42 posts tagged “dfw”
Well, the weight I lost in Paris is back. It is not so much added pounds as a lack of firmness, so I am back to my familiar round plumpness. Sadly.
Why?
No walking.
This is absolutely it. I changed my diet dramatically while in Paris and am sticking to it, despite the constant temptations in the US of processed sugar, processed foods, fast foods, and huge portions. I fall off the sugar wagon, but not as badly as I used to, certainly.
But my daily practice--necessity--of walking is gone. In DFW, people ONLY walk a/ for exercise, b/ if their car has broken down, or c/ if they're crazy.
Seriously.
Nobody uses walking to get anywhere, primarily because walkers must contends with drivers and everything is spread out. I can't walk from my grocery store to my cafe to my bookstore to my apartment. I can walk from my apartment to restaurants, a Starbucks, an Apple store, a post office, and a high-priced pharmacy... but not for groceries, books, gas. But even if I drive, I cannot find one place--even a nexus of shopping centers at a crossroads--where I can do all my errands at a Target, a grocery store or farmer's market or speciality food stores, a bookstore, a cafe, and a good set of clothing stores... Malls and gallerias don't have Target or groceries or CVS or Office Depot.
Okay. That makes sense: I cannot find everything in one place in Paris, either. But Dallas doesn't have a mass transit system that allows me to travel quickly and cheaply by bus or subway or light rail and shop up and down the line, finally returning home. In Paris, my day was linked by stops along the Metro lines to pick up books or CDs or get to the archives or theatre or museum... then return to my home stop where I picked up groceries, phone cards, wine, and fresh fruit from the market en route to my apartment. I walked all day--stopping to see, to buy, to do--then walked more, then rode the Metro, then walked... It wasn't exercise, and I ddin't think about how much I was walking--I just did it. In heels. All damn day.
Her ein DFW, I walk for 30 minutes on a trail for exercise: which is, mentally, not very interesting and visually not very interesting. I am also not engaged on all cylinders over my landscape as I am in Paris: I see buildings, shops, cafes, people, EVERYTHING, while I walk--which again makes walking not "exercise" or a chore, but a brilliantly wonderful way of connecting to my city, my landscape, and my fellow human beings. Even the Metro offers interesting sights consistently.
Walking here is boring. You can't go anywhere, you can't get back, it takes forever because you're not supported by transit, and the sight you're most likely to see is cars, cars, and more cars. And DFW drivers do not like walkers (or bikers) and do not recognize them as a vital part of the landscape, or at least equals on the road.
In part, it is me. I do not like to exercise for the sake of exercise, but I do like walking to see things. To get to intersting places, interesting destinations, to complete necessary errands. I could park at the far end of parking lots: but that feels like I am tricking myself, and myself is not fooled. That is not REAL walking and, dude, it is in a parking lot. Asphalt. Flat. Nothing to see. I could...
This is a constant debate. I do not win, neither does myself. Dang.
I miss walking. I miss connecting with the world around me. Dallas is a perfectly interesting city, except that no one expects to see it except through the window of a car moving at 40 mph (or more). Or walking your dog (not an option!). And there is no part of the city that is not like this: it is the city's ethos.
I miss walking, And I'm gonna get yelled at by my doctor.
Pearl
Over on my Texas blog, I've been writing about the Texas State Fair, which I attended with friends last week, Butter sculptures, quilts, and fried foods. Go here to read all about it.
I also wrote about my problems with AT&T's Customer Service, a term which means something different on each end of the phone (ironically). Advice? Go here to answer my questions.
And an easy recipe for Spicy Chicken.
Last week was a busy week in North Texas. This week I am travelling to Boulder to give a paper on 19th-century actresses again, this time about the "new" ways in which men looked at them, given new "ways of looking" evolving during the period. The title is
GAZING AT A WOMAN ON THE PARIS STAGE:
THE FLÂNEUR, THE COLLECTOR, THE ARTIST, & THE CUSTOMER
Late Nineteenth Century Theatre and the Male Spectator
and I am using pictures like this one of a young Sarah Bernhardt:
I hope to see something of the city while I am there: everyone tells me how great Boulder is when they hear I am going there. I believe them!
