Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Fall Festival this Friday
The Fall Festival is Friday! It will be 3:30-6 p.m. in the lobby, main hallway and courtyard. Come bring the kids, in costume. There will be games and booths from just about every student organization, including face painting, pumpkin decorating, and more. We’ll have a giant bounce house in the courtyard. SBA will be grilling food for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, and for the first time they’re also providing beer and wine as well as pop and juice.
Nowell has made a special effort to invite faculty, and several faculty members have told him they’re coming and looking forward to it. Come see your profs and their kids!
Please also invite your classmates who don’t have kids. This event is open to all and is a great chance for our kids to meet our buddies and vice-versa.
See you there!
Lisa and Stasiu
p.s. if you’d like to help decorate, I’ll be in the lobby and main hallway after 1:30 on Friday, stringing up ghosts and spreading cobwebs.
Nowell has made a special effort to invite faculty, and several faculty members have told him they’re coming and looking forward to it. Come see your profs and their kids!
Please also invite your classmates who don’t have kids. This event is open to all and is a great chance for our kids to meet our buddies and vice-versa.
See you there!
Lisa and Stasiu
p.s. if you’d like to help decorate, I’ll be in the lobby and main hallway after 1:30 on Friday, stringing up ghosts and spreading cobwebs.
Food Friday: pumpkin soup
Here's a seasonal recipe I love that can take a lot of variations. The theory is that you can get your kids to eat vegetables this way, but my kids won't eat it. That's ok -- more for me. This with a roll and an apple makes a great law school lunch.
Pumpkin Velvet Soup
1 pumpkin or other winter squash weighing about 4 lbs
(note! Must be a sugar pie pumpkin, not a decorative pumpkin!)
3 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock (or broth, or water and boullion cubes)
1/4 cup orange juice
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Put pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for at least an hour, until soft. Let cool.
Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out strings and seeds and throw away, and scoop flesh into a bowl.
In a large soup pot, saute onion in butter until soft. Add stock, bring to a boil, add pumpkin and simmer until pumpkin is completely soft and heated through.
If you have a hand blender, blend soup until smooth. If you don't have a hand blender, let soup cool, then puree in batches in a blender and return to pot.
Stir in orange juice, cream if desired, and dashes of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
That's the basic recipe. I made it last week with butternut squash and added 1/2 cup sour cream, cayenne pepper and garlic salt. I think you could add a potato to thicken it up, or an apple to give a sweet flavor, or even do a variation with maple syrup. Let me know if you try it out.
Here's how I accomplish soup during the week: Shop one day. Next day, turn on oven at dinner time, throw in pumpkin, take out an hour or two later and let cool, throw in fridge. Next night (or the night after) actually make the soup.
Pumpkin Velvet Soup
1 pumpkin or other winter squash weighing about 4 lbs
(note! Must be a sugar pie pumpkin, not a decorative pumpkin!)
3 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock (or broth, or water and boullion cubes)
1/4 cup orange juice
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Put pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for at least an hour, until soft. Let cool.
Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out strings and seeds and throw away, and scoop flesh into a bowl.
In a large soup pot, saute onion in butter until soft. Add stock, bring to a boil, add pumpkin and simmer until pumpkin is completely soft and heated through.
If you have a hand blender, blend soup until smooth. If you don't have a hand blender, let soup cool, then puree in batches in a blender and return to pot.
Stir in orange juice, cream if desired, and dashes of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
That's the basic recipe. I made it last week with butternut squash and added 1/2 cup sour cream, cayenne pepper and garlic salt. I think you could add a potato to thicken it up, or an apple to give a sweet flavor, or even do a variation with maple syrup. Let me know if you try it out.
Here's how I accomplish soup during the week: Shop one day. Next day, turn on oven at dinner time, throw in pumpkin, take out an hour or two later and let cool, throw in fridge. Next night (or the night after) actually make the soup.
