Before February 1st, you can apply to be one of the volunteers to hand out 20 copies of a pre-selected recently popular book at a location of your choice (for example homeless shelters, senior centers, casinos, shopping malls. The books are shipped to a local library or bookstore, so all you have to do is pick them up in advance of the event and distribute them the night of the event.

For more information and to apply, check out http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/.

First up in the bread of the month club: Kaiser Rolls (aka Vienna rolls & New York hard rolls).

I’m already learning a lot from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. For example, pre-fermented dough (or pâte fermentée) made the day beforehand increases the taste of your finished product. Pre-fermented dough is (nearly) half the recipe’s mixture of yeast, salt, flour and water — allowed to sit on the counter for about an hour, in the fridge overnight and again on the counter for another hour in the morning.

I learned about a completely new ingredient in certain types of bread: barley malt syrup. One could also opt for barley malt powder, but unfortunately they did not carry it in Whole Foods. Barley malt syrup has a similar consistency to molasses, so it was a bit messy to measure out and mix.

One of the things I love the most about homemade bread is it’s lack of ingredients. There’s no ammonium, aluminum, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, or other artificial sweeteners or preservatives like in many brands of store-bought bread. In Kaiser rolls, it’s just flour, yeast, water, salt, oil, an egg and the beloved barley malt syrup.

Plus you can develop strong arm muscles by kneading all the dough…

…and remarkable skill forming the dough into 7 equal parts, rolling each into perfectly shaped balls…

…later to be rolled out and shaped into the kaiser roll’s signature shape (and this was the hardest part).

And then my husband reminded me my 6 hours of work could all be destroyed with a single karate chop.

I patiently waited another 90 minutes to allow the rolls to proof on both sides before decorating with sesame seeds.

After 25 minutes in the oven they came out like this:

Perfect for lunch with a little dill mayonnaise, baked salmon and spring green mix.

Up next in February: Light Wheat Bread.

I am generally not a frequent reader of fantasy fiction, but The Wrong Way Down is an enjoyable read. The beginning of the novel is a bit reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code in its style of writing. Two thieves break into a remote monastery, kill a priest and steal a sacred artifact. One thief gets away with the artifact, the other thief is caught. Co-protagonists Popalia and Wynkkur set out on a journey to take the thief to the garrison for punishment and to recover the stolen artifact, but their adventure doesn’t go as well as planned…

The story is great both for the depth of its characters and for the excitement of the storyline. Oftentimes when I read male novelists, I am disappointed by their portrayal of female characters, but this is not the case with The Wrong Way Down. The young priestess Popalia is strong-willed and adventurous, and antagonist Katia is a foul-mouthed bully who puts up a strong fight. There is enough action in the book to move the plot along at a good pace, and the author has gone to noticeable lengths to develop and describe the cultures and religions of both clans of elves and tribes of humans. The only downside of the book is that the editing is not spot-on, and there are dozens of typographical errors. This doesn’t take away from your enjoyment of the story, but it’s a bit burdensome especially if you’re an editor in your day job.

First edition copies available for sale and signing

Lucky for me, the book launch was at my favorite restaurant in Las Vegas — Elements Kitchen & Martini Bar. We were treated to a delicious 4-course dinner and libations. Elements is known for their extensive martini list with over 400 selections, and last night’s signature cocktail was the “Root of All Evil” — a root beer martini made with vodka.

Tasty vegetable samosas

A trio of desserts -- my favorite course! I especially liked the Andes Mint Cheesecake pictured at right.

I’m looking forward to the release of Jake Elliot’s second novel later this year. He’s planned for a nine-book series.

only in Texas...

2012 begins with much uncertainty, largely because I don’t know where we’ll be living 6 months from now. I’ve applied to several PhD programs in the Washington, DC area, and I’m waiting to hear back within the next few months. Regardless of whether I’m accepted into a program, my husband and I have realized that it’s definitely time to leave Vegas. So expect an announcement of our next big move around April.

Both because of this uncertainty and because I am actually starting the new year in the green, I have decided to make 2012′s focus the year of financial stability. I definitely felt like I’m becoming my dad when I drew up a monthly budget in Microsoft Excel yesterday — setting up specific amounts to devote to rent, utilities, gas/transportation, charitable contributions, savings, and disposable income. This also builds on one of the focuses of my blog: to explore simple living, as I’ll intentionally be trying to live off no more than $2,000 per month while having lots of amazing adventures along the way (although I imagine this figure may need to increase if I move to DC).

