Posted via Pixelpipe.

V is for Vegetable!

I've been saying for years now (mostly to myself) that what America needs, now more than ever, is more Victory Gardens. Call me a hippie-wack-tree-hugging-granola-fiend, but I can't think of a better, inexpensive family or individual activity that accomplishes the terrifically relevant ambitions of getting dirty while using almost no dirty energy, being more healthy, exploring carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling, getting to know your own micro-ecosystem while making it a better place, understanding more of God and nature....etc., etc....than to plant a small garden.

So while I have a hard time wrapping my brain around giant Keynesian economic stimuli, matters of national security, and whether world leaders will make appropriate decisions at the Copenhagen climate meeting later this year, there is one decision of this presidency that I can solidly support: the tillage of soil that began last Friday in preparation for an organic vegetable and flower garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Publicity stunt? Maybe. Sure, there was a photo op: the first lady with a shovel; the first lady surrounded by little kids. And they made sure the garden will be visible from the street. But when I look more closely at the details, I realize this garden was planned carefully, thoughtfully. First, it's 1100 square feet. That's a sizable garden, easily enough for, say, 200 salads a year, with plenty of time and room for a healthy rotation of compost. Then there's the well-designed layout of the garden: simple and functional, with central pathways lined by low-lying flowers.Those flowers are well-chosen, robust, fast-growing. They will attract both birds and insects, and round out the diversity and ecological balance of the place. (I know, totally designed by a granola head, right?) What's more, the nasturtiums are edible, and the marigolds are a natural nematicide, and the zinnias make a great cut flower. Now look at the selection of vegetables and herbs. Where's the iconic sweet corn (which requires so much space and nutrient input for very little yield)? Where are the giant sunflowers (ditto)? Every garden has them, right? Nope, not this garden. You'll notice that most every plant and variety on the map is delicious, leafy and green, and can be eaten nearly in its entirety, raw, no cooking preparation required. Michael Pollan will be proud. The peas are an exception: while you can't eat an entire pea plant, peas are legumes that make natural nitrogen fertilizer for the rest of the garden. Brilliant!

Oh, then there's the recognition that the White House kitchen scraps will be composted into the garden. And the two bee hives. And Michelle Obama's insistence that the whole family be involved. And this is the first time since WWII that this has happened! Make us proud, Obamas. Make us proud.

4-day weekend!

No seriously, tell me what you really think.

Classes started up again today. This plant is in the genus Arabidopsis. My plant physiology professor referred to it as a "stupid little plant." Excellent. I hope he's that blunt with his comments on my exams.

He also teaches Child Development 101.

Not really.

Waves! Shrimp!

Last week we escaped from Honolulu (a very rare occurrence), rented a car, and drove up to the North Shore where, by coincidence, the best surf of the winter so far was waiting for us. And no, I didn't get in the water, on account of I didn't want to die that day. Here's some video from Pipeline.



Down the beach a little farther, the O'Neill Men's World Cup was happening. It was cool and all, with the 20-foot waves and obviously very athletic surfer-dude-brahs. Four guys at a time paddle out for a 30-minute session and try to rack up the highest score they can, while trying not to get pummeled too badly. Because of the obviously challenging conditions, some guys might catch only one or two waves during their whole session, so there's a lot of waiting and watching involved. The scoring system was a little bit lame to me. A high score seems to depend on how many times you can cut back and forth from the crest to the trough of the wave (typically about three times before the wave closes out). Then you get extra points if the wave barrels over you and you get to ride inside it for a while. My problem was that getting the highest score wasn't necessarily about the most skillful or risky riding, it was only about waiting for the type of wave that would let you get a few good turns in before you could bail out. I thought there was a lot more potential for the guys to show off their style and their skills. Instead, every ride looked pretty much the same, and it got kinda boring after a few minutes.

For a delicious lunch, we went in search of the shrimp truck. This was something we'd been hearing about for a while, and it was totally shrimp-tastic! We got what everyone gets, the shrimp scampi. And no, it has nothing to do with pasta. It's a plate of twelve shrimp, in their tasty shells, smothered in garlicky butter, with a couple of scoops of white rice. And a cold beer. For good luck I got a little of the burn-your-face-off hot sauce on the side. I can't tell you how satisfying that was, after a long, difficult morning of beach-bumming.

If you see her, say hello...

The wifie is off in California (lucky!), leaving me stranded on this crazy island (yes, the very same island where they make "Lost") which can mean only one thing.

It's time for a Godfather marathon!

(I've never watched all 3 back-to-back, and this weekend, I think that's the ticket.)

"I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart!"




Oh, and if you do see her, tell her I'm working very hard and the research proposal is going really well.