obligatory youtube post

Seems like every blogger has to put a little video up; here's one that works on several levels.

The AAUP collective bargaining chapter at Eastern Michigan University has done a great job of communicating with the students (striking faculty met their classes--to inform them about negotiations and the reasons for the strike vote), and this piece came out of that.

YouTube - EMU Strike 2: ""

Rosaria's polpette recipe

I'm one of the lucky few allowed into Rosaria's kitchen--which means I get to clear the table, sometimes, but also learn her secrets. When Roberto & I visited his parents in Calabria this summer, polpette (not-just-meat-balls) were on the menu every evening. Yvonne asked for this recipe, but you might enjoy it, too.

• defining ingredient: eggplant, zucchini, or zucchini flowers


• binding agents: eggs (if you eat 'em, if the mixture needs it) and bread crumbs or flour


• so you know it's italian: garlic, fresh basil, parmigiano reggiano


• if you like it spicy: one hot red pepper

Microwave the eggplant or zucchini until it's soft & mushy. Mash the vegetable with a fork--you may want to scrape the eggplant pulp off the skin if it's particularly tough. If you're using zucchini flowers, skip this step & just wash 'em really thoroughly to get all of the bugs out. Chop the italian/spicy ingredients & stir them in with "enough" salt. Add binding agents to get a mixture which is moist enough to hold together but not runny. You will need the egg for zucchini flowers, and flour instead of bread crumbs.

In a skillet, heat sufficient oil to fry the polpette. Using two spoons, form rough balls of the mixture and slide them into the oil. Cook until brown & crispy on each side. Drain on a paper towel. Enjoy!

things that make me nervous

Miss Christian United States showed up in the Greenbelt Labor Day parade. The announcer didn't make it clear whether the Christian United States is a subset of the United States, or a subset of the population of each state. I'm not sure I want to know the answer. But I am curious about the talent competition.

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I'm planning a trip to South Dakota--because I finally have enough annual leave to be able to travel frivolously, and a roundtrip ticket voucher that expires soon, and I've never seen Mount Rushmore. For efficiency's sake, I decided to visit some other national parks (I love our parks), like the Badlands. The NPS' suggestions for things to do include "scramble over the fragile badlands formations". That can't be good for them.

happy (belated) labor day

...very belated, since the rest of the world celebrates May 1st--as Omar is fond of reminding me--and we have to wait until the first Monday in September.

The credit for this post goes to Dave. He was at his favorite thrift store last week, looking for some back-to-school clothes to "wow" his students with. At the checkout counter, the cashier slipped a flyer into his bag announcing that the store would be open on Labor Day. Dave asked her why she had to work on the holiday. She replied, "We no want. But, they want." That pretty much sums up the state of things.