It’s a Family Affair

Every morning I wake up with a different song playing in my head. Sometimes I can explain it, for instance, if I heard the song right before I went to bed the night before, while other times I have no explanation as to how it got there. Today’s is a prime example of the latter. Now I like this song but ask me to sing more than the four words in the title above and you’ll catch me scratching my head.

So you can probably see the dilemma here. The same four words playing on a loop over and over again as I sit awake, alone, until Matt gets up, is moderately maddening. But instead of heading off to the loony bin, I’m going to go with it and use the song title as a writing prompt. Hey, I’m all about turning the negative into a positive like that.

Speaking of prompt…as soon as I decided to write about it, I promptly lost all steam and motivation to do so. This has been a common problem lately. I think there are a few reasons for it.

First off, I don’t want to sit here and ramble on aimlessly about everything I’ve done lately because I won’t even be able to see the bored look in your eye as you drift off and start imagining what you’re having for dinner instead of absorbing the words on the screen. My life lately has been one long thread. Literally. Pretty much all I’ve done lately is sew.

Which brings me to the second reason. Sewing, unless you’re a seamstress, is a pretty boring topic. Wait, that was the same as the first reason right? Yeah, I guess you can probably understand the inclination to keep it to myself.

So (or sew?? Haha! Oh I kill me…) this is why I had all these grand plans to turn this post into some wonderful tale about my past, something awesome and fun from the 70’s and I would have woven it around my family like the song line had been written specifically for us.

For example, I could do a big story about how I was picked on in grammar school for wearing hand me down clothes that came from my much older cousins. Or I could talk about the time when my aunt tried to talk me out of drinking because my whole family was full of alcoholics but, not only was I not entirely surprised by the information, I think I surprised her by sharing that I just wanted to go to the party; I didn’t even have one drink that night. Perhaps a nice long post about the way two people is quite enough to make a family and that I don’t need to have kids to feel like I’ve achieved that feeling.

But every single one of those topics and more would just fall flat right now because that’s how I feel. As flat as the snowman ornaments I stitched up recently. Flat, listless, languid, lifeless, wordless and inspirationless. (Is that even a word? Probably not but it pretty much perfectly describes my overall brainwave right now so I’m keeping it. Suck on that Oxford Dictionary).

I think I know the reason. I’m saving it up in the imaginary bunker in my brain. The bunker is made of four foot thick concrete walls with a solid steel hatch that only I can access because it takes my fingerprint and retina scan to get in. Yeah, the thing is secure. And for good reason. It is storing the makings of my book inside its walls.

Imagination, inspiration and ability to share a fully fluffed up story, full of good old fashioned chewy bits like warm date nut cookies, will just have to wait until November. (Ooh, cookies…)

So what the hell do I do in the meantime? I guess I could regale all of you with tales of my grocery shopping adventures but somehow I think that might have me losing a few readers. Not that I couldn’t make it funny -- hell I kept everyone reading about me having a cold by sprinkling in crap about puffy heart key chains, local New Jersey townies and Pauly Shore movies -- but something tells me it would just be far too shameless, even for me, to try to add humor to a Peapod delivery. I mean, they weren’t even late and actually delivered everything I ordered so how could I ever twist that one ya know?

Plus I’d never want to insult us by writing an entire 875 word post full of absolutely no content whatsoever. That would just be…well, it would surely be random lunacy, if you will, and I wouldn’t dream of doing that to any of us! Honestly, what do you take me for? Geesh…

While I dye my hair and get ready to go see my mom’s work at the Arlington Open Studios, and then attend my uncle’s big sixtieth birthday party later today, I will leave you with this quote my drum instructor told me yesterday. Apparently it is from a cowboy movie he watched recently.

“Never hasn’t happened yet.”

Yup, you’re right. That quote has absolutely nothing to do with anything I’ve written here.  Just like everything else.

Tired Worn Out and Exhausted Never Felt So Good

Life. Sometimes it’s a motherfucker huh? Yeah sorry, I know it’s a little early on a Saturday for a lot of you to read that kind of language so my advice is to come back later and finish up. I really can’t promise it won’t get worse from here.

This isn’t going to be a ‘bitching about everything going on in my life’ post though, on the contrary, I’m kind of in the best mood that I’ve been in a very long time. It’s more about irony. And why, while I love the concept of it, the reality sucks when it happens.

Huh. That kind of defines irony I guess, doesn’t it? How ironic.

I feel like one thing gets under control, hell in my case it’s about four, and life is going great but then BLAM!!, I get hit upside the head with the proverbial curve ball that promptly throws something else out of whack.

So what’s actually under control right now you may ask?

Matt and I started working out about 2 weeks ago doing the very popular at home program P90X. Talk about intense, with six days on and only one day off to rest and stretch my body has been beat to shit. And then after you’re beaten and bloody lying in the middle of your yoga mat, Tony whips you some more and asks you to love it. But I do love it. In fact its starting to get to the place where I can’t wait for Matt to get home at night so we can get to our workout because even though it kills me, by the end of the hour I feel lighter both physically and mentally. Clarity is my new best friend.

The manuscript I started for NaNoWriMo last year is, to my satisfaction, 100% finished now. After a whole slew of editing and help from various people reading it and giving me feedback, I am confident that it is now complete and ready to be published. This isn’t trivial to me so I do feel a little guilty plunking it in the middle of this post, like all it deserves for acknowledgement is a teeny paragraph and no fanfare. I know it is a huge accomplishment to have even written the 230 pages. (That’s why I’m starting it all over again in 23 days. I guess it’s just my career so I don’t necessarily feel like I deserve a big medal or anything; Matt doesn’t get a parade when he finishes a file.)

