nyresolution

I'm pretty bad about pursuing the unattainable in many different forms and varieties. I think 2009 has been full of reality checks regarding this.

In 2010, I'm going to be more realistic and in this effort hopefully also a little less heartbroken.

Attainable: Veganism, making new friends
Unattainable: Trying to like bands that I think are incredibly overrated and boring (Margot and the Nuclear So What's, Belle and Sebastian) because someone else tells me I should give them another try. You know what? No.

See? I'm working on it.

Vegan!

I received two awesome vegan cookbooks for Christmas. One is an East African cookbook, the other a soul food one. Both have some pretty slammin-looking recipes and I'm looking forward to experimenting once I'm back in my own kitchen.

Being vegan over the holidays has proven to be a test of will and courage. It's hard to not revert back to my summertime mantra of "vegan tomorrow!" So many sweets, buttery potatoes and cheesy casseroles to indulge in. And the eggnog, oh the eggnog! I'm kidding, sort of. I'm just trying to say it hasn't been easy, but I've been trying.

For the big Christmas dinner on my mom's side of the family I adapted this recipe, veganized it and otherwise made some changes. It seems like something that could be found in a vegan soulfood cookbook. Just in case anyone might want to have some I thought I'd share with you what all I did!

Before I go into it, I should say that it's a pretty time-consuming dish but is pretty worth it. It also makes a TON so it's perfect for potlucks or something you can make on Sunday and then eat for a week. I am excited to experiment with this in the future, making it spicier (jalepenos, cayenne, oh my!), adding greens and putting something in the cornbread to make it a little less dry (vegan cheese? earth balance? more soymilk?) and maybe actually eating it with mole sauce, though I highly doubt I'm going to ever feel compelled to make my own.

I'm down for suggestions, so help a lady out if you feel like you've got ideas!

Southern Vegan Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients:

Filling:
3 tablespoons (or a little more if you need it) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
16 oz mushrooms, chopped (I used 8 oz baby bellas and 8 oz portobello)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped sage (I used some dried from Dad's garden)
4 teaspoons ground thyme
5 garlic cloves
3 teaspoons cumin
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes
2 14oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes in juice, no salt added
1/2 cup water

Cornbread:
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix
egg replacer for 2 eggs
1 1/2 cups soymilk
3 tablespoons parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped roasted red peppers (mine were from the jar)

Preparation

For filling: (taken pretty much directly from the epicurious recipe!)
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms; sauté until tender. Add sage, thyme, garlic, and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add squash, beans, tomatoes with juice, and 1/2 cup water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer ~8 minutes. Uncover and simmer until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated but mixture is still very moist, about 12 minutes. Season filling generously with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover; chill.)

For cornbread:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Follow instructions on the back of the cornbread mix bag, using the egg replacer and soymilk instead of the non-vegan options. Stir in parsley and roasted red peppers.

Make it happen!
Transfer 2/3 of the dough to the baking dish. Place large piece of plastic wrap atop dough. Using plastic as aid, press dough evenly over bottom and 3/4 of the way up sides of dish; peel off plastic. Spoon filling into dough in dish, spreading evenly. Spoon remaining dough in small dollops atop filling. Gently spread dollops evenly over filling to cover.

Bake until dough is light golden and casserole is heated through, about 1 hour.

pretty strong for a lady.

Oh December 23rd, how you plague me.

On this loaded day which I refuse to make me sad, I would like to tell you three great things:

1. I am home.
2. I got an East African vegan cookbook today from Mike. Merry Christmas to me. Yum.
3. There's a picture on Facebook of the three new IU STAND leaders next to a Christmas tree, enjoying each others' company off campus. I feel like a proud mama.

theluji

(from ~6pm)

Started at 9pm last night and is still going strong. I'm glad that last weekend we got a television, since we were already paying for cable. Sleepless in Seattle or Law & Order?

In Swahili, snow is "theluji" (theh-loo-jee)

See more evidence of the DC SnOMG Snowpocalypse on Prince of Petworth's flickr pool.

Pre-empting cabin fever.

One to two FEET of snow expected to be dumped on the District starting at midnight tonight.

