CNN Map Insanity

The folks at CNN clearly have not seen the parody SNL did of their map fetish. Its about a minute into the clip.

A love affair with my slow cooker

For Christmas my mom got us a slow cooker. Admittedly, I never bought one or put it on our wedding registry because I could never imagine using it often.

With a perfect storm of a left-over ham bone from our New Year's Fest weekend at the beach and a brand new slow cooker, I christened it by making split pea soup. It was the easiest thing I have ever done. 1 bag split peas, 1 Ham bone with lots of delicious ham still on it, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 quarts chicken broth, 2 bay leaves, some celery. Put it all in the pot for 8 hours on low. And Voila! liquid gold! It was so so yummy!

The next week I decided to try my hand at another dish, corned beef. Again some potatoes and onions on the bottom of the pot, a bay leaf, a juicy corned beef brisket on top of the veggies and a little water. 8 hours later we had a wonderful meal.

Well, I was on a roll so when I offered to make dinner for Michelle and Mark I decided the slow cooker was the best bet. I Googled the ingredients we had on hand - chicken and sweet potatoes and came up with this wonderful dish:

Slow Cooker Latin Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Ingredients

• 3 lbs bone-in skinless chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• salt
• pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
• 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• lime wedge

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken thighs with 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2. Heat 12-inch skillet over med-high heat until hot;add chicken and cook until browned on all sides.

3. While chicken is cooking put beans and sweet potatoes in slow-cooker.

4. Place chicken on bean mix in slow-cooker.

5. In skillet, mix paprika, allspice, broth, remaining cumin, salsa, and garlic.

6. Pour this over chicken in crock pot.

7. Cover with lid and cook on low 8 hrs or 4 hrs on high.

8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

There is no end to what the slow cooker can do!

Yes, we did.

Wow! it is almost here...

...Future generations of Americans will look back at this moment of crisis and opportunity and they will judge us -- but not by our words. They will measure us -- but not by the promises we make. For language has the power to move us to action, but it is never a substitute for it.

Our children's children will ask only this: What did they DO, back then? Did they rise to the challenges providence had set before them? Did they unite as one people, with a common destiny? Did they set aside the old partisan rancor in order to protect our great nation, to strengthen democracy and human rights at home and abroad and to safeguard the blessings of the natural world for all time? Did they live up to the great promise cradled in that name: America? What will these future generations say?

They will say, "Yes, they did."

Because, my fellow Americans, yes, we will. We embrace these challenges, all of them. Because that is where we find meaning in our lives...

This is an excerpt taken from the collaboratively written inauguration speech done on our friend's site: MixInk. This site allows large groups to democratically create a single collaborative document. This speech was created by 454 members of Slate using the democratic, collaborative writing tools at MixedInk.com.

New Year's at North Topsail Beach

New Years 2009 from Nathan Marvelle on Vimeo.

Our photos are posted here

A confession

There are many things I indulge in: ANTM, Cook Out milkshakes, American Idol, the list goes on and on...

Tonight, I admit I watched a Lifetime movie, Flirting with Forty. With a mindless predictable plot, this movie is not worth noting except for the fact that the co-star was one of the hottest actors I have seen in quite some time, Robert Buckley.

In thinking of words to describe this man I realized that I could not do any better than this blog which said:

"Ah Robert Buckley... what appropriate adjectives can I use to describe this 27-year old former financial consultant turned model/actor from West Covina, California...

I'd like to call him hot, but his sexiness tends to override his hotness. I'd like to call him sexy, but his cute side threatens to overshadow his sexiness? Maybe settling with 'the total package' might do him justice... great personality complemented by killer looks always make for a dangerous combination..."

In addition, he has a crazy resemblance to Ben (Scott Speedman) from Felicity. I fawned over him during high school. But Buckley is way hotter!

I might be setting our DVR to tape Lipstick Jungle, Buckley's latest endeavor. OK, I WILL be setting my DVR - who am I kidding? Add one more thing to my list of indulgences.