My brainstorm notebook has been filling up with all kinds of interesting stuff lately, and while I do have a few blurbs for writing the next novel, my inspirations lately have revolved around stuff to sew. This is good because with the FUMC Craft Fair on Saturday November 13 in Melrose, I need as much as I can get! I’ve pretty much abandoned handbags in favor of fun wall art, holiday ornaments and home décor (like pillows & placemats). Of course the threads to make all this loot are still coming out of my reclaimed stash so I’ll still feel all eco.

Yeah that’s about where it ends for feeling reigned in. Okay so maybe its just three things that are really under control. But in getting this stuff together, a lot of other stuff has seemed to go askew.

Working out is wonderful and I’m sure after a couple months of hard core exercise my body is going to begin to adapt but both of us falling asleep on the sofa at like ten o’clock every night (or earlier) doesn’t do much for the sex life. Yeah, that’s all I’m gonna say about that. In addition it means less time out with family or friends because I’m not going out for a pizza anymore and on a Friday night when I should be out laughing it up, I have to prioritize my workout first which leaves a very teeny window before that 10:00 cut off for tiredness.

Writing and editing a full length Chick Lit novel is great and all but so many other venues got shut down in the process. I’m certainly slack on blogging and reading other’s blogs which definitely pisses me off, especially with my long time bloggy friends. And I do consider those people my friends so there’s a nagging annoyance there. Plus I kind of miss writing my other blog. Sometimes.

Preparing to sell my wares in a public forum always causes my energy to have to shift from something else. In this case it has been practicing drums. I sit at my desk and stare at them feeling like time just slips away before I even have a minute to sit and make music. Paying my instructor to teach me the same shit over and over again is a waste of my money and his time. Period.

I do miss keeping up with my friends and family but I guess that’s what Facebook is for now. We can quickly peek into each other’s lives instead of spending hours on the phone or shoving greasy, expensive food down our throat at some restaurant right? And with writing I guess I just don’t care if I keep GLR going forever. It’s just a blog and frankly I’d rather throw my attention on this one. This one is so much more ‘me’. And the fair? The fair is temporary so I know that the drums will once again ring out in short order.

So what can I do? I guess the short answer is I have no freaking clue. Really, I don’t. I know it might sound weird but even though I’m having all of this stuff fall off the back end of life, the things that have taken over are more exciting and dynamic to me than any of that other stuff that seems to be slacking off.

Except the sex. Yeah. I guess it’s just a good thing that I enjoy snuggling too.

It’s not You, it’s Me. Wait, never mind, yes it is You

“I’ve got eight things in the air and the phone’s ringing off the hook…”
Crack the Mirror ~ Melissa Ferrick

So we went off and traveled the country, saw family and friends, went to sporting events and all that other happy crap I told everyone we were planning to do a fracking month ago when I last updated my blog (!!!!!!) which got me thinking… Clearly at least one of those eight things has got to go.

I began evaluating all the stuff I do, or want to do and realized that up until a year or so ago I was getting along just fine without two daily interferences -- paying my bills and Facebook.

Although they have come to make a home in a corner of my living room, unfortunately a person is only allowed to file bankruptcy once in a six year period so the bills are here to stay. It isn’t an ideal situation but I’ll just toss a shoji screen up in that corner to hide their piles of laundry or something and go on with my day as if they don’t live here. We can co-exist just fine as long as we only have to see each other once a month.

Facebook on the other hand…

That evil bastard not only moved into the house, he took over three quarters of the bed, my sofa, ate all the food in the refrigerator and left his dirty laundry in the middle of the floor. I’ve known for a long time that our relationship is slightly dysfunctional but I thought I had enough effort to give for the both of us.

I was wrong.

The time that Facebook sucks out of my life is time I can never get back again and really I could find such better use of that time. For example, I could visit my old friend Random Lunacy who I have seriously neglected over the past few months in order to spend time with the new boyfriend. I’m so very sorry RL, why I ever gave up on you I have no idea, I guess I felt as if there might be something better out on the horizon but it turns out I was wrong. I hope you can find it in your virtual heart to forgive me.

It also wouldn’t hurt to spread a little joy to a few of my other lovers, like my drum kit (yes a real live one finally purchased), treadmill, or sewing machine. Heck even my paint brushes are feeling slightly left out in the cold and they’ve seen the light of day in the past couple weeks.

What I’m really trying to say, Facebook, is that I have no problem having lunch occasionally, or maybe a morning cup of coffee, but I just can’t hang around and play Scrabble with you at all hours of the night anymore and share links with you for stories that you never even read. I’m taking a break from you and focusing on the things that matter again. I’ll miss you a little bit I’m sure but we’ll find a way to make it work.

Friends?

The X Factor

On Thursday of this past week it became blazingly apparent that I would no longer be able to use the drum trainer in Rock Band to practice for my real drum homework. In the late morning I sat at my desk, typing away when I suddenly heard a sound reminiscent of a rabid squirrel scratching at the window screen to get into the house.

Because our neighborhood is mostly gone-mad, vermin free, my immediate reaction was that I thought someone other than me could be inside my home and my fingers froze on the keyboard. I listened intently for about ten seconds and didn’t hear anything else so I grabbed my keys (the closest weapon at the time) and went to look around to see just where the sound had come from.

There was nothing down the back hall or in the kitchen and when I got to the living room I noticed that the Xbox was on. I didn’t think much of it as I figured maybe Matt had used it that morning before leaving for work. I shut it off and peeked out the peep hole on my front door into the hallway only to discover there were no boogey men or critters foaming at the mouth.