Honestly, these people cannot handle talking about snow, and the prospect of such accumulation is causing havoc. Today was slow in the clinic because people were skipping their appointments to go stock up on food. Tonight was our holiday party, and things wrapped up early so people could make it home before the storm (again, it's predicted to start at midnight.) I swear, not a flake has dropped, and even I am preparing to be holed up in here all weekend. I am quite excited for the prospect of traipsing around in my boots over to the Safeway for something that I abosoLUTELY need tomorrow. It'll probably be a big to-do.

I just hope it's manageable by Tuesday morning so I can get on my way to Indiana for Christmas!

mele kalikimaka all over again

The past few days' highlights outside of work:
- Painted a picture (watercolor)
- Sewed up my holey clothes
- Saw the Fantastic Mr. Fox (so good!)
- Learned how to play Stand By Me on my (Value Village) Casio
- Caught up with my parents on the phone, who relayed stories about the Cutest One Year Old Ever and their own lives. I'm excited to be seeing them in a week when I'm home for Christmas.
- Watched White Christmas with my roommate (I'd never seen it before!)
- Watched Christmas Vacation with my roommates (I've seen it so many times!) and drank soy nog.

I really love this time of year, except for the small feeling of anxiousness I get when I feel pressured and completely unsure about what to give the people I love for Christmas. (I prefer buying things when I think of them and giving for no real reason - no one is ever disappointed!) When shopping for gifts for my family, I've found it harder to buy for the men in my life. I've been thinking about getting my dad a subscription to a magazine. He's a lot like me (or, well, I'm a lot like him) as far as our values, points of view and senses of humor are concerned. The only magazine I've ever had a subscription to is ReadyMade, which isn't really his cup of tea. I think diy things aren't far off from his jam, but more handyman kind of stuff and less designy. I'd appreciate any ideas you might have.

New friends, new opportunities, new.

There are a lot of things missing from my current experience in D.C. when I compare it to the few months I spent here earlier in the year. Specifically, the people I felt closest to when I lived here before are all now out of the area. I'm also struggling to feel like I believe in what I'm doing as strongly as I did at the Enough Project. I mean, it's weird to say out loud, but genocide (or, anti-genocide) is my thing. It's my raison d'etre. In the narrowest sense, with the larger context being that I just want to help people. But so does everyone else, right?

Anyway, I digress. Obviously I didn't have it all when I lived here before, right? Right. I missed very much being around the creative types that I cling to in Bloomington. I mean, throughout college my boyfriend was an art major/musician, as were many of the people I hung around with. In College House #1 I lived with two artist/musicians, and in College House #2 I lived with two BFA majors (graphic design and painting). I feel like I get my creative outlet by being around, appreciating and supporting the things others are doing pretty consistently.

So tonight I'm going to work on gaining that this time. I'm going to a launch party/art opening associated with this blog/website I've been keeping up with. Thankfully I convinced my roommate Cat to come and her boyfriend will be joining us. I'm looking forward to it.

The other good news is that yesterday I had an all-day training with the other kids in my program and while the training was a little tedious, we hung out afterwards and I felt like I bonded with some of them. It's nice to make friends, you know? I think the only thing I would have done differently is not talk so much about how much I adored Bread for the City. I may have made the kids that volunteer there a little uncomfortable with how much I knew about Bread. But what can I say! It's an admirable place.

In equally exciting news, I signed up to start meeting with a refugee family for a few hours a week to help them with their English starting in January. I don't know who they are or where they live or what their native tongue is yet, but I'll be doing it through the International Rescue Committee. My orientation is next month. Hurray!

building it

Suddenly it is December. I've been feeling a little bummed out this week, mostly due to catching a cold, my Nobel Peace Prize Winning President announcing more troops, and finding out that the other volunteer that was supposed to start with me at the clinic backed out, leaving me flying solo. It snowed here yesterday, and while today was sunny, some slush and ice still remains. It's hard for me to not want to fall right down into being an ungrateful hermit in such conditions, especially in a relatively new city with few friends to convince me otherwise. So here are a list of good things from the first week of this wintry month.

