tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1 2008-07-19T21:52:02Z Shakespeare's got to get paid, son. Movable Type 4.1 tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.713 2008-07-19T21:50:19Z 2008-07-19T21:52:02Z

For what it's worth: my master's project (such as it is) is here. It's not done yet. But it will be someday. I keep telling myself this.

Jonelle For what it's worth: my master's project (such as it is) is here. It's not done yet. But it will be someday. I keep telling myself this.... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.712 2008-07-17T17:25:21Z 2008-07-18T02:29:48Z

As the past 20 or so entries here show, I've recently changed the way I eat and cook and generally think about food. Call it succumbing to trends; call it procrastination; call it being seduced into local eating by Kristi and Darry's blog, which consistently makes me hungry for free-range things. Whatever you call it, it's been enjoyable. As revolutionary as my new diet is, though, there are some days when it just doesn't cut it. This morning I had a moderate-sized meltdown in my thesis advisor's office. It's a long story that's not worth rehashing. Suffice it to say that it involved blowing my sodden nose on many Dunkin' Donuts napkins and generally feeling like an academic fraud who would better be suited sweeping the library floors. It's hard to bounce back from something like that. I walked the long way to the T station, and didn't feel better. I listened to my iPod, and didn't feel better. What I did feel, besides miserable, was... hungry. It was 1pm, after all. So I contemplated eating something. The last-of-the-season local strawberries in my fridge? A sandwich from the Copley farmer's market? Something mysterious and carb-filled from Dave's Fresh Pasta? Nothing sounded appealing, until I realized what I wanted. When I got off the T, I detoured down Highland and made a beeline for the Italian grocery store in Davis. I ordered a prosciutto and provolone with tomatoes, oregano, and olive oil on a chewy, flour-dusted bulkie roll. I grabbed a bag of Utz chips. And before I even started eating the sandwich, things seemed okay again. There was something about the language of ordering, and the accent of the girl behind the counter, and the sights and smells of the shop (imported pasta and vinegar and artichoke hearts and freshly baked bread all crammed into every available corner), and knowing exactly what I was going to get because it's the same sandwich I've been getting from Italian groceries since I was five years old. J&M's, Pace's, De Palma's -- the place changes, but the ritual, and the end result, are blissfully the same. I sat at my desk and ate my lunch while I chatted with Laura (a world away, getting ready for bed as I steeled myself for the rest of the day), and tried to put things in perspective. I don't think I succeeded. But I felt a lot better. Homemade hummus and free-range eggs can be wonderful. But sometimes, the best comfort food is what you've been eating all along.

Jonelle As the past 20 or so entries here show, I've recently changed the way I eat and cook and generally think about food. Call it succumbing to trends; call it procrastination; call it being seduced into local eating by Kristi... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.711 2008-07-14T20:57:37Z 2008-07-14T21:14:53Z

Despite the fact that my left quadriceps muscle is more or less being held to the rest of my body by duct tape, I've had two spectacularly athletic weekends in a row. July 4 marked the Fifth Annual Lawn Olympics at Kate's parents' house in Sag Harbor. Calling the event "athletic" is something of a stretch, as 75% of the events can be played while holding a beverage, but the competition is no less heated for it. I managed to draw a white preppy boy for my teammate this year, so needless to say we rocked badminton all the way to the semi-finals. Just last Saturday, my spring hat teammate organized a massive game of disc at Crane Beach, giving me a chance to perfect my ocean layouts (number of diving catches completed: zero). I followed that up by rising at an ungodly hour on Sunday to hike Mount Washington in all its blustery, rainy, foggy glory. Bushes fallen into while scrambling across the traverse: One. As stressed out as I am about taking time away from my work, these weekends were exactly what I needed. Grilling on porches, soaking up perfect beach days, kicking back in summit lodges over brown bag lunches and water-filled Camelbaks. You can't beat summer in the Northeast: it's so brief that I feel the need to pack in all the activity that I can and savor every bit of it. Today, of course, I can't walk.

Jonelle Despite the fact that my left quadriceps muscle is more or less being held to the rest of my body by duct tape, I've had two spectacularly athletic weekends in a row. July 4 marked the Fifth Annual Lawn Olympics... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.710 2008-06-28T00:24:42Z 2008-07-02T16:26:07Z

Flashback: Last February, I had a portfolio review, where I presented samples of my multimedia work to an audience of not-at-all-interested folks. I included this very site in my portfolio to show off my polka-dot-heavy aesthetic (and my allergy to gradients), and someone asked me how long I've been keeping this blog. Even I was surprised that my first entry was back in 2004. Exactly four years ago today, actually. It's gone through a few design changes throughout the years (or, as I like to call them, Cascading Style Seizures). And I've certainly had dramatic lapses in posting. It's been a fun project, though. We'll see how long I keep it up.

