Culinary Vagabonding

Where AM I?

2011-10-20T11:38:00.002-04:00

I'm blogging here and only here for now:

Widdershins and Skeleton Keys

Makes things easier. Do stop by!! I've missed you :)

~J

Honestly, I'm Pooped!

2011-02-01T10:46:00.003-05:00

You know it's getting bad when the only thing you can think of to write about on a culinary blog is camel wrestling.

Yeah.

February is barely here and I'm already in need of a break. School is taking a lot more time than I anticipated and it's not the only iron I have in that proverbial fire. I don't have the time to cook like I want to and that leaves you, dear readers, with a great big pile of flop.

*insert apology and groveling here*

I will still be at my other blog, Widdershins and Skeleton Keys and I would love for you all to join me over there. I will still be visiting you all as time permits, but for now, the vagabonding must be put on hold. I'll be back. I still have a lot more countries to traverse before we end up at our final destination of Ireland.

For now, however, I must bid vicarious culinary traveling adieu.

(Please join me at my other blog. I don't want to lose touch with ANY of you!!)

Camel Wrestling!

2011-01-27T13:49:00.006-05:00

photo credit

Yes, you read that right! Camel wrestling! What? You've never heard of the exciting idea of parading a female camel in front of a small herd of male camels and then letting them go at each other's throats (quite literally) under the delusion that the winner takes the bride?

Yeah, me either. But since we're still in Turkey (although on another one of those life induced, unplanned stops), when I saw the article on About.com, I just had to post it here.

If that's not strange enough for you, did you know there are camel beauty pageants?
Now you do.

Please note: I don't support camel wrestling. I don't support any type of animal fighting for fun and profit. Heck, I hate WWF and those are humans who are (somewhat) capable of making the decision to get the snot beat out of them with metal chairs and plywood!

I just found it interesting in a cultural anthropologist kind of way. Besides, if I ever need a unique career for a character in my next story, 'camel wrestler' sounds as unique as any!

Now you can tell all your friends you learned something new today.
You're welcome.

Where's that new post...

2011-01-25T16:17:00.003-05:00

Afternoon all! If you're curious as to where this Tuesday's blog post went, take a walk over to my other blog. I've given a good excuse there.

New Addiction

2011-01-19T12:28:00.006-05:00

It's not hard for me to develop a severe crush on a cuisine once I dive into it. It doesn't matter if I've never tasted it, only researched it or wandered through the pages of a cookbook. If the descriptions tantalize my taste buds, I'm sold.

Dear Turkish Cuisine: I love you. For reals.

Since my last post, I've been thinking endlessly about Turkish Delight. Sad, but true. No, I have not made any yet. I have drank (drunk...drinked?) copious amounts of coffee. That's got to count for something. Research. Yeah, that it.

I did some Googling this morning and found a couple of restaurant menus which enticed me. I started hunting down these foreign phrases and discovered that Turkey is a treasure of culinary delights! It appears the Ottoman Empire did something right when it assimilated local and regional cuisines into their own, creating what modern people know as Turkish cuisine. It hints as Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan. The Mediterranean even dips it's toes in to contribute its trademark veggies, herbs and fish.

And honestly? It doesn't look that complicated to recreate. Well, except for the whole Baklava thing. All that phyllo.

Here's one for you. In fact, I might deviate from my flight pattern this evening and pick up a few cukes. This sounds fabulous! Even on a cold winter's night.

Cacik (Cucumber-Yogurt Salad)

Peel and rinse 3 medium sized cucumbers then coarsely grate them. Finely chop 3 sprigs of dill (or more if you love it like me!). Whisk together 3 cups of yogurt, 2 tsp. of salt, 1 cup of water, and 3 cloves of garlic. Add the grated cucumber. Pour the mixture into one large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a bit more dill. Or, you can divide it individually and garnish each bowl accordingly.

I'm thinking some grilled pita might be in order for dipping. Or some croutons. Or a really big spoon. Mmmmmm....

Sorry for the delay in the posting! Got a bit tangled in all these work-school-home-life wires. Fear not! I'll wriggle out eventually. Oh, and did I mention I'm diving into rewrites? Head first? No life preserver? Yippee!!

Delightful!

2011-01-13T09:53:00.008-05:00

First up, a couple of announcements:

1) School has knocked me for a loop. I thought it was going to be a cake walk, but this cramming a semester class into 8 weeks is whipping my back-side like nobody's business. That being said, I'm moving my posting here to 2 days instead of 3. You'll find me here Tuesdays and Thursdays until I can achieve balance, reach nirvana, or quit my job...

2) I have been a terrible blog reader! Please accept my humble, groveling apologies. See above for why it's taking me so long to respond to comments and visit your lovely places and faces.

3) Speaking of comments, I has a question: do you guys like having responses to your comments email to you (for those of you who have them set up that way) or would you rather me respond here, in a nice neat and unobtrusive format? Just curious; I want to make sure I respond to everyone and I'm trying to keep it sane for everyone involved ;)

OK!

Turkish Delight. I've posted on it before, eons ago, in another dimension. When I was a kid I was entranced by the name. Turkish hinted at the exotic; Delight meant it was, well, delightful.

CS Lewis (moment of silence...and go) immortalized it in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was captivated. Edmund was forgiven for his betrayal because, quite frankly, I would have done the same thing for something as tantalizing as Turkish Delight. (Not to mention he's WAAAAYYYY cooler than Peter and I always wanted to play the White Witch, but I digress...)

And then.

AND THEN!!

I found out what it was:

Cornstarch and sugar.

Yep. That's it. But wait! Don't get as disappointed as I was when I first saw it. My first thought was, "Really? It's jello covered in powdered sugar." Upon further research, I found that's not true at all. That's just what it looks like. Several recipes present it as technically challenging. The one I'm posting here confirms that: it's a candy and if you've ever tried to make candy, you'll know how challenging that can be.

Oh, and trust me when I say this, GET A CANDY THERMOMETER BEFORE YOU TRY TO MAKE CANDY OF ANY KIND!!! There's some people *cough* that I know *cough* who tried to make caramel without a thermometer. It didn't work out. *clears throat forcefully* That is all.

So, here's the recipe and a disclaimer: the guy who posted this thought it fun to have a French maid demonstrate the making of the Turkish Delight. I know that sort of thing may offend some (or just make it rather awkward if you open the link at work). That being said, it's more ridiculous than risque. The recipe is the most comprehensive I could find. You have been warned.

I have never made Turkish Delight but it's on my list of things to try.

Right after my "friends" purchase a candy thermometer I can borrow...

**If you haven't wandered over to my writing blog yet, you really should.
There's cake.

Black as Hell

2011-01-11T15:57:00.006-05:00

No, the title doesn't refer to economic outlook or the dark night of my soul. It's a reference to an old proverb regarding coffee. More precisely, it's a reference to Turkish coffee:

"Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love."

Can I kiss the person who said this? I'm known for my love of strong coffee and it's a given that if I brew coffee, someone (ie: everyone) will dilute their cup with water. I don't sweeten mine with much sugar, though. Just enough to enhance the flavor.

I've not actually ever tried Turkish coffee. I don't own an ibrik or cezve (the brewing device of Turkish coffee) and I don't know anyone who does. However, there's a local coffee shop owner who possesses uncanny knowledge of foreign coffee brewing techniques. Perhaps I'll ask him if he can brew me some black as hell coffee the next time I pop in for horchata

The most appealing aspect to me is not the legendary strength of the coffee, but the culture that surrounds it. It's my opinion that we take too many things for granted in our culture; we hurry through life, we rush and gulp and guzzle. There are precious few who actually take the time to brew coffee (or tea for that matter). I savor the moments I can sit quietly by, listening to the pot gurgle and hiss as my fresh ground coffee beans go from dirt-like grounds to deep, rich brew. The sounds, the smells of fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee entice and entrance. It's a far cry from shouting "a tall, half-caf, double cream, low fat such in such" to a disembodied voice via drive-thru.

Then again, I also like hand writing letters and hanging the wash on a line in the sun, so take the above societal chiding with a grain of salt ;)

Excellent resource for Turkish Coffee history, culture and instructions on how to brew it : Turkish Coffee
Ways to order coffee in Turkey : Turkey Travel Planner
Want to set up your own Turkish Coffeehouse? Visit Turkish Coffee World!

Turkey has been postponed...

2011-01-10T14:19:00.001-05:00

So I can go play in the snow!!!

Have fun out there (and stay safe if you've been hit with ice and snow like we have)!

Snow covered palms.
Only in Georgia.

**If you follow my other blog, you'll find the same post over there. Cheers!

At the Crossroads of Asia and Europe

2011-01-06T09:31:00.008-05:00

So far, our journey (no matter how sporadic it may have been) has taken us through Asia. From China to the Middle East we've wandered, discovering dumplings and pastries, fresh mint dishes and strange delights most of us would never touch with a 39 1/2 foot pole.

We now find ourselves at a crossroads. Not quite out of Asia and yet not quite into Europe. Turkey sits along the borders of both. Though technically a European country, there is much about Turkey that remains shrouded in mystery (as much of Eastern Europe tends to be to Westerners). Perhaps that's what has always drawn me to this country. Or perhaps I'm mesmerized by it's landmarks and natural phenomena:

the Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia

Pamukkale

It could be the idea of feasting on lamb kabobs and fresh yogurt or indulging in a bracing cup of Turkish coffee. Sweet mint tea is also on the menu, and heaven knows how much I LOVE mint! Or my attraction with this country could be the legend that Vlad Dracul was once imprisoned here by the Ottoman Army. According to this story, Vlad's hatred for the Ottomans grew and when he returned to Eastern Europe to set up his rule, his time in imprisonment prompted his cruel and rather unusual methods of displaying his conquered foes.

Whether or not the legend of Vlad the Impaler (who we all know and love as the inspiration for Count Dracula) had any connections with this country or not, there is still an air of mystery that surrounds it. I've held an almost sacred desire to spend time in the city once known as Constantinople, to explore it's many markets. Most of all, I wish to sit outside at a cafe, find out for myself if Turkish coffee is as strong as it is legendary, and watch the many wonders of this melting pot of civilization.

Won't you join me?

~Jen

PS: Speaking of joining me, my new writing-centric blog is up and running! Pop on over for a cuppa at Widdershins and Skeleton Keys.

Updates and Ramblings

2011-01-04T11:52:00.008-05:00

I feel like I haven't blogged in months! I've missed being here, missed reading your blogs, your comments, your antics and inspired musings. I trust you all had wonderful holidays and are ready to kick 2011 off into high gear! I for one long to rest in January. A month of peace, to regroup and rejuvenate before diving back into life and all it's wildness would be a welcome, welcome treat. Until then, dear friends, I'll grab hold, hang on, and see where this dragon takes me.

Speaking of wildness, we've been adopted by a dog. Yes, a dog. The Thursday before Christmas, Jon came in with a lovely little lost girl. It was going to be terribly cold that night, so we put her up with a blanket, some cat food, and prayers that the house would still be in one piece when we got back from my mom's house. She was sound asleep on the couch when we got home. Christmas Eve we took her for a walk thinking we'd run into her owner or at least see some posters for a missing dog. Nothing. A police officer pulled up beside us and we learned that the dog had been roaming the streets for at least 2 weeks. The cop had been feeding her from a bag of dog food she kept in her patrol car.

Needless to say, we kept her, got her some food of her own (the cat was very grateful) and she's been our new baby ever since. Oh, and we named her Grace.

She looks to be either a foxhound or (as someone recently told us) an English walker hound. Whatever she is, she's a sweetheart. She definitely keeps things interesting!

In other news, I started school yesterday. Again. This is my fifth go at college. Honestly, though, it has been a better experience than either of the times before. I know what to expect, I know that all the "terminology" and "tone" they use in correspondence is just to mainly frighten freshman into doing their homework and pay back their loans. A lot of my former credits transferred in and I'm expecting to graduate in 2 - 2 1/2 years with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. ONLY program I could find that was completely online. I shall be a bit pressed for time in the coming months, but I fully intend to keep blogging away both here aaaannndd...

At my NEW blog! Widdershins and Skeleton Keys is open for business. The posts may come later in the day than the ones I post here, but I'm hoping to post regularly and often. As you all know, writing is near and dear to my heart and I've wanted a separate place to word play for a long time. Wander on over and check it out. It's definitely in the baby blog stages, but I've got some grand ideas and welcome any input you guys may have. Let me know what you want in a writing blog and we'll see what we can do! Being thrust into the Creative Writing department of a college as I am now, I should have loads to pass along eventually :D

As for my culinary ramblings, we're moving right along and crossing into Europe. Stay tuned for some fabulous facts and foodie love on Turkey :D (The country not the bird...;)

Cheers!
Jen

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

How is every little one?
Was Santa good to you?
Did you enjoy your Christmas, spending it with family, friends, or just some peaceful moments by yourself?
How did you ring in the New Year?

I'm trusting everyone is healthy and well this brand spanking new year. Our journey will continue tomorrow (Tuesday 04 January) and I'm really excited to learn about our new destination: Turkey.

[No, not the bird. The country ;)]

Enjoy your Monday evening. It's back to the job for me tomorrow, but I'll be here, blogging about food, about life. I've got a couple of interesting tidbits of news for you AND I've got a nice, shiny NEW BLOG which is ready and rearing to go TOMORROW!

Stay tuned!!!!

Happy Christmas

2010-12-20T20:05:00.003-05:00

I don't have any pictures; the day ran long and the night has just about got away from me.

But I do have words, and it's with those I'll paint a picture.

Our tree isn't very big. Last year it was over 9 feet tall. This year, it's a bit over six. It's spun round with strands of white lights and the ornaments have been collected from my first Christmas (1977, baby!), our first Christmas together (2004 to be exact), to the fat little blue glass owl I picked up just a few short weeks ago. There are owls and polar bears, coffee cups and snowmen. Jon and I made yarn ornaments this year. Beautiful, multi-colored balls of fabric-stiffened yarn and fabric.

There's a raven atop our tree. No star or angel for us! Truthfully, we don't have a tree topper and the raven just happened to be perched atop the bookshelf just behind the tree so it appeared to rest on the tree when I took pictures of it when it was first put in the stand. And thus a new tree topper tradition was born.

There's a manger scene in the window, wrapped round with white fairy lights. A snowman sits on the record player, a little homemade candle warms his mitten-hands.
Our cat is nestled all snug in one chair, dreaming of canned food and Christmas tree flavored water. The space heater hums merrily next to the sofa where I usually find myself after a really long, really stressful day at work.

This year has been hard. Seriously hard. Lots of stress and changes. There's been good things too, choices made, new paths discovered. For the most part, however, I'm ready for a new year. A new chance. A clean slate and a fresh start. My dreams and goals are forever growing. I see them looming on the horizon, just, as it would appear, out of reach. For a moment I ask you dear blog friends, what are your dreams for the coming year? Was your year a hard one? Perhaps you experienced loss. Big changes or small may have put the breaks on your plans. Maybe things didn't go exactly as you'd hoped.

That's what Christmas is for. To remind us of miracles. To remind us that no matter how hopeless the situation, no matter how dire the circumstances, there is always hope.

Christmas is magic. The word "magic" and the word "miracle" both come from the same roots. When boiled down to their essence, both words can be used to describe something that can not be explained, something which has just happened, without any plausible explanation.

Look out your window. Look at those around your table. Look at the pictures on your wall, the people who pass you on the street. Everyone a miracle. Everyone magic.
Nothing is impossible, dear friends. Not dreams, not goals, not plans. Not hopes. Not angels singing or virgin births. Nothing is impossible.

I'll be taking a bit of a break from blog land until January. I'll be back with a new blog to start up, a new part of the world to explore on this one, and some interesting news I'm sure! Oh, and I most definitely plan to return with a story of the impossible.

Save yours to share, dear friends.

And remember:

Where there is life, there is hope.
Jen

Be Jolly By Golly Fest

2010-12-20T12:01:00.004-05:00

And a Happy Monday to you all! (If there is such a thing. I hear rumors and I'm running with them this morning. It is, after all, the week of CHRISTMAS!)

This isn't an "official" post, but I wanted to let you know of a lovely blog fest that's going on. Melissa at Through the Looking Glass and Jen at Unedited are hosting the Be Jolly By Golly blog fest today. It's an impressive list of participants and the posts are pouring in. Wander by either of their blogs to get the full list and spend this week reading about the blog world's Christmas traditions. I'll be posting mine later this evening, so do come back by and see what I've got brewing over at the Manor :D

Cheers!
Jen

Soup's on!

2010-12-16T09:17:00.005-05:00

Delicious Photo Found HERE

Last time, we had salad. People usually start a meal with a salad, I thought. So why not move on ahead to the soup course?

I found two delicious sounding soups which would go excellent with the aforementioned (and posted about) salad. They're vegetarian, but if you crave meat in your soups and stews like I do, a bit of beef or more traditionally, lamb, would go great in both of these. Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Vegetable Soup

You'll Need:

•3 white potatoes, chopped
•1/2 yellow onion, cut into eighths
•4 carrots, sliced
•1 clove garlic, crushed
•1 celery stalk, sliced
•1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
•1/2 cup fresh string beans or canned
•1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•1/4 teaspoon cumin
•1/8 teaspoon ginger
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•4 cups water
•3 cups canned tomato sauce
•1 8oz can tomato paste

What to do:

Combine water, tomato sauce and paste in a large saucepan and put on medium heat. Stir well. This will make your soup base. Add water or more tomato sauce as desired and then add in your vegetables and spices.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium and let simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

**This recipe is from About.com's Middle Eastern food site and is totally worth reading for the comment underneath. I love it when people share personal stories about food.

Middle Eastern Lentil Soup (if anyone knows the Arabic/Farsi names to these, I'd LOVE to have them!! Calling everything "Middle Eastern ____ Soup is a bit bland.)

What You'll Need:

1 cup dried lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

What to do:

Rinse lentils, getting rid of any debris or lentils that look blemished; drain.

Heat your oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Add fennel seeds, cumin and ground red pepper; cook and stir for 1 minute.

Add water and lentils. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in salt and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in lemon juice.

Top with yogurt and sprinkle with parsley once you've ladled soup into individual bowls.

**This one sounds like it would be FABULOUS with some lamb. I LOVE stew this time of year, and a hearty meat stew always hits the spot. But I'm willing to try it without, as per the recipe. This one was found at TLC's Cooking Site.

I'm contemplating a Middle Eastern soup and salad night here soon. Perhaps this weekend? My mom is coming down for a visit and I think that would be the perfect menu for a chilly Sunday afternoon.

Cheers!
~Jen

Anyone for Salad?

2010-12-13T12:56:00.006-05:00

photo found here

I love salad. For real! I do. I never do anything too fancy when I make it at home. Toss in some bell peppers now and then; always add cheese. Oh, and the bacon bits. How can I forget about the bacon bits?

Whilst perusing the Middle Eastern food sites today, I came across this delicious sounding salad and thought, "Hmmm, sounds tasty and festive...and easy." Not that I have a problem with tough recipes, but usually around the holidays the easier the dish the better. (Yeah, and me with my baklava plans...)

Salad-e Shirazi is a summer tomato-cucumber salad but the ingredients are readily available anytime. This salad would make a colorful and fresh alternative to the normally heavy foods at the holiday table. (This recipe was originally found @ About.com)

Salad-e Shirazi: Tomato-Cucumber Salad

•3 large, firm tomatoes
•2 cucumbers
•1 small onion, red or yellow
•2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, depending on taste
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
•1 teaspoon minced garlic
•salt and pepper to taste

Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions finely. Toss with the remaining ingredients and mix well gently.

Serve chilled.

The recipe says it takes about 15 minutes to prepare and serves 4. Double or triple it for your holiday gathering. As for me, I think I might just try this for a weeknight treat. I'm also thinking some chickpeas tossed in would be a lovely addition.

And bacon...can't go wrong with bacon...

***In other news, I won a contest!!!! Yep, I got an email from the fabulous and talented Shannon Whitney Messenger telling me I won a copy of the Middle Grade book The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little. Woo-hee!! This book sounds very intriguing. It takes place in the deep south, in bayou country (that's Lousiana if you're wondering). I'm really looking forward to reading it. Wander on by and check out Shannon's blog! She'd always got something awesome going on over there!

A Little Middle Eastern Christmas Cheer

2010-12-10T08:48:00.003-05:00

I have an excellent excuse for not blogging the past couple of days; I've been writing. Yes! Real live writing and NOT NaNo editing (that is to come). Yesterday, I got an idea for something (non-fiction, if you can believe that), and off I went, typing between phone calls and writing on a napkin during lunch in my car.

That said, I've been thinking a lot about Middle Eastern Christmas customs this week. Funny, but when I realized my virtual travels would land me in the M.E. for Christmas, I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to be in England for Christmas, or at least the Alps. But my self-imposed trip had me traversing across Pakistan, Afghanistan and into Iran.

More out of compulsion than anything else, I simply typed in "Middle Eastern Christmas" in the search engine and *voila!* I was gifted with a whole mess of interesting sites. And then it hit me: Christmas started in the Middle East. What's more appropriate than a Middle Eastern Christmas? Not only that, but when I was pondering some recipes for this month, it was Hanukkah and THAT'S a Middle Eastern Holiday as well. Serendipitous I must say.

We don't really think of Middle Eastern countries celebrating Christmas but they do. Lebanon especially, but there are Arabic Christians in most M.E. countries that celebrate. Their celebrations aren't as garish as our western traditions and I find them far more endearing.

