a. am lazy b. decided to participate in the Spin Cycle c. am lame d. haven't unpacked all my kitchen crap e. all of the above.
If you answered e: all of the above, Ding, Ding Ding! You win a prize. not that I'm giving out prizes this time but I'm just saying you deserve one. Okay, I'll shut up now.
To make up for my lack of ambition I actually made something today. Did I cook? No, not really. I made a salad/salsa. This is a go to recipe for me. It also satisfies a lot of my requirements for recipes. 1. not be a pain in the ass; 2. use stuff I have in my house; 3. make my boys happy. If it can achieve awesome status than I am all over it.
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad
1/2 jalapeno, seeded & diced 1/2 red Bell Pepper, seeded & diced 2 large tomatoes, seeded & diced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup black beans, canned, rinsed 2 ears corn, cooked, grilled & cut from the cobb 1 cup onion, diced salt 1/2 lime, juiced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoons cumin 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Combine everything except the corn. Coat cooked corn (I used leftover) in olive oil & chili powder. Place on hot grill. Grill for 5 to 10 minutes or until you get some really nice grill marks. Grill marks = caramelization = Yummy. Cut off of the cobb. Combine with other ingredients. Squeeze lime over the top. Add salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour to combine the flavors.
I use this on everything. Add a cup of cooked rice for a summer salad. A couple of cups of hot spaghetti or bowtie pasta and cubes of fresh mozzarella for a wonderful dinner. Slice up some potatoes and layer it with cheese and salad to make a terrific au gratin. Or as simply piled on a tortilla chip.
Yes, Julie that is a pink drink. I wish you were here to enjoy it with me.
I'll be adding this to the comprehensive bean cookbook that I am working on. Please give it a try. Let me know what you think.
Every week Sprite's Keeper hosts the Spin Cycle and every week I blow it off and every week I say to myself; "Self, you have really got to think something up. You are so lame. Stop being so lazy." Yes, I do talk to myself. And yes, I am lame and lazy. So I guess would make me the three "L"s. Loquacious, lame, and lazy.
Anyway, this week's spin is dating which ties in very nicely with my stories from my misspent youth. Seriously folks, my youth was totally misspent. If it wasn't you would be bored by my ramblings by now. Unknowingly, I was thinking of you. I'm kind of like that. HA!
After about of year of dancing around the whole dating thing. Going through the leaving/divorce process and pretty much giving the whole marriage/dating thing the ole heave ho; JR decides to take me on a date. Before this time it was all group things.
I'd have liked to keep it this way but I felt really bad. Maybe, it was the way that my mom wielded guilt like a sword. JR never did but I felt the pressure. Bowing to that pressure I decided to go out with JR on a date. A real date. Dinner, movie, drinks afterward. No sex. We didn't do that on the first, third or even 12th date. It was the three months rule. For those of you that don't know about the 3 months rule I'll explain later. Just to let you in on the early 1980s secret; sex before 3 months made you a slut. Just an FYI.
We decided to do the movie before the dinner part of the evening. I can't really remember what we saw. JR would know. He remembers that sort of shit. Can't remember where he put his keys but where we went for our first day; yeah, he remembers that.
After the movie we went to a diner. One step down from fancy and 2 steps up from dive. This was a place with booths, silverware wrapped in paper napkins, and straws with paper wrappers. Can't remember what we had. Yet, again JR would remember but this is the same guy that can't find his way out of a brown paper bag.
We were sitting in our assigned booth. Our paper-wrapped silverware sitting on the table. The waitress brings our drinks. This is where the date makes a turn. For the better or the worse I'll let you decided.
Sitting at the booth chatting amicably about nothing in particular. The waitress brings our drinks. With the drinks she gently sets the straws next to each glass. The message was clear: "You use the straws". I'm willing. JR is more than willing. He loves places that require no dress code. The possibility of wearing a tie is scary for him.
JR unwraps his straw from the paper and dips it into his soda. Me, well not so much. I slowly unwrap the first inch of the straw paper. I put the straw gently to my lips and blow as hard as I can. Straight at JR.
Did I hit him? You bet! Smack in the eye.
I laughed my head off.
JR? Not so much.
I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Him sitting there blinking ridiculously; trying to act like he thought this happened everyday. The idiot!
After awhile, he started to laugh. His straw was already in his glass so he couldn't retaliate.
Over the years this has become something we do. Every once in awhile one of us will shoot our straws at the other.
Juvenile?
You bet!
Something we taught our children?
Oh yeah!
Lately we've noticed that the paper that straws are coming in are not as shootable (not a word? Screw Blogger spellcheck. I'm a librarian, I'll make up words when I want). The straw paper doesn't really launch itself at its intended target anymore. This is disappointing to JR and I. Shooting straw papers at each other is a trip down memory lane.
So that was JR and my first date. Romantic, no? Yeah, I thought so too.
Want to play Spin Cycle? Well, you are a bit too late for this week. Sorry, see the first paragraph about my lameness. Next week? You can get all over it. And don't be intiminated by Jen at Sprite's Keeper. She may act tough but I really think she's a pussy cat. Oh don't tell her I said so; she'll kick my butt. Really, I'm kind of afraid of her.
It's Tuesday and we all know what that means. Those of us that play along with Keely's Random Tuesday Thoughts have a outlet for those crazy things rolling around in our heads.
I've written this early because I'm out of town this week. I'll be playing photojournalist in the weirdness that is Austin, TX. I foresee posting pictures later in the week.
As most of you know I'm a pretty big Beatles fan. A while back my brother-in-law sent us this list with links of youtube videos of the Beatles. Someone went to a lot of work on this.
This is one I'd never heard before but it made me laugh. I love how they started to make up naughty lyrics. Also, get a load of George's green pants. JR used to have long hair and a beard like Paul's. Maybe, I can get him to grow them back out again. Hmmm....at 57 that might not be a good look for him. He'd probably look like an old homeless guy.
Holy crap! Cap Cod chips go through a wall - yeah that's a effing WALL of salt. That is according to the Food network.
That is so wrong in so many tasty ways.
JR had planned to quit his job in AZ and find a new one here. The regional manager wouldn't let him quit. He decided to let JR go on leave without pay for a couple of weeks. Saturday the regional manager called to let JR know that he would be starting back to work on Tuesday. This is great news. JR doesn't have to do the whole search and interview thing and I don't have to worry myself into a bundle of nerves.
I've fallen in love with my local Krogers. They sell fresh tortillas. OMG! You can't even compare the fresh ones against the packaged ones. Now, if the store would stop trying to gross me out by bringing out huge tubs of these:
live crawfish. It creeps me the hell out. All those creepy crawly things climbing all over each other. Ugh! Puts me right off my dinner. Not an easy task.
My librarian friend Vinny has given me a superhero alias; Lady D (for digital). Now I want an avatar that is dressed in one of those skimpy outfits, tall black boots, and wrist bands that shoot flash drives. I could do that look.
That's it for me. Hope it wasn't too painful an experience for you. Now, go on over to The Un-Mom to check out all the other participants. Casey at Half as Good as You also got into the act. Check out those folks also. You won't be sorry.
The movers showed up on Thursday afternoon. JR and I have been trying to unpack boxes, find places for everything, and still live our lives.
As with all reno/decorating projects I have already hurt myself. You know, those years of ballet are not really paying off. While putting together the fountain on the back patio I tripped over the hose. I am now sporting a scrape on my ankle, a nasty bump and scrape on my elbow and two huge bruises on the hip. Oh yeah, I'm just that graceful.
