A Weekend with Goo

Less than 12 hours after putting Gommie on her train, the kids' uncle, Goo, came for the weekend.  Being a doctor, he doesn't often get full weekends off, but he did and elected to spend it with us.

Playing video games.

Almost from the moment he showed up to the moment he left, he was playing Splatoon, Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, Infinity or some other game with the kids.  They even played a few traditional board games, including one based on the comic book Mouse Guard.  And they had a blast!  They particularly liked playing Splatoon, which was having a special Splatfest this weekend--a contest between marshmallow and hot dog lovers.  We were on the marshmallow team.  And so they played and played and played, taking turns between the three of them, with Goo giving them strategic advice.  Mama and I even went to bed early on Saturday while they stayed up til midnight playing.  I did play a few rounds of MarioKart ("not last! not last!"), but not the super-fast 200cc races they started to play.

We did break for meals, though not so much for cooking.  We had Vietnamese take-out on Friday, Thai take-out on Saturday, and Peruvian take-out on Sunday.  Goo did bring a delicious strawberry pie and then taught Bud, who loved it, how to make it.  I include the recipe from Serious Eats below.  


We also went to the opening of a local lighthouse, a once-in-many-decades opportunity.  Apparently, the Coast Guard, who owns and operates the light, expected about 400 people; they got close to 3000.  We didn't opt for the 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hour wait that some people did, instead just walked around the 19th-century light and took a few pictures.  The view is gorgeous.  And, as we left, we heard an officer say they were now seriously considering opening it twice a year.  (Pop, I also checked with the CG--if you want to rent a boat and operate it in CT, you're going to have to take their class and test.)

Oh, and we did spend a part of Sunday morning making little polymer clay creations.  Goo had introduced me to the art of Sculpey some 18 or so years ago.  He's great at making itty bitty things.  This time, a four-layer cake.  Sis made her own cake, caramel-chocolate with pink frosting. Bud made a penguin.  And I made a tiny hedgehog and a tiny Baymax from Big Hero Six.  

We had considered putting up the tent and sleeping outside on Saturday night, but opted instead for the lower maintenance no-tent scenario.  Perhaps come fall.

The kids wiped out last night; no doubt Goo did, too.  Our cats, however, were glad to have the house just to us and themselves for the first time since July.

And today?  Well, Bud continued the video game marathon by starting geeky video game camp.

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Summer Strawberry Pie (No Bake)
For the Crust:
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted, using more if needed
14 ounces graham crackers (about 24 crackers), crushed into fine crumbs in a food processor or blender
For the Strawberry Filling:
3 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled, divided
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin
Pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon (optional; see note above)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

• For the Crust: In a medium bowl, stir butter into graham cracker crumbs until evenly incorporated. Firmly press into an even layer lining the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; it helps to use the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten bottom of crust evenly. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

• For the Strawberry Filling: Place 12 ounces of strawberries in a food processor or blender and blend to a smooth puree. You should have about 3/4 cup puree (it's okay to have up to a cup ).Transfer to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and set aside.

• Cut remaining strawberries into 3/4-inch slices, transfer to a large bowl, and stir in the sugar. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until berries release about 3/4 cup liquid, about 1 hour. Measure out enough macerating liquid to combine with strawberry puree for 1 1/2 cups total. Drain macerated berries of any extra liquid; reserve extra liquid for another use or discard.

• Place 2 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle gelatin evenly on top and let stand 5 minutes. Microwave gelatin mixture in 10-second intervals until gelatin is melted and hot, about 10 seconds.

• Scrape melted gelatin into a large bowl, then gradually whisk in strawberry puree mixture until well combined. Whisk in salt.

• Add drained macerated strawberry chunks and stir to combine. Adjust taste with lemon juice, if desired, then immediately pour into the prepared pie crust. Turn the berries on top skin side up for best presentation. Refrigerate until set, 4 to 6 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

I am the Champion!

The kids have finally found a video game I actually don't mind playing:  Just Dance!

You hold the Wii U controller in your hand and follow the moves of the dancers on the screen as they dance to current popular songs.

Kinda like aerobics videos, but with better outfits and soundtracks.

And you don't feel like you're exercising.

It's fun.

We even get karaoke credit for singing along!

And I win, most of the time.

My secret?  Just worry about the hand with the controller, not all the fancy footwork--the computer can't see your feet, just the controller.