In Lebanon, about two weeks prior to Christmas, people will plant chickpeas, beans, lentils and wheat grains in cotton wool. The seeds will get watered every day and by Christmas, they have a nice little garden of greens. These shoots will be plucked and used to surround manger scenes.

Friends and family gather around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. They celebrate with an evening meal and at midnight, the church bells begin to ring. Everyone puts on their new Christmas clothes and they go to church for a midnight service. The children eagerly await Papa Noel to bring their gifts and they hang little red stockings for him to fill with sweets.

Pakistan is a predominately Muslim country and therefore, Christmas is not a national holiday. Those that do celebrate, do so quietly and simply with traditions that vary from town to town. Church services are held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day called Barha Din or Greatest Day.

There are also Christmas celebrations to be found in Syria, Egypt, and even Iraq. I also read that Bethlehem has 3 Christmas celebrations due to the three different denominational churches in the city and their holiday observance calendars! And get this, The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem sits upon the traditional site of the original manger. Christmas Eve services are held in what's called The Shepherd's Field and then the crowd continues the service inside The Church of the Nativity. Only a small amount of people can attend and it's by invitation only. If you're not one of the lucky invites, however, they set of a large screen outside so you can view the celebration from Manger Square.

Recipes are forthcoming! Have an awesome weekend. Speaking of food, I'm off to Maggiano's in Atlanta this evening for the office Christmas party. Repeat after me: Italian food. YUM.

Cheers!

Sources: Habeeb.com
Christmas in Pakistan
Christmas in Israel

**Some of these sites have music, so keep the speakers low. Unless you like to start your day with blaring organ music**

ugh...guh...blah...

2010-12-07T09:09:00.006-05:00

Not feeling too well today, folks. And work has me slammed addressing envelopes and filing a forest of papers. Riveting, I know.

Anywho, I had a smidge of time this morning (and about as much energy) and I wanted to give you guys a little teaser of what I've found whilst roaming around the Interwebs in search of Middle Eastern noms.

Like this:

Jumbals

and THIS:

Maamoul

and, cue the Hallelujah Chorus, THIS:

BAKLAVA

(small disclaimer: yes, I know the above link is to a Balkan recipe for Baklava, but this site had the prettiest photo. so there.)

Enjoy the photo-link love, my dears. Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow and I'll be able to post an actual recipe. I'm REALLY hoping I'll be able to MAKE one of these delicious treats for Christmas. Maybe all three? Who knows.

Cheers!

Hopscotch

2010-12-06T08:50:00.005-05:00

Go, Granny, GO!

Been thinking a lot about spice lately. Yep. Spice. You know, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (yes, even cloves...bleck!). Blame it on Christmas. When the holidays roll around, I start wanting spicy things: gingerbread, spiced (or spiked ;)) cider, chai. We made chai last night. It was the bagged kind; Holiday Chai it's called. We added some heavy whipping cream and some sugar and yum-yummy was it good! I'm glad I got over my chai-a-phobia. It tastes like Christmas in a cup!

Perhaps I'm thinking about spice because the next location in our culinary journeying is the Middle East. I've been thinking of the best way to do this, seeing as the Middle East is a very LARGE area and we have a very small month in which to explore it's culinary wonders. So. Instead of bouncing from country to country, how about if we look at Middle Eastern dishes in light of the holidays? Sounds groovy to me!

I promised you an update on the NaNo novel. I finished (*confetti*) and it's over 50,000 words (*trumpets*). Funny story: I finished the book by writing a rather detailed outline, spilling out the words as they came, untangling plot lines and character mishaps as I went. And I discovered, shock and amazement, that it's not a stand alone. THIS story is: it has a beginnings, a middle and an end. BUT, and this is a very big but, a character who decided to pop up in the middle of the tale (no, not the little girl I told you about before. A shape shifting cat named Finn), just HAD to go and complicate things. So now, my characters not only await my editing genius (*cough* struggle and random cursing *cough*), they also wonder just what the heck am I going to do to them next? Ah, the joys of prime exocutioner...torterer...author.

I feel like there's something I'm skipping, and not just the square upon which the stone landed. Ah, yes. I think I let slip a teensy-weensy little teaser last Friday. Something about a new blog? Yes, I know, I'm crazy. But someone (I can't recall who and for that I am very sorry) once said that blogs are like little pieces of ourselves. They allow us to be different aspects of a whole. I like to look at my blogs as rooms in an old English country manor. Just when you get comfortable in one-the fire lit, the brandy poured- someone suggests you go down the hall. Or you pull a book from the bookcase and a panel opens to a stairway and mysteriously lit torches.

The new place will concentrate on all things writing - my writing, the writing of others, writerly wisdom, prompts, rantings, ravings and rejoicings. I really (REALLY) would LOVE for you all to join me over there. I won't be posting quite yet. I'm going to let the holidays flitter me into January before I consider committing to more postings. I do have the drapes hung and the rugs laid. The walls have been given a coat of paint and the moves are just now placing the marble statues around the pool. Wander over if you like. Some of you already have and I thank you very, very much! There's not much to see just yet, but when things are settled, I invite you all over for a cuppa, be it tea, coffee, cocoa, spiced cider.

Or chai.

Busy, busy, busy

2010-12-03T10:31:00.003-05:00

(now THAT'S something different!)

Hey guys!

I hope all of you in the States had a marvelous, food and family filled Thanksgiving!I also hope my fellow NaNo-ers made it out of November alive and with a nice new novel to edit over the beginning of 2011. Let's here it for edits! Woohoo!!! (Sorry, that coffee was a bit strong. Seconds?)

I know I said I'd be back 01 December, but it seems I've hit a bit of a snag. A busy snag at that.

I didn't want to leave you without at least a quick hello. So...HELLO!

I'll be back to posting on Monday. I've got some ideas for some holiday treats from the Middle East. Yep, we're leaving India (however sporadic our trip there was) and heading over through Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, on into Turkey (which, by the way, did you know is EUROPEAN country?)

A Middle Eastern Christmas, huh? Sure. Why not. That is where Christmas started, after all. I'll also dip down into the real land of Christmas and touch on some foods associated with Israel. And while we're at it, I'll throw in some Hanukkah treats as well. Hanukkah started yesterday. For those of you who celebrate, I wish you a joyful Festival of Lights!!

Also got some other news about my NaNo novel, AND a new blog project. Yes, ANOTHER blog!! Am I crazy? Come on, you already know the answer to that ;)

Have a great weekend, Loves!
Cheers

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T09:34:00.004-05:00

I hope your day is filled with family, friends, food and fun.

Take a moment out of the feasting, football watching, and sneaking stuffing while grandma isn't watching to be thankful. Seriously. We all have something to be thankful for.

Do whatever you have to in order to keep the peace this year.

And, just because I have a very macabre sense of humor, I leave you with a link to Lemony Snicket Videos.

Happy Turkey Day!
~Jen

PS: I'm taking a wee break until December 01. Good luck with those NaNo novels! Write on.

Chai Time

2010-11-23T10:07:00.004-05:00

*photo found HERE, which, incidentally, is a fabulous article on chai. Check it out!

I learned today that "chai tea" is redundant. Chai means "tea" in Hindi. Sounds so much more exotic than plain, old "tea", doesn't it?

I am a tea lover. A tea drinker extraordinaire! Chai and I, however, never got along until recently. I wanted to like chai. I drank it hot, cold, in a frappucino, in a smoothie. I tried it with milk and with hot water. I just could NOT like it. Then, as I was preparing to go to India, my friend said, "Oh, and chai is everywhere! You'll love it!" "One problem," I admitted. "I hate chai."

Until I had it.
In India.
Simmered over a gas stove, in milk.

Two words: Yum. O.

I've grown to like chai, but not the American version of the drink. Masala chai, which literally means "spiced tea", has grown on me and I've found even a bagged version that I like. But nothing takes the place of the "real" deal.

True story: I'd planned to post on chai today. I checked my email and one of my weekly emails about tea and coffee had an article link on (you guessed it) chai. Serendipitous I say!

And here it is! Masala Chai 101. It's got so many chai recipes, you'll be swimming by the time you've brewed and tried them all. I sifted through them, however, and found the one that (to me) seems the most authentic. This is the one I plan to try at home (just as soon as I can wrangle me up some cardamom pods).

*This chai recipe was found on About.com's site under the heading "How to Make Masala Chai" by Lindsey Goodwin (their tea and coffee guru).

•2 cups milk
•2 cups water
•4 whole cloves
•2 crushed green cardamom pods
•2 crushed peppercorns
•1 cinnamon stick
•1 grape-sized piece peeled, chopped ginger
•2 tbsp. sugar
•2 tbsp. black tealeaves (preferably Assam)

Combine your milk, water and spices in a medium saucepan.

Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sugar and tealeaves. Stir, and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain into glasses or mugs and serve.

(This recipe makes a bout 4 cups of masala chai.)

For all you celebrating Thanksgiving this week, why not try this as an alternative to the traditional apple cider or coffee after the turkey? Or, if you're like me and decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving, why not have a pot of this simmering while the Christmas carols play and the twinkle lights get untangled. You know, by someone else. YOU have to watch that simmering milk ;)

Cheers!
~Jen

(For those of you not up to simmering milk, or you don't feel you have the time to make the chai via stove top, The Republic of Tea has a wonderful chai concentrate that you can add to warm milk. This was the ONLY chai I liked before I learned to make it the Indian way.)

Chutney

2010-11-22T10:40:00.004-05:00

lovely image of tomato chutney found HERE

I'm quite a few words ahead in my NaNo novel, so I thought I'd let the foodie in me back out to play :)

For some reason (perhaps the fact my mom mentioned cranberry chutney last night), chutneys have been on my mind. Hmm, thought I, chutneys are Indian. Huzzah! An Indian themed post!

Off to Google I go and if I thought for a moment this would be a short and easy topic, I was very, very wrong.

Chutneys are quite diverse and (as you'll see from the links I've added at the bottom of this post) there are more combinations than I thought humanly possible.
The word "chutney" is derived from caṭnī , a term used for spicy preparations that are used as an accompaniment to a main dish. They usually contain ingredients that don't, at first, seem to go together but are surprisingly complementary. Chutneys usually resemble paste and are coarse in texture (though some can be smooth). In India and in the states, I've only had a green one. I don't know what was in it, or what it was called, but I call it "the really, really, REALLY tasty green mush". Most people who have had Indian food perk up and say, "Oh yeah! I love that stuff!" If anyone knows what it's called...or could even suggest what it may be, I'd be grateful. Of course, I could just as the next time I'm at an Indian restaurant and they plop the "good green mush" down in front of me :)

They can be sweet or savory and come in a seemingly endless variety of spice/veg/fruit/herb combinations. The types and preparations of chutneys vary across their native lands of Pakistan and India, though I did discover a traditional "rule" to chutneys. No raisins. Yay! (I don't like raisins). But of course, this rule has been broken and a raisin chutney was created for John Abercorn, 5th Viceroy of Calcutta. Darn viceroys.

You can eat chutney as a snack, a meal, or as an accompaniment to a meal. According to the research I've done, they are still popular in the Carri bean and the American South where they are used with pork and fish. Mmmm, pork...

Here's a good intro to chutneys along with lists of type and regional examples. It's also where I go most of the information in this post :) Thank you, Wikipedia :D

And if you're looking to experiment with chutney in your own kitchen, or you're just wanting another way to shake up the Thanksgiving turkey and madden all the staunch traditionalists, I leave you with THIS, THIS, and THIS. Don't say I didn't warn you. There's a lot of chutney out there!

We're off to see the wizard!

2010-11-18T14:07:00.005-05:00

awesome picture found here

Soooo.

Anyone else as excited as I am to see Deathly Hallows tonight?

Anyone?

Midnight showing, IMAX theatre, DAY OFF WORK TOMORROW! Check, check and triple check [hey, I know how bad those fire whiskey hangovers can be ;)]

Are you guys dressing up or just going undercover as a muggle? Me, I'm debating between wearing my "HUNH?" inducing combination of a Draco t-shirt with my "Dumbledore's Army" jacket or just wearing something muggle-ish and comfy for the 3 hour tour.

Have fun tonight, portkey safely and for heaven's SAKE keep your wands at the ready.

Jen
(Of the House of Slytherin)

NaNo Blabberings

2010-11-16T02:15:00.002-05:00

I've passed the halfway point and I'm still a bit clueless as to how this story is going to pan out. I fly by the seat of my pants when I write and NaNo helps to solidify this as my "go to" way of writing. Of course, this makes for all manner of plot tangles, rabbit trails and random characters popping up and the most inopportune times.

Ever had a character arrive unannounced and uninvited? It happens to me every time I start a story.

For example, this story was cruising along. My main character was looking out her second story window over the eerie Irish landscape when a voice spoke up behind her. We were both shocked. She was in the house alone. Her uncle was outside in his wood shop, working on a shelf unit for the village pub. My main character and I looked at one another and then looked behind. There was a young girl standing there, smiling, blinking at us as if we were the ones in the wrong place. I looked at my main character and sighed.

"Not again."

My MC looks to me for advice.

"Go with it," I tell her. "See what she has to say."

And lo and behold, this little girl is going to be the turning point of this story.

Oh, and did I mention this "story" has turned into something longer? Yes, dear friends, it seems I may have TWO books on my hands instead of just one. Surprised?
Don't be. If I were to sit down and write and honest to goodness one shot, I might faint.

Or dance around and cheer, scaring the cat and the neighbors. The neighbors I wouldn't mind, especially the one whose second hand smoke makes my lungs feel like they're going to collapse.

But I digress.

Tell me: do your characters randomly appear, seeking employment, auditioning for roles you didn't even know were there to audition for? Or are you one of the lucky ones who outlines and casts and has characters who only arrive when asked?

Just curious.

Ah, the ramblings of a mind that won't sleep. Did I mention I'm writing this at 2:30 am?

Naan Success!

2010-11-12T11:53:00.002-05:00

The Naan turned out fabulously! I do, however, have a few tweaks which (to me) made it better.

You do not need four and a half cups of flour! Dear Lord! There's a reason in the actual directions it says "add enough flour to make a soft dough". I started with one cup, stirred, another cup, stirred, and after the third cup was stirred in, I started kneading and added half of the fourth cup with my hands until the consistency was good. Use your own judgement in this.

Also, two TEASPOONS of garlic? For real? Come on. You couldn't even kill Edward with that amount. I added at least two TABLESPOONS and could have added more. Of course, you be the judge of the garlic in your own naan. Leave it as written if you don't like garlic. Or really love Edward.

The making of the naan turned into an entire Indian themed dinner. I even wore my punjabi pants (although I didn't think about it until I was in the kitchen and realized I'd put them on unintentionally). Dear Jon made dal makhani (black lentils to us non-hindi speaking folk) and chicken curry.

YUM.

And because I know you will all be clamoring for the recipes, here it is:

Buy a can of Jyoti brand Dal Makhani and a jar of curry and follow the instructions on the label.

Lame. I know.

But trust me when I say your kitchen will smell like India for days! And that's a very good thing indeed :)

Oh, one word of caution. We grilled the naan inside because we don't have a grill and it was rather cold. We have a cast iron stove top grill. The butter drips on the grill and causes clouds of smoke to fill up your kitchen and 20 foot high ceilings. Open the windows, turn on the fans, bundle up, and be prepared to tell the neighbors "It's alright! I'm a professional!"

Cheers!
Jen

Updates and Garlic

2010-11-11T09:57:00.005-05:00

NaNo is going pretty darn well. I've got over 24,000 words (hence the absence from the blog)!! According to the NaNo "official" novel stats, I should finish by November 21 at this rate. My official stats say I'm taking a day off! My arm is killing me!

I found a fabulous recipe for garlic naan which I'm going to try tonight. It's really simple and sounds exactly like what I had while in Delhi. The only differences I can tell from the recipe alone are the size of the naan and the amount of garlic and butter in the finished product. Talk about greasy! But oh so good...

(The original recipe -and the above picture- can be found at Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
1.In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

2.Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3.During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

4.At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out! I'll be firing up the grill tonight (well, the cast iron stove top grill at any rate). Maybe I'll even whip up some type of curry dipping sauce to go with it.

How are you other NaNo-er's doing? Any of you reached the 50,000 mark yet? Is your story taking shape? Mine has definitely taken some bizarre twists and turns from my original idea but I'm happy with it. I think with some (read a LOT) of editing, I might have something here.

Cheers!
Jen

Candy Shop of Horrors

2010-11-09T10:24:00.004-05:00

Hey guys!

I know, I've been AWOL for far too long. I blame stress. Sounds good, eh?

NaNo progress is up, up, UP! I topped my count at just over 11,000 words on Saturday and I've got another chapter to upload tonight. I'm hoping to get at least one more chapter done by this evening. We shall see.

I wanted to post a bit about something I saw last night. A film, to be exact, only it wasn't a "hey let's all go to the movies" type of film.

"The Candy Shop" is a thirty minute film from director Brandon McCormick and Whitestone Motion Pictures. It stars Doug Jones of Pan's Labyrinth and Hell Boy fame. It is a film made to help raise awareness of and initiate a movement to stop child sex trafficking.

Frightening statistic: Atlanta, GA (my 'hometown') is one of the TOP cities in the NATION for sex trafficking. Sadly, most people are completely unaware that this is going on practically in their backyards.

I was first introduced to this horrific "business" about four years ago. A friend mentioned that she was working with a non-profit to raise awareness of child sex trafficking. I had no idea there was an actual name to this nor did I know that it was happening in Atlanta. I guess no one thinks horrible things like this happens in their hometown.

Several years later, at a photographer event with my husband, a pair of photographers spoke on the atrocities of human trafficking.

It was not until I was in India and met a 13 year old girl that it really hit me how sickening trafficking really is.

Pinkie is a sweet heart. I didn't get to really know her while I was there because she was the oldest girl in the orphanage and was at school most of while I was with the other, younger children. Happy, healthy, and in school. That's how all 13 year olds should be, right?

Had Pinkie NOT been in the orphanage, she would most likely have been either sold into sex trafficking OR (and this really floored me) MARRIED to a man AT LEAST 50 years old!?!?!?!?!

Married.

At 13.

To some perv old enough to be her grandfather.

Shocked?

It happens every day.

Every. Single. Day.

And it's not just in India, or Bangladesh, or any number of easily brushed aside third world statistic. It's in Atlanta. Portland. New York. My hometown and possibly yours.

Check out the trailer for the film The Candy Shop. Got to the Stop The Candy Shop website to learn more. Right now, the film has only been released in Atlanta but will be submitted to several national film festivals in the coming year.

It's not often I get on my soapbox here. But I couldn't let this topic pass by without some vocalization.

If you have a child, know a child, know someone who does, or simply have a soul, WATCH THIS TRAILER, learn about child sex trafficking and what you can do to stop it.

Yes, YOU.

NaNo-Day Three (and other such musings)

2010-11-03T08:50:00.005-04:00

First off (before I forget again), a big "hello, how are you" to my new followers. I see you over there. Thank you so much! I'll pay you a visit as soon as possible :)

Day three of this literary madness and I've got 5,000+ under my belt. Woohoo! Are they all genius? Not hardly, but they're words and words can be edited, words can be strengthened, tightened, filed down and built upon.

Needless to say, I'm excited.

So...butter tea. Yeah. I tried it. Around midnight Monday night. I boiled 6 cups of water, threw in one of those Lipton tea bags, let it boil for about 3 minutes. Then I dumped it in a large container, added 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 cup of milk. And we whisked vigorously. The instructions say to shake vigorously or put in a blender. Our blender (quite honestly) sucks so bad I don't trust it to blend tea so that was a pass. The shaking was much more amusing. You know those Tupperware pitchers with the lids that stay on due to suction? You push the button on the top, press the lid into the container and *poof* it stays. Like magic. Wrong. Not with boiling water. The steam creates pressure and soon as you start shaking, the top blows off! We didn't lose any limbs, but it was rather amusing.

It looks and smells and tastes like the liquid residue left over from oatmeal made with too much water. Complete with the butter and salt. The tea somehow disappears in all that shaking. It's rather...well...as I said yesterday, it's not as bad as salted laasi (is anything worse than that?) but it's bad.

Now that I've had it, however, just let 'em try and get a laugh out of this American when they offer me an "innocent" cup of butter tea on my first visit to Tibet. I'll already know what to expect. Who knows. It might be better with yak butter and milk. Or it could be a lot, lot worse!

We're moving into India now, a country I spent two weeks in, two years ago. A fascinating conundrum of a country, one that you can't wait to leave but long for and wonder when you'll get to go back. The sights, the sounds, the smells are NOTHING a Westerner can prepare for. The closest I've come is the Dekalb International Farmer's Market here just outside of Atlanta and it doesn't even hold a candle to the chaos and baffling wonder that is India.

When I think of India, I think of the color brown. I was in Delhi (not where tourists go) and everything was brown: the ground, the cars, the buildings, the sky. Even the sky. Especially the sky. The people. Oh, the gorgeous, gorgeous people. Their skin varying shades of caramel and coffee. The women, all stunning, riding side saddle on tiny dirt bikes, pink, orange and blue saris decorating them, making them stand out like fragile Christmas ornaments on an already dead tree.