So I have my kitchen stuff but it is spread all over the house in boxes. My cookbook shelves are up and mocking me (yeah I have a whole bookcase dedicated to cookbooks; what's it to you?) In lieu of that fact I didn't cook last night. We all went to the Kona Grill happy hour. Do you have one of these close? Best happy hour ever. Try the margarita's (on the rocks, no salt). Ladies, we get ours for a dollar less than the guys. Oh yes it pays to have girl parts.
I posted this recipe back when I had all of 5 readers (I have a couple of more now. Not many but a couple of faithful. I love you guys). I can't explain how much we love this recipe. It is one of those Great Depression era things.
I’m a vegetarian living in a household of omnivores. So, I spend a lot of time trying to feed my husband and sons less meat. I’ve gone on a subtle crusade of switching them over. Not because I don’t want them to eat meat, though I think it would be very good for them, but because at heart I am really lazy. Making two different meals or variations of one is really bugging me.
I failed to mention I’m also cheap and a vegetarian diet is about as cheap as you can get. When chicken is over two dollars a pound for the tortured ones and over three dollars a pound for the free range treated nicely kind, a dollar for tofu looks pretty good.
Enough said on that issue. Here is a recipe that goes over really well in my house, mostly, because it tastes like pizza. It is a Great Depression era recipe that I got from my late mother-in-law. I’m sure it had been passed down to her.
These taste great, have enough protein, make great lunches the next day, and best of all no meat. Take it from me (a lazy person), the initial investment in time is well worth it. You can also play with this recipe. Think veggie pizza!
Stuffed Buns
Buns: These can be hard rolls, store bought or home made pizza crust, bread dough (I make my own with garlic, rosemary, oregano, and basil in the food processor), puff pastry, etc. I think that crescent dinner roll dough would make nice bite size buns. I haven’t tried it yet but I think I will soon (great party food). Anyway, you’ll need enough of whatever you choose for one dozen.
Filling: 3 eggs, hard boiled 1 to 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded ¼ cup onion, chopped 1 large clove garlic, chopped(I usually use 2 but I love garlic) ¼ to ½ cup tomato sauce, I think pasta sauce in a jar would work also. ¼ cup olives, chopped fine
Optional add ins: 1 tablespoon or so: cooked spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, etc.
If you went with the hard rolls you have to cut the tops off the very top, retain this part. Scope out the insides. I keep this part to make stuffing, croutons, etc. later on. Fill the insides with the filling mixture, replace the tops. Wrap in waxed paper and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in 250 degree oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
If you went with any of the dough combinations: divide it up into about 8 to 12 pieces. Flatten out and place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling mixture into the middle of each piece. Roll up and seal the edges. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
All the ingredients are approximate. Since this was one of those passed down recipes nothing was exact. I think I got the portions right. I just made them last week so I tried to remember how I did it. I kind of toss in a little of this and a little of that when I cook so let me know if I need to adjust something. Just remember have fun and play with it.
I must make these this weekend. Yum Yum!
Love, M
p.s. Big thanks to all of you for reading my son's blog post. He had fun with it. Whether I can get him to do it on a regular basis is under debate. He is witty, funny, and smart. I'm taking all the credit of course.
For some reason The Boy felt he needed to give his side of my story. Don't know where he got that idea. Obviously beatings and confinement don't stifle individuality and creativity. Oh well, you can't blame me for trying.
My maternal overlord was having a difficult time of figuring out what to blog about so I suggested I guest blog for kicks.My proposal to guest blog was mainly spurred by my mild inebriation from a bottle of great pinot noir mother sought out earlier in the week (it’s a crime and wineries are much more deserving of a federal bailout than banks are IMO).My true reason, now that I am sobering up, is to issue my perspective about living under the roof of an authoritative vegetarian regime.
I remember a time once when the mother used to be a normal, meat-eating American.Like the fading memory of my childhood, it was a happy time for all and there was much rejoicing.Clinton was in office and the government was running a surplus (an antiquated word for when someone actually has money in abundance).Soon however the mother began to change, sometime during the Bush administration (another thing I blame Bush for), she began to shun red meat and at first I thought it was just a phase, much like how parents see being a teenager as just a phase, and that she would soon grow out of it.
