Category Archives: Food

Christianity. Games. Conversations. Food and Running.

Posted on 9 July 2010 | 2 comments

Sometimes I think I’m not a very good Christian. I think this because I don’t give enough grace, I don’t read my Bible enough, and I don’t really pray at all anymore. I justify this by believing that the amount of grace I give is way more than most the people around me. I look around, and I see the way people treat each other without even thinking about each other at all and without considering how they are making other people feel. Of course, comparing yourself to other people always gets you just short of nowhere. Just ask any of the Psalmists about comparing yourself to others. I don’t think you’d find one of them, or any other biblical writer for that matter, who advocates measuring yourself on a worldly standard.

That being said, in comparing myself to a biblical standard of grace-giving instead of comparing myself to each other, I fail miserably. In fact, comparing myself to any religious systems standards of person-to-person interactions, I fail miserably. Buddhists might say I am too attached to myself and too concerned about my worldly pleasure. There is a quote that says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” I think compassion for Buddhists is a lot like grace for Christians. They’re both difficult, because you have to look at people with other-worldly eyes. You have to see past the history you have with them, and look into who they are. It’s like the Christian concept of seeing Jesus in people or the Jewish concept of loving your neighbor. And in Islam, “in one Hadith the Prophet -peace be upon him- said that Allah has commanded him about nine things. One of them he mentioned was ‘that I forgive those who do wrong to me.’” It’s so difficult to forgive, to give grace, to show compassion when we feel we’ve been wrong. In this way, I think I need to practice my Christianity in a more direct and conscious way.

My poor attempt at Christianity lately could stem from the fact that we haven’t been to church in … well, I am unsure how long it’s been. I can’t speak for Bec, but I am starting to miss it. Finding a church is a difficult thing, though. I suppose this problem is then compounded by the fact that I haven’t been reading my Bible consistently, and the fact that very rarely pray. I mean, really pray, or really read the Bible. I do the thing that I despise in other people. I break out the Bible when I get in a theological argument with someone who hurls scripture at me, hurling scripture back at them with equal (sometimes more) ferocious velocity, and I pray when it’s convenient or when I need or want something.

By really praying I mean uttering words from my mouth or in my head to a God who I think is listening. I do, however, pray a lot, if by pray you mean worshiping God for the amazing things [They] have made, praising God for the ability to move my body, as sluggishly as it may be, on my morning run, or thanking God for my amazing life, friends, and family. I think this type of prayer is valid, but it isn’t focused. I haven’t consciously thought about who I am praying to, what or whom I am praying for. I simply let whatever thoughts or ideas I have float up (out, down, around) to God, not really expecting a response or acknowledgment. Does it make prayers invalid if you just worship? Do you have to ask for things?

The same goes for scripture reading. I exaggerated a little when I said above that I only use scripture to refute other people. That’s not entirely true. In fact, recently I have done a few little exegetical projects for friends that have really been challenging and fun, but I don’t do it consistently. I don’t have a set aside time period each day when I devote myself to God alone, reading [Their] words and talking with [Them]. It’s difficult for me to figure out how to develop this discipline while teaching, dissertating (which isn’t a word, but really should be), running, cooking, and whatever else the day holds.

Maybe the conduit for grace I crave to become would come to fruition if I disciplined myself in reading the Bible and praying more. I know in my favorite book of the Bible, James says, “The effective and fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.”

I am not good at playing games. I never have been.

I had a great conversation over coffee with a very conservative friend of mine this morning. It was the type of conversation I like to have. We do not agree about anything except books and their magic, and yet, when we part company, we can hug each other and know that the next time will be just as good.

I turned right around and had another excellent conversation with two other friends about polar opposite topics. We talked about the road trip we are about to embark upon, and decided that we are all SO ready to see our other friends and spend some time going cross-country. The trip is going to take us to Nebraska and Minnesota, but we are working in North and South Dakota and possibly Kansas, just so we can say we did. Unfortunately, the Badlands are on the other side of South Dakota, so we won’t be able to check those out like we had hoped. Sad day. Either way, we are excited.

