybe not domestic goddessness, but at least the ability to create something warm and comforting and sweet to enjoy and share and be proud of in the kitchen.

I don’t think it’s any great mystery why I am attracted to the notion of comfort baking at a time when the cars are both headed back to the shop yet again and neither Dan nor I are making much money. When the dream of a new home seems to be slipping farther away rather than coming closer and it seems that our temporary situation is most likely going to be our Permanent situation. Or when I’ve finally given up hope of figuring out what to do with all the boxes or trying to make the place a bit less of a jumble and am just trying to live with the mess as best I can.

When I was a very little child of three we moved from the only home I had ever known in Chicago to a new church and parsonage in Rockford. There was a lot of drama around the move and, according to my parents, I dealt with it all by wanting to hear the same story every single night until we were safely ensconced in the new house. It was called A Home for Tandy, about a little elf who could not find a place to stay for the winter and was bounced about until his woodland friends made him a home of his very own.

I think I shall get through the uncertain days ahead by returning again and again not to A Home for Tandy, which is out of print in any case, but to Baking: From My Home to Yours. There are so many things I can’t fix about our situation, so many luxuries I can’t afford. But, with Greenspan’s help, yummy baked goods I think I can manage.

Travel Journal Part 1 - Bathing Beauties

So here I am a month after starting our travels Beginning my journal. Ah well, if can’t remember what we did I guess I’ll just make stuff up!

A flurry of throwing things in the car and Dan and I head out for the beach. It’s Saturday, July 21st just after Dan’s improv workshop. (Dan has instigated a weekly coming together of performers from various disciplines and points of view to explore new ideas and ways of performing, not necessarily ways to be funny but ways to explore relationships and develop character. It’s pretty cool stuff and he didn’t want to miss it.) We managed to forego a BBQ stop and ended up at John’s beach house shortly after every one else and in plenty of time for dinner.

Cold Pasta Sauce! My Favorite. It’s one of Dan’s family recipes and a major staple for us when tomatoes are in season. I was going to say that you could just ask if you wanted a copy but why not just share the love? It’s super easy and very tasty. Travels well, keeps forever in the fridge. Pretty healthy too.

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Sipp Cold Pasta Sauce

3 Tbls Fresh Basil, diced
3 Tbls Fresh Parsley, diced
3 whole Green Onions, chopped
¾ tsp Oregano, dried okay
4 cloves Garlic, minced
4 large Tomatoes, small chunks
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
3 Tbls Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tbls Red Wine
½ cup Olive Oil

Fresh Mozzarella (which I like to add when serving so it doesn’t get hard in the sauce)
Feel free to play with this as you wish. Lots of people add Hot Peppers!

Heat olive oil slightly and remove from heat. Put in minced garlic to infuse. Make sure the oil does not brown the garlic but that the garlic just nicely bubbles a bit. I usually just heat up the oil and drop in a few test pieces to test the temperature. Set aside to infuse and cool while you chop up the herbs and tomatoes. Dan says you can do the chopping in a food processor but I always do it by hand. I also always do a double batch And it always takes me hours… Maybe I need to become friends with the food processor!

Next chop up the tomatoes and get them marinating with the vinegar and wine while you mince herbs. You will end up putting all the ingredients together in a nonreactive container and the order is not particularly important except for the following note: Alcohol in the wine activates flavors in the tomatoes and putting tomatoes in the fridge turns Off certain flavor potential in tomatoes. Therefore, I recommend letting the tomatoes and at least the wine marinate at room temperature for a while. Thence the order suggestion.

Once you have everything together you should marinate for at least 4 hours before serving (if you can wait that long! But I promise it gets better and better.). Then just serve over hot pasta with some fresh mozzarella.
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This beach trip was a little different as Dan’s brother Jerry had his daughter Sabrina with him. It’s always fun to spend time with Sabrina as she is an amusing, sweet and beautiful girl who hasn't quite yet decided to be mopey and unresponsive. She does have a tendency to wear one out though! Fortunately, the neighbor’s granddaughter is her age and the two girls come to the beach at the same time so they can exhaust each other instead of us creaky adults. Sabrina and I had a great time putting together a huge dollhouse we found in pieces and her uncle Dan teased her mercilessly when we went swimming, much to her delight.

