Music and Cats

Now that Paul has gone wireless, he can be found using his laptop all over the house. More importantly, Sergei can find Paul surfing on the sofa or blogging in bed. Sergei knows that he is far more important than anything that Paul might be doing with that white box, and he rarely hesitates before padding up onto Paul’s chest to claim the attention that is his due. Note the possessive hold on Paul’s arm, the only sign of any tension at all in Sergei’s body.

I hope that Sergei may bring Paul aboard the Friday Ark; Paul is a human in a supporting role, no? If not, Sergei will sit in the sun, enjoying the first open window of Spring. (more…)

I arrive home from tonight’s rehearsal at 9:25 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy will be on in half an hour. I am hungry, and I need to cook dinner in 30 minutes. How convenient that Barrett, Meg and Justin of Too Many Chefs have chosen “Make it in 30 minutes” as the theme for the 24th Is My Blog Burning.

I have just purchased a top loin steak, a shallot, baby spinach and arugula, an avocado, strawberries and greek yogurt. Dinner tonight will be sliced steak on arugula/spinach salad with warm shallot dressing (a variant on the Roman straccetti di manzo), and strawberries with cassis and greek yogurt.

I start to cook at 9:34 p.m. First I wash and slice a handful of strawberries, toss them with a glug of cassis, and set them aside.

I’ve already assembled the following ingredients for the steak and salad:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 lb top loin steak (1 inch thick)
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 small shallot
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
4 oz mixed baby spinach and arugula
1 small avocado (this is not traditional, but it was ripe)

The spinach and arugula come prewashed. I open the bags, and mound greens on a plate. I slice the avocado, and arrange on top of the greens.

I heat the oil, garlic clove (smashed with the blade of a knife) and rosemary in a 10-inch skillet over medium high heat, until the garlic is just beginning to color, about 4 minutes. While the oil is infusing, I slice the shallot into thin rings. I cut the steak crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, and toss with a pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. I discard the garlic and rosemary, then dump the steak slices into the skillet. I sauté the steak over high heat, using tongs to turn the slices so that all sides brown evenly, about 1 1/2 minutes (that’s for medium-rare to medium). I remove the steak to a bowl, and cover it to keep warm. I add the shallot, vinegars, and several grinds of pepper to the skillet, and simmer until the shallot is soft (about 2 minutes). While the shallot is cooking, I arrange the steak over the greens. I stir the juices from the steak into the warm dressing, and pour over the steak.

The time is 10:01 p.m. My dinner is ready, 27 minutes after I began cooking. And Grey’s Anatomy is a re-run. Ah, well, I’ll just enjoy my meal.

After finishing my steak and salad, I use the 3 minutes remaining in my 30 to stir the cassis and juice from the strawberries into some greek yogurt, and layer the berries and yogurt into a bowl. Dessert is ready.

(Note: The sliced steak recipe serves two. My husband had already had dinner when I arrived home, so I saved the second serving of steak for lunch tomorrow.)

Technorati tags: IMBB24 + 30Minutes

From a distance the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight

From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the voice of hope, it’s the voice of peace
It’s the voice of every man

From a distance we all have enough
And no one is in need
There are no guns, no bombs, no diseases
No hungry mouths to feed

From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of home, playing songs of peace
They’re the songs of every man

God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us from a distance

From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance I can’t comprehend
What all this war is for

From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the hope of hopes, it’s the love of loves
It’s the heart of every man

It’s the hope of hopes, It’s the love of loves
It’s the song of every man

– Julie Gold

Sentimental idealist that I am, I have loved this song since I first heard Nanci Griffith sing it some 18 years ago. I cry every time that I hear it, but never so much as when I heard it today, as accompaniment to a video of New Orleans’ Ninth Ward shot from the window of a car driving its streets.

If God is indeed watching us, what must She be thinking?

Today, Paul emailed me a link to this post at Firedoglake, with the comment, “[this] may infuriate or depress you.” Paul was wrong. I am infuriated and depressed.

At the heart of this post is a letter from New Orleans, recounting one family’s experience in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina:

So, what have I been doing for the last six months?

Well, six months ago, I hit the road trying to get my family out of the way of a big storm. Ended up 400 miles away from new orleans. My oldest son and I came back a couple of weeks later ready to try to start putting things back together and build. It was like running into a brick wall.

For the past six months, I’ve been banging my head against this wall, yelling and screaming.. and it hurts.

The letter goes on the describe the frustrations and indignities that this fully-insured, two-wage-earner family has experienced while attempting to repair their home, save his small business and rebuild their lives. They did everything that they were “supposed” to do: bought insurance, evacuated when the storm came, and returned to rebuild. All of the systems - both governmental and private - that should have been helping this family have so far failed them.

The letter closes with questions for all of us:

So, my fellow americans, what have you been doing for the past six months? What are you doing today? How about a phone call? How about a little legal help. As sure as Katrina, I can’t afford a lawyer. How about a little pressure on the federal government not just to answer for their lack of action, but to actually get up and do something. Everytime there’s a war overseas, I see people marching against it. Why don’t I see anyone marching against this war?

I’m not happy with my answers to these questions. What have I been doing for the past six months? I’ve been busy with the day-to-day struggles and frustrations - and joys and pleasures - of my own life. Oh, I’ve written about post-Katrina housing issues here, but not enough. I’ve given to charities, but not enough. I have not done enough to help - or to pressure my government to help - the many thousands still suffering in the wake of Katrina.

What am I doing today? I’m writing to ask you to read this post. I’m asking you to answer these questions for yourself. I know that this isn’t nearly enough, but it’s a start.