It always amazes me how such different people can bring out facets of us that we wouldn’t know we had except for their persistence in bringing those things out in us.

Today has been an excellent food day. I started off with granola in soy milk and a decaf Americano while I did my work and waited to meet with Reta. Once she got there, I got a soy chai latte in a ceramic mug. I have to say that soy chai was possibly the most perfect hot drink I have had in a long time. Chai tea is so comforting, almost like the crying squares on the quilt I’ve had since childhood. The quilt, made by my Aunt Aglaia, has two squares of incredibly soft material. I used to use those two squares to dry my eyes when I cried, and I did lots of crying. I think it is my weird artistic sensibilities. I need to do some art, because it might help me get back to who I was before graduate school before working in a church, and before I became so jaded. I was softer when I was an artist, but I suppose we all change as we age and grow. But I digress.

For lunch, my two other friends and I went to Sketchy Thai, and I had tofu Mee Krop and spring rolls. I followed it up with an iced soy chai. The first one was so good, I couldn’t resist the second. Finally, for dinner tonight after Bec and I went on a nice (our first this summer, and blissful as usual) bike ride, we had garden green beans and sweet potato gnocchi with sage “butter” sauce. I finished it all off with a scoop (or maybe two) of Ben and Jerry’s Berried Treasure Sorbet and a couple (or four) of my mom’s delicious vegan sugar cookies. I would say it was a perfect food day to fuel my six-miler in the morning.

I am hoping to run a fairly even tempo tomorrow, so I am going to get up early to run while it’s fairly cool. I ran three miles yesterday in my Vibram Five Fingers, and my feet felt fantastic when I was finished. But, I am going to run the six miles in my regular running shoes, so I don’t injure myself by transitioning to “barefoot” running too quickly. I’d much rather go it slow than hurt myself.

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Posted in Dissertation, Food, Grace, Relationships, Running, Vegetarian or Vegan

I Wanna See This

Posted on 3 July 2010 | Leave a comment

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Posted in Food, Vegetarian or Vegan

Vacation and the Rest of Summer

Posted on 1 July 2010 | 2 comments

I just learned that I start teaching at Burris on August 18th, which means I have approximately six and half weeks (not counting the week I will be gone to Nebraska and Minnesota) left to accomplish all of this:

  • finish painting the outside of the house (the floor will wait until next summer)
  • finish a chapter of my dissertation (or at least get a really good start on it)
  • work 20 hours each week in the IEI
  • start training for the marathon in November (once school starts add lifting weights and swimming)
  • go through all of the Write On! Featherweight stuff and get it together
  • plan for the entire school year next year (two seventh-grade, two eighth-grade, and one tenth-grade year curriculum plans)
  • play some disc golf, basketball, and possibly soccer (can someone teach me to play soccer?

Here is how I plan to accomplish all of it:

  • House painting—WEEKENDS
  • Dissertation—AFTERNOONS
  • IEI—MORNINGS
  • Running—EARLY MORNING before dog walking, must get up by 6
  • Write On! and Planning for School—EVENINGS
  • Disc Golf, etc.—IN BETWEENS

I am sure there is something I am forgetting. I am not sure I can accomplish all of this in 6 weeks. Say some prayers, breathe some for me.

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My family (Dad, Mom, Adam, and I) just got back from vacation in Cincinnati. Cincannati is like dissecting owl pellets: you have to wait through the disgusting stuff to find the gems inside it. The majority of the city of Cincinnati, not the suburbs or the outskirts, looks like the worst neighborhood of most other big cities. We wanted to walk to Findlay Market, but the shuttle driver at our hotel said he’d better drive us because the neighborhood was so bad. I agree. Usually, I am unmoved by deteriorating neighborhoods. I am not afraid of loitering people, or run-down buildings, but this area of Cincy was more than just derelict. People had looks in their eyes that were so down-trodden, so forlorn, that I was afraid of them. They looked the way Cormac McCarthy describes people in The Road. That desperate. That carnal. While we were there, each morning the news reported several shootings within a couple of miles of the hotel. My dad couldn’t sleep because of all the sirens, and there were literally 50 or so homeless people sleeping on the grounds of the library across the street.