The children. I could have adopted every one of them! I spent two weeks sitting in an orphanage, watching, enjoying, interacting with over 30 children, ranging in ages one to thirteen. Let's just say if my suitcase had been a little bit bigger I'd have two daughters.

The food. Oh my gosh the food. Smells like you've never experienced. Tastes that baffle your tongue (and stomach) and make you beg for more. Curry in everything (even the Kentucky Fried Chicken...no joke!). Chicken briyani that comes in a bag no bigger than the foil bags of a Chick-fil-A sandwich yet when you dump it out, it could feed an army (or one, fifteen year old Indian boy). Salted laasi (that must be experienced to be believed) and pickled water buffalo (yum. Water buffalo).

By far the most bizarre thing I had over there was this strange, curdled milk, rice and red onion dish. It tasted interesting. I have no idea how to explain it except to imagine curdled milk with rice and red onions. Or better yet, don't. They eat it to settle their stomachs during the heat of summer (I was there in May). Note: it does NOT settle a western stomach. Not at all. Not hardly. But it does give you a fabulous excuse to eat nothing but french fries for the next two days.

This post turned out to be a long one. I won't bother you further. Just know that I have a connection with this next, virtual location. My goal for this trip is to make naan. Garlic naan. The one recipe that sounds authentic says it takes two days to make. I'll do some more research. Oh how I miss that greasy, garlicky goodness.

I Has an Award!

2010-11-02T11:34:00.003-04:00

Quinn over at Seeing, Dreaming...Writing gave me this awesome little bloggy award. H says that he has secretly coveted this one for a long time. Guess what? So have I :) and I can't tell you why, just that I'm happy to say it's found a home with me.

I gots to list seven things about myself and then pass it along. Here goes...

1) The only times I've "crossed the pond" while traveling was to go to countries that begin with the letter "I": Ireland and India. I have a sneaky suspicion that I'll be found next haunting Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

2) I have a strange and overwhelming addiction to tales of the odd and otherworldly. For real. Even though they scare the socks off me, I keep reading them, keep watching them (Hello old X-Files episodes. How lovely to see you on Netflix :))

3) I secretly want to be an opera singer. For reals. Josh Groban...call me ;)

4) I have reoccurring fantasies that I somehow get enlisted by a secret society to investigate strange cases ordinary law enforcement can't solve. This is most likely encouraged by the aforementioned X-Files and an obsession with Sherlock Holmes.

5) During the past week, I have dreamt about or had someone reference in a conversation Scooby Doo. Those meddlin' kids and their stupid dog!

6) I'm an old soul. I don't "fit" in modern society. I'd much rather wear tweed than skinny jeans and have an obsession with Victorian England.

7) Butter tea is awful. Not as repulsive as salted laasi, but close. Imagine cooking oatmeal, salting and buttering it until the butter pools around the edges of the mush in the bowl. Strain it. Now drink it. I can officially say I DO NOT like butter tea. (More on this later...)

Now I get to pass it along. Hmmm, to whom shall I pass it? You know what? I know this might seem kind of lame, but I've seen it done and I like it. Besides...there's too many awesome blogs out there. So, here's the scoop: if you, like me, have always wanted the Versatile Blogger award, have at it. It's yours. With love and sincerity. Seriously. Not a cop out. Every blog I read, every blogger that stops by here is versatile. Seriously. How many of you blog in spite of life, family, jobs, obligations, craziness, alien abductions, land slides, zombie apocalypses (apocalypsi?) All of you face reasons (and darn good ones, too) NOT to blog. But you do it anyway. Faithfully. More faithfully that I do, that's for certain. So go on, you've earned it. Every. Last. One of you.

And go by and say hi to Quinn. His blog is a wonderful breath of fresh air :)

Cheers,
Jen

aaaaand WE'RE OFF!

2010-11-01T10:47:00.003-04:00

Aspiring novelists the world over are beginning their journey to writerdom over the next 30 days. Yes, kids, NaNoWriMo started TODAY! Technically, it started at midnight, but I wasn't about to start typing then. I had to get to work, but I'll be putting in the hours at random intervals during the next month. There's still time to sign up if you're interested: NaNoWriMo.org

Expect updates on my own NaNo experience, more writing related posts, and a rant or three!

We're also off to India this month. Apparently, the extreme altitude and climate of Tibet and Nepal didn't sit well with me (read: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome flare ups) but not to worry! I'm feeling better and I'm determined to take us through India. Even if I have to crawl.

However, I did want to share a few links that I discovered about those marvelous little Himalayan countries that we only touched on. I found several very informative sites while researching. Nepal in particular holds a special interest for me and I'm a bit bummed I wasn't able to pursue it's cuisine. These links will allow you to do so in your own time (and I'll be visiting them as time, health and budget allows).

Enjoy!

TIBET
Simply Tibetan
Yowangdu.com
The Infamous Butter Tea Recipe

NEPAL
Food-Nepal
SAARC Tourism
Nepal Home Page (Recipes)

BHUTAN
Asian Recipes (Bhutan) **Beware the annoying pop-ups!
Washington Post coverage of the Smithsonian Folk Festival of 2008 which featured Bhutanese Cuisine
A Brief Intro to Bhutanese Cuisine

Stay tuned for NaNo Madness, India (which is definitely madness) and that blasted butter tea which keeps mischeviously avoiding me. What I need is an accountability partner. How about....YOU! I will go home this afternoon and make butter tea to the best of my American supermarket ability. What do you say? Are you still curious> Have I driven this one so far into the ground you're thinking, "Gosh shut UP about the butter tea already!!"?

Can you tell it's Monday?

Tips to Avoid a Novel Distaster

2010-10-28T16:22:00.003-04:00

Unless of course, disaster is your thing. In that case, you can stop reading.

As many of you know, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month) is soon to be upon us. There will be thousands of otherwise sane (*snicker*) bloggers writing their fingers to a pulp during the month of November. While there will be no time for editing during this process, the finished result will, most likely (read: DEFINITELY) require some revision.

We writer's read all sorts of sage advice: read great books, write daily, lather, rinse, repeat. And while this is all excellent and most needed (especially the rinse part), we're kind of tired of the monotony of it.

Well, I stumbled upon something rather...wait for it...NOVEL!

Yes, that was necessary.

Ahem

About.com has this marvelous little ditty written by author Kris Saknussemm called "Five Tips to Avoid Total Disaster as a Novelist". While they may be obvious at their core, the delivery is most refreshing. I especially enjoyed #5:

Unless you are willing to face the unreasonable in yourself -- unless you are willing to entertain some strange notions (and deal with them when they stick around) -- unless you are willing to get lost, confused and even terrified -- then what you’re doing won’t have any meaning.

Wander on over. It'll only take a minute. You might even learn something. I know I did :)

Happy Wanderings,
Jen

New Website Worth the Wandering

2010-10-27T12:10:00.004-04:00

Ok, how many of you spend more time at work daydreaming than actually working? You know who you are! And I'm not talking about those Great American Novel day dreams either.

I have a confession. It's not so secret. If you've ever spent more than five minutes in conversation with me you'd know I LOVE to travel. That I would love to travel 300 days out of the year. Seriously. No joke.

In the course of this daydreaming (between the howling phones and droning space heater) I found a most marvelous diversion:

Briefcase to Backpack

It's a neat little place that tells the stories of REAL people taking time off to REALLY travel. How did I find them? Heck if I remember, but the site which directed me there talked about the sad fact that Americans don't travel or have the luxury of regular holidays or the opportunity for career breaks and sabbaticals .Sure , we can quit our jobs, but there's no security that we'll have it when we get back. Or the simple fact we aren't given vacation time (or enough of a pay check to put aside for vacation).

Things are different in different places. This I know to be true. But how much healthier and happier of a people would we be if our society endorsed breaks, vacation, time off in general?

Until that time, here's a nice little website to help with your wanderlust. It might also encourage you to make some daring travel plans of your own!!

Happy wandering,
Jen

NaNo Panic in the Air

2010-10-26T10:46:00.003-04:00

Just a quick writing related, non-yak butter tea related post :) I'm feeling a bit better, but now my tendinitis has decided it wants to make it virtually impossible to use my right arm. Nice! Thank God I'm (somewhat) ambidextrous. It certainly makes typing a bit of a challenge!

And just in time for NaNo too. Yippee.

No, my NaNo work won't be about food (though the probability of butter tea or deep fried spiders ending up in a future work is quite high). I'm letting my dark side out to play with some supernatural fiction. Definitely looking forward to that.

Any more NaNos out there? Seek me out and buddy me if you are so inclined :) I'm hiding out over there as JChandler :)

Why do we do this every year? Because what better way to get a novel written than the constant time crunch pressure of thirty days and knowing that 1,000s of other writers are watching?

Madness, plain and simple.

All in All...

2010-10-21T10:05:00.002-04:00

...I'm doing okay. I haven't been able to do any cooking, due to health and time restraints. Thankfully, my fabulous husband has been doing all the cooking. Tibetan, however, has not been on the menu. Seems I just can't get him to cook up any yak burgers or butter tea. Ah well.

That being said, I'm hoping to be back to posting next week. The plan was to trek through Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan during October. Alas, that isn't going to happen. However (and this is a BIG however), there is the possibility that I can do some summarizing of the three countries cuisines next week. Seeing as it's the last week in October, it's my last big hurrah to get to India by November. And I KNOW we can cook up some Indian food (because even if I'm still down and out, my husband cooks some MEAN chicken curry!).

I just wanted to post a quick update so you'll know where this little blog stands. I miss it, I miss you guys. I'm trying to research a new book idea that I'm tackling for NaNo next month at work and that, combined with work obligations, compounded by CFS/Adrenal Stress Disorder, isn't lending me much time for the more enjoyable pursuits of blog browsing :)

But I am working on a new manuscript.
And I AM going to continue this long trek across the continents.

Perhaps I bite off more than I can chew, but the truth of the matter is, I'm not happy if I don't have several burners lit at once. I just can't function as a productive member of creative society sitting at a desk all day, staring into cyberspace oblivion whilst deleting 500 names from a database, listening to people tell me I should tell those they wish to speak to to get off the other line and talk to them instead because they're just as important. That last part is true. Word for word. CA-RAZY.

So, in case your wondering, the blog project, the new manuscript, the health and work issues aren't all that's brewing in the aether. It's become a balancing act, however, and the things that just aren't as important are winning the battle.

But they won't win this war.

Take care, dear bloggers. We shall meet again soon.

Quick post

2010-10-18T12:03:00.003-04:00

Hello dear readers!

I know I haven't been very active in blog-ville lately. I've been under the weather since last Wednesday. Do forgive the absence both here and in reading/commenting on your blogs. I miss your delightful posts!

Hopefully I'll be up and running at full capacity in a day or two!

Cheers!
Jen

It's a Conspiracy I Tell Ya!

2010-10-14T10:54:00.005-04:00

(photo found here)

They're everywhere! They found me in China, hounded my steps, haunted my dreams. I thought I'd left them behind but noooo-they're in Tibet too!

What on earth am I blabbering about?

Dumplings.

No joke. They're here.

Ok, so they aren't called dumplings. They have a better name. A name that kind of makes me snort when I say it. In Tibet, the little meat or veg stuffed dough balls are called...

momos

Yep. Momos. I love it. And I'm going to make some. Soon.

There's more recipes out there for Tibetan food than I thought! Momos, noodle and potato soup, fried bread, sauces, desserts.

Oh. And guess what else I found?

A recipe for butter tea.

(photo found here)

I doubt it will be made with yak butter (there's a shortage of yak this time of year in Georgia) but I'll make due with what I have. I'll let you know how it tastes. If it went down or if it gets sprayed all over the kitchen.

There's a noodle soup called Then Thuck that is made with hand pulled noodles. Sounds fun (and perhaps video worthy?).

I hope your week is going well, dear reader. Mine's been a bit...eh...well...we'll leave it at that. I promise I won't spend weeks making dumplings. I mean momos :). Just one post. Then I'm on to other dishes.

You know.

Like butter tea.

*grin*

(photo found here)

My Heart and My Hands

2010-10-11T08:59:00.006-04:00

My heart and my mind have been here, friends. They have. I think about travel (the real and the virtual kind) and food (always the real kind ;)); they permeate my dreams. I'm always wondering what marvelous culinary concoction I'll discover next. Something I can share here. Something I can cook at home. My hands, however, have been entering quick text for program codes since Tuesday of last week. Hence the unplanned absence. If the posts seem a bit erratic (or rather, more erratic than usual), you now know why.

I'm trying not to get frustrated. You know how it is: you have all these plans, these ideas and they sit...right...there...just out of reach.

I had a couple of free minutes this morning, before the madness, so I'm going to eek out some tasty Tibetan tidbits :).

The main thing I'm discovering about Tibetan food is that it's spicy. As in HOT. They like their food on fire! Which is just fine with me. As long as it has flavor, I can handle the heat (well, that's almost true. There was this one time my husband doubled the curry in an Indian dish...).

Tibetan food has been influenced in some ways by it's neighbors, India and China, but it makes use of many ingredients that are indigenous to the Himalayan Mountains. Their cuisine is similar to that of Nepal (which we'll visit next). Barley seems to be a staple in Tibetan food and there are very few vegetables. Kind of hard to grow veg at 16,000 feet! The barley is made into a dough called tsampa and it is usually rolled into noodles or made into dumplings called momos. Yak, goat and mutton are commonly used in meat dishes. Meat is either dried (out in the elements where the extreme cold kills any bacteria) or stewed with with spices and potatoes. Mustard seed is grown in the country and is featured heavily in their cuisine. Also, yak butter, yogurt and cheese are eaten regularly. There is usually some dairy served at every meal.

So far, the most interesting item I've found is salted butter tea. From what I understand, black tea is boiled and then churned with yak butter and salt. They also make a sweet tea with black tea, fresh milk and sugar. I get the feeling the salted butter tea is faintly reminiscent of a cup of lassi I had in India*. If it is, my stomach is already turning somersaults. Still, it sounds interesting... now if I can just get my hands on some yak butter.

That's about all I have time for today! Not too shabby, huh? I'm off to clatter in some more code. Yay. Have a fabulous Monday and hopefully we'll soon be cooking up some Tibetan dishes and yak butter tea. Mmmmm...

Jen

*a side note about lassi. I have found multitudes of recipes for sweet mango lassi and I've heard countless testimonies of how yummy and refreshingly sweet lassi is. That's wonderful. I'm sure it is. However, I had salted lassi OR a similar drink called chaas. It is NOT sweet. It looked like homemade lemonade (cloudy, rather yellow, with stuff floating in it). It did not, however, taste like homemade lemonade. It tasted like a cup of the Atlantic mixed with soured milk.

Into the Wild

2010-10-06T09:29:00.008-04:00

(photo found HERE)

It took a bit longer to traverse the mountain ranges from China to Tibet (read: work got crazy and I was rather burnt out the past few days), and for that I apologize.

Tibet has always held this mystical power over me. These next three countries, in fact, have carried my imagination since I was a child. “The Land of the Thunderdragon”, Kathmandu, Shangri-la. They exist, in reality; all I need is a plane ticket and about a year and a half to explore them.
Or I could just blog about them, and their food. I’d rather board the next flight out, but let’s face it: the Internet is free and plane tickets into Kathmandu are not. At least, not that I know of. If any of you have any tips on free airfare to the Himalayas, I’m listening!

(map found HERE)

We’ll start in Tibet. It butts up against China and will act as a doorway between destinations. Tibet is roughly the size of Western Europe and is currently occupied by the People’s Republic of China. Tibet’s history is a turbulent one and the people there still suffer under an oppressive government. If you’re interested in learning more about Tibet in general or the fight for basic human rights for the Tibetan people, check out freetibet.org.

I had the honor of meeting several monks from Tibet years ago while in college. Our cultural department brought in a group of Tibetan monks who performed haunting music, several traditional Tibetan dances and told stories in their native tongue. The Telfair Art Museum in Savannah hosted a mandala event and I was fortunate enough to be studying Art History at the time and was required to take a peek at the creation of the mandala. Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle and is used in Hindu and Buddhist traditions as a means of spiritual teaching, prayer, and meditation. Wikipedia has an excellent entry on mandalas.

(photo found HERE)

The one I saw being created was at least twelve feet across and was “painted” using colored sand. The monks prayed and chanted as they created it, asking for peace on earth. I got to chat with some young monks who were gracious and very joyful, eager to answer my questions about their home and their religion. Sadly, all of these monks were in exile from their home in Lhasa, living at the time in northern India.

When the mandala was completed, a blessing was said over it and the public was invited to walk with the monks several blocks from the museum to the Savannah River for a blessing ceremony. A friend of mine joined me and we watched as the monks chanted and prayed over Savannah while dumping the sand from the beautiful mandala into the river, praying for peace over our city and for the entire world. It was a very moving experience and I’m very thankful I got to participate in such an interesting cultural event.

(photo found HERE)

Since Chinese occupation, the Tibetan religious community has lived in exile in northern India and in Nepal. Their culture, traditions and language are under constant threat of extinction. I was a bit anxious as to whether or not I’d be able to find anything on Tibetan food but LO! The Internet doth prove itself once more.

There’s not a lot (and I honestly don’t know how much of it I’ll be able to reproduce at home), but I do want to share with you what I’ve found.

(photo found HERE)

Tibet is a fascinating country with beautiful traditions that sadly carry the burden of persecution. I hope you’ll join me as I wander the virtual Tibetan realm. I’m really looking forward to this part of our adventure.

(photo found HERE)

Two Reasons (a choose your own excuses story)

2010-10-04T16:23:00.003-04:00

I'm not posting today (well, not a REAL post).

Reason #1: I'm overwhelmed, stressed, and my eyes are starting to melt...I've been staring at this computer at work for far too long.

Reason #2: My trek from China into Tibet is taking longer than anticipated. Our Sherpa vanished, a tribe of yeti have been stalking us and an avalanche has cut off our only way back to safety. We must press on, hopefully making it into Tibet and the safety of Lhasa before the sun sets.

Now excuse me while I go tend to the campfire :)
~Jen

Leaving China

2010-09-30T10:26:00.003-04:00

(Image found HERE)

September has come to an end and that means we must bid farewell to China. I don't know about you, but I learned a lot about Chinese food that I didn't know before. I honestly had no idea they had traditional bread recipes. That sounds ignorant, but do YOU ever get baskets of hot coconut buns at Chinese restaurants prior to your Egg Fu Yung? If you do, call me! I want to eat where YOU eat :)

China was my test run for this new blog adventure and I think it went off quite nicely. There was so much I learned that I wasn't able to share (time constraints, you know) but it's info that I'll take with me and hopefully be able to explore in depth at a later date.

For starters, I'm drinking more green tea. Practically every day! It's good for you, you should try it. Tazo makes a really refreshing one with lemongrass and spearmint, aptly named "Zen". I've met many people who don't care for green tea and I think I may know why. They steep it too long. Black teas and herbal teas, which we as a culture drink more of than green and white, can be steeped up to five minutes without getting that pungent, bitter taste that many green tea haters lament. Green tea, however, needs to be steeped for no longer than three minutes in water that JUST CAME TO A BOIL. That's the other secret. Don't use water that's been boiling in the kettle for a minute and a half. It goes against all convention, but watch that pot. When you start to hear the water simmering, pay close attention to the spigot. When steam starts to come out, turn the heat off and pour the water over the green tea. Set your time for two and a half minutes and voila! Green tea without the burnt bitterness.

I also discovered that I'm in love with wontons and could eat them every day. Seriously. Yum. In fact, the more I think about it, I wonder if I could fill them with cheese. You know, like ravioli. Ravioli soup. China meets Italy. Could there be any greater culinary delight? Yes, I'm well aware that I'm a bit strange.

China has SO MUCH to offer, not just in food, but in culture and art. I'd have to spend a year (or more) reseraching and exploring these places in order to communicate all my interests and fascinations. If you have the time and the inclination, do a little Google searching on your own. I think you'll be amazed at what you find! And feel free to drop me an email with your discoveries. I'd love to hear about them.

So what's next for our virtual trek? October will find me gallivanting across the Himalayas in search culinary delights and random facts from Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. I'm not at all ashamed to say that I harbor a deep seated desire to visit these three, mysterious countries. Kathmandu calls to me. Yak butter tea intrigues me. The idea of a country who's sole concern is Gross National Happiness as opposed to Gross Nation Profit sings with promises of Shangrila.

Until next week, dear Vagabloggers, I bid you adieu. Or, as they would say in China,
yī lù shùn fēng and mànmàn chī!
(bon voyage and bon appetit)

Jen

There will be BUNS

2010-09-28T11:56:00.008-04:00

Yes my friends, there will be. Just as soon as I post this teensy update!
The blogfest was a SMASH hit!! I've met so many fabulously talented bloggers/writers already and I still have over half the list of participants to go! It may take me the rest of the week, but I'll make it by. I shall! And I'll bring coconut :)

(The blogfest is officially over, but you can still read all the posts! Get in on the hooplah HERE.)

Now then, coconut buns. Or, more professionally, Cocktail Buns (pay no attention to the photo in the upper left hand corner of the original recipe site. Mine look nothing like that. Mine are more compact and portable! Pocket-sized, for your convenience.)