I came back into the office and got on with my day, excited to be able to get to the Red Sox game that night (the one I talked about the other day and just as a side note, Tek was catching and he hit the only home run of the night woo hoo!). About twenty minutes after sitting back down, I started to feel like the Narrator from “The Tell-Tale Heart” -- gone mad from hearing the sound that no one else heard -- as the scratchy weirdness happened again.

This time I jumped up immediately, sans keys, and went to glance back and forth down the hall so I could catch whatever furry mongrel had invaded my home. And that is when I saw it. The disc drawer of the Xbox was busy opening and closing by itself.

Needless to say this didn’t freak me out any less. I ejected the disc just in case the machine got stuck in a closed position, looked for the red ring of death (it didn’t have it) and unplugged the power supply from the back for about thirty seconds. I considered if maybe a neighbor had gotten a similar machine and their controller was somehow hitting our machine’s frequency or if maybe the disc had become corrupted.

The machine seemed to right itself but I decided not to take any chances so I emailed tech support for some advice and clicked over to register the machine to me just in case. Now I should back up to share that some time ago our friend did get the ring of death on his machine and sent it back to Microsoft to fix. After waiting weeks he figured they wouldn’t be sending it back so he just went out and bought a new one. A few weeks later he go the original back, all spiffed up, but now with two and only a need for one machine, he generously gifted one to us.

When I tried to register the serial number it said it already was, so I dialed customer service. I got a guy on the line, didn’t quite catch his name so we’ll just call him Akhmed, and he was quick to ask just how he could help me so I told him the situation about the already registered number, gave him my friend’s full name**, and asked what we could do.

**Just as a tip for all of you who would like to purchase a used Xbox on craigslist or something, be sure to get the name of the sellers third nephew’s dog before you leave their house or you will never get your own name added as a legal guardian of said machine.

Here’s how our conversation went.

Akhmed: Yes it is registered to Mister *insert your friend’s name here*.
Me: Yeah, so he gave it to me as a gift so I just want to switch things over.
Akhmed: Not a problem. Can you tell me the street address?
Me: *give street address*.
Akhmed: And the zip code is?
Me: I have no idea. Maybe, *insert guess of one of the three in their town*.
Akhmed: No, that’s not it.
Me: *guess right one*.
Akhmed: Yes, and the phone number.
Me: *give phone number*.
Akhmed: Yes. And the email address it is registered under?

Now this is where I need to give a little explanation. My friend is into some seriously interesting music. Stuff from other countries that most people would have never heard of. Most people in the country it was produced in probably haven’t heard of it in fact. I know my friend well and have his email address and I happen to know that the [name] is the name of one of these bands, but off the top I can’t quite remember the [at whatever dot whatever] part of the address.

So I tell Akhmed the [name].
Akhmed: Could you please spell that for me?

As if they were also my favorite band in the Universe, I whip it out of my brain, no thing. Now we’re not talking about a band named The Flaming Lips or something easy to spell. It is more along the lines of sgvnadlk.

Akhmed: And the rest?

Now I’m not downing on Akhmed here or anything, the guy is just doing the job he is way overpaid to do and reading from the ‘will not deviate from it’ script his boss handed him on his first day when he also told him to call himself ‘Bob’ when people call from the United States so they will perhaps be fooled to believe you’re both in the same part of the world, but seriously dude? I just gave you sgvnadlk. And not only that, I spelled the mo-fo right. On the first try. It isn’t as if sgvnadlk is the most popular thing on the planet (like Flaming Lips perhaps) and you’re going to split hairs over who his email provider is?

Me: Sigh. Yeah, give me a minute while I open up my email.

After I get him that information I’m pretty sure he asked me to name and spell all the provinces in Canada in alphabetical order, plus tell him my cousin’s first goldfish’s name, but by some miracle of chance all that information just happened to be up there in my brain and he got the serial number of the box changed over to me.

Just in time too, it is busy turning into a fuzzy pest and needs to be sent back to get a replacement model that doesn’t scratch at my window screens in the middle of the day. Too bad Microsoft doesn’t lend out real drum kits in the meantime.

Summed Up By The Beach Boys

Wouldn’t it be nice
If I had posted?
Then you wouldn’t have to
Wait so long…

Ah yes, the soothing and inspiring sounds of The Beach Boys will help me get through a rainy and gray day here in the northeast. I’m not complaining though, it has been sun shiny and mostly spring like beautiful for the past few weeks. Hence, why no one has read a word from me over here.

I love spring because people start coming out of the woodwork, me included, and it makes me so happy to see the temperatures start going back up. But it always means loads of stuff sneaks into the calendar and time flies by in the blink of an eye!

Since we last caught up I have:

Gone to a Bruins game & watched them lose (although they barely scraped by into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth and then promptly lost game 1 last night, boo.). Been given an opportunity to sit right behind home plate at a Sox game (and my fingers are crossed that Tek will catch that game!). Was offered a chance to fly somewhere I really want to go for free (feeling like a rock star!). Donated a wall finish to the Driscoll School auction and started discussing options with the winning bidder. Finished the manuscript for Ripple the Twine and handed it off to my first “feedback editor” for advice (which was mostly positive, surprisingly). Celebrated with Bridgete & some seriously cool peeps for her birthday in grand fashion (read: latest night I’ve been up since I was 27 lol). Began a hardcore workout routine (summer is right around the corner, yikes!). Went fishing for the first time in like 15 years with some old and close friends (and as always with them, hilarity ensued). Made plans to see or visit some of Matt’s closest friends who live far away. Became a contributing Editor to the EcoEtsy blog as a co- News and Views contributor. Celebrated Matt’s birthday in the North End with my Mom. And who knows how much more; busy, busy!

