Six Six-Word Memoirs on My Last Day of Class EVER

Law school was my backup plan.

I'm special just like everybody else.

I never once got a 4.0.

Unfortunately, Zach didn't like New York.

My mom would rather have grandchildren.

I can't please everybody or myself.

Delusions of an Open Mind

At a farewell to class dinner last week, a professor of mine commented on how people insist on clinging to a version of their identity that contradicts reality. Her example: people who have lived in Utah for most of their lives that deny being Utahns. This woman is very liberal, probably the spitting image profile of the voters in San Francisco to whom Barack Obama made the condescending remarks about small-town Pennsylvanians clinging to guns and religion. (I love Obama, but my goodness what was he thinking!)

In response to the comment about denial of Utah citizenship and the arrogance it implies, a friend of mine, who is from a small town in southern Utah, commented that she also thinks it is arrogant for people to refuse to call small towns by the local pronunciation. Her example: people who pronounce Hurricane, Utah like the weather system instead of Hurricun, which is the local pronunciation. It took me a second to understand what she was saying because, since my dad grew up in Richfield and I spent the summers of my youth exploring small town southern Utah, I forgot that people would actually pronounce Hurricane with the long "a".

The liberal adjunct law professor responded "I know, I can't believe how small towners pronounce the names of their town. I went all the way out to Hooper, Utah to get my puppy and when I got there they were calling it Whupper. When I called it Hooper, they said I must be from the city. And I was like damn right I'm from the city and I had to drive all the way out here to the sticks to get this dog. But the dog is great so it was worth it."

Cooking

I've been cooking, something I tend to do when I'm really busy but not interested in the things that occupy my time. Before law school reading would have been in the same category--something worthwhile that feels like a valid excuse to put off something I don't want to do. Now, though I still read for fun occasionally, cooking is a little more relaxing. After all, I don't have to cook for Administrative Law!

And so on Saturday night, after an exhausting day, I began chopping onions, peppers, garlic, and parsley. I soaked beans for dinner Thursday but ended up having to go to a law review party at a local bar (The first time I've been to a bar since New York, and it was kind of nice. I like bars because the objective is to sit and talk, so you don't feel rushed to leave--as long as some of the people you're with are drinking.). I made Refritos and, because I bought a six-pack of multi-colored bell peppers in the Costco run last week, I decided to try Mexican Pepper Casserole. Both recipes were from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.

The refritos (aka refried beans) were super simple--I cooked the pinto beans and then added them to sauteed onions and garlic with some salt and cumin. I left them a little lumpy and the texture was a definite plus. Zach said that they were the first refried beans he ate because he actually liked instead of because they accompanied his chile verde burrito.

The casserole involved sauteing peppers, onions, and garlic with cumin, dried mustard, and cayenne pepper. On Sunday I spread them in an 8 x 11.5 baking dish and covered with an egg-yogurt mixture and baked for 45 minutes.

Partway through the Saturday night cooking extravaganza, I realized that there was no way Zach and I would eat that much food for dinner. So I decided that we would eat my dishes for Sunday dinner. A few minutes later it occurred to me that Jeffery is our only addition for Sunday dinner, and he's 9 and doesn't eat much, so I decided to invite my parents, who now go to church just 4 blocks from my house, and my sister. On Sunday Zach made some (delicious) Mexican rice (without a recipe), and I whipped up a salad and some dressing, for a complete Sunday meal.

Jeffery didn't like the casserole because it was too spicy and my mom would only eat a small dollop of beans, but other than that, the meal was a hit! Especially the tortillas from Costco. But also the casserole, beans, and rice, all of which were both relatively easy to make and will now be part of my regular cooking routine. Until I quit cooking and go back to reading.