Apple crisp

I left work early on Friday in a rush to make an apple crisp for our team party. Luckily my mom came over to help me peel all the apples. I also borrowed an apple slicer, which saved time.

I used Zestar apples and reduced the sugar — no complaints, but personally I prefer tarter apples. Back to Granny Smith, methinks.

You can serve this with vanilla ice cream (so as not to disappoint Rebekah) or whipped cream (which Tash might have an extra serving of). Your call.

Apple crisp
Serves 12

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter
6 cups apples, peeled and sliced
Dash of salt
Cinnamon
Nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter. Blend them together until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is well distributed throughout.

Place the apples in an even layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle with about a half-teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of salt.

Top the apples with the oatmeal mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of salt.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. Cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. May be stored at room temperature in a covered container for three to five days.

Tennis 2012: Le Club team party

Friday night our 4.0 team celebrated the season at Jessica's house. Her husband, Dennis, grilled a tenderloin — a huge chunk of meat. Red meat and red wine (especially together) are two things that always remind me how good life is.

It appeared that cheese was the unofficial theme of the evening. Glenna brought cheese, cheese, and cheese (I don't remember the three kinds, except that I ate them all while we drank wine on the patio). And Rebekah made cheesy potatoes and a potato salad — a bit of a digression from her assigned side, hummus.

Jessica's home is beautiful, and we ate dinner by the fireplace, with Goldens Copper and Toby wandering by to check out the scene. At some point, Kim jokingly suggested that we each say something nice about each person in the room.

Rebekah got really into this, raising and waving her hand: "Ooh — and Ann: I really like how you set up courts and you include everybody!" She was not even deterred by Kim and Mary singing Kumbaya.

In the spirit of good sportsmanship, I'll be a team player. Here goes:

Ann: I'll always remember that you gave me my first shot at 4.0 and my first experience with combo. Thank you for always being so generous and welcoming.

Glenna: You have incredible poise and truly know how to calm people down. (I wasn't joking about how helpful you were at the first match.) I also respect your forehand and knowledge of cheese.

Jessica: I love your decisiveness in managing a team of strong-willed women. Thank you for captaining a great season and hosting a wonderful party. And someday I hope to hit as many down-the-line shots as you do.

Kim: We already know you're a great tennis player. But I knew we'd be friends when we talked about sandwiches and sleeping pills after my first match. I love being your token Asian friend even though I'm only good at basic math.

Kristen: In addition to having an enviable game, you never lose your mind when you play tennis. This is truly impressive and I've learned a lot from your calm, no-nonsense court presence.

Mary: You are one of the funniest people I've ever met: the garage jokes never got old. And I'm impressed by anyone who tells their opponents, "I'm not going to play a third set."

Nora: You give spot-on advice in matters of the heart. Our talk at Western was one of the high points of my season. (Of course, the way we got treated at Western was one of the low points, but why focus on the negative?)

Patrice: How lucky was I that we got thrown together four seasons ago? So many of my best tennis experiences have been with you, and you're a dear friend, Nooni.

Rebecca: You are a great player and so unbelievably cheerful. Really, I would not believe it if I didn't aleady know you from high school. And thanks for supplying the entire team with Gatorade at the Milwaukee Country Club match. You're a good egg.

Rebekah: Your excellent backhand is rivaled only by your cheesy potatoes. And your enthusiasm about this blog is so encouraging (writing can be a lonely pursuit — much less so with an audience).

Sandy: You're a terrific player, but I am even more blown away by your team spirit. You go the distance to support your teammates, and you never have an unkind thing to say about anyone (even if you did nickname me "Mother").

Tash: On and off the court, I admire your dynamic and dramatic personality. And I applaud your courage in drinking both beer and wine. Regardless of the college sayings, the grain and the grape make a daunting combination.

Kumbaya.

On book keeping

"Smart people always have a lot of books and games," my friend Mary said. I am pleased to say that she announced this while perusing the bookshelves in my living room.