First off, you need to make your dough which is super easy and gives plenty of time for other pursuits as it rises. Like house cleaning, novel reading, a rousing game of mahjong.... (original recipe HERE)

You'll need:

•1/3 cup very warm water
•1 teaspoon granulated sugar
•2 teaspoons active dry yeast
•1/3 cup granulated sugar
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•3 tablespoons cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)
•1/4 cup boiling water
•1 large egg, fork-beaten
•Approximately 2 1/4 cups white bread flour

Stir warm water and first amount of sugar in small dish until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over top and let it stand for ten minutes. Stir to help the yeast dissolve.

Stir the second amount of sugar, salt and cooking oil in large bowl. Add your boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the egg and the yeast mixture.

Slowly work in enough flour until soft dough forms. I worked my flour in a half cup at a time and ended up adding the remaining 1/4 as I was kneading.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. The original instructions say to knead for 10 minutes but mine was ready in about 5. You want it to be smooth and elastic but don't over work it. Place the dough in large greased bowl, turning once to grease top.

Cover with greased waxed paper and tea towel. Let stand in oven with light on and door closed for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in bulk. (I'm not sure of the significance of the turned on oven light but at least you'll know the dough won't have to sit in the dark. Alone.) Punch the dough down, re-cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

(as you can see, I took the suggestion of a tea towel quite literally)

While the dough is resting, it's time to make the coconut filling (and preheat that oven to 350 degrees!):

•1 1/3 cups coconut flakes
•1 tablespoon granulated sugar
•2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
•1 large egg yolk

And the lovely egg and honey washes for the finished buns:

•Egg Wash:

•1 large egg
•1 tablespoon water
•Honey Wash:

•1 tablespoon honey
•1 tablespoon water

Process coconut and sugar in blender or food processor until very fine. Dump into a small bowl.

Stir in the melted butter (or margarine) and the egg yolk until it's got a paste-like consistency. I ended up using my hands for this. The recipe said it makes 2/3 cup of filling but I ended up with more. This isn't a bad thing :). The original recipe also only calls for half of the dough recipe. THIS I did not read prior to making. So, instead of 6 cocktail buns, I made 11. See. I told you having more than 2/3 cup of filling wasn't a bad thing :) I stretched it to fill almost a dozen and could have made another had I not made two of them rather plump!

Divide the dough into 11/12 portions. Press and stretch each portion into 5 X 3 inch oblong shape. It will try to shrink on you. Squish it good. Place about 1 tablespoon filling lengthwise along the center of each piece. Bring long sides up and over filling, pinching all edges together to seal.

Place, seam-side down, on greased baking sheet. Cover with greased waxed paper and a tea towel. Let stand in oven (again, with the light on and door closed) for about 1 hour until doubled in size. Make sure you grease that waxed paper! This dough is really sticky.

For the egg wash, beat the egg and water together with a fork. Brush over the buns.

Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

For the honey wash, combine honey and hot water. Brush over warm buns. Serve warm.

Verdict:
My husband said, and I quote "These are the best rolls I've had in a very long time."

Happy baking!

Banned Books Week

2010-09-27T09:12:00.003-04:00

It actually started Saturday, but my Internet at home has been down. It seems the gods of the aether are angry. Ah well.

I know this is NOT going to a popular subject with some folks. And that's fine. Everyone has a right to their own convictions. In fact, I encourage discussion on this topic by those who agree and those who disagree with me. We are all free to our own opinions and have the right to speak out. Popular, unpopular. "Acceptable", "Un- acceptable". That is, after all, what this is all about.

Banned Books. Hmmmm, such a bizarre notion. Seriously. Why ban a book? Because some people decide that they should decide what we should or should not read.

I have a big, BIG problem with that.

There are those who would stand up to me, tell me that it's for the best, for the children that books are banned. Is it? Would you really want to raise your children in a world where someone (not YOU, the PARENT) tells them what they can and cannot read? Do you really want someone else dictating what's ok to put into your child's mind?

I don't.

Yes, there are books out there with some heavy material. There are books out there children are too sensitive to read, or, quite frankly, shouldn't read. BUT...

NO ONE has the right to tell me, my child, my family, my nieces, my nephews, my friends WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE. That is a decision based on free will and the parents of said children.

Why do I feel so strongly about this? Not just because I'm a writer. Not just because I believe in free speech for all, but because

THE MINUTE YOU ALLOW SOMEONE THE POWER TO DECIDE WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT READ, YOU GIVE THEM THE POWER TO TAKE AWAY OTHER FREEDOMS. Freedoms such as what we can and cannot write, watch, wear, think, say, do. Be.

Are you really willing to go that route?

If you really want to do something for the sake of the children, teach them. Read to them. Talk to them. Let them explore and find their wings. Be there to guide them, to hold them, to protect them from the monsters when things get out of hand. But if they're never allowed to face the monsters, how will they grow? How will they realize they really are strong.

And if you would take away their strength, their means to communicate, by taking away their books, you are taking away their choice, their thoughts, their dreams.

That's not protection. That's control.

You also might be taking someones ability to open up about something that happened to them, that they can relate to. Something horrible that they need healing from. Something that may never before have been able to be talked about until they read it. In a book.

Yes. Books are THAT powerful. Perhaps that's why some people want them banned. It's an interesting fact that during a revolution, some of the first people to be imprisoned or killed are writers and artists.

I'm willing to fight for books of all shapes and sizes. If I don't, it may be mine story that's banned one day.

And I will not let them silence me.

Thoughts?

Read more on this:
American Library Association
Mad Woman in the Forest
Operation Awesome
Through My Eyes
Ten Surprisingly Banned Books
Amnesty International
Celebrate Your Freedom to Read
American Booksellers Foundations for Freedom of Expression

Writing Compelling Characters

2010-09-24T13:11:00.002-04:00

It's bonus day here at Culinary Vagabonding! You get two (TWO) posts for the price of one!

This post, however, is writing oriented whereas the first one is just plain weird food oriented. If you missed it (and are vaguely interested, HERE you go).

I am a writer, first and foremost. This blog has been through so many different changes and the culinary vaga-blogging is my way of taking a respite from the YA trilogy that is sitting on my desk. Glaring at me. Boring holes into my soul.

The Ever Fabulous Elana asked for writers willing to blog about a topic of her choosing. Being the adoring fans, we followed blindly and over 150 of us are blogging about characters today. How cool is that? I love being a minion ;)

Characters are the meat of any story. They are the reasons you pick up the book, the reasons you keep reading. Characters can be ordinary humans, supernatural beings, a Sasquatch with a penchant for poetry. A character can even be a setting. I, however, am not Ernest Hemingway so I shall refrain from attempting that form of characterization.

For me, the most compelling characters are those that make me angry. Love them, hate them, if they don't do something that elicits a "what the FLEEP are you DOING!!!!" loud enough to startle my cat and six neighbors, they're just 'eh' in my book. I've thrown books across rooms because of characters (that one's for you, Samwise Gamgee). I've cried, yelled, slammed doors. Even sworn never to read another book by that author again because of what they did (or didn't do).

One of my favorite created characters has a moment where he goes all jerk on the main character, even though he knows better. To put it bluntly he has a major pity-party-melt-down. And I love him for it.

I've heard it before (in fact, read it in some of the other posts on this theme), that flaws make the character. It makes them believable, yes, but it also makes them relateable.

Because we all have flaws. We all have those little annoying things that grate on everyone's nerves, including our own. I write my flaws into my characters and not just my bad guys. Nasty flaws like short tempers and whining (not that I ever whine...). I find those are the characters I love the most. The ones that show me my own shortcomings in a believable light and, lo and behold, come out all right in the end.

One of my favorite characters is Meg Murray in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. She has horrible self esteem, pretty much hates herself, thinks she's ugly, is clumsy, has a nasty temper and tends to point fingers at everyone but herself. And you know what? When I first read her I saw myself. A confused, scared teenager who just wanted to be seen for who she was, with dreams bigger than the confines of her high school and the peer pressures put forth by her friends. To this day, when I'm feeling particularly lonely, I go to Meg and remember that things turned out ok for her.

I'm pretty sure they will for me too.

(Make sure you follow the link above to Elana's place to click on the links of everyone participating. It'll keep you reading all weekend!)

Mental Filter Busted

2010-09-24T11:55:00.007-04:00

Proceed with extreme caution. Author has not had much sleep or chocolate in the past 14 days. Her appropriate blog material filter is busted.

You know, the filter that tells you "don't post that! it's disgusting/irresponsible/not suitable for children under the age of 115". Yeah...that one.

On the agenda for the weekend: Coconut dinner buns!!
So, I haven't made any of the delicious bread I posted Tuesday. I've thought about it (though not dreamed about it) and have decided that this weekend I shall bake me some buns! (why does that make me giggle?)

As I was pondering some bun baking last night, I realized that next week is our last week in China! Honestly, I've not done as much as I'd wanted to with the first month of this blog, but I consider the first month of anything a learning phase. I know what works, what doesn't, what I'm going to have time to do, and what is simply me wishing I was Wonder Woman. The upside, however, is that I've learned a lot about Chinese food, found a library of links on China and Chinese culture (for further perusal on a rainy day) AND I've eaten more fried rice in the past four weeks than in the past four YEARS!

Thank you all for putting up with my erratic posts and even stranger personality :)

Seeing as it's Friday (*cue the trumpets, marching band and juggling elephants*), I wanted to do something fun. And what's more fun than

WEIRD FOOD

Have you ever Googled "weird food"? It's a lesson in what the Internet can produce. It's also a reminder of how thankful I am that I inherited my father's iron stomach.

Things weren't too bad at first:
fish head soup
fish flotation bladder
live shrimp swimming in a bowl of rice wine
birds' nest soup (actual birds' nests kept tightly woven by the little birdies' spit)
jellied blood
camel tendons
baby mouse wine (a bottle of wine with baby mice stuffed inside. Ew.)
(all of these are courtesy of weird-food.com)

I also saw scorpions, cow heads, unmentionable parts of male bulls. But the thing that did me in was this:

photo found HERE

Deep. Fried. Spider.

Ok, so it was found in Cambodia. Not China, but still an Asian food that popped up in the Google search of "Weird food China" (oh, ps: DON'T click on the image tab if you Google weird food. Of course, now that I've told you not to, you're going too *insert evil grin*. Seriously, though, it's not something you want to look at if you're even the least big queasy. I'm not and it was a bit...gruesome. Interesting to my bizarre (and slightly twisted) curiosity, but it could do damage to young minds (or anyone eating anything that remotely could be mistaken for giant, hopping spider/bugs...

Yeah.

Fried spider. What possessed me to even put the picture on my blog? Shock factor. I am a very adventurous eater yet severely arachnophobic. I just don't know if I could do it. I think I may have met my culinary Waterloo.

But, it's Friday, and I wouldn't DREAM of leaving on the notion of fried spiders and six legged cows (wait, did I fail to mention THAT picture? *shudder*)

photo found HERE

There. Now we can all die happy and slightly less disturbed.

Happy weekend!
Go eat something adventurous! You can thank me later ;)
Jen

PS: I WILL make coconut buns this weekend. I WILL! And I shall post pictures for you next week. Promise ;)
PPS: I have 133 followers!!! Thanks, guys! Bear with me; I'll be by to thank you new-comers as soon as I'm able.

~ Quick Writing Related Post ~

2010-09-22T09:30:00.003-04:00

Hey guys!

I know, I know, it's Wednesday, but I just discovered something too fabulous NOT to pass on. Thanks to the splendiferous Shannon O'Donnell over at Book Dreaming, I made my way over to The Bookshelf Muse. Holy cow, can I just say this lady has a library of amazing information for writers. I maybe blogging on food and travel right now, but the YA manuscript is still sitting on my desk, patiently awaiting my return.

The Bookshelf Muse is having an AMAZING contest : 1000 follower's contest. If you follow and leave a comment, you're entered for a general drawing for several first page or first chapter critiques.

However...

If you BLOG, FACEBOOK, TWEET or otherwise get the news out into the universe about her generous offer (and fill out a quick form on her site), you'll be entered into a drawing for a THREE MONTH MENTORSHIP. Wow. That's about all I can say about that.
So wander on over, check out her site, and get the word out!

Writers helping writers: that's what it's all about!

Cheers,
Jen

Mid-Autumn Festival (and why I WON'T be making moon cakes)

2010-09-21T16:14:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow is the celebration of the Chinese festival of Mid-Autumn (aka Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival). The Chinese use a lunar calendar (as opposed to our solar calendar) hence their New Year celebration always being different (sometimes a month out) from ours. According to this calendar, the moon is at its brightest on this night.

According to legend, the moon fairy leaves her crystal palace and dances on the moon's surface. This story of the "lady living in the moon" is an ancient one and supposedly dates back to when there were ten suns in the sky. The Emperor had a famous archer shoot down the offending nine suns. As compensation for his good deed, the archer was given a pill from the Goddess of Western Heaven that would make him immortal. His wife, however, found the pill, took it, and was banished to the moon. Legend says she is most beautiful on the night of Moon Festival.

There are several legends surrounding the Mid-Autumn festival, but the most famous may have roots in actual history. China was overrun by Mongols in the thirteenth century. It is rumored that they used mooncakes (which the Mongols did not eat) to pass around secret information pertaining to a rebellion. Everyone was instructed to save the cakes for Moon Festival. The rebellion took place in 1368 AD and China overthrew their Mongol oppressors.

When I first heard the name "moon cake" I was intrigued and declared I would make them. I then looked up a recipe for moon cakes. They're not impossible to make; they just require ingredients that I have no access to. In the easier of the two recipes I found, red azuki beans are used for a filling. I momentarily pondered using another type of bean for this but "black bean paste filled cakes" just didn't have the same, appetizing ring to it. A more complex recipe calls for lotus seed paste. Unfortunately, in the south, Ingles doesn't carry lotus seed paste. If any of you do happen to live in a town with a good Asian market, feel free to see some out OR you can always buy them pre-packaged. I'm going to keep an eye out next time I'm in Atlanta at the International Farmer's Market. I will of course report back my findings.

On our Western calendars, tomorrow is the Autumnal equinox or The First Day of Autumn. I don't know about you, but I'm definitely ready!

Happy first day of fall!
Jen

I heart bread

2010-09-20T14:39:00.003-04:00

I love bread. I really ,really do. I inherited it, you see. From my mother. She loves to tell this story of when she used to work and stop on the way home for groceries. She would buy a loaf of bread and start eating it on her way home, tearing little bits from a slice, rolling it into a ball and nibbling until she pulled into the drive. My sister and I both inherited this love of yeast and flour.

I found several recipes this weekend for Chinese bread, or, as they call them, buns! My favorite is by far the coconut dinner buns I found here. I'll definitely be making these this week. Expect another photo montage of my efforts (exciting, I know).

You know those little fried donuts you find at all Chinese buffets? I found a recipe for those too! Oh yum, fried donuts. Lovely, melty, greasy puffs of sweetness! I'll be trying those too. (Oh, and there's a short cut version on that site as well made with canned biscuit dough, in case you're prone to that sort of thing).

I indulged in my dream this weekend and walked to the Chines restaurant for wonton soup, crab rangoon and a spring roll. Can I just say yum? It was fabulous and the crab rangoon was some of the best I've ever had. That reminds me...I still have three in the fridge. Hmmm...I know what I'm snacking on when I get home :)

Happy Monday fellow vagabloggers!
Jen

Dreaming of Chinese Food

2010-09-17T12:48:00.002-04:00

No really. I dreamt last night about eating at a Chinese buffett! I was quite a pig and made certain I got the last 5 wontons in the wonton soup dish (taking only the tiniest bit of broth!) and the crab rangoon was out of this world! I think sushi was involved. This was right before I was running from grenade launching bad guys in a swamp and marsh video game setting.

er...yeah...must have been the pizza.

Speaking of pizza, remember that left over pork I had after making those lovely dumplings? It topped our pizza last night, along with some scrumptious pepper jack cheese. Not Chinese, I know, but related. As in second-cousin-on-his-mother's-side-twice-removed related but related.

While making said pizza, I got frustrated with the sauce having huge chunks of tomatoes in it. I like chunks of tomatoes in my pasta but not on my pizza. Instead of trying to spread around the chunks with the spoon, I started spreading the sauce with my hands, discarding the little devils back in the jar to live on a bowl of pasta another day.

That's when it hit me: we, as a culture, are soooo distanced from our food. Yes, these profound moments happen when I have a hand covered in red sauce and a 25 cat mewing at my feet. I've posted in the past on the "modern" American diet versus "slow food" and the dangers of the former, benefits of the latter. I hate seeing food turned into something to just wolf down between work and home life, between arguments, or between traffic signals.

With that thought planted firmly in my mind, I hummed a little tune while spreading the rest of that sauce with my fingers, while crumbling up that Chinese-ish pork and onions and scattering the mountain of pepperjack across that quazi-circular piece of dough.

I want to eat my food and taste it, enjoy it, not swallow it whole because the phone is ringing and if I don't answer it the boss will get angry. I want to savor the flavors available in a ham and cheese or a plate of Peking Duck. It's hard in this "modern" life (yes, modern is in quotations for a reason. I thought to modernize was to better something? In regards to food, we've failed)

Take some time this weekend and enjoy your food. I don't care if it's a muffin you thaw out for breakfast or a pot roast you slaved over for 6 hours. Pause, taste it, enjoy it!

Just don't dream about it...

Happy weekend,
Jen

Dim Sum, Have Some

2010-09-14T13:10:00.003-04:00

delicious noms found here

Why have I always been enamored with the idea of dim sum? I googled picture after picture of it. Cute little balls of dough filled with delicious mysteries paraded around on a cart or offered in bamboo steamer baskets or small plates. I've never actually ordered dim sum nor have I ever been to a restaurant specializing in it. Unfortunately, there are no dim sum carts in my neighborhood. Still, the idea intrigues me and I'm getting up the nerve to try my own little night of dim sum. It makes sense that it should strike a chord with me. The name actually means "touch the heart".

Dim sum is one of the best ways to sample a glorious amount of sweet and savory snacks. From my research, I've learned that when ordering dim sum, you order one of several different little foods instead of a whole bunch of one type. Dim sum got it's start playing second fiddle to the ancient tradition of tea tasting or yam cha. It seems that travellers along the famed Silk Road would stop into tea houses for a bit of refreshment and quiet contemplation. Field workers also congregated to these tea houses during the day for a respite from work. It was once thought inappropriate to eat while drinking tea. The ancients actually thought it would contribute to unnecessary weight gain. When it was discovered that tea actually aids in digestion, the tea house owners started serving assorted snacks to their tea tasting clientele. And lo, dim sum was born!

The Cantonese in southern China developed dim sum and transformed tea time from a quiet event to a boisterous dining experience. Some restaurants in Hong Kong start serving dim sum as early as 5 a.m. as it is tradition for the elderly to gather after morning exercises, read the paper and eat. Most dim sum restaurants only serve dim sum until mid-afternoon. I hear that the best dim sum in the world is made in Hong Kong. Who am I to argue?

Want Some?

For a mind boggling overview of dim sum, tea tasting and a run down of dishes, check out wikipedia's entry here (ps: it's where I found most of my info so if anything seems askew, blame them and let me know!)

Siu Mai pork dumplings

Savory dim sum recipes on Asian Online Recipes (I for one am eyeing those shrimp dumplings...)

Dim Sum Recipes (mmms, cucumber and spicy minced lamb with chili sauce!! I'm there!)

Asian Dumpling Tips (and where was THIS when I did my dumpling post ?!?! Yeah, Google, I'm talkin' to you.)

Speaking of dumplings, every one of my posts so far has involved little stuffed dough concoctions! I'm hopelessly addicted to bread, ask anyone who knows me. I promise my next post will not contain any type of dough filled delicacies. At least, I'm pretty sure they won't *grin*

Cheers,
Jen

PS: I know this has nothing to do with Chinese food, but I found this neat-o cooking website thanks to a kind email from it's creator. It's the blog belonging to Culinary Arts College, a site devoted to helping people find cooking schools. A worthy endeavor. She just put up a groovy link-fest for home canning (something I've been hesitant to try for years). The most recent post, however, is links to 50 travel/food blogs. Looks like I've got a lot of perusing to do! Enjoy.

I'm in the mood for WONTONS

2010-09-13T13:51:00.004-04:00

A new reason to play with your food: origami wontons!

Seriously. I've been craving them. I did a ton of research on some classic Chinese cuisine last week and wontons have been haunting my dreams (ok, I'm not THAT far gone...not yet).

Everyone who's ever had Chinese food has seen, smelled or tasted a wonton. The most popular way to eat these delicious, airy dumplings is in broth with chopped scallions floating amongst them. Wonton Soup is something I could eat every day and never, ever get tired of it. Those puffy little pillows of delectable delights floating around in golden broth. Mmm, reminds me of lazy clouds drifting across and evening sky. Conveniently enough (at least for this metaphor) the literal translation of the Cantonese for "wonton" means "swallowing clouds". And who hasn't had fried wontons? A crispy little bowl usually sat before you when you sit down at your favorite Chinese restaurant, they're Asian equivalent of chips and salsa. Crispy, greasy, and marvelous with duck sauce or spicy mustard, these little guys also pack a nice crunch when tossed in the wonton soup. Think of them as crispy clouds. Fried wontons are an American-Chinese creation but they're still delicious.

Traditional fillings for wontons are pork, shrimp or oysters but any meat will do. Just know if you put hamburger in those wrappers, you can't call it "authentic Chinese cuisine". Couture labels, however, matter not in the food world. It's the flavor that counts.