Pearl
This little building lives across the street from one of my new coffee cafes.
I love it. The architectural details--windows, doors, angles--interest me.
I took these as well during one of the hot, clear, surface-of-the-sun days here in DFW this week. This building, like my little cafe, is part of a neighborhood undergoing revival: lots of restaurants and bars so far, but not too many other kinds of shops. A new natural foods market I like very much is just around the corner, as well.
It is a bike destination, as well, given that it is a little farther than I've been thus far, as well and on and over some busy car-traffic streets.
Great to see this neighborhood becoming livelier, despite the economy, because it is a mixed area for Hispanic families and young artists, kind of an eclectic mix of residents who seem to be getting along (thus far) pretty well.
Pearl
On Thursday, I bought this little chest from a shop here in DFW.
I am in love with it. Obviously, it needs some work: a new handle on the third drawer, some adjustment in the lower left rear, and I do plan to paint it (come Labor Day). But it fits perfectly in this spot, it is reasonably clean prior to final repair and painting, and the drawers pull in and out smoothly.
It also has a smaller footprint than the two-level table I previously had in this space.
Wow! Does this mean my apartment is actually falling into place? Finally?
Pearl
Yesterday, two friends and I took the long, long trip up to Tioga to eat barbecue at Clark's Outpost. It had been a few year since I was at Clark's, and my friends had never even heard of it, although they've lived here longer than I have.
The drive was, well, an adventure. For part of the trip we drove a county road that was graveled but unpaved (Rte 121 west): do not choose this route. Scenic, but a little unnerving. Instead, use Rte. 380 to 377, then go north.
My friends, after about 90 minutes of driving, including over 10 miles of unpaved road, were understandably hungry and crabby. Clark's storefront looks unimpressive, and pulling into the unpaved gravel parking lot, with all windows closed so the a.c. can blast against the orange pollution ozone alert and 102 degree heat, does not impress.
And then one opens the car door, steps out... and smells the barbecue cookin'.
Ahhhhhhh!
From there we floated to the front door.
I had carefully made reservations--since it was a Friday evening--but most tables were empty. A surprise to me. I recommend ALWAYS making reservations.
The three of us sat, ate, and--damn!--enjoyed.
We ordered appetizers: onion rings and fully loaded potato skins. Both were delicious, but I especially love the rings. The coating is thick, crunchy, chewy and the rings are substantial.
To order alcohol, one must join the club, a Texas tradition of dry towns, where only members can drink legally. We ordered Shiners, naturally, and one Negro Modelo.
One friend ordered the brisket beef/smoked turkey combination plate, including the collard greens and jalapeno black-eyed peas. The other ordered the brisket/sausage combo, with potato salad and fried zucchini. I ordered the beef/pork ribs combo, with red beans and cole slaw. The plates arrive fast--always--and at first glance, it doesn't look like much food. And in fact for a regular barbecue joint, it is a smaller serving... but then one starts to eat.
The beef is so tender, beautifully smoked on-site over three days, one doesn't even need a knife to cut it. It is so delicious, so tender, that it is a work of art. The ribs--ditto. Smallish, but tasty, succulent, plump. Bones do not dominate. Eaten with the dark sauce that comes bottled in old Grolsch beer bottles: be still my heart! The sausage, from a Dallas maker, are spicy, while the turkey breast--also smoked at Clark's--is mellow and, again, so tender it can be nudged into pieces with a fork.
Usually, I ignore the sides in favor of the main course, so as not to waste time or space. In this case that would be a mistake. All of our sides were superb seconds: my red beans and cole slaw were so good, I actually ate most of them.
Each plate comes with two slices of Texas toast, an onion slab (not slice), and half of a canned cling peach.