Unfortunately it soon dawned on all of us that she would not snap out of this meatless proclivity.Any attempts to dissuade her were met with arguments that red meat stayed in your colon for years.A point which I argued that since I paid for it I wanted it in my colon for that long (it’s an investment people!).I will say that I’m not against the notion of vegetarianism, I honestly like vegetables as long as they’re cooked in such a way they don’t taste like vegetables!I would also argue with vegetarians that they don’t own a monopoly on “healthy” foods.You can make vegetarian dishes just as unhealthy as dishes with meat in them are.
I will say that, although many vegetarian dishes are tasteless to me, hunger is the world’s greatest spice and I will be forever appreciative to the mother for all her hard work in the kitchen and for, you know, giving me life.
A couple of mild corrections. I did not turn veggie during the Bush administration it was still the Clinton one. He sucks my food down like a Jackal with a rotting carcass. There are times that I feed them meat. Just not very often. Or very much.
Hope you enjoyed my youngest boy's take on the whole meatless thing. Now, I think I'll have to fix canned spinach, brussel sprouts, and raw tofu for dinner tonight. Nah, I can't even stomach that.
Love,
M
P.S. I didn't really beat or confine him. It wouldn't have worked anyway.
Yeah, so I read the Pioneer Woman blog (I only read the articles. mmmm...that's right. Just the recipes). Okay, kill me now.
Anyway, she sprung for some tattooed preacher to cook for her. I'm thinking he needs to come to my house. I need a cook and a housekeeper and a lawn man and a pool boy. So, I don't have a pool....and your point is?
He made a Bolonese Sauce. Oh, sure he had all the ingredients, he had all the kitchen tools, he had heaps of admirers. The real challenge would be to make this sauce without all the brouhaha. Do not give me a challenge. It's like leaving me alone with the band. No good can come of it.
This was my Bolonese Sauce made with one five quart stock pot (a Big Lots buy) one 10 inch fry pan, a set of Kitchen Aid utensils (oh Costco how I love thee) and a knife.
Another thing my sauce doesn't have besides the accouterments is the meat. The Boys have been on a meat orgy for the last six weeks. I'm determined to purge their systems.
Veggie Bolongese
1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup zucchini, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup carrot, grated 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes, the stuff with oregano, garlic, and whatever 1 small can tomato paste 1 cup red wine
Fire up the fry pan ( you may want to use a stock pot but why be a pussy; use a fry pan.) with half the olive oil on medium high heat. Toss in the carrots and cook until they are just a little bit softened. When they are done throw in the onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Give it a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the olive oil and the bit of salt. Let cook until soft. Add the red wine. Poor yourself a glass while your at it. You deserve it. It is inspiration juice. Let the wine cook down just a little. Add the tomato paste. Melt it a bit then add the diced tomatoes. Cook over low heat.
Cook your pasta as directed. This is usually al dente but JR likes his soft. Did I mention he was a freak? No. Well, he is. I used whole wheat pasta because that is what I had on hand and it's good for you and because Costco is my friend. You use whatever makes you happy. I won't judge. At the very last minute chuck the basil into the sauce. It needs to wilt before you serve it.
Spoon over hot pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese. Eat like there is no tomorrow.
So there you have it. Real Pioneer Cooking. Anything else is just hype.
Love, M
P.S. I like to steal recipes off other sites just for inspiration. This is not the first one I've taken from the Pioneer Woman site and made into my own. But just like Norm Abram from PBS she has all the cool shit and well...I don't.
Random Thoughts Tuesday another wonderful product brought to by Keely over at the Un-Mom. Go look her over. She won't mind. Ask to see her new sparkler. It's a stunner.
