new year

so I've made it through the first day of a new semester of teaching. i've commented to several people that i've never felt so unprepared, but i've also never been less nervous. it's the first time i've intentionally let myself be unprepared, in an effort to make myself a bit more flexible/reactive to the students' interests/abilities/pace. we'll see how it turns out.

in other news, the beet salad turned out okay. it's better today, after the fridge gave the flavors a chance to do their melding thing. i think i probably should've waited for julie to show up to help me with proportions. in any case, my version went like this:

slice rounds of beets and potatoes and onions.
boil them together until they're soft.
in the meantime, slice some smoked buffalo sausages and boil them in some beer.
drain everything and throw it all in a big bowl.

throw in some some cider vinegar, enough to give everything a light coating. mix.

throw in some sour cream, enough to hold things together.

salt.

pepper.

garlic powder.

more salt.

more pepper.

enjoy!