3-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast = 9.9g
1 tbsp. sugar = 12.6g
1/2 cup sugar = 100g
1/2 cup vegetable oil = 120g
1 tbsp. salt = 17.07g
8 c. to 8-1/2 c. AP flour = 960g to 1020g
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1¾ cups lukewarm water.
-Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)
-Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
-To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1½ inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
-Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
-If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking. Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
-Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.
As usual, I will copy the recipe in case the link goes dead.
3 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (445 grams) all-purpose flour (see Note)
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder (see Note) I cut this back to 1 tsp for altitude
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt (see Note)
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup (200 grams) vegetable or another neutral oil
1 cup (320 grams) honey
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar- at altitude only 1 cup
1/2 cup (110 grams) light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (235 grams) warm coffee or strong tea (I use decaf)
1/2 cup (120 grams) fresh orange juice, apple cider, or apple juice- I have done grapefruit as well and it is amazing. Fresh squeezed juice of any kind is the best
1/4 cup (60 grams) rye or whiskey, or additional juice
1/2 cup (50 grams) slivered or sliced almonds (optional) I never use these
Pan size options:This cake fits in two (shown here) or three loaf pans; two 8-inch square or two 9-inch round cake pans; one 9- or 10-inch tube or bundt cake pan; or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake.
Prepare pans:Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. Additionally, I like to line the bottom and sides of loaf pans with parchment paper for easier removal. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with parchment paper, cut to fit.
Heat oven: To 350°F.
Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, granulated sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee, juice, and rye. [If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.]
Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a well-blended batter, making sure that no pockets of ingredients are stuck to the bottom.
Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (which helps the cakes bake evenly and makes it easier to rotate them on the oven rack).
Bake the cake(s): Until a tester inserted into a few parts of the cake comes out batter-free, about 40 to 45 minutes for a round, square, or rectangle cake pan; about 45 to 55 minutes for 3 loaf pans; 55 to 65 minutes for 2 loaf pans (as shown), and 60 to 75 minutes for tube pans.
Cool cake: On a rack for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. However, I usually leave the loaves in the pan until needed, as they’re unlikely to get stuck.
Do ahead: This cake is fantastic on day one but phenomenal on days two through four. I keep the cake at room temperature covered tightly with foil or plastic wrap. If I want to bake the cakes more than 4 days out, I’ll keep them in the fridge after the first 2 days. If you’d like to bake them more than a week in advance, I recommend that you freeze them, tightly wrapped, until needed. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Notes:
Size: These days, I bake this cake in two filled-out loaves, as shown, instead of 3 more squat ones. My loaf pans hold 6 liquid cups; they’re 8×4 inches on the bottom and 9×5 inches on the top; if yours are smaller, it might be best to bake some batter off as muffins, or simply use the 3-loaf option.I use a large Bundt pan and the extra liquid goes in a mini loaf
Flour: After mis-measuring the flour many years ago and baking the cake with 2 tablespoons less flour and finding it even more plush and moist, I’ve never gone back. The recipe now reflects the lower amount.
Baking powder: The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of baking powder, but I found that this large amount caused the cake to sink. From 2011 through 2023, I recommended using 1 teaspoon instead. But, after extensive testing this year, I’ve found that a higher amount — 1 3/4 teaspoons — keeps this cake perfectly domed every time, and even more reliably than the 1-teaspoon level.
Salt: The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon but I prefer 1 teaspoon.
Liquids: This is address the question that comes up in at least 30% of the 1115 comments to date: “What can I use instead of whiskey?” and/or “What can I use instead of coffee?” The original trifecta of liquids in this cake [coffee, orange juice, and whiskey] is unusual and wonderful together, and I still think the perfect flavor for this cake. But if you want to omit the whiskey, simply use more orange juice or coffee. If you want to omit the coffee, simply use tea. If you don’t want to use tea, use more juice. If you don’t want to use orange juice, my second choice liquid here would be apple cider (the fresh, not the fermented, kind), followed by apple juice. Apples and honey: It’s a whole thing!
