As far as I’m concerned, two things of note happened in 1994. First, I won the science fair. And second, after spending weeks recreating a miniature, but insanely scrupulous papier-mâché Mt. Rushmore, I lost the fifth grade “state fair” by handing out fist-sized bags of pure, unadorned flour as a snack during my oral presentation. And yet, neither the triumph nor the failure were really mine alone: I had what’s known a yes-man on both counts. (You know who you are. Mom.)
My science fair experiment, adapted from a handy “ideas for science fair experiments” book that my mother had bought me, involved gauging a volunteer’s stress level, showing them a bit of a scary movie, and then checking to see how the clip had affected their heart rate. I can remember that the book recommended Psycho as an anxiety-provoking choice, and that it specified that the experiment be performed on adults not currently taking any medication. As we didn’t own Psycho – nor possess many reliably non-medicated family friends - I came up with a few minor variables of my own.
I never expected to visit Dijon. But on my first trip to France, I asked
my Parisian friends for suggestions for where to go and they said Dijon
and nearby Beaune, so off I went. The historic capital of Burgundy,
Dijon is a dramatic looking city with lots to do and see. It has many
museums, churches, medieval buildings with gargoyles and stunning
geometrically patterned roofs of green, white, yellow, black and terra
cotta ceramic tiles.
The Wild Boar (a.k.a. my husband) and I were having a little contest yesterday trying to decide who had a worse day. He won.
I watched Mark Bittman’s video Pasta With Anchovies and Arugula.