In case you're wondering, Mary is a person with a lot of books and games. She will soon be tackling The Art of Seduction — which is not a self-help book but a chilling analysis of human nature. Good thing she'll have Atlas Shrugged as a beach read.

So what does it mean that I decided to pare down my collection tonight, before settling in to watch a jillion episodes of The Wire?

This project started because I decided to dust the shelves. To really truly dust, that is, to get the dog hair out.

Books are amazing things. They're like music, transporting me to a certain time in my life. So I want to remember what I've given away. It's odd, trying to hold on to what I'm letting go of.

Sure, I'm keeping some books for the sake of vanity. Like Small Is the New Big. I have not read it, but I think that having a Seth Godin book makes me look au courant in my thinking.

But I'm also keeping Love on a Rotten Day. In addition to giving hilarious rundowns of different astrological signs, it reminds me of Scorpio Heather, who suggested I read it. We met at a TV show taping five years ago, and I love when people recommend books that I'd have never found on my own.

I don't always do so well when I choose my own reading material: I'm giving away a few financial and business books in pristine condition. Maybe these tomes had one intriguing idea, but I couldn't slog through most of them. Same with some of the dog training books. Papaya can't read them anyway.

It's with mixed feelings that I'm parting with The Managed Heart and one of my Norton anthologies, books that were so much a part of my college experience. But I'm not giving away all of my old texts. I'm still hoping to read The Odyssey.

And then there's my grad school days. Keeping: Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion. Giving away: Anger: The Struggle for Emotional Control in America's History. Yes, I've always been interested in emotions. In studying them, that is — not in having them.

I can't bear to give away How Emotions Work. Even though I was probably the worst research assistant ever (I can recall only one accomplishment: finding a Freud reference about a dream), Jack Katz wrote, "To Naomi, In fond memory of your help in making this monster."

I'm also keeping the children's books — both copies of The Giving Tree were gifts — and everything Philip Roth and Oscar Wilde. Mine is a library filled with hope and cynicism.

Goodbye, my printed friends. You'll always be in my heart, if not in my mind.

Love and large-link chain

I was thrilled when Jocelyn asked about this copper bib from my Etsy shop and offered to send photos for my portfolio.

She already had her dress picked out for her rehearsal dinner, and she wanted a necklace that wasn't too long. This works perfectly: I love the contrast of the copper and the mint green.

She also looks stunning in the pic with Ben on their honeymoon. They both look so happy! I would be, too, if I were in Turkey, Italy, and the Greek Islands.

Jocelyn and Ben live in San Francisco and met five years ago at work. Of course I had to ask about the proposal.

"Last summer we were driving down the 1 on the coast and stopped for a day of hiking in Big Sur. Halfway through the 9-mile hike in a place with an amazing view of the ocean, he read a poem he'd written that chronicled our relationship and ended with the line 'So marry me — just say you will.' And I did."

I'm always touched when I see people wearing my jewelry, especially when it's on a special occasion. So thanks, Jocelyn. I wish you and Ben joy as you walk through life together!

Irish Fest 2012

Working at the Irish Fest marketplace, Denise and I were glad to graduate from the floor to the booth. The booth is always the best place to be because you can eke out your own little space to talk to Fest-goers. And you get a chance to catch up with the regular volunteers, some of whom devote four days to the Fest.

The highlight of my shift was talking to an elderly man. A bit shaky, he was immediately drawn to — believe it or not — the leprechaun hat on the mannequin. "It's too small," his wife said when he tried it on.

I got a size large for him. Slowly, he put it on. "Is this the only one?" he asked.

We had at least 10 in each size, but I told him I could hold on to it while he looked around. "His name is Fred," his wife said. He looked at my name tag. "Naomi," I said. "Oh!" he said, laughing at I couldn't say what.

I wrote "Fred" on a sticker and put it on the hat, leaving it near the register.