The Monti at Alivia's

This month the Monti featured Holidays from Hell at a Durham staple, Alivia's. [Side note: they serve amazing stuffed challah french toast with mascarpone at brunch]

Jeff, the organizer and founder of the Monti events, started off with a racy story about a stuffed unicorn and a great dane... use your imagination. The following stories were just as hysterical.

There was not hint at what the next show will feature or where it might be - Durham, Chapel Hill, some where far away (oh please no!). So until next time, Jeff and 5 or 6 of the best ever Monti stories will be on The State of Things sometime late in December... be on the look out!

An attempt to chase down Only Burger

We have been anticipating our first taste of Only Burger for several months! Many Durham food blogs have written about this restaurant on wheels. It has been described as the Triangle’s latest dining innovation: a white truck that randomly drives around Durham and serves burgers and fries. It was started by our favorite caterer, Tom Ferguson of Durham Catering.

Friday the 5th, Nathan stumbled upon Only Burger's site which stated: "OB is in the move and will be on East Campus shortly!! Thanks for your patience." I-was-pumped! We invited Michelle, Camden, and Mark to join us for this experience. So independently, Nathan, M&M, and I drove from our separate work places to meet at East campus. None of us spotted anything looking like a tasty burger truck. A quick stop at M&M's to check the internet revealed OB website had stated: "OB experienced a collision today and will not be running for some time. We'll keep you posted. Happy Holidays." OH NO!

Our next stop, our favorite burger place in Durham, Dain's Place on 9th street (also our favorite bar). And we were again disappointed because at 7:30 they were already packed! We resolved to go to Elmos. I ordered a burger, but was severally disappointed. It was dry and hockey puck esque.

ONLY BURGER WHERE ARE YOU!?? I want to eat you!

Here is a picture of Camden at Elmos... the highlight of the evening. What is cuter than a baby in a hat with eyes?

Nave/Marvelle/Lankford Second Annual Thanksgiving Gathering

This was our second year of hosting our families for Thanksgiving. This year the guest list included my family (mom, dad, Jesse), Nathan's family (mom, dad), my sister and her family (Michelle, Todd, Alex, and Lily), and our friends Keith and Erin.

What family Thanksgiving is not complete without a bird incident? We did not disappoint. I took the bird out of the freezer on Tuesday evening... giving it only a little more than 24 hours for a 21lb. bird to thaw. On Wednesday night when I poked the bird, it was still rock solid! So into a sink of cold water she (I named her Elvira) went. The next morning my mom, Nathan, and I woke up at 6:30 to put the bird in the oven to cook its allotted 5 hours to be ready to eat at 1pm. I could hardly get the bag of gizzards out because Elvira was still frozen - her wings were frozen to her body. I knew this was a bad sign!! After rubbing Elvira down with some butter and seasonings off to the oven she went.

Notice that it is still dark outside!

For breakfast we had fruit and bran muffins. I followed a cook's illustrated recipe for the muffins, but I would recommend not cooking them as long AND adding more yogurt. They were not as moist as they have been before.

We cooked the bird for 4 hours while we prepared a few other dishes that needed to go in the oven to cook. We took her out to rest while other dishes baked. I was stressed by the challenge of keeping things hot at the same time - with one oven. We need two ovens and a warmer next time we try to have so much food. After the dressing and other dishes that been cold from being in the fridge the night before had baked. We put the bird back in to crisp and brown the outer skin. We were looking at being on time... but then after about 30 minutes at 400 for crisping, the internal temp was only 150 - is was supposed to be 180. We put Elvira in for another hour and half. Finally she was ready, and we warmed the other dishes up (again) and had dinner at 3... 2 hours after we had initially hoped. Oh well - people were very hungry, but satiated with such a big feast!

