So, I went to part of my stake women's conference last Saturday. (I only went to part because it started at 7:45 am or something ridiculous like that.) One of the classes I attended was called "Word of Wisdom Cooking".
The class was basically about healthy eating, and I am giving myself a pat on the back for my recent decision to start eating plain yogurt with cranberries and honey or agave as opposed to the really sugary stuff that comes in cups. I tried a "healthy" brand of yogurt once that I hated because it had maple in it, but I've discovered it's not that bad to mix it myself. (Especially when my husband is in charge of doing the dishes, and hence washes my daily yogurt Tupperware that I bring home from work. Yes, I eat breakfast at work.) I am also giving myself a pat on the back for already owning agave and chia seeds. I am drinking a chia fresca right now. :)
Anyway, as a result of the class, I finally bought some quinoa that I'm going to experiment with. The teacher was also really big on green smoothies. I thought I would experiment with those too, but I couldn't will myself to make one after my run. It seems like so much effort. Mix everything up, wash the blender, blah blah. I just ate a banana with peanut butter instead, and I will eat my spinach in a salad at dinner.
Even though I am jumping on the quinoa bandwagon, I'm not becoming a health nut. The lady that taught this class gave us a bunch of links to healthy eating blogs,some of which I thought were clearly over board in part. For example, who has heard this idea that we need to make our bodies more alkaline and hence purify our water with reverse osmosis, remineralize it, then ionize it? Also, I never plan on making my own mayonnaise. Life is far too short for that type of nonsense.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Eating Poetry
Eating Poetry
by Mark Strand
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.
The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.
Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.
I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.
------------------------------
I love this poem. I discovered it in an anthology I found at work. Sometimes, you just want to EAT poetry. You're HUNGRY for words, for art, for meaning. You consume it--and it changes you.
It's kind of like the scripture 2nd Nephi 32:3
Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
Feasting on words is such a fabulous image. Sometimes I wish my students could catch a glimmer of this...the power of words.
by Mark Strand
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.
The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.
Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.
I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.
------------------------------
I love this poem. I discovered it in an anthology I found at work. Sometimes, you just want to EAT poetry. You're HUNGRY for words, for art, for meaning. You consume it--and it changes you.
It's kind of like the scripture 2nd Nephi 32:3
Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
Feasting on words is such a fabulous image. Sometimes I wish my students could catch a glimmer of this...the power of words.
On Expectations
So the other day, I had a discussion. It has been said that my expectations are often too high, which leads me to be disappointed. For example, if I go to a restaurant with no expectations, then I like it. But then, once I like the restaurant, I go there with high expectations, and I may be disappointed. So the question remains--which is better? Having high expectations or low?
Also, the idea arose: how does this idea of expectations tie into optimism and pessimism? I would argue that the person with high expectations is an optimist, and the person with low expectations is a pessimist. However, one could argue that if the person with high expectations is always disappointed, and the person with low expectations is always satisfied, then perhaps having high expectations could lead to having a pessimistic outlook on life because your expectations are never met.
I tend to think that even though having low expectations could arguably lead to more satisfaction in life, it could also lead to less of a desire to strive for excellence. What I can say? I expect excellence from the restaurants I attend. :)
Also, the idea arose: how does this idea of expectations tie into optimism and pessimism? I would argue that the person with high expectations is an optimist, and the person with low expectations is a pessimist. However, one could argue that if the person with high expectations is always disappointed, and the person with low expectations is always satisfied, then perhaps having high expectations could lead to having a pessimistic outlook on life because your expectations are never met.
I tend to think that even though having low expectations could arguably lead to more satisfaction in life, it could also lead to less of a desire to strive for excellence. What I can say? I expect excellence from the restaurants I attend. :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
What I Ate and I Need Help
By the way, this is what I made for dinner tonight. Sorry that my blogging skills are lacking. It's just going to have to remain sideways. The lighting in this photo is lacking also--but the stuffed shells weren't. Clint said they were better than his mom's. I'm impressed with myself--even though I got the recipe from a book. The salad was ok: spring greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncinis, and some goat cheese that I mixed with kalamata olives. It was a good "welcome back to running" meal. (I didn't run all last week because of my cold.)
Here is another good food picture: just kidding. It decided to go all the way to the top. I need help. Anyway, this was a fabulous butternut squash soup that I made like a year ago. It was very delicious with the accompanying spinach, feta, cranberry, and green apple salad. However, it was an epic battle dealing with the squash. How does one cook and peel a butternut squash in a sane fashion? My whole kitchen was orange afterward.