Jonelle Flashback: Last February, I had a portfolio review, where I presented samples of my multimedia work to an audience of not-at-all-interested folks. I included this very site in my portfolio to show off my polka-dot-heavy aesthetic (and my allergy to... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.709 2008-06-25T18:21:45Z 2008-06-25T18:35:20Z

Brought to you by GChat: classmate: You wish you were me right now. themockup: Oh? classmate: My lunch is incredible. classmate: Leftover steak sandwich. classmate: Wasabi peas. themockup: Nice. classmate: Yup. Jealous? themockup: Not really. themockup: I made a sandwich with goat cheese, feta, artichoke hearts, and basil on a sesame garlic roll. classmate: Ok - Now my lunch just seems sad. themockup: It kind of is.

Jonelle Brought to you by GChat: classmate: You wish you were me right now. themockup: Oh? classmate: My lunch is incredible. classmate: Leftover steak sandwich. classmate: Wasabi peas. themockup: Nice. classmate: Yup. Jealous? themockup: Not really. themockup: I made a sandwich... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.708 2008-06-23T20:38:38Z 2008-06-23T20:53:45Z

Much has transpired since we last spoke! I'm going to make that my personal mantra, because it's almost always true. The Celtics won a championship. I was in Costa Rica at the time, learning how to surf at Playa Samara and not getting a tan. (What can I say? I lack melanin.) It was pretty painful not to be in town for the last two electrifying games but I made up for it with lots of ESPN Deportes, watched in the wee hours of the morning. The baseball recaps were especially fun; every time I hear someone refer to J.D. Drew, I'm going to imagine the voice of the enthusiastic female Deportes anchor emphatically pronouncing every syllable: "Jay. Dee. Droo." Don't forget to roll the "r". Otherwise, Costa Rica was excellent -- beach, cocktails, fresh fruit and plantain chips are a fairly unbeatable combination. I got lots of Vitamin C and quality nap time in, making for a nice mid-summer break. The bad news: Less than two months left to finish my thesis. Some days I feel fine about this. Other days, I contemplate drinking hemlock. Far more of the latter than the former right now but if I put in a few more days of hard-core post-vacation catch-up maybe I'll be able to relax a little. I did take a guilt-laden ten minute break from work today to make hummus. Thanks to The Kitchn, which recently clued me in to the secrets of emulsion, the traditional batch I made today is lemony and silky-smooth. I may fail at academia, but at least I can make tasty snacks.

Jonelle Much has transpired since we last spoke! I'm going to make that my personal mantra, because it's almost always true. The Celtics won a championship. I was in Costa Rica at the time, learning how to surf at Playa Samara... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.707 2008-06-09T00:54:48Z 2008-06-09T01:23:32Z

Or should I say, "Dear #95": An oversized Boston Celtics jersey that comes down to your knees is not a good look. Especially when you are surrounded by men who are, on average, seven feet tall.

Jonelle Or should I say, "Dear #95": An oversized Boston Celtics jersey that comes down to your knees is not a good look. Especially when you are surrounded by men who are, on average, seven feet tall.... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.705 2008-06-05T23:47:48Z 2008-06-05T23:48:33Z

Great Moments in Athletic Meatheadedness Originally uploaded by Occasionally Jonelle. As I mentioned, the summer Ultimate Frisbee season is upon us. Normally this would be cause for much rejoicing. As the photo to the right suggests, not so. Last week, I had a somewhat frazzled Tuesday and dashed out the door at 6:08 to make it to practice at 6:15. And I made it on time (roughly) but without one important element -- my cleats. They were still sitting in the hallway, stuffed with newspaper, drying out from the thunderstorm-laden Saturday tournament. So I attempted to practice in my running shoes, promptly took a digger during the first drill, and spent the rest of the hour feeling a mounting soreness in my left quadriceps muscle. Like the idiot that I am I attempted to "play through the pain" for a solid week and now find myself on the 15 day DL, retrograde to last Thursday or so. All I learned from this experience is that I am officially too old to play through most kinds of pain. At this stage in my athletic career, playing through pain will only result in more pain, which will result in a grudging trip to the Walk-In Clinic, which will result in me being scolded by a physician's assistant for doing idiotic things like playing through obvious pain. Also, I'm not allowed to go running until it stops hurting so I expect to be completely stir-crazy by Saturday. Awesometown.

Jonelle Great Moments in Athletic Meatheadedness Originally uploaded by Occasionally Jonelle. As I mentioned, the summer Ultimate Frisbee season is upon us. Normally this would be cause for much rejoicing. As the photo to the right suggests, not so. Last... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.703 2008-06-02T12:42:26Z 2008-06-02T12:44:14Z

...in a million, billion years. Sorry, Dan Grabauskas.

