Jenny's Ice Creams

In 2012, I got an ice cream maker for Christmas, and I have enjoyed using it to make various ice cream recipes to enjoy and share.

I've found that, once one has made a few different recipes, one gets comfortable with the general procedure, and trying a different recipe is more about incorporating new ingredients and making sure the proportions are correct. I will be listing the ingredients for a few recipes I've tried, along with links to the specific recipes; however, instead of writing out the individual recipes for each flavor, I'll first give a description of the general process, and, when necessary, will write notes specific to a particular recipe.

Book Review: The Woman Upstairs

The third book we read for our book club was The Woman Upstairs, by Claire Messud, which we read during January and February of 2014. The illustration originally appeared in the New York Times.

After reading The Marriage Plot, and feeling a bit let down by that book's female lead, we were eager to find a book with more dynamic  female characters. I had heard a little bit about the controversy surrounding The Woman Upstairs and its author, Claire Messud; in an interview, Messud had been asked whether she would be "friends" with her protagonist, and her response was critical of the premise of the question, or the idea that a protagonist, and specifically a female protagonist, would need to be "likable." I was curious to read a novel about a female character who was perhaps unsympathetic, so I suggested the novel to the group, and people seemed interested.

The book is, in essence, a monologue or rant by Nora, the main character; as it unfolds, she tells us about her worldview, her frustrations, and the recent events that led her to become so angry. The story maintains an intimate focus and is told entirely from her subjective point of view, with her interpretation of the story warped by a lifetime of disappointments and her hopes for something better.

Dinner Party: French Onion Soup and Steak Au Poivre

A few years ago, I hosted a series of dinner parties. It gave me an opportunity to learn a few recipes and try a few different meals, as well as an excuse to spend time with friends and a chance to introduce a few of my friends to each other. I decided to try hosting a few more, and contacted several friends to see who might be interested in joining me for a fancy dinner. Since then, I've hosted  four parties, and have a few parties scheduled for the coming weeks, too. It's been a fun experiment, and I hope that I'll be able to keep at least some of the recipes in my repertoire.

For the first dinner party, on August 17, I invited Aurora, Ken, and Donna to sample some French-style cuisine.

Book Review: The Marriage Plot

The second book we read for our book club is The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides, which we read during November and December of 2013. The illustration is by Ward Sutton, and was drawn for the 12 Days of Drawn to Read. Please note that this review does contain plot details and spoilers.

When the book club selected The Marriage Plot, we were hoping to discuss something with a strong central female character. We were disappointed.

The book centers around three Brown students during the eighties, and follows them through their college and postgraduate years. The first, Madeleine Hanna, is a beautiful and privileged English major who has an unfashionable fascination with the classic marriage stories of British literature during a period when her peers are more interested in semiotics and literary theory. Her classmate Mitchell Grammaticus is a theology student with an obsessive crush on Madeline, and spends the book trying to reconcile his religious beliefs with his human failings. Finally, Leonard Bankhead, who dates, and eventually marries, Madeline, is an enigmatic, brilliant, and initially charismatic biologist with self-destructive and manic-depressive tendencies.

Setting Schedules: Life Planner and Daily Routine

I want to make the most productive use of my time, but it can be difficult to be productive when I have the luxury of free time. When there's a day off, it's easy to let the time get away from me; early on, when the entire day is ahead of me, it can be overwhelming, and there isn't the sense of urgency that might motivate me to do something fun or rewarding. Then, when my time is nearly up, it is easy to become either frantic or defeated, and feel unable to get anything done at all.

I've tried various methods of time management and scheduling, including using a few iPhone apps that are designed to help you schedule your day. When I know that I'll have a dedicated period of free time, it can be helpful to plan it out ahead of time. It forces me to think about what I might be able to accomplish, realistically, when I have some time to myself. Just as importantly, it helps motivate me to get started on a particular task rather than dragging my feet and hoping there will be time for it later. I find that it takes less willpower to work on a project if it is already on a schedule and I am being "forced" to do it, because there is less to keep me in line or make me feel obligated when my schedule is open-ended.

Book Review: Everything is Illuminated

I will be posting reviews of the various books I've been reading as part of the book club. The first book on this list is Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer, which we read during October and November of 2013. The illustration is by Gemma Correll, of the Picture Book Report blog. Please note that this review does contain plot details and spoilers.

Everything is Illuminated is ostensibly about the author's search for a woman, pictured in a photograph, who saved his grandfather's life during the destruction of Trachimbrod, a remote Ukranian village, by the Nazis during World War II. However, the story of his search, as narrated by his guide, Alex, is interwoven with the fantastical history of the shtetl itself, and with the story of Alex, his family, and their connection to the story of Trachimbrod.

Booked

In October 2013, my friend Liz and I met up for a low-key afternoon of coffee and chatter. At some point, the two of us got onto the topic of literature, and how we had gotten away from the practice of regularly reading books. Out of that conversation came the idea of starting a book club, and, fortunately, we were able to run with the idea. As a result of that short conversation, I've gotten to read six books that I probably wouldn't have checked out, engaged in interesting conversations, tried out a few cafes, and gotten to know some new friends. The weekly meetings have really been a fun thing to look forward to over the past year.

The group started small, with three active members, but expanded to six in the spring. While life would sometimes get in the way of meetings, and people may occasionally need to sit a book out when other responsibilities take priority, we've persisted and been able to keep up a good pace without abandoning any books.