P.S. So if anyone has skills with using photos in blogger, please demystify me. Also, if you ever happen to notice any typos or grammatical errors, please let me know. I hate seeing things on blogs like "skin graphs" and other such nonsense. Though, not to toot my own horn, but I think I am far more susceptible to simple typos or spelling mistakes than that type of egregious usage error. So call me an English teacher or something.
An Experiment
Well, I'm back. I bet you thought that I wasn't really going to do this blogging thing after all. My absence was initally due to end-of-quarter doom. That bled into a bad cold, and low and behold, it's now almost February. Whoops.
Anyway, it has come to my attention that there are lots of different blog types and styles. There are cooking/recipe blogs, running/eating blogs, craft blogs, style blogs, personal blogs, and naturally a whole lot more. Interestingly, I never knew how many running/eating blogs there were. I found one by doing a google search that coincidentally is about a newly married teacher from Utah who likes to run and eat. Sounds familiar alright. You can find the link in my blog list.
So, the question remains, what type of blog will this be? I started it with the idea that it would be a mishmash of my life: experiences, philosophies etc. However, all blogs with any sort of wider readership all seem to have a theme. The problem is that I can't decide what theme I could do. I don't run obsessively enough to have a running blog. I don't eat healthy enough to have a clean eating blog. I don't cook aesthetically or inventively enough to have a recipe blog. (I get most of my recipes from books or online. Also, I don't really like to cook. I just like to eat good food. I was once called a frustrated restaurant critic. It does combine three great loves: food, writing, and critiquing.) And of course, I don't have enough style to have a style blog.
I suppose this will be my experiment in defining my personal blog style. I've noticed that even blogs about the same topics all have their little definitions. For example, one blog I read has "awkward and awesome Thursday" where the writer lists her awkward and awesome moments and invites readers to share theirs. Another that I read lists questions at the end of every blog post. The blogger answers them and then invites readers to share their answers.
Who knows how this will end up, but in the mean time I intend to have fun playing around. After all, my personal quote and catch phrase is "randomness is the spice of life."
Anyway, it has come to my attention that there are lots of different blog types and styles. There are cooking/recipe blogs, running/eating blogs, craft blogs, style blogs, personal blogs, and naturally a whole lot more. Interestingly, I never knew how many running/eating blogs there were. I found one by doing a google search that coincidentally is about a newly married teacher from Utah who likes to run and eat. Sounds familiar alright. You can find the link in my blog list.
So, the question remains, what type of blog will this be? I started it with the idea that it would be a mishmash of my life: experiences, philosophies etc. However, all blogs with any sort of wider readership all seem to have a theme. The problem is that I can't decide what theme I could do. I don't run obsessively enough to have a running blog. I don't eat healthy enough to have a clean eating blog. I don't cook aesthetically or inventively enough to have a recipe blog. (I get most of my recipes from books or online. Also, I don't really like to cook. I just like to eat good food. I was once called a frustrated restaurant critic. It does combine three great loves: food, writing, and critiquing.) And of course, I don't have enough style to have a style blog.
I suppose this will be my experiment in defining my personal blog style. I've noticed that even blogs about the same topics all have their little definitions. For example, one blog I read has "awkward and awesome Thursday" where the writer lists her awkward and awesome moments and invites readers to share theirs. Another that I read lists questions at the end of every blog post. The blogger answers them and then invites readers to share their answers.
Who knows how this will end up, but in the mean time I intend to have fun playing around. After all, my personal quote and catch phrase is "randomness is the spice of life."
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Shiny, Bright, and New!
I love celebrating the New Year. I have always been very superstitious about it. When I was a kid, I believed that if I did not watch the ball drop in New York City on TV, then I would have a bad year. (I admit, I still kinda believe that.) As I got older I dreamed of the cool parties I would go to on New Year’s Eve and the boys I would hang out with. In the mean time I just partied with my cousin Jennifer. I remember one year we made wigs using a paper shredder and ran around yelling “Happy New Year!” We were sorely chastised for that one, and I longed for the New Years when I would be 16, and therefore cool: New Years Eve 2000! Well, I’m not sure how cool New Year’s Eve 2000 really turned out to be, but I did dance with the guy that ended up being my first boyfriend. I’d say that was momentous enough. So you see, New Year’s Eve is a time when magic can happen.