We got our tax refunds from both state and federal and, as promised to ourselves, they will be used not for bills (as we have done many years) or savings (as we have also done many years) but to purchase a new laptop for Matt and a used drum kit for me. My neighbors won’t have to worry though, my freaking fabulous drum instructor has taught me the power of the towel so I will be able to deaden everything. He also gave me the names of a couple resellers in the area so within the week I’ll be able to fling the sticks onto something more than the electronic kit or drum pad. I can not wait!

Speaking of drum lessons…I am actually getting better which is inspiring to me! I try to practice, or at least stay loose with Rock Band, every day and it has really made all the difference. Independent limb is starting to show in a more prominent way and I’ve been able to get comfortable enough to do fills between measures. Awesome! My instructor continues to be the most patient and wonderful teacher ever. No real dreams to ever play live or anything over here, it’s all just for a fun hobby I can do to tune out the world, but if I had those aspirations he would certainly be the guy I would want to have in my corner!

So that’s the skinny from my little cyber neck of the world. I hope to get back to regular posting again but who knows. And I’m not beating myself up over it, I still love reading everyone’s updates as often as I can get there even if I don’t comment I’ve been keeping up with everyone’s laughs & smiles and everything in between!

Have a great weekend and (most likely) a great month everyone!

Week(s) In Review: A Pictorial Adventure

So where have I been, yes that would be the question considering that, unless we’re connected on Facebook, no one has heard from me in weeks. I don’t call, don’t write. Yeah, ‘dropped off the face of the virtual Earth’ (yet again) is pretty accurate. But I have done some amazing and fun stuff in my electronic absence.

And the train continues to roll so rather than sit here for ages typing out all the details of my recent misadventures in construction, paint, music, old friends and pastry, it occurred to me that a nice array of photos is surely a much lazier way to share the information.

And retain it for that matter. See? Really I’m just thinking of your time. Yeah, that's it.

So without further random babble from me, here is essentially a month in review…

A whole bunch of these got painted, glazed, varnished, etc. over the past couple weeks for Chucka Stone Designs, and more will be done this week (plus I might actually finish the furniture pieces this weekend, amazing!)

I hosted a week long giveaway over here that I enjoyed promoting.

This holiday came and went & Matt and I thankfully didn’t feel pressured to celebrate (because it is a silly tradition started just to make people feel bad who are single and obligated who are together so the card, chocolate, flower and jewelry industries can live on for one more day. OK. Jumping off my soapbox now…) But my mom sent us this card and it was very sweet of her!

The FINAL season (sob) of Tuesday night crack began. (Yeah I know he’s not on the show anymore but he was my favorite character and he did make an appearance in the first episode this season. Plus he’s hot, so there.)

We had a chance to catch this guy’s act live, and solo for the first time, which was so much fun! We were right at the edge of the stage in the Red Room at Café 939.

Then I started doing a whole bunch of this. (Thanks for the video still shots This Old House)

Of course that job is in central Mass so that meant I was in this a lot. Don’t worry, my car wasn’t recalled. Baby drives great.

Even though painting and plaster is a great workout it was good to do a little of this in addition to keep loose. Climbing ladders requires a certain level of already in shape-ness so as not to fall asleep on the sofa every night at 10:00. Oh wait…

I have been helping to clean out the family house which desperately needs to be finished and sold. My Aunt, mom and I spent six hours in this room getting it to look this empty. I wish I were kidding. But it is done now and so we celebrated with subs (hoagies, wraps, whatever you call it in your neck of the woods -- sandwich filling in a long roll). I took this round table home and it is now gracing my back hall under the window; it looks perfect with the bench on the other side, since they are a matching set.

Of course Thursdays have still been all about this. Wouldn’t miss that for anything!

Had a chance to catch one of my mom’s favorite performers, Seth Glier (on piano), this past Friday night. I can see why, wow this kid has talent!! At only 21, he has a long career ahead of him. (He plays SXSW every year so if you’re near Austin, TX go check him out!). Plus he remembered my mom on sight by name, asked her later what she wanted to hear and made a point to come over and apologize that he didn’t have time to play it after the show was over. Now that’s class.

And now this morning I’m finishing coffee and writing. Not to mention eating one of these; purchased after dinner with friends in Davis Square last night. Yum!

The month in review has now commenced. Holy crap, can’t believe it’s just about March already! Bring on the warm weather, yippie!

New to Me, New to You, Old Concept -- BTPTh

So a few nights ago, think it was Sunday, I had a very strange dream. I was being shown an x-ray of my own skull and the doctor or whoever it was pointed out a small spot on the film. I was squinting to see it so they further explained that they would be removing it and this is how…and then this crazy machine with an enormous drywall screw attached to the end bored a hole into the forehead of a dummy across the room and as I was fainting in the office, I woke up in my bed with my heart racing.

I didn’t look this one up in my dream book because there is no entry for lobotomy. At least I don’t think there is, I’m really not sure and frankly I just don’t want to know. I know that to dream about a brain is roughly translated into the actual act of thinking so perhaps I was trying to convince myself to turn off my brain for a while or something.

Regardless it freaked me the fuck out.

