Monday, Monday

Well, friends, it's been a busy week. Rehearsals for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" are in full swing. Also, I've managed to do fairly well on my goals so far! (I know, I know. It's early yet, but I take my victories as they come.) I've also been playing a bit with my new camera. The snow storm has provided some pretty photo ops.

I did indeed break out the Wii Fit. I even bought supplemental games in the form of Wii Fit Plus, and The Biggest Loser. Let me tell you, Bob Harper as an avatar is just as tough as he is on the show. For reals. I had only one latte this week, and have been eating leaner meats and more veggies. All in all, I've already lost a bit of weight. Yay!

I will be playing Sally Brown in late February, and part of the role require me to jump rope. Successfully. I have decided to add this to my workout regimen, thereby incorporating two needs into one activity. Work smarter, not harder, I always say. Oh, wait. I suppose I should be doing both at this point.

I finally had a night out with the girls in the form of my pal Lindsay's birthday. It was actually during this dinner celebration that I learned of the Biggest Loser Wii game from Megan, who has made goals similar to mine. I also got to spend some quality time with my Ole Olsen friends after our music rehearsal on Sunday. I thank God daily that he has brought such a bounty of excellent people into my life!

By far the coolest part of my week, though, was getting to attend the naturalization ceremony for my sister-in-law, Tatiana. She is now officially an American citizen, and our whole family was there to watch the ceremony. We were especially tickled that a friend of our family's, Calvin Dong, happened to be going through the ceremony on the same day! We were happy to embarrass him with the same amount of photos and catcalls that we bestowed on Tatiana.

In closing, I would just like to thank George Foreman for creating his grill, and the nameless person at the Herb Festival that created the Thai seasoning blend that has added very literal spice to my life.

Bidding a Fond Farewell to the "Aughts"!

Well, it seems that I am a bit of a failure at blogging. Looking back at 2009, I notice that my blogging lasted a total of 3 months into the year. It's just like when I used to keep a diary. From ages 11-17 I would faithfully write in my diary (which I had named "Jim") for entire days at a time before laying it aside for a year or so. I wrote when I was feeling particularly angry or diligent or clever. Sometimes when I was poetic. (Three cheers for teenage angst!) Often, when I was heart sick. I'm not sure why I even bother to come back to the blog. I have a real problem with follow-through.

Maybe it's because I'm nearing my 3rd decade, maybe it's because I've decided to be more disciplined in 2010, or maybe it's my recent viewing of Julie & Julia, but I've decided to write in my blog weekly in 2010. You heard me. Weekly.

My cousin (also known as Julie or Julia, as it happens) is part of a group on flickr that is doing a self-portrait for every day of the year. Seeing as she is lovely and a talented photographer, this makes sense. As I am considered photogenic by others, and known to be excessively narcissistic, I might throw in a few self-portraits throughout the blog. (Also, I got a new camera for Christmas. Hurrah!)

Also, I am making public my vow to live healthier in 2010. I would like to lose at least 30 lbs by the time I'm 30. (I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!) Tomorrow, after I babysit my lovely niece, I am going to come home and blow the dust off the Wii Fit.

In short, my goals for 2010 are to be better disciplined in the following areas:
1. Daily devotions
2. Consumption of less sugar and fat
3. Increase in physical activity
4. Household organization
5. Laundry (this deserves a separate listing from the rest of the household items)
6. Thriftier living (i.e. cut down on the impulse buys and daily mochas{see #2})
7. Blogging (writing out my daily life tends to hold me a bit more accountable, even if it's only me reading my blog!)

So wish me luck, friends and neighbors. Check in with me to see how I'm coming on my goals. Feel free to hold me accountable to said goals (bearing in mind that I am a crankypants who doesn't appreciate interfering busybodies).

Lazy Monday . . . Sort Of

Mondays are my only real days off. I mean, technically, I have Sundays, too, but I'm usually doing Praise Team or Toddler Nursery at church. If I'm doing Praise Team, I actually have to get up earlier than on a general work day! But anyway, back to Mondays.

Today was a beautiful day, weather-wise. My sister, Rachel, decided to bring my niece, Ella, over for a walk. I decided to go ahead and have her for lunch and made a repeat of the salad I made on Saturday evening, but used Cajun chicken instead of shrimp. Both versions are excellent, but I have to say I liked the chicken better. Also: Thank God for the Forman Grill!
I love that thing.

So, after lunch, we went for a nice walk. Ella got to touch trees and old, crunchy fallen leaves. She also seemed pretty interested in the pond. (This is one of the few words I know in sign language, so I was sure to share this with Ella. I'm positive she'll be using it by the time she's eight months old.) She really seemed to be taking everything in, but (far too soon) it was time for her nap.

Ella is seven months old, and beginning to experience a little bit of stranger anxiety. (I think it's fairly evident in this photo!) However, she's starting to warm up to her Auntie Em again. I mean, I'm Auntie Em, galdarnit! Everyone loves Auntie Em. (Although a friend of mine told me I'd have to be wary of twisters!)


Soon after Rachel and Ella headed home, my friend Candie asked if I wanted to join her for a trip to Hobby Lobby. Silly Candie. Of course I did. We took The Bonneville over to Kokomo where I got some yarn and some buttons for my scarflaces (scarf/necklace - purely decorative, not for warmth). Candie is a crafty, crafty person
(http://candiecooper.typepad.com/savvycrafter/), so she spends a lot of time at these places. The difference between the two of us is that she will actually use all of the things she purchased there today! Pictured here is my eco-friendly shopping bag with my clearance yarn and "Grandma's Bag of Buttons".