He came back a few minutes later. "You put my name on it!" he said. I helped him tie the green pompoms under his chin.

To see someone so genuinely excited about a leprechaun hat, I got a little misty-eyed. There is something about Irish Fest: the beautiful weather when the days are getting shorter, the slightly melancholy music, the familiarity of shepherd's pie and reuben rolls with Denise, and now, the pure joy over a crazy hat — well, all of these things make me grateful for this one day a year.

I hope you made it to Irish Fest, too!

Unions and reunions: Colleen's 50th birthday

Colleen's 50th birthday party had it all: lots of food, booze, and generations of family and friends. Plus she celebrated another milestone: A wedding! She and Kevin tied the knot a few weeks ago, and the gang is thrilled for them. Congrats!

Rob and Patricia threw a party with free-flowing champagne. (Though I love champagne, I saved myself for the end-of-evening Maker's Mark.) After seconds on the grilled steak fajitas, I had just enough room for the homemade German chocolate cake — and a taste of the banana fudge cake, too.

Colleen and Patricia are both enthusiastic dogsitters and adopters. Yet the night also held many reunions. Bailey was happy to see Chris — but Rob and Patricia knew not to be worried. And here's Doug cuddling old, blind Cisco.

Sigh. That would be the last time most of us saw Cisco.

Colleen just notified us that he is gone. In his obituary, she wrote:

Cisco I pray the the table in heaven has a chair pulled out so you can jump up and dine to your delight. In heaven my father has many mansions, I also hope he has many electric fans to handle your gas.

Love and gas: Could there be any truer words about what dogs bring to our lives?

But enough about that. This is a celebration! Cheers, Colleen and Kevin. And Cisco, too. It has been a month of milestones, and we're glad to be sharing all of them with you.

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 8

Le Club vs. Le Club. I looked forward to this match because it's Yvonne's team, and she is one of my favorite tennis people — a great competitor and a supportive teammate. So I knew it would be a fun night.

At #1 singles, it was Jessica vs. Laurie. Their match took more than two hours. Two. Hours. After two hours of slamming the ball back and forth, Laurie ultimately took it, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6. Jessica, that was an amazing effort — you really stayed in it after a tough start.

Kristen (#2 singles) was sitting and calmly eating a sub when Patrice and I came off the court. Because she'd been on Court 10 and we were on Court 3, I didn't get to see her play. "How did your match go?" I asked. "Good," she said. I found out later that her score was 7-5, 6-0. Nicely done, Kristen — and I like the quiet humility. Which, come to think of it, is totally you.

At #1 doubles, Tash and Rebecca won, 6-2, 6-4. I was two courts away from them so I can't give any details. Though, I do recall that Tash had a migraine. Way to play through it! Sorry I wasn't more observant about the match — though, did I hear Rebecca yelling at herself? I wish I had hung out with both of you for a post-game interview. Next year I'll do better!

At #2 doubles, Mary and Rebekah stayed tough, winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. They had some really great, aggressive points (love it!). Plus, it's impressive to take the last two sets after losing the first. Nice mental toughness and skilled play!

At #3, Patrice and I were also put to the test. At first, we had trouble with Irina's angle shots and overheads. And the pace seemed slow until we figured out their one up/one back strategy. Oh-kay! Down 1-4, we came back to take it 6-4, 6-4. Nice job, Nooni!

Great job, Team, on the 4-1 win — a strong finish to the season. By the way, both Le Club teams finished with a 22-18 record and 41 sets lost. We did lose fewer games (367 to their 406). So numbers-wise, we were evenly matched.

Reluctant to see the season end, I lingered at Le Club. I caught up with Kelly, mingled with Nora and Kim and the Highlander men's team, watched the Olympics, drank red wine, and ate peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Finally I could not stay any longer.

But at least I'll get to go back tomorrow to play some doubles. So I'll see you soon, Teammates.