The Boys are back. Tell me again why I was so excited? Oh that's right. I would get my kitchen things. Well, that didn't work out quite so well. It seems that the mover can't get our stuff here until Thursday. Some pack rat in Tempe that is also moving to Houston has so much stuff that it was going to take 3 days to pack the rest of the truck. Our poor meager things only took up 1/4 of the truck and 3 hours to load. The rest was allocated to the pack rat. Edit your stuff People!
Another cause for all my excitement was the alleviation of the quiet. Be careful what you wish for. The noise level in the house has gone up considerably. 2 men + 2 dogs = 400% more noise. The cat is very quiet. He can stay.
My new living room furniture. Turns out that the manufacturer will not be able to deliver it until June 9th. Waaahhh!
When I first got to Houston I found my favorite store of all time. Specs Spirits and Fine Foods. My new SFF (sales friend forever) sold me a bottle of the prettiest little Pinot Noir. I went back for more on Saturday. Alas, I was to be denied. The winery went out of business (shouldn't that be against the law?) Anyway, it turns out that the $15 bottles were gone but the store down the street had ten bottles of the $20 variety. A quick drive 5 miles south found me buying all 10 bottles. Even with the case discount and the 5% off for paying with cash JR and the Boy thought I was nuts for spending $180 on wine. Then we crack open a bottle. They changed their tune fast enough. I plan to lay down 5 of those bottles. If they are this good at 3 years old image at 6. Yummy!
Don't be thinking I over spent on the wine. The $20 bottles had been mark down from $50. Score!!
I love our new neighborhood, my new job, the wonderfully polite people of Texas, and the Houston weather (so far so good). What I don't love is the bureaucratic crap that the state of Texas is putting us through just to transfer our driver licenses. It turns out that you can't get a license without registering your vehicles and you can't register your vehicles without getting your vehicles inspected and you can't get your vehicles inspected without proof of insurance in Texas. Our Arizona insurance doesn't count, Thank.you.very.much! BTW, don't forget your certified birth certificate, social security card and your valid drivers license from the previous state. Turns out this is a three day process.
That's enough bitching from me for today. Now, go on over to The Un-Mom to check out all the other participants. Casey at Half as Good as You also got into the act. Check out those folks also. You won't be sorry. Not every one is a whining complainer like I am.
Planning a family vacation? The Onion has some really terrific vacation planning tips.I'm sure you"ll find them as helpful as I did.
Planning A Family Vacation
Summer is just around the corner, and that means one thing: family vacations. Here are some tips to make your brood's next trip a success:
Family around station wagon.
Vacations can be educational, as well as fun. Take advantage of teaching opportunities while at places like Gettysburg Go-Kart & Waterpark and the Wounded Knee Outlet Mall.
If you have young teenage girls, a trip to the Far East can easily pay for itself.
Visit a local travel agency and load up on Caribbean-cruise brochures. Hold these brochures very close to your face for a quickie vacation-on-a-budget.
If you plan to be gone more than a few days, set an automatic timer to turn your lights on and off five times a second while pulsating techno music plays.
You should totally go to Bhutan, dude. There's, like, Buddhist temples there run entirely by monkeys.
Not all life-insurance policies will pay out if your family is killed in a foreign country. If this is your plan, ask yourself whether you're doing it for financial or personal reasons.
Lindsay Buckingham found out long ago: It's a long way down the holiday road. Holiday ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oad.
If you have teenage children, chances are they want nothing to do with you and your lame vacation plans. Stock the house with plenty of booze and leave them behind to drink and fornicate in peace.
Need food, gas, or lodging? Unfortunately, there are few places in the U.S. that furnish these things.
Organization is the key to a successful vacation. Have a German army officer plan your trip.
When driving across country, remember: Interstate rest stops are a great way for you and your family to enjoy free, anonymous gay sex.
Whenever possible, encourage your children to distract sleep-deprived, speed-addled men driving 20-ton trucks.
Make sure you fill up your kids with soda before you leave. You don't want them asking for soda on the road.
When visiting the Grand Canyon, try to suppress your overpowering urge to throw yourself and your family over the railing.