I guess this is what comes from releasing toxins from my body. The new treadmill is here and let me just say it is my favorite thing to do, despite the wacky night visions. I pull up a good short Netflix movie, something in the ballpark of 75 - 90 minutes, hop on the old spinning belt to nowhere and walk my literal and figurative ass off. With all the water I’m drinking on top of the exercise I’ll be back into my usual size in no time.

Not only that but eating healthier again has been such good motivation. I have not consumed as much beef in the past five years as I did while we were in California, oddly enough. Prime rib for Christmas dinner, burgers and everything in between it was no wonder I felt like a slug for a week after getting back home. Only one meal with meat in the past ten days has made a huge difference in my energy level, its weird.

In the spirit of even more newness, I also ordered us up two new phones. Our old flip phones were dying -- not holding battery life and the buttons were literally beginning to peel off mine not to mention I had painted mine more times than I care to mention while working -- so since Verizon does that whole ‘new every 2’ thing I explored our options and picked up a couple snazzy new LG enV3 devices in a shiny blue. Aren’t they pretty? As a heavy texter it is going to be so much nicer to have a QWERTY keyboard too.

Learned a little jazz in my drum lesson today. That was fun but, oh, how can I put it? Awkward. I can already tell I’ll be more comfortable as a rock drummer but it was super cool to play the tat-ta-tat-ta-tat-ta-tat-ta, albeit very slowly. I love listening to jazz so it was nice to try, and I’ll keep trying because my homework is to work on playing a few measures over & over so I can speed up. I seriously can’t wait to pick up some equipment for real, it will be so much more fun to practice when I’m playing an actual instrument as opposed to an electronic kit.

I’ve managed to get a little over a third of the first round of edits of my novel complete so far which I’m very happy with. Figuring by the end of this week I should be halfway done, if not further. My goal is to have the hand written edits done by the 25th and then complete typing them up by the end of the month. That way I can make it through the second and third round by the end of February. It likely won’t be perfect to the critical eye of an Editor but it will at least be to my personal standards and I’m thinking that’s where an agent will come in.

An opportunity to pursue a job as a Social Media Marketing and PR Rep has cropped up and I’m seriously considering doing it. Because I will be able to still work from home and the company is offering me the flexibility to select my client load it allows me the opportunity to make some money at something I’m already good at, but to still have plenty of time for the book and blogs. It’s a big step because I haven’t worked for a company in almost five years so I really want to weigh the pros and cons before agreeing to an eight week training and management of a real life client.

After getting back from the west coast and seeing photos of myself with this drawn look I realized it was time to cut my hair off again. My new hair dresser was recommended to me by S and she could not be more awesome. She gave me the last cut too and though the cut itself was fantastic, I had to admit to myself that I’m just a short hair kind of chic. This time around she did two and a half inch layers all over my head which is more girly length than I’ve had it in the past and with the slight curl I have it creates these cute little flippy bits that I really like.

Sadly our little Green Group died out. With only about 5-6 of us showing up every month and about half of us being from out of town, Melissa decided it was no longer environmentally a sound option to cook all the food, buy the wine and run her electricity (not to mention our car!) every month, so for now we’re getting updates in a newsletter and its nice to read the latest even if I don’t belong to her community. Perhaps it is something we’ll start in our own to bounce ideas around come the spring. We shall see.

Created a couple new recipes this past week, some with very positive results, others, yeah not so much. The sundried tomato and basil hummus from soaked garbanzo beans came out amazing. The fried tofu with avocado, walnuts and grapes in whole wheat wraps with lettuce? Well let’s just say that meal will from now on be referred to as ‘tubular shaped bland goo’. Won’t be trying that one again. Sometimes tofu just is not a good substitute for chicken. So to make myself feel better I made some chocomole. And feel better I did. Especially right now as I eat it before I have my dinner. I'm a rebel so I can.

OK that’s enough now. Later friends.

As the Fog Lifts

Huh, the title reads like the name of soap opera or something. Well the November haze of Nano is over now and suddenly it occurred to me this morning there are only three weeks until Christmas. Wow. Kind of fast moving again this year but seriously, what year isn’t anymore right?

All this holiday talk has reminded me that red and green work together in such a pleasing color combination, especially when used in varying shades and tones. I like the way sage green and cranberry, plus a little gold sprinkled in for sparkle, looks together. It is perfect on the wreath on my front door.

Funny though, I don’t really ever decorate for the holidays anymore, other than that fake pine wreath. It isn’t that I don’t believe in the holiday spirit or anything, frankly it’s just because I’m lazy. Plain and simple.

I barely see the point of putting out a whole slew of stuff all over my house, that no one will see but us because everyone is far too busy running around doing their own holiday things, that I just have to take back down and put in the basement for the next 49 weeks before doing it all over again.

Something just gets lost on me when I realize the only one who will see the wreath is our letter carrier because everyone else uses the side door. Am I too cynical? Maybe that’s it, but between the pressure to send out cards, torn wrapping paper, empty bank accounts and countless hours spent in return lines, I frequently understand the inclination to follow Pagan traditions of the celebration of returning light and that whole ‘eat, drink and be merry’ attitude instead of the ‘buy, buy, BUY’ mentality that seems to accompany this season now a days.

Seriously, Dar Williams hits it right on the money here.

Anyway, regardless of all of that, we have a few awesome events coming up this year. We get to see not just one but two amazing choirs perform their holiday songs next weekend! My mom’s best friend sings in one that plays a bit north of us and Bridgete sings in one a bit south of us. Can’t wait to hear the tunes, these concerts are always so uplifting!

