I’m writing this from my kitchen, standing over a future pot of French onion soup. My eyeballs look like two pissholes in the snow. Moose is in the kitchen, or was, and graciously took a turn going blind/slicing onions. They must have been grown in San Francisco, because they were extra weepy and aggressively vitriolic. If they leap out of the pot to rant about my organic but not free range beef broth, I’ll know it for certain.

On that note, let me apologize for not posting at ALL last week, because things were exciting around here. And no, I’m not pregnant (tosses back bottle of wine to prove it). First, I got an amazing new freelance assignment blogging for an Australian yarn company.

Damn. Hang on, I have to go stick my head in the freezer. MY EYES! MY EYES!

They want me to be myself, and actually the phrase “grumpy knitter,” came up in the assignment letter. Who you calling grumpy? Harumph. Anyway, I’ve been literally giddy about it.

Secondly, I got to meet Bill McKibben on Wednesday, who, in case you don’t know, is an incredible writer, environmental activist and a pretty nifty mammal in general. He’s written for everyone…The New Yorker, Gourmet, Outside, Harper’s, New York Times…and those are just the ones I’ve read. He also writes books, but my favorite thing he’s done is this Gourmet article about eating locally for an entire year.

And listening to him and reading his articles about environmental activism and Michael Pollan’s book about the industrial food system, and all the cancer research I do every morning, I’m starting to realize I need to be doing more. More to cut everyday consumption, more to minimize my impact, to know what my food is and where it comes from, to not just think it, but to do it. I’ve read articles about the plastics and flame retardants in our sofas and rugs and paints and laminates and water bottles are showing up in breast milk (again, not pregnant). And how incidences of cancer are rising. About how we’ve exceeded the allowable limit of carbon dioxide particles per pound in the atmosphere, which is 350 parts per million. (As an FYI, we’re currently at 383 parts per million).

Therefore, I’m going to try to do something every day. To really force myself to think about it as part of my normal decisions and processes. To be more thoughtful. And active. Today, I am making stock from chicken and vegetable bits I reserved and frozen from other meals. And I bought local onions for this goddamn soup, even though they’re much stronger and meaner than the Safeway onions. But they were not trucked across the country from whatever industrial onion farmland in mid-America, and therefore were not pre-soaked in petroleum before arriving in my corner store bin. I did forget my cloth grocery bag, but I’ll do better next time.

In light of all this positive thinking, I’m also going to do more to surround myself with positive people. Bitter humor is still encouraged, but some people in my life are going through some major changes, and it’s inspiring to see them close a depressing door behind them, accept the change and decide to see it as an opportunity. It makes me think I can do it too.

On Saturday, I ran 10 miles. And part of the rather long-winded, pre-run discussion in the frosty dawn was a very important announcement that one of our
teammates had joined the bone marrow registry at a social gathering for Team in Training last month. And last week, they called him about a girl who had been waiting for a critically long period of time before his name popped into the system. So last weekend, this average guy saved someone’s life. Like someone who lands a crashing plane or foils a bank robbery or pulls a baby off a railroad track, this guy saved someone’s life. God, I just don’t even know. How awesome to be 30 years old and put that on your spiritual resume.

It’s good times, people.

French Onion Soup - serves 6.

Ingredients
About 4 medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Turkish bay leaves
1/2 stick butter
3 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)
4 cups beef broth or beef consommé
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 half-inch slices of baguette
1/2-lb block of Gruyère, sliced
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
6 Tbs brandy (optional)
6 oven-safe soup crocks or ramekins

Directions
Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves and butter in a heavy pot over medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about an hour. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Toast bread at 350°F, turning over once, about 15 minutes. Remove croûtes from oven and preheat broiler.

Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks (if you like Julia Child, put a tablespoon of brandy at the bottom of each bowl before spooning in the soup), then float a croûte in each. Slice enough Gruyère to cover tops of crocks, allowing ends of cheese to hang over rims of crocks, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes.