Ombailamos

discuss amongst yourselves

This is a "link" article. http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/who_are_you/

This is the point of the linked essay:

You Are What You Learn.

Here is a little sample:

"If all you know is how to be a gang member, that's what you'll be, at least until you learn something else. ... A person changes at a fundamental level as he or she merges with a particular field of knowledge. If you don't like who you are, you have the option of learning until you become someone else. ... There's almost nothing you can't learn your way out of. Life is like a jail with an unlocked, heavy door. You're free the minute you realize the door will open if you simply lean into it."

And now, a few words from your host. A first, big, fat, important point:

Learning involves a lot more than just reading something. You can read about politics and the economy, or about fitness, or about dog grooming, every day and you will not have learned more than the barest, most superficial factoids about the multifarious complexities of any of those fields.

True learning requires study. Study requires access to multiple sources of information, configured by people or institutions with multiple points of view. It then requires reading all this information with a truly open mind, with all biases identified and neutralized to the extent possible. It probably requires writing, or otherwise restating, your understanding of the material in a context enabling correction by others that are conversant with the material. (This would be also called "school.")

Self-study can be great, but you miss the opportunity to defend your conclusions, which is key to weeding out the errors.

And learning doesn't just stop at study. In many, if not most, fields of knowledge true learning requires the physical application of the knowledge. A doctor isn't licensed to practice until he or she can demonstrate his or her physical ability to carry out the procedures required. A plumber, car mechanic, or manicurist isn't, either. (And a ballroom dancer can't say she's learned a figure until she can execute it correctly.)

In the context of fitness, this means you can read about best practices all day every day, but if your level of activity does not go beyond moving from bed to car to office chair to car to couch, you probably haven't actually learned much about fitness. You may have many facts at your disposal but without a physical understanding of the practice required, those facts, and the time spent acquiring them, are useless and wasted.

So for example I consider myself to be learning yoga and ballroom dancing because I practice yoga and ballroom dancing. But all I know about running is theory.

Applied to nutrition, this means that you can have every diet book ever written on your shelves at home, but if your daily diet goes from bagel to cheeseburger to pizza, you haven't learned a damn thing. You may have all those books because of magical thinking, you may even have done what they said - for a while - but you didn't look at the information in them as part of an entire body of actual, scientific, knowledge.

Acquiring information doesn't take much time or effort. That's why most people stop there, and don't go beyond into true study or into the physical application of the knowledge.

Your choices, in many ways, are the most true definition of what you've learned. And your life is the manifestation of your choices. If you are not happy with your life, learn your way out of it. Choose to learn, because learning gives you a different set of choices.

somebody got a present!

She looks evil, but she's actually really happy!

the latest pot roast! beef chuck, etc.

'Tis the season for the slow cooker. Which is probably going to see a lot more action this winter than last, because we are already overscheduled and winter hasn't even really started yet!

This one was based on a 3-pound chuck roast and it was the nicest beef pot roast we've had to date - so I recommend that cut. Also: super simple.

The ingredients:

• aforementioned slab of beef
• can of tomato paste
• 2 small onions, peeled & cut into 8ths
• 6 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into 3" sections
• 6 or 7 cloves of garlic
• bay leaf
• oregano, about a teaspoon (dry)
• paprika to taste
• tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

The process: Beef goes in first, tomato paste is slathered all over it, then drop in the onions and carrots, then toss in the seasonings on top. Give it about an hour on HIGH to get the cooking started, then turn it down to low and leave it for at least 5-6 hours.

Then: add one to two tablespoons of bacon fat, turn the meat over and rip into it with a couple of big forks - tear it into chunks - and then leave it for another 1-2 hours. Opening up the meat really lets the added fat and the sauce penetrate. Resulting in succulent deliciousness.

