So, like I said, I organize an orientation for our new library science graduate students called Bootcamp, and that was last week.
So, a busy week. On the Thursday, the last day of Bootcamp, but before I was able to leave, our new AFS student arrived, so I made Mark go and get her, at the suburban hotel they bussed all the kids to, from O’Hare.
Mark and Anna, our new exchange student on her first day here.
As Bootcamp wrapped, we heard the “get your boats off the lake” siren, and then it started absolutely pouring, and I called Mark to see if he could pick me up, especially because I had extra stuff, like our coolers that we’d been using for drinks. Which meant our student’s first sight of me was as I clambered awkwardly into the back of the car in the rain, after shoving in coolers and miscellaneous bags of stuff. I left my bike locked up under cover by HC White.
When we got home I had cat pee to clean up – the white kitty has been peeing over the edge of her box pretty often, always on the newspapers, but still – and the basement leaked a bit so there was that. I think we got like an inch of rain in less than an hour – it was coming down really hard. I had to go pick up my CSA box, but I went by car instead of bike. It was the cucumber box – three different kinds of cucumbers, like 8-9 cucumbers in all.
I had thawed out some Costco chicken breasts that I browned on the stove and finished in the oven, and I stewed these green beans in tomatoes, and had plenty of salad greens. I’d made a potato salad with leftover baked potatoes and chopped bacon from a potato bar lunch at Bootcamp, and added mayo, lemon, onions, and corn. But when I went to see if Anna wanted food, she was sleeping.
The rain stopped so I went to see the Sadies, night 2, with Justin Townes Earle. I think I liked the Sadies better on their own; they were more alt-country, garage rock. With Justin they were playing his songs so more country. And Justin’s more in the standard country “Lyin’ Cheatin’ Drinkin” vein. I said his views on women were the kind that’re OK in a blues song. Maybe.
Friday morning I walked to campus to get my bike, then came home and sorta worked. And shopped for party food for Saturday. And got Anna registered for school, and dropped off her medical forms. In the evening we went to see Mission Impossible, which was actually a good summer action flick. And Anna said she liked movies where lost of stuff gets smashed up. We had chicken sandwiches made from the leftover chicken for an early dinner before the show.
Saturday I went to Chief Inspector training for the Tuesday election. I had to drive so that I could pick up the massive tote of equipment we get for the election – binders of instructions, and worker roster, etc.
A few people came over for drinks and party food.
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- The Wisconsin cheese board – Marieke Gouda, Roelli Red Rock, and somebody’s medium cheddar. A tiny bit of underground salami
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- Blueberry icebox cake
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- The sample slice of the icebox cake
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- Layered dip with fresh corn salsa & chips
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- Yogurt cake with pastry cream & raspberry sauce
There was also olives, nuts, a little bit of zucchini lattice quiche that had been in the freezer since we ate it for brunch a few weeks back, and hunks of watermelon and cantaloupe.
Sunday we had pancakes for breakfast, and I went for a bike ride – my 10+ mile loop on Cannonball Trail. I wanted to try coming back a different way, and ended up not really going the right way, pushing on ever deeper into Fitchburg, but eventually discovered that the spur I’d been wondering if it lead to the Capital City Trail, did, and I got on the right way back home. I saw a hipster dog water & biscuits set up – because anything in a Mason (or Mason-like) jar is hipster, right? and wild turkeys, but didn’t take their picture. I grilled brats and corn for dinner.
Monday I went to work, and Tuesday was the election …. my first time opening the polls as Chief Inspector, without a co-chief. Then I came home and cooked all afternoon, to take food to a work friend who just had a baby – little meatballs with yogurt sauce based (that I had been going to make for the party) and a tomato-rice-cheese-egg-basil gratin, and these gluten-free double layer brownies. That I think came out better the last time I made them. I was just about dropping over from tiredness by the end of Tuesday.
Somewhere in there – Monday night, I think – I made basil mayonaise and pasta salad with crab & peas.
There’s a ton of stuff I’m leaving out, but now it’s Wednesday and I’m supposed to be packing for Door County, so I better get to it.