Teaching is...interesting

I've been meaning to write down a few thoughts about my first-ever semester of teaching.  And since I'm beating the shit out of some whisky-flavored marshmallows and it takes about 20 minutes, I have time. Awesome.

So one of the things that I was surprised to realize is that the students pretty much make up 50% of the good and the bad of a class. When I was planning the course, since I had no idea what to expect, I imagined a group of automatons who would just sit there and listen, or students who would argue with me about evolution or grades or whatever. In other words, I expected the worst. However the students really made the experience fun. They were psyched, engaged, and I became fond of most of them. There were a few annoying folks, but I suppose that is to be expected. Even the annoying ones weren't so bad.

When I was giving the final and students were turning in their papers, several of them thanked me, wanted to shake my hand or even give me a hug. It was pretty awesome, and made it all seem worth it. They really did make the class what it was.

I also realized, as I was leaving the final and locking up the classroom for the last time this semester, that I almost always feel really good after teaching. Even if, on the drive from Davis to Carmichael I was dwelling on something or upset about something, I'd forget about it during class and just have fun interacting with the students. It was a pretty cool experience. It's also cool to think that now I have another marketable skill - teaching. I by no means think that I am a great teacher, but it's something that I can do if a job opportunity ever comes up, or I decide that I'd like to teach at a community college. It would be pretty awesome to have so many holidays, that's for sure!

Ok I'm back after a day. I had my first "Feast of the Seven fishes" at a friend's house. Dungeness, smoked salmon, smoked trout, lobster tails, shrimp and herring. Ok so that's six fishes, but who's counting? This is a good tradition (as long as you leave the religion out, which we did). The lobster was awesome! I naturally brought dessert - a vegan dark chocolate pomegranate cake. Apparently for folks with milk allergies, you can make ganache with soy milk and you'd never know the difference. Oh yeah and bourbon flavored marshmallows, which turned out really well.

Now I'm finishing up the best pecan pie recipe I've ever made (maple star-anise pecan pie) to take to the ranch. I feel a little guilty that my parents showed up yesterday and I chose to eat lobster rather than whatever weird food my weird aunt was going to serve...but fuck it-I'd always rather eat lobster.

oof it's been a while

So it's been a while since I've actually written. Probably because I'm very busy.  In a good way.

I'm loving this summer - the weather, picking fruit, foraging, cooking, baking, hanging out with friends, etc.  I've stopped to marvel a few times at how happy I feel right now.  Is it strange that it's strange?  I'll be biking around Davis in the heat and think "wow this is really nice. I LOVE this."  I sound like I'm high!

Anyway, my latest obsession has been picking fruit at this place called Impossible Acres just west of Davis. Most fruit is 1.99 a lb.  So cheap! So now I have a crapload of jam. Apricot, Bing cherry, marionberry, boisenberry...mulberry (which we gleaned from a tree in a park in Winters).  What is it about picking things that is so satisfying?  No clue. But my friends are the beneficiaries of this (strange? natural? primitive?) habit, so everyone wins.

I do have a canning injury now though. I was using jar grabbers to grab a jar out of boiling water and my finger touched the water. I jerked my hand back and flicked boiling water in my eye. Hurt like a bitch and I found some hydrocodone left over from my MS flare 3 years ago. It doesn't hurt now, but I look like I got punched in the face. Once again I have attained new heights of sexiness - it's truly a talent. It was EXXXTREME canning, if I do say so myself. I think the apricot jam is going to be really good.

Tonight I'm going to a pig roast at someone's house (they shot it). My friend is also way into foraging. We got some beta on where/how to find really big morels. Hopefully we'll make it up to the Sierra this weekend and score. I think I'm going to make more elderflower sherbet. That reminds me - gotta go out and get more elderberries.

I'm also starting to go to Column of the Giants. Pretty fun climbing - I like the angle of the stuff on the left side. It's a long drive, but I found a solid partner who I can meet in Jamestown, reducing behind-the-wheel time.