Sweetness: The recipe looks like it would taste assaulting sweet but you must trust me when I say it doesn’t. But, if you reduce the sugar, any one of them, you will have a cake that’s more dry. You can still dial it back, but do understand what the adjustment can do to the recipe.
As usual, I am posting the recipe as well in case the link goes bad.
INGREDIENTS
5poundsrusset potatoes (about 10 medium-sized potatoes) 2wholelarge onions 6eggs 2teaspoonssalt 1/2teaspoonblack pepper 6tablespoonspotato starch(if not serving for Passover you may substitute corn starch) 1/4cupschmaltz or extra virgin olive oil, divided (schmaltz gives amazing flavor; use olive oil to keep it vegetarian) I just measured the 3 T used for the 11x13 pan out into a small bowl. After I used it I then added 1 T to the bowl and used that to drizzle on top.
Place a 9x13 baking dish or pan in the oven (metal is recommended, or ceramic, but I used the Pyrex that I have to hand) and preheat oven to 400 degrees, letting the dish heat up inside. Peel the potatoes, then use a food processor or hand grater to grate them into large shreds.
Place the potato shreds in a large mixing bowl and cover with cold water. Let the shreds sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and shred the two large onions in the food processor or with a hand grater. Reserve. I drained the shredded onion.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper until fluffy.
Drain the potato shreds in a colander, pushing down firmly on top of the shreds with your hands to push out the excess liquid. This creates a paste of tomato starch at the bottom of the bowl that it is drained into, and after I poured off the water I used this bowl (and its starch) to mix the ingredients in.
Place grated potatoes in a large bowl. Add the seasoned eggs, grated onions and potato starch to the bowl. Use your hands to mix all ingredients together until well combined.
Take the preheated baking dish out of the oven. Quickly pour in 3 tbsp schmaltz or olive oil, then use a pastry brush to carefully spread the fat around the bottom and sides of the hot dish. Careful, don't burn yourself! The hot dish, while a bit difficult to navigate, will help to form a beautiful brown and crisp crust for the kugel.
Carefully and quickly spread the potato mixture into an even layer in the baking dish (it should sizzle!), then drizzle remaining 1 tbsp of melted schmaltz or olive oil across the top.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 60-70 minutes until the top is nicely browned all across the top. If it seems to be browning too fast (before the center is cooked), cover the kugel to keep it from over-browning. You really want it to have a nice golden crust-- at the end of cooking, if it's not quite brown enough, you can put it 6 inches below the broiler for a minute or two to evenly brown it all across the top. This kugel tastes best served hot directly from the oven. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
We are nearing the end of our second week in self-quarantine, relative shut down (the kids came home from school March 13) and this morning we woke as all our phones went off to remind us that Colorado went into Stay at Home status at 8 am.
It's another week that I opened my morning listening to Governor Cuomo rather than hear the lies spewed by Trump.
This is the first week (last was Spring Break) when I tried to get the twins (first grade) to do some school work with the German and myself tried to actually get our work done. Thank heavens we can both work remotely. It is impossible. And having the twins in separate classes and therefore separate requirements, makes it even worse. I think we may need to start doing shifts when one watches the twis and guides and the other works.
Any person who can move a slider should be able to see how important it is to extend the stay at home and federalize it. But the Narcissist in chief doesn't care.
We now have more cases than any place else in the world. And if it had been up to Trump it would have been far worse. Thank goodness the governors have shut states down.
My neighbors, who went to Florida for spring break, are socializing with other neighbors. I can do no more than what I am doing: require my children to socially isolate, socially isolate myself, and take two walks a day for sanity and health. If we would all just shut it down for three weeks, if we had done this two weeks ago in a hard-line way, how many lives would be, would have been saved?
School went into Spring Break March 13 and it went into break stating that we would have a week of distance learning after break (both the twins were sent home with Chromebooks). This weekend the CDC suggested six to eight weeks of social distancing, which was what I had anticipated: I'll be surprised if we go back into session before the end of the year.