Toxic tots
Stasiu forwarded this link to an article regarding the stunningly high level of toxins that can accumulate in children's bodies:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html
Yeah, I'm headed for the organic section tonight.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html
Yeah, I'm headed for the organic section tonight.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Baby news
Emma Kagel Berry's son was born last night (Oct. 16), and Emma, Charley and son are doing well. I'll post more details as they arrive. Emma had an outrageously easy labor, according to Charley (where can I file an appeal regarding my own birth experiences?).
Congrats also to 2L Greg Albert, whose second daughter was born during the first week of classes. And to Peter Moreno, whose wife is expecting their second daughter. There are at least four other pregnant 2Ls and 3Ls out there due to give birth during the school year.
Christal Wood, 3L, had a lovely comment this morning:
Congrats, Papa Peter!...and congrats to Ashley, too, whose baby's gonna' have one smart mama! :-)And to everyone else with a degree in the oven.... A thought occurred to me recently while I was struggling with my own hectic schedule, and wondering at how anybody handles the elevated challenge of law school, while raising one or more small children (my kid's a teenager, and I can get away with limited supervision in exchange for a different set of challenges). As an "older" parent, I wanted to remind you what a gift you're giving your children to be taking this step; in modeling perseverance, in (hopefully) an improved and more stable way of life, in the knowledge that you'll inadvertently confer, and in the enhanced protection you'll be able to give them as they navigate their way into tomorrow's society, bound to be governed in some way by an increasingly complex rule of law.Congratulations to everybody for that--here's to you, I raise my coffee cup to you, as I write this, intolerably late for class. :-) Pax. -cw
Congrats also to 2L Greg Albert, whose second daughter was born during the first week of classes. And to Peter Moreno, whose wife is expecting their second daughter. There are at least four other pregnant 2Ls and 3Ls out there due to give birth during the school year.
Christal Wood, 3L, had a lovely comment this morning:
Congrats, Papa Peter!...and congrats to Ashley, too, whose baby's gonna' have one smart mama! :-)And to everyone else with a degree in the oven.... A thought occurred to me recently while I was struggling with my own hectic schedule, and wondering at how anybody handles the elevated challenge of law school, while raising one or more small children (my kid's a teenager, and I can get away with limited supervision in exchange for a different set of challenges). As an "older" parent, I wanted to remind you what a gift you're giving your children to be taking this step; in modeling perseverance, in (hopefully) an improved and more stable way of life, in the knowledge that you'll inadvertently confer, and in the enhanced protection you'll be able to give them as they navigate their way into tomorrow's society, bound to be governed in some way by an increasingly complex rule of law.Congratulations to everybody for that--here's to you, I raise my coffee cup to you, as I write this, intolerably late for class. :-) Pax. -cw
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Food Friday: fried rice
I don't like fried rice. Unless I make it. Using this recipe, or some variation thereof. This stuff is not only great -- and a family favorite -- but it heats up well as leftovers and it freezes well too. And it only uses one pan! But don't make it if you don't have Chinese pork, that's the magic ingredient. And the oyster sauce. Let me know if you have other variations I should try.
Fried Rice
1/2 c. oyster sauce
1 Tblsp. soy sauce (plus extra)
1 c. frozen peas
vegetable oil or peanut oil
mushrooms (shitake are best, but button or canned oyster work too)
two chicken breasts
flour
salt
two eggs
hunk of Chinese pork (try the deli section or the bacon section)
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 c. uncooked rice
Start cooking the rice. (If you cook the rice the night before, put in a plastic bag and hit with a wooden spoon to break up the chunks.)
Dump peas in a colander in the sink and spray with water for a minute or two to thaw.
In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce and one tablespoon of soy sauce; set aside.
Heat oil in large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add mushrooms. If you weren't able to get shitakes, add a few splashes of soy sauce to give your shrooms some flavor. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are limp. Pour mushrooms out of pan onto a plate.
While the mushrooms are cooking, chop raw chicken into bite sized pieces. Put a handful of flour into a plastic bag, add some salt, and dump in the chicken and shake until coated. Add more oil to the frying pan, let heat, and add chicken. Cook until lighly browned on all sides. Dump onto the plate.