1. I got my food stamps card.
2. I purchased food with my food stamps card.
3. I got a locker and a key to the break room at work.
4. My coworkers have started calling me "Em" ... a sure fire sign that they want to keep me around, right?
5. I have been taken on lunchtime adventures to the third floor of our building and to the Safeway grocery store down the street. Upstairs there is a woman with a few crock pots who sells homemade soup for $1.25!
6. I made at least two new, delicious vegan dishes for myself, further comforting me that food doesn't have to not be real darned tasty to also be animal-free. And I shared!
7. I drove with Sveta to Richmond to visit Kelsey and her family. We attended a large Christmas bazaar and spent plenty of QT together. I started my Christmas shopping, too.
8. I went to a cute Christmas soiree at Rachael's new apartment with my new and old roomies in attendance.

Hard times and funky living can season the soul, true enough, but joy is the yeast that makes it rise. I didn't say that, it's from a Tom Robbins book. He seems like he might be a big creep in real life, but writes things that give me confidence in my overall optimism. Here's to another week of bricks and mortar.

Anyone who knows me knows that I find driving therapeutic and enjoy traveling quite a bit. I even enjoy traveling by car alone. This makes the jaunt to and from Indiana something that isn't even remotely impossible for me. Most of those who know me also know that I really enjoy listening to audio books in the car. I remember the first time I listened to a book on a long drive was in high school when I went to see my boyfriend at the time in Kansas City. I felt like someone was telling me a story and it kept me engaged instead of daydreaming and then running off the road. Ever since, I've been hooked!

The other thing is that I enjoy non-fiction more than fiction when I'm listening, which I think is the opposite when I'm reading (or they're at least in closer competition with one another). I've told quite a few people about the time I was listening to the autobiography of Nelson Mandela on my way out to my first interview in DC back in the beginning of October. I felt like a stereotype of myself, but I also loved it! Following my stereotypical trend, this time I listened to the book Half the Sky by my favorite NYTimes columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn (they were the first married couple to jointly win a Pulitzer in journalism). The book was monumental - clearly showing the outrageousness of our current world and the ways in which women continue to be exploited in countless ways across the globe, but at the same time showcasing the alternative by shining a light on brave social entreprenuers who take highly oppressive situations and turn around to fight for women who are struggling. The individual stories of courage are paired with an in-depth look at how much potential lies in investing in women and bringing them to the forefront of our economies.

I cried so much when I was listening to this book. After four years of college and a human rights degree, I hadn't heard of fistulas before reading this book. Now all I want to do (after I complete my term of service, of course) is go work with women who have suffered from the terrible incidence and who have been stigmatized because of it. I feel like I'm pretty used to being inspired despite incredibly depressing stories that have to do with the violation of human rights, but this took it up a notch. Kristof is good at making me want to change the world and helping me realize the ways in which I can actually do so.

This book has helped me think about where I want to go next after all this. I realize that I just started this new chapter, so I should maybe slow down, but it makes me feel good to think about the way in which this experience I'm having now, which I have been hesitant to get pumped about, will fit into what I have set out to do with my entire life. Amen.

"If you really need this honey, you'll find a way to get it."

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP!), which I have been referring to as "Food Stamps" (I'm so retro) is a federal program administered by the USDA. However, at risk of turning ourselves into socialists, we have taken the federal money and allowed the individual states to distribute the cash. Whew, that was a close one.

A friend of mine in a similar position in Washington State told me that she was able to file her application online and then request a phone interview. Another friend in Ohio received his ebt card in the mail while I was visiting about a month ago.

In D.C., you have to go to the office and get there early so you aren't turned away. Today I stood in line with about 50 people outside before the doors even opened. I sat in the waiting room for 3 hours and watched more and more people file in until there was only standing room. My application was processed, and just before I felt a sense of relief, I was told that I couldn't get my ebt card there and no, they don't mail it to you. After allowing 24 hours for processing, you have to go to another office on the other side of town and wait in another line, in another office. And their only open during regular business hours, of course.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not. I'm lucky enough to have a position that is flexible and work with people who are considerate and will let me work my schedule so that I can do these things. I am really, really lucky that I'm the only mouth I have to feed. I am lucky to have had a little bit of money saved up so that I could have some groceries to keep me going until I get that card. I just think that it's really interesting to think about how these things work. It's the same money being given in each state, but the ways in which it is distributed seems to be very different.

