The Accidental Stepford

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October 2010

What I am Reading at the Moment

I know what you’re thinking, pretentious much? But I am indeed reading Machiavelli’s The Prince. It was not my choice. The Mr and I wrote each other a list of ten books that the other one had to read. The one I gave him was full of Henry James, Bret Easton Ellis and Ernest Hemingway. What I received in return were books of political theory and biographies… yeah… Having already tackled John McCain’s memoirs (yes I did soldier my way through that) I now turn my attention to the slimmest item on his list. Like most people I am aware of the basic premise of The Prince and I guess it is something I “should” read at some point in my life, so why not now?

Oct 11, 2010
#Machiavelli #The Prince #Books #Political theory
Obsession of the Week: The Commonwealth Games

Ok so they said it would be a disaster, and there is a severe lack of crowd support, but I’m really enjoying the coverage of the Commonwealth Games in Dehli. Maybe my underappreciation of the games in the past is due to the fact that I have never had so much free time to dedicate to watching them (maybe this illustrates how empty my life has become). My one little gripe is the lack of tennis coverage from the BBC: several matches on the opening day, one quick match shown on Tuesday, none Wednesday and Thursday, and then full coverage on Friday (today) when a lot of home interest have been knocked out. Still it’s only a minor issue. I have found myself avidly watching archery matches, swimming races, squash matches… and avoiding weightlifting and boxing, of course. In my opinion the games are entertaining, pretty competitive, and still relevant today. I am now tempted to get tickets for Glasgow 2014, as well as London 2012.

Oct 8, 2010
#Obsession of the Week #Commonwealth Games
Coffee Coffee Coffee

There is an episode of Gilmore Girls (yes, I am an unashamed fan of that show) where Lorelei (played by Lauren Graham) runs into a coffee shop demanding “Coffee coffee coffee!” and as a caffeine enthusiast this is how I feel every morning. Does this make me a coffee addict? And is this really a bad thing?

A quick search of the web and you can find numerous website proclaiming the dangers of coffee (and a few listing its benefits). This BBC article from 2007 outlines the perils of drinking excessive amounts of coffee: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6945697.stm, from restlessness and nervousness to delirium and seizures if you really over do it, but would anyone actually drink the necessary 20+ cups a day to experience these effects? And is there anything wrong in having 3 or 4 mugs a day?

I love lattes, americanos, cappucinos, espressos (should I be saying cappucini etc?), filtered coffee, cafetiere coffee, even instant coffee; I will drink them all. My flatmate and I in my last year of university co-owned 6 cafetieres and come the end of the day they all needed washing up, which says it all really. Yet I believe I could give coffee up if I had to, I would miss it but I know I am capable of it. There are days when I don’t partake of a cup of delicious java (or even mediocre coffee), but I don’t experience withdrawal symptoms… so I guess despite sometimes jokingly referring to myself as a “coffee addict” I am not one, as I display no real signs of addiction. That does not rule out me developing one in the future, and this is where the well known mantra ‘everything in moderation’ rears its mundane head.

So what leads to immoderate consumption of coffee? I must admit I scoffed when I heard a few years back that Robbie Williams had checked himself into rehab for a caffeine addiction, but maybe I was too quick to judge. Like all drugs, an addiction to caffeine can really mess a person up, so perhaps it’s time we took it more seriously. Having said that, I know that tomorrow morning I’m going to wake up, stagger into the kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee, and, most importantly, enjoy drinking it immensely.

[Currently I fill my cafetiere with Taylor of Harrogate’s Brasilia blend, however my favourite brand has got to be Lavazza]

Oct 8, 2010
#Caffeine #Coffee #Gilmore Girls #Addiction
“‘You ought to write’; they had one and all said it to him from the first; and he fancied he might have begun sooner if he had not been urged on by their watchful fondness. Everybody wanted him to write - everybody had decided he ought to, that he would, that he must be persuaded to; and the incessant imperceptible pressure of encouragement - the assumption of those about him that because it would be good for him to write he must naturally be able to - acted on his restive nerves as a stronger deterrent than disapproval.”—Edith Wharton, The Custom of the Country
Oct 5, 2010
#Edith Wharton #Writing #Quote #The Custom of the Country
The Most Exciting Things in My Cupboard

