Car buying

We did two stints of living in the UK without a car, and managed 15 months here in Canberra the first time around without one. It wasn't always totally convenient, but between public transport, occasional car rentals, and a lot of walking, we managed without a car for more than 8 years in total.

When we moved to Kansas City, on the other hand, pretty much the first thing we did was head to a Toyota dealership. We hadn't been in the Midwest more than a day before we had confirmed our suspicion that living car-free wasn't going to be an option, at least where we were, and we were the proud owners of a new Prius before our first week in Kansas was out. We thought about trying to ship it down here along with the rest of our stuff, but that also turned out to be a non-starter, so we sold it to my sister M., and drove to Boston to deliver it before heading down here.

It's hard to go back to being carless, even after only two years, and we started looking into the possibility of buying a car not long after we returned to Canberra. Having been thoroughly satisfied with our Prius, we looked into buying one here, and then we found out two things:

1. Buying a Prius in Australia costs more than buying one in the US. A lot more.
2. Buying anything that involves signing a contract is slightly more complicated when you're not a citizen of the country where you're living.

Since the only place I've ever bought a car before now is the US, I had no idea that the fact that we're in Australia on a visa would be a factor in buying a car. As we discovered, you can't sign a contract - such as a lease or a loan - for a period longer than the term of your visa. And trying to cram the cost of a normally five-year contract into the term of the visas we're currently on is definitely out of the question, financially speaking. So, for the time being, until our visa status changes or we find a cheap, reliable option, we're back to being carless. One of the reasons I'm so happy to have at least one transportation option that takes my feet off the ground.

Phase 2

A surprise diversion in the midst of my two-day moving extravaganza came this morning, just when I was expecting the truck and loaders to arrive. Instead I got the sod guys, who we finally got around to scheduling to repair the damage done by having the sewer pipe replaced back in March. They had told us to expect them early next week, when we would have already been on the road, but then they found a chunk of time to fit our little job in today. (They were on their way to re-sod a baseball field next - quite a bit bigger (and more lucrative) than my back lawn!) It was such a treat for me to see it like this; after 2+ months of looking at a dried-out mud plain, today I could look up from my labors and refresh my senses with the sight of a lush, velvety carpet of green. It made the back yard look very inviting, and made me feel very sad that I wouldn't be around to enjoy it fully this summer. And it highlighted one of the big lessons I'll be taking away from living here: don't wait until you're getting ready to leave to make your house look its best so you can impress other people. Make it look its best so you can enjoy it while you're there. Something I'll try hard to remember, and apply, when we find our next house and all our stuff reappears.

Recipe refinement

I realize I've now posted more than once about coconut clusters, but in adapting them into Easter nests, I made some refinements to the recipe that are worth noting:

1. In particular, I determined that a ratio of 2 parts chocolate to 1 part coconut (by weight) was optimal for getting the right balance flavor and texture. So, for the enormous crowd we were expecting, I used one 14-ounce (400g) bag of sweetened coconut, and about 28-30 ounces (800-850g) of dark chocolate.

2. When everything was mixed to my satisfaction, I scooped out lumps with my cookie scoop (like a mini ice-cream scoop, about 1 inch/2.54 cm across), dropped them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let them cool for a bit.

3. Then, while they were still soft, I sprinkled them very lightly with kosher salt and pressed two jordan almonds into the top of each one.

Voila--Easter nests! A very, very rich and grownup version of my favorite Easter candy of childhood. It's so comforting to know I'll be able to have these next year, when I'm no longer 20 miles from a Russell Stover outlet (more like 9,000).

Ten things

Things I did today:

1. Wrangled a skittish cat through a Pet Day presentation to 50 first graders.

2. Bought 5 bags of cranberries and 10 pounds of apples.

3. Made the first public announcement (of several) that I am resigning from a project that has been part of my working life for nearly 10 years.

4. Improvised math-homework manipulatives out of colored paper clips.

5. Wore my winter coat for the first time.

6. Discovered an authentic small town nearby, hidden behind a barrier of strip-mall nowheresville.

7. Ate some truly delicious homemade Mexican food.

8. Managed to get to a KC bloggers' meetup for the first time in 6 months.

9. Used the word "pedestrian" in a sentence.

10. Kept on schedule for #NaBloPoMo with minutes to spare.

How 'bout you?

