Before I Spin

Halinka didn't like the metal rings, so I tried a beaded ring.

Version II (of both the ring and the links, which may diverge into variations of the chain) are in the works, but if I don't make a Something out of what I've started before working on the next ones, I'll have Yet Another UFO. They're on the verge of overwhelming me, moving into the guest bedroom and leaving their dirty socks in the living room.

So I played around with something else.

I had planned for it to be a teardrop, but it seemed unfinished, a bit scrappy and unattractive, so it's a ring.

You can see that the rondelles, fringe beads and seed beads around the outer rim are vying for space, so the next version will be a bit smaller, making a sharper curve with more room and less overcrowding.

Meanwhile, I have to finish cutting and chopping and mixing the Indonesian Rice salad I promised to take to spinning today.

I was in grad school at the Weizmann Institute of Science for two years beginning immediately after the start of the first Lebanon war, and I somehow acquired one of those women's group combination cookbook/calendars, and this has been a standby since then, though I haven't made it in a few years.

Indonesian Rice Salad

2 cups brown rice, cooked, cooled

1/2 cup raisins or grapes (or dried cherries or dried fruit of your choice)

1 celery stalk, chopped or sliced or diced

2 scallions, chopped or sliced or diced

1/2 cup nuts

1/4 c toasted sesame seeds

1/2 green or red pepper, chopped or sliced or diced

1 c bean sprouts

Dressing

3/4 orange juice

1/2 c salad oil

3-4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sherry

juice of a lemon (or lime, if you like)

crushed garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the dressing, pour over the salad and chill. Add other things if you'd like. Edamame would be good, as would julienne carrots or cucumbers. Ginger in with the dressing, and a dash of cayenne. Replace some of the oil with toasted sesame oil.