Since the last joyous post with our new Things 3 and 4, a lot has happened.
We lost my Dad to cancer. We had just the year with him and that was too short but I'm glad we came. It took me three years to recover enough to do some grief therapy with hospice and it has been six years and a bit that his place has been empty in my life.
We moved to a suburb of Denver.
I woke up this morning after dreaming about a call with my Dad. We had told each other how we missed each other and loved each other. Then the call was cut off. I woke up reaching to call him back and the I realized he was not at the other end of my phone and the pain was very sharp. It's been at least a year since this has happened. It was so very sweet and then so very painful.
I couldn't go back to sleep- didn't want to- and started to read. I read an article discussing how people are reading books to deal with corona virus anxiety, and it mentioned Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter. I'd never read it, but the description was intriguing. It's the semi-autobiographical story of Katherine Anne Porter's survival of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. I won't give any more of the story away, but it struck home. The story noted that this is the only written account of a survivor and that led me to a journal link which discussed trauma memory and recovery of great tragic events. There were no books written about the great flu pandemic, which killed at least 39 million people, until the 1980s. The pain and loss and trauma were subsumed in winning The Great War and the world tried to forget.
All around fascinating and hit me as we consider how to handle covid-19 and what I believe will be another great pandemic.
E said that the dream was because I so was used to calling my Dad whenever I was worried or concerned and needed to talk to someone and of course he is right.
I posted on FB but then thought- maybe I need to start thinking a little more longform. We are trying to decide how to handle the next few weeks.
More All-of-a-Kind Family(1954)(Mary Stevens illus)
All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown (1958) (Mary Stevens illus)
All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown (1972) (Beth and Joe Krush illus) by Sydney Taylor:
I read one or two of these when I was younger, of course, as I think all Jewish children do (or perhaps only those of my generation?). I wonder how many children of other backgrounds, or not from NY, did and still do?
The blog was hijacked by a runaway gadget and I just never got the time together to figure out how to get it fixed.
But with Twin 1 down with a fever I took the nap time to apply a custom domain, reach out to Blogger and to Google and get into the missing blog, then go ahead and tweak it until it worked. I've missed using the blog as both an extended diary (with pictures) and a reading reminder so I'm glad to be back in (and also glad to not be calling my mother for her pancake recipe because I couldn't remember an ingredient!). I also miss the virtual friends I used to talk to on here.
Lots has happened, some good and some sad, and I'll try to catch up and say hello this coming month.
The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick(2013)(Library): Regency paranormal romance:-).
The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George (2012-Library):
The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie (2013-Library):
The Secret of the Sirens by Julia Golding (2007-Library):
The Gorgon's Gaze by Julia Golding (2007-Library):
Mines of the Minotaur by Julia Golding (2007-Library):
The Chimera's Curse by Julia Golding(2007-Library):
Frozen Heat by "Richard Castle"(2012-Library):
Iced by Karen Marie Moning (2012-Library): (A Dani O'Malley Novel)- In the world of the Fever series, but following O'Malley rather than Mac, a 14 year old "superhero".
Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood (2013-Library):
A Dash of Magic- A Bliss novel by Kathryn Littlewood (2013-Library):
So far I have packed just on 24 boxes of books while putting about 164 out to be taken by passer-bys. I probable have only a few more boxes to pack (of books!) and about 20-30 more books to give away. We have also packed 4 boxes of clothes, which 1. tells you how many clothes we have in comparison to printed material and 2. that we actually will need to take clothes in suitcases with us for the 7-10 weeks that it will take our container to follow us.
One might think that I would be reading a lot while I pack books away, and to a certain extent I have been. But mostly, I have been reading on my reader, A new Lois McMaster Bujold came out and after reading it, I realized that when I bought the hardback copy of Cryoburn from Baen, it inclued a CD with a large majority of her Vorkosigan books on it. So I reread them all. Then I bought one that wasn't on the compilation and reread it. Then I reread Captain Vorpatril's Alliance and then I reread Cryoburn.
