Spending Time at the DMV

It was inevitable. I had been avoiding doing this for as long as possible, but at a certain point you are setting yourself up for trouble.  I renew my driver's license today.  The last time I had to do this was before my daughter was born when the cop absconded with my old one which was basically a laminated piece of paper with my picture on it.  He whisked it away from me saying that I had 21 types of protection built into the new format and that was what he needed me to do, get a new license   Yes, but you can't sell my data with it, I retorted. I should have been happy that he took my license rather than giving me a speeding ticket.    I waited in a hot dark cramped office that summer to renew my license  My picture looked like a mug shot.  I had high hopes for my experience this morning.

In Orange County, you can't make an appointment.  I knew that did not bode well for my morning plus I had to drag my nine-year old with me.  We were prepared with books. I am reading Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Princess and unbeknown to me, my daughter packed The Walking Dead Compendium One for me and Compendium Two for herself.  I had all of my paperwork, passport, social security cards, and 2 different pieces of mail with my address on it.

We waited in line to get in number.  There were over a 100 people in the room.  The woman told us it would take about 45 minutes. I had number 346 and they were on 320.  We read.  We said hi to a school friend. We read some more.  Forty-five minutes passed.  I couldn't figure out the numbering system. There seemed to be another "ticketing system" going on with the numbers in the 100's and 800's that were moving much more rapidly than the 300's. After 2 hours, we were getting close.  We were still reading.

To my delight, a teenager interrupted me and asked what I was reading.  That made the two hours worth it.  We talked books and exchanged titles for the 20 minutes that it took for number 245 to transform to 246.  I shared titles. She told me what her plans were. She was getting her driver's license and this was her fourth visit this week.  She spent four hours waiting the day before. I considered myself lucky.

Number 346 was finally called. It took under 10 minutes to process my paperwork, but I left the office knowing that I made a difference and that I had a decent picture on my license
, but not a glamour shot.

The Wicked Spoon

When I travel, I try to eat at least one memorable meal with good friends. In Chicago, it was The Girl and the Goat. In Vegas, it was The Crooked Spoon, a complete accidental find. I wanted to experience a Vegas buffet. My friends who had been to Vegas before said The Wicked Spoon was nothing like a Vegas buffet and they were right. We wandered into the Cosmpolitan thinking that it was part of the Bellagio. Don't ask me how, but it ended up turning into a fortuitous case of mistaken identity.

Bone Marrow

I don't normally eat at buffets. You end up stuffed with a bunch of food that doesn't taste great. On the my last cruise, I ate in the dining room enjoying the small portion sizes and a better quality of food. The Wicked Spoon buffet was different. I had an opportunity to try food that I would never cook, but might watch others make on TV. I avoided many items on the buffet, items that I might otherwise have access to or might count as frivolous carbs. But I indulged in the main dishes.

Braised Short Rib

That night I tried wild boar, bone marrow, and duck confit. I sampled braised short ribs. I loved the braised ribs and would eat them again. I can say, "Why yes, I've tried wild boar" but isn't that just a fancy name for a pig that lives in the woods? I can also live without bone marrow a rich and decadent dish that had such a weird mouth-feel. And I still don't like duck.

Butternut Squash &
Duck Confit Ravioli

Aside from the unusual food, what made this buffet unlike most buffets were the serving dishes. Items were served in individual tiny portions and miniature dishes. The duck confit was in a single ravioli enveloped in an creamy butternut squash sauce. The braised short ribs were served in a half-cup sized pot with a lid.

The pictures have been taking up space on my phone since November reminding me about the amazing meal and company. When I go back to Vegas to take my husband to see the Cirque show Love, we will definitely stop at the Wicked Spoon. I am now thinking about my upcoming visit to Boston. Any suggestions?

Breakfast

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and the meal that I most prefer to eat out.  I don't mind making breakfast, but I love to go out for breakfast. I don't like starting the day amassing a pile of dishes. I don't like pancakes or waffles. I love the savory elements of breakfast: potatoes, meat, and the key ingredient,  eggs.   I often eat breakfast for dinner. This meal I make myself at home. If you are in Orlando, here are a few places that you might check out.

