Palin Power

I'm rooting for Governor Palin. There, I said it. Now, because our policy views are diametrically opposed, chances are that I will still cast a vote for Obama. Nevertheless, I'm still rooting for Palin. I watched her RNC speech last night, and I was relieved- she did a great job. Palin was tapped to be VP to complement McCain, and she seems to do just that. Appeal to the social conservatives? Check. Appeal to the working moms? Check. Appeal to the working class? Check. Appeal to small town America? Check. Deliver a good punchline? Check. I suppose that last one wasn't a requirement, but I was entertained (even though this came at Obama's expense).

All right, this is why I want Palin to perform well: If she messes this up, I'm afraid that she's going to mess things up for all women. I'm afraid that people will say "see what happens when we nominate a woman? Let's not do that again." I'm afraid that people will say that women just aren't suitable for positions of power for whatever reason: family responsibilities, pressure, media scrutiny, qualifications, etc. Think about it, when a man screws up, we never think twice about electing another one. However, if Palin screws up, I'm afraid that we'll think twice about nominating another woman. Already, we are second guessing her qualifications and experience, and there have been doubts that she was properly vetted. It's been 24 years since a woman was on a major party ticket; I don't want to wait another 24 to see another one.

let's talk about sex

I finally got around to removing the Hillary sign out of my bedroom window. That I waited so long to do so wasn't out of hostility toward Obama but rather sheer laziness. Anyway, I've been paying more attention to the Republican National Convention than I did to the Democratic National Convention. Maybe it's because the RNC is in my home state of Minnesota, but there's just more excitement and drama on the Republican side.

All right, where do I start? Let's begin with the surprise VP nomination- Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. How many people have ever heard of her? Seriously, how many people even know where Alaska is? Only a few days before McCain announced his VP pick, my dad and I had a conversation about potential candidates. I mentioned that I thought a woman would be a strategic choice, and I had Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in mind. Anyway, I was completely shocked that McCain did actually pick a woman (and one with minimal experience). Who says Republicans are against affirmative action?

A thought about political experience. We hear all this talk that the VP is "a heartbeat away from the presidency." I mean, I know McCain is old, but would his VP seriously be a "heartbeat away from the presidency"? The media make it sound like McCain is going keel over and die any moment. Does this piss him off? Is he secretly seething and screaming inside "I'm not dead yet, you morons!" And, isn't it interesting that it's not okay to be blatantly racist or sexist, but apparently ageist is okay? Just something to think about. A final thought about political experience: I've never been VP and I'm not familiar with the office, but I would suspect that there's a pretty steep learning curve and Palin would be okay if she had to assume the presidency.

Other thoughts: I like how McCain is trying to attract Hillary supporters with the Palin pick. As if any woman will do, and as if I'll just exchange my Hillary sign for a Sarah sign. Sure, like I won't notice that the woman on the ticket is a gun toting, NRA card carrying lifetime member, and posterchild for the anti-abortion crowd who thinks creationism should be taught in schools and that climate change is a sham. Nice try, John McCain.

And finally, how could I forget that Governor Palin's daughter is pregnant? I mean, the New York Times reminds me every time I open up my internet browser. The media sure is having fun with this one. Between the drama on the Republican side and Gustav, they've had a busy week. Seriously, teenage pregnancy probably sucks as it is, and I can't imagine enduring it with all the attention, criticism, and Democrats laughing about the irony of the Republican monopoly on so-called "family values." Plus, some have gone so far as to question Governor Palin's plan to seek the vice presidency and campaign despite her daughter's pregnancy. Dubbed the Campaign Edition of the Mommy Wars, some suggest that Palin may not make a good VP, considering she has her hands full with 5 kids and a grandkid on the way. Really? Would we be questioning Palin if she were a man? I don't think so. Ugh.