Add a bit more oil and let heat. Lightly stir eggs and pour into frying pan. Let set for 1 minute, then stir and break up until just barely done. Dump onto the plate.
Add a bit more oil and let heat. Chop up Chinese pork into small pieces. Add garlic to frying pan; let cook 30 seconds. Add Chinese pork and peas. Cook 2-3 minutes until heated. Turn off heat.
Add cooked rice to pan.* Pour oyster sauce mixture over rice and stir. Add all other ingredients from the plate and stir.
Notes:
I haven't been able to find fresh shitakes for more than a year! It's driving me nuts. Dried shitakes creep me out for some reason. I've found that adding soy sauce to the mushrooms helps. The original recipe here called for Chinese sausage, which I haven't found, and I think chicken is a healthier alternative anyway.
You can cook the chicken however you want. This is how I've been doing it lately, and it's pretty good, though it takes a bit more time than just plain stir-frying. Easiest is poaching chicken the night before, throwing it in the fridge, and cutting it up cold and adding it with the pork. But that's no fun.
* If you are an overly accommodating, horribly indulgent parent like me, scoop out some of the rice and pork at this point to serve to your children. You're so nice, they don't deserve you.
Fried Rice
1/2 c. oyster sauce
1 Tblsp. soy sauce (plus extra)
1 c. frozen peas
vegetable oil or peanut oil
mushrooms (shitake are best, but button or canned oyster work too)
two chicken breasts
flour
salt
two eggs
hunk of Chinese pork (try the deli section or the bacon section)
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 c. uncooked rice
Start cooking the rice. (If you cook the rice the night before, put in a plastic bag and hit with a wooden spoon to break up the chunks.)
Dump peas in a colander in the sink and spray with water for a minute or two to thaw.
In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce and one tablespoon of soy sauce; set aside.
Heat oil in large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add mushrooms. If you weren't able to get shitakes, add a few splashes of soy sauce to give your shrooms some flavor. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are limp. Pour mushrooms out of pan onto a plate.
While the mushrooms are cooking, chop raw chicken into bite sized pieces. Put a handful of flour into a plastic bag, add some salt, and dump in the chicken and shake until coated. Add more oil to the frying pan, let heat, and add chicken. Cook until lighly browned on all sides. Dump onto the plate.
Add a bit more oil and let heat. Lightly stir eggs and pour into frying pan. Let set for 1 minute, then stir and break up until just barely done. Dump onto the plate.
Add a bit more oil and let heat. Chop up Chinese pork into small pieces. Add garlic to frying pan; let cook 30 seconds. Add Chinese pork and peas. Cook 2-3 minutes until heated. Turn off heat.
Add cooked rice to pan.* Pour oyster sauce mixture over rice and stir. Add all other ingredients from the plate and stir.
Notes:
I haven't been able to find fresh shitakes for more than a year! It's driving me nuts. Dried shitakes creep me out for some reason. I've found that adding soy sauce to the mushrooms helps. The original recipe here called for Chinese sausage, which I haven't found, and I think chicken is a healthier alternative anyway.
You can cook the chicken however you want. This is how I've been doing it lately, and it's pretty good, though it takes a bit more time than just plain stir-frying. Easiest is poaching chicken the night before, throwing it in the fridge, and cutting it up cold and adding it with the pork. But that's no fun.
* If you are an overly accommodating, horribly indulgent parent like me, scoop out some of the rice and pork at this point to serve to your children. You're so nice, they don't deserve you.
Firm makes motion based on family time
The Wall Street Journals' blogs are abuzz over an East Coast law firm that asked a judge to change a handful of crucial court dates so they could spend more time with their children. The motion reads,
“These dates [Dec. 18, 19, 20 and 27] are smack in the middle of our children’s winter breaks, which are sometimes the only times to be with our children.”
Some commenters think the firm is being manipulative; others think it should be no skin off anyone's nose just to change the dates by a week or so.
