Getting My Ears Better

It was back to teaching this week for both Brian and Melon. We had a wonderful break, although it really was a bit long. After being at the Univ. of Cincinnati for so long, we had become accustomed to returning to school on January thirdish.

Both of us like to pass out mini student surveys on the first day of class to get to know our students a little better. We like to ask what part of the country they're from, what instruments they play, what kind of music interests them the most, etc. We always enjoy reading the sometimes funny responses, but ultimately it does give us a good sense of how we might relate to our students on a more personal level. For example, last term a number of Melon's students expressed an interest in the hip-hop/jazz-rap group, A Tribe Called Quest. How random!? Melon had always liked the group, but that was in like '92 (and again in college per the recommendation of her drinking buddies Brian, Mike, and Jason)! Well it turns out the group originated out of Queens, NY, and it was pretty much a requirement of any kid growing up on Long Island in the 80s and 90s to be a fan. In any case, there was a lot of "important" musical information to be shared that term, and Melon became a lot "hipper" with her students overnight!

But back to those student surveys . . . this term we decided to add one final question: "What do you hope to learn in this class?" We leave you with our favorite student response . . .

"Getting my ears better."

Enough With Winter Already!

Hi, friends. We know, we know . . . it's been a very long time since we've posted. Life has been unusually busy and boring at the same time. Busy in the sense that Jess has recently been preoccupied with studying for a doctoral exam, which she flew back to Cincinnati to take last Wednesday. Brian has been busy slaving over musical examples he's preparing for a professor. Life has also been boring in the sense that we're absolutely sick of winter already! It wouldn't be so bad if it would just snow! The endless cold and dry air is starting to take a toll on the psyche.


And then there is Oliver . . . You're looking at what he does most of the day. It took him a while to get used to NY. The cold was a real shock after playing in the yard in South Carolina. His idea of a "walk" in this cold weather is riding on top of the laundry basket on the way to the facilities in the basement of our apartment complex!

We took him to our new vet on Friday and he's up to 3 pounds! That's almost halfway to his final healthy weight of 7 pounds. His legs seem to be growing most noticeably. He's no longer as perfectly round as he used to be; rather, he's more rectangular!?

His "hut" arrived in the mail a couple of weeks back. He absolutely loves it! We lined it with his favorite faux bearskin rug. Jess even designed a name plate to hang outside his hut.



A number of years ago Jess bought Brian a stuffed corn-on-the-cob, but apparently it didn't mean that much to Brian . . . he gave it to Ollie as a housewarming gift when he moved in . . .


Oliver has also gotten used to his older brother, Gus. (Gus is the first gift Brian ever bought Jess, and he's commonly known as our beloved "bear-son.") Oliver loves to nap with Gus on the bed, and it's a miracle that he hasn't decided Gus is as tasty as his toys. (Look closely at the third picture and you'll see Oliver's paw affectionately placed on Gus's chest . . . awww.)




And as if you haven't had enough already, we'll leave you with more pictures of Ollie looking absolutely adorable with his parents. Believe it or not he IS actually this cute and calm 90% of the time. (We'll post the other 10% at a later date!)

Homemade Manicotti

8 oz ground beef
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups Marinara sauce
1 box of manicotti shells
1 Tbsp butter
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil.

Saute beef and onion mixture until brown. Allow to cool slightly.

Cook the manicotti 6–7 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, and allow to cool on the greased baking sheet.

Combine garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan. Stir in the cooled beef and onion mixture.

Stuff the 12–14 cooked shells with the beef and cheese mixture, using a small spoon.

Brush the bottom of a large baking dish with olive oil. Add a thin layer of marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish (about 1 cup). Lay the shells evenly across the bottom of the dish. Cover with the remaining marinara and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cut the tablespoon of butter into small bits and scatter atop the manicotti.

Bake for 35 minutes and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with more parsley and serve with garlic bread! Yum!

We Love Nellie

Brian's mother went into surgery today at 10am. Please say a little prayer for her quick recovery. She has bone spurs in her neck and is undergoing a procedure to alleviate some of the pain.

We also hope she enjoys 4–6 weeks off work!!!

Back Home

We're back in NYC! After 2 weeks in South Carolina we feel refreshed, well fed, a little fat, and homesick for 65° temps. Our Christmas vacation was terrific, although Jess and Brian both came down with nasty sinus colds. But we are soooo grateful to Mama and Papa Mo for sending us home with our precious little Oliver. He was a champ on the trip home: 3 hours on an airplane, 45 minutes on the NJ transit, 1 hour on the subway, and 10 minutes walking home!

Yesterday we took him into Manhattan to shop for crates. We ended up having to order one online . . . it's supposed to arrive in 7–10 business days . . . hope Ollie can "hold it" that long :) We also came across a dog park at Union Square. What a fantastic place! Oliver ran around with a dozen other dogs and made friends with several of their owners. (He really is irresistible in his tiny green sweater.)

We'd like to share more pics with you, but we forgot the cord to the camera in SC. More later . . .