Grandpa Gant

I didn't ever get the chance to meet my Dad's Dad.

I do know a couple things about him, though.

One: He was shot in the side during WWII. The bullet traveled through his backpack, the pot of beans that would have been his lunch, and his body before exiting out his front.

Two: His job in the military meant that the Gant family had to move around-- a lot. One of my Dad's brothers was born in Germany. The family lived in the Philippines for awhile. My Dad, the youngest, actually got the best deal of the bunch, and lived in Oklahoma for all of junior high and high school.

Three: He died when my Dad was 23. That's not much older than me now. I can't imagine.

Four: He looks dashing in these photos. I love old photos.

My favorite of the bunch is the shot of him in Korea, overlooking the rolling hills. He looks morosely contemplative. What was he thinking of? His family? The war? Was he weary or invigorated? Hungry or full? Ready to face the challenges undoubtedly presented to him or not?

I write this blog (occasionally, I do admit) so my grandchildren can someday know what I was thinking.

I think my Grammy Gant looks especially beautiful in this picture.

Photos

United Steak of America
I actually laughed out loud when I saw this.
I love that red meat is so quintessential American too.
Next time I buy a steak, I know I'll be tempted to carve it into something.

The post accompanying this photo said they spent $1000 on twinkle lights.
I heart twinkle lights.
I heart this picture.
I feel as if it is documenting my own, personal heaven of sorts.

Abraham, Queen Elizabeth II, and bodiless emails

My mom sent me an email yesterday that read "You need a picture of Abraham on your blog" in the subject line.

I remember the first time my mom sent me a subject line email. I was terribly confused. I ransacked the page, looking for more text. Where is the body of the email? I wondered as I knit my brow.

She says its efficient.

I say its impersonal.

She says it gets straight to the point.

I say it makes people feel like their response doesn't matter.

She sends me subject line emails all the time.

I send her subject line emails back.

Anyway... this is one of my corgis. Abraham.

I'm going to make another universal statement (I established last week that sunflowers were undoubtedly the best flower). I think more people will take issue with this statement than the one about the flowers.

Corgis are the cutest dogs in the world.


You might disagree, but I have royalty on my side.

THE failure

I am no longer cleansing.

Officially, as of a Subway sandwich for dinner last night. It was delicious. Heavenly. Inspired. Ham on honey wheat with lettuce, tomato, pickles, cucumber, and green peppers. I continued to chew even after I swallowed, relishing the simple joy of the everyday action.

I ate the other half for breakfast this morning ($5 footlongs). It was delicious, heavenly, and inspired all over again.

Colors are brighter, smells are more pronounced, and the sun shines brighter when you eat.

Lesson learned. Next time I say I want to do THE cleanse (which, if I'm a creature of habit, will be in about six months), yell and scream and kick "NO!". Then give me a cupcake. Or TCBY. Or a Subway sandwich.

I'm on the cleanse...

... you know? THE cleanse?

Have you seen that episode of The Office? I think it is the first episode of Season 5. Kelly is on THE cleanse-- and faints.

It is also called the lemonade diet. Basically, I drink a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water. 2 liters a day. Doesn't sound so bad-- right?

Well, I don't eat either. Nothing. Nada. Rien.

I miss chewing.

My last meal was Sunday dinner. It is now Wednesday at 2:13 and I'm proud to say I have yet to faint. Actually, I have yet to really feel like fainting.

Everytime I'm hungry, I swig my lemonade, and surprisingly, the craving subsides.

I tried THE cleanse last December. I lasted two days. I blamed the stress of studying and homework on my lack of finish. Heck, I didn't even come close, as the recommended MINIMUM is 10 days. Apparently, a person can go up to 40 days without eating no problem.

Not me. I'm not Jesus [insert obvious "duhhhhh"].

I've already lasted longer than last time, and I'm feeling better than last time. These all seem like reassuring signs to me.

But, I miss chewing.

My boyfriend is a firefighter

And I just like to tell people that sometimes.

He volunteers at Quogue Fire Department open houses, serving hot dogs to the young masses with a smile on his face... in the pouring rain.

Well, at least he did last Sunday. Maybe he wasn't smiling the whole time. Maybe he insisted I put away the camera after I quickly snagged this singular photo. And maybe, just maybe... I left after only 30 minutes, 3 clams, and 1 ice cream cone because my feet were beginning to prune from the downpour.