Here is a sneak preview of a few other things I’m hoping to do in 2012:

1. Visit my sister & brother-in-law in Seattle later this month — free tickets thanks to all my frequent flier miles in 2011!
2. Run back to back 10k races (1 in the morning, 1 in the evening) through Desert Dash’s Bootleg Buttkicker
3. Compete in a karate tournament
4. Attend the world’s largest biennial gathering of AIDS activists, AIDS researchers, and people living with HIV (and hopefully present research and engage in activism while there too)
5. Run another full marathon — nothing’s been decided but I’m thinking the Freedom’s Run in West Virginia/Maryland in October — 26.2 miles through 4 National Historic Parks, limited to 1000 runners and an Oktoberfest at the finish. My kind of race, plus I’d get to add a new state to my adventures list.
6. Master the Art of Bread Baking: I got a copy of the book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice for Christmas and I can’t wait to get started and try out a new bread recipe each month. First up: Kaiser Rolls.

Post in Comments: What do you hope to focus on in 2012?

V is for Vaudeville and this show is a classic in that regard. Opening act Wally the juggler doubled as the emcee for the show. I’ve heard that acts can vary depending on the night, and our show featured the 2 Crazy Gauchos from Argentina (a combination of dancing, percussion and humor), 2 balancing acrobats from Russia, old-school Vegas performer “Melinda the First Lady of Magic,” 2 tap dancing brothers, a comedic routine involving audience participation and 2 roller skaters. My favorite act was the roller skaters, as I sat on the edge of my seat throughout their act afraid of who might die if they made a mistake.

Watching the 75-minute show reminded of how much talent our city has (or imports). The show runs 7 days a week at 7 pm and 8:30 pm at the V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. According to the box office, tickets start at $59.99 (if you’re not a blood donor), although the people sitting next to us indicated they bought theirs for $45 a piece.

Be forewarned that unless you invest in the pricy VIP tickets seating is General Admission and the best seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, although there is a bar inside the theater, it was closed during our show. A waitress came around to take orders, but as the drinks are overpriced (unless you really  wanted the souvenir glow-in-the-dark cup) it appeared acceptable to bring in outside beverages.

This show is also family friendly and there were a number of kids in the audience. This is a rarity in Las Vegas, with so much of our entertainment geared toward the 21+ populataion. Aside from a little provactive dancing (it’s Vegas after all), the show is completely PG.

Our inaugural season in southern Nevada kicked off in August 2011 with 10 girls and 4 coaches (I was lucky to be one of the coaches!). After our 12-week, 24 lesson program, we ended with a big shebang at our season end Girls on the Run New Balance 5k this morning. It was an awesome experience for all of the girls and their families.

We had about 100 spectators come out to cheer the girls on, and we were fully equipped with an official Girls on the Run cheer kit — pom poms, cowbells, megaphones, posters, thundersticks and more cowbell.

The girls arrived about an hour before the race to get their hair spray-painted and styled by “Happy Hair” volunteers. All the supplies were donated by Girls on the Run national sponsor Goody.

When it was time for the race, the girls took off in a sprint. While we’ve tried to teach them the importance of “pacing” during our lessons, there was just too much excitement in the air.

All girls ran with a “running buddy” — a family member or an adult volunteer to encourage them along the way. Some of the adults had a hard time keeping up with the girls. I know I would have!

For more information on how to get involved in Girls on the Run in your community visit www.girlsontherun.org. We’re also recruiting volunteer coaches and registering girls for our Spring 2012 season in Las Vegas.

We stayed at the Old Crocker Inn bed & breakfast in Cloverdale, which I highly recommend.  It’s nestled in the hills outside the northernmost town in Sonoma County, and had a very rural retreat feel to it. Last time we were in California wine country we stayed in a bed & breakfast on Main Street in Napa, and I really enjoyed the more remote setting this time. The only drawback is that it’s at least a 15 minute drive to area restaurants and other activities, but daily gourmet breakfasts are served and they were accommodative to my vegetarian diet.

I promise there's no alcohol in this tropical fruit & yogurt smoothie

and bring your appetite, as a typical breakfast is 2 or 3 courses!

So that I could eat/drink more during my trip, on our first full day in the region I ran the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon. I prefer small, scenic races and this event definitely fit the bill with a race limit of 2,400 runners/walkers and a course that winds through Sonoma County vineyards. It’s a hilly course, so not the best for personal records, but I’m not a very competitive runner. My only goal was to finish in under the 3:30 race cut-off (which I did without a problem), and I stopped along the way to take pictures of the gorgeous scenery and even sample a delicious sauvignon blanc.

For adults only...