However, much like other big cities, if we stayed South of our hotel, toward the Great American Ball Park, there were no worries. In fact, there were multiple tourist attractions and affluent shopping malls, complete with Brazilian steakhouses and upscale clothing stores. I wish I could rest one day from thinking about culture. I wish the injustices and inequalities weren’t so blatant to me. Sometimes I just want to go back to not recognizing the painfully obvious way our society is stratified. I can’t though, so my heart hurts. I have a hard time having fun, but I have a hard time identifying how I can do anything to help a system so big and so broken. One of my constant prayers is for God to show me my role in helping to fix our very broken world.

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Also, I found this amazing graphic to help me plan meals while I am training.

The only hard part about this pyramid is drinking enough water. Our water tastes pretty gross, and even though I know algae isn’t bad for me, I still don’t want to drink water that tastes like organic matter. Ew.

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Food: banana, juice, sweet potato waffles with strawberries, blueberries, and a touch of syrup, carrots, cherries, tortilla with faux peanut butter and strawberry jalapeno jelly, a few Thai chips, chocolate soy milk, salad, guacamole and salsa and chips, cauliflower, blackberries, peach, veggie burger with bread,

Exercise: walked the dogs,

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Posted in Disc golf, Dissertation, Fat, Food, Goals, IEI, Running, School, Swimming, Teaching, Vegetarian or Vegan, Writing

Sweet Potato Waffles and Some Other Things

Posted on 27 June 2010 | 5 comments

This morning I made vegan sweet potato waffles from an excellent recipe I found here. The only things I changed were substituting apple sauce for the oil and upping the amount of clove and nutmeg, and the waffles turned out very well. Frequently, I change quite a bit from someone else’s recipe. This one really worked as it is, but I always under-cook the first waffle every time. I forget that I am supposed to wait for the little red light to go off before removing the waffle. Once I got the hang of the machinery, I made some very nice waffles, which paired nicely with my favorite Starbucks coffee, Africa Kitamu.

Thinking about coffee brings me to another point: I need to cut back on my extraneous spending again. I was at the point during last school year where I was going to Starbucks several times each week. I wouldn’t mind spending so much money if it was going to an independent coffee shop, but I don’t go them regularly. I should. I need to remember to focus on the mom-and-pop places instead of using big, national chains. I just think it’s good karma to support people who are trying to make a living in a honest, controlled way. I realize that most big companies started with this same ambition, but companies like SBUX have lost site of their original vision and don’t pay as much attention to the little guys as the smaller businesses. For example, my friend Kellie and I went to a local smoothie place and didn’t realize they only took cash, so the woman let us have our smoothies and pay her later. All of this after they were already closed; we didn’t see the sign on the door that said 4PM.

Right now, I am sitting here waiting to go over to the 505 for Izzy’s birthday party. She is 3-years old today, and it doesn’t really seem possible. How does time go so quickly? I always used to think people were crazy when they talked about their kids growing up so fast. Izzy’s not even my kid and I am amazed at quickly three years has gone by! Anyway, Becs and I got here these really cool little books about four famous artists, and we were going to get her some art supplies and stuff to go with them. However, my mom got her art supplies and things like that, so we are just going to put our gifts together, or at least they will seem like they go together. My brother’s gift is the best, though. He got her this fantastic lady bug laboratory that comes with lady bug larvae that she has to feed and watch grow. It is really a fantastic present. I hope she likes it.

I am hoping that once I get back form vacation, I can make some headway on this dissertation. I also need to make some headway on the house painting. I really want to get it finished this summer, but I also need to plan for next school year. Those are the big three things that have to get finished this summer, along with my work for the IEI and training for this marathon. I have to keep telling myself, “You can do it!”

