I have been opposed to tats for my personal use for a long time. "It's
something I'll regret someday," "You can remove piercings but not
tattoos" (well, not without some laser action), "When I'm old, that'll
look tacky as hell in church" (wtf, I don't even know, but it's crossed
my mind- hey, someday when I'm closer to the end than the beginning, who
knows? I may take up some sort of religion... maybe. Doubtfully. Who
knows.)...
So. I have been thinking about it. What have I
loved since I was a kid? What will I love until the day I die? What is
something that I enjoy, appreciate, want to protect? What is something
I hold dear? What would I possibly want to have inked into my flesh
for the rest of my life?
Thought of tats always starts me
thinking about my scars. Some of them were sheer accident, like the one
on my forehead from the monkey bars in kindergarten. Some were battle
wounds: the scars I have from my first childbirth (let's not go into
that), the stretch marks I've succumbed to from carrying children. Some
were unforeseen, like the tiny ones on my toes from swimming barefoot
as a child in Pickwick Lake and catching glass on my tootsies. Some
were self-induced, like all the piercings I've had and taken out. One
is just plain stupid- the huge one on my left arm that looks like a
crazy centipede, inflicted by a broken shard of glass and requiring 25
stitches.
Tattoos, like scars, become part of the map of
your body, part of your physical appearance and makeup. They are not
something for me personally to take lightly. And I have to finish this
later b/c Greg's telling me to chop chop. I hate interrupting myself
when I'm in the middle of a good ramble...
26 April 2008
17 April 2008
Not a Hippie...
You're A BABY BOOMER
You fit in best with people born between 1943 and 1960.
You are optimistic, rebellious, and even a little self centered.
You still believe that you will change the world.
You detest authority and rules. Deep down, you're a non conformist.
You fit in best with people born between 1943 and 1960.
You are optimistic, rebellious, and even a little self centered.
You still believe that you will change the world.
You detest authority and rules. Deep down, you're a non conformist.
08 April 2008
Cook This NOW!
Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 head garlic
1 medium eggplant, ends removed, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 to 3 medium zucchini, ends removed, quartered and into small chunks
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeds removed and cut into small chunks
1 large onion, cut into small chunks
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat penne
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (a large handful) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to pass at the table
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cut a sliver off the top of the garlic head just large enough to expose the cloves. Tear off a large square of aluminum foil and place the garlic in the center. Drizzle a small amount of EVOO over the head and wrap the foil up around it. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.
While the garlic is roasting, cut up the veggies and place everything except the tomatoes on one or two large baking sheets, along with the thyme leaves.
Once the garlic has been roasting for about 15 minutes, drizzle the veggies with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Once the veggies have been in the oven about 10 minutes, place the tomatoes onto another baking sheet, drizzle them with EVOO and hit them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss them into the oven with the other veggies and roast until they've burst and shriveled up slightly, 15-20 minutes.
Once the veggies have about 10 minutes left to go, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, ladle about 3/4 cup or so of the pasta cooking liquid into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and reserve.
Once the garlic is done roasting, allow it to cool enough to handle, then hold the head in your hand over the bowl with the pasta water and squeeze out all of the roasted cloves into the bowl. Add the tomatoes and mash everything together.
Add the roasted veggies, drained pasta, parsley and grated Parmigiano to the bowl and toss it all to combine.
Pass some additional Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table along with the bowl of pasta.
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 head garlic
1 medium eggplant, ends removed, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 to 3 medium zucchini, ends removed, quartered and into small chunks
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeds removed and cut into small chunks
1 large onion, cut into small chunks
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat penne
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (a large handful) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to pass at the table
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cut a sliver off the top of the garlic head just large enough to expose the cloves. Tear off a large square of aluminum foil and place the garlic in the center. Drizzle a small amount of EVOO over the head and wrap the foil up around it. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.
While the garlic is roasting, cut up the veggies and place everything except the tomatoes on one or two large baking sheets, along with the thyme leaves.
Once the garlic has been roasting for about 15 minutes, drizzle the veggies with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Once the veggies have been in the oven about 10 minutes, place the tomatoes onto another baking sheet, drizzle them with EVOO and hit them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss them into the oven with the other veggies and roast until they've burst and shriveled up slightly, 15-20 minutes.
Once the veggies have about 10 minutes left to go, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, ladle about 3/4 cup or so of the pasta cooking liquid into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and reserve.
Once the garlic is done roasting, allow it to cool enough to handle, then hold the head in your hand over the bowl with the pasta water and squeeze out all of the roasted cloves into the bowl. Add the tomatoes and mash everything together.
Add the roasted veggies, drained pasta, parsley and grated Parmigiano to the bowl and toss it all to combine.
Pass some additional Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table along with the bowl of pasta.