I ran the race to raise funds for Girls on the Run of Las Vegas and I was pleased to see that Girls on the Run of Sonoma County was a featured charity partner of the race. It served as much inspiration that Girls on the Run participants served water at the aid stations.

After finishing the race, and enjoying the scent of the vineyards all along the way, I wanted nothing more than a glass of wine. Fortunately a souvenir wine glass is included with race entry, and the finish area featured a wine festival at Lake Sonoma with complimentary wine tasting.

 Unfortunately not too many local wineries showed up and the tasting lines were a bit long, so we only stayed at the festival for a few samples. However, I must give props to Destination Races for putting on a stellar race overall. I also got one of the best race t-shirts ever (a ladies’ cut long-sleeve technical tee) and a kitsch finisher’s medal.

For wineries/tasting rooms we visited during our 4 days in Sonoma County, we visited Fritz, Sbragia, Raymond Burr, Bella, Preston, Quivira and Coppola. Our favorite was Preston. Most tasting rooms seemed to charge around $5 – $10 for a tasting fee, for which you got to sample 4 or 5 different wines. The tasting fees are waived if you end up purchasing a bottle of wine. Zinfandels are the specialty of the region, however, we seemed to purchase predominantly white wines.

Wine Making in Action at Bella Vineyards

Taking a break from wine-tasting, we visited the hip community of Sebastopol. While there, we stopped at California Carnivores, the largest carnivorous plant nursery in North America. Not sure about transporting a new plant in our upcoming move and what kind of pests we’ll encounter at our new home, we were pleased to learn that they ship plants throughout the United States. My favorite plant was the Sun Pitcher, pictured below.

Also in Sebastopol we visited their Sunday farmers’ market, where we bought some of the best food I’ve eaten in a long time. We made a nice picnic with locally made bagels, spicy goat cheese, smoked salmon and fresh fruit, paired with a bottle of Raymond Burr Cabernet.

This picnic was enjoyed at Salt Point State Park on the Sonoma Coast. While we didn’t find the tide pools this park is famous for, there’s some pretty spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean!

One of the best road food restaurants we ate at on our trip was the World Famous Hamburger Ranch and BBQ in Cloverdale. They have some tasty local microbrews if you’re looking for a break from wine (I recommend the Cloverdale Ale). My husband devoured his plate of ribs and mac & cheese, and they also have a generous salad & garlic bread combo for vegetarians.

More information about how to book a tour to the Nevada National Security Site may be found at this webpage. While the tours are free, they appear to be quite popular and I booked my place over 9 months in advance. You must supply them with personal details such as personal address, place and date of birth, and employment details at the time of application, and they will run a security check on you. Our tour guide admitted that they will likely not turn anyone away from a tour, including foreign nationals.

A few other notes on logistics: The tours are operated once per month, including during the especially hot summer months. My husband and I had booked ours during the fall because we were afraid of the heat, however most of the tour is conducted on an air-conditioned bus so the weather shouldn’t be too much of a factor. Personally, I think that October-December are the best months weather-wise in southern Nevada, so if you’re from out-of-town and are interested in a test site tour in conjunction with a visit to Nevada, this is my recommendation.

Also, the test site is located approximately 65 miles north of Las Vegas, and you’ll depart for the tour from the Atomic Testing Museum. This museum in Las Vegas is interesting in itself and it’s a part of the Smithsonian consortium. We visited the museum last year.

Our tour guide for the NNSS was a retired chemist and former Nevada Test Site employee, so we got to hear first-hand from someone who had worked there. I got the impression that many on our tour came from science backgrounds, and much of the tour was science-based. Being a social scientist, I was especially interested in the history/culture of the NNSS. Highlights for me included seeing the News Nob benches from where journalists and dignataries watched the atmospheric tests, seeing “Ground Zero” from where the atmospheric tests were launched, seeing the remnants of the Apple II houses that were built specifically for the purpose of learning how they would be impacted by nuclear bombs, and learning what is was like to work at the NTS during it’s prime (I’m jealous that they had $5 lobster dinners and a subsized cocktail bar for employees).

On the tour, we also learned about some of the current work that’s being done at the NNSS. While nuclear testing ended in 1992 when the U.S. signed onto a nuclear test ban treaty, the site is still used for some scientific testing and for the storage of low-level nuclear waste. Our tour guide indicated the site will never be opened for public use due to all of the experiments that have been undertaken there.

Seeing the test site first hand somewhat demystified our nuclear history for me. although I’m still not convinced it was completely justifiable. For example, mid-way through the tour we saw a healthy flock of 40+ antelope traversing through the Nevada desert. I’ve always heard stories about how the tests have permanently harmed the fauna there, but I didn’t witness any of that. Our tour guide also indicated that a very small percentage of the test site land is still dangerous due to potential exposure from radioactive materials.