In my experience, cooking a pot roast longer has never been a bad thing. Shortening cooking times by doing more time on HIGH has been a gamble that didn't always pay off, so ideally something like this starts before you leave for work.

adaptation: cranberry-walnut pie

I don't know where the "family" recipe for cranberry-pecan pie came from, but I've made it several times over the years and it's always been a winner. BUT turns out, pecans - for some reason - were costing about 3x as much as walnuts this year. So I had to be adaptable. Here is the result.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz fresh (or frozen & thawed) cranberries, washed and halved - about 1.5 cups
• 16 oz halves & pieces walnuts
• 3 eggs, well-beaten
• 4 tablespoons of salted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of maple syrup
• spices to taste
• 1 unbaked pie shell

The Process: preheat oven to 325. First beat the eggs together in a small bowl, then melt the butter in a medium-large glass bowl. Stir the sugar and the maple syrup into the butter, then add spices. I used: cloves, allspice, orange peel, nutmeg, and cardamom. (Not a terrible quantity of each; I let cloves and cardamom predominate, just to the point that spices came to the nose first rather than sugar + butter. Start small and work your way up.) Now stir in the eggs and combine well.

If you haven't already got your pie shell in the pie pan, do that now. Dump the cranberries in first, the walnuts on top, then gently pour the egg mixture over the top.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Try to let it cool before slicing. Enjoy!

link of the week: Slate on drinking

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drink/2011/11/the_old_fashioned_a_complete_history_and_guide_to_this_classic_c.html

Here is my favorite sentence from this lengthy and very entertaining essay about what an old-fashioned cocktail is, and how and why to drink one:

"People who say you can't judge a book by its cover don't know how to read."

HAHAHAHAHAHA! 'Scuse me.

I am not much of a liquor drinker, myself. I like very many types of alcoholic beverages, but my acute awareness of their high caloric content keeps me relatively pure.

My drink of choice is a glass of wine with dinner. To me, wine is an essential part of a civilized meal and, as such, wine is part of my grocery budget. (In fact, if this were a civilized city like, say, Paris, I would have some pinot noir in the office fridge to drink with my grilled-cheese sandwich from the lunch counter. But I digress.)

Why, might you ask, do I then have a quite fully stocked bar cabinet? Well, because the occasional cocktail - or nightcap, or aperitif - serves its own, and perhaps no-less-essential, function. It can put a little gaiety into a gathering; serve as a sort of chemical neck massage after a tense day; disperse gathering conversational stormclouds; and tranquilize the chattering monkey brain.

All that said, however, for me it is generally either/or. IF I plan to have wine with dinner, it is highly unlikely that I will also have a pre-dinner cocktail or a nightcap. IF I have a pre-dinner cocktail, I rarely have wine with dinner. And sometimes I will deliberately have neither a cocktail nor a glass of wine, saving myself for that nightcap.

Because unfortunately, for all the infinite and engaging variety of spirits (and wine & beer), they all come down to one thing: sugar.

I don't need to enjoy multiple genial beverages all on the same day. My calorie budget won't permit it, for one thing; sugar calories, especially those ingested toward the end of the day, go exactly one place: into the belly fat.

Cutting out (or reducing) alcohol is probably one of the two easiest ways to make a big dent in caloric overspending - right up there with cutting out soft drinks.

Having only one thoughtful, fully-enjoyed drink a day is not a deprivation. Quite the opposite, I think. There are a lot of evenings in life ... plenty of time to find the perfect old-fashioned.

DWTS 13: the finals, part I

I refer you to Kim at TelevisionWithoutPity for a recap; she and I have had a mind-meld, or something, because I find myself just nodding along going "yup ... yup ... so right!"

What I'd like to add is this. I understand that competitors want to bring something new and fresh to the mirrorball universe, BUT. I have two real problems with lifts and tricks that are working their way into the ballroom from the worlds of salsa and Lindy Hop. Those problems are, first: these tricks are really, seriously dangerous; and second; most of them are really, seriously ugly.

