It Started with a Journal

I don't know why I bother to play Word Twist at night. My brain is so not with it that half the time I can't even get the bonus words right, much less clear the board.

The weather is being really schizophrenic lately. It keeps pouring rain then letting some sun peep out, then pouring rain, rinse and repeat. I guess it's a good thing for the garden? My cousin has like the same things growing in her garden right now that I have in mine, so it can't be totally off base. If they don't drown from all the rain perhaps I may be able to eat something from it yet! I'm so impatient though; it's only been like 3 days and already I'm like, but they don't look any different. Where's my whole head of cabbage?

Apparently, Gourmet magazine is no more. The November issue I just got is going to be their last one. How nutty is that? It was a sudden decision I guess, and I'm relieved that I didn't renew my subscription a couple of weeks ago when a renewal notice came in. Forthcoming issues will be some other Conde Nast magazine yet to be determined. I think I'm fairly close to the 12 issues I subscribed for, not sure how many they'll need to replace, but it doesn't matter, I still feel cheated. I wanted and paid for Gourmet! Grrr. Also, what's going to happen to Ruth Reichl? I mean, I'm sure she'll land on her feet, but it's shocking that she 'failed' at something. (Not, of course, that it's all her fault, or can even be considered a failure at all, depending how you want to look at it.)

I really, really gotta go on a diet and exercise more. Not only is my cholesterol bad, my blood pressure, which has always been fine, has started to get people commenting that it's a little high. Seriously, this is really annoying. I mean, I'm not a stick to be sure, but it's not like I'm totally letting myself go. I wear like a size 6 in jeans (though I can still fit into my 4s), and while that's not as small as it used to be, it's still OK. But apparently my body requires being a stick in order to be healthy. WHICH IS SUPER ANNOYING. It goes against everything I'm a proponent of, like healthy-looking women who have fat on their bodies and don't look like all they eat a day is a carrot. However, most important to me is actually being healthy, regardless of what a person looks like. At this perfectly reasonable (imho) size, my health stats are plummeting. I realize this is not true for a lot of people. A lot of people can be a larger size and still be perfectly healthy, with good cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Apparently I am not one of those lucky people. Apparently I DO need to eat a sole carrot a day in order to be healthy. Which really effing pisses me off, because I loooooooooove to eat. I blame my mom, who also has cholesterol and blood pressure problems. I think the only decent thing I inherited from her is a fairly good metabolism.

However, the diet cannot truly start until a few weeks from now, after my mom and aunt's visit. While they're here we're sure to go to many great places to eat (yes, love of food is something else I inherited), and there's no way I have that much willpower. Stopping myself from indulging when I'm fending for myself is one thing; stopping myself when there's a banquet laid before me is another.

Maybe it'll help if I slowly give up indulgences. I'll pick a new one every week and it's gone forevermore (or you know, until this diet phase ends). Okay, so the first indulgence sacrifice is ... potato chips. Goodbye, crispy, salty, potatoey goodness. *sniff* Sandwiches will never be the same again.

1. I am a completely terrible fandomer. This year's dgficexchange is over and the works have been revealed, yet still it's taken me a few weeks to even mention that I actually participated. It was just something I did to get myself in the writing groove again (and to prove to myself that I could actually finish a story). Just a fluffy story that I had fun writing. It's called The Academy.

2. It's snowing. Again. Oh Seattle, how much I'd love you more if not for your crappy, crappy weather. The heaters are on nonstop at my house (and I'm being 'bad' and not restricting it just to my computer room, where I spend most of my time). I'm kind of afraid of my electric bill.

3. For those of you who play Word Twist on Facebook -- doesn't 7 letters seem like SO MUCH MORE than 6?! I know it's only 1 letter more, and yet when the scramble comes up it looks like a SEA of letters.

4. I have become a "victim" of my own "success." I send my food pictures to my mom, uncle, and cousin (they