Silent Sundays: three years

Wondering what year four of blogging will bring....

Glorious cheese

This past weekend I went into downtown Kansas City solely to visit a cheese shop I’ve been hearing raves about since I moved here. The fact that I walked out having spent nearly $50 on cheese is the best proof I can offer that it lived up to the hype.

I didn’t try any new cheeses, although there were loads there that I’d never seen before, because I was too busy getting re-acquainted with old favorites. Between my sojourn in Australia, where European cheese costs a fortune, and the supermarkets I go to in KC’s Northland, where the selection is rather limited, it had been a long time since I had been able to get my hands on any real provolone. Or gorgonzola, for that matter. So I stocked up.

Wordless Wednesday

Interfamilial bonding

I don’t think posting on Sunday afternoon is the best way to optimize blog traffic, but it’s either this or slide into another week and whatever fresh mayhem is in store….

Summer vacation has officially begun chez RL. I wish I could say I hadn’t been posting because I’ve been too busy relaxing, but it wouldn’t be true. I have been having lots of fun, because we kicked off summer vacation with a weeklong visit from my sister S. and her family: BIL D. (previously mentioned as the BIL who can cook), and offspring Miss I., Miss R., and Mr. C. We took them to some our favorite local spots, and discovered some new places. And, of course, consumed a lot of food along the way.

Wordless Wednesday

Sign in the entranceway of the largest (and most surreal) sporting-goods store I've ever visited, Kansas City, KS, March 2010

Moving in

Yes, I’m alive! Digging my way out of a pile of cardboard boxes, overflowing shopping bags, and where did we get all these stuffed animals, anyway? Wrestling with the uncooperativeness and/or absence of every piece of household equipment you can name, or swear at. (Today is the first day I’ve had more than 15 consecutive minutes’ access to the internet since last Wednesday.) Faxing, forwarding, and signing about an acre’s worth of trees. BUT we are out of the serviced apartment and in a house at last. I promise a more complete report later in the week--maybe even with a recipe!

In the meantime, who wants to guess which room is the closest to being completely unpacked and organized?

Wordless Wednesday

KC's version of the Citgo sign: the Western Auto Building, from Union Station, May 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Sculpture garden, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, March 2010

Rock chalk

Did you know that President Obama filled out his NCAA March Madness bracket on national television?

Did you know he picked Kansas University (KU) to win the whole thing? And even more important, that he picked them to beat Kansas State (KSU or KState) in the Final Four?

If you’re not American, you might not have the faintest idea what I’m talking about. Even if you are, you might not have realized what a big deal this is. I certainly didn’t, until I moved to this part of the United States.

I’ve filled in NCAA brackets before. I even won the office pool once, years ago--because I got lucky and picked a few upsets by chance, not because I had any idea what I was doing. I’ve watched my share of March Madness games. But until I moved to Kansas, I didn’t fully understand what a big deal college basketball really is here.

 

DIY dairy

I experimented with making yogurt once or twice, a few years ago, just for fun. But I never really got into the habit. Making yogurt didn’t seem that difficult, but I would have had to do it a lot, given my consumption rate; plus my favorite kind is Greek yogurt, which involves the extra step of straining the yogurt to make it nice and thick. At that time I was living in England, where I could easily get my Greek yogurt fix at even my crummy local Sainsbury’s. I went through a 500 g (1+ lb) pot a week without even trying.

Then I moved to Australia, where they sold the stuff in 1-kg (2+ lb) tubs that cost not much more than the ones half their size had in Oxford. I was in yogurt heaven, and used it in everything: pancakes and pan sauces, muffins and dips.

Then I moved here.

Wordless Wednesday

To follow up probably my longest blog post ever, I compensate with (nearly) Wordless Wednesday: Snow in Kansas.