Thanksgiving is the time of year that I celebrate my vegetarian anniversary. This year marks 11 of being meatless. While going back to cooking for one has made me decide to get back on the vegan train (and aim for a half a year at least!), I don't know if I can break it to my family right as I get home. I think sometimes some of them hope this "phase" will be over soon. And honestly, I'm not trying to make it hard for anyone. The last thing I want is to be uppity. I ain't the vegan police, y'all.

Point is, I'm going to be with my family for Thanksgiving. And celebrating 11 years of no turkey. I'll follow up with a cheese fast (of a half a year at least!)

I had my first day at the clinic today. The woman (Pediatric RN) who is on the books as responsible for me didn't actually know that until Friday afternoon and did not write nor read my work plan, which basically lines out what I am allowed and not allowed to do and what is expected of me. So today it was hard not to feel like I was in her way in the morning. As things picked up she asked me to follow the MA around and learn some things from her. The MA was really nice and did show me quite a few things, but was confused when she heard I had no medical training or background (besides a year-ish of being a part time volunteer) and for most of the morning was the only MA on staff when usually there are at least three.

When things started getting really busy around 11:30 I was pulled away by the director (who interviewed me and wrote my work plan) and was put in a room by myself to answer calls coming into the medication line. It was mostly patients who needed refills called in or every so often a pharmacist with a question for the doctors. I got pretty good at this (taking down the message, finding the chart, giving the doc a heads-up and then leaving it on their desks which are piled with charts) and eventually was also asked to call some patients back about things. Soon they will entrust me with calling the refills in to the pharmacy.

In between calls I brainstormed some potential ideas for projects that came to me from what I saw in the morning with the MA. I feel like I came up with some good ones and am excited to spend more time there in hopes of actually coming up with something sustainable. I want my term of service be more than just a years worth of me tending to the phones and helping people fill out paperwork. We'll see, we'll see.

There was a Thanksgiving pitch in for lunch today (I didn't know and didn't bring anything to share, whoops!) so I got to talk with some of the other staff members. It's a pretty small place, so there weren't a lot of them, but everyone seems really nice. They told me about the Christmas party and let me participate in the Secret Santa drawing.

All in all, I am feeling quite hopeful about the potential of this position.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to get in line at the food stamps office before they open the doors at 7:30. I can't get turned away this time! Be thinking of me.

A whole week.

So I went over to the food stamps office on Thursday around 3pm only to be turned away, because they had more applicants than they could cover through the end of their work day, 5pm. I decided to let Friday, my day off, be my food stamps day. I got over there around 11am, thinking 6 hours was a great buffer, to only be turned away again. Apparently 120 people were in line already. The lady at the front desk wasn't entertaining my pleading (I start my job Monday, this is the only day I can do this, please) and told me to come back at 7:30am on Monday. Dang. I've yet to decide what I'm going to do about that situation.

Friday I also went over to my clinic where I start on Monday to do a TB screening and meet some of the people I will be working with. They all seem very nice and also very busy. There has been some miscommunication over who exactly is in charge of me, so hopefully I can convince someone to sign my time sheet tomorrow!

I spent my entire weekend with my dear friend Kelsey who used to live in this house and who is about to jet set off to South Korea to teach English. She came up to visit and get some of her last things from the house, including the toaster oven and the shower curtain. Yesterday we went to a coffee shop that's only about three blocks away called Qualia where they roast the beans on site and brew them to order. It was adorable, and I can see myself indulging on a $2.50 cup now and again to have a place outside the house to sit and read. It's exciting to have something so close. Today we had breakfast at Rachael's, who also used to live here. She now lives in a new apartment complex in the neighborhood that has a roof with a spectacular view of the entire city, including the Washington Monument, Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Catholic University and the National Cathedral. It was about 65 and sunny today, so we ate on the roof. Gorgeous.

Tomorrow is my first day at the clinic. I'm nervous.