If there are any lessons to be learned from this whole ordeal, it's this: comprehensive sex education. Can we please talk about sex now? Really. This abstinence only "education" and sweeping sex ed under the rug just isn't working. Fine, teach kids to wait until marriage, but they're not going to listen. Not even the kids who learn that premarital sex is wrong, not even the kids who are raised in socially conservative families, and not even the kids who take virginity pledges. And when these kids decide to have sex anyway, they're ill prepared and aren't going to take the necessary precautions for safe sex. Think that talking about condoms is going to put ideas into their head and encourage them to have sex? Think again: sex is everywhere; all kids have to do is turn on the TV, open a magazine, or surf the internet to find provocative photos of Miley Cyrus, spoiled teenagers having sex (hello, Gossip Girl!), and guys desperately trying to get laid (Superbad). Sure, touting comprehensive sex ed might be easy for me considering I don't have kids. Yet, doesn't it make sense to prepare kids for something they're going to do anyway? I mean, even the governor's teenage daughter has sex. Let's stop being in denial.

a day at the getty

Yesterday, I headed up to LA to go to the Getty Museum. It was a good day- lots of paintings, sculptures, beautiful gardens. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

The day ended on the UCLA campus at this cookie shop, Diddy Riese, known for making ice cream sandwiches with an assortment of cookies and ice creams flavors. I ate a vanilla ice cream sandwich with a chocolate chocolate chip walnut cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. I went home content and with a full belly.

buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks

Last weekend, the Minnesota Twins were in town to play the Angels. I went to the game on Friday night and the one on Sunday afternoon. So, not a lot to say about this. The Twins won 9-0 on Friday night and lost 5-3 on Sunday. It was Fan Photo Day on Sunday before the game, so we were able to go down on the field and take photos with the Angels players.

Fan Photo Day didn't really hold my attention (well, I suppose it was a little cool to see Torii Hunter and Vlad Guererro up close) until the Twins pitchers came onto the field to warm up.

It's Joe Nathan!
And Joe Mauer!

Operation Chocolate Chip Cookie: Trial 12

I am back from the baking hiatus and ready to continue the chocolate chip cookie mission. The other day, I made Chocolate Chip Cookies VII, a finalist in the Search for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe book.

I must be out of practice because these cookies turned out a little darker and than I would have liked. (you can't really see this in the picture because it's so light) They were also a bit crunchy, which some people might like. These had an all butter base, equal parts of walnuts and chocolate chips, and a 2 to 1 granulated sugar to brown sugar ratio. LD liked these cookies, and so did DM's family- they liked the ratio of walnuts to chocolate chips, and the brown sugar/butter balance. These cookies had great flavor, even though they were not so soft and chewy.

they confiscated the peanut butter

I almost made it through security without a hitch, but the official airport security people had to search my luggage. Turns out that I had accidentally packed a jar of peanut butter in my carry on. ( And, it turns out that peanut butter is considered a liquid.) Now, this wasn't just any jar of peanut butter. I'm not talking about Skippy or Jif. No, this was a jar of P.B. Loco peanut butter. P.B. Loco is a Minnesota-based company founded by 3 former lawyers. It serves up flavored gourmet peanut butters and funky sandwiches. I discovered the store a few years ago at the Mall of America, and I was hooked. There are many cool flavors (they may sound strange, but they taste sooooo good!)- mocha, banana, Asian curry, sun dried tomato, cinnamon raisin, white chocolate raspberry, etc.

While in Ann Arbor, I came across these peanut butters in a spice shop. I was really excited, and I bought the chocolate chip cookie dough peanut butter. My knitting needles, hand cream, and contact solution passed through security just fine, but sadly, the official airport security people confiscated the peanut butter. Boo. I'll get over it. And order peanut butter online.

s'mores, sandwiches, and cupcakes

Last night, a friend and I got together for s'mores and a movie at the Michigan Theater, an historic theater on campus. We saw Vicky Christina Barcelona, which I recommend. So, the theater is pretty cool and the interior is like a live theater with a stage, not a movie theater. I am definitely glad that we checked it out.

I spent my last day in Ann Arbor ducking in and out of art galleries downtown. Lots of paintings, pottery, and art that I cannot afford. In a couple of the galleries, the artists were staffing the front desks so I got to chat with them.