Salsa - and I speak here of the extreme salsa practiced in competitions, not social salsa - is producing some moves that are grimy, skanky, Coyote Ugly pole-dancing rubbish. And Lindy Hop (also as practiced in competition, up to and including the World Rock & Roll championships) is famous for moves that are best performed in sneakers - not ballroom shoes. I don't, frankly, want either of these in my ballroom.

DWTS is still, after all, nominally about ballroom dancing. And one of the things ballroom aficionados love about it is that even in the sexy dances - and they are sexy! - there is still an attempt to maintain a veneer of elegance.

I may be showing my age here, or it just may be that I am a ballroom girl through and through, but I don't find the extreme tricks appealing in any way. As a ballroom booster, I don't want the general public to think that's what we do.

And I don't think it's a great thing, on a family show, to demonstrate moves like that jump-on-her-face trick. I don't want kids who are interested in dance to see something like that and think it's a great idea. It's a terrible idea! And it looks awful!

Look, I love J.R. and I have enormous respect for Karina, but I frankly liked Rob's freestyle a lot better. There was more partner dancing in it and the tricks were consistent with ballroom dancing.

J.R. owned the rumba and samba ... a routine based on those could have been great, with plenty of Latin action and plenty of room for tricks ... and maybe even a built-in reference to his military experience to work those voters.

I don't necessarily agree that the show is won by the best freestyle. But I sure hope J.R. doesn't lose it because of his.

 

Updated to add: well, that's a relief!

Also, sharing Kim's commentary:

"... I've got a complaint to register about this season. The camerawork, or rather the shots that the producers choose. More than I've ever noticed before, the producer chooses to vary the shots a lot during the routines. The problem is that the person choosing the shots doesn't seem to know much about dancing, so they will cut away from their feet right at an important footwork part or cut away from a full body shot during a part where a full body shot is important. I've never noticed it before this season so I have to assume there's a new producer or something. It sucks. Stop doing that. I'll be watching a routine and just about to figure out why, for example, Rob's steps look weird and they'll cut to a shot of just his face. STOP THAT! Thank you."

Yes. What she said. Anyone who does not know how important full-body, uninterrupted camera frames are to the proper communication of a televised or filmed dance routine should immediately go and watch five or six Fred Astaire movies. Well, you should anyway, but just imagine what those would look like if the cameras were cutting all over the place. Would he have been a superstar? I don't think so.

why keeping fit is difficult

This relates to the following post at Nerd Fitness: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/11/21/whats-holding-you-back/

I have to be in an office, sitting down at a computer, 8.5 hours a day. Another half-hour is spent on my round-trip commute. (I'm not the boss so I can't demand a stand-up workstation; a long walk on the lunch hour is not an option because we don't have a shower and locker room in the office. I'm 46; I sweat. A walk after work would be great except I'm hungry, and I'm the wife, so guess who's in the kitchen?)

I have to sleep 7.5 hours a night or my mental and physical health goes into a downward spiral. That's 16 hours of my 24 accounted for.

It takes me an hour to get ready for work in the morning, and at least an hour to cook dinner & clean up in the evening. 18 hours accounted for ... 6 left.

I have a minimum of an hour of general housekeeping, cat care, etc most days. 5 left. An hour to actually sit down and eat dinner ... 4 left. An hour to take care of correspondence related to friends, family, USA Dance, and whatever mail has come in ... 3 left. A half hour to get ready for bed. 2.5 left.

Now, 2.5 hours a day is a lot of time! That's plenty of time to do a workout, right? Except ... I'm TIRED! I've been "on" all day and I just want to sit and read in front of the TV with the husband beside me and a cat on my legs. I *really* don't want to go and do something else by myself when I could be having that quiet time with my little family. (Could I go to bed earlier and get up earlier? Sure ... if I didn't mind giving up time with my husband. And I mean time when we're both awake, both done with our daily obligations, and in the same room. There is less of this than you might think.)