Stay tuned for further updates on my food stamps adventure as well as my newest investment in a transition to veganism!

Quite hopefully

It's chilly and drizzly outside today and I'm grateful to have only had to be in orientation for half of the day today. I got my work plan for when I start at the clinic and am sufficiently intimidated. But I also got a sweatshirt! So that's exciting, right?

There are some ironies that come with serving in this capacity that are kind of hard to swallow. For instance, to start working in the clinic I have to get a TB test and a physical - costing approximately $120 which is indeed covered by my insurance provided to me, but I have to pay up front and then be reimbursed. With a stipend that barely covers my rent and utilities, I'm unsure how they expect that to happen. I'm also supposed to prove that I have either had the chicken pox vaccine or the disease itself. I thought about sending the picture of 4-year-old Emily, blond hair in a ponytail wearing only underwear and tons of calamine lotion. Or maybe just showing them the scar on my forehead? Needless to say, I felt a little frustrated that they waited until today, four days in, to tell me that these things were required. Oh well!

My next adventure is going to be applying for food stamps. Adventure!

Oh, and I wanted to share with you the song for which this blog is named. Julie Doiron - The Life of Dreams

On a different note...

Tonight I went to see J. Tillman (of Fleet Foxes <- go watch their "From the Basement" session) at the 9:30 Club in the U Street area. I hadn't quite decided if I wanted to spend the skrill to see someone I didn't already know I adored, so I followed Mike's advice and looked up the opening band to see if they might influence my addition. (I should mention that Mike's the one who introduced me to J. Tillman in the first place too. Thanks, MDB.) Pearly Gate Music is that of Zach Tillman, Josh's younger (I assume) brother. In addition to digging both their tunes, I felt like I could bet behind a bro tour, so I went. And woah Lordy, I was not disappointed! I think I was struck most by how amiable the guy was. He was humble and grateful and provided short, delightful banter in between each gorgeous song. Listen, I'm no music critic. They nailed it. If you have the chance to go see either of those talented Tillmans, do it.

This was an early show, so I got home at a reasonable hour to discover that my cousin and his wife and their baby-to-be have started a blog. I cannot express how much I love this. The newest addition to my dad's side of the family, in progression, can be witnessed here: http://www.mattjenniferroberts.blogspot.com/

I should tell you that to make it a little more worth my dollars, I took down one of the show posters on the wall in the club. I don't have room for it on my wall (thanks to Tara's lovely drawings and Katie Wolt's glorious postcards, among other things) but I like it a lot. I think before I become a full-fledged fan, I'm going to have to check out this Daytrotter SXSW session.

No, I don't work for this guy, but I kind of wish I did.

Here goes.

This morning I visited D.C.'s own Bread for the City to attend a training session regarding working in a primary care clinic. I fell in love with Bread the moment I walked up to it. I tend to do this, fall for people and things before really getting to know them, but I digress. On the front of the building, above their name and logo, are three words of which I can only remember the two that stole my heart. Dignity. Respect. It didn't take long for me to be convinced that these two words aren't just on the face and the mission statement of this organization. Seriously, check out their services. I mean, a Human Rights Clinic? Be still my heart.

Last night one of my roommates and I were discussing the world's problems (as you do when you're a young idealist yet to have your dreams crushed by Adult Land, amirite?) and how interconnected they are. Becky and I have always joked about how if you began any International Studies paper, "In an increasingly interconnected world..." you'd ace it, but, I mean, it is! Anyway, I feel like on a macro level, it is totally true that our environmental problems are directly linked to food is directly linked to poverty is directly linked to health care access, etc. etc. etc... How similarly a holistic approach is needed on a micro- (or, city-) level to even begin to solve the problems. If a person is seeking assistance on getting food to feed their family, they almost definitely need medical assistance. They may also need some new shoes for their ever-growing children. They may also need someone to help them push their landlord to stop taking advantage of them through legal means. Hell, they may also need some assistance in navigating their asylum seeking process -- BREAD OFFERS ALL THESE SERVICES IN ONE (VERY SMALL) LOCATION! Talk about social capital. It's impressive.

No, I don't work for these people. But I want to.