insomniac, music evangelist, traveler, Random Citizen

She was asking for it

February 7, 2010 – 2:18 pm

After reading a recent New York Times article on the woes of (straight) women on college campuses seeking to date but coming up against a man shortage, I couldn’t help but be thankful that I attended a single-sex undergrad institution. (I should also note that said institution has since gone co-ed, which is why they will never receive a single fucking dime from me as an alum.)

What really made me roll my eyes was this lovely sentence:

“Thanks to simple laws of supply and demand, it is often the women who must assert themselves romantically or be left alone on Valentine’s Day, staring down a George Clooney movie over a half-empty pizza box.”

Now, I have definitely have issues with the cult of Valentine’s Day, or as I call it, “Cheap Chocolate Eve,” but for the NYT to make it seem that if you don’t have a date on that day, the only alternative is to stay home and sulk is quite frankly, bullshit.

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Can’t help you anymore

February 2, 2010 – 8:11 pm

In my day job, I often have to do the number trickery that’s officially called “resource reallocation.” Wouldn’t it be nice if I could do that with my life?

For instance, it would be great to picture my life as a pie chart within an Excel spreadsheet where I’m able to adjust a few percentages and voilà a better life balance has been achieved.

And then I woke up from that boring dream. Instead, I opted to take a couple of days off from my normal routine and take stock of my life. It ranged from the mundane/routine such as finishing my taxes and cleaning to willingly getting out of bed at 6:30 AM to walk down to the neighborhood yoga studio for a session of shadow yoga.

It was there that the pilot light reignited. For the first time in a while, I was actually practicing “be here now,” and not just paying homage to it. The yoga class was great, not just physically, but because it made me relax. That short amount of time allowed my brain to actually turn down the volume from 11 to 2. As my body performed the asanas, my brain said, “Ok, here are the keys, you drive, but only for a little bit, OK?”

Now, I just need to figure out a way to get another set of keys made…

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My Mama said

January 30, 2010 – 6:07 pm

For my birthday, my dear friends Mark and Greg gave me a copy of Mother’s Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again. The book has an entire chapter on mac & cheese recipes!! How insane is that?

Of course, growing up, my mother made mac & cheese for just about every holiday–using the same recipe for decades now. When I told her about the book, she naturally had to weigh in. When I told her (via e-mail) that some of the mac & cheese recipes included ingredients that didn’t include gasp! cheddar cheese, she did not approve.

For instance, when I mentioned one of the recipes used ricotta instead of cheddar, she replied, “Oh lawd ricotta cheese for mac and cheese? That ain’t mac and cheese that is lasagna, lol” I could easily imagine her scrunching up her face and shaking her head in disapproval.

Well, as luck would have it, I had planned to make a different recipe this time that used smoked cheddar and bacon. It was served with roasted beets and sautéed kale, onions, and garlic. I’m doing my best to incorporate more colors into my meals and what better way than to cook up some of my favorite winter veggies?

Oh, and a helpful tip to use after cooking/preparing beets…soak your hands in Polident solution for a few minutes. It takes the beet juice right off!

Posted in Cooking, Food, Home, That's Life | 2 Comments »

Birthday girl, make a wish

January 27, 2010 – 5:24 am

Another year has passed and as has been the norm for me, it had its ups and downs.

I…

• became CPR-certified (again)
• dipped a toe back into the dating puddle…with less than stellar results, but I’ve learned to laugh more rather than retreating to my bed in tears, so that’s progress!
• briefly had a dog…who has sadly gone on to the Rainbow Bridge (thanks Natalie for sending that poem my way.)
• saw the iceberg that was about to strike the place of employment where I used to work, jumped ship and landed safely back onto a more stable vessel (aka the job I had from 2006-2008)
• learned the joys of really being “just fine” thanks to modern medicine
• learned how to work the pole, danced for money, and felt *gasp* sexy
• got to interview a really awesome local band
• gave a presentation on riding the bus in front of 700+ people and then even more when it was posted on the Web
• traveled to Indiana, Illinois, and the Oregon Coast
• kept writing as much as possible, even when I didn’t feel like it…because even if it was only 150 words, that’s 150 words more of putting my thoughts, opinions, dreams, and desires out there
• realized that I am not alone
• didn’t see as many live shows, but enjoyed the ones I did see

And most importantly, I continue to learn how extremely lucky I am to have a host of people who love and care about me across this crazy planet we call home. To them, I say thank you. And to all those readers — all 20 of you — who continue to read my blog, thank you for continuing to stop by as I consider you just as much of a friend as those I meet in person on a regular basis.

And now, enough looking back, let’s get on with Chapter 33…

Sincerely,

A. L. Venable

Posted in Birthday, People, Random Citizen, Wacky Spinster | 2 Comments »

Never quite as it seems

January 23, 2010 – 9:55 am

Last night, I dreamt that I was in France, or at least a place where French was being spoken. I was riding along on a bus — gee, can’t escape that even in my dreams, I suppose — and chatting with my fellow passengers about travel and commenting on the houses we passed along the way.

At first, we were in a less populated area where the houses were massive and spread out, like castles or mansions. At some point, I remembered getting off the bus and walking across fields and making my way up a series of steps. All of a sudden, there was an opening that led into a house that was furnished, yet had a stairwell going through it. I came across a man watching television and apologized for intruding. He seemed resigned to it and said, “Oh, it’s OK.” I continued walking up the stairs, but then somehow I was back on the bus.

As the bus rolled on, we arrived in a more urban environment where the houses were much closer together and the streets were cluttered with people. The passengers on the bus began to comment on housing prices and how we couldn’t afford the huge residences we saw earlier on the ride, but how it may be possible to afford a place in the city.

And then, I woke up.

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