So if you’re the science/history nerdy type and are looking for an interesting and free activity to do in the Las Vegas area, I highly recommend this tour. Unfortunately no cameras are allowed on the tour, which is why this post has done without.

Synopsis: Shorty after the United States began its attack on Afghanistan in late 2001, Asne Seierstad is in Kabul working as a war correspondent. There she befriends Sultan Khan, who possesses (the previously illegal) profession of bookstore owner. This work of creative non-fiction is an account of 3 months Seierstad spent living with Khan’s family in 2001-2002. Through this collection of stories from Khan’s family, Seierstad reflects on Afghan culture and the role of women in Afghan society.

About the Author: Asne Seierstad is an award-winning journalist and war correspondent from Norway. She has previously reported from Chechnya, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, and is fluent in five languages. Seierstad donated $300,000 worth of royalties from The Bookseller of Kabul to the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee, which supports educational and health-care initiatives in Afghanistan.

My Initial Reactions to this Book

While this is the third book I’ve read this year that reflects on life in Afghanistan, I realized as I began to read this book that I’m now experiencing a bit of Afghan literary fatigue. For these reasons, this bestselling book was probably not as eye-opening for me as it could be for readers without a prior introduction to Afghanistan. Some of the issues that Seierstad discussess — e.g. women’s lack of rights, polygamy, honor killings, poverty, the Taliban, burqas — are issues that have been explored by other writers as well in the recent past.

In reading this book, I’ll admit I was a bit envious and admiring of Seierstad for the role she undertook — spontaneously moving in with Khan’s family with the primary goal of writing a book on her observations. While Seierstad is a journalist by training, her style of writing has a definite anthropological/ethnographic feel to it. There is no traditional plotline, but rather the book is more a collection of short stories around a central theme. Because of this, I wouldn’t place this in the category of “books you can’t put down,” but rather it’s a book that’s eloquently written while also educational.

Clearly the most difficult thing for Seierstad to address during her time with Khan’s family was the role of women in Afghan society. I can imagine how hard this must have been for her as a Norwegian woman, coming from perhaps one of the most gender-progressive societies in the world. Seierstad frequently discusses how women do not have a say in who they marry, whether they are allowed to work and when they are allowed to leave the home. Yet the women also enjoy gossiping, fret about what to wear to important events and put in great effort to love their husbands and be happy in their lives.

Sultan Khan has a big family — 2 wives, 4 children, siblings and their extended families. Oftentimes it was difficult to keep track of all of the characters, and I almost wish there was a family tree included in the book. Out of all of the characters, the 2 I found the most interesting were Sultan’s son Mansur and Sultan’s youngest sister Leila.

Have you read the book, and if so, what did you think of it? How do you think Seierstad’s approach to writing this book compares to other recent works about Afghanistan? Is there a particular character you found interesting, and if so, why? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Dragon boat racing originated in ancient China. Dragon boats are 40-50 foot- long racing canoes decorated with elaborate Chinese designs. A dragon boat is propelled through the water by a crew of 20 paddlers, plus a drummer and a steerperson. At the Rose Regatta, we race a distance of 250 meters.

Some teams take the competition very seriously…

 While other teams come up with creative names to raise awareness around breast cancer…

Am I the only person who giggles every time I hear the word "stroker"?

Last year we took home silver medals in the local women’s division, but this year we weren’t so lucky. We placed 7th out of 9 teams in our division.

The results board reveals a team's fate

The team captains of the winning teams get to take home some pretty artistic trophies…

If you’re not racing, or if you’re looking to kill time in between races, there are other activities to keep you entertained and other ways to support the R.E.D. Rose Program. One of the more interesting things is the painted paddles gallery, which showcases mini paddles painted by local artists and available for sale.

They also have souvenirs and raffle tickets for sale, and these tasty dragon cookies.

The one downside of the event is that Lake Las Vegas does not allow coolers, meaning you can’t bring your own lunch to this all day event. I imagine this is to encourage participants to eat at the local restaurants, however, the restaurants did not appear to be able to handle the demand with only a few staff people working and hour-long waits to eat. This is not good if you only have a short time in between races, but fortunately I snuck a sandwich from home in my backpack and was able to discreetely eat it under the table while my family waited for their order to be taken at Sonrisa Grill.

 Overall, St. Rose Hospitals put on a great event, an event I’m going to miss when we move next year. Hopefully they’ll have dragon boat racing on the Potomac.