Unfortunately, the weather meant the department didn't raise as much money as it did last year, when the sun smiled upon the young-ens as they rode around in the department's signature yellow truck and frolocked on a moon bounce.

I'm just proud to say my intake of junk has significantly decreased from the monumental 7 clams, 1.5 hot dogs, 1 bag of popcorn, and 1 ice cream cone of last year.

Without argument, the best flower on God's green earth is...

The sunflower.

They never fail to make me smile.

OMGee. The Zucchini are coming for me!

I made a rhyme. It was silly. But, really. Look at them.


Zach's grandparents visited Quogue this weekend, and brought with them a GINORMOUS bounty from their garden. Zucchini that could easily be mistaken for dumbbells. Cucumbers that could come in handy if someone tried to pick a fight with you (one knock on the head with one of those suckers, and your terrorizer would be out cold). And too many baby carrots to count.

I made it my mission Sunday to try and make a dent in the zucchinis. I can proudly say there are only 6 zucchinis sitting on Zach's counter instead of 7. What a GINORMOUS dent I made.

Anyway... the recipe.

Here are the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350.

Go ahead and shred your zuchinni. You'll need two cups, which was almost one, entire, killer zucchini for me, but could be two small ones for someone with normal sized produce.


Next, grab yourself three eggs. Crack em' in a big bowl.


Add 1 cup of oil, then admit how jealous you are of my measuring cups. Mix well after adding each ingredient to ensure the perfect texture a.k.a. no lumps.


1 cup of sugar next. Then, again with the jealousy thing.

Add the vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then, if you are feeling extra adventurous, sprinkle the whole thing with freshly ground nutmeg. It gives the bread a yummy kick.


Mix it all up, then dump the 2 cups of shredded zucchini in.


Now for the one dry ingredient. 1 cup flour.


One final whisk, then pour in a greased and floured pan. I didn't have a loaf pan, so I used this square one instead. Let me explain the numbers....

1. This is the plain, ole' zucchini bread recipe. Easy and good.

2. Zucchini banana muffins: I portioned out about 1 cup batter, then added half of a smashed banana and mixed it all up. I placed a dainty banana slice on top so I would know which was which they came out (and because I thought it would be pretty).

3. Zucchini date muffins: I portioned out another equal bit of batter and added about 1/2 of chopped dates. Once again, I added a whole date on the top to distinguish.

No bakers job is done until the dishwasher is loaded. :o( But, dishes are the perfect thing to do to keep from sneaking a peak at the fragrant bread and muffins in the oven.


The muffins were done first. They took about 25-30 minutes.


The bread took a little longer-- about 30-35 minutes.


The muffins with the added banana were the biggest hit. There was just a hint of banana flavor, but the added moistness was perfect. Delish!


Did you know zucchini is actually a fruit? That is why it works in bread, I suppose.

Zucchini Bread Recipe

3 whole Eggs
1 cup Oil
1-¾ cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
Sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups Grated Zucchini
3 cups Flour

Extra goodies:
1/2 banana OR 1/2 cup dates or any dried fruit for three muffins
(2 mashed bananas or 2 cups dried dates if you wanted to spice up the entire batter)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together in the order shown, mixing well between each ingredient. Add extra goodies if you wanna. Pour equal amounts of mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan/muffin tin. Watch the time (varies depending on pan used). Enjoy!

The Adventures of Xena the Yorkie

Step One: Lift little Xena and carefully place her behind your head.

Step Two: Smile for the camera as the dog whimpers in fear. The photographer hastily snaps the photo for fear Xena might lose her lunch.

Step Three: Kiss and cuddle the poor pup. Apologize for pretending she wasn't a 5-pound, easily-spooked, but none-the-less adorable dog.

This is why I love Quogue: Part II

The End (again).

Fourth of July & Friendship

Chris and Chase are Zach's best friends.

They became friends in high school before I came along and supposedly, stole Zach away from them.

Now, they go to school in three very different places. Chase plays football at Stanford. Chris studies philosophy in the cathedral of learning at Pittsburg. And Zach is at Cornell.

It was infinitely important for me that the much talked about 4th of July reunion work. I needed them to see each other before college ends, jobs begin, and it becomes much more complicated to arrange a simple meeting between these three friends.

It may be stupid, but it feels like after college, they won't be able to infectiously laugh together like they use to in high school.

