Video Catch Up

I've gotten behind transferring videos from the camera to my computer. Here are three from last month.

Thomas loved this Barbie for about three days. Then, he threw her over for a less traditional, American Idol style boy-girl singing duo.

Thomas's Singing Girl from Leslie Ann McNolty on Vimeo.

From the night MJ died. This was the first time Mary had ever heard any of his music.

RIP MJ from Leslie Ann McNolty on Vimeo.

Thomas using my Ipod as an Ipod instead of as a phone.

Ipod Dance from Leslie Ann McNolty on Vimeo.

While I Was Away

After 10 days away, a few things change.


The crepe myrtle in the front yard exploded.



This is a single watermelon plant. When I left, it looked like a single plant. It must have eaten the peas I planted under the trellis.



All the food disappeared. I guess it only magically replaces itself when I'm around.



Jeremy found a place for this mask and mirror. I bought these years ago when I was living in Wichita. Most of our decorative stuff was Jer's from before me, so it's nice to see something that I picked out.

Food Friday - Ratatouille

One of Jeremy's students has been giving us fresh vegetables from her organic garden. This week he scored 2 eggplant, 2 crookneck squash, 2 pattypan squash, a cucumber and this monstrous zucchini.



What do you do with an enormous zucchini? Make ratatouille!


I used my biggest baking dish but there is still a lot of that zucchini left over back there. I may have to make a chocolate zucchini cake out of the rest. What a chore.


Ratatouille
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
Zucchini
Eggplant
Crookneck Squash
Red Bell Pepper
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

The amount of each vegetable you need depends on what size dish you use and the size of each vegetable. I used 1/2 a huge zucchini, 1 large eggplant, 2 medium crookneck squash and 2 red bell peppers. Cut each into very thin slices. A mandolin would be nice for this but I don't have one. A sharp knife works just as well, but it takes a bit longer.

Stir onion and garlic into pasta sauce and spread into the bottom of your baking dish. On top of the pasta sauce layer vegetables however they will best fit into the dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

Cover with parchment paper and bake for 45-55 minutes until vegetables are cooked but not shriveled and brown. Serve over rice.

Postcard from the Titanic

California is a mess. The state has a $16 billion budget shortfall. Republicans refuse to consider tax increases to close the gap even after democrats agreed to staggering cuts in public services. Up until a few weeks ago we had no idea how much this was going to affect us. Even now, we only have a partial understanding of our place in this desperate mess.

All California State University employees are being furloughed for two days per month, which amounts to a 10.75% pay cut for Jeremy. (And they're the lucky ones; all other state employees are taking 3 days). This hasn't taken effect yet, but it will soon, probably next month. So far there is no plan to reduce the workload for faculty members, who have the same number of classes and students whether the campus closes for two days a month or not. When Jeremy accepted this job, we were told that faculty would be getting a series of raises that amounted to a 16% pay increase over the next two years. The contract with the faculty had been signed but now, it's not worth the paper it's printed on. Since my fellowship ended in May, I had been planning to take a part-time job to replace my income. Now, with Jeremy's pay cut, I need to work full-time which means we'll be increasing our expenses because we'll have to put Thomas in daycare.

These furloughs only close half of the CSU system's budget gap and will only get Sac State through the fall semester. At the beginning of next year, there will be another round of cuts. The furlough will probably go to three days a month and there will be layoffs. Around 9,000 employees will lose their jobs across 23 campuses. There are two classes that get the axe before they'll get to Jeremy's job. But we're not counting on that; there is some question as to whether CSU will be eligible for any federal funds because the budget is so late. If the federal funds fall through, entire campus's will have to be shut down. There may not be a Sac State next year. It seems unlikely right now but it's possible.

Budget cuts have been just as deep for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department which patrols our neighborhood. They are going from 38 two-man patrols to 10. There will be no auxiliary forces to pick up the slack during busy times. If you call the police and all 10 units have already responded to other calls, no one is coming to help you. The sheriff has said that they will not have the man power to respond to burglaries at all. They won't even be able to take a report, let alone try to find your stuff.

South Sacramento, the area we live in, has the highest crime rates in the city. Our neighborhood has a subscription service for extra sheriff's patrols. Homeowner pay $51.00 a month for dedicated service. Now that the sheriff's department has suffered such deep cuts, it's likely that the only patrols we'll get will be those we have paid for directly. Those obviously won't be enough.

California is a sinking ship and we are rats clinging to the ever more precariously tilting deck.

Food Friday - Fettucini w/ Brussels Sprouts

Fettucini with Brussels Sprouts

3/4 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/2 pound dried egg fettucini
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp pine nuts
parmesan cheese
lemon juice

Slice brussels sprouts into ribbons.

Cook fettucini until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Add pine nuts and cook 2-4 minutes stirring constantly. Add brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot. Add brussels sprouts mixture to pot. Add parmesan and enough cooking water to moisten. Add lemon juice to taste.

If the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy.

Mary has mentioned how much she loves lasagna a couple of times this summer. So, I made a vegetable lasagna the other day. I added eggplant, zucchini, red pepper and mushrooms to the sauce and cooked spinach to the ricotta. And after weeks of great dinner behavior, Food Battle 2009 suddenly reared its ugly head.

We had been planning to go out for ice cream and a trip to the park after dinner. But if you want ice cream, you've got to eat dinner. And Mary wouldn't. First, she ate all the cheese off the top of her piece. She picked out all the noodles and ate those. Then, she stopped eating. And started stirring the remaining vegetables and ricotta around in the bowl while singing to herself about how gross it was. For an hour.

So, we canceled ice cream and the park. And she lost it. She was sent to her bed where she proceeded to literally wail about how unfair it all was. I have a video of her door through which you can hear the ridiculousness of it (and me snickering in the background). It's hilarious; you'd think we had just amputated some of her fingers without anesthestic. I was going to post it here.

But then, this morning, I backed into the garage door. And I completely lost it. I stormed into the house and threw my coffee cup into the sink. I went back outside to look at it and started screaming about how "We can't afford this. We can't even afford to drive the car, let alone wreck it." I slammed some doors. I slammed a couple of them multiple times. Then, I sat down and cried. Wailed, really.

The door is, um, completely screwed up. And there's a huge dent in the back of the car. And we can't afford an accident like this right now. Or ever. It sucks. The one bright spot is that there is no video of me freaking out about it.

Obviously, I won't be posting the video of Mary's bedroom door. Here's one of Thomas instead.

Will Talk for Food ... Sort Of from Leslie Ann McNolty on Vimeo.

Crazy Baby

Thomas gets a little punchy about an hour before bedtime. Also note, in true McNolty family fashion, the blaring television in the background. Good times.

Crazy Baby from Leslie Ann McNolty on Vimeo.