Our menu (for posterity):
Nave family:
Tofurkey Fest (for the vegetarians)
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows
The famous (but rarely consumed) orange fluff
Pumpkin gooey cake

Naomi and Kevin
Sweet potato soufflé
Cranberry sauce
Mama Stamberg's horseradish cranberry relish

The Lankford family
Corn pudding
Macaroni and cheese
Pumpkin cheese cake

Keith and Erin
Collard greens
Cranberry cream cheese appetizer spread
Gerdes family appetizer surprise (I will let the cat out of the bag - it was celery with pimento and blue cheese)
Apple pie

Amanda and Nathan and anyone who wanted to help
Mashed potatoes
Thyme and buttery peas
Roasted Pears with cream fresh
Cornbread dressing
The Turkey
Gravy
Trader Joe's Challah Rolls
Pecan pie

Here's to another year of many more things to be thankful for!

Amanda with Alex and Lily - Nathan was able to capture Lily looking at the camera!

Nathan and his dad carving the turkey

Alex showing Pancake her coloring

The kitchen was crowded!

The table was set up in the living room - we moved one of the
couches to the dining room (see below)

Mom coloring with Lily

Cornbread

Growing up in Asheville, I would consider myself a Southern girl. And where I'm from, we don't put sugar in cornbread. A real southern cornbread has buttermilk, no flour, and is cooked in a cast iron skillet. It is savory and juicy with the edges crunchy from the oil in the skillet. It is not a cake or a desert.

If you haven't tried a "real" southern cornbread right out of the oven, then you don't know what you've been missing!

Bored? Here is a way to waste your time

Sometimes when I get bored I peruse some related blogs Lolcats, Loldogs, LolCelebs, Funny Look-Alikes, Lol News & Politics, Fun With Charts, Fail Pix & Vids, and Engrish.

My favorite is Fail Pix & Vids, which shows pictures and videos where the situation that is supposed to be represented has failed.

Here is a recent post where an ad was placed to make the headline read "Obama, McCain are dead" :
Here is a recent post from the fun with charts which speaks so true!

Animals of the Galapagos

The Sea Lions of the Galapagos

Check out our video - lots of baby sea lions. And one sea lion ATTACK!!

We're hoping to put up the rest of our Galapagos videos soon and we're thinking more and more about getting a video camera. You can get a HD video camera now that will fit in your pocket.

Quilting

Michelle and I have decided that we should go into quilt making (forget this PhD business!).

Here is the quilt we put together for Andrea.  Each of the squares were made by someone who attended her baby shower, so we can't take too much credit for the art.  However, we did pick out the fabric and gave some suggestions on what shape to put on the square.   It was so much fun to put together!  You can see my blue footed booby in the bottom corner.

History

“America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.”

-Barack Obama

Election night before...

Election night after...

Shut your fly trap!

Believe it or not, Sarah Palin gave a "policy" speech on Friday in support of (and in support of full government funding of) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

In her speech, Palin stressed that “the most valuable thing of all is information” and that “[e]arly identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference.” However, she also criticized certain “pet projects,” such as fruit-fly (Drosophila melanogaster) research, that are funded through earmarks and that, according to her, are utterly pointless:

Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? […] You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.

No, she kids us not. In her view, such research is a joke and, needless to say, shouldn’t be funded. It’s all a big waste, government largesse at its worst!

Oh, Sarah! please do some reading before you open your mouth...

The Drosophila was used in research to show that genes are passed on by the way of chromosomes for which Thomas Hunt Morgan was awarded a Nobel prize in 1933. And the same fly is being used for research into autism at the University of North Carolina in America. And this denouncement was in the same speech outlining aid for special needs children! Let's stop doing research to help these kids just because we use a fruit fly as a model organism.

In Slate.com yesterday, the entertaining and often spot-on Chris Hitchens, concludes an opinion piece with these words:

This is what the Republican Party has done to us this year: It has placed within reach of the Oval Office a woman who is a religious fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus. Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured. And those who prate of spiritual warfare and demons are not just “people of faith” but theocratic bullies. On Nov. 4, anyone who cares for the Constitution has a clear duty to repudiate this wickedness and stupidity.