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Food: banana, sweet potato waffle with Earth balance and pure Maple syrup, juice, coffee, baby bagel with faux-peanut butter, ten baby carrots, grape Kool-Aid slush, whatever I eat at Izzy’s party

Exercise: walked the dogs, bike ride to the 505 and back

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Posted in Coffee, Family, Food, Goals, IEI, Running, School, Teaching, Vegetarian or Vegan

Greek Church and Indians. Vegan Things. Running.

Posted on 21 June 2010 | 3 comments

Last Sunday I went to Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Indianapolis. I would go there for every liturgy if I could. As it is, they don’t have church every single Sunday yet, because they are a fledgling congregation started by a handful of Greeks who are trying to maintain their faith in a different way. I respect it. Though I can read Greek (not well), I cannot speak a lick of it. What keeps me interested in the Orthodox Church, particularly in which the liturgy is delivered predominantly in Greek? What keeps me coming back is the very old tradition, the way link it provides to the early church, and the way the ceremony of it relates to what I imagine Jewish culture to have contributed to my faith.

Sunday, I noticed a few new facets of the service that speak to me. One is the fact that even if you don’t understand what is being said, you can understand what is being said. I don’t know what the priest intones over the Eucharistic elements, but I can tell by the actions he makes that the moment is sacred and should be revered. I can tell that he is giving great respect to the wine and bread, while also making them holy. How can I tell? He bows his head and covers them with incense before proceeding with any words.

Nothing is done without incense, which brings me to another new thing I learned.Incense is very important. So important that the priest would not even mix the wine and water or bring out the bread until the incense worked. He had to light the charcoal himself because the altar helper couldn’t get it to light. Once the incense got going, the priest, Fr. John, returned to the table of elements and fragranced them in order to continue the liturgy.

The incense difficulty made me think of Saturday night when Adam and I went to Mounds State Park to a summer solstice celebration. We didn’t know when we decided to go to it that the point of the evening was to learn about the Miami Indian culture and to be spectators for their personal tribal summer solstice ceremony, which was held on the Great Mound, an ancient ceremonial mound. Before the ceremony could begin, the mound had to be fragranced with sage. The sage served two purposes: to cleanse the area and to provide a sweet smell to welcome the ancestors. I am still trying to understand the connections between sweet smells and the way they affect our ability to worship and contemplate. I do know that certain smells can instantly transport me to memories, to ideas, to experiences I have had. The smell of Greek Church is a familiar and likable place.

I love Holy Apostles because it is new and is held in the back chapel of another church. It’s young and things get messed up. Fr. John intoned that the readings came from the Gospel of Mark and they really came form Matthew. Those of you that know the liturgy know that the second most important part of the service is when the gospel enters and then is read, so messing up right there is kind of a big deal. However, Fr. John said at the beginning of his homily that sometimes mistakes happen in liturgy, because it is performed by humans. We mess up. “What is important is to keep the peace in the face of mistakes,” he said. Yeah, I agree. It’s important to keep the peace.

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I am giving this vegan thing another whirl, but I am trying not to be an ass about it. I did make a fantastic pasta dish the other night: whole wheat pasta, acorn squash, tofu, a teeny bit of maple syrup, Italian spices, salt and pepper, and a teeny bit of cinnamon and clove. It was delicious. I am hoping to lose a little bit of weight by cutting back on fats and calories through not eating cheese and eggs. We’ll see how long it lasts.

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I ran two miles today and it went well. My heel hurts, but I am still not sure what’s wrong with it. I don’t think it’s an achilles injury, but it could be. I can tell you that as soon as I get health insurance, I am going to get it checked out. For now, though, I am trying a new style of running that seems to help.

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Food: banana, juice, smoothie (tofu, soy milk, strawberries, blueberries, wheat germ), two baby bagels with soy peanut butter, chick pea patty frozen dinner, naked PK breadsticks with pizza sauce, mango smoothie

3 Comments

Posted in Food, Ren, Running, Vegetarian or Vegan