Every region in China has it's own version of the wonton which differs slightly from it's neighbors. Hong Kong wontons developed after World War II as a street food and was served from carts and only later found their way into restaurants. Wikipedia has a pretty good overview of the humble wonton if you're interested.

Wontons are also boiled and enjoyed sans soup or, in Chinese-American cuisine, fried with crab and cream cheese filling (also known as crab rangoon...yum).

You know, I've got a bit of pork filling left over from the dumplings. Mayhaps I'll pick up some wonton wrappers tonight and use the rest of that pork for some wonton soup! Until then, here's some delicious links to get you started on your own wonton adventure. Linkage away!

Wonton Soup
Crab Rangoon
Wonton Recipes
Recipes using Wonton Wrappers

Now excuse me while I go dream of crab rangoon and cloud swallowing.
Jen

PS: As always, if ANY of these recipes sounds (or taste) a little less than authentic to you, please let me know. I'd LOVE to try them all out but that would require a windfall in finances so I could stay home all day cooking and eating. Until that blissful day occurs, I'm open to corrections from you dear souls who have been to China, cook and/or eat authentic Chinese food often, or who know a heaping helping more than I do (and I dare say, that's a bunch of you). If you try any of these recipes, please let me know how they turned out!

Hong Kong - An Overdue Overview

2010-09-09T11:35:00.004-04:00

You'd think working for an I.T. company, I wouldn't have to deal with the Internet being down...

I could spend years studying Chinese food and culinary customs. I could take a topic on Chinese anything and stretch it into months and months of research. Strange as it sounds, I'd love that. I'm a research hound. If I could get paid to research, I'd be in heaven. (anyone hiring a research assistant?)

I had originally thought to traverse length and breadth of China, discovering ancient cuisine and full filling my desire for new and exotic locations. I quickly realized that would take a life time of travel, even if I stayed virtual. I had to narrow it down (not easy) and pick one place where I could get a good idea of Chinese culture and cuisine. Lo and behold, I landed in Hong Kong.

picture found here

Hong Kong is separate from mainland China. I didn't know this until very recently. I'd heard people say, "I've never been to China, but I've been to Hong Kong" and never understood it until now. It was under British rule from the early 1800's until 1997 but still remains independent from the People's Republic under the "One country, two systems" principle. If you'd like an in depth look at this interesting predicament, you can find some really good information HERE and HERE.

picture found here

I was pleasantly surprised when I began digging for cuisine specific to Hong Kong. Many people go to Hong Kong just to eat! There are over 6,000 licensed restaurants offering not only Chinese cuisines but world cuisines as well. Of the major Chinese cuisines I discovered, it seems Cantonese is one of the best. Even during the Imperial era, people would travel to the southern Chinese province of Canton (Guangdong) to dine. Not much has changed, as this quote reveals: "Cantonese people, more than any other race except the French, believe that they live to eat rather than vice versa." It is still the most popular form of Chinese cuisine.

Nothing goes to waste in a Cantonese kitchen, hence the rather bizarre and sometimes baffling ingredients seen on websites devoted to Asian cuisines. This quote sums it up quite nicely: "The only things with four legs a man should not eat is a table". I'm pretty brave when it comes to food and I'd like to think I'd be able to try just about anything put in front of me. Still, there are a few things that can cause even the most steeliest of stomachs to question their courage (duck blood and sandworms anyone? Oh, word of caution: if you're NOT one of those with a stalwart stomach, or are of a sensitive nature, you might want to forgo those links. Consider yourself warned.)

For the remainder of the time we're in China, I'm going to focus on the diverse food culture of Hong Kong (sandworms and rats withstanding). Steaming and stir frying predominate and seafood, pork, fowl and vegetables take center stage with Cantonese and I'll be focusing mostly on this particular tradition. I can't make any promises, though. I have a tendency to step off the path and go off on tangents :) Again, you've been warned. Oh, and I have developed a little side project during this year of culinary wandering. More on that later (cue evil laughter).

picture found here

If you're interested in some really informative links on Hong Kong travel, cuisines or a general look at Chinese food culture, here are a couple of wonderful links to check out:

Facts and Details (China)

Lonely Planet (Hong Kong)

Top 10 Things to do in Hong Kong

Global Gourmet, Hong Kong Cuisines

Happy Travels!

Jen

Labor Day Weekend & Hong Kong

2010-09-07T19:11:00.004-04:00

I suppose I should preface this post by saying I did NOT spend the weekend in Hong Kong. Fabulous as that sounds, I was local, in Decatur, for the annual book festival. Yes. I am a nerd and a proud nerd at that.

Decatur is a map dot in the metro Atlanta area filled to overflowing with creative venues, pubs, independent book shops and cafes. We got to sit in on some panels which discussed publishing and promotion as well as creative world building in fantasy. This particular panel had a FABULOUS line up of authors. One of whom wrote this:

I discovered Jessica Verday's first book The Hollow last year, quite by happy accident. It's a new twist on one of my favorite stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Haunted is the second book in her Hollow Trilogy

My darling husband bought the new book for me, stood in line with me for at least a half an hour and I ended up with an autograph and a snazzy photo with a truly fabulous, talented and SUPER sweet author:

Behold!

A little fuzzy, but it was on a camera phone. BIG thanks to Jessica for travelling down to Georgia and being super nice and patient with the long lines of adoring fans :)

As for Hong Kong, I've decided to spend this week there. I've got some researching to do, fellow vagabonds, which is what I'll be spending my evening doing. I'll sum up my travels and we'll venture there together starting tomorrow. And who knows...there might be a recipe or three awaiting us!

Here's to book festivals, Chinese food, and three day weekend! Oh, and short work weeks. *grin*

Cheers!
Jen

Dinner at Last!

2010-09-03T13:09:00.007-04:00

I've always been a sucker for anything bread related. Doesn't matter what it is, grind it up, roll it out and bake it and I'll probably eat it! I've eaten dumplings many times but I'd never once thought of making my own. "It would be too hard", I reasoned. Oh pish-posh! How hard can it be? Actually, it's not hard at all.

Note: I have a sneaky little habit of looking up recipes and changing them as I go along. This recipe is no exception and the recipe here is my modified version. The original recipe can be found at Chinese Food DIY.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted (or, if you're like me and don't have a sifter, run a whisk through it a few times to break up any clumps)
1 lb ground pork (Not a pork fan? Try some ground beef! The site also recommended mutton.)
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
6 1/2 tbsp scallions, chopped
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1/8 tsp five-spice powder

1. Mix the flour with enough water to make a dough (approximately 3 1/2 ounces of water and yes I DID break out the scale to weight the water in ounces). Knead until smooth and let it stand for about 30 minutes. The dough will be sticky so you might want to flour up your hands.

While the dough is resting, mix up your filling. Mix the pork, scallions, five spice powder, soy sauce, salt and oyster sauce in a bowl until it makes a paste (word of caution: go easy on the salt! Soy sauce is REALLY salty and, if after they're cooked and you need more flavor, do like we did and dip the dumplings in more soy sauce.)

Divide the dough into 3 portions and roll into logs.

Cut each log into about 10 pieces (no need to be exact). Roll each piece into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand until they are approximately 2 inch circles.

Take a spoonful of the meat mixture and place it in the center of each wrapper. A tablespoon will work just fine for this. Take the dough and fold it over or around the meat, pressing the edges firmly together. If it oozes out, scrape off the excess until the dough will close neatly. I made half moon shaped dumplings. You can also gather the edges up at the top and make little purses.

**If you end up with more meat mixture than dough, don't worry: just freeze it and make up some more dough later. I have a nice, fat little zip lock bag of spiced pork and onions in my freezer right now!)

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil over high heat and add half the dumplings carefully, don't splash! Stir them gently with a ladle and let the water return to a boil. Add enough cold water to stop the boiling, then bring it back to a boil. When the water boils again, add more cold water and bring to a boil a third time (this takes a lot less time than you're thinking). The dumplings will be done when they float to the surface.

Remove the dumplings and drain well. I put mine on a paper towel. Don't want those dumplings soggy! Make sure the water is boiling again and add the rest of the dumplings. Repeat the 3-boil process once more until all dumplings are cooked.

Serve with soy sauce and chop sticks and a side of green tea. Oh! And be very, very careful. These suckers are HOT inside!

Cheers, or rather, gan bei!

**Try it, like it, hate it? Let me know! Have a great weekend and a Happy Labor Day to all my fellow Americans. I'm off to the Decatur Book Festival!

Glitches and Dumplings and Decisions (oh my!)

2010-09-02T09:23:00.004-04:00

Remember that whole learning curve I mentioned a few posts back? Well, I'm leaning on it today. I do have dumplings for you this morning! Just not pictures. Yet. Last night wasn't a good night health-wise so I wasn't able to load the dumpling photos (they're quite lovely, in my humble opinion). AND that lovely Chinese junk boat I posted was in Vietnam! HA! How's that for a glitch? In my defense, it WAS a CHINESE junk boat. I get a half point for that, right? ;) Thanks to Linda for pointing that one out.

So...if no one objects, I'm posting the dumpling recipe today and dumpling photos tomorrow. I decided if I lived on Saturn I'd have enough hours in every day. Maybe.

(Unless the Archduke of Saturn decided to stretch out the work day hours to correspond with Earth's work hours. Geez...that would be like...well...a lot more than 8 1/2 hours a day! I'll stick to Earth. Besides, I hear our atmosphere is best.)

OR

I could wait until tonight and post the whole shebang? Recipe, step-by-step photos, tantalizing, juicy dumplings with soy sauce (and a snazzy semi-pro food shot by my dear photographer husband). What say you? Honestly? I'm leaning towards waiting until tonight. Ugh. What to do...what to do....

*sigh*

It's your call, fellow vagabonds. If you want the pictoral version of the dumplings, we'll wait until this evening. If you want your dumplings NOW, I'll gladly deliver without visual aides. This is turning into quite a saga, now, isn't it?

Yours frustratedly,
Jen

Junk Boats and Boiled Dumplings

2010-09-01T14:12:00.006-04:00

image found here

There's a piece of me slowly sailing on a junk ship. You know, one of those over crowded mish-mashes of flotsam that traffic jam the water ways in many Asian countries. My soul tip-toed on one this morning and refuses to get off. Sails unfurled like paper fans, the breeze is caught and on we drift, in search of another life and, perhaps, dinner.

The mountains, don't they look like finger stubs, parts of hands? Long ago, giants must have resided here. After tiring of kicking up crust and creating Himalayas, they settled down beneath the waves, giving their work a hearty "two thumbs way up". Now we get to navigate them. Sometimes I swear I hear them laughing at me, this lanky American far from home.

The clacking of my keys is an imagined engine. At least, I'm pretty sure they have engines. Most are too large for a paddler or ten. Last I checked, Ben Hur wasn't stowed away underneath. Another clacking sound comes to mind. Chop sticks, those precarious little overgrown toothpicks that, once mastered, open doors to culinary experience (and one or two gasps of amazement when you're the only one at the table able to maneuver them around a Pu Pu Platter).

Speaking of food, I'm in the mood for dumplings. Boiled dumplings: Jiao Zi. Sure, I've made fried rice before. I've even folded a wanton or three in my day. But dumplings? Hmmm...this I've got to try. Interested?

The kitchen is open and I'm off to experiment. Good Lord willing and the river don't rise (or the giants return to play kick the junk boat), I'll have a platter of them all piping hot come tomorrow morning to share with you.

Mmm...dumplings.
Jen

PS: Check this out: I figured out to attach my snazzy little Facebook profile link to my blog. How's that for technological prowess? Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't shut down the Internet or anything!

...and don't forget to pack clean underwear.

2010-09-01T09:07:00.002-04:00

A good traveller packs light, remembers to call home and always forgets something of importance. (And always eats what the locals are having...even if it's still squirming.)

The most intoxicating aspect of virtual travel (or getting out and exploring your own community) is no fear of forgetting your toothbrush and having to settle for some exotic plant that may or may not be toxic. True, your job's still there (lurking), and your phone and the 1001 stresses of everyday life, but it's virtually free and that's got to count for something!

I know lots of people who long to travel but can't. The biggest barrier to indulging your inner gypsy, is seems, is money. That's always been mine. If it was up to me, I'd travel 3-5 months out of the year! So I cooked up this idea and I hope you'll follow along. I can't promise we won't hit any turbulence, and I can almost guarantee there will be pot holes, but I figure in a couple of months we'll settle into a nice rhythm. Or not. Who knows? Predictability is frightfully boring.

The goal isn't to stay in front of a computer. Oh no. I'll be venturing to the kitchen and into the wilds of ethnic restaurants and markets. I might even learn a foreign phrase or three! And yes, there will be recipes, pictures (I hope...), and my own humble reviews.

Before I get started, I do want to say that if any of you catch any discrepancies in any cultural descriptions or information I may post, please let me know! The Internet may have an eternal cache of information, but it's not infallible. I'm always open to constructive criticisms and corrections (the key word here, folks, is constructive). I'm not big on posting blog "rules" but here goes: be kind or go home. It's that simple. No culture bashing, people bashing, me bashing. If you feel you must be mean, just know it won't be published. I do have that power.

Ick. Glad that's out of the way.

Anywho, this is a practical journey, one lived vicariously through information and tasting. Cultural discovery through food; travelling through taste buds. Culinary Vagabonding. In getting out there and learning about cultures foreign to my own, I hope to get lost: lost to myself, to my own preconceived notions, my own cultural limitations. I hope to meet people, cook meals and understand through the shared needs to communicate, feast and express beauty. I'll be collecting far more than I can post on this little journey but do stay tuned: there are more kettles brewing on the stove than just this one. How's that for a teaser, hmmm?

Now then, pack your bags, ladies and gents. We're off to CHINA!

New Title!!

2010-08-31T10:25:00.003-04:00

So I lied.

I was going to use my name, my pen name, for the title of this blog. Something simple, easy to recognize. Then it hit me. Literally. While cooking dumplings last night.

I never get titles when I need them. When I'm staring at the screen, willing them to appear, seriously considering goat sacrifice to conjure a title that will make people swoon, critics tear their garments and fellow writers lament, "Oh why didn't I think of it first?"

It's not that amazing, but I rather like it.

Starting tomorrow (squeak!), keep a look out in your blog roll for Culinary Vagabonding. If you say it in a deep, dramatic, 1940's radio personality voice it sounds really cool ;) Add reverb at your discretion.

Cheers!
Jen

Travel Plans

2010-08-27T09:48:00.002-04:00

Blogging is a journey. We usually start out slow, sharing vacation photos, screaming into the void. Then we meet people (like-minded and otherwise) who open our eyes, tempt us into deeper waters. We express ourselves differently, experiment, play dress up. Over time, our blogs can resemble maps of epic road trips: zagging and zigging along, state to state, up hills, along coasts.

Writing is virtually the same. You get the sudden itch that can only be soothed by putting pen to page. Stories come, issues confronted and little by glorious little, your unique voice emerges, old army jacket comfortable. If you're lucky, you set out to write a mystery and end up with one. Most of us, I'd wager, dabble in several genres, try them on, toss them back in the trunk.

This blog has been my dress-up chest, a place to discover, uncover. Every six months I've run off down rabbit trails, desperate to capture a voice I was hearing. Things grew stale, stiff, and I grew bored with words.

This summer has been rough. I found out I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which, thankfully, enlightened me to why I can't seem to focus, lack energy and feel most days like I'm going mad. It's put my life into a different focus. Balance has become key, one I'd previously lost. My job takes all my energy and can't be pared down just yet. I have realized that if I'm going to drag myself out of this symptomatic chaos, I've got to rediscover the reasons I started writing in the first place.

Passion.
The burning desire to communicate, enlighten and learn.
To discover new places and new things and pass them along.

Worlds becoming words.

Through a happy series of circumstances (and one truly remarkable book), I re-realized a few of my first love, predominately travel, food and culture. I've always wanted to travel, experience new cultures and report back my discoveries. I've been blessed to travel some but not as much as my younger self predicted. I've yet to walk a mile of the Great Wall, see the sunrise over the sphinx or sipped Turkish coffee in Istanbul. Those are still goals, ones I'm working towards. A joyful re-discovery and an agony of realization.

Until...

I remember the beginning: Worlds becoming words.

For the next year, I am taking on a rather ambitious, self imposed task of world travel via cultural culinary discovery, riding the magic carpets of Internet, library and local area jaunts. My route of choice? Across Asia to Europe What started out as a journey across the Silk Road turned into a trek from China to the British Isles and into Ireland.

I don't have the financial ability to physically sabbatical abroad just yet, but I do have an insatiable curiosity, an itch to learn, a proximity to a culturally diverse city and a gas stove begging for regular use. I'm not yet able to write a first hand experience of trekking over the Italian Alps, but I can research, communicate and re-create local dishes in my humble loft kitchen. I can shop at ethnic markets and discover culture through food and report it all back here. To you.

If you're game.

I know. Culinary travel and cultural vagabonding are a far cry from young adult fantasy. But these are my roots, the echoing, bold declaration of an eight year old's proclamation "I will one day write for National Geographic". It's absurd, a bit mad and completely liberating.

Won't you join me?

When: September 01
Where: Here! The blog name will change to my pen name: J. Stanton Chandler (same as the blog site address)
First Stop: China. The sidebar will keep you up to date on the "trip"
What to Expect: Missteps, large learning curves and possible road rage
Why: Why not?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: It's not all in our heads

2010-08-24T13:09:00.002-04:00

After you recover from the shock of two posts in a week from me, head over to my Facebook page and read this article I typed up about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. If you (or anyone you know) has CFS, thinks you may have it, or are just curious, please feel free to contact me or pass my contact info along. I don't know everything about it; I'm just learning myself. But if there's one thing I'm learning, what people with this issue need most is understanding.

Cheers!
Jen

Quick and Random Update

2010-08-23T12:22:00.004-04:00

( a lovely little teaser, don't you think?)

August is ending yet the dog days of summer are still upon us. I'm longing for September and the promise of cooler evenings and the whisper of changing leaves.

Speaking of change, there will be a lot of changes going on here. I hope you'll come by this Friday for the announcement! Teaser, I know, but I'm still trying to find the best way to communicate what my new "project" is going to be. A project that includes the complete re-imagining of this blog (as well as a couple of other surprises :).

So, if you see anything pop up on your blog roll that looks like it's from me, but looks rather odd and different, don't panic! I'm rearranging the furniture, giving the house a new coat of paint and taking down the paintings in order to hang a few new finds.

I hope you have all had a pleasant return to the school year and are preparing for a delicious autumn season. I've missed you all, reading your blogs and commenting. My summer has been a haze of stressful work and CFS battles. However, with cooling temperatures on the horizon, and the promise of this new project, I'm looking forward to diving back into blogging and get reacquainted with you all.

Until Friday
Jen

into the great wide open

2010-08-02T09:29:00.003-04:00

Know what I love about blogging? It can be anything you want it to be. Your blog can change with you. Feeling blue? There's a background for that. Want to write about East Indian flora? There's clip art for that too. Amazing.

I love how most of you have blogs that are set. I know what to expect when I visit. It's like going home. Even if you write something completely unexpected it's, well, it's expected! Even if the background changes and the font goes from blue to bronze, I know it's you and I thank you.

I fear my blog hasn't been much of a constant lately. More like a spiraling abyss of jumbled adjectives and attempts to explain away those blunders with mountains of apologies that do not (I fear) make for enjoyable bloggy reading). I blame many factors, none of which I'll bore you with here. That being said, there has been one constant: the search for authenticity.

As writers, we strive for voice, for style, for that "something" that makes our words our own. That snazzy little turn of phrase that gives our readers the satisfaction that this article, this post, this book does, indeed, come from our fingers. From the tangled web of pronouns and gerunds our light shines on paper and screen for our readers, old and new. And they KNOW it's ours, even without a byline.

Authenticity. Real. The age old question, "Who am I?" I had no idea when I started blogging it would turn into a soul searching expedition requiring crampons and pickaxes. It seems my head lamp has run out of batteries but I do have a few candle stubs around here somewhere....

Thankfully, the end of the tunnel is in sight. If this place starts looking like a caved in cavern, I apologize. It's just because I'm digging my way out into the light. Ever since this chronic illness decided to move into the spare room, I've been doing a lot of rearranging. It's backbreaking and exhausting. I have no intention of letting this illness get the best of me, but I will say this: good comes sometimes from the darkest of situations.

I'm looking forward to getting this blog in order, my writing, my life. There are changes coming, some more immediate than others, and I can't wait to share them with you, right here. I'm leaving for good, just long enough to do a little more tweaking, a bit more remodeling. The paint and curtains are all wrong and I'm going to rework the decor...again.

Thank you for your patience. I know this summer has been busy for everyone. I hope things are slowing down for you all, that the heat isn't taking too much out of you, and that fall will come soon, softly, with much needed relief.

I haven't been around much, but I wanted to let you know I'm planning to return in September. Every year, I hit a snag around August that is only cured by that chill in the air that says fall is near at hand.

Take care of yourselves and if you see anything weird around here in the next few weeks, don't be alarmed. It's just me, clearing out the rubble.

~ Jen

This Just In -

2010-07-22T08:44:00.002-04:00

I'm not dead! Whew, aren't you glad? But seriously, I feel terrible for neglecting this little piece of blog-landia. This summer has been crazy, work is suddenly busy and I'm taking on some new responsibilities (tedious data entry which is taking a while to get the hang of), and my feel good/feel bad roller coaster ride has been nasty.

However...