So, my favorite sandwich places ever: The Big 10 in Minneapolis, the Meeting Street Cafe in Providence, and now Zingerman's, this popular deli in Ann Arbor. So, here's a strange thing about myself: I don't like to make sandwiches. I will spend embarassingly (is that a word?) lengthy amounts of time baking and cooking, but I hate making sandwiches. I have a friend who, when she eats out, refuses to order sandwiches because these are something that she can easily make at home. I, however, am completely the opposite: rarely will I ever put anything between two slices of bread. I love sandwiches, especially when other people make them for me. So, even though Zingerman's garners rave reviews and several people told me to give it a try, no arm twisting was necessary.

Zingerman's was busy, which was to be expected on a Saturday afternoon. In addition to the deli, Zingerman's has a coffeehouse and a store where it sells pastas, olive oils, gourmet condiments, and baked goods. (Oh, and it is supposed to have an excellent selection of chocolate bars, but I was too focused on the cheese and bread samples to give them a try.) It boasts a friendly staff eager to help and offer samples. Below, you stand in line and place your order; then you head outside or next store to the coffeehouse to take a seat and wait for someone to bring your food. The great customer service keeps everything organized and running smoothly to ensure an experience that could otherwise be very chaotic and unpleasant.

Outside, there were a couple of food tents. Here, I sampled freshly made mozzarella, salami, prosciutto, and bread and olive oil.

The service was quick, and the staff easily found me, patiently and eagerly waiting for my food. Although Zingerman's has a huge selection of sandwiches, it did not take me long at all to decide upon the Reuben- corned beef, Switzerland Swiss cheese, sauerkraut & Russian dressing on grilled, hand-sliced Jewish rye bread. In a NYC Slow Food corned beef taste-test, a panel of judges that included Mario Batali and Jeffrey Steingarten, voted Zingerman's the Best of Show. (Uh, I think I just plagiarized from the website) Why would I order anything else?

The sandwich is huge! (This is the small- I can't imagine what a regular looks like) It was so, so good. Even though it was stuffed with meat, sauerkraut, and cheese, eating it was not nearly as messy or as difficult as I had anticipated. I would have liked to have tried out Zingerman's baked goods (a friend recommended the chocolate cake-but it was rumored to be the size of my head), but I had no room for dessert, so I bought a chocolate chip cookie to eat later. Dubbed the "funky chunky chocolate cookie," Zingerman's chocolate chip cookie did not disappoint. LD recommended that I try the cookie (for my chocolate chip cookie mission research, of course), and I'm glad that I heeded his advice. This cookie was full of bittersweet Belgian chocolate chunks and toasted walnuts in an all-butter batter. Soft, chewy, wonderful. After my adventure at Zingerman's, I stopped at Cake Nouveau.
The chef and owner is a trained artist, and Cake Nouveau specializes in wedding cakes and special event cakes. They sell cupcakes (with rotating weekly flavors) in this small, intimate, and very cute store. It had a good vibe, and the employee who helped me out was very nice. The chef/owner has won some cake challenge competitions on the Food Network, so it is no surprise that the cupcakes and cakes on display were absolutely beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.

It seems as though cupcakes are all the rage now, and normally I don't cave in and buy them in bakeries, no matter how delicious they may appear. I think that bakeries trick its customers: it spends too much time making food look really good and not enough time making sure it tastes good. So, I tend not to buy baked goods because the critical pessimist in me is sure that I'll be disappointed. (plus, the cupcake snob in me believes that I can do better) Well, I'm glad that I broke this guideline today. I chose the Chocolate Truffle cupcake. I was not sure what to expect; I kind of expected the cupcake to taste mediocre, only because I did not think it was possible for something to look good and taste good. I was wrong. This cupcake was moist and oh so chocolate-y, with a light and fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting. Clearly, the chef makes sure that her cakes and cupcakes look and taste impressive. This was absolutely fabulous. My only complaint? That I did not discover this place earlier!

So, that wraps up my trip to Ann Arbor, and I am headed back to Southern California tomorrow morning. I cannot believe how fast this past month flew by!