Almost magically, everything fell into place. Chase flew in from Cali. Chris drove from Pennsylvania. We met in the city, then traveled out to Quogue for a weekend of fireworks, mojitos, and the beach.

We mostly reminiscied and laughed the weekend away, as everything falls into place the second they see one another no matter how long it has been.

Chris and Chase are now my best friends. I suppose it comes with the territory of dating Zach.

Chris and I blubbered together the day Zach drove away from Tulsa forever. Chase patiently helped me through Latin Freshman year at OU. Chris is always willing to listen when Zach has done something absurd. I can practically see his smile over the phone as he says, "Well Katie, that's just Zach being Zach."

I don't think the "real world" will ever change things. Plus, in my mind, they will always be three boys debating the origin of evil while playing video games and drinking Martinellis apple juice.

Summer Reading

Here are the books I have read this summer (all on my wonderful, magical, best-gadget-in-the-whole-entire-world Kindle).

I've ranked them, number one being my favorite and number ten being my least favorite. *Insert Disclaimer* They were ALL worth reading, I simply liked certain plots/characters/themes more than others.

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5. White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga
6. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
7. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
8. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
9. In the Woods by Tana French
10. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin

Anyway, I've compiled this list for several reasons. I'll enumerate them in yet another list.

1. To make me think about what I have read after I have read it.
2. Hopefully, to entice someone out there to pick up a book and enjoy the wonder of reading a good, recommended book.
3. I love to read. I love to write. So, writing about books is, essentially, my dream, my hope, and my passion.

I walked to work this morning via the Brooklyn Bridge

This is why I love Quogue.

The End.

My Name in Print

Although I've seen it many times before (I am, after all, a yearbook nerd through and through, with five years of yearbooking under my belt) I can't help but glow with pride every time I see my name in print.

Here is the cover of the August issue of Hemispheres (United's inflight magazine).

And here is my name. Wow. It looks great. That "K" and "G" are especially impressive in that particular font.


And here is a tid-bit I wrote about currywurst. What a noble subject.

If you happen to be flying United, look me up, and let me know what you think of the currywurst write-up.

Hamburger or Cupcake?

One weekend in June, it was hopelessly rainy in Quogue. I pestered Zach about going to see a movie. He said no. I asked him to play a game with me. He said no. I asked him to go with me to Blockbuster rent a movie. He said no.

I was noticing a pattern, so I decided to give up on the boring boyfriend and take on a project.

Two hours and a sink filled to the brim of dirty dishes later, I finished my Bakerella inspired rainy day treat.

I was completely tickled with myself because the little hamburgers looked so realistic. The sesame seeds really were the winning touch.

When I finished the first burger, I placed it daintily on a plate and took it out to the living room to show Zach.

"What is that?" he said as he turned up his nose.

"Its a yellow cupcake with a brownie as the patty and colored icing meant to look like lettuce, ketchup, and mustard of course!" I happily chirped.

"Can I eat it?"

I didn't even respond, simply whacked him in the head, leaving the plate and burger for him to munch on.

I was completely gleeful (but that might have been due to all the sugar I consumed licking the bowls and spoons and beaters) and practically skipped to the sink to start the mountain of cake-tins and bowls before me. As I was waiting for the water to warm, Zach yelled from the living room, "This is pretty good Katie."

And I smiled.

Hamburger Cupcakes

Bake a mix of yellow cake cupcakes according to the packaged instructions. Generously spray the cupcake wrappers to ensure nice and whole cupcakes when you remove the wrapper. Let cool.

Bake a batch of brownies in a 9x13 pan. Let cool.

Take a container of white frosting and divide it evenly into three bowls. Color one green, one yellow, and one red. Spoon the colored frostings into plastic bags, pushing all the frosting to one corner.

Split the cooled cupcakes down the middle with a serrated knife.

Take a drinking glass and use it to cut out your "patties" from the brownies. Once you cut all you can with the glass, scoop the brownie from the baking dish and form patties with your hands.

Place a "patty" on a respective "bun". Retrieve the frosting-filled plastic bags, cut a hole in the frosting-filled corner, and decorate the tops of the patties.

Finish by sprinkling the finished burgers with sesame seeds.

EAT!

Hmph: An End.

I’ve been dreading writing this last entry. The second I do, my foray in French life will cease to exist, and I will just be that girl that once studied abroad and did really awesome, adventurous, cool, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime things that other, less awesome, cool, amazing people live vicariously through.

