Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Proper Amounts

The proper amount of butter on toast is just enough to spread thinly over the bread such that you hear that scraping sound as the knife travels over the bread.

The proper amount of cream cheese on a bagel is just enough to spread over the bagel without hearing that sound. It seems most bagel places either "butter" my cream cheese over my bagel and it's not enough or thickly pile it on such that it spills out over the sides, through the hole and onto my black shirt and pants.

Where is Goldilocks, really?

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Just like how Video Killed the Radio Star

1. I noticed that my favorite amateur bloggers have all kind of quit out of blogging all about the same time. By amateur, I mean people who are just blogging about their lives and rambling, like me. I mean people who I know or wish I knew, just talking about their lives. It's kind of a bummer, but perhaps I don't get to complain since I haven't been on the blog much either. When I logged on, my reader really only contained the list of those bloggers who are doing business or generating awareness of themselves or their product and not the social updates and commentary I have come to love about blogging. I'm still reading people's Facebook updates and am thinking of joining twitter, but the long form appears to be lost. Did Facebook kill the amateur blog?

2. My recent awareness of nightmares has increased due to a) trailers for the new Nightmare on Elm Street - even the trailer gives me the heebie jeebies and no, A, I will not EVER go see this with you and b) my business partner's report that she's not getting any sleep because her toddler is waking up regularly with nightmares. I didn't know this was so common. At any rate, I had a horrible nightmare last night/this morning that makes me want to really look at myself:

I was spending time with a friend's husband and child. She, who had apparently been absent, returned dressed up as for a nightclub. In the dream, this somehow really pissed me off and I felt really betrayed - like, how dare she go out while I'm with her family? There may have been something more to it, because I was really upset. Anyway, I leave her house and actually hide from her in an empty home - seems like a model home - probably a nod to my recent house hunting efforts. I successfully hide from her and join my own partner, share an intimate moment and then we have an earthquake. During the earthquake, I actually think about if I should leave her a note forgiving her . . . and decide NOT to!

Seriously, what kind of grudge holder am I? What makes this worse is the drawn out rumbling sound I heard when I did open my eyes - I really thought we were having an earthquake and a jolt of cortisol prepared me to grab the dog and force A bodily into the doorway. My understanding is that doorways or under heavy furniture are the safe places, but that may be for tornadoes or hurricanes. I feel woefully unprepared for an actual emergency and the Red Cross spots suggesting I be prepared are not helping. Nor is the buzz that our area is due for a nice big earthquake any time. Ugh!

3. My goals have gone to the toilet. I don't remember what my financial, professional or personal goals included and the one thing that was making me so proud, my sewing, has fallen by the wayside with the relative dissolution of sewing club after one member injured herself. So, bootstraps, my friends, bootstraps. I've got an article (for the newspaper!) due Tuesday and after that, it's back to the practicalities of making some lists. Hopefully the new phone I'm planning to get in June will be a useful tool for checking it twice.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

New Goals

After my first 101 goals expired, I had this idea about making another list. I have been struggling with that list, actively and passively, for 3 months. It's both because I'm more serious about making goals that are S.M.A.R.T. and also because I'm loath to commit to more "goals" when I have so many other things going on. It seems a bit like cheating to set goals that I'm already lined up for like "get married" or "buy a new house."

On the other hand, I would feel pretty accomplished if I was able to mark those approximately three years (1001 days) by checking off an entire list of 101 goals accomplished, no matter if some of them were mild cheats or not. Because, after all, who's being cheated?

In any event, I do have one goal for 2010 that I set and have been keeping up with to my great pleasure. After getting my sewing machine for Christmas, I set a goal to make 12 projects in 2010. One per month with the help of E and Ree, my sewing club buddies. We're set to have sewing club at my house this Sunday for our third meeting. So far, I've sewn 2 car rubbish bags and an oven mitt and hot pad. And I've learned a lot!

I was even able to teach E, an experienced seamstress, a thing or two! I've got several yards of fabric waiting to be made into aprons, place mats, napkins, wine bags, a tote bag and maybe even a doggy coat! I might even try a clothing item by the end of the year. So, when I'm not here blogging about goals that I might or might not ever get to, rest assured that I'm out there meeting my sewing goal one small project at a time.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Domestic Goddess

I got home late...again.

This happens surprisingly often, but sometimes, on my good days, things are just flowing at the office and it's easy to keep going. The hours fly by and then it's 7 o'clock before I'm leaving for home. Tonight, A surprised me by having dinner in the make when I arrived. As I was finishing up a conversation on my phone, he set the table and when I hung up, it was hello, sit down and here's a beautiful salad and chick'n cordon bleu (not real chicken) with peaches for dessert.