Text taken from and modified from here and here.

Voting

Today Nathan and I went to vote at NC's One-stop early voting. This process was very easy... maybe too easy.

There were no lines, which was my hope in voting on Sunday. The people at Duke actually looked really really bored. I went up to the first guy with a computer and told him my last name, then my first name. He asked me to verify my address and that was it. I signed a piece of paper and he handed me my ballot. The guy Nathan talked to didn't even ask him to verify his address. Is this too easy? I brought my driver's license, but they didn't ask for it.

This makes me suspicious of the whole process. It is just too easy for people to cheat. My friend Lloyd agrees with me (see his opinion on his blog). However, I still take my voting rights very seriously and encourage everyone to get out and vote!

Also a lighter note. As I was slipping my ballot into the machine, the lady handing out the "I voted today" stickers earnestly, asked me "Honey, is this your first time voting?" I looked at her in shock and said, "No, I'm 27 years old." She stammered, "oh.... you just look very young."

I know I look young, but that young? Here is a picture of me at 18... You be the judge.

High brow, low brow, and everything in between

This weekend Nathan's parents came into to town to celebrate his birthday and to spend a little time in beautiful Durham.

On Friday evening, Nathan and his dad finished installing the light fixtures in our master bath. For dinner, Nathan's parents treated us to a delightful meal at Four Square. The food was excellent, however, the atmosphere was a little odd. The restaurant is located in a historical home, and we ate in one of the bedrooms. Thank goodness, there was no bed to speak of in any of the upstairs rooms because that would have been a little odd. The walls, though, were barren, which made for a very noisy dinner even though there were very few people in our room.


Saturday was a very ambitious day!

We started the day with a visit to the Nasher Museum of Art to see the exhibit, El Greco to Velazquez: Art during the reign of Philip III. This is the first exhibition to show both Spanish masters in context with other accomplished painters of their time. This exhibition is only being shown here in Durham and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Here is an excerpt from the website:

The exhibition features 53 paintings, including seven late works by El Greco, three early works by Velázquez and works by their contemporaries, lesser known but talented artists. One of the most important old master exhibitions ever presented in the Southeast, "El Greco to Velázquez" will feature monumental altar pieces, life-size portraits, some of the earliest still-life paintings in Europe, full-length carved and painted wooden sculptures of Spanish mystics and more than 50 pieces of Spanish glass and ceramics. Many works are traveling to this country for the first time, some from the churches for which they were originally commissioned.

The work of these overlooked painters - among them Juan Sánchez Cotán, Gregorio Fernández, Juan Bautista Maino and Luis Tristán - formed the foundation for the Spanish Golden Age. The show brings to life the little-known period of 23 years (1598-1621) when Philip III ruled Spain, and when Spain dominated the world with holdings greater than the Roman Empire. This period of Spanish history - with its pageantry, religious passion, art patronage, fashions, political intrigue and literary accomplishments - rivals the eras of Elizabethan England and France under King Louis XIV of France.

My favorite painting was the Adoration of the Magi (1612-1614) by Juan Bautista Maino. This piece of work towered above the viewer at more than ten feet high and the colors were magnificent. Maino used brilliant purples, blues, and reds to portray luxurious drapery and clothing. He also used lighting in such a way that the whole painting pops! The greatness of this painting cannot be captured through a picture seen on the web. You cannot see all the details and the splendor of the colors.

There were several portraits that were amazing! I cannot believe the detail that was put into portraying the garments. Also we saw some of the earliest and most sophisticated examples of still life paintings.



After a cultural morning of art, we went to Toast to have lunch. Dare I say, I may like the food here better than Guglhuphf? However, Guglhuphf's selection is much wider, and you can't beat their baked goods or the fact that they have coffee.

