Stuff

"Read about queens who loved lace so much they moved entire nations."
--a promotional brochure

For years I was going to fill out this section about the crochet that Isaac and I like to do, but we've been overtaken somewhat by events.

The event is that we've opened an on-line store with a couple of bear friends: The Pansy Forest. It's the place where you'll be able to see photos and descriptions of my crocheted doilies, and Isaac's exquisite rosaries, hand made from the most beautiful beads. Go forth and shop!

[Jeff:] Over the course of the years, I've written lots of things, all the way from scientific papers to pornography. So I decided to create a little repository for some examples. No great shakes, nothing fundamental, but it all adds up to be part of the picture of me.
Recently, I've ventured into writing essays and short opinion pieces, which I will keep here. Keeping them company is a selection of vignettes that I wrote for the Usenet newsgroup soc.motss, many years ago (c. 1993).

Working on the theory that one can tell alot about a person by the contents of his underwear drawer, say, or by what he has in the attic, we see what we might reveal about us by presenting our list of lists. (We haven't inventoried our drawers of drawers yet though.)

[Jeff:] For years I'd thought it would be great if I'd had a list of all the books I'd ever read (I like lists of things) but, alas, by the time I thought of it I'd already read so many that I was inhibited from starting the list. Then one year, I told myself that if I started the list, some day it would have years of reading in it.

So I did. That was in 1982, and now my Book of Books has 20 years worth of reading in it. Here, although I can't imagine why you'd want to, you can look through the entire list, sorted by year or author's last name.

Hey! If you know a good book I've missed and should read, drop me a note.

[Jeff:] I like cookbooks. Yes, I like to cook, when I feel motivated to do it, but I like to read cookbooks, too. In addition, I seem to have a compulsive desire to collect cookbooks; fortunately, I most often buy remainders.

The first book in the collection was the two-volume Mastering the Art of French Cooking. When I was in college (c. 1976), I coveted these books, but they cost something incredible like $25 each. The scheme I worked out to get them: I tutored a woman in physics, and when we'd reached enough hours to pay for them, I made her buy the books for me. That way she could inscribe a message in each one, which I rather enjoy.

I don't know how many there are right now--several hundred. That's one reason I'm cataloging them, not to mention that I start to forget what I have. The database is just getting underway, so it's far from incomplete. In particular, there's not yet any Julia Child represented.

Music is a big part of our lives: performing, writing, and listening. In this section we set aside space to talk about music, its part in our lives, and some favorite pieces and performances (including Jeff's Goldberg Variations page).

We enjoy cooking--both ferial and festal--when we have the inclination and make the time. Isaac is known for his Pasta Carbonara, Jeff for his roast leg of lamb. Indeed, two of our favorite books are The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon, and Much Depends on Dinner by Margaret Visser.

In large part, though, this section is just an excuse to share the recipe for Eight-Can Casserole, surely a classic of 50's American-Suburban cuisine.