{If only...}

{ Not all covers are created equal }

{ The Last Girls }

Do you remember when you first realized that you were not a girl anymore?

[ HeLa of a book club meeting! ]

Thank you Jessica for the spaghetti and meatballs! Yummy, Yummy! Henrietta would be proud. I know she is watching us.
We surely had some great discussions, they are always very fulfilling.


'Cristoph taught Deborah and Zakariyya how to use the microscope, saying, "Look through this ... take your glasses off ... now turn this knob to focus." Finally the cells popped into view for Deborah. And through the microscope, for that moment, all she could see was an ocean of her mother's cells, stained an ethereal fluorescent green.(266)
 'They're beautiful," she whispered, then went back to staring at the slide in silence. Eventually, without looking away from the cells, she said, "God, I never thought I'd see my mother under a microscope -- I never dreamed this day would ever come."(266)

(images from Google Search)

{ HeLa }

An amazing look at the HeLa cells.

“Every day is a war. The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”

- Epictetus, via ‘The Art of Fielding’ by Chad Harbach











Page 243-244
"Schwartz shrugged . He had to drag up words from somewhere deep within: "Could be worse."
"Could always be worse." Arsch disappeared into his bedroom and came back with a stack of his mother's chocolate-walnut-ginger-cookies. "Nuke 'em for a few seconds", he said. "There is milk in the fridge."
"Thanks."

For the ones that asked for the recipe. {I did not use the walnuts but my next batch will have them!}

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for baking sheet
• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt $
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg $
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• Add walnuts to taste

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a large baking sheet and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
2. 2. In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla; beat to combine.
3. 3. Mix in dry ingredients gently but thoroughly, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. (Batter will be thick.) Stir in chopped chocolate until well combined.
4. 4. Form batter into 1-tbsp. balls, roll each ball in granulated sugar, and place 12 balls on buttered baking sheet. (If batter is too sticky, dampen your hands with water when forming balls.) Dip the bottom of a cup or glass in water and use it to flatten balls to a thickness of about 1/4 in., rewetting glass as necessary to prevent sticking.
5. 5. Bake cookies 5 minutes, turn pan 180°, and bake until just set, about 5 minutes more. Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Repeat forming and baking with remaining balls of dough.

Note: Keeps up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

{ Fielding ::: catch a hit or thrown object }

So be cheery, my lads
Let your hearts never fall
While the bold Harpooner
Is striking the ball.

- Westish College fight song

{ poem }

Travelling
by William Wordsworth 

This is the spot:—how mildly does the sun
Shine in between the fading leaves! the air
In the habitual silence of this wood
Is more than silent: and this bed of heath,
Where shall we find so sweet a resting-place?
Come!—let me see thee sink into a dream
Of quiet thoughts,—protracted till thine eye
Be calm as water when the winds are gone
And no one can tell whither.—my sweet friend!
We two have had such happy hours together
That my heart melts in me to think of it.

{ Next! }

Our next selection | The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.




















some links:
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316126694.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9012593/The-Art-of-Fielding-by-Chad-Harbach-review.html


http://blog.indigo.ca/fiction/item/736-an-interview-with-the-art-of-fieldings-chad-harbach.html

{ Merci Beaucoup Maggie! }

Thank you for hosting last night. The food and wine selection was great and the dessert was very a propos... cheesecake! The discussion was very interesting and fulfilling.

xo