Anyway, one of the other reasons I love New Year’s is the chance to start again. Lots of people mock “resolutions” for their notorious lack of any actual resolve or lasting power. Well, this perhaps true at times, but I think it’s a nice opportunity to do some life evaluation. And sometimes they do last: I made a New Year’s Resolution once to floss my teeth every night, and I made it pretty much the whole year. (The trend was ruined in Novemberish when I was student teaching...worst time of my life.) So, on this momentous occasion of my first ever blog post, I present to you my New Year’s resolutions!
1. PR in Canyonlands Half Marathon
My goal is a 7:59 pace. This should be attainable if only I could get out in this horrible weather and run. So far I haven’t been too bad.
2. Look less frumpy
This goal is difficult considering my hatred of shopping and getting up in the morning. Oh, and my lack of hair skills. And my teacher salary….BUT I intend to document some of my efforts through the next goal…
3. Take more pictures!
I am bad at taking pictures, and even more so at sharing them. Clint and I nor his family took a single picture at Christmas this year. And it was our first Christmas together! Fortunately, I had his mom take a couple of pictures at Clint’s alumni hockey game. Unfortunately, those pictures are still on her camera.
4. Have a blog!
Check! Done already! Well, actually we shall see if this experiment continues.
5. Write!
This could mean writing in my journal which I completely ceased doing about a year ago…or it could mean blog posting! It could also mean creative writing. I kind of want to apply for this writing seminar over the summer—but perhaps more on that later.
6. Read the Sunday school lesson ahead of time
I always feel the need for a spiritual resolution as well. I have been getting worse about reading scriptures lately. I think part of it is being married and the change of routines. I figure reading the scriptures for the Sunday school lesson is a way of holding myself accountable to a course of study.
7. Procrastinate grading less…. :(
I didn’t even actually want to make this resolution….I dread grading so much, especially papers. I was soooo disappointed when I found out I wasn’t getting a student teacher this semester after all. Think of all the relief from grading! I could just focus on developing some cool curricular stuff….sigh. At any rate, starting is half the battle. I must re-motivate myself somehow and figure out how to make a schedule to do a little each day.
So there you have it. My 2011 resolutions. Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming.
PS Bonus points if anyone knows what the month of January is named after…without looking it up.
PSS Sorry for this rather unfortunate font. I didn't realize that composing in word then pasting in would be an issue.
Anyway, one of the other reasons I love New Year’s is the chance to start again. Lots of people mock “resolutions” for their notorious lack of any actual resolve or lasting power. Well, this perhaps true at times, but I think it’s a nice opportunity to do some life evaluation. And sometimes they do last: I made a New Year’s Resolution once to floss my teeth every night, and I made it pretty much the whole year. (The trend was ruined in Novemberish when I was student teaching...worst time of my life.) So, on this momentous occasion of my first ever blog post, I present to you my New Year’s resolutions!
1. PR in Canyonlands Half Marathon
My goal is a 7:59 pace. This should be attainable if only I could get out in this horrible weather and run. So far I haven’t been too bad.
2. Look less frumpy
This goal is difficult considering my hatred of shopping and getting up in the morning. Oh, and my lack of hair skills. And my teacher salary….BUT I intend to document some of my efforts through the next goal…
3. Take more pictures!
I am bad at taking pictures, and even more so at sharing them. Clint and I nor his family took a single picture at Christmas this year. And it was our first Christmas together! Fortunately, I had his mom take a couple of pictures at Clint’s alumni hockey game. Unfortunately, those pictures are still on her camera.
4. Have a blog!
Check! Done already! Well, actually we shall see if this experiment continues.
5. Write!
This could mean writing in my journal which I completely ceased doing about a year ago…or it could mean blog posting! It could also mean creative writing. I kind of want to apply for this writing seminar over the summer—but perhaps more on that later.
6. Read the Sunday school lesson ahead of time
I always feel the need for a spiritual resolution as well. I have been getting worse about reading scriptures lately. I think part of it is being married and the change of routines. I figure reading the scriptures for the Sunday school lesson is a way of holding myself accountable to a course of study.
7. Procrastinate grading less…. :(
I didn’t even actually want to make this resolution….I dread grading so much, especially papers. I was soooo disappointed when I found out I wasn’t getting a student teacher this semester after all. Think of all the relief from grading! I could just focus on developing some cool curricular stuff….sigh. At any rate, starting is half the battle. I must re-motivate myself somehow and figure out how to make a schedule to do a little each day.
So there you have it. My 2011 resolutions. Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming.
PS Bonus points if anyone knows what the month of January is named after…without looking it up.
PSS Sorry for this rather unfortunate font. I didn't realize that composing in word then pasting in would be an issue.
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