Sunshine and stairs

The dog stairs are done and they are a qualified success. If cheese is placed at the top, Ada the dog is happy to run up and down the steps all day. I was worried that she'd be scared of the quite narrow steps, so I'm relieved. The main hangup is that she hasn't figured out that there's a window up there, so she never goes up on her own.  I think a few more sessions of cheese and peanut butter will help her with this.
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My church held a solstice service last night, which was just lovely. As a gardener, dog owner, and bicyclist, I spend more time outside than I used to in days of yore. As a consequence, I notice the seasons and weather more. I always welcome winter solstice; it means I've already survived the darkest days of the year. Solstice also reminded me how much I appreciate having seasons again. I know I've said it before, but living in Miami with its two hot and not-quite-as-hot seasons has made me forever appreciate four seasons. It's cold now, but in one month I'll be able to bicycle again, and in three months I'll be planting.

Trifle and introverts

     The results of the fruitcake research were, sadly, inconclusive. People did NOT notice the two plates contained the same thing - if you have food scattered over a few tables, no one keeps track of things. A bit more of the "fruitcake" was consumed than the "brandied spice cake", but there wasn't a large enough difference to say anything. Nonetheless, it was delicious, boozy, and vegan. I'd definitely make it again.
     Guests were impressed by the trifle. I suspect this was mainly because no one ever makes it in the U.S. It was a standard component of my UK Christmases, so I was a bit more critical. It turns out that you can't use too-dense leftover cake in place of ladyfingers. But add enough custard and fruit and hardly anyone notices.
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     I am the odd introvert who enjoys throwing parties. I love planning for weeks, cooking, and decorating. I love dressing up, turning on the music, and lighting the candles. I want my friends to have a delightful time, and I work the room, introducing people and make sure that all the different friend groups are mingling and no one is left alone. But after the conversations are going strong, and the plates are loaded with snacks, I wish I could just slip away for the rest of the evening. For me, the creation of the party is the achievement and I don't actually need to participate in it. Fortunately I have enough social savvy to know this would be frowned upon.

Party Prep

     It's been full-on party preparation this week. The tree is decorated, the snowflakes are hung, and the house is clean. I even dusted my baseboards - I keep my house very neat and fairly minimal so there's not too much to clean, but I still don't think to dust very often. I hope my guests appreciate it. Perhaps when I'm giving them the tour of the house (which ALWAYS includes a stop in the basement to see the awesome plumbing) I can casually point out the cleanliness of the baseboards.
      One new addition to the menu this year is a fruitcake. I didn't quite follow the recipe, because I had to substitute brandy for rum and lots of fresh citrus zest for the candied citrus. Since I always label all my food at parties, I've been debating whether to name it "fruitcake" and trigger all the negative associations with that name or choose something like "brandied spice cake with figs and cherries." Probably the best idea is to have two separate plates, one with each label, and measure at the end of the evening which one has been consumed more.

Salt

     I get lightheaded sometimes. When I realized that I was avoiding strenuous exercise as a result, I decided to check it out. My cardiologist (Doesn't that sound impressive? I thought I'd have to wait another four decades to have my own cardiologist.) did a bunch of tests. This eventually led to the past July, when I was strapped to a table while standing up. (It looked like this.) We waited twenty minutes, and BOOM, I passed out, which I most definitely did not expect. This means that my blood pressure is poorly regulated, and explains why I feel dizzy when I get up from my office chair sometimes, and why I can't climb more than two flight of stairs without taking a break. Actually, it doesn't explain it at all to me, because I don't understand why my brain can't regulate my blood pressure.
     The good news is that the danger comes primarily from fainting, because people tend to injure themselves when they faint. The other good news is that I'm very good at not fainting. Whenever I feel dizzy, I lean against a wall, or sit down, or lay down. (Happily I've never needed to lay down at work.) The best news is that it has never happened when I'm driving, so I'm not in any danger there.
     I don't need medicine now, but I'm glad to know it's an option if it gets worse. In the meantime, the doctor is trying to raise my blood pressure the old-fashioned way, with salt. I am the only person I know who got an official directive to eat more salt. Pretzels and potato chips (and salt tablets), here I come.