For dessert, one friend ordered the Dutch apple pie with vanilla ice cream, while I had the bread pudding with hard sauce. I recommend the pie--crunchy, complex, and overall delicious--and not the bread pudding. I am a huge fan of b.p., but this one was soaked in brandy and nutmeg. It was absolutely tasty, but so rich and overwhelmingly alcoholic, I wa afraid to be near the open candle on our tabletop. Wow! I ate about 1/3 of the total slab, which again was not over-sized or grotesque, but too much for me.
My friends, fans of Southern cooking, Tex-Mex cooking, and Texas food, were impressed. Me, too, but I was not surprised. What I love most about Clark's is that it is not out to impress: neither the decor, the wait staff (who are friendly and efficient, but not hanging over the table, thank God!), or the prices are out to stun you. It is, simply, good food that doesn't want to be the favorite baby of foodies and wanna-be gourmands. What for?
If you love it, you can order off their website, which also shows their menu and hours.
Take my advice: if you're in the area, visit. If you aren't, order something by mail. You'll be very happy.
Pearl
Our campus is built around two elements: an oval central drive and a four-story, red brick, domed hall. Here is the hall:
The class I'm teaching this summer is in this building, on the top floor.
Inside, the entry hall is open, with a dome and circular skylight.
The gallery runs in a circle around the hall, leading off to two wings.
This particular window gives a great view of both the campus and downtown Big D.
Here's a better view.
Pretty, isn't it? From here, you can really ignore the blazing heat of early evening.
Pearl
'Cause I know everyone is waiting: pictures of The Bike.
I've been out riding it the last two days, and it goes like a dream. Next: covered panniers with a rear rack.
Oh, and here's the new sofa, too:
Pearl
Here it is.
Well, it would be, but I am being restrained by my computer for "administrative issues" so it won't let me download photos. It doesn't recognize me an administrator... which basically means that my computer is telling me that I am not the boss of it.
Which is true... but I digress.
The blue bike in the foreground: my exact bike.
I rode The Bike home and felt the wind flying through my hair. Whee!
OK, I have short hair cut extra short for summer heat and wore a ball cap... but still: Wheeeeeee!
Remember this post on frugality back this spring? Well, I got the front basket (detachable, too!)
the bell
and even light blue color-coordinated grips.
All on monies saved from coupons, deals, EBates, and selling books on Amazon. Now I'm goin to start saving for the next "big" project: a new mattress and box spring. Good times.
Whhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Pearl
Yes, it is Friday, which is a No Class Day. My big plans include:
1. Picking up THE BIKE: walking to the shop, getting my photo taken (the shop's Friday ritual!), then riding home. Ah, exercise... in the blazing/relentless/nasty DFW midday heat... good plan, eh?
2. Dinner out with girlfriends at chic local eatery featuring pizza and salads: Fireside Pies.
3. Laundry (gotta love the No Class Day, which translates to Home Rituals and Cleaning Day).
4. Reading the latest issue of Dwell magazine, my new favorite magazine. I dream of buying/building a small pre-fab house... also Entertainment Weekly and Fast Company.
5. Reading about Parisian visual culture of the 19th century. More interesting than it sounds, perhaps.
6. Replying to emails I have neglected all week.
7. Tuning my radio to Michael Jackson tribute stations, hopefully for the pre-scary years. Rest in peace, MJ.
8. Feeling envy about my friends' trip to Scotland: weeks in that lovely country, visiting Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the B&B I stayed in the Mactalla.
9. Did I mention picking up THE BIKE? Oh, I did.
Pearl
Tomorrow--Friday--I will pick up my NEW BIKE!
Yes. I ordered it on Tuesday, and will pick it up TOMORROW!
Can you tell I am excited EXCITED!
I hope I will have pictures, but my camera is refusing to intersect interrogate interact interface with the laptop, so it may not be immediately possible.
HOWEVER
it is a light blue Cruiser bike, with light blue rubber grips, a white front basket, a side mirror, a zingy bell, and, yes, the LOCK OF LOCKS so that it doesn't go walkabout.
I will be very cool, in a short-middle-aged-lady-in-a-skirt cool manner.
Pearl