Jonelle ...in a million, billion years. Sorry, Dan Grabauskas.... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.702 2008-05-28T17:47:11Z 2008-05-28T17:47:11Z

sandwich Originally uploaded by Occasionally Jonelle. ... of making a sandwich that's too thick to get one's mouth around. For the curious, that's leftover beer-poached grilled sausages on more homemade bread. The Eating Ridiculously Well Tour rolls on.

Jonelle sandwich Originally uploaded by Occasionally Jonelle. ... of making a sandwich that's too thick to get one's mouth around. For the curious, that's leftover beer-poached grilled sausages on more homemade bread. The Eating Ridiculously Well Tour rolls on.... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.701 2008-05-27T16:01:39Z 2008-05-27T16:22:43Z

I went on another cooking tear recently. It all started a couple of weeks ago when I found myself having a string of hypersocial days; Summer Club frisbee started, and Sugi was in town for a reading, and Tim was in town just being Tim, and so on. The upshot of all this out-and-about-ness was that I ate dinner out SIX nights in a row. And at least three of those dinners were burgers. Ugh. Anyway, I immediately bought a bunch of vegetables and made a stir-fry, but (eyes being perpetually bigger than stomach) I had a good handful of produce left over. Enter vegetable soups. The soups required me to pick up more random ingredients I don't usually have on hand, and I was soon left with the task of using those up. That's why I'm currently eating chilled zucchini-sesame soup with white bean hummus spread on toasted homemade white bread. Oh yes. Life is good. Speaking of the white bean spread, one of those random ingredients was a largeish jar of tahini from Market Basket, so I urge you to prepare yourselves for the Summer of Homemade Hummus. It seems like an appropriate follow-up to the Spring of DIY Greek Yogurt and the Winter of Frantic Baking.

Jonelle I went on another cooking tear recently. It all started a couple of weeks ago when I found myself having a string of hypersocial days; Summer Club frisbee started, and Sugi was in town for a reading, and Tim was... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.699 2008-05-15T11:26:27Z 2008-05-15T11:28:34Z

The joys of having an uncommon name. I have this same conversation with someone at least once a month. Thanks, parents.

Jonelle The joys of having an uncommon name. I have this same conversation with someone at least once a month. Thanks, parents.... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.698 2008-05-12T20:12:59Z 2008-05-12T20:34:33Z

I have a new favorite response to verbal harassment on the T. (Or on the T platform, or on the sidewalk, or in Brazil, or where ever.) The MBTA is all over this issue, sticking to their time-honored solution of putting up posters with vaguely scolding messages. However, when angrily pointing to a nearby poster has no effect, the modern Bostonian woman needs a backup plan. Not like I get harassed that often, but the few times it's happened, my go-to move was always to start babbling in pidgin French. This typically does not halt the harassment but just encourages the perp to speak louder and more slowly. Anyway, here's my new tactic: I look the harasser apologetically in the eye and say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't speak English." In English. Any further advances are met with, "I'm so sorry -- I can't understand you. I'm not familiar with the English language. Do you speak Swedish?" You see, it's all about making them believe you're too crazy to bother with. Harasser, vanquished. In all honesty, I'll probably never have to use this tactic again, so long as I don't repeat the mistake of sporting knee-high boots and a short skirt on the Orange Line.

Jonelle I have a new favorite response to verbal harassment on the T. (Or on the T platform, or on the sidewalk, or in Brazil, or where ever.) The MBTA is all over this issue, sticking to their time-honored solution of... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.697 2008-05-06T19:46:57Z 2008-05-06T19:49:01Z

So. Much. Awesome. When I was a copy editor, I wrote cutlines that were some variation on "Go, Speed Racer, Go!" at least once a week.

Jonelle So. Much. Awesome. When I was a copy editor, I wrote cutlines that were some variation on "Go, Speed Racer, Go!" at least once a week.... tag:www.themockup.com,2008://1.696 2008-05-06T16:35:50Z 2008-05-06T16:35:51Z

eat pray lunch Originally uploaded by the mock-up. A few months ago, I rediscovered the joys of hippie food -- brown rice and hummus and homemade wheat bread. Breaking out my Moosewood Cookbook seemed like a natural next step. This Broccoli Egg Lemon soup (with lots of dill and black pepper) pairs perfectly with a not-too-taxing piece of travel lit. Lunch break of champions.

Jonelle eat pray lunch Originally uploaded by the mock-up. A few months ago, I rediscovered the joys of hippie food -- brown rice and hummus and homemade wheat bread. Breaking out my Moosewood Cookbook seemed like a natural next step....