This is what I mean by saying that when I buy a hardcover, I should get an e-copy included. When I bought that HB of Cryoburn, I already owned everything that Bujold had written. But all those books were (and are) in storage. The HB cost the equivalent of buying 5 of those books in e-form (Baen prices its non-DRMed books at a very reasonable $6/copy when it is out of e-ARC form). So rather than waiting until this new book came out in PB, I went ahead and bought it in HC and Baen included a mass of interesting other material (including speeches given, travel commentary, and previous books in the series). They weren't all included, and so when I went on this reading jag I re-purchased one and may go ahead and purchase another and now they have even more incremental income.
And while I was there, I bought a few monthly bundles, and thus some books I wasn't interested in (whose authors I will now give a try) because at $18 for the monthly bundle, if three of the books intrigue me, taking a gamble on the others that I get for free is well worth it (it's a great upsell). And this is what publishers should be doing, rather than setting their prices above a PB price, not ever re-adjusting prices (as the books age and the PB comes out) and basically making it cheaper and easier for me to buy the physical book when, by heavens, I (and my poor beleaguered spouse) want to stop buying the majority of non-specialized (cookbooks, illustrated books, pop up books, children's books) in physical form.
So, here is my November reading jag:
Steel's Edge (Nov 27, 2012)by Ilona Andrews: the last of her Edge series and a good read. Now waiting for her next Kate Daniels book.
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (Nov 6, 2012)by Lois McMaster Bujold:Started off my reading jag and winds up Ivan Vorpatril's stories. Comes before Cryoburn in internal chronology.
Cordelia's Honor (1999): Shards of Honor and Barrayar (Hugo winner).
Young Miles (2003): previously published in parts as The Warrior's Apprentice, The Mountains of Mourning, and The Vor Game.
Miles Errant (2002): Originally published as Borders of Infinity, Brothers in Arms, and Mirror Dance.
Miles, Mystery and Mayhem (2003): previously published in parts as Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, and Labyrinth. This is the first
unified edition.
Memory (1997): Miles sabotages himself out of his Naismith life. Is it possible to find meaning afterward.
Miles in Love (2008): Two complete novels and a short novel in one large volume: Komarr, A Civil Campaign and Winterfair Gifts— which I hadn't read before.
Miles, Mutants and Microbes (2008): Two complete novels and a short novel in one large volume: Falling Free, Labyrinth, Diplomatic Immunity.
Cryoburn (Sept 27, 2011): The culmination of the story arch that started before Miles' birth as Aral Vorkosigan's story comes to an end.I was so sorry to see the end of the Vorkosigan saga, so glad to see that there would be another, and dearly hope that we may see another focussing on Miles and his young family and extended family.
Highlights are the Dyson, the Kitchen-Aid, Gas Grill, and full size/double Simmons Beautyrest mattress and box-spring.
I will be adding more pages as I go, if you go to home: http://leavingberlinnow.blogspot.de
and look through the "Pages" drop down menu you will see all the pages as I add them and update what's available (and can see what our apartment looked like:-).)
OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Tonight, more
than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own
destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.
It moves
forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the
spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has
lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of
hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual
dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one
nation and as one people.
Tonight, in this election, you, the
American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while
our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought
our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of
America the best is yet to come.
I want to thank every American
who participated in this election. Whether you voted for the very first
time or waited in line for a very long time.
By the way, we have to fix that.
Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone. Whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.
I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign.
We
may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country
deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore
to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America
through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud
tonight.
In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down
with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move
this country forward.
I want to thank my friend and partner of the
last four years, America's happy warrior, the best vice president
anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.
And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago.
Let
me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have
never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you,
too, as our nation's first lady.
Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom.
And I'm so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog's probably enough.
To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics...
The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.
But
all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here,
you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will
have the life-long appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for
believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley.
You
lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything
that you've done and all the incredible work that you put in.
I
know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And
that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics
is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special
interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned
out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym,
or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far
away from home, you'll discover something else.