Monday again

Lately, trying to update this blog (not to mention dealing with the rest of my life) feels like being part of a singularly uninspired remake of Groundhog Day. Still solo parenting (Day 19). Still trying to kick a head cold. Still trying to juggle a pile of work with an even bigger pile of bureaucracy related to cars and mortgages and bank accounts, oh my. (Obligatory Wizard of Oz reference—get it? Kansas?) And if I don’t find it entertaining, how on earth are you supposed to find it even remotely interesting?

But sometimes, for the sake of posterity (and just to prove to myself that I have not yet, in fact, gone insane), these things must be documented. And so I give you….

Presidents' Day

Not Presents Day, as some people who shall remain nameless would like you to think.

Miss B and I have spent most of this holiday weekend laying low: trying to kick this horrendous head cold that we've both had for most of the past week; avoiding whiteout-induced multi-car pileups on I-70; and watching as much Olympic women's ice hockey as possible (okay, that last part was mostly me).

I didn't give too much thought to Valentine's Day, what with DP being away and the fact that I don't care too much about it in the first place. But Miss B woke me up with a card that she and DP had picked out before he left, and reminded me later that I had rashly suggested cupcakes as a suitable commemoration of the day.

So we made some. Even though our current kitchen has no mixer, which means I did all the mixing by hand, alternating a big purple silicon spatula and a whisk. (How's that for an expression of love?) Miss B helped me decorate them (the jimmies were her idea) in colors suitable to the occasion.

They look pretty good, don't they? I can't wait until we can both breathe again, so we can taste them, too.

Cupcake recipe here.

Week one

Monday: Depart Boston for Kansas. Scheduled three-hour direct flight to Kansas City turns into 16-hour odyssey, involving delayed takeoff, diversion to Tulsa, four hours on the tarmac before deplaning, securing rental car, getting some food (at 4 pm), and driving another four hours back to KC. Arrive at hotel 9:30 pm, eat some room service, collapse.

Tuesday: Miss B and I sleep late while DP heads off early for new job orientation. Around midday, check out, pack car. Stop off in town where we are interested in living; drive around, look at house prospect, get lunch at cafe on main street. All looks good. Head off to meet DP's new boss, get an escorted tour around new location and welcome to our new temporary accommodation.

Tuesday, 4:30 pm: Discover new temporary accommodation has no oven, no pans, and no washer/dryer. Start exploring other accommodation options. Go out for dinner--Thai food (my choice, since, have I mentioned, today also my birthday?)! After dinner, go to Borders; DP and Miss B buy me two new cookbooks.

Wednesday: Go to visit potential second temporary accommodation. Discover it is a full apartment (including oven, reasonably stocked kitchen, and washer/dryer), yet cheaper than first temporary location. Book a spot. Locate nearest Toyota dealership and go to look at cars. Commit to buying new Prius within 15 minutes of arrival.

Thursday: Check out of old accommodation and into new accommodation; finally unpack. Go grocery shopping. (Fresh cilantro: check. Yes!) Make first home-cooked dinner in a week (spaghetti carbonara).

Friday: Visit promising preschool; upon arrival, Miss B whips off coat and starts playing with the pre-K class. (Take this as a good sign.) On the way back to Toyota dealership, pick up car insurance information (along with real estate broker recommendations and other useful local info from very friendly agent). Back at Toyota, fill in approximately 400 forms, pick up car and manage to drive it home (via the grocery store) without anything horrible happening. Go home and collapse, then revive and make bread.

Saturday: Return rental car. Go to view top house prospect (six thumbs up!). Take a jaunt to Atchison, KS for lunch and a visit to the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. Dinner with DP's bosses and their wives. Make more bread to bring along.

Sunday: Nothing scheduled--phew! Have time for Sunday morning pancakes, plus some exploring and some relaxing. Plus preparing for Week Two, hoping return to semblance of normal life continues....

Adventure re-boot

updated from this blog's inaugural post

The Question
Can an unreconstructed Bostonian (several years of living elsewhere notwithstanding) find a preschool that doesn't resemble Children of the Corn, some drama-free (and reasonably comptetitive) women's ice hockey, a grocery store that sells fresh cilantro (coriander), and a (permanent) place for my stuff in metro Kansas City?

The Answer
Watch this space.