Another cool thing about Bridgete’s is that her mom will be in town so hopefully I’ll finally get to meet the always awesome KC! After meeting Bridgete’s dad at Thanksgiving and laughing over dinner for like three straight hours I have no doubt we’ll have just as much fun with her mom.

I have some other exciting news about Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve but can’t really divulge just yet so stay tuned for the update…

In the meantime I’m going to go make a Holiday playlist on iTunes. Yes I mean holiday and not just Christmas because I plan to include things like Adam Sandler’s Hanukah and Thanksgiving songs, Chicago’s Saturday In the Park and Jason’s Remedy (both for their 4th of July references), NKOTB Valentine Girl, Dan Fogelberg’s Auld Lang Syne, Monster Mash, maybe a few selections from Jesus Christ Superstar and perhaps You’re Not Irish by Robbie O’Connell. Plus of course a bunch of Christmas tunes that I love. Hmmm, does anyone know of any good songs about Flag Day, President’s Day, MLK Day, Boxing Day…

The End is Rapidly Approaching

It’s been a while, yes that’s true, and I wish there was some excuse other than I have mostly been writing the book like a complete fool junkie for Chick-lit but there isn’t so here I am now. I do have to admit, I miss my blog and miss reading blogs but in February when I have a well crafted publishable novel that I can start shopping (read: lots of down time while I get rejection letters in the mail) it will all have been worth it and I promise to get back with everyone before then.

To keep my mind semi off the book I have been continuing with drum lessons, which have been going really well and my instructor is branching me out of the instruction book and into more real time beat driven stuff that doesn’t involve me reading along with anything and keeping the beat in my head, not on the page. It’s awesome to escape for the hour and just not think while I bang out some real music; albeit very slow music.

Speaking of music… Something strange that has happened, and I didn’t at all expect, is that I have not been able to bring myself to listen to my favorite music this month. No Jason, no Melissa, no Foo Fighters and no Dave Matthews Band. Since I tend to sing along with every word most of the time I didn’t want them infiltrating my brain and clouding up my own words for the book. Weird, because I love to listen to music while I write most of the time and especially lyricists like those folks.

Speaking of Dave (and Jason)... Last night the band (including Tim which was so awesome!) was the musical guest on SNL. Lately I make it to the Weekend Update and that’s about it but last night I think there were only one or two skits that didn’t make me laugh out loud. I was impressed by Joseph-Gordon Levitt as a host, I haven’t seen this kid since he was in 3rd Rock From the Sun but he was awesome! Great monologue, no shame, never forgot a line & he stayed in character, no matter what the skit, all night.

The best skit ever came somewhere near the start of the show. Anyone who’s a fan of Dave, Jason, Jack Johnson or Ozzy Osbourne will enjoy this. Even if you’re not and just know the general personalities of any of those musicians you should get a kick out of it.

The Mellow Show with Jack Johnson

Still makes me laugh. Hysterical.

So I’m breathing down the door of 40,000 words and bloody well plan to be at 44-46 by the end of the day today. I plan to hit the 50k mark on the first day we’re allowed to upload the book to claim the certificate, that way the pressure is off and I can just finish the beast knowing, if nothing else, I let myself win this challenge.

In other awesome news…you may have noticed there is a stagnant post at the top of the blog. It is a story on local Nano writers and I was featured in the article. Woo hoo! Matt Reid from the Medford Transcript and Malden Observer contacted me to see if I’d be interested to share some info for the article and it went up this past week on line and into the print copy last Thursday. Not only was it a front page story it was the lead off headline! It is very exciting that locals will get a chance to learn about Nano and I was so happy to be a part of the piece! Thanks Matt!

So that’s about all the news to report in my life.

My character, Sara, on the other hand... Well so far she has had to deal with the break up of one of her friend’s relationships (because she just got signed and is about to go on tour with her band), discuss the possibility that another might be having an affair with a much younger man in London, find out that another friend might be selling his bar and sandwich shop (which is her touchstone location) and she is trying to decide if its appropriate to sleep with a guy on their next date (because she isn’t really sure if its their second or fifth) and that guy is about to reveal the biggest secret that will affect all of them forever.

Whew!

She is on a month long roller coaster here but I’m so glad to be able to be along for the ride. Luckily I have her to live vicariously through; my own life sometimes seems kind of boring in comparison. Of course that isn’t exactly a bad thing.

See you all again in December!

Broken Thoughts, by Random Lunacy

I went to open a new checking account for my business because the bank I am currently with decided that instead of giving a high five to their loyal customers, they started hitting small business accounts with mondo fees.

Um, did they not get that small business part??? Can little fishies like me really afford to have my money either held hostage or unceremoniously taken away? I believe the answer you’re looking for would be a clear, ‘oh hell no’!

So, the local bank in the next town over charges nothing for small business checking and I decided to move my money on over so it is no longer held up at fee-point.

When I opened up my EIN document to print it this morning, I realized that Chucka Stone Designs just celebrated her second birthday three days ago. Yea!!

I totally love my job and I love my company and fully intend to keep this little fish swimming in the big old ocean for as long as possible, dodging sharks and finding super secret awesomeness around the corners of patches of coral reefs.

Speaking of awesomeness…

Today I started drum lessons, a promise I made myself last year. Well I might be a little late to the party, finally learning, at age 36, the instrument I have wanted to play since I was a kid, but as far as I’m concerned it’s never too late. My instructor Gil Graham, is so cool.

I found him in a most destined way too; thanks Universe! My mom was selling her lovely photo inspired art at an open studio fair in my old (and now defunct) Junior High School so Matt and I went to check it out. The show was on all four levels of the building as there are artist studios everywhere. We came in through the basement door as it seemed a logical place to start.