I've got some wonderful pots of stew simmering on the back burners over here. I know this summer has been crazy for most of you. I hope you're able to calm down soon, cool off and get some rest. I'm looking forward to autumn already and it's not even my birthday! I usually wait until the first of August to start pining for autumn. The pining has arrived a few weeks early.

Take care and know that I've not abandoned you forever...

Just for now. A crime for sure :(

Cheers!

Jen the Abandon-er

out of town & the usual "disclaimer"

2010-07-15T23:47:00.002-04:00

Please forgive my lame excuses for blog posts lately. Work has been one big insanity slam after another. I've done well just to get out of bed in the mornings much less do anything other than stare at the computer and answer the ridiculous amounts of incoming calls.

I'll be out this weekend. Gone again to the sea. This time to South Carolina to visit friends and to see a town I've not seen in 20 years. Charleston is calling, and I'm gone!

Happy weekend! Do bear with me as I get my sanity together, this blog together. I appreciate everyone of you. Your comments truly make me smile. I've missed perusing your amazing offerings and I promise, just as soon as I can, I'll be back to making my rounds!

Cheers,
Jen

Wishful Thinking

2010-07-13T11:21:00.004-04:00

Wandering the beach, searching for seashells

Walking through the clover in my mother's back yard

Padding down the hallway, early morning, smelling coffee

Sitting by the water, watching the sun come up

My soul is wishing for freedom today

I wear flip flops to remind me this office isn't me

One day we'll meet again

Myself and I

Thoughts on Ender's Game

2010-07-09T11:49:00.002-04:00

To watch the peculiar life of Ender Wiggin unfold, is to bear witness to an extraordinary tale. There are moments that necessitate a gasp or an exclamation. My emotions were tethered to this prodigy, this very human child. It was as if I was not reading one of the most spectacular words of fiction to ever cross my imagination, but an actual account of a life lived. Not lived -past tense- but "lived", future tense, as a beacon, a shimmer, a warning.

If you've not read this book, you're in for a treat. It's one of the best stories I've ever read. My view of "story" has been altered. There are precious few books that can do that. Kudos to you, Mr. Card, for broadening my horizons and deepening my appreciation for a well crafted story. And for making me realize how much work I have ahead of me.

What cool, new books have YOU read?

Happy Friday, everyone!
Jen

I left my heart by the sea

2010-07-06T09:25:00.003-04:00

Good morning!

I hope all my American friends had a fabulous Fourth of July and my Canadian friends enjoyed their Canada Day! If there were any more holidays that happened during my little hiatus, I hope you all partied hard and partied safe.

So, here's what went down since I last wrote:

I feel a lot better, a lot more like myself. I spent three days at the beach, and it's true what they say about salt water: it cures everything. I had two bouts with extreme exhaustion, but they were from swimming and walking so I'm not going to complain. Besides, a nap during the middle of the day is a very good thing indeed when you can hear the waves from the open window.

I read two AMAZING books which I shall review in the near future: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Adam by Ted Dekker. Ooooh, I shudder just thinking about that last one. Brilliant!

Lots of thoughts and wonderings got sifted through. Good things, decisions that needed to be made, that sort of thing.

Writing hasn't really been happening, but I'm not worried. I know it will come back in time. I did sign up for WriteOnCon which will be held HERE on August 10. Even if I don't write a single word between now and then, I'm super excited to participate and learn from all the amazingly talented writers who have so graciously donated their time and wisdom.

I'm really just taking it easy in the extra curricular activities at the moment. This past weekend I did more then I've done in weeks and it felt good to be active again. I missed blogging and it feels good to be posting again. I can't make any promises at the moment ( I know, bad "social networking", bad!) but as of now I plan to change my posting schedule to Mondays and Fridays. That will give me some room to work with. And it will give me lots more time to catch up with all you lovely people!

Have a fabulous Tuesday and I'll type at you soon!
Cheers,
Jen

Hello! My name is Jen and I'm Chronic

2010-06-22T10:25:00.011-04:00

Hi guys! A big hello to my new followers! *waves* I'm constantly amazed by the wonderful people I meet through this fabulous journey of blogging. You guys are all spectacular and I consider you all friends.

Unfortunately, I haven't been that great of a friend lately and for that I do apologize. I have missed reading and commenting and catching up on your lives. I've been battling some interesting health issues lately that make concentration and typing a bit of a chore.
Yesterday, I got to put a name to a face so to speak. The doctors and staff at the center I went to pretty much confirmed what I'd suspected. It was nice, though, to have a professional opinion.

I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Not really a shocker, at least not for me. Now that I know what it is, I am better able to fight it. The treatment options they offer are a bit financially steep, so I'll be battling this on my own. They did, however, recommend a book (their exact words: "even if you do nothing else, read this book!"). It was written by the medical director of their facility and it is fabulous. I'm making my way through it slowly simply because I keep stopping to exclaim (out loud), "YES! That's exactly how I feel!!". The doctor/author offers nutritional and supplemental guidelines and dosages and I know enough people in the natural/herbal health industry to get hooked up with the right stuff. It's a long process to get back to "normal" and some of it will be life long. Yippee!

I say all of this to let you know I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break. I don't want to, but the brain fog that's a part of this has severely limited my ability to put together a coherent blog post in quite some time, not to mention it keeps me distracted and unable to truly digest your marvelous posts and comment accordingly.

If it was up to me, I'd quit work, rest and recuperate and keep on blogging, spending my wee bit of energy on the things I love. But that's just not possible at this time. Sadly, blogging is one of the things I'm having to put on hold. Again, I don't want to. I love it and I miss it terribly when I'm away. But I don't like putting up half hearted posts and half hearted comments even less than I dislike having to press pause on this wonderful part of life. That's not fair to you, dear readers.

For now, I'll say goodbye for a couple of weeks. After July 05 for certain. Don't forget about me, dear bloggy friends! Thank you all for your understanding in this. Here's hoping I'm back to my "old" self again soon (or should I say, new self?).

Cheers and best wishes,
Jen

(If you like, you're more than welcome to shoot me an email! I'm still stuck in front of the computer at work and I get emails all day long. I'd love to hear from you - jstantonchandler (at) gmail (dot) com. :)

ON-LINE WRITING CONFERENCE

2010-06-17T12:54:00.002-04:00

Yes indeedy! At last, it has happened! Some intelligent and super creative folks banned together to create a conference for the rest of us. You know, those of us who are (at the present) unable to take off a week or weekend and fly off to fabulous, exotic locales and attend a writer's conference.

Go here NOW: WriteOnCon. Take a look around. Make the decision to take part. Registration doesn't begin until July 01 but I'm gearing up already. I think it's a terrific idea!

I heard about it HERE.

It's for all writers BUT because the creators are kidlit authors, the information will be geared in that direction. It's rated MC-18 (main characters 18 and under...LOVE IT!)

So what are you waiting for? Check it out!

Addictions & Writing

2010-06-16T18:47:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd continue our little discussion on addictions. I find it fascinating. Again, I'm not talking about the kind of addictions that can get you killed, arrested, or worse. I'm talking about the things we love, can't do without, don't want to do without. You know, things like coffee, chocolate, books.

And writing.

Are you addicted to writing? Am I? Do I think you have to be addicted to writing to create something meaningful, brilliant and publisher-worthy?

No. I don't think so. It sure helps, but I don't think it's necessary. I think you have to be committed to writing. The difference? One you do because you can't help it, the other you do because you must. Like I said, addiction to writing can definitely help the unpublished get published, the floundering to find solid ground. But it takes commitment, sold out, unwavering commitment to the craft to get there and stay there. Why?

Because no one likes writing all the time. And writing isn't just about putting words on paper. It's about editing and polishing and editing and rewriting, and cursing the day you ever decided to write a novel. It's about having others read it and listening to their critiques unflinching. It's about crying at midnight because you just lost 1200 pages when the power went out and you just knew you could type that next paragraph before you hit the save button. That's commitment. Commitment is about quality; I believe a writing addiction would be more about quantity.

What you DO have to be addicted to is STORY. You have to be consumed by your story in order to write it, stay with it, edit it, throw it out, start over, rewrite it, and spend the grueling months (years?) sending out query after query after query. You must believe in this story, believe in the characters, their actions, their reactions, the good, the bad, the ugly. Especially the ugly because that's what get criticised the most.

Am I addicted to writing? No. In fact, there's some days I flat tell myself I'm not going to write. Do I write every day? Yes, but not on my current manuscript. I just got that one going today. The idea has been bouncing around and I finally forced myself to type all day at work between phone calls. What else was I going to do? Oh yeah...blog... (Insert disclaimer here and apologize profusely for not reading and commenting on blogs in the past few days. Also insert a sad face. Those work too.)

So tell me, are you addicted to writing? If you are, I think that's AWESOME! I'll bet you can pull out some awesome word counts. Or better yet, you can look back at your plethora of written words and see progress that we less than prolific writers are able. Either way, why or why not? For me, it's simple: I get distracted. Not by life or by work, but by the story. I'll be sailing along, clickety-clacking away and suddenly, the story will go off in my head, I'll think of a later scene, and off I go, day dream mode, full steam ahead. And I forget about the writing. I'd rather grab some popcorn and see what my kids are going to do next. And then, when they're finished, they stare at me. "Um, aren't you going to write any of this down?" they ask. "Sure, sure," I shoo them back, "but not now. I want to see more? What's next?"

Ah yes, the burdens of a dreamer.

Addictions

2010-06-14T13:39:00.003-04:00

Addictions are funny. They can be disastrous, frightening, or down right weird. I think mine fall somewhere between quirky and strange. Borderline geek, that's me. I'm always interested in what others are addicted to. I'm not talking about Prozac or Jack and Coke here. I'm talking those little (or not so little things) that consume you.

Anyone who knows me (or who has ever been to our loft), knows I love books. I'm addicted to them. They follow me home from book stores, yard sales, thrift stores, my mom's house. If there's a book in need of a home, I'm sure I'll find a way to adopt it. I call them my children. They are many. At last count, I think I numbered upwards of 800.

Paper is another love of mine. Especially handmade paper. Old paper, found in old books (antique book store is a double dose of goodness). I love the way it feels, the way it smells, the sound of a pen etching it's clear face with pimples of words and sketches. They laugh at me at work because I take all my notes via notepad, still use sticky notes, and think the iPad is an overgrown iPod touch. I work for an I.T. company. Hence the laughing. At least when the power goes out, I still have something to occupy my time.

The ocean would definitely be one of my addictions. Salt water, salt air, the freedom that the seaside inspires. The goal, dear friends, is the live within walking distance of the sea. That is a work in progress, but my eye is on the prize.

Last but not least, Star Wars. Old school. Episodes 4, 5 & 6. TOTAL Star Wars geek here. I've been watching them for the past few weeks. I'll just pop them in and let 'em go. I don't have to sit and watch them (I know them by heart). I just like to have something going while I work around the house and the comfort of my childhood is piped out of the speakers through those films.

Our addictions define us, shape us. In the instance of things we love (collect, hoard, seek out), this can be a good thing. It can also help us in discovering our writing voice. The things we love are our roots. They ground us. You hear it said (too often) to write what you know. Why not take the things you're passionate about and see what fictional fodder can be found. Judging by what I've listed, I could write a science fiction tale of a book loving writer who lives by the sea. Or under it, Captain Nemo style. Or on another planet. Hmmm, there's a story even in my addictions it seems.

What are you addicted too? Have you ever written a story based on your addictions? What about a character with similar passions?

Friday Rambles

2010-06-11T08:59:00.003-04:00

First off, I'm really digging these new blogger "design" templates. I might just stick with this one for a bit. Groovy, huh?

No more aerial attacks from palmetto bugs. Thankfully. However, I did try doing yoga yesterday and I ended up falling asleep.

It seems I've been battling a bit of some chronic fatigue lately. That would explain the not feeling well for the past three weeks. I don't have a specific diagnosis yet, but I'm going to a specialist the end of this month. I'm hoping they just tell me I'm over stressed and need to take some time off. But, if it's a little more complicated than that, at least I'll know what I'm battling and I can better fight it.

In other news, I received an AWESOME prize package from the fabulous Elana Johnson yesterday (thanks Elana! You rock!! *waves*). My name was pulled out of the hat for her Ender's Game prize pack. Confession time: I've never read Ender's Game. Now I will and the shame shall be forever removed.

It's Friday (in case you lived under a rock and weren't sure of the day) and every week I say "it couldn't have come at a better time". And every week I mean it, but perhaps not as much as I mean it today. I hope you all have fabulous fun planned this weekend. Or just some much needed down time. Or maybe you thrive on adrenaline. If that's the case, go jump off a bridge. Just make sure the bungee cord's tied tight and you take lots of pictures!

Cheers!
Jen

Adventures in Savasana

2010-06-09T13:20:00.003-04:00

Savasana: corpse pose. Easy, relaxing, anyone can do it. You lay flat on your back, on your cozy yoga mat, let your arms and legs turn out naturally and allow your entire body to relax. Aaaahhhh.

Right.

I set the timer for 10 minutes yesterday afternoon. My cat was already in his own version of Savasana (also what I call the "pet my belly" pose) so I pulled ye olde purple yoga mat up beside him and laid down gently. It was working. I was "relaxing into the floor" as we're told to do, letting everything fall downward, releasing tension. Then I heard a strange sound behind me, a soft clicking. I bent my head backwards to look and saw my cat run over to the pantry door. He sniffed and snuffled and looked at me. It was the cat equivalent of a shrug. I shrugged back and returned to my yoga.

"It was the plastic bottle I just put in the recycling bag, Colby," I told him. He came and sat back beside me. Not a minute later, I opened my eyes on a whim, and there above me, on the ceiling, was a palmetto bug (also known as a huge, disgusting, flying roach). Nice, I thought, as it scuttled above me. Suddenly, it didn't look so sturdy and the thought of a huge palmetto in my hair was NOT very relaxing. I leaped off the mat just as said bug slipped from the ceiling and fluttered (yes, fluttered) down to the floor.

Colby sprang into "croc hunter" action and went after it, chasing it behind the chair. I flat refuse to step on anything larger than my thumb nail so off I ran to the hall closet to obtain my bug weapon of mass destruction: all purpose cleaner.

"Where did it go, Colby?"

He pawed behind the chair.

"Chase it out, boy."

Behind the chair goes the cat, out comes the palmetto. Bleck!

"Stop, Colby! I don't want to spray you."

The cat stops, and I spray that sucker to kingdom come.

The cat is praised, the roach is dead, the timer goes off. All in all, a good yoga session :)

Day One

2010-06-08T13:38:00.002-04:00

Do you ever stop and think, "I don't need this added stress?"

Do you ever sign up for something and then immediately regret it?

I do. All the time. Why? Perhaps I have decision making issues. Perhaps I'm scared. Perhaps it's a bit of both.

I felt that way about the 21*5*800 Challenge. I signed up Friday. I blogged about it yesterday. Last night I thought, "This is crazy. You never finish these things. Why bother doing another?"

And this morning, I wrote 1100 + words. The most I've written in one sitting (aside from emails and blog posts) in a very long time. I'm going to be gentle with myself. My body is demanding it and I am finally listening. I'll be writing stream of consciousness style for these 21 days. I won't post the entire piece (stream of consciousness is never pretty) but I may post a few glimmers along the way. As for the yoga part, I'll be doing mostly Savasana. As I said, my body is demanding I be gentle with it. I've gone against that before (read: most of my life). It's not very smart to deny yourself rest when your body is begging for it. Not smart at all.

As I was spurting out words this afternoon, I began to feel a lightening in my spirit. I've carried so much junk around with me for so long: fear, confusion, double-mindedness. The book of James likens a double-minded man as being tossed "to and fro upon the waves". That's how I feel. Back and forth, back and forth, up and down, in and out. Inside out. Perhaps now I'm willing to listen. Or perhaps the stream of consciousness won't allow my inner critic the chance to edit and, you know, critique! That's a good thing. I got some things out on the table. I may work with it some more. Maybe a poem's hiding in there. Who knows?

Have you ever tried stream of consciousness writing? Did you end up with anything other than pages full of typos? Just curious.

Cheers,

Jen

Challenge

2010-06-07T15:33:00.002-04:00

Another post, and on a Monday at that. Have I gone crazy? I won't answer that. Not just yet.

First, let me explain.

Back in April I did a 30 Days of Yoga challenge. Marianne Elliott over at zenpeacekeeper hosted it. I could tell you that I walked away from it healthier and more at peace with myself, my goals and my life. That would, of course, be a lie. My fault entirely, not hers! However, I did give it a good try and walked away with some wisdom and a better understanding at what is going on in my life at the present.

I wander over to Marianne's from time to time and upon my Friday wandering, I discovered something very intriguing: 21*5*800

Hmm, mused I. Curiosity got the better of me and I blog hopped over to Bindu Wiles' blog and found THIS:

For 21 days we'll be doing 5 days of yoga a week

and 800 words of writing per day.

At first blush I thought, "Nope. Not me. Not again." Then I continued to read. I pondered. I pontificated. I even procrastinated.

I signed up.

So...

For the next 21 days, I'll be doing 5 days of yoga. It's something I enjoy and need to put back in my life anyway. For the next 21 days I'll be writing 800 words a day (at least). That's over 16,000 words. Not too shabby for a gal who's been writing maybe, you know, 10 words a day.

And yes, you knew it was coming, and you were right. What do YOU think, my dear bloggy friends? Are you up for it? A lot of people hate yoga, and that's perfectly ok. She has a suggestion for that, too. Savasana: corpse pose. In other words, you can lie down and it's called yoga :). There's more to it than that, but I figured it was worth putting it that way to get you to take a peak. Sneaky, tricksy I am.

Now you know where the nifty new badge on my sidebar came from.

Now you know why I may be a bit more introspective over the next 21 days.

Now you know why I may spit out more writing (read: more blog posts).

And now you know that yes, I am, in fact, crazy.

Happy Monday!

Jen

Monday

2010-06-07T11:35:00.003-04:00

I am not a fan of Mondays. I know Monday fans. Yes, they do exist. They are those coveted souls who do what they love for a living. I imagine loving Mondays. I imagine being excited about a new week, a clean slate to work on new projects and create. For now, it's a dream. Until then, I'll look to my cat for much needed wisdom. He sits on his magic carpet and imparts it daily:

Usually it's just a heart breaking cross between a "meow" and a "purr" that we like to call the "purreow". Loosely translated it means:

"Human, I am not concerned with your questions about life, the universe and everything. Of course I have the answers. All cats do. However, now I require noms! Feed me."

Ah cats, what would we do without them?

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, loves! Tell me, do YOU look forward to Mondays? If so, why? If not...what would it take for you to love them? For me, it would be the knowledge that I was waking to a full day of creative writing, crafting, cleaning, gardening, errand running and life living. Come on now, don't be shy!

Cheers ~Jen

Linkage

2010-06-04T11:47:00.006-04:00

(picture of Cornwall, England found HERE)

I LOVE discovering new sites. I'm a site junkie! I'm forever jotting down websites in random notebooks, forgetting where I put them, and years later stumbling across a list ten miles long of websites I've darn near forgotten about. It's like a treasure hunt [and kills oodles of time at work :)]

I've got three for you today. Maybe you've heard of them, maybe not. The links are all writer/book lover related (there, I've given fair warning).

Author Tech Tips - I am, by far, one of the most technologically uneducated blogger I know. This guy posts articles that help writers who are less than tech-savvy boost their blogs, their online presence, and their tech-know-how. This link is to his "Seven Blogs Every Author Should Follow" post. I'm sure you'll see some familiar faces.

Curled up with a Book - My oh my this site is delicious! From altered books to gorgeous new addition covers: everything from boxes that look like old, French editions to book covers that will shield prying eyes from you Twilight obsession. Not to mention where to buy old typewriters!!

Novel-T - I love baseball, I love books; this site combines the two. It's waaay too much fun to think about the literal (literary?) team that could be conjured through these shirts. Browse through both teams and find your favorite player :) I'm torn between Poe, Dickenson and Darcy! [PS: I found this site thanks to Curled up with a Book. See, I told you it was a great site ;)]

That's all for today, kids! It's Friday! Go enjoy yourselves!

Cheers,
Jen

Imagination and What We Know

2010-06-03T10:52:00.003-04:00

"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless." ~ Jamie Paolinetti

After yesterday's post, and the comments that followed, I've been doing a lot of thinking about Imagination.

Imagination (n) -
1) the faculty of imagining, or of forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses
2) the faculty of producing ideal creations consistent with reality, as in literature, as distinct from the power of creating illustrative or decorative imagery.

We don't need to be taught how to imagine. It comes naturally. All children have the capacity to dream, to see fairies in gardens, to hunt dragons in the back yard and hear monsters under the bed. As we grow into adulthood, however, we're told those are fantasies, childish. Are they? Are our most dazzling daydreams or haunting nightmares all that childish?

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." ~ Albert Einstein

I think it's a shame to see adults who have lost their capacity to dream. No, life isn't a barrel of laughs. It's tough sometimes, most of the time. Sometimes it down right sucks. There are even children who learn early about the hardships of life. I'm not discounting reality. I'm not trying to preach a rainbow and bubble gum gospel.

I am, however, saying, quite clearly and belligerently: we need to reacquaint ourselves with our dreams. Writers, artists, and all creative types seem to have a knack for calling upon the "unknown". For some it's more work than for others, but we all have a gift for seeing things in our mind before we put them down on paper or carve them out of stone.

