Goodbye to Isis

This post is dedicated to my beloved Isis (whose name was mocked by my labmates in the WWC Archaeology Lab, but when I pointed out its stitching prominently on the front they could laugh no longer, it was there to stay). I bought her my senior year in college, in 2007, when I was preparing to go on a spring break trip to Spain. I knew I needed a more serious backpack than all my sorry Jansports. One with the capacity to carry 3 liters of water along with clothes, cameras, snacks, and even my computer on occasion - all without killing my shoulders. I did a lot of looking online and finally chose Camelbak's Isis, promising storage space, comfort and adaptation to the female frame, and its very own water bladder! I ordered it up and spent a fantastic week with it traveling around Spain with my friends. That summer it sported around with me in Greece, finding the willingness to strap on snorkels and fins as well as carrying a weekend's worth of clothing and gear when needed. These adventures were only the beginning. The next fall it started graduate school with me, marching into the solemn and daunting halls of the University of Chicago for those first classes. Together we stood for West Coast practicality and comfort over East Coast style. Books, binders, laptop and water bottles secured I carried her around for five long years of hectic coursework, and during that last year, she accompanied me to the first class that I taught. Wearing her over my dress clothes, or shoving my dress jacket into her welcoming jaws. That hot sunny day when I strode in sizzling temperatures to my dissertation proposal defense, she slid on over my satin top and with buckles snapped closed we marched into the face of my committee's expectations.

But it wasn't all academia for Isis. Spain and Greece were luxury cruises compared to what came next. She completed five summers in a row of trips to Jordan or Turkey to work on excavations. Some days she even came to the field in all its dust and rocks, but her real skill was in accompanying me on the weekend hikes into the heart of rugged and glorious Petra, down the stone-paved streets of Jerash, or even just to the pool nearby to our work in Gaziantepe, Turkey. She toted water that was safe to drink and would last through an entire day of hiking in harsh terrain and arid climate. She put those camels to shame. On all my wanderings in the Middle East she came along, toting every necessity.

With so many wonderful memories, it was extremely difficult to pack her into a box a couple of weeks ago and send her back to the company. Last summer all the adventures were finally too much for her and one of her seams burst open. The hole was only getting bigger despite my attempts to repair it. I made it home from Jordan with all my belongings intact but I knew I had to make a decision. She wasn't going to make it another trip. So I called up Camelbak and made inquiries. No centers for warranteed repair are yet in place. But they'd be happy to replace her and send me out a new companion. How could I ship her off, all alone and to a dishonorable end? It was hard, but with no museum to enshrine my belongings in place (or ever likely to be!) I had to cut the sentimentality and give in to our creed for practicality. May Isis rest in peace wherever she is now, dreaming of those blue and sun-filled skies we trekked through.

As her successor, I would like to now present Aventura. She may be flashier but her name is not as classily stitched in place. She's a taller dame than Isis, and I already had to remove her corrugated backbone for reasons of comfort. She and I are still eyeing each other. I think she's waiting for me to stop the comparisons and begin to appreciate her for herself. I'm not ready yet. My mind is full of Isis and the irretrievability of her situation. But as I plan a trip to Berlin next month, I am already incorporating Aventura and testing her capacity. I may have to break down and purchase a separate bag for porting around my laptop and professional gear as I move into a new phase in my life. Aventura may be an adventure-only gal.

And so I bury Isis now with a fond farewell and perhaps, yes, a few tears. A girl couldn't have asked for a better traveling friend.

Crafts Continued...

Part of my birthday present this year was a sewing machine outfit from my Grandparents (it's also an advance on my future graduation) and my parents. They put together a complete set of everything I'd possibly need for my endeavors, including a cutting board and cutter, and my aunt's family even threw in an adorable pin cushion chair. I immediately cut up the seven or so pairs of jeans and pj pants my husband had abandoned to the "too many holes" pile and started in on a quilt I'd found a pattern for online.

I'm also still intrigued with all my yarn and have completed 2 cowls, one mitten, and one baby sweater. I am currently working on a third cowl (finally one for me!) and a baby sock, with the second mitten soon to come. I am learning a lot in this whole experience and have undone and remade these various items several times before finishing them off. Knitting in the round with double pointed needles took quite a few tries before I made it.

More food delights!

Once again, far too much time has elapsed between updates on my latest culinary adventures. Here's a rough outline in photos!

There is a small green vegetable we encounter every time we're in Jordan called fugush. It reminds me of a zucchini but has a lighter skin and better taste when cooked. I was wandering through my local Sprouts grocery store when I spotted a "Mexican gray squash" that looks exactly like the fugush, though perhaps not as soft and fuzzy.

I put my little cast iron pan to good use and cooked it up in some butter, just like they do in Jordan. It didn't taste as good, of course, but it was still pretty delicious!

For Matt's birthday he wanted horchata macarons from this recipe and I obliged. The recipe added some new tricks I hadn't tried before and I had the macarons cooperating much more quickly than ever before! (He had to translate the recipe for me first, and there were some parts both of us weren't sure about, but it turned out okay anyway.)

For this same birthday party, I made a rosemary loaf that turned out very tasty. I made a second batch for taking to friends and it didn't hold up well a second day, so eat it fresh and hot!

 Matt eats his Valencian snack wearing his Valencian football jersey!

A zucchini, lamb, and chickpea stew out of a clay pot cook book my sister gave Matt.

A fennel and goat cheese pizza that turned out sublime. I do believe I ate the entire thing myself in one sitting.

before oven

after oven!

I was craving some cobbler and found this recipe for making one directly in my cast iron skillet. In retrospect, I would not recommend doing this, because somehow the whole process made the berries extra potent and they dyed my entire mouth blue for several days.

It was still pretty tasty.

A recipe for flat bread cooked in the clay pot worked pretty well! (Also from the clay pot cookbook)

And last, and most assuredly least, was this slapdash potato au gratin recipe I threw together from random ingredients in my fridge, including a single potato, some pistachios, horchata, and goat cheese. It was okay but half of it ended up in the garbage because no one wanted to eat it leftover.