Good Children

Now in Print!

I just submitted my first print piece for a local periodical, Nola Baby. It was a bit piece for a bit magazine but hey, it's going to be published and the editor stroked my ego quite nicely.

I've always envied people who have a passion -- artists who need to create, actors who do audition after audition because they must. I have a varied work history and I've accepted the fact that I'm simply a Jack of all trades ... master of none.

Once thing that I do need to do though is write. I currently have FIVE journals and a blog that I write regularly (well, fairly regularly). I have no plans for a novel or even anything longer than 1000 words but I'm lucky and happy that I have found an outlet that pays for my obsession.

Touching back on the "Jack of all trades thing, " The Husband was remarking about my varied employment history this morning. He said that it was a testament to my ability to pick up things quickly. Perhaps, but I have a feeling that future employers see me as unreliable and a bit impulsive. Have a look for yourself.

Here are my occupations and/or employers since I was sixteen (with some wacky volunteer work as well):

Dairy Queen
Kinney Shoes
JC Penney
Secretary, Development Office
Hollywood Video
Stitcher (Seamstress), Guthrie Theater
Telemarketer, Guthrie Theater
Educator, Everywoman's Center
Stitcher, Costume Department
Bus Driver
Cook, pizza restaurant
Assembly line worker (one night)
Camp Counselor
Cumberland Farms
Bus Driver, Boston Crusaders
Snack bar worker at the fair
Telemarketer (2 days)
Secretary, Howard Johnson
FedEx courier
Accounts, appliance store
Secretary, real estate firm
Victim Advocate, Rape Crisis Center
Secretary, brokerage firm
Secretary, evil Catholic high school
Barista, Starbucks
Bead Hander Outer, Commanders Palace (it was a one-day gig)
Secretary, evil personal injury firm
Cook, Mexican restaurant
Bean Counter, Girl Scouts
Mother
House Cleaner/Assistant
Babysitter
Professional Blogger
Freelance Writer
Producer
Technician, NOPD Crisis Unit

Am I missing something?

Everyday Cooking

Beth has been writing about what she cooks for dinner and that in part inspired me to do some home cooking. The other inspiration was guilt. I've never really cooked dinner routinely in our six years of marriage. Menu planning bored me as my repertoire consisted of pasta, tacos and frozen pizza. We ate a lot of takeout.

The husband often complained when I cooked at the lack of meat in the dish. There are some people in the world that believe that a meal isn't a meal unless blood was shed and the rest of us have to deal with them.

When the kids were born, I would make lunch for them (often quesadillas) and skip dinner or have a light snack. The Husband would then drive down the street for McDonalds or Burger King. Every night. I would in turn feel guilty for not keeping up with my "wifely" duties and grow frustrated with complaints when I did decide to cook.

Enter Martha Stewart and Everyday Food. It's a monthly periodical that gives tips on what's fresh and has tons of meal ideas inside. My favorite feature, however, is one where they TELL you what you'll be eating that week. There are five nights of meals and a shopping list completely eradicated the need to plan a menu. Most meals take only 30 minutes from start to finish.

Eating from Everyday Food has expanded our palates. In one week we ate kale AND leeks. In every week there are usually two or three vegetarian options so I don't feel too meated out and The Husband gets some animal protein. Plus, if The Husband doesn't like a dish, he can blame Martha. [If it sounds like I live with a tyrant, I do.]

I have enough back issues now that I can combine weekly menus to make it through the month. My only issue now is that meals are four large portions and that's too much for us right now so I usually have to tweak the amount of ingredients. I love cooking fresh foods for myself and my family. Go Martha!

In other news, a stroller ate my baby. Must read for Maclaren owners.

Rumor Has It

For those of you who care about this sort of thing ... a little birdy told me that a certain local actor who was fired from Sterling Cooper this season is under contract for Season 4. Hooray.

In slightly related news, I've been seeing those oh-so-funny signs in my neighborhood again.

Oh Baby!

We waited all night for the news but we weren't nearly as anxious to meet him as his parents.

Welcome baby Cole! You must be the new boy in my life the French Quarter psychic was talking about.

Congrats Alex and Kristy!

Amazon Reviews Gone Wild

I hold the customer reviews on Amazon in high esteem. I'm a little obsessive about reading them for every single product that I buy -- then reading the ones for the competition. The blurbs are usually straightforward and concise which makes them very helpful. That said, if you have a moment, check out the reviews for this Play Mobil toy.

The internet can be a very funny place.

Internet Snooze

I just realized that it's been well over a week since I've read anything on NOLA.com and you know what? I'm not missing it at all.

This is my problem ... When it comes to internet and money, it's all about the "click thrus." The more clicks, the more ad revenues. As a result, the more salacious or incendiary the headline, the more people choose to read it because that's the way we are and have been since the beginning of recorded time.

So, when headlines about dead, naked girls being found start showing up on NOLA.com when the story has absolutely nothing to do with the city, never mind the STATE; or a piece is written just to make us all mad at the mayor for going to Cuba when the population is obviously too apathetic to corruption to do anything about it other than complain to one another ... I simply had enough. [I'd include links that but would require me to go to the site.]

It's four years post-K, I don't feel the need to be so entrenched in the goings on of the city right now. Maybe I'm just switching obsessions but one hour of local TV news is all I need.

Actus Reus

I was cooking dinner this evening (thanks to Martha ... but more on that later) and the girls were in the other room. As I'm slicing leeks and gala apples to create a side to complement my pork tenderloin, I start getting that feeling. You know, the one when you realize that the kids have been entirely too quiet for too long.

I call. No answer.

As I make my way to the front of the house, I am of course preparing myself for what they could have gotten into -- I had an open can of paint lying around, scissors could have been within reach as well as the cat, crackers in the VCR ... you name it.

When I entered the room I was surprised to find Adelaide and Daisy at opposite ends of the dinner table. Each quietly perusing their Daddy's law text books, "Property" and "Evidence Under the Rules," respectively.

Heaven help me.

Procrastination

Yesterday I ...

... sealed and primed a downstairs ceiling stain from early 2006.

... caulked my tub.

... de-molded, patched, sanded, sealed and primed year-old ceiling damage from not properly caulking the first time.

... sealed and primed an upstairs ceiling stain from 2008.

... sanded, spray textured and painted gaping eyesore in stairwell.

... painted over some of the "artistic" crayon renderings a la Daisy.

... executed a long workout.

... cooked a well balanced dinner from scratch.

All that to avoid folding laundry.

Jeopardy

Answer: Cucumbers and blueberry muffin batter.

Question: What did I have for lunch today?

Answer: $80

Question: How much does the vet want me to to pay for tests to confirm that the $300 treatment he gave my cat worked? [I think that the fact that she is no longer peeing on the floor is evidence enough. Daisy on the other hand ...]

Answer: "Heene kid vomit"

Question: What is the last thing I googled? [What? I hadn't seen it yet and everyone was talking about it ... ]

News Blackout

I think that I am going to refrain from reading NOLA.com for the next six months or so. It just makes me angry.

Don't like the gays? Join the Catholics.

It's OK, you don't have to show up for work to keep your job.

Oh, and that boondoggle Nagin took to the South Pacific that was supposed to have been paid for by someone else ... that someone else was YOU!