See the law blog post here, which has links to the motion and response:
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/10/09/the-law-blog-pleading-of-the-day-starring-weil-gotshal/
Another WSJ writer checks in with a work-life expert who says this is great progress toward getting the business of law to be more flexible (I'm not convinced):
http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2007/10/10/lawyers-ask-to-schedule-hearings-around-kids-calendars/
“These dates [Dec. 18, 19, 20 and 27] are smack in the middle of our children’s winter breaks, which are sometimes the only times to be with our children.”
Some commenters think the firm is being manipulative; others think it should be no skin off anyone's nose just to change the dates by a week or so.
See the law blog post here, which has links to the motion and response:
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/10/09/the-law-blog-pleading-of-the-day-starring-weil-gotshal/
Another WSJ writer checks in with a work-life expert who says this is great progress toward getting the business of law to be more flexible (I'm not convinced):
http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2007/10/10/lawyers-ask-to-schedule-hearings-around-kids-calendars/
Congratulations new lawyers!
Congratulations to all the former PALS members who passed the summer bar! Results were announced recently. I found PALS co-founder Freya Thoreson on the list, as well as last year's co-presidents Greg Wong and Merisa Heu-Weller, and board member Kent Diamond. The full list is here:
http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/summer2007.htm
http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/summer2007.htm
The Ben tree
Ben's memorial on Friday was lovely and his wife is just amazing. She spoke beautifully. Oliver, their son, is 11 months old and just starting to walk.
The tree planted in Ben's memory is a cedar. It is at the bottom of the stairs by room 138, at the far end of the building. Or if you were to go down the exterior stairs by the cafe, it's on the left side of the path just as you go past the end of the building.
PALS is planning to work on collecting money for the scholarship fund that has been created for Oliver. Look for opportunities to contribute in the future. We'll probably have an envelope at Fall Festival.
The tree planted in Ben's memory is a cedar. It is at the bottom of the stairs by room 138, at the far end of the building. Or if you were to go down the exterior stairs by the cafe, it's on the left side of the path just as you go past the end of the building.
PALS is planning to work on collecting money for the scholarship fund that has been created for Oliver. Look for opportunities to contribute in the future. We'll probably have an envelope at Fall Festival.
PALS board
Welcome to PALS's new 1L board members Tami Becker Gomez, Kevin McCrae, Christie Wang and Yin Cheung!
The PALS executive board is:
Co-presidents Lisa Kremer (kremerl@) and Stasiu Nowak (stasiu@)
Co-VPs Amanda Carmany-Rampey and Christine Porter
Secretary Michael Sterner
Treasurer Lisa Goldoftas
Executive board members are Laura Arras, Peter Moreno, Pat Schaff, Ray Liaw, Peter Santos, Louis Butler, Tami Becker Gomez, Kevin McCrae, Christie Wang and Yin Cheung.
The PALS executive board is:
Co-presidents Lisa Kremer (kremerl@) and Stasiu Nowak (stasiu@)
Co-VPs Amanda Carmany-Rampey and Christine Porter
Secretary Michael Sterner
Treasurer Lisa Goldoftas
Executive board members are Laura Arras, Peter Moreno, Pat Schaff, Ray Liaw, Peter Santos, Louis Butler, Tami Becker Gomez, Kevin McCrae, Christie Wang and Yin Cheung.
Infant meds recalled
Looking for the short version of the recall of infant cold medicines? Here's the link to the announcement and the list of what was actually recalled:
http://www.chpa-info.org/ChpaPortal/PressRoom/NewsReleases/2007/10_11_07_CCMedicines.htm
My understanding is that the infant meds themselves aren't dangerous if properly used, but that there is a danger that parents/caregivers will accidentally give too much.
My cupboards have a lot of these drugs in them -- Tylenol Cold and Dimetapp in particular. They were recommended by our pediatrician. It is hard to know when a decongestant is actually working, though. I am a big fan of plain old Benadryl, Tylenol and Motrin (really, their cheap generic versions).
http://www.chpa-info.org/ChpaPortal/PressRoom/NewsReleases/2007/10_11_07_CCMedicines.htm
My understanding is that the infant meds themselves aren't dangerous if properly used, but that there is a danger that parents/caregivers will accidentally give too much.