You'll hear the
determination in the voice of a young field organizer who's working his
way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same
opportunity.
You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer
who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the
local auto plant added another shift.
You'll hear the deep
patriotism in the voice of a military spouse whose working the phones
late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever
has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.
That's
why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why elections
matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a nation
of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own
opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through
tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily
stirs passions, stirs up controversy.
That won't change after
tonight, and it shouldn't. These arguments we have are a mark of our
liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations
are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the
issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.
But
despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for
America's future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they
have access to the best schools and the best teachers.
A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.
We
want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt,
that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the
destructive power of a warming planet.
We want to pass on a
country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation
that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops
this -- this world has ever known.
But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human
being. We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a
tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who
studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.
To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.
To
the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a
doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or
even a president -- that's the future we hope for. That's the vision we
share. That's where we need to go -- forward.
That's where we need to go.
Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As
it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and
starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth path.
By
itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end
all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the
painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult
compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is
where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is
ending. A long campaign is now over.
And whether I earned your
vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've
made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I
return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever
about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.
You
elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and
months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of
both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together.
Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do.
But
that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our
Democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about what
can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together through
the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That's
the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth
than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most
powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our
university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth.
The
belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we
accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations.
The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come
with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and
charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.
I
am hopeful tonight because I've seen the spirit at work in America.
I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their
own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would
rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job.
I've
seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those
SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they
knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.
I've seen
it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every
party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help
a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.
And I
saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story
of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost
their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.
I
had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this
incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to
that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes,
because we knew that little girl could be our own.
And I know that
every American wants her future to be just as bright. That's who we
are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president.
And
tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the
frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our
future.
I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask
you to sustain that hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind
of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the
roadblocks that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful
idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a
fight.
I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing
inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that
something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep
reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.
America, I believe we
can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs
and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we
can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing
to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or
what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're
black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old
or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here
in America if you're willing to try.
I believe we can seize this
future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests.
We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum
of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of
red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States
of America.
And together with your help and God's grace we will
continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we
live in the greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.
It's been a while since I wrote a real post and that's because we have been completely up in the air about life and what we are doing in it.
Short form:
We are having twins in the spring and we will be moving to upstate NY in late December (if the container actually gets scheduled in December and I am feeling nervous about it).
So if anyone in Berlin is reading this, we are looking for a nachmieter who would like an apartment full of furniture, lights, appliances, and a kitchen- feel free to contact me for more info. We love our apartment and our (Wilmersdorf) neighborhood.
We vacillated between NY and Munich for a long time– even checked out houses and neighborhoods in Munich over the fall holidays. But family and personal reasons cast the vote for NY, for at least the next three to four years.
That means I have been boxing books (up to #12) while waiting to hear from the moving firm as to when we will be containerized. Have put several boxes out to give away, but I think that I have overloaded the appetite of my neighborhood for free English-language books and the 50 books left over (and added to) will need to be dropped at a Buecherboxx this weekend.
So, I am well, but exhausted. Twins and being older make this pregnancy both harder and requiring more testing and resting than either of my earlier ones.
In addition, having our Internet go out for 11 days right after the decision was made made things even tougher: hard to list the apartment or address, hard to follow up on lost luggage of friends visiting from CA (and never found, though we called repeatedly:-( ). The constant calls to O2, met by menu-driven and incorrect responses, the dragging a heavy computer off to Starbucks, the new router that did not solve the problem, the complete disconnect while Hurricane Sandy was raging in my area and my dad was undergoing surgery... it was very stressful.
Finally, a third-line tech managed to fix the issue, although after we gushed gratitude, he said he had no idea how he had fixed it, because the type of problem that we had (internet down, phone working) was actually "not possible".
We were still very grateful and grateful that he had listened long enough to see the strangeness and think that some of the issue might actually have to do with the phone and its switch being in some way crossed with the internet.
While this was going on, we were running about, setting up Drs appts, making others, having exams, having field trips, being visited by the tooth fairy: life is chaotic.