I would like to add:
Only take your toddler to the theme park during nap time. This will ensure a total meltdown of said child which will increase your chances of going to the front of every line.
By dressing your children like every other child at your location you will fulfill the ultimate parent dream of losing them.
Be sure to completely ignore the gas gauge when drive across the desert. That gas pump light is not so much of a warning as it is just an annoyance.
Leave a comment with some of your tried and true vacation tips.
The Stiletto Mom and Blissfully Caffeinated got together a week or so ago and concocted the devious idea of everyone showing their Prom pictures. I'm pretty sure it was in light of the Prom season being in full swing back then. Uh Oh, it is graduation season now. We had better not let these two get together again. Even worse than graduation season is bathing suit season. Jen and Mary Anne, fair warning. I am not posting pictures of me in a bikini or any other swimming attire. Got it!
For a variety of reason I didn't go to Prom. We really don't want to go there. So I called up friends and family asking them to send their Prom pictures. Nothing, Nada, Zilch. Reason for this lack of response? Let me show you.......
Yes Folks, It was Gunny Sack dresses galore. Every fashionista was wearing them that year. We had just come out of the bell-bottoms and platform shoes phase and straight into farm wife chic. Tastefully done of course.
Above is another example of the Gunny Sack style. My wedding dress was bought off the rack at Nordstrom's was a Gunny Sack. Even I succumbed. Loved that the guy went for the white disco tux. Very cool.
You have to admire this woman. She was bold enough to steer clear of the Gunny Sack. Yay!! Brenda! Whoever you are.
So, this tribute to Senior Proms in 1978 was brought to you by the lovely, generous, and brave people who put their pictures up on Google Images. Yay! Strangers!
Now, that is all to see here. Head on over to Jen and Mary Anne's for some more Prom madness.
I'm not going to get in your face about eating meat though I could if you want. Okay, so one little rant. Try giving up meat at least one day a week. Your wallet, colon, heart, scale and of course the environment will love you. Not to mention the animals. Meatless Mondays it's the easy way. End of rant. I'll never mention it again. Move along.
I'm a huge proponent of scratch cooking. There are several reasons why I take such a militant stance on this issue.
One is economy. It is far cheaper to buy the fresh, frozen or dry good ingredients for a meal than it is to buy something prepackaged. I can take scratch ingredients and have a meal on the table in about 30 minutes. And, these are not sandwich meals a la Rachel Ray (not that there is anything wrong with Rachel Ray or sandwiches for that manner but she does do her share of sandwich meals.)
The second reason is nutrition. Being able to control the ingredients in your meals is really important. Balancing proteins, vitamins, fiber, sodium/salt allow you to ensure good health.
You may ask, "Why, is Michele harping about this right now?" I'll tell you why (like you didn't know I was setting you up for that? HA!). I've been eating a whole ton of prepackage microwavable food lately. Not having my kitchen set up or even having a kitchen made for a prepackaged eat-a-thon. It wasn't pretty and I'm not very proud of myself. What I am is swollen up like a balloon. My rings wouldn't slide nicely on and off like they was used to and the rings around my ankles from my socks were starting to collect their own jam. My toes were getting jealous.
I promptly went out to buy a scale. Got it home, set it up and stepped on up then just about hit the floor. I had gained over 5 pounds in less than 2 weeks. After my crying bout I picked myself and decided to do something about it.
First on the hit parade was to figure out what I was eating, how many calories, how much fiber, protein and salt. I was totally shocked. My calories, protein and fiber were in line with what I should be eating but my sodium was clearly in the stratosphere. Why? Prepackaged food and soup.
I bought a few kitchen utensils, a fry pan, and some basic ingredients. Things like whole wheat pasta, potatoes, tons of fresh and frozen veggies. I also cut out diet coke. Sure it says it is low in sodium but I was on a mission to cut out as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. That 35 milligrams per can had to go. Canned soup, Bye Bye. Want to know why. Take a look at the numbers of this baby.