Springtime In The Bluegrass
i've gone back to work once again. it's nice to be outside again. i
knew it would be difficult.. greg gets home to keep haden right as it's
time for me to leave. yesterday was our first weekday with this new
situation and i must say, it's going to be rough.
i'm so tired. my body hurts, but that's ok; i know my aching muscles need to be utilized. maybe some of the weight i've gained will start to go away. i am grateful for the health to be outside in the conditions the nursery provides, which can be harsh under the sun in the south.
the garden center is just now beginning to get in all the annuals and there is color everywhere. the trees are blooming and anytime i like, i can walk by the trees for the scent of cherry blossoms floating on the breeze. bees fly off of the salvia as i water and hover around me, and i don't worry because i know they understand that i'm not there to hurt them, i'm helping their pollen source stay healthy. they're tiny allies and i feel like they know i appreciate them and care for the flowers.
there is a large demand for straw and i love climbing into the trailer and climbing all over the bails and hauling them out. it reminds me of childhood, of hay rides. the smell is comforting.
at night when the lights go off and i see the moon rise above the tables of plants and rows of trees. last night it was a cheshire cat smile. the air was cool after a perfect, mild day.
they call the summer months at lowe's the "hundred days of hell", but it's my time to shine. it does get insanely busy, hot, hectic, and chaotic. i do get scraped, cut, scratched, dirty, sore, blistered, bruised, and sunburned (no matter how much sunblock i wear), then weathered and tan. i have to scrub my fingernails and toenails in the shower every night, wash the layers of dirt off of me, cold cream my burned face. the management really under-pays and under-appreciates. i feel like a mexican laborer at times. but the customers, the nice ones, are so great. they're fun to help and i love how excited people feel about planting. i enjoy being able to assist someone in planting something living in the earth and helping it flourish.
i'm loving it today. in another month it'll all be bitching, but i love that i have it to bitch about, as little sense as that makes. i miss my old sales supervisor debi. i wonder about her, and mike the team leader too. they both taught me so much about my job. i miss the memphis lowes and the crazy coworkers. living and working in a small town store that's about 80,000 square feet smaller is a very different experience. but i have met some cool people, like sierra, who is still getting used to kentucky like me, and kari, who somehow manages to keep long fancy ass painted/glittered nails even though she's a hands-on sales supervisor.
also, i would rather be busy any day at a job than look at my watch over and over, wondering why the time is dragging by so slowly. i am so tired and it's only just now beginning...
and i am trying to start school too.
i'm so tired. my body hurts, but that's ok; i know my aching muscles need to be utilized. maybe some of the weight i've gained will start to go away. i am grateful for the health to be outside in the conditions the nursery provides, which can be harsh under the sun in the south.
the garden center is just now beginning to get in all the annuals and there is color everywhere. the trees are blooming and anytime i like, i can walk by the trees for the scent of cherry blossoms floating on the breeze. bees fly off of the salvia as i water and hover around me, and i don't worry because i know they understand that i'm not there to hurt them, i'm helping their pollen source stay healthy. they're tiny allies and i feel like they know i appreciate them and care for the flowers.
there is a large demand for straw and i love climbing into the trailer and climbing all over the bails and hauling them out. it reminds me of childhood, of hay rides. the smell is comforting.
at night when the lights go off and i see the moon rise above the tables of plants and rows of trees. last night it was a cheshire cat smile. the air was cool after a perfect, mild day.
they call the summer months at lowe's the "hundred days of hell", but it's my time to shine. it does get insanely busy, hot, hectic, and chaotic. i do get scraped, cut, scratched, dirty, sore, blistered, bruised, and sunburned (no matter how much sunblock i wear), then weathered and tan. i have to scrub my fingernails and toenails in the shower every night, wash the layers of dirt off of me, cold cream my burned face. the management really under-pays and under-appreciates. i feel like a mexican laborer at times. but the customers, the nice ones, are so great. they're fun to help and i love how excited people feel about planting. i enjoy being able to assist someone in planting something living in the earth and helping it flourish.
i'm loving it today. in another month it'll all be bitching, but i love that i have it to bitch about, as little sense as that makes. i miss my old sales supervisor debi. i wonder about her, and mike the team leader too. they both taught me so much about my job. i miss the memphis lowes and the crazy coworkers. living and working in a small town store that's about 80,000 square feet smaller is a very different experience. but i have met some cool people, like sierra, who is still getting used to kentucky like me, and kari, who somehow manages to keep long fancy ass painted/glittered nails even though she's a hands-on sales supervisor.
also, i would rather be busy any day at a job than look at my watch over and over, wondering why the time is dragging by so slowly. i am so tired and it's only just now beginning...
and i am trying to start school too.
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