Oct 4, 2010
#Hello Panda #Food #Biscuits #Koala Biscuits
Obsession of the Week: The Music of Sheryl Crow

 Dipping into my i-tunes I rediscovered my love for Sheryl Crow. She is such a versatile singer and has recorded some truly amazing songs. Here are 10 of her best (in no particular order):

  1. ‘I Shall Believe’, from Tuesday Night Club (1993)
  2. 'Weather Channel’, from C'mon C'mon (2002)
  3. 'Everyday Is A Winding Road’, from Sheryl Crow (1996)
  4. 'Strong Enough’, from Tuesday Night Club (1993)
  5. 'Lullaby for Wyatt’, from Detours (2008)
  6. 'I Know Why’, from Wildflower (2005)
  7. 'Abilene’, from C'mon C'mon (2002)
  8. 'My Favorite Mistake’, from The Globe Sessions (1998)
  9. 'Light in Your Eyes’, from The Very Best of Sheryl Crow (2003)
  10. 'Make It Go Away’, from Detours (2008)
Oct 1, 2010 1 note
#Sheryl Crow #Music #Obsession of the Week
The Long Journey Home

I love visiting Oxford and have been there many times since I was young. Attending an interview there yesterday was an enjoyable experience, but it made the return to the ugliness of Wolverhampton all the more depressing.

Oct 1, 2010
#Oxford #Beautiful Places

September 2010

Play
Sep 28, 2010
#Yann Tiersen #Music #Amelie
Crusty Cob Loaf

Inspired by the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, yesterday the Mr and I decided to try our hand at baking bread. I had never made bread from scratch before so it was a relief that it turned out as well as it did. We used the recipe for a cob loaf from the show, which can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_crusty_83536 and I fully intend to use it again in the future

Sep 26, 2010 1 note
#Baking #Food #Cob Loaf #Bread #The Great British Bake Off
Obsession of the Week: Blogs by Tennis Players

I am obsessed with tennis, and I love gaining an insight into the personalities of the ATP and WTA tours through their blogs. Reading about their daily lives, their ambitions, the things they go through in order to compete, their injury troubles etc humanises players and never ceases to fill me with respect and admiration. Some of the blogs out there written by touring pros are a little stilted, especially those written for the ATP and WTA websites, so I have compiled 3 of the best (in my humble opinion) to share with you all:

  1. Anne Keothavong (http://www.tennishead.net/blogs/Anne-Keothavong-Blog/): I have so much respect for Anne and all the set-backs she has had. She is incredibly honest and you’ve got to give her credit about that.
  2. Dmitry Tursunov blogs from Estoril, Dmitry Tursunov (http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2006/blogs/dmitrytursunov.aspx): A classic. I know I slated blogs on tour websites, but Dima is a comedy genius, and the corresponding blog by Bryanne Stewart on the WTA website is also great (http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/blog/20060505/bryanne-stewarts-estoril-blog_2257191_1677680).
  3. ‘Road to Success’, Megan Moulton-Levy (http://meganmoultonlevy.blogspot.com/): Megan writes from the heart and that really comes across in her writing.
Sep 24, 2010
#Blogging #Obsession of the Week #Tennis #Megan Moulton-Levy #Dmitry Tursunov #Anne Keothavong #Bryanne Stewart
Finn and Charlie are Hitchedhitchedcomic.com

I’m not really into webcomics, but I love this one and look forward to it every week. Charlie and Finn are such a cute couple.

Sep 22, 2010
What I Am Reading At The Moment

Currently I am reading The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. My love affair with Wharton’s novels began with The Age of Innocence five years ago, but until this year I had not had the opportunity to read another of her books. That changed when I spotted a new edition of The House of Mirth in a bookshop in July, which I quickly devoured within days of purchase. Earlier this month I was surprised to see The Custom of the Country in a bookshop and just had to buy it too - am I missing something? Are schools in Britain finally teaching the mighty Edith Wharton? Whatever the reason for the revival I must say I am so glad that there is suddenly a glut of her novels out there for people to enjoy.

Wharton has often been dismissed as a lightweight immitator of Henry James, but I feel this is an unfair comparison, as there is a lot more to her writing than this criticism implies. Wharton’s prose can match Austen for its satirical acidity, as well as be emotionally heart-wrenching, and reflects Wharton’s interest in Social Anthropology (Just read Ellen’s farewell dinner in The Age of Innocence to understand what I mean).