The adult daily recommended amount of sodium is 2300 milligrams. That Healthy Choice soup is 20% of the adult portion of sodium. And this is the light stuff. You notice that they don't put a percentage on that baby.
By cutting my sodium down by half and reducing my calories by 500 per day I've lost those 5 pound in the week and a half. Since, it was all water weight I won't keep up this pace of weight loss but that's okay. I can wait for that 5 pounds that I've had lingering since Christmas to slide off.
So if you've hit a weight loss plateau you may want to look at your sodium intake. A really good resource is the DASH diet. It is advocated by my buddies at the American Heart Association, the Mayo Clinic (if you haven't check them out for diet and health info get over there soon) and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
See after that first rant I didn't say anything about the grossness that is meat or how bad it is for your intestines or animal cruelty or anything.
According to Wikipedia (yeah, and we all know how authoritative that website is.) Art periodn. A phase in the development of the work of an artist, groups of artists or art movement.
I thought about this today and wondered if I could apply the same principal to my life or at least where I am in my life right now. Deep huh? That would be me, deep. HA! More like deep shit.
Then I looked it up. Did you know there are like eleventy million art periods. Not one of them is the lazy period. So, I was going to have to read through all of them to figure out what would fit best for my life right now.
Now Metarealism appealed to me: "Metarealism is synonymous to metaconscience, which means beyond psychological consciousness, beyond a subjective psychological polarized view of reality. Metarealism seeks to depict the reality which exist beyond that psychological subjective perspective. Metarealism proposes not only to communicate further than the pictorial aspect of the perception of other dimension of reality, but also the essence of those dimensions and their relation to us as human beings. Metarealism then becomes a tool for the evolution of consciousness; just like in the old days artists painted sacred art to depict their vision of the reality they perceived, through their spiritual interpretation of other dimensions."
Any ism where I don't have to be conscious would work for mebut than this doesn't say Metaunrealism. If it said Metaunconsciousness than they would be speaking my language.
Now, some days I feel tonal. This would make these periods in my life Tonalism. Tonalism (about 1880 to 1915) is an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Dark, neutral hues, such as gray, brown or blue, would usually dominate such compositions. Since, I have few bouts of real depression I would have to say that I'm Minimal-Tonalistic.
I can relate to the academic art portion of the description of Art Nouveau. Not the young part unless they have an Art Vieux (art old) but I didn't see that on the list. It is the organic floral, highly-stylized part that I can relate to.
The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art', it is also known as Jugendstil, German for 'youth style', named after the magazine Jugend, which promoted it, and in Italy, Stile Liberty from the department store in London, Liberty & Co., which popularized the style. A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms.
In my work life I would best be described as: A Digital Artist: More generally the term digital artist is used to describe an artist who makes use of digital technologies in the production of art. Digital artists are artists who make digital art using computer graphics software, digital photography technology and computer assisted painting to create art.
If we put this all together my life can best be described as: Metaunconsciousnessism stage with undertones of Minimal-Tonalistic, Art Vieuxist in the academic art style and a digital artist.
That is just a mouthful. Why don't we stick with lazy-ass old crazy flower computer geek. Ok, that fits.
The inestimable Keely over at the Un-Mom hosts a little party called Random Thoughts Tuesday. Since, I've been known to drink a little too much wine on occasion I thought I'd crash at her place. I've been crashing a Keely's place every Tuesday for awhile now. She doesn't seem to mind. Little does she know I've been drinking all her wine and teaching X tantrum tricks. Shhhh.....don't tell her.
Did anyone else ask their obstetrician while he was stitching up their epesiodomy if he was stitching in his initials down there because he was taking so damn long? Or was it just me? Almost 26 years later I can still remember his answer. "Why, yes Michele I am".
For someone that can come and go as I want at work why is it that everyone wants to talk to me at 3pm when I want to leave?