I feel pretty lucky at the moment. And well-fed. Smart man, very smart man.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Stiching Bitch

I am a goddess of domesticity. Picked up this months Vegetarian Times magazine and discovered some great recipes from culinary students. I decided on a very Julie/Julia whim to make all of them. So far I've made the bruschetta, the green beans and tonight, the soup. All delicious and I think the best is yet to come in a wild mushroom ravioli in browned butter and sage sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

So, after making a fresh soup and cleaning up the kitchen, I threw the laundry in and started pressing my sewing project. Yes, I said sewing project. At long last, I am sewing. Just a couple of car garbage bags to start with, but still, sewing. With my new computerized sewing machine that I got for Christmas. And it was so easy. Granted, I wasn't doing anything too complicated, I wasn't quilting or embroidering or anything like that, just a couple simple straight lines to close up the straps for the bag, but I feel so very accomplished.

If I was a housewife/homemaker, I would be the Queen of Suburbia. I might already be the Queen of Suburbia because I do a lot (read: IT ALL!) while owning and running my own business. Basically, I kick ass. And I do it with only the tiniest resentment that my partner isn't very domestic (domesticated?)...but I guess I do like my men wild.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

WOTD: Propaganda

Word of the Day: Propaganda
From Merriam - Webster:
1: a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions
2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
3 : ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect

I would like to focus on definitions 2 and 3 for a moment. The spread of ideas, information or rumors and or ideas, facts or allegations that are spread to help or hinder a cause. E and I were talking on the phone this morning about vaccines and about how propaganda is used to further the cause of such. A noticed that many of the people with whom he had previously spoken about flu vaccines were now sick, despite getting vaccinated and speaking vehemently in favor of them and that he himself, not having been vaccinated and using natural options, has not been sick all season. It bothers me that so many people who ARE NOT MEDICAL PROVIDERS (!) have been giving my partner, their friends and family, and potentially the world medical advice - i.e., get vaccinated - when they are both uneducated and unqualified to offer it.

Basically, it's a great example of propaganda. The companies that manufacture vaccines and the machine that is our news media have provided a one sided account in favor of vaccination that the public has adopted and repeats. It's ridiculous - people, if you want medical advise, ask your doctor!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I also Love my boyfriend's new Netbook

A bought himself a netbook for Christmas this year. He's wanted one for a while because we usually take a computer with us when we travel and he wished we didn't need to take such a big obvious computer with us. The netbook was the perfect solution. He asked me if I wanted one since my laptop is slowly dieing, (Seriously, I thought that was mis-spelled, too, but it is apparently the correct spelling!) but I resisted. No, I want a laptop that I can edit videos with and do more than surf the net. I still want a computer I can do those things with, but I have learned to love the netbook. I'm typing on it right now.

It's tiny, it's lightweight, it's much faster than my computer. I don't save anything on it, but instead use my little corner of cyberspace via GoogleDocs, etc., so I don't have to worry about it crashing. We used it (and the iPhone) on our vacation recently to find coupons and hotels, to plot our route, to check email, to write an article for work and to play. It's great.

It's Tuesday morning following vacation, I played catch up yesterday and I have a haircut tonight. Yes, I have nothing better to do with my time than blog about how I love this computer.
XO, netbook, time to get ready for work.

Monday, January 4, 2010

OMG, I love Veganomicon

I don't even know where to start this story...at VegFest where I did NOT buy VCon? With the other soup I made from VCon? Or perhaps with my New Year New Food Planning Plan? Since A awaits me below with a video (free video day from RedBox - holla!), I'll be brief.

I have a New Year New Food Planning Plan. Part of that plan is to make a specifically vegan dinner one night of the week...actually, now that I think of it, tonight was soup night...and tomorrow's planned meal covers multiple categories, too...okay, let me explain. The Productivity Pro's mom had 31 meals that she made every month. I thought this was brilliant, but couldn't think of even 7 recipes/meals that I knew how to make and wanted to repeat.

My alternative is to select 7 categories of meals and make 1 from each category each week. Ala Julie/Julia (I confess I just read the book and watched the movie), but with a little more leeway. So my categories are: vegan, raw, soup, rice/beans, pasta, Indian and take out/date night, because come on, let's be realistic.

So for dinner tonight, soup night (not vegan night after all, but since VCon is in action, it turns out to be), I made VCon's Broccoli-Potato Soup with Fresh Herbs. I made A stop by the market for mint on the way home and it was totally worth it. I had salad ready for us when he come home - that and the baguette he picked up held us over until the soup was ready. I almost wish I had more room for soup tonight, but on the other hand, I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!

Tomorrow's plan: Pumpkin Saag - Indian and vegan!