There are others this way of seeing things isn't natural. In fact, it may seem impossible. Some people are predispositioned to see "hard facts" and "reality". They are black and white thinkers. For them, there is no grey areas. There's nothing wrong with this. If you're a black and white, we need you. Sometimes we need the blatant truth, no matter how much we'd rather have fluffy bunnies.

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." ~ Mark Twain

I encourage you, no matter how hard it is to conjure up castles in the sky, to remember your daydreams. Remember the things that bring you joy, that made you smile when you were small. Spend a few minutes remembering. And, as the feelings transport you out of the cubical, the laundry room, the disheveled studio, allow them to conjure up another reality all together. See where it will take you. You may find yourself embarking on a new artistic journey, humming a forgotten tune while you finish the house work (and finish it way earlier than you thought you would).

At the very least you'll be able to see those dragons in the clouds we talked about yesterday.

Indulge in the grey areas today. Don't be afraid to ask "what if?" and "why not?".

Dream on,
Jen

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." ~ Robert Fulghum

Mythology as History

2010-06-02T10:08:00.004-04:00

While reading Edith Hamilton's book "Mythology", I stumbled across a brilliant little blurb that said (in effect), mythology was science as well as entertainment.

Mythology as science. Interesting concept, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Before scientific research and development, before the splitting of the atom, before Newton got bonked in the head with an apple, people wanted answers to some of life's greatest mysteries.

Where does the sun go at night? Where does the wind come from? What is an echo, a reflection, a thunder clap?

And so they created. They told stories about Apollo and his chariot that towed the sun across the sky, of the chambers of the winds that were opened to let out the bitter North Wind, of Zeus and his hurling of lightening bolts to dole out judgment upon mankind (or just to show off).

The ancients told stories to explain the deeper truths of life. That resonates with me. We as writers do the same. We are post-Enlightenment beings. We have Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, the Internet :), Starbucks. Our fingertips can put us in touch with more information, more "truth", than the ancient Greeks could have ever amassed in their lifetime.

And yet...we still create stories.

We craft tales of adventure, romance, horror and mystery. We attempt to explain human nature through strings of prose and poetry. Why?

Because we respond, at our most primal level, to the imagination.

I write myth based fantasy. I grew up entranced by the stories of the Greeks, Celts and Native Americans. I still consider dragons when I see mist rising from mountains or hear the grumble of waves against a rocky shore. The world's histories can be told through its cultural mythologies. If you're willing to put aside your contemporary brain and see through the eyes of imagining.

It's easy. Just like finding dinosaurs in clouds.

Cheers,
Jen

Mixed Feelings

2010-06-01T12:42:00.004-04:00

Long weekend with friends and family (and a few adventures along the way) - Huzzah!

Back to work with an aching arm - Bummer.

Checking your email and finding out you've won a FABULOUS prize package from the AMAZING Elana Johnson - SUPER HUZZAH!!!

***
Judging from my comments, I'd say you all had a pretty nifty weekend. We had some rain, some sun, a boat load of humidity and more hamburgers then you could shake a spatula at!

My mom returned from the great white north (aka Alaska) with tons of stories and photos. I can't wait to see them. Bless her she doesn't have a computer yet and isn't able to upload the pictures. That, of course, gives us a great excuse to have her over for dinner and check out the amazing scenery while teaching her to upload/download/happy dance through technology land :) Can I tell you how proud I am of her? This is the first time she's ever travelled without my dad, my sister or myself. It's been three years since Dad died, and they talked about going to Alaska several times but never did. For her to hop a plane (she hasn't flown in over 30 years) with an arm load of church buddies and set sail up the Alaskan coast is the bravest thing (I think) she could do! And when she reads this post, I know she'll blush and tell me I'm ridiculous for sharing all that. I'm not. I'm proud.

Slowly but surely I'm gathering steam for some more writing. I pulled out my old rusty trilogy yesterday and started doing some more research for future installments. As soon as I make a pit stop at ye olde office supply store, I'll have ink to spare and can print out those final pages to make those final edits. Whew. Editing. I thought I enjoyed the process until this monster. Necessary evils abound.

I'd write more, but my arm is making it hard to push the keys (tendinitis...fun times, let me tell you!). Have a brilliant Tuesday/Monday. On the one hand, we have a four day week. On the other, I'll keep thinking I'm a day behind until Friday afternoon.

Cheers!
Jen

God Made Long Weekends

2010-05-28T09:33:00.005-04:00

This is where I spend the majority of my life at the present:

OFFICE WORLD

This is where I wish I was spending the majority of my life at the present.

Yes, sea kayaking in Wales. What? Tahiti? Why go to Tahiti when you can go to Wales ?!? (Yes, folks, I'm strange...)

But alas, while I dream of the Welsh coast while working in office world, I do have one, comforting thought (at the present):

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!!

Three day weekends are always a pleasure, even if it just gives me an extra day to catch up on the laundry. Technically, I get three and a half days (I get out of here around 2 today). I'm hoping to weasel away some time to get some writing done, and get some supplies ordered for a new art journey I'm desperate to embark upon.

What are YOU up to this weekend, lovelies? I know, it's only a three day weekend here in the States and I sincerely apologize to my international readers for harping on the whole extra day off thing.

Whatever you do, have fun, enjoy yourself, and pause for a moment to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day in the first place.

Happy weekend, kids! See you all Tuesday!

Jen

(So, I WAS going to post a bunch of pictures but for some reason, whenever I decide to add pictures and then put text in between them, it likes to mush all the text together. And that makes for some seriously ugly postage. So I added links. It's an interactive post, kids!)

Because sometimes you just need a laugh.

2010-05-26T13:25:00.003-04:00

"You can't deny laughter;

when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair

and stays as long as it wants." ~Stephen King

Ever been wandering through a bakery and saw a cake that made you gasp in horror? No?!?! We-he-ell, do I have a site for you: Cake Wrecks

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Had any good laughs today? Do share!

Happy Wednesday,

Jen

Getting There

2010-05-25T14:58:00.005-04:00

no, this is NOT what I have been subsisting on for the past three months.

keep reading and you'll understsand...er...hopefully.

A great big "THANKS A BUNDLE" to all my fabulous readers (ahem...that means YOU!). I'm feeling a bit better, not in as much pain today but still a bit "blah". You do know that's a highly educated sounding medical term, right?

Doctor: So, how are you feeling today?

Patient: Blah

Doctor: Gads! I had no idea it was so bad!

I'm not really sure what's going on (no surprise there...) but I'm doing some research and haunting the herb shops like the smell of three week old Limburger.

As I sit here at work, marvelling at how slow the clock seems to be working today (maybe it's feeling as sluggish as I am), I thought I'd do a little Googling for blog themes. I'm sort of addicted to graphic design and like to daydream about the day I'm able to html and css my way to total design freedom.

Until then, I'll shout out a great big THANKS to all the designers at The Cutest Blog on the Block,
Blogger Templates, and Shabby Blogs take all the glory.

[Just for beer and skittles I searched for "pimp my blog" and lo and behold, it doth exist! Can I get a feather boa with that? Blue please. Thanks.]

Lethargically yours,
Jen

Not so much a post as an interruption...

2010-05-24T12:42:00.003-04:00

I'm not feeling quite as spry today as my self would like to be feeling. Yes, I'm still sitting at work, glaring -er- staring at the computer, but the fog that's been hovering around the olde grey matter for the past few months has finally descended and it's taking all I can to meander about these few words.

My apologies. Here's to a brighter (and less painful) tomorrow!
Cheers,
Jen

Friday Roundup, a bit about genre, and ridiculous Wild, Wild West speak

2010-05-21T12:14:00.001-04:00

So...

Last post I dropped a little hint about some new forays into the great, wide realm of genres. Genre busting. Yep. That's me. Pulling out the big guns and kicking in the saloon doors. I'm rounding up some rogue genres and I'm curious...

Any of you write in these here parts? If so, let me hear from you!

Supernatural Thriller: Okay. I just spent 30 minutes trying to find a decent definition of the "supernatural thriller". Apparently there's not one. But they do exist. Just ask Frank Peretti.

Now I am in no way comparing myself to Dean Koontz, Bram Stoker, or Stephen King. That would be stupid. It's just that I have recently discovered that I really, really enjoy a good ghost story. Something creepy (not gruesome) that makes me think, that makes me sleep with the light on, that makes me jump six inches off the sofa when something upstairs falls suddenly at 2am. But to say "I write ghost stories" sounds a big dicey. To say, "I write horror" makes people want to sprinkle holy water over you and make the sign against the evil eye after you've parted ways. But a supernatural thriller? Hmmm...a good old M. Night Shyamalan crossed with a murder mystery that all happens on a dark and stormy night somewhere in distant Algeria. Now you're talking. Of course, you can UP the "supernatural" quota and put it on a distant planet, in the distant future, or maybe the past. Would that make it a "Supernatural Sci-Fi/Fantasy Thriller"? Or how about some good old Dark Fantasy that makes you hunker down under the blankets because you're afraid (genuinely afraid) the evil elves WILL come out after night fall?

After writing all of this I have to wonder...IS there a genre for what I want to write? Perhaps you can help me. Ghost story? Check. Mystery? Check. Dark Fantasy? Double check. Psychological "holy crap I never saw that coming" moments sprinkled throughout? Ah...triple check. Real life or death situations that make your pulse race? Yep. Enough "scare" to make you check over your shoulder at least a half a dozen times while you're writing it? Definitely. No gore, guts or unrelated, totally unnecessary sex scenes. I'm all for some good old medieval violence (a la Brave Heart or Lord of the Rings), but I really don't need to see the old intestines spilled when the axe murder goes on a rampage, capisce?

Genre #2. Are you ready for this one, because I bring this up at random and usually get some rather bizarre looks.

Steampunk.

Oh yes. There IS a Santa Claus.

I have long searched for an aesthetic that bound all my bizarre and slightly random yearnings, tastes and penchant for brass castoffs at the thrift store in one handy-dandy, all-inclusive resort stay.

"Have you ever heard of Steampunk?" my sister asked innocently one day.

No. I had not.

Imagine my surprise when I did a good old Google search and discovered heaven. I'll let you do you're own wandering in my newly encapsulated world. Try here, here and here for starters. You'll either fall in love or shake your head and murmur aloud how very, very, very bizarre that Jen chic is. Either way, I'm smiling. I've just opened your mind to a much larger world :) Kind of like my art history professor did when she made us memorize the types of columns on classical buildings. Yep. I still shake a fist at the sky when I pass by a Doric Column and feel the sudden urge to announce to everyone that's what it's called. She told us we'd curse her name. She was right.

So, what to do now?

Research. Which means : READ.

Torture, I know.

But I want to get it "right", you know? Not make those who have been following these genres for years pick up one of my lovely paperbacks, read the back and write hate mail with their quill pens and threaten me with their steam powered butler-bots (of course, if they sent over a fully functional robot that may be really cool...).

That's where I stand, dear readers. I'll be scouting out used bookstores for some oldies, some newbies, and some classics (a night of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells anyone?). Of course, movies will need to be watched. The basics are there, have been, all along. I see them in all my writing. It's just that now I have some labels to smack on the shiny packages to give reference. Huzzah! And while I'm not usually a fan of labels, knowing where your book should sit in the old Books A Million will help when the time comes to write that query.

In other news:

My mom's in Alaska. ALASKA!! Can I tell you how proud of her I am?!?

Someone else out there is as fascinated with airplane toilets as I am.

And, did you know, it IS possible to smell like last nights lobster dinner? Oh yes. It is.

Happy weekend to all!

Jen

Disclaimer: this post is insanely long and ridiculously written. However, I was in much pain this morning, did not sleep well, and had coffee against my better judgement. I'm just sorry you all had to pay for it. My apologies.

What ScriptFrenzy Taught Me

2010-05-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

During the month of April, there were a lot of bleary-eyed, caffeine infused, panic stricken writers all across the world. We typed when we should have been working, we typed when we should have been cooking, we even typed when we should have been cleaning out the litter box (gasp)! Was it for glory, for fame, for fortune? No. It was for one,very simple reason: to have, at the end of 30 days of frantic writing, a 100+ page script.

And I finished.

Now before you oooooh and aaaaah and throw heaps of flowers and Mardi Gras beads in my direction, let me clarify "finished". There is, at this very moment, a 109 page script-like substance sitting in the confines of the inner labyrinth of my computer. I haven't looked at it in weeks, not since I finished it. I say "script-like" because it's not technically correct. Its got dialogue, scene cuts, bold type and strange formatting but if I handed it to Spielberg tomorrow he'd probably run screaming from the pile of papers in my hands.

Don't get me wrong. I'm very proud of myself for finishing. It's the first time in a looong time I've finished that many pages much less actually finished a manuscript of any type. I have a nice, loose, pathetic script just waiting for me to edit and polish it. More than that, I have learned something very, very important about myself in the process.
I am not a script writer.

And I'm perfectly ok with that.

Most of what we as writer's do, in the beginning, is fumble around with genre and voice, habit and discipline. Yes, I'm still in the beginning stages. I've been writing, seriously with the thought of eventual publication in the back of my head, for fourteen years. It's been an off and on, love/hate process, but ongoing. Habit and discipline I struggle with. Current situations are not conducive to an ideal writing schedule (lame excuse, but true). Habit? Well, I write when I can. When I have the energy. I tend to beat myself up over this but I'm learning to ease up and take it as it comes. Voice? That's coming, finally, after many moons of typing words and writing things that feel choked and stifled. Voice is emerging and it's a timid thing indeed. As for genre? Well, that's emerging as well. Not so timid. More...cautious for the simple fact they (yes, they) aren't the most popular fish in the barrel. And I'm cool with that. Actually, I"m relieved. But I also have my work cut out for me, researching, hunting down books in those genres and reading, devouring, studying the "masters".

ScriptFrenzy taught me I'm not a script writer. It brought out a strange, ethereal voice that I've been afraid of and a genre possibility I've been dodging. In fact, it inspired two other stories, one of which I'm working on now. Sorry, it doesn't have a title yet. I'm terrible at those things. It will come, though. Probably when it's almost finished...

Have you ever done anything that completely shifted your perception of yourself as a writer? Did you come away relieved, as I did? Or frightened, as I did? Intimidated? Wary? Lost? Yes, again, as I did.

Cheers!
Jen

PS: A big HELLO to my new followers! I see you down there! Sorry I haven't had a spare moment to come by and say hello properly. But I shall. Thanks for following!

A Bit of Monday Randomness

2010-05-17T11:24:00.002-04:00

A great big THANK YOU to all you wonderful people and your fabulous comments on my little poem. Really, your kind words do more than you could possibly know :)

***
Jon and I were walking through Target last night and heard a mom teaching her kid a song. Precious, right? I'll let you decide. Their song of choice? "I like big butts and I cannot lie!"

***
We bought a harness for our cat so we can take him out on walks. He wants to go out so badly and feel wild. The harness was for medium sized dogs. It was too small. O_0

***
I've started a new story, dears. It's beyond bizarre but I'm enjoying tripping through uncharted seas. I'll keep you posted and may even post a wee bit of a teaser now and then...maybe *wink, wink*

***
We have a dryer now! Which means our clothes will smell clean, be wrinkle free, have no more globs of cat hair on them AND we don't have to tromp up and down the stairs carrying arm loads of wet clothes to the upstairs office to hang up to dry. Heat rises, right? It was the best place to hang them.

***
I have reason to believe I'm allergic to metro Atlanta. Perhaps I'm allergic to the south all together. I had no breathing problems while in California, Ireland or India. Hmm....

How was YOUR weekend?

Words

2010-05-13T09:46:00.004-04:00

Words tipple tumble from my inkstained hands
and I watch them skip and scatter as they fly

Off page to atmosphere they twinkle
building worlds of adjectives
and little paper houses with inkstained flues

They stipple and they stopple
staining all within their wake
consonants and vowels plinking plonking over waves

Surges of emotion
a parade of little things
waxing so poetic

Epic weavings rolling by
telling stories, trudging onward
keeping flashlights lit all night

Nerds are people too

2010-05-12T13:50:00.004-04:00

I have a confession to make. I'm a nerd. Yep. A nerd. A big one.

I was raised on Star Wars. The ORIGINAL trilogy. And while I'm all for Ewan MacGregor playing the young and dashingly handsome Obi Wan Kenobe, I'll vote for episodes IV,V, and VI over the "others" every time.

I've been wandering around the Internet a LOT lately. Rather mindlessly, but I usually tend to stumble upon something interesting. Sometimes frightening. Most of the time amusing. Yesterday, I thought it would be fun to share with you guys some of what I've found and, yes, admit to being a nerd.

Plus I got the opportunity to use a picture of Han Solo on my blog :)

I get inspired by the strangest things. I honestly can't remember how I found BLDGBLOG but I have spent hours wandering it's archives, gazing in awe at the architecture, imagery, and spectacular imaginings of writing Geoff Manaugh. He posts maps and geological surveys and his article on the Mount St. Helen's of Glass got my fantasy writer brain all excited. Prepare to spend several days going through this site. I had to stop. The tech speak was beginning to wear on me but I seriously feel smarter after wandering those archives.

Wonder of wonders, I just remember where I discovered BLDGBLOG: Dark Roasted Blend. Not only do I love the sound of the site, but the random links will cause you to go through a pot or two of your own choice of java before you realize it. Are you in the market for some origami inspired sculptures? How about a video of the Galapagos bat fish? If nothing else, do take a moment to look at the Flags of Forgotten Countries.

I haven't lost you yet, have I?

Good.

Are you tired of the same old stuff being played on the radio? NPR music may be your saving grace. I've discovered more talent there than I've ever heard on the radio. I rarely listen to the radio, to be honest. I'm usually listening to random stations on the Internet like Celtic Fiddle stations, Folk music, or World Beats. Classical Baroque is a favorite to work too and I love writing to Loreena McKennitt and movie soundtracks. If I get a wild hair, I crank up the Dave Matthews.

I also enjoy the shows on good old NPR. Prairie Home Companion is at the top of my list. As is the Thistle and Shamrock.

If nothing else, you can always wile away the hours wandering through the digital compendium of Mrs. Grieve's Modern Herbal. Over 800 plants are profiled here with their medicinal, culinary, and cosmetic properties as well as some interesting folk lore. Plus, I'm a sucker for old botanical art and this place is loaded with it!

I won't pester you any more with my nerdy ramblings. I do love sharing the strange and unusual links I find. I always wonder if anyone else out there gets a kick out of things like this. Seriously? I have to wonder how many (if any) they sold!

Have any nerds in your life? Are YOU a closet nerd? Be brave! Speak out! Or, at the very least, go hug those nerds close to you :)

Cheers!

Jen

Why all the changes?

2010-05-11T12:09:00.002-04:00

Change is good. At least, that's what I hear. I'd have to agree, considering I'm the type of person who moves just because she wants a different view, who is ready for another job after a year and a half (tops), and thinks the idea of living in another country is perhaps the most exciting thing ever.

Maybe it's just in my blood to crave change. Hence the blog. It looks different. It feels different. I'm happy with that. It even has a different name. Why? Well, honestly, I LOVE the word Woolgathering. I do. It means and indulgence in daydreams. Master Webster does describe it more as an unhealthy attachment to daydreams, but it's my blog so I tweaked it. However...it sounded so disjointed. Very up in the air. Woolgathering. Whatever, whenever, however. I like that. Spontaneity. Devil may care. What if?

That's all well and good except I felt disjointed. I felt no sense, no rhyme or reason. I'm not looking to create a regimented blog that posts Monday - Friday at precisely 10 o'clock. Um, that would be a bit predictable, don't you think? What I realized I lacked was direction. I was floundering, you see, to come up with fabulous writing links, witty repartee about the act of creating disobedient characters, and brilliant musings on the writer's life. That's a lot of pressure. Oh I have a nasty habit of putting too much pressure on myself.

Consider this change of plans a new mode of blog transportation. A way for me to reflect on life, not just writing, but all aspects of life. We are, after all, more than just pens and ink, more than just that which we craft. And that's a very good thing. We need multiple dimensions. That's how we gather friends, how we relate to so many different people on this fabulously diverse planet we live on.

I want to try new things, new adventures, even if they only take place in my kitchen or in the park two blocks away from my front door. I want to experiment with new art forms, find my niche, and let it grow. And I want to continue writing and word-crafting and getting feedback from you wonderful readers. Not to mention I want to continue reading your amazing posts. Truly, they touch me. I hope I convey that often.

Have a blessed day. If any of you have been touched by the flooding or the tornadoes or the oil spill of late, my prayers are with you and your families.

Cheers,
Jen

Training Dragons

2010-05-07T11:45:00.000-04:00

We all have them. Those ... things that lurk in the dark places of the soul. We're afraid of them. We hide from them. We avoid them. Usually because we know they are EXACTLY what we must do. But we don't understand them. We've been told "it doesn't make sense", "that's not the way it's done" , "you're crazy to think you could ever accomplish anything", etc.

We have good reason to fear it. It's huge! It's wild! It's untamable. It has sharp, pointy teeth and may eat us (at, at the least, squish us).

Nevertheless, it won't leave us alone. It taunts us, haunts us, throws things at us from the dark corners, Corrals the dust bunnies into a revolt and leads the revolution through the house at 1 a.m. All sane people are asleep. You, however, are wide awake, listening to the war march of a thousand, pattering paws.