My Top Five 

5. Juniors on Corrine Drive in Baldwin Park-Poached eggs on a bed of steamed spinach. *
4. Keke's in Waterford-Buffalo chicken omelet with the egg as thin as a crepe. *
3.First Watch in Maitland or UCF- Caps and Buttons aka steamed mushrooms and poached eggs on a English muffin
2. Bikes, Beans, & Bordeaux on Corrine Drive in Baldwin Park-- a dry latte and whole wheat egg sandwich with a fruit cup.  Their quiches are amazing too. *
1.  Jack & Mary's on Goldenrod & Curryford. The real deal, hash browns and homefries, made in house from real potatoes and Smucker's Jelly, as well as the perfect egg over medium.*

*Locally owned and operated

If you are ever in Savannah, I recommend Clary's.
The huevos ranchos at the MGM Grand in Vegas were divine too.

One Little Word Quarterly Check-in

In six days the first quarter of 2013 will be over. Yes, January, February, & March are the first quarter of the year.  By the end of the 2nd quarter of the year, summer will be here.  In December, I agreed to take a class with my friend Lee Ann and I have almost finished the assignment for January.  We are both doing the One Little Word Project. Her word is be.  My word is brave.

In January, I chose my word and outlined twelve intentions. I still have to work on a vision board for February and in March I am working on my actions.  I still need to finish my vision board, but finished my cover page during my art day with Lee Ann today. I work on it a little at a time.  Surrounded by deadlines and days framed by bells I have tapped into my slacker side as a form of rebellion during my spring break. I like working at a leisurely pace yet the day still seemed to fly by.     That's just one way I am spending the week this spring break.

Slice 24

Confession! I hate doing my taxes and I don't even do them. My mom does. I could do them myself.  I worked in my family's tax business starting in 3rd grade. I made ten cents an hour filing.  I answered phones, made appointments and eventually did taxes myself.  In college I would go home for spring break and help out in the family business. It was a great way to make money while everyone was out spending it on the beach.

The real reason I hate getting ready to have someone else do my taxes is the weather.  While most people may be snowed in today, we are not. Spring is gorgeous in Florida and it is my favorite time of year. The sun is shining and the weather is amazing, somewhere between 65-75 degrees.  It is our growing season. We have fresh tomatoes, strawberries and citrus.  Most of the produce that I purchase right now is locally grown. By the end of May it will be too hot and our tomatoes and strawberries will be imported from the North.  

I have a radical idea about spring in Florida.  We should have spring off rather than summer when it is too hot to go outside.  Then students might relish the icy indoors that summer brings to Florida.  In order to get to the point of today which is to get organized to do my taxes, I won't even think about the weather.  I will try not to look outside while I gather the paperwork to get my taxes done. There is not a moment more to waste.

Green Thumb

Our 1st tomato! After 2 years of trying, we harvested our 1st tomato. I don't have a green thumb, but my daughter does. Her nasturtium seedlings are popping up too. I know spring is here because I have former pots of dirt sprouting green and my orchid has several blooms as well. I don't mean to kill plants, but I often forget to water them. Although I have fancied green garden dreams inspired by reading books such as Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I know that is a dream out of reach for now. I will enjoy the tiny tomatoes that my daughter loves and that will sustain us.

Slice 22: No Name Calling

When I went to the elementary school on Thursday is I discovered that there is name-calling in third grade extended-day, not a pandemic, but still hurtful.  

When I named my daughter Hope after Hope Yancey in Joan Bauer's book Hope was Here, I intentionally thought of all the rhymes that you could attach to it, dope, rope, mope, etc.  Last night Hope shared that some third graders were calling her Hope PePee, a variation of her last name, Fefee.  My automatic reaction was to laugh. I don't. Really I thought?  I hadn't thought to rhyme her last name with anything.  In hindsight, maybe I should have bequeathed her my last name since there is nothing that rhymes well with it.

My husband immediately jumped in and said kids did that to him when he was little too. I do remember being called "snaggle tooth" because I had vampire teeth before braces.  (My canines had too little room to move in). At work today, my friends recounted the names that they had been called at school.  I won't share them here, but they remembered.  Words do hurt and they linger.

It is best to arm her in the ways of the world by talking about it with her and her teacher as well as giving her a lens to look through at it from an arms-length by reading Spinelli's Loser together.  Name-calling is one layer of bullying and I can't change her name now only help her figure out how to handle it.

How do you handle name-calling and bullying in your classroom or with your children?