I truly hope that The Custom of the Country lives up to her other novels, and so far I’m thoroughly enjoying reading about the deliciously self-absorbed Undine Spragg.

Sep 22, 2010
#Edith Wharton #Reading #Novels #Books #The Custom of the Country
Lemon Tart

Last night the Mr came home to inform me that we had been invited over for dinner by one of his colleagues. Cue mild panic and the resolution that I’d bake a lemon tart. I made the same tart a few weeks back after news that the Mr’s aunt and uncle were stopping by and the panic attack that bombshell brought on [excuse the melodrama].

As the previous post about my vanilla biscuit fiasco suggests sweet things are not my forte in the kitchen, however the last time I made the tart it came out surprisingly well, so I was hoping for a repeat success. I found the pastry to be a little troublesome, but it seemed to work out ok. I used Fran Warde’s recipe from her book New Bistro, and have included the recipe below.

———————————————————————

Fran Warde’s Lemon Tart

For the pastry:

  • 150g plain flour
  • 75g cold butter, diced into small pieces
  • 25g caster sugar
  • 1 large egg

For the filling:

  • 2 eggs
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 175ml double cream
  • the juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • icing sugar for dusting
  1. For the pastry, place the flour and butter in a bowl and rub together quickly using your finger tips until the mixture resembles the texture of breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix through. Whisk the egg, then stir into the pastry to form a dough ball. Wrag the dough in clingfilm and chill it for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 190C. Place the chilled pastry on a work surface, press out with the heel of your hand, then roll out to fit a 23cm loose-based flan tin. Do not stretch the pastry to fit. Trim away the excess from around the edge, and prick the base with a fork. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, then cook for 20 mins.
  3. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Remove the beans and the parchment and return the flan case to the oven and bake for a further 10 mins.
  4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar, then add all but 2 tablespoons of the cream, and the lemon juice and zest, and mix together. Pour into the prepared pastry case and cook for 10 mins. Swirl in the remaining cream to create a marbled effect, then continue to cook for a further 20 mins until the filling is just set.
  5. Leave to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving.
Sep 21, 2010 1 note
#Lemon tart #Fran Warde #Recipe #Desert #Cooking
Play
Sep 21, 2010
#Black Swan #Natalie Portman #Cinema #Film #Movies #Trailers
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

Playing in the garden with my older sister.

Sep 21, 2010
Putting your worst foot forward

I had intended to start off this blog with a culinary success of some sort. Sadly this is not to be the case as I managed to fail at making biscuits. Despite having spent my teen years making biscuits and cookies, I managed to whip up some of the most bland vanilla creations known to man. Perhaps that is too strong a condemnation of them, but I don’t feel that it is worth copying out the recipe.

My baking disaster is perhaps an apt way to begin this, as it demonstrates that I am several miles off being the perfect Stepford husband. As ‘The Accidental Stepford’ suggests, the role of homemaker is not one I expected to find myself in at this stage in my life. I am 23 and a recent graduate. I have dreams and ambitions. These have been put on hold due to a combinations of factors. Firstly, the economic climate. This sounds like a massive cop out I know, the job market has always been tough and the chances of landing your dream job straight out of university have always been slim, but I can safely say that it is extra tough now. Secondly, I am living in the part of the country where there is a shortage of jobs in the industry I want to get into; publishing. Yes there are a few publishers in the West Midlands, Tindal Street Press (www.tindalstreet.co.uk) for instance, but there is hardly a glut of entry level positions available. So, for the past month I have been keeping house whilst my partner goes off to work every day. In between writing job applications I am in charge of cooking, laundry, ironing, cleaning, and the scary thing is that I’m starting to take pride in my work.

The fact that I have effectively become a house-husband is something that initially I found amusing. I joked about my new found love of the domestic, but ultimately it terrifies me. I am constantly plagued by the fear that this is my life. With the rejection letters/ e-mails/ phone calls piling up I have come to the conclusion that I ought to embrace my new found calling of house-husbandry, and you never know, if I distract myself with trying out new recipes and obsessing about keeping the hob clean, then maybe I shall suddenly find myself employed…

Sep 20, 2010
#baking #publishing #unemployment #house-husbandry
“Yet it is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.”—Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Sep 20, 2010
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