As we were walking by a completely unassuming room with an open door I pointed out where the cafeteria line used to form across the hall. Next thing I knew there were some slow drum beats coming from that door and there was a sign reading “Come On In!”. As if I could resist. We listened to the kid play for a few, shook hands with Gil and promised to be back near the end of the day to chat after seeing my mom.

The end of the day proved to be well over an hour while, for free, Gil started breaking down my skill and experience level as he let me play a few hundred beats. I was amazed with what I already knew like how to hold the sticks and limb independence (thanks Rock Band, seriously) and Gil was amazed at not only those things too but also that I was able to keep consistent time.

I think we both got a little giddy at the prospect of entering into a kick ass teacher student relationship and I signed up on the spot. Today was great as I worked toward greater independence and lengthier beat combos. The coolest thing was he told me as I was leaving that we just went through about 3 lessons in that one lesson time slot, that I sound great and am picking it up really quickly. Woo hoo! It still feels weird but I guess that is like anything new right?

I had a chance to interview Adam Sankowski from local band The Grownup Noise again about their veggie oil conversion van that they have used to tour the country for two consecutive summers now. He is such a great guy and always a fun interview. Plus I love discovering new music, especially when it is really, really good.

And they are really, really good.

If you are in the area and can stay up past your bedtime this Saturday night I highly recommend hooking up with me and Matt at their show at TT the Bear’s in Central Square Cambridge.

OK that’s about all I have steam for today so go read everyone else’s stuff now. How about if I say please?
KC, Ginger, Kate, Bridgete and Bree

BTW…thanks for the picture SuperStock!

Don’t Give Up Until You, Drink from the Silver Cup

One of Matt’s favorite sayings is “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it”. Well the moment I heard this clever little turn of phrase come out of his mouth I mixed it right into the soup that is my own life philosophy. Because of it I have re-tried a whole bunch of things in the last decade that I may not have enjoyed in the decades prior, or perhaps never even tried as a kid. I was tired of living by preconceived notions that I would not like it now just because of how I felt then and it has opened my eyes to so many kick ass experiences. Good examples of how I have applied this would be via avocados and skiing.

Avocados were a winner. Guacamole is a staple in my house now and I am always on the lookout for cool new stuff to do with this wondrous food. I will even eat them on the half skin with a little oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Quite a departure from my upturned nose of years past.

Skiing. Well that was an entirely different story. It is safe to say that is an activity I will not be taking part in again. Ever. But how would I have known unless I gave it a whirl right? Not to mention the skiing story is one of my favorites to tell because it is just hilarious so at least something great came out of the day.

In the spirit of this attempt at trying things…

The other day I promised a new blog background with my first post in June. Well sorry friends but I am currently in the process of learning how to create my own template skin and because I am working out of the house all week the lovely brown is going to have to suffice until I can work on it more next week. It is something I am seriously enjoying figuring out though!

I am back on the hunt for a new hair color. This is not completely shocking to those who know me but I had actually resolved myself to only doing my natural hair color after I dyed over the fire engine red from last summer. I was tired of finding new colors, trying to select the perfect one, so instead of doing it on my own this time, I asked for help. When Matt ran out to get soysauges (yes breakfast sausages made from soy -- again, never knock it ‘til you try it, they are freaking awesome) I asked him to pop into Walgreens and come back with a box of hair color; to surprise me. I told him no matter what it was I would put it in my hair.

He looked frightened, as if I had suddenly become one of those girls that asks the loaded question for which there is no right answer, just so I can kick his proverbial ass when he is forced to make a choice. He started to sweat and search for a way out of the house without having to pass me where I would trip him and laugh. Sensing his level of panic, I laid out a few ground rules -- no platinum blonde, no jet black and nothing I would actually need to go to a salon to make it come out nice (like hot pink or blue). He exhaled at this point and even seemed eager for the challenge. He came home with a mahogany color that has strong tones of flaming garnet when seen in the sunlight. I freaking love it.

Right before I dyed my hair I decided to peruse a few blogs over coffee. One of my best bloggy friends Ginger had recently been on a hiatus with a busted up computer and one of her first posts back was for vegan pancakes. I read a whole slew of foodie bloggers because now that I am in charge of most night’s dinners, spaghetti and chicken soup were getting a touch lame. Ginger has never, and I mean never, let me down in terms of deliciousness. Her recipes should be in a book. Seriously.

As if by sheer fate, she posted the pancake recipe and I already had every single ingredient on hand to make them. I was stoked because we had an entire Sunday to do with as we wished; brunch fit right into the plan. I slightly modified her recipe using agave nectar in lieu of maple syrup, whole wheat flour instead of unbleached all purpose and a whole lime’s worth of juice plus an extra shake of cinnamon. We ate them with fresh strawberries, the soysauges and scrambled eggs with spinach, fresh tomato and fresh cilantro. Best. Meal. Ever. The recipe has already been printed and safely tucked into my box of tricks (which is growing so I guess cooking also makes it to the ‘give it a try’ list). But I highly encourage you to write the book Ginger, I’m running out of space.

Most everyone knows that I do not consider myself much of an outdoorsy type of girl. Woodland activities are not my scene because I really strongly dislike bugs and there is just something so perfect about being able to sleep in a bed. So when our friends, who we vacation with every year on Martha’s Vineyard, mentioned that their summer trips were likely to phase out the over priced, albeit beautiful, island and grow to include more camping trips, my own panic set in much as I described Matt’s above; furrowed brow, clammy palms and all. Tent camping was not something I ever imagined blipping up on my personal radar.