Jerry’s best friend Dave and Dave’s mother “Dumplin” were also there and I was quite happy to meet them as I had heard so much about them over the years. Despite enjoying each other’s company, unsurprisingly very little of note happened. We played a lot of Yahtzee, went to the beach and sat around on the deck talking. We ate a lot of yummy food as always. Dumplin introduced us to Shrimp/Tofu Alexander Sunday night and Dave took us out for Calabash style seafood Monday night before we left. Sadly Dan and I had to leave much earlier than we would have liked to as we had to get back to get ready to fly out Wednesday. So with hugs all round, we said goodbye at the restaurant Monday night and continued on home.

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment. Travel Journal Part 2 - Westward Ho!

My Magic Camera

You might remember that I had previously commented that I received a “magic camera” for my birthday. You might have dismissed this information, as perhaps you do not believe me that it is magic and suspect that I was, in fact, exaggerating a wee bit. I assure you, however, that there is no other explanation for all of the things that my camera can do But magic.

How else do you explain its ability to hold over 600 high resolution pictures at a time?! As a result of this astounding property, (I assume the result of a spell like Hermoine’s Undetectable Extension Charm) I returned home from my latest travels with almost 1300 pictures!

I am including here just a very few that best exemplify some of its other magical properties.

Freeze: I was standing on the dock talking when I saw Dan’s niece buzzing by out of the corner of my eye. I spun and fired off a shot hardly even taking time to aim let alone focus. Not only did I get the shot, but I also caught a preteen Smiling!

Fly: Mount Hood












True Colors: Carolina Blue, Cedar Point Orange and a wry impish smile. That’s my baby.
I also have at least 30 amazing shots from the Portland Inter-national Rose Test Garden.





Apparate to Exotic Foreign Places: San Fran’s China Town and Portland’s famous Japanese Garden















See in the Dark: I took these pictures without a flash in the Tuckaleechee Caverns near Townsend, Tennessee. You would not believe how slow the shutter speeds were. Sometimes I held my breath for what seemed like close to two seconds and they Still turned out in focus. Now That’s magic and no denying it…

Goodbye Old Friend

I suffer from separation anxiety.

I still feel a little bit homesick each time I say goodbye to my parents. I cry every time the Fellowship of the Ring is broken, every time the wardrobe closes for the last time, every time Obi Wan Kenobi falls. I even got a little teary watching young Bush bravely bid farewell to a resigning Ro… (Sorry couldn’t keep a straight face.)

Seriously though, after four straight days of doing nothing much other than sitting on the couch reading and crying, I am finally having to say goodbye to my dear friend Harry Potter. I’m taking it pretty hard. Harry’s been a part of my life for a long time now, almost ten years. That’s longer than I’ve known Dan, longer than I worked for Neal, longer that I lived in Chicago, longer than I was in improv, longer than I took voice lessons even.

As far as I know, I was the first person in all my friends and family to hear of Harry Potter or read The Sorcerer’s Stone. Like all of Potter’s friends I received some ridicule for standing by him in the beginning. Various nameless parties (now fans themselves) were highly amused by my enthusiastic and voluble endorsement of that first book and excessively loud and rapturous anticipation of each following installment.

True to form, we also got into some mischief together. Who but Harry would tempt me to sneak off to the bathroom at work once or twice just to read a few more pages!? Or get my entire family to even think about standing in line at a bookstore at midnight in Alaska. Or talk me into singing opera in a store window as part of a “living picture” while teenagers mocked me loudly safe on the other side? Ah, good times…

Not that we didn’t have some falling-outs. Our relationship was strained a bit by his meteoric rise to stardom. I thought he was getting a bit full of himself as he became so enormously popular. But how could I stay mad with a guy who got little kids to carry around 900 page books?! Who almost single-handedly reenergized the young adult fantasy genre?