Side note: When I checked the mail today, I was so tickled to find that my new business cards had arrived! For rationalizations that I have long since forgotten, I really thought I needed these. They will be fun to hand out to new business contacts and new friends, though! The front is pictured below, and on the back is one of my favorite quotes:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
-The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam

Opera and Osso Buco

On Sunday after church, I caravaned down to Indy with my pals Bob and Deni Yaggi. We headed to Clowes Hall to see the Indianapolis Opera Company perform Pirates of Penzance. This is one of my favorite shows of all time, having watched the Kevin Kline-Linda Rondstat-Angela Lansbury movie version of it often during my youth. The performance was excellent, and I was reminded again just how hysterical it is!

Three of the performers had done a light opera performance at the Honeywell Center that I attended a month or so ago and Deni and I ended up sitting with the director of the opera company, John Pickett. He told us about the upcoming production of Pirates, and we made plans to attend right then! So glad we did!


It was also nice to see this performed by an honest-to-goodness opera company with classically trained voices. Also nice that they had the words on the little subtitle screen. Even though this operetta is in English, it's such a fast show that it's very easy to miss words. At intermission, at the invitation of a well-connected acquaintance, we went out on the patio for wine and desserts in the "benefactor's suite" or something similar. The weather was PERFECT! I even had to break out the shades.

After the show, we had a leisurely dinner at Woodstock Club in Indy. I thoroughly enjoyed my Osso Buco with a nice Zinfandel. All my appetite could handle for dessert was The World's Smallest Sundae. It was a terrific Sunday afternoon, and also a great excuse to test out my new Bonneville on the highway!

Good times.

Cajun Shrimp Salad

I made this salad for dinner on Saturday evening. Aren't salads just the absolute best when you have wonderful, fresh ingredients and a healthy appetite?


Cajun Shrimp Salad
One bunch (it isn't really a head, is it?) Red Leaf Lettuce
6 oz bag of Fresh Spinach
One whole bunch of Cilantro, chopped
5-7 large leaves Basil, chopped
5 Campari Tomatoes, quartered (I LOVE Campari tomatoes. Their taste is the most consistent throughout the year. Grape or cherry tomatoes would also be good.)
2 whole Avocados, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated Asiago cheese (I use my rasper with the black plastic handle)

20-25 shrimp

(Here's where I fudged a little. Normally, I would start with raw shrimp, but we had some leftover cocktail shrimp, so I just took the tails off, tossed them with olive oil and Cajun seasonings, then sauteed them briefly til they were warmed. If you have the time, I would pat the shrimp dry, sprinkle them with the Cajun seasoning blend, and grill them! Mmmmmmm.)

Mix all in a large bowl and toss with a balsamic vinaigrette. (I used Olde Cape Cod Balsamic Vinaigrette, which is heavy on vinegar and light on oil. Fat free!)

Three of us consumed the bowl pictured above. It was quite tasty.

Oh Paula. . .

Ok, so I'm inconsistent with the blogging, clearly. However, there is something to be said for being so busy doing things that you don't have time to write about them. A word about Paula Deen: For Christmas, mom got me a Paula Deen day planner. I keep her in my purse at all times, and have begun to feel slightly lost without her. I consult her often. "Paula," I say, "what is on the agenda for today?" And like as not, she'll have something planned for me!

The last three months have flown by, and each month has more activity! I've had sushi nights, movie nights, knitting nights, game nights, and general carousing nights. I've listened to numerous bands play, seen two comedians perform, sang countless Karaoke songs, gone to art shows, attended YPN mixers, seen live theatre performances, made Valentine's, heard art lectures, networked with musicians and actors, gone sledding, danced for 6 full hours straight to a mixture of 80's music, Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson, heard a FLUTE BEATBOXER(!!!!), babysat for my nephew and tried to babysit for my niece (stranger anxiety issues right now. . .sigh), and this is not even counting work activity, church commitments, or family time!

We are in the middle of a Lincoln exhibit at the Wabash County Historical Museum (my place of work), and it has kept me busy! Aside from drafting the audio tour and schmoozing at the opening night party (see photo of me and Abe!), I've been giving tours and freaking out as children's hands get a liiiiiittle too close to the paintings in the exhibit. I'm loving it, though, and learning so much about A. Lincoln!

My favorite Lincoln quote: (on being called two-faced) If I were two faced, would I be wearing this one?

Brilliant, right?

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is: I'm super busy!

So, thank you, Paula, for keeping my small-town life so busy I have no time to think about the fact that I'm 28, single, and still living with my parents!

Now. . .to schedule time for Eye on Wabash with Candie and Emily: The Podcast, coming soon to an ipod near you!

If you pay me enough, I'll sing these songs at a karaoke bar

Oh, it takes no convincing. I love me some karaoke!

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles

It's sultry, but upbeat enough to be a crowd pleaser.

Like A Prayer by Madonna

My friend Kira and I do this as a duet, and we do harmony, Also, I do the "ah-ah's".

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

This is best done as a large group number. Also, you should never plan who is doing which part.