[Insert HUGE sigh]

Its over. It feels almost sacrilege to write this, as I haven’t really finished mourning.

It reminds me of the year my dog Annie died. She was the most loyal, kind-hearted, mellow pet a girl could ask for. My mom called me my freshman year at OU and dutifully announced that Annie had to be put to sleep.

It took me a year to visit her little grave, marked with a cross composed of hob knob twigs from our backyard.

I haven’t visited France’s “grave” yet, and I can’t bring myself to.

Instead, I will write blog entries on my lunch break and try to believe that New York could ever be as “glamorous” as my wonderful Aix.   

Fat French chance. 

3.97

Our post sippin' photo (we had smoothies again).

Say "bonjour" to Aubin.

Today was another goodbye-- my final language date with Aubin.

We chatted about our upcoming exams, torture as an inefficient means to an end, and why the French think Americans only eat copious amounts of greasy "MacDo". We exchanged bisous and email addresses as we said goodbye, and we plan to keep in touch. As I was walking away from the cafe, I felt as if I should have met Aubin along the way, not at the end of everything.

I took three tests today, two of which were steps from impossible. The third was MI:4.

Natalie handed back our theatre exams in class. I got a 12.5/20. This, in American averaging, would be a D-.

I am not a D- student. I am not even a D+ or a C or a B student. I am Katie Gant and I have A written all over me. Or, at least I thought I did until freshman year of college. That year, my transcript was forever smeered by an honors professor who clearly didn't know that when he gave me my first B, my tiny world temporarily imploded. Tears were not enough for my all-consuming grief. I wrote furious emails to this professor-who-wil-not-be-named that I never sent, lamenting his unfairness and daring to give me, Katie Gant, a B.

Luckily, the French grading system different than the American grading system, and my 12.5 is more like a B+. But, the point to all this babbling in this: I am different now.

I have been thinking about what I have learned and how I have changed since coming to France, and in the way of grades, I think I have undoubtedly changed for the better. That is not to say I won't always try my best, but that is to say that when someone casually says "Don't worry, its just a grade." to reassure me after a tough test or difficult homework assignment, I will actually agree with them instead of nodding my head "yes", but secretly thinking "no, no, no, NO!".

My world is fully intact and I am not in the midst of my own personal Armageddon because I got a 12.5. Maybe, I'm a petit peu plus francais, or maybe, France has taught me that there is a grand difference between earning a grade and living one.

What I've been doing lately (as I definitely haven't been studying for finals)-- in pictures

I took this picture Friday morning at the market. It is a huge hunk of dried meat. Annie and I simultaneously said "Gross!". I keep returning to the market day after to"stall shop". I wander the colorful produce, listen to the rapidly babbling French farmers, and wish that I had made more recipes with vegetables and fruit and honey and spices and cheese and baguette and basically any ingredient French.

Annie and I enjoying the goodbye BBQ on Friday.

Annie and Karinne doing the same thing.

We celebrated Karinne's 21st birthday party Friday night. This is the only picture I took during the evening (that's Allison), but I think it captures the mood of the event nicely.

I went to the beach in Marseille on Saturday. It was lovely-- I fell asleep as the Mediterranean wind messed my hair.

Look how clear that water is. A few of my friends ventured in, but I was not brave enough to face the cold. I dipped my toe in and exclaimed "No!" as I spread out my towel and tuned my iPod to my favorite sleepy listening-- Harry Potter on tape.

The group packing up to go. There is Greta, Jill, Danni's feet, Allison, and Annie.

I took this picture yesterday of one of the most known fountains in Aix-- The Four Dolphins.

Karinne, Haley, and I planned to go on an Aix photo shoot, but the weather didn't necessarily behave. Its so funny that I have pictures of me standing in front of the Sagrada Famille in Barcelona and Notre Dame in Paris-- but I don't have pictures of me in front of Aix's tiny, but none-the-less monumental landmarks. Well, now I have one pictures I suppose.

I can check Book in a Bar off the list of things to do before I leave. We played scrabble, and [insert gasp] I bought ANOTHER book. If it looks like I'm crying when I see my family at the airport on Sunday, it won't be because I'm glad to see them, it will be because security made me throw some books away because my carry on was too heavy. Just kidding family!

The most wondeful sight in the world-- a cup of tea at Book in a Bar. I feel soothed just looking at it.