You kick off the covers, roll up your pajama sleeves and tip toe into the attic, where the commotion is. Of course, you take a baseball bat with you, just in case. You're not ready to confront the monster, but you have no choice. If you don't face it, you'll never get another night's sleep. Your days will continue to be a constant battle between avoidance and fear.

And it's big. Huge even. What were you thinking? Maybe, if it didn't see you, you could sneak back downstairs, cover your head and - uh. oh. It saw you. Um...

Some bread? Or a block of cheese? There's a fruit cake in the pantry from six Christmases ago. Maybe an offering would work. Bribery?

Nada.

It roars, you run, halting at the top of the attic steps. Something moves you to turn around. It's watching you. The eyes of a hunter but also the eyes of someone who knows more than you. It's the need for that knowledge that makes you turn around and do the impossible.

You reach out a hand, willing to sacrifice life and limb, to finally discover if this "thing" is really as fierce as you have grown to believe.

And you're shocked to find out you were wrong.

It takes time, a loads more courage than anyone dared believe YOU could have, but you spend time with it, get to know it. Discover it has a name.

Novel

Screenplay

Oil Painting

Calligraphy

Sword smithing

Bread baking

House building

New Job

Small Business Ownership

Motherhood

Life

You suck in your breath, leap into the air and find...

You're flying.

The very thing you feared is now supporting you, lifting you.

It's certainly not smooth sailing. There are up drafts and down drafts and other dragons along the way. You dip, you twirl, you even crash. But it's still there, you're still there. And you get back up and ride again. And again. And again.

And one day.

Someone shows up.

"So, I hear you're ________ (fill in the blank) now."

"Yeah."

"Let's see."

You know what that means.

What if they hate it?

What if they hate you?

What if they don't get it?

Guess what?

They just might not.

In fact, one of the risks you signed up for when you first stretched out your hand was the fact that everyone you know could turn their backs on you.

But I have a secret to tell you.

You're not alone.

There are more like you out there. More like me. It sometimes takes a while, but you find them, eventually.

They're lurking in corners, hovering over keyboards, sipping 162 cups of coffee while they eek out just three more words. They're in the bakeries late at night, in the classrooms after hours. They're investing all they own (all they don't have even) to make the idea, the dream work. They're staying up late with a sick baby, they're in the hospital with a dying parent. They're tilling up rocky ground, refusing to believe the flowers won't grow.

The key is keeping at it until you find another. And when you do, you'll fly together. Sometimes along side each other. Sometimes supporting one another. Sometimes you may have to fly for them, and they, in turn, will fly for you.

One day your realize: had I never dared to discover what all that racket was, I would never have enjoyed this view. The adventure would continue to be just a dream.

So...what are YOUR dragons?

Happy weekend, happy Mom's Day, happy happy,

Jen

All images found via google images and belong to Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon

2010-05-06T09:20:00.005-04:00

So many kind responses. Thank you all. I hesitate to post my doldrums, for fear of being one of "those" blogs (all negative and hive-inducing). But I am what I am and I've learned that opening up can sometimes be the best therapy. You guys were more than gracious in sharing your remedies to creative struggles. It seems the common thread is this: Keep Moving Forward (hence the little "keep truckin' " picture at the bottom of my sidebar).

Moving forward. I have heard this phrase countless times, internally, externally, through reading, in movies. Lately, it pops up on a daily basis.

Right now, moving forward beckons me to be more authentic, more myself, less concerned about others and their opinions and whims. To be grounded in who I am and not wandering, wavering.

That's one of the reasons I changed my blog name. "Woolgatherings" is such a wonderful word, so rich and playful. And yet, it signifies an ambling mind, a wandering, drifting sort of existence. While I will always be a daydreamer, I'm ready to reel those dreams in, build some foundations and begin construction goals. "From Inkstained Hands" sums me up perfectly. I have my hands in something all the time: ink, glue, dirt. And it all tends to stay with me, stuck under nails and smudged on my wrists and elbows. But none of these stick with me longer than ink. Ink from my trusty pen which I use to write my first drafts, my overflow of daily thoughts. Ink from the calligraphy pen I have begun to pick up again, dipped in an inkwell, running down my hands until little rivers of green and blue appear for all the world to see.

Marvelous rivers of words, flowing, tumbling, sailing across an ocean of paper. Crafting stories. Sculpting words. Building worlds.

What stains your hands? Is it something tangible, like ink or soil? Perhaps flour, sugar and a bit of cream? Or maybe it's love, compassion, kindness, or a stray cotton thread from the coat you gave to a homeless man this past winter.

Keep calm and carry on,

Jen

(PS: if the type is too small on the picture above, click on the picture to read the quote. it's worth the effort :))

When a struggling writer goes to a Renaissance Festival

2010-05-04T10:46:00.008-04:00

I LOVE the Renaissance Festival. It comes every spring to Fairburn, Georgia and my husband and I always go, usually twice, but the first time is on or around our anniversary. It was the first place we went on a date. I love being surrounded by a different time, by people who craft a life out of passions and art and craft and talent. It's a brave life, or so I think, that they lead. Perhaps they have nine to fives. Perhaps they only do it on the weekends because it brings them much needed joy and respite. But I like to imagine it's what they do all the time. The glassblower will go back to his studio in June and create more wares, sell them via 21st century means, and travel on to the next Renaissance Fair, far, far away. The bookbinder, the candle maker, the acrobats, the hatter, the jeweler: masters at their art. Years of practice, of sacrifice, of failures and successes.

And every year I pause and ask myself: why am I not there yet?

Do I want to live in a festival? Honestly, yes. I think it would be a blast to waltz about in medieval garb, speaking the king's English. But there's more to that "out there". More life, more people, more opportunity.

One year is a long time. It is. 365 days. 8,760 hours. That much time to hone my craft, to get my elbows dirty, to cake the ink on these fingers and nails. And yet another hour ticks by and nothing. Emptiness.

My heart has felt that emptiness for a long time. It's not just the Renaissance Festival that reveals it. It's the articles, the quotes, the lives I see daily who have stepped out in faith to accomplish their dreams, who have persevered, who have fought and bled and died a little just to see the dream birthed.

It's a struggle daily to sit and feel this sense of un-accomplishment, of nothingness. It's hard to show up at family reunions and grin and nod when everyone's talking and asking "So, what is it you do again?". Shuffling feet, looking away, trying to find an excuse to get another plateful and not answer the inevitable.

I long to smile, to greet the question enthusiastically. "I'm a writer and an artist." I'd hand them my card. They would smile, maybe even, wistfully, sigh and say, "I wish it was me." To which I would reply, "It can be! Let me show you how."

But for now, I fight. I ache. I long. I weep. And again I fight and fight and fight. Why? Because it's what I believe in. No matter how many hours I must sit and do the monotonous while dreaming of the great, of the work that will take me to the hurting and the hungry. I fight because I know that to give up is to die. I think I also fight because I know, deep down, somewhere that's sometimes un-mappable, that it's meant to be and if I just keep going, moving on, I'll get there. And perhaps one day, I'll be able to help another struggler through my own stories. That is, after all, what we're here for.

How do you handle the downs of this creative life? How do you keep going? We all struggle and we all triumph. If you're struggling at the present time (as I am) don't give up, keep fighting, and by all means, keep in touch. It's never good to walk alone. ~ do forgive my long ramblings.

Have I really been gone a month?

2010-05-04T10:16:00.003-04:00

Hello blogland!

How have you been? I've missed each and every one of you but I must say, the break was much needed. I ended my online sabbatical with a four day weekend this past weekend and can I tell you how much I needed it? I will anyway. I REALLY needed it! Lots of decisions were made, things cleared up (mostly my muddled brain) and I wrote a script.

And I discovered I am NOT a script writer. Meh, I finished the thing in under two weeks (we had a month to complete it). Trust me when I say it's not technically accurate, but I did it. I wrote a script. Talk about an exercise in restraint! I'm a description writer, not a conversationalist so it was quite a stretch. BUT I did discover a wonderful way to outline a general plot and work on conversation. So all was not lost. On the contrary, I gained a lot of insight into my own writing and now know if I ever need to spit out 100 pages in two weeks, I'll just sit down and pound out a script.

In other news, and this might not be great news, I'm letting my second blog, Sagewood Manor, sit idle for a while. As I said, a lot of decisions have been made and one is to back off from the business planning for a while. Not that I don't still want to be my own boss (believe me when I say the four day weekend confirmed that desire), but the art has suffered for the sake of the dollar. Art can not be created for the sake of money. Making a living doing what I love, creating with my hands, with words is my dream, one of my life goals. But I've lost the passion, the zeal to create art for art's sake and I need to step back, reassess and begin to enjoy creating again. I hope this doesn't disappoint you. I was hesitant to announce it but it must be done and I'm ever so much peaceful because of the decision. I'll post an announcement on the blog and you'll be the first to know when that status changes.

Speaking of changes, how do you like the changes here? I wanted to make the blog more about life and writing and art and less a struggle to come up with writing news daily. I'm a writer, yes, but I'm so much more and the "so much more" part of me was slipping to the wayside. Hence the changes on both blogs. Of course I'll still be talking writing, just in a different way.

Anything else? Celebrated my six year anniversary (Yippee!) by going to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, drank way to many drinks from Starbucks, saw "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Where the Wild Things Are", got rid of a dumpster full of old magazines (don't worry, I recycle), planted a veggie garden, and really enjoyed life for the first time in years.

All in all, it's been a good time off, but it's good to be back and see where this wild ride takes me next.

How have YOU been?

Under Construction

2010-04-21T22:37:00.003-04:00

Thursday Catch-Up

2010-03-25T08:35:00.003-04:00

"The only difference between a rut and a grave

is there dimensions." ~ Ellen Glasgow

I have talked a lot about change it seems. Just about every week I'm posting something about it. It would be safe to assume that I need to implement some changes in my life.

There is nothing wrong with change. Change is often for the best. At least, the kind you go looking for is. We've had a few changes lately. Jon got a job (hallelujah!), and while it's not "the" job, it's something until he can find it (whatever "the" job may be). He'll be working afternoons and early evenings which is strange because I work 8:30 -5 and he won't be getting home until around 9 or 11 most nights. But it's for the best: we've been needing two incomes for a while now.

I'm writing a script starting next week. That's a huge change! One I'm welcoming and excited about. I've decided on an original story and we'll see how it turns out, crossing from novel to screenplay in a matter of 30 days.

My other writing is changing as well. I've made strides in that I realize I've been holding myself back for fear of being misunderstood. For the fear of no one "getting" it and it never getting out there on the shelves. But a decision based on fear is never the right decision. Over the next 30 days I'll be wide open, letting it all pour out, being held together by this new structure called "script".

"The birds are molting. If only man could molt also -

his mind once a year its errors, his heart once a year

its useless passions." ~ James Allen

Perhaps this quote sums up what I'm feeling lately. Ever feel like you could crawl out of your skin? That's how I've felt for years. It's been building and building until recently I've just wanted to scream! Claw my skin until I am able to shed it like a snake. Problem: shedding skin takes away the protective layer that's built up callouses and been hardened to weather and work. Tender new growth is painful and sensitive and not in the mood to be stretched. And dear friends, I am being stretched.

But it's good. Very good. It has been a long time coming. The only way for it to be implemented is to focus, to cast off the distraction and run my race no matter how painful it may be to begin with. I need discipline to recover my passion for writing and for creating, something that has been sorely missed for several years now. And the only way I know how to do it is to take a break.

I know. I've taken breaks here recently. I took a long one around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Two weeks, if I remember correctly. This time, however, it's going to be a bit longer. I'm unplugging for the entire month of April. Starting Monday (the 29th of March) through the 3rd of May. I'll be back on 4 May and I'm excited to see what changes have been wrought.

I will miss you, dear friends, but this is something I must do for myself. One of my favorite scriptures is Hebrews 12:1. "Strip off every weight and encumbrance which does so easily distract and run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that has been set before us." It has come to my attention that, despite my best efforts, I have still be trying to run someone else's race. It's so easy to do. We see other races, those that look so much better, easier, nicer than ours. We change lanes only to stumble and wonder why. The path wasn't made for you. And I'm standing on my own path again, waiting eagerly for the pistol to sound. I'll probably start at a swift walk. I've never been much of a runner. Maybe I can kayak the race sent before me?

"We all have big changes in our lives

that are more or less a second chance." ~ Harrison Ford

All I ask of you, dear friends, are your prayers while I'm reclaiming this path of mine and your smiling faces when I return! I wish you all the best of April. Happy Easter, happy spring. I'm looking forward to catching up in May. Until then, in the words of Garrison Keillor, "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."

Vive la revolucion!
Jen

"Stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths

and there you will find peace for your soul." ~ Jeremiah 6:16

Where did the sun go?

2010-03-22T09:40:00.002-04:00

Okay, who took it? The sun! The warmth! The spring like weather! It was just here Saturday. I don't mind sharing but we'd like it back now :)

How was your weekend? I hope it was wonderful! We had some awesome weather on Saturday and I got out in it, allergies and all! I paid for it later, but I didn't care! What are a few sniffles compared to sunshine on my shoulders making me happy (hm, that sounds vaguely like a song...).

But alas, it's Monday and the skies know it. They are positively weeping. But I see the blue and soon the skies will blaze with fierce Georgia intensity and come August I'll be pining for fall. It happens every year.

But enough talk about the weather. Thank you all for your sounding off on my question Friday. I really appreciate your wise words. I'm going with an original idea. The one that's been calling. I have no idea how it will pan out but I'm willing to give it a go. I'm looking forward to it, actually, more so than the adaptation idea.

Thank you all for bearing with me and my fickle wanderings (ramblings). Not much to post today other than that! Have a fabulous Monday and I hope wherever you are today it's beautiful.

Journey on,
Jen

Happy Friday!

2010-03-19T09:20:00.002-04:00

Still searching through a wilderness of plots and pollen...

So the pollen bug is still here and my voice is slowly vanishing. Not too fun when your job consists of answering phones all day. Le sigh...

While pondering my script writing conundrum, as in what oh what to write, I had a revelation. Sure, an adaptation would be easy practice. I would already have the story out there, a story I know front ways and back ways. All I would have to do is create an adaptation of the story and put it in script form. I know, easy-peasy (ha!).

HOWEVER

I got to thinking (a dangerous thing) and wondered if I should just scrap the "easy" way and dive in with my own story? In this case, there are three ways I could go.

1) I could take a story I already have written and turn it into a script.

2) I could take a story that I am itching to write and turn it into a script.

3) I could take the story that came to me in a dream that WAS a film, complete with cast, crew,

film location, and a big banner that stretched over the high school gym where I was filming it. (Okay, the story has nothing to do with high school, but that was where my dream had it being filmed...)

So I'm looking at these choices. I'm seeing the easy one. I'm seeing the obvious one. I'm seeing the one that would be a midway between the two that would allow me the ease of turning a novel plot into a script. Could I make this any harder on myself? :)

So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to think on it. All weekend. Weigh the pros and cons. I know, it's not like Tim Burton has asked me to do this (oh, if ONLY) but it IS something I want to possibly pursue beyond this script writing frenzy.

What would you do, dear friends? Would you grab the bull by the horns and tackle the movie that popped into your night thoughts? Would you take the middle road, the story you have outlined and weave it in and out of a script writing format? Or would you take the story written, add some bold type here, some slug lines there and *poof* script-ish?

I already know the answer.

What say you?

Happy Weekend,

Jen

Under the Weather

2010-03-18T11:09:00.003-04:00

Hey guys! Just a little update. I won't be circling the blogsphere today. I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Pollen is already lashing out at me. But as long as that means Spring and warm weather are on their way, I won't complain too much!

Happy Thursday,
Jen

A Wednesday Script Writing Update

2010-03-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

Good day all! I know my presence in the blogsphere has been limited of late but I am here, I do read, and I try to comment as I can.

I've been doing a LOT of research on script writing. Considering this is my first attempt at writing a script, I figured this was an excellent way to spend my Monday at work. I found LOADS of info as well as a list about a half a mile long of books on the script writing and film making process.

Surprisingly, it's not that complicated. There are strict rules one must adhere to in order to write a screenplay, but I find the form and function of those rules strangely liberating. Coming from someone who can pen a 500+ page novel and cry if she has to delete anything, knowing I have to limit myself to between 95 and 140 pages and NOT throwing a royal tantrum is a miracle indeed.

I narrowed my script down to two possible stories. One would be an original that, strangely enough, hit me yesterday while riding home from work and seeing a police officer cutting grass on a riding lawn mower (don't worry: if I don't write the script for this one in April, I will write in eventually...the idea of a police chase on riding lawn mowers is just too hilarious a mental picture to pass up). My other idea (the one I'm going with) is to do a screen adaptation of my favorite book. SADLY an adaptation has already been done. It was horrible. It was vile. It was...well...let's just say it should not have been at all. I have to wonder, did the producer/script writer/director even READ the book before making the film? I think they read the back of the book and said, "Hey, that's a neat idea!" and read no further. I shudder to even remember the horror.

That being said, I have always dreamed of seeing A Wrinkle in Time on the big screen. Not a made for DVD butcherization of a classic, but a real, honest to goodness portrayal of the story, the characters, the magic of the book that made me want to write.

Am I the person to do this? The thought is humbling and, quite frankly, frightening. There's no promise my screenplay will go beyond this little free-for-all in April. But what if? Is it wrong to think a POSITIVE what if for a change? Too often we think the opposite: What if I fail? What if no one likes it? What if I can't find a publisher? What if it sucks and I might as well just hang up my pen and become a taxi cab driver?

Right now, I'm wanting my imagination to wander. I want to challenge and stretch my writing muscles in a way they've never been stretched. I want to sit down on April 01 and write with abandon. I want to bring this story to life to the best of my ability and see what comes of it.

Will I submit it? Probably not. No, hear me out. I have several ideas for short films and for feature films. Ideas that I WOULD pursue selling. THIS one, however, is a film I would want to direct. Writer becomes film maker. I think I've heard this tale before, long ago. The story is just too sacred to me to leave in the hands of someone else. When you sell a screenplay, unless they ask you to be the final editor of the script, you have no say so in the final movie. It's frightening, really. To trust my vision to someone else's eyes? But that's the nature of the beast. Hence why I'm also doing some research into film making.

What have I got myself into?

Happy St. Patrick's Day, by the way! Wearin' o' the green. Any of you been to Ireland? I went eight years ago and I've been home sick ever since. If you get the chance, GO. You'll leave a part of your soul there, though. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Slainte,

Jen

PS: I'll be having a little St. Paddy's Day shindig over at the Manor this afternoon. Wander on by if you have the time :)

A Frankenstinian Tale - Magpie Tales 5

2010-03-15T13:50:00.003-04:00

Just lying there...

"This is how you found the place."

I nodded. In my throat was a knot, about as big as the one in my gut. I kicked a book as I stumbled across the room. Glass crunched under my feet. I took off my glasses, wiped the sweat from my eyes.

"Could you explain, again, how you happened to be here just in time to put out the fire?"

"I told you, I was working late, in the lab across the hall. I heard glass shatter and went to investigate. There was smoke...and..." I couldn't finish. I'd already told the story a dozen and a half times to at least as many officers, the dean, and now this hot shot detective.

He nodded, scratched his head with the backside of his pen and scribbled something down in his well worn notebook.

"Don't go too far away," he said gruffly and sauntered over to a group of coffee guzzling professors and the dean.

I rolled my eyes. As a research assistant and PhD student, I had access to the labs at any hour of any day. Or so I was told. It now seemed I was in a heap of trouble just for being on campus at 8pm on a Saturday afternoon. I glanced over at the dean. He held a hand up, shook his head slightly. I'll talk to you later.

Again my eyes fell on her. She was ... just lying there. Like discarded lumber. But she wasn't. O, she was so much more.

I lifted her from the rubble, gently, so as not to lose any of the pieces. Carefully I laid her on the ruined desk after brushing away the ceiling tiles and broken beakers. She'd been there for me, all through my college years. Nervous freshman, confident senior, now apprehensive yet studious doctoral candidate. Now...I didn't know if she'd recover.

"I know you're not to blame for this."

The dean. I stood from the stool I'd been perching on.

"Yeah but that cop-"

"He's just doing his job. I have personally vouched for you. They're going to dust for finger prints. You can go home."

He looked at the table. Winced, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I ... yeah." I swallowed hard. One last look. She'd be thrown out along with all the other garbage. No one would understand.

"Do you want to take her with you?"

I looked at the dean. "Really?"

"I know how much she means to you."

I chewed on my chapped lips. "No. It's time to let go. She was old anyway. Other students will come along and ... and a new mannequin will be needed."

He blinked then smiled. "It's about time. I knew you could let go." He patted my shoulder. As he got to the door, he turned and said, "You know, she's not the reason I admitted you to the doctorate program."

It was my time to blink. "She's not?"

"No. You can do better. That's why I admitted you." He smiled again and was gone.

I looked at my hands. I'd spent six years working on that mannequin. Anatomically correct, used by both the art and the premed department. It was my crowning glory as an artist, as a scientist. My hands started shaking. No. I would not mourn those lost years. I knew she wasn't perfect. But better? How...

I picked her up off the charred table, her knee joint cracked and one foot fell off. Didn't matter. I had plans for her. I'd been working on some other sketches, other...ventures. I'd take her home, see what I could do. Maybe...just maybe...

Besides, there was a thunderstorm in the forecast.