The afternoon was an adventure for all four of us, as we made our way to Orange County Speedway to watch some auto racing. Described at the America's fastest 3/8 track - we were not disappointed. We arrived at 2pm and watched 3 races. The Southern Ground Pounders 25, which in my opinion was the most exciting. These little cars were modified stock cars so they looked funny and the drivers couldn't seem to keep them on the track. There were several wrecks and they only went 25 laps which was quick and exciting. The wrecks were not only exciting when they happened, but the track had this little green car that would come out and circle the track making sure their was no scraps or oil on the track. This car may have been my favorite part. Who can resist a car that has a face painted on the front of it?
Next was the Grand Stock 35. This race also started off with a wreck and was full of excitement. Finally we watched the Limited 75. This race was too long for me. Once the cars were in a groove they stayed in the same positions until the finish. While there was still more racing to come, we left at 4pm.
The race was pretty exciting, and even Nathan's parents seemed to enjoy themselves. The whole event would have been 100 times better if it were 10-15 degrees warmer. It was cold! Maybe next year we might go back when it is a little warmer.

The end of our day was topped off with a birthday party for Nathan. But before everyone arrived (actually Nathan was still working when people got here), Nathan, Kevin, and I installed the mirrors in our bathroom. It is finally complete! Well, I still want to put up some art, and I've have had my eye on a few pieces at Etsy.

Graham and Camden interacting

Graham "singing" Nathan happy birthday before he went home

We had a really nice time with everyone. Michelle and Mark brought Camden. Elese and Christoph brought Graham. And Keith and Erin came with Keith's sister, Brooke and her 1 1/2 year old son Teagan. It was great that everyone could come!

VOTE EARLY!!!

No matter what happens, November 4th will be one of the most influential days in recent history. This will mean that on that day the polls will be flooded with voters.

Did you know that in North Carolina we can start voting on October 16th (today) through November 1st at one-stop early voting?

There are several advantages to voting early:
* It will only take ~5-10 minutes of your time compared to what will certainly be hours in line on November 4th.
* If you have not yet registered to vote, you can do so during one-stop-early voting by showing a valid id with current name and address.
* You will help alleviate lines on Nov 4th which may, ultimately, dissuade voters from casting their ballot.
* Most importantly, your vote will count the same as voting on November 4th.

During one-stop-early voting, unlike on November 4th, you will not vote at your specified precinct, rather you can vote at several locations scattered throughout your county. The locations as well as the times for all NC counties are located here: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=17.

Another helpful web resource provided by NC board of elections allows you to see if you are correctly registered: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/VoterLookup.aspx?arrivedFrom=VoterInformation&Reason=noURLReferrence

What are you waiting for? - GO VOTE!

The Monti

If you don't know that I love This American Life, then you don't know me.  I'm addicted to Ira Glass!  And even the local NPR station plays a 30 second clip of me fawning all over this radio host, then back-peddling to stumble over how I still love my husband even though I love Ira Glass - I can love both right? Keep your ear a-tuned for the Marvelle 'My Source' on WUNC.  And if you want to hear it just email me and I can send you the MP3 because I can't for the life of me figure out how to post it to this blog. 

Well the Triangle has it's own pseudo This American Life called The Monti. Every month a group of story tellers get together and tell a real life story (without notes) on a specific topic. I have been trying to get tickets for a while, but every time I remember to look they're sold out! Then eagle-eye Nathan spotted on one of our favorite Durham blogs, Bull City Rising, that there was a Durham event on September 23rd and we snagged tickets.

The even took place at Golden Belt, a revitalized tobacco warehouse with artists studios. The venue was beautiful. We arrived early to check out the 60-piece exhibition, "The Migration Series Revisited." This exhibit is a complete set of Jacob Lawrence's 1941 series "The Migration of the Negro," showcasing the historical narrative that chronicles the great migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between the two world wars.  This picture is the hall where both the art and the stories were showcased.