It’s true that we’ve grown apart a little as the years passed. I’ve changed. Harry’s changed… I spent a lot of time while reading The Deathly Hallows exasperatedly thinking, “She did what? Why wouldn’t they just…? But why not…? How could he think that? I can’t believe he…! That doesn’t make any sense! Don’t be so Stupid!!!”

But we have such a history… I can’t forget those giddy first days discovering together the enchanting new world of magic and both falling completely in love with it. Even now, after that first infatuation has long ago worn off, I keep coming back again and again in an attempt to relive those delightful times. Nostalgically sharing year after year set to the familiar and ever revolving backdrop of the Dursley’s, the Burrow, Diagon Alley, the Hogwarts Express, Hagrid, Chocolate Frogs, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, classes, Quiddich, Snape, Malfoy, You Know Who.

Did we really need to revisit each and every character and place in each book? Probably not. But as both Harry and I got older and our lives got scarier and more unsure… I found it reassuring to check in with those old friends and familiar faces. Knowing what came next made me feel like an insider, a cool kid, a 7th year. And it made it all seem more real knowing all the common place minutia of buying books and getting to school, going through the sorting and taking tests and drinking pumpkin juice. And I Want it to be real!

For me Harry Potter was less about reading a great book and more about shrugging on the soft warm robe of that place, spending time with Dumbledore and stalking the wondrous halls of Hogwarts side by side with my faithful friends. With each book we got to live for a while longer in that charming world and, more than anything, that passport to such an inviting, seductive place is what I will miss most.

Goodbye Harry. Thanks for bringing a little magic into my life.

From Sea to Shining Sea

As it has been nigh on a month since my last post, you might in all fairness be asking yourself, “Where has Lee been?” Quite honestly I hardly can keep track myself anymore!

Here is a quick overview of my last four weeks (witty commentary and pictures to follow in subsequent posts):

July 14th: I quietly turn 34. Spend most of the day traipsing around my neighborhood checking out landscaping and listening to my first Dorothy Sayers novel. Wait eagerly for news of Jenn’s new baby who was indeed born on the 14th despite being due on the 1st! Receive my B-Day presents which are mostly a new Nikon Digital SLR camera that is magic.

July 17th: Interview for low key, low stress, part time legal secretary position conveniently located on my way to school.

July 21st – 23rd: Trip to the North Carolina beach with Dan’s brother Jerry, niece Sabrina and Jerry’s good friends Dave and “Dumplin” Crane. Realize that in the same week we will go from one coast all the way to the other… Mind blown.

July 25th – 29th: In San Francisco with Dan’s group The Transactors for performances at the San Francisco Improv Festival and a visit with friends Nan, Ken and Maggie. Gain new appreciation of fog, traffic and hills. Decide that I never want to move to San Francisco.

July 29th-August 1st: Short vacation with Dan to explore Portland, Oregon. See real live drug deal. Eat best pancakes of my entire life.

July 31st: After hearing nothing for a week, I get a call at breakfast asking me to take the job and start immediately. It turns out the person in the position was suddenly leaving as of August 3rd.

August 2nd-3rd: Start new job! New low key, low stress boss announces that he is Swamped! Not as low stress as advertised. Not surprised. Get all of one and a half days training. Yikes! Also got to spend all evening on the 3rd in the Kroger parking lot waiting for not one but two AAA vehicles to come and rescue me after Samwise refused to start at all.

August 4th-8th: Rendezvous with Mom, Dad, Kurt, Kim and Gloin in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Battle fleas, heat and ugly American tourists in equal measure but still have good time. Arrive home to find record-breaking highs in the hundreds.

And I’m finally back. As much as I enjoyed everything I am exhausted and glad to have a rather sedentary weekend in front of me. Just me and my couch and the new Harry Potter!