I'm not sure if I mentioned that I got the teaching position at American River College. Class starts mid August so I have a lot of work to do. I've been attending this teaching seminar at Davis that's simultaneously given me a lot of ideas about how to teach and overwhelmed me with how much people think about teaching. Hint: it's a LOT. I'm not going to have time to think about this stuff! Between lecture and grading and organizing and all that stuff, how much time will I have to think about dualistic, multiplistic and relativistic learning? Not much I think.

Last night we packed up the moving van for Karrigan, who's relocating to Kansas after getting a PhD at Davis in Ecology and a law degree from Stanford. I'll be sorry to see him go. He's been a very good friend. On the bright side, he gave me his deep fryer, so now I can make donuts (without just using a dutch oven - temperature control of the oil is the hardest part).

In another new development, I have a minion at work, who I'm training in molecular techniques. It's interesting, and is an eye opener to how long I've worked here and how efficient I am (at least relative to a beginner). It's strange having someone report to me, and look to me to tell them what to do. Very weird. I actually have to have something for her to do...all the time, or else she doesn't know what to do with herself. On the bright side, she can generate a lot of data because she's not distracted by writing, doing rerun, organizing a class for fall semester, applying for grants, data analysis, rock climbing, canning and baking.  So that's good.

Back to Column Friday/Saturday.

The final rundown

Here is the final rundown of the things that I made and sent off in the month of December.

baklava: a combo of this and this recipe, made with pecans
pistachio butterballs (like mexican wedding cookies with pistachios; from Dede Wilson's Unforgettable desserts)
salted caramel pistachio and pepita brittle
chocolate chocolate mint cookies (adapted from this)
cacao nib and caramelized almond biscotti (Also from Dede Wilson)
seven layer cookies
ma'amouls
cherry and pistachio nougat (from Craft of Baking)
chinese 5 spice cookies
penuche fudge (to which I added a layer of chocolate)
bacon fat doggie treats
pomegranate molasses cookies (adapted from molasses cookies)
rosemary walnut brown butter shortbread
matcha shortbread (Dede Wilson)
rugelach (dorie greenspan)
white chocolate walnut eggnog fudge

All in all I sent out about 10 packages filled with various of the treats above.  Many of these recipes I'd make again.

When I look at all of these recipes, I have to wonder what the hell else I do with my life?  For a while I'm on a baking moratorium.  I'm a bit tired of it, and I'm doing so much lab work (so much rain - no climbing outside!) that it's less appealing.  Plus Sunshine gave me her CSA box so now I'm focusing on cooking the veggies.  I made cream of mushroom soup with the chanterelle I found, and red endive, bacon and fontina pasta with some red endive from the CSA box and parsley from the garden.

A billion people are going to Bishop for New Year's, but I'm a bit turned off given that all of the granite boulders will be covered in snow. I'm cranking through a ton of labwork, so maybe I'll just stay that course. Then I won't feel bad about going to Europe.

I visited both Ethan and James last Sunday.  I got to climb with Ethan at MC, which is always a treat, given that he is bar-none the best climber I've ever climbed with.  Plus he has an easy confidence about his ability rather than a grandiose it's-no-big-deal attitude I've witnessed in good climbers before. Then we went to this kick-ass Mexican restaurant called El Metate and I got some amazing fish tacos. Damn I'm so jealous of people who live in SF. The restaurants in Davis suck.

On the way home from SF I stopped in Berkeley to see James.  We had a date, where we went to Walgreen's and then ate dessert in the Berkeley Bowl parking lot. I think it would be fair to call it a dessert sesh, except I just watched him eat the things I made and got his comments on them. I'm always trying to improve.

Finally, I've been reading a bunch lately. I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Definitely recommended. I also recently read Alex and Me, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Cleft, and How to Talk to a Widower.  Most of what I read anymore was given to me - often nice easy-read books.

Oh right - I saw Tron last night with Bjorn and Mark. I'd give it a big fat "meh". Though the Daft Punk music and cameo was pretty sweet. CGI Jeff Bridges is totally creepy.