Am I the only one that finds having control of the TV remote powerful and seductive? (I'm pretty sure they are shaped like phallic symbols for a reason. I've been telling JR for years that remotes are shaped that way because guys think of them as an extension of their penis.) When the guys are here I have no control over what we watch in the living room. I have to retreat to the master bedroom to watch my favorite shows. Now, that I have the house to myself I have become a remote whore. The boys are in for it when they show up next week.
Animal nicknamed Molly wanders through Queens before being captured
AP-Associated Press
updated 8:57 a.m. CT, Thurs., May 7, 2009
I know why. It reminds me of this song:
This song makes me laugh every single time I hear it.
Jump right into the randomness by visiting Keely and all the Keelyites. It is well worth your time. If I'm there when you show up will you pass me a glass of Pinot Noir. It's over there on the counter. I just opened it.
Oh Yeah! It was quiet. It was lovely. It was peaceful. What better way to spend it? The boys did call me. It was great to hear their voices as I drove around the Big Thicket National Preserve.
I had gone to the park to take some photos to paint for later. When I uploaded the photos I had taken it seemed as though I chose an unplanned theme. Paths.
Do you think my brain was trying to tell me something? And, why chose now to do it? Couldn't it have tried to tell me things years ago when I was a freaking idiot?
I guess I'll just have to paint paths. I don't pick these things they seem to pick me. Which one do you like the best? I'm leaning towards the one in the middle. Or I could just ignore my brain like I've been doing for the last 40+ years and just do this:
Still no cooking going on around here unless you call nuking a potato cooking. This place has a 1980s microwave. I swear that if I make the mistake of standing in front of it I'll form some sort of cancer. But can that sucker nuke a mean baked potato.
This thing can't be safe. If you hit the "on" button it stays on until you hit the "off" button. If you make the mistake of opening the door before you hit that off button; oh well for you. You've just nuked your boobs. Did I forget to mention that this thing is built-in at chest height. I fear for my boobs.
I've been spending my time figuring out how I can make recipes I see on the Food Network into veggie dishes. My favorite to date is my take on a BBQ pork sandwich. Smoked Tempeh, BBQ sauce and carmelized onions. When is JR showing up with my stuff? I have another week. Damn I may not make it. Or my girls may not make it.
The Minimalist from the NY times wrote an article yesterday about making good use of your freezer. It is a pretty good article. The only problem I have is when he talks about freezing that last 1/4 cup of a bottle of wine then using it for cooking later. Uh excuse me? I don't think so. You need to just make the bold move to kill that thing. Sure it will put you over the legal limit but you're at home. You know better than to grab your keys.
A couple of wonderful bloggers have given me awards. Thank you so much. I love you, man. (no I haven't been drinking. Yeah, I know that that is unusual.)
Isn't it purdy? I love the old fashioned scrolly thing in the bottom corner. Thank you again K.
The next one is from Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar. She says: "A Sushi Grade Blog is a cut above other blogs that are canned and turned into salad or casseroles. A Sushi Grade Blog is fresh, lively and of superior quality. It is rare, has character and is of good taste."
I question the good taste part; I mean I just spent the first two paragraphs of this post talking about nuking my boobs. Thank you, Jan.
She had some rules and regulations that I think I've complied with for the most part. I'm sure I've got 1 & 5 covered. I grabbed the award and I've linked back. Picking 5 bloggers is the hardest part. It's the part that throws me every time. So I think I'll just say that all of you are lovely sushi grade bloggers. If you want the awards then they are all yours because you all deserve it. Ahhhhh.....
QUICK UPDATE - Suz over at GreenJello nominated me for The Post of The Day for my post about evil clothes stealing girls. And I won or whatever is going on over there. Check it out. I'm so excited! I'm speechless (a rare and wonderful occurrence. Too bad JR isn't here to enjoy it)
Yes, Julie that is a pink drink. I wish you were here to enjoy it with me.