The only downside:  this is a game I will only play with my kids with no one but Mama watching.  Ever.

As Sis says, "It makes you feel a little bit self-conscious."

So only the kids will ever see my Nikki Minaj moves!

Someone's in the City with Mommy

We took advantage of the Election Day school holiday to take the kids into NYC today, first for my doctor's appointment and then for some fun. The doctor, who continues to be a supportive and good listener, confirmed after looking at all my x-rays and MRIs that I have trouble in my mid-thoracic because of scoliosis and the resultant bulging discs. There is almost nothing to be done about it because it is a hard spot to exercise and very dangerous to operate. So I am just supposed to keep walking to strengthen what I can. And take pain pills when it flares up. At least it was nothing new, right? Except there was something: bursitis. In my tail bone. Which is making it uncomfortable to sit those full 15-30 minutes I sometimes sit in a day when I drive the kids to school. It should get better on its own; if not, injections. I probably just sat funny, even just once. Great. I think I can safely say that I'm never going to sit again--just causes too much trouble.

The drive into town was stressful when Sis remembered that she'd forgotten Shirt at home, something we do regularly but it must have mattered more today. And she was hysterical. But eventually calmed down. Until Bud brought it up again. And he was obsessed with fire escapes--what were those ladders for? why did you need them? what happens if you can't get to the escape? And all I can picture are the Twin Towers. Soon, however, the still intriguing novelty of being in Manhattan took over and they were admiring the tall buildings and longing for a street-cart hot dog.

After my doctor's appointment, during which they played on their new Nintendo DSIs, bought specifically to distract them during the visit (that, and Mama wants them to be videogame literate, so it was on her list to do anyway), we went to the Met. Our main destination was the Kublai Khan exhibition, which didn't really interest them on the first viewing and disappointed me on this, my second (we'd seen it when we were early for my last doctor's appointment). The objects were rare and intriguing, though impenetrable, and the dense labels were not at all helpful explanations for laypeople (I'm more than a little familiar with Chinese art, Taoism, and Buddhism, and I found them impossible to comprehend. Shouldn't let curators write labels. Ever.). We did, however, really enjoy a small exhibition on Chinese birthday celebrations, including the imagery of the 7th-century (or was it 6th?) General Guo Ziyi's 80th birthday, dragon robes, and decorative arts with the symbol for longevity, cranes, and peaches. And they liked the Buddhas and Indian gods with several arms. Of course, we also visited Egypt, to see Sis's beloved "William" the blue hippo, and Arms and Armor (where she likes the Samurai helmet with the bunny). And, in American, the Versailles panorama and Frank Lloyd Wright room. But no Washington Crossing the Delaware yet. We saw Panini's Ancient Rome in the exhibition on Roman views and Bud immediately recognized that it was a painting of a museum (though an imaginary one with a hole in the roof). We spent some time in 19th-century European, particularly once Sis and Bud spotted the Van Goghs, recognizing the trees and the swirls from their study of MoMA's Starry Night. And they liked the dots of the Seurat (though not as much as the thick impasto of Van Gogh). Sis was also intrigued with Moreau's Oedipus and the Sphinx; Bud liked the story and asked me to retell it repeatedly, particularly the riddle part, which Sis actually guessed right off (though, I'm not sure at first that she knew why humans are the ones who walk on four legs in morning, two at midday, and three in the evening). Then, Sis wanted to see a Jackson Pollock and they both pondered--stared dumbfounded at--Autumn Rhythm. And in the room of Clyfford Stills (like the big red dog?), Sis said, "This is the room of paintings that don't look like something." Over and over, "why did they paint this, Mom?" We talked about how this is what artists wanted to paint after a long time of painting people and stories and landscapes. We talked about how the viewer helps decide what the paintings are about. We finally agreed that they were paintings about paint. Smarter than some of my Art Hist 101 kids, I say.

We did notice in the Temple of Dendur ("the building within a building") that the crocodile in the fountain was missing. For the rest of the visit and the drive home, we imagined where it could be, making up fantastical tales about him wandering the Met at night, befriending "William," and eventually escaping out a door left open during party clean-up (not that I'm saying that happens!). Then the crocodile wanders the city, meets dinosaurs and diorama animals out and about from AMNH, and can eventually be found all over the city and back at the Met, just in different rooms. But not in any of the ones we saw today.

So, head to the City and look for that crocodile . . . no telling where it will show up next!

It might even be worth sitting down for.