It's clear that reading e-books significantly increases the number of books that I read. As does not taking a German class this semester, travelling for extended car trips, visiting cities without the kids (to consider moving there) and so on.
My internet was down for 11 days (fodder for another post), so I'll just get this up now- I wasn't able to write reviews while I was reading, but, without internet or TV, I did read an awful lot.
Cotillion (1953) by Georgette Heyer: Obviously a re-read. (E-book)
Cut, Crop & Die by Joanne Campbell Slan: Liked the free dowload enough to buy another one. Enjoyed the single mom crafter protagonist. (E-book)
Ring of Fire III by Eric Flint: Short stories filling in interim gaps in the Ring of Fire world. (Baen E-book)
1635: Papal Stakes (Oct 2012) by Eric Flint and Charles Gannon: (Baen E-book)
Fire Season by David Weber and Jane Lindskold: The sequel to A Beautiful Friendship(reviewed last month) continues the introduction of tree cats to Manticorean society and the founding of the Harrington clan. Loved it. (Baen E-book)
Bloodstone (A Reluctant Witch Mystery) by Barbra Annino : (E-book)
In Deep Voodoo by Stephanie Bond: Fluffy and free- I liked this story set in Louisiana. (E-book)
Longeye by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: This is the sequel to Duainfey, which I haven't read. Very different from Lee/Miller's Korval series, this is the story of a part-Fey human, taken to the world where the Fey rule. (Baen E-book)
Cast in Peril by Michelle Sagara: Another in the Elantris series. Eagerly awaited, as always. (E-book)
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson: I have had this floating around for a while, finally read and enjoyed it very much. Sandersin is a great writer.(E-book)
Princess Paisley by Chautona Havig: A bit Christian for my tastes, but the fairy tale was nice. (E-book)
Emile and the Dutchman by Joel Rosenberg: (Baen E-book)
A Fall of Water
The Force of Wind
This Same Earth
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter: Liked this quartet of books enough thata fter reading the first (free) download, I bought the remainder of the series. Extremely well-written vampire series, with a connection to the elements. (all E-books)
Always the Designer, Never the Bride
Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker: Free Amazon downloads, set in the same group of friends who find happiness and relationships. Nice, light reads.(E-book)
Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-law mystery) by Jane DeLeon: Free download. Light mystery with ghost, a protagonist who is a scientist, and an investigator love interest who respects her. Enjoyed it. (E-Book)
It's a weird month: I feel like I have been sleeping a lot (and I have), but reading a lot. It's amazing how much time I have when I am not taking a language class full time. I've been a bit unwell, but am feeling better and hope to be more energetic by next month. The huge number of e-books I have read make it clear that when I can bring books with me wherever I go, and start a new one whenever I want, I read a lot more. Clearly, I have also watched less TV (except the Castle season opener— va-voom! and done almost no blogging:-). Also some bunches of time spent waiting for appointments (it's interesting to see how I have become extraordinarily punctual (to far too early) whenever I don't have the dead weight of having to get the kids ready too: it's as if I lose 100 pounds and cover the distance in half the time.
Making Money (2007) by Terry Pratchett: Was given a copy of
this recently and (re-read) it. One of the Moist von Lipwig series, as
he is recruited from the Ankh-Morpork Post Office to revitalize the
financial system and the Royal Mint. Moving from the Gold Standard might
be easier if he had an idea as to what the basis for his new "notes"
currency might be.... Lots of fun and I need to see if I missed the
foreshadowed next novel when von Lipwig fixes the tax system. This copy
is a bit mildewy (and I am very sensitive to book blight) so I will be
passing it on.
Green Rider (1998) by Kristen Britain: I think I first picked
this up when it was published and couldn't get into it. Given a free
copy at Worldcon this year, I tried again. Still couldn't get through
it.
Invisible Pleasures (2005) by Mary Frances Zambreno: A nice collection of stories with women protagonists as the unifying theme.