We also roamed the grounds and captured a few amazing shots during "magic hour."

A color map of who owns Durham - the dark red is Duke.

Most of the stories were pretty good, a few were disappointing, however, a story by Amanda Lamb was so compelling it made me cry. They usually post the stories on their website ~ a month after the show. So if you get a chance please keep an eye out here (http://themonti.org/audio/listen.html) to listen to this amazing story (especially you parents out there).

Jeff Polish - the founder of The Monti

The Monti is doing another show at Spice Street in Chapel Hill on October 28th. Tickets ($7 general, $5 students) go on sale at 5pm on the 20th (Nathan's bday!). If you are interested in going with me please let me know.

Beer fest: a history

Where can you get 4 hours of all you can drink amazing beer? World Beer Festival!

Nathan is in love with tasty beers especially bitter hoppy beer. I on the other hand met Nathan and hated beer. He soon introduced me to something other than the college kegs of Natty Light, and I feel in love with the Belgiums and dark brews. I am also a sucker for sweet fruity beer
(what can I say, I'm a girl).

We have attended the Fest since 2006. Below is the history and highlights of beer fests past and present.

Fall 2006

Location: Durham at historical Durham Bulls stadium

Attendees: Nathan and Amanda

Highlights: It was our first taste of beer fest and we were hooked! I can't find any pics from this event, but I remember it being really muddy (and that's about all I can remember)!

Spring 2007 (see more pics here)

Location: Raleigh at Moore Square

Attendees: Kyle, Nathan, Sarah, Ben, and Chad (our beloved DD).

Highlights: Some random girl came up to Kyle and told him he had the most beautiful eyes.
Sarah rode a cooler.

Fall 2007 (see more pics here)
Location: Durham at historical Durham Bulls stadium
Attendees: Sarah, Ben, Amanda, and Nathan. We also ran into some other hoodlums from my program.


Colin was looking good here... it is rumored that eventually he was not looking so hot, beer fest is not kind to all attendees.

Highlights : We took a cab to cookout and introduce Ben and Sarah to what should be world famous milkshakes. We burned off some of the beer and the milkshake calories as we strolled home through the high grass of Morreene Rd.

Spring 2008 (see more pics here)
Location: Raliegh at Moore square (see this post for a few other pictures)
Attendees: Issac, Dan, Kristen, Nathan, Amanda and Kyle (our beloved DD and owner of the tiniest car)
Highlights: The fact that Kyle, Issac, Kristen, Dan, Nathan, and I fit into Kyle's two door hatch back civic and drove the 40 minutes to Raleigh. Below - some bad attempts at trying to capture how uncomfortable the situation was.


We meet Pen Holderness from designer finals on HGTV (and lesser known to us for his work on local NBC17). Pen was seemed very confused. Either Nathan made a lame attempt at a joke or the beer was too much for this local star - you make the call.
Kyle got breathalyzed at the festival by some random attendee - Like we had already suspected, he was completely sober. But we all cheered anyways because we did not want to be stuck in Raleigh.

Fall 2008 (see more pics here)
Location: Durham at kicking "new" Durham Bulls stadium - it was so much cleaner because they had to lay down white plastic squares over the whole beer fest area AND there were actual flushing bathrooms. This may have been the best part of the beer fest (excluding the beer).

Attendees: Beth, Ross, Amanda, and Nathan
Highlights: Beth and Ross got engaged the evening before! We were one of the first to hear their sweet proposal story and ogle over the ring.
I had to wear my large and in charge ACL brace (maybe for the last time). I got many sympathy cuts in line and met a girl who also had a matching brace. I, however, did not get the memo to wear a costume.
Victory brewing company was at the festival - Good. They were not serving Golden Monkey - Bad. They had an empty seat by their booth for me to lounge on - Good. When talking to the guy behind the booth I found out he had brought one case of Golden Monkey and he gave me some - AMAZING!
My leg did not fall off!