My cupboards have a lot of these drugs in them -- Tylenol Cold and Dimetapp in particular. They were recommended by our pediatrician. It is hard to know when a decongestant is actually working, though. I am a big fan of plain old Benadryl, Tylenol and Motrin (really, their cheap generic versions).
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Help out a future parent
Hi PALS!
I've talked to some of you individually, but I'm putting out a general call for advice over the next few months. I'm a 2L, 18 weeks along with my first child (it's a boy!), due on March 11th. Since my husband and I are the first of our close group of friends to have kids, we'd welcome advice as we start planning for our first little one. Specifically, I have questions about
1) Doulas: Has anyone had one? We're giving birth at Swedish Medical Center, and have a great doctor, but we were wondering if a doula might be helpful. Our parents are coming into town around the birth date, but if the baby decides to come early, we might be on our own here.
2) Child care: We will probably need child care in the summer, when I go to work. Does anyone know of any great places that take infants or have suggestions on how to find/pick a nanny or nanny share?
3) Parenting support groups: What's worth doing? What's extra time that we don't have?
Thanks in advance for the advice!
Vanessa
I've talked to some of you individually, but I'm putting out a general call for advice over the next few months. I'm a 2L, 18 weeks along with my first child (it's a boy!), due on March 11th. Since my husband and I are the first of our close group of friends to have kids, we'd welcome advice as we start planning for our first little one. Specifically, I have questions about
1) Doulas: Has anyone had one? We're giving birth at Swedish Medical Center, and have a great doctor, but we were wondering if a doula might be helpful. Our parents are coming into town around the birth date, but if the baby decides to come early, we might be on our own here.
2) Child care: We will probably need child care in the summer, when I go to work. Does anyone know of any great places that take infants or have suggestions on how to find/pick a nanny or nanny share?
3) Parenting support groups: What's worth doing? What's extra time that we don't have?
Thanks in advance for the advice!
Vanessa
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Memorial planned for Ben Athay
PALS lost a great friend and board member this summer when 2L Ben Athay died. Ben's friend Mike Peters has worked with the law school to schedule a memorial service for Ben. It will be 4-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, in room 138. I don't know if Alison and Oliver (Ben's 9-month-old son) will come, but I hope so. Please come if you can.
The school will plant a memorial tree in Ben's honor. I'm sure we'll find out more details about it at the service. The PALS board also has been talking about doing something in Ben's honor, in tune with his joy at being a father and a student. We'll keep you posted.
The press release about Ben and the memorial service are posted here:
http://www.law.washington.edu/News/Articles/Default.aspx?YR=2007&ID=AthayMemorial
The school will plant a memorial tree in Ben's honor. I'm sure we'll find out more details about it at the service. The PALS board also has been talking about doing something in Ben's honor, in tune with his joy at being a father and a student. We'll keep you posted.
The press release about Ben and the memorial service are posted here:
http://www.law.washington.edu/News/Articles/Default.aspx?YR=2007&ID=AthayMemorial
PALS meeting on Monday
Hey folks, PALS' (PALS's?) first meeting of the year will be Monday, Oct. 8, 12:30 in room 118.
All are welcome, whether you consider yourself a member of PALS or not. We'll be checking in to see how everyone's doing and if you have any current issues you're concerned about. We'll also tell you about some upcoming events -- be sure to come to the Fall Festival on Oct. 26! And we'll talk about some recent developments in work-life balance issues.
Lunch will be provided!
All are welcome, whether you consider yourself a member of PALS or not. We'll be checking in to see how everyone's doing and if you have any current issues you're concerned about. We'll also tell you about some upcoming events -- be sure to come to the Fall Festival on Oct. 26! And we'll talk about some recent developments in work-life balance issues.
Lunch will be provided!
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