Stalking the Zombie (2012) by Mike Resnick: The con book for Chicon 7collects
all the John Justin Mallory shorts (and an extra for the con), starring
a hard-boiled detective who falls into "another" Manhattan, where
demons, leprechauns and cat people are reality. The feel is 1940's and
the first of these stories appeared in 1991 (the last 2012, of course).
Lots of fun.
Masters of the Galaxy (2012) by Mike Resnick: Amusing to read
this next to the above, as it is a collection of Resnick's short
stories featuring Jake Masters, a Noir detective in the future. The last story, Real Jake, appears here for the first time (and is the weakest) but the whole collection is fun, Golden-Agey and light.
A Host of Furious Fancies (pubbed in this format 9/1/12)by Mercedes Lackey and and Rosemary Edghill: This book is comprised of Beyond World’s End and Spirits White as Lightning,
originally published Jan 2001 Dec 2001. I looked those dates up on
Kirkus and it was amazing how they panned the first and gave a good
review to the second. In actuality, I liked them both and thought the
writing level was roughly equivalent. I think there is a series related
to this, but I haven't read it. These stories follow Eric Banyon as he
returns, from Faerie, to Juilliard, to finish his degree and reintegrate
in the human world. (Baen E-book)
Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia : The 4th book in the Monster Hunters series (I picked the other I have read, Monster Hunter Vendetta, up in a Baen bundle as well). I found it, once again, light and amusing male-oriented fantasy. (Baen E-book)
Gunmetal Magic by
Ilona Andrews (2012): This should have been listed last month, as I
pre-ordered it and read it as soon as it came out (on July 31), but I
didn't finish it before I posted my last book list. Although this is the
6th in the Kate Daniels series, it's actually an Andrea Nash novel,
starring Kate's hyena-Were partner, formerly Order Knight , Andrea. A
good story, going deeper into her motivations and character (touched
upon a sshe has been present in the former books), giving us Kate and
Curran as side-plot, and allowing us to explore more of the interesting
world they inhabit. I liked it a lot. The Magic Gifts novella,
which I had already read, is included and is a stand-alone 100+page
story starring Kate and Curran and a misadventure as they attempt to
have a normal date night. Also wonderful. Ilona Andrews is one of my
favorite authors (yes, I know she is a husband/wife writing team).
(E-book)
Ghost Ship (Aug /1/11) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: I'm a huge fan of the Liaden universe
and this is another set in the Theo Waitley cycle. Since Theo is
growing up in this series, as a Liaden and a pilot raised in a
non-Liaden world by those who don't understand pilots, I assume the
cycle is aimed a bit at the YA market. Here Theo starts to see how her
destiny will take her into the machinations and turmoil between the
Department of the Interior and Liad and why she is entangled.
Dragon Ship (Sep /1/12) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: This is what e-books are all about. After picking up Ghost Ship at
Worldcon and reading it, I looked up its sequel, saw I could get it at
Baen, purchased a package (which included some of the other Baen books
you see here) and was able to enjoy reading it immediately. Theo has
finally formed a temporary partnership with the Ancient ship that has
been looking for her, as they both decide whether to make the Pilot/Ship
relationship permanent. She takes on crew, meets her relatives, and the
Department of the Interior evinces determined interest. We also learn
far more of the Uncle and there is news of Daav and Aelliana. Can't wait
for the next! (The downside of getting a sequel as soon as I want it is
now waiting more than a year for the one after!) (Baen E-book)
How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (2012)
by G.A. Aiken: I find Aiken (aka S. laurenston) extremely amusing.