And that is the struggle. I know perfectly well that I need to do daily exercise and most days I do at least some. But not enough. I'll bet a lot of us struggle with choosing what we are willing to give up so that we can find that guaranteed, daily, block of time when we are not only FREE to work out, but ABLE to give it our wholehearted attention and commitment.

I'm not willing to give up the cats, home-cooked meals (and the attendant meal planning, shopping, and cleanup), housekeeping, or grooming. I can't give up sleep or the job. All that's left to give up is leisure time. And when you ask someone to juggle "workout" versus "leisure," I'm betting a lot of us just default to "leisure."

I'm not saying this is the smart choice. I'm just saying, I'll bet it's a common choice. And on a lot of levels I think it's reasonable. Not for longterm health, maybe, but for coping with the demands of quotidien existence.

The problem is reconciling the wish to be fitter, slimmer, stronger, or faster with the wish to, you know, not have *every* minute of the day accounted for. Because I, for one, frequently rebel against this unceasing need to fit my life into a schedule dictated by employment.

And so I often just DON'T do it.

what to do with a passel of persimmons!

My produce box last week included three persimmons. I was hoping for some of these, even though I have never cooked with them before, for one primary reason: persimmons will grow on the Central Coast of California, and I wanted to see if I liked them enough to plant a persimmon tree - along with an apple, a quince, an avocado, and some olives - when we finally get that shack in the woods I keep talking about.

The verdict? Oh yeah. I'm planting the tree.

My criteria for choosing recipes are simple. The recipe has to be relatively quick to execute, and it has to result in something that is either adaptable enough to use as a side dish to different meats, or a full meal on its own. Hey, I work full-time. I don't make three-course meals.

This recipe was from a Bon Appetit entry from 1996, found on Epicurious, and is given as adapted to my personal taste. All spices are out of jars.

SPICED PERSIMMON CHUTNEY

Cooking skill required: minimal.

Ingredients:

• 1 sizable tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (small; this is chutney, not hash)
• 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped (small)
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped (small)
• 2 teaspoons orange peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon (each) cloves, allspice, and ancho chili
• dash (each) nutmeg and cayenne
• 4 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and chopped (small)

The Process: deposit all ingredients except the persimmons in a large, heavy saucepan-type device and heat rapidly (medium-high heat), stirring frequently, to a soft boil; reduce heat to simmer; leave it alone, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, until onion and apple are tender and liquids have reduced to a syrupy consistency.

Now add the chopped persimmons, and a bit of water if it looks necessary, and simmer till persimmons are tender - up to 10 minutes more.

I did all my persimmon prep after the other stuff was in the pan, because I am not fast with the knives but I thought I could get it all done within the time available (and I could).

The result is a distinctly vinegary, sweet, and spicy relish-like concoction that works with pretty much any non-beef meat. There's about four cups of it - plenty to freeze half for Thanksgiving, and eat the rest between now and then.

The nutrition value on this is through the roof, even with the sugar. Substitutions: instead of sugar, try honey OR agave nectar OR heck, maple syrup; instead of apricots, try raisins OR golden raisins OR dried cranberries. With the apricots (or golden raisins) it's a gorgeous autumnal orangey-brown when finished.

Don't eat it as a side dish - it's definitely a garnish - unless you add it to rice to make a fabulous pilaf.

If you are not quite the lover of vinegar that I am, you could go 3/4 c vinegar to 3/4 c water and probably come out just fine. And obviously, spice to your own taste. Yum.

link of the week: the fluent self

http://www.fluentself.com/blog/biggification/we-interrupt-our-scheduled-programming/

This post is not about ballroom dancing, so why am I tagging it to the Strictly Ballroom file?

Because when I read it, I thought about group classes. I thought about how transformative the experience can be of learning something new at the same time as a bunch of other people.

And also how inspiring it can be to watch the lightbulb go on for someone else. Because, you know, we all learn at a different pace and in our own unique way.

