An ode to Orangette

Lately, I've been reading the archives of one of my favorite blogs, Orangette. I discovered the delightful Molly Wizenberg a couple of years ago, through my dear friend Helen, who had read about Molly's blog (and her then-upcoming column in Bon Appétit) in her kindergarten-class newsletter. (Does your kindergarten class have a newsletter? Mine does not. I have no trouble imagining Mrs. Dobbs lovingly compiling one, however. Once, when home on a break from college, I ran into her in the grocery store. She recognized me instantly. I had no idea who she was.)

Well, it's only lately one of my favorite blogs. Shortly after Helen sent me the link, I bookmarked it (I was on deadline, after all), then proceeded to mostly ignore it, pulling it up only once in a while and reading only the latest entry. I'm not sure what sent me back to Orangette, but I'm thankful for whatever it was. I'm now reading her blog from the beginning, since her new book is not yet available in Hong Kong and I'm not in the States for another month. Visiting a bookstore to buy my very own copy of Molly's book is, oh, No. 3 on "Things to do if I make it through customs," after "Savoring a chile relleno and a margarita at Matt's" and "Going to a store that carries MORE THAN THREE SHOES in my size!" (And that's three actual shoes, not three pairs of them. No guarantee that any of the three will have a mate, either.)

But I digress.

Orangette is mostly a food blog, and many of her current posts involve sharing recipes and stories about them. But it wasn't always so. There's lots of food back in the 2004 posts, like this one that involves roast lamb and a recipe for "evil flan" (that I really, really must try!) but there are occasional gems like this one, with vignettes from her weekend "in reverse chronological order" that have very little to do with food. If only my weekends were as interesting... (Of course, they're really only one day long, and that cuts into the fun.)

I just love Molly's writing. It inspires me to do a bit myself. All good writing inspires me to write. What else should I be reading?

A friendly reminder

So, things have been a bit crazy since I got back from the Mainland last Friday. A better blogger than I would have told you all about it by now, but you're stuck with me: the girl who has barely unzipped her suitcase. What, you expected photos, already? Puh-leaze.

I'm a bit occupied at the moment fighting off a plague of ants.

The one thing I did get accomplished this week: I voted. I didn't fashion a voting booth in my shower using a pirate flag like somebody I know, but I did sit at my kitchen table and fill in (most) of the bubbles. And then I took my ballot to the nearest FedEx office, since they're mailing absentee ballots of overseas voters for free.

The friendly reminder of the title: Go vote. If I (and several other Americans I know) can do it from halfway around the world, you can do it from there.

Even if FedEx isn't around to send in your ballot for you.

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Also, if two-plus years of campaigning haven't gotten you in the election spirit, this will. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next 6 days bring.