This activity is something Matt really enjoys but as much as I can tolerate a nice hike now and then, when it comes to the sleeping without a door lock in the middle of the wilderness with who knows what kind of rabid animal or psycho killer just past the line of sight, I can’t say that I am going to feel all safe and snuggly because I have a nylon sheet in between me and those threats. But despite my completely irrational fear that some Stephen King novel will play itself out in the middle of the family campground, I find myself looking at the price of a nice, sturdy tent that sleeps four and comes with all kinds of clip on pockets and stuff, not to mention getting a little bit excited about it, because you bet your ass there will be an air mattress involved. Not to mention two bags of marshmallows for ‘smores and maybe a bottle of wine so I can pass out and stay that way until morning. All joking aside, I promise nothing but just like skiing I will at least never be able to say I didn’t give it a shot.

(Luckily I know the real secret to living through the horror movie is don’t be a virgin getting laid for the first time in the cabin in the woods. Done and done. Mosquito bites on one’s ass -- so not attractive.)

Although I love my drums it was time to take a crack at singing. And I do mean crack; as in Peter Brady When it’s Time to Change kind of crack. Right after Wendy and Kyle left we went out and picked up Rock band II. With constant access to all of the instruments and the microphone as well, it was only a matter of time before I decided to give it a go. Now, unlike on the drums where I delude myself into believing that I might actually be able to play them someday because I have that independent limb thing down, in no universe would I ever try to say I could carry a tune on key. But that does not make a bit of difference with Rock Band; the only thing that matters is being able to maintain the pitch. Any song by a moderately lower pitched singer I can pull off now on hard difficulty. Man in the Box, Alive, Everlong and anything by Oasis are at the top of my favorite list. Sorry neighbors.

So now when I see something or hear of something that I either had no use for previously or never even considered up to that moment, I fully intend to at least give it a try. Never know, it could be something awesome that I might have missed if I never gave it that shot.

Unconventional Heat Source -- Bring It On!

Here in New England in November the temperatures tend to hover somewhere in the fifty degree range which makes it just crispy enough to wear a light jacket but not so cold that it is necessary to bundle up completely. Going for a walk is pleasant as the sun shines and the breeze creates a ruby nose ski-tan look that everyone is still able to see because every inch of skin is not yet hidden under down jackets, scarves, hats, mittens and goggles.

This past week we entered into a cold snap akin to the temperatures in January where the mid day high was not really making it out of the thirties. Damn climate change.

So what does a summer loving, need to be barefoot as much as possible, warmth craving, and environmentally conscious gal do without turning the heat up to eighty in the apartment? I re-introduce myself to exercise and the oven. Though not simultaneously of course, that is just dangerous and would require a level of coordination I definitely do not possess.

As you all know Rock Band is quickly becoming my favorite evening activity -- I am priding myself on the fact that I can now pull off scores in the ninety percent range with the level set to Hard and I am starting to actually get the drums in more ways than just hitting the corresponding pad when little boxes of color scroll across the screen. The pads correspond to a real drum kit so not only do I get which pad is associated with which sound (bass drum, snare, cymbal, cowbell, high hat, etc) but I am beginning to feel the rhythm of the songs I play. My arms are flailing about, my right leg is in seemingly constant motion and my core body temperature goes up as I pound away. Many may say this is not exercise but I challenge them to try playing on Hard level for an hour and then let me know how their arms and calf feel the next morning. It is energizing to play rock 'n roll but more importantly, keeping me toasty warm.

Another thing that rocks is channeling the life of a bear. Again, everyone knows how I plan to come back as a Grizzly in my next life because of their play all summer, eat as much as possible then sleep all winter lifestyle. Man that is like a dream come true. So I figure why not get a little bit in touch with that now and start packing it on so I can survive what is clearly shaping up to be a cold ass winter in Boston.

Matt is laughing at me because (and I am the first to admit) I am not what one would typically call domestic but as of late my oven has been firing up some pretty tasty treats and adding joyous warmth into the apartment (not to mention intoxicating smells!). Some of my favorites are homemade sauce which I then used to make lasagna, mashed potatoes, chicken soup from scratch (we cooked a whole bird and I used the bone, veggies and drippings to create the soup), banana bread and of course my specialty desert apple cranberry pie.

Fall just lends itself to cinnamon and brown sugar, apples and cranberries, fatty deliciousness. I want to share the recipe with all of you because the big Turkey day is almost upon us and if you are looking for something super yummy to compliment the meal but do not know what to bring this is definitely a winner! Happy eating, I plan to be either drumming or comatose until spring.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Two 9” pie pastry crusts (or enough home made dough to make them)
3/4 Cup brown sugar (not tightly packed)
1/3 Cup flour
4 Cups apples sliced or chunked (I use Cortland or Gala, sometimes McIntosh)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 Cup white sugar
1 Tsp cinnamon
2 Cups frozen cranberries
1/2 Tsp cinnamon sugar mix

Preheat oven to 425
Coat pie pan with butter using wax paper to spread & sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture (leave some if you want to use it on the top of the pie as well)
Combine sugars, flour and cinnamon & mix well
Add fruit, thoroughly coat all of it
Place one crust in pan and turn fruit in, distribute leftover dry mix across evenly
Top crust and dot with butter (sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture)
Seal edges with a fork & cut slits in top, remove excess dough from sides
Bake with crust shield for 30 minutes
Remove shield, bake additional 10 minutes or until golden and mixture is bubbling

Let cool slightly and enjoy with a warm cup of tea and cold scoop of ice cream