Some of us get certain things really quickly and some of us don't. Some of us need to repeat material again and again before that switch flips. When you do this in a private-lesson format (or especially, by trial and error alone in your living room) not only do you not get the benefit of watching other people learn: you probably end up hitting the same problems over and over again because you just don't know where you are tripping up.

A private lesson is, I'd say, the BEST way to do these things:

• learn a set of new basic figures;
• identify your specific technical challenges;
• assemble choreography; and
• work on aspects of performance.

But a group lesson is, I'd say, the BEST way to do these other things:

• learn a social combination;
• learn lead and follow;
• learn by example - listening and watch as others learn; and of course
• learn what's fun about dancing.

Private lessons, whether for basics or a wedding dance or for competition, are WORK. You may have revelations, but they are often the sort that are pulled out of you by force.

Group classes, on the other hand, can set you down in the middle of that buzzy force field Havi is talking about, as at some point the entire group gets it and all of a sudden you are all dancing together and it is awesome.

DWTS 13: not completely unexpected

Last night's semifinal performances went about as I would have predicted, with the exception of J.R.'s. On the one hand, the sprain can't be too severe or he wouldn't be able to dance at all. On the other, just because a sprain doesn't fully compromise joint stability doesn't mean it isn't painful as hell. As we could all pretty clearly see. His tango was still awfully good, but the injury definitely showed up in his paso and cha-cha.

The good thing is that he should be feeling much better by next week (at least if it's just the ankle, and not also his back as some of his action suggests), and I have no doubt that he will be in the final. There is no way the world is going to put Hope ahead of him. Right, world??

I had the cha-cha relay results pegged. And I identified two things that bug me about Ricki's dancing. One - which Kim at TVWoPity also noted - the closed-mouth smile and lifted chin, which do not exactly convey "fun!" And two - her legs are super tight! I mean, you could drive a Big Wheel between Hope's legs at any given moment, but Ricki's are the opposite extreme. There is not room for a dime between those shapely thighs.

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that Skype session with Denise Wall. Wonder what the tips were re: keeping the shoulders down? The tendency in novice dancers is to lift the frame from above - which naturally brings the shoulders up and constricts the neck and chest - exactly the wrong way to achieve an open, outwardly-poised posture that is still accessible to strong connection with a partner. The way I learned to do it was to support the frame from below, using the muscles of the mid-back. It's a great technique that every dancer should work on.

Things I liked (overall) about this episode: I liked having all contestants do an Argentine Tango on the same night. And I liked the cha-cha relay concept. I think it's helpful to the audience to see everyone do things in parallel. Even though we have leaders and followers among the contestants, putting them side by side does let a person see how an amateur leader stacks up to a pro, as well as to his competitor - and obviously, the same goes for the followers.

Things I didn't like: more excessive costuming and props. A float?! Really? And the whole Zorro hat/mask thing for J.R. didn't work for me. I love that music and I know his performance would have been completely different if an injury weren't in play, but the costume was too much.

Random note: If I were Cheryl, I would be encouraging Rob to take a crack at genuine pro-am competition. He's really got potential as a dancer and since he hasn't yet settled on a path in life, why not do something that is mentally and physically challenging, that he has demonstrated an aptitude for, that would take him out of the estrogenated hothouse that apparently is his family life, and that would give him a path to achievement in a field that actually takes talent and hard work. Unlike being filmed while shopping. Meow.

Updated to add (this is stolen directly from Kim at www.televisionwithoutpity.com ):

"So now it's down to JR and Karina or Hope and Maks. If Hope and Maks make it to the finals, I am going to riot. Seriously, call 911 because I am going to Occupy My Living Room. It will be tent city up in here. Ain't no court orders going to evict me. Get to it, Bergeron. My blood pressure is rising."

I know a lot of people who felt this way ... including me. Let's bring back Tristan and that Australian guy, shall we? and have season 14 without Mark or Maks? Srsly.