Under her other name, she writes about animal shifters (wolf, dog, bear,
hyenas etc, and their clans); under this name she writes about Dragon
shifters and the fantasy world of magic and gods that they live in. This
is the story of Éibhear the Blue and Izzy, about ten years after we
last saw them. They are both war hardened and finally ready for each
other. Always fun series. (E-book)
A Beautiful Friendship (Oct 2011) by David Weber: Weber returns to his Honorverse, but centuries before Honor Harrington's time, to the original colonization of Sphinx. Stephanie Harrington is a teen taken away from her friends and now on a far more dangerous planet, with her normal freedoms curtailed. But she is smart, has great parents and is always curious. That curiosity leads herto discover what seems to be nabbing the "celery" that the colonists are growing and the answer turns out to be a hitherto undiscovered native species. I thought this was a great book and I expect it should be great for my older daughter somewhere around 6th grade (although for SF&F reading children, maybe even earlier). I expect I will pick the sequel up next month. (Baen E-book)
Opal Fire (A Reluctant Witch Mystery) (March 2, 2011)by Barbra Annino: I picked this up when it was offered free and I really enjoyed it (not always the case). Stacey Justice is a reporter, but she is also the daughter and niece of witches and has a role to play: a role she has been rebelling against. In this debut novel, her cousin's bar goes up in flames and she needs to use both her reporter's intelligence and her witch connections to understand why and prevent her cousin from being jailed for arson. I liked it and bought the next one (showing the success of the free book program at getting readers to try new authors. (Free Amazon E-book)
Ring of Fire II (ed. Eric Flint)(1/27/09): I forget how much I enjoy Flints' shared universe (from his 1632
series) until I read something else in it again. He does a very good
job of editing in this collection and I am glad that it was included in a
Baen bundle- to my non-professional eye, all the historical bits are
reasonable (in a sideways world) and it seems the authors do some
research. I like the novella by Flint at the end best, but enjoyed all
the stories.(Baen E-book)
1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber (10/28/08): It's actually really hard to say anything about this inter-linked series based on the concept that an unknown alien force called the "Ring of Fire" has brought a small West Virginian mining town back to the Germanies in 1632 (the starting book). The history as it starts (and then starts to change as the world reacts to the history in the libraries)is so well-researched and so interestingly moved sideways (as the world that was will never be the world that will now be, but people do things like murder individuals who would have been party to events in the future) that I just find it fascinating to read. Partly because I like the time period, partly because it is set in the Germanies not far from where I live. For instance, here France, Spain, England, and Denmark— in the League of Ostend —are besieging the German city
of Lübeck, a seaside area not far from me and a base of American naval strength. (Baen E-book)
1635: The Dreeson Incident by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce (8/31/10): In this, a significant event takes place that allows the up-timers to used the CoCs to create a Krystalnacht that tries to remove the taint from the word. (Baen E-book)
1635: The Eastern Front by Eric Flint (11/29/11): This really leads directly into the following book and since I read them one after the other, it's hard to separate which part is in which. Here Stearns loses the presidency to Wilhelm Wettin and Gustavus Adolphus brings him in as a general into the army, leading the USE (United States of Europe) brigades. There is more development of Princess Kristina of Sweden and Prince Ulrik of Denmark.(Baen E-book)
1636: The Saxon Uprisingby Eric Flint (3/27/12): Oxenstern pulls an Alexander Haig (I am in Charge) when Adolphus is injured and attempts to destroy the political compacts binding the Empire. Rebecca Abrabenal shows her stuff and there is both a Polish incursion and a siege of Dresden (which I have visited several times). Waiting for the sequel:-).(Baen E-book)
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning: This was another free Amazon book (and even more successful at pulling me in than the above, as I wound up buying the rest of the series and reading through it in just a few days.) (book 1)(free Amazon E-book)
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning: (book 2)(E-book)
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning:(book 3) (E-book)
Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning:(book 4) (E-book)
Shadowfever, A MaccKayla Lane Novel by Karen Marie Moning: (book 5 and last) I very much enjoyed this series, which became far more intense (and triggering with a graphic and violent rape) than I had expected. Some serious end of the world activity. I very much enjoyed the growth of the characters, the description of what would happen as the Fae impinge on humanity (spoiler- humanity doesn't have much of a chance) and the writing. I read these so quickly, just to find out what would happen next, that I expect I will read them again to enjoy the story at a slower pace. But definitely not for children!(E-book)
Forecast for Today