Family

I am becoming my father.

     I extended my Seattle trip so I could visit my old college friend, A. We've known each other for twenty years and I because I've spent so much time in the city previously, we agreed that we didn't need to do a lot of touristy things around Seattle, just needed a chance to catch up. A's suggestion was a relaxed day of a taking a ferry to a nearby island or just doing a hike plus a visit to a local pub. Instead, I suggested we spend the day doing home repairs. A's handy, but usually hires out all of this kind of work.
     Two trips to Home Depot, a morning of DIY YouTube videos, and an afternoon of work later, and we had repaired a leaky shower, diagnosed a faulty motion-activated light fixture, and replaced five exterior door locks so that they all use the same key. It's not quite how A was expecting the day to unfold, but I think he was pleased with the result.

Medea the dog offers moral support during the faucet cartridge replacement.

I am now REALLY good at replacing door locks. Locksmithing is my new back-up job if physics doesn't work out.
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Also, I am nothing like my father.
     Yesterday my dad helped me install a hitch on my car. It was pretty easy because he has a car lift. But first my parents and I spent six hours cleaning off all of the stuff piled up on the car lift. I am such a minimalist that I simply can't even conceive of owning so much stuff. But amongst all the junk metal and bolts, you find little historical treasures like this vintage cardboard milk carton. We think it has been holding sandpaper since about 1975, because the milk supplier is from the town where I was born in Minnesota.

Seattle

     I've been in Seattle for work this weekend. My former thesis advisor is now a colleague and we are working on a project related to diversity in undergraduate physics education. I spent the first night in the U District, which is the neighborhood next to the University of Washington, crammed full of cheap noodle restaurants, E-cigarette retailers, and hip clothing shops. I wandered around the neighborhood and was reminded of my first stay in Seattle, which was also in the winter. After I graduated from college, I took a two-month course in teaching English as a Second Language in Portland, Oregon. When I was done, I didn't really have any definite plans, so I hopped a bus north to Seattle and got a temp job in human resources at a very posh law firm. (If you are from Seattle, the Seattle Symphony plays in a Hall named for this same law firm.)
     I subletted someone's dining room in a one-bedroom apartment and slept on an air mattress on the floor. I was poor, but had a few friends in the area so I wasn't lonely. I was basically killing time, trying to figure out what my next step was. In mid-December, my temp position wasn't renewed and there weren't any other prospects, so I headed back to my parents. My earliest memories of Seattle are fond, but colored by the indecision and lack of funds that were my constant companions during that time.

Thoughts from the road

     On Sunday I began a convoluted two-week trip involving Maryland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Seattle, multiple dog sitters, and Thanksgiving with my parents. The first leg involved dropping Ada off in Ohio and then heading to Pittsburgh for a two-day conference. For most of the trip, Ada remembered that she doesn’t need to bark in the car, but whenever I get of the highway and make a lot of turns or stops, she forgets. (For my physics friends, my dog is essentially a well-tuned accelerometer.)
     I think the dog would enjoy car trips more if I could figure out how to keep her crate cooler. A thick blanket most be draped over her crate at all times; if she can see any movement through a window, even through a thinner blanket, she goes crazy. As a result, the crate gets pretty warm. I need a way to keep her cool but in the dark. In the past, I tried a blindfold, attached to her harness, but she was highly motivated to get it off and wriggled out of the blindfold, her collar, and her harness. Suggestions are appreciated.
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     While I was in Pittsburgh, I met a friend for dinner. I had two foods I had never eaten before - Philly cheesesteaks and buckwheat tea. I had never had the former because I hadn't come across a a restaurant that made them with seitan, and I hadn't even heard of the latter. It's kind of rare in my life that I get to try utterly new foods, and they were both delicious. I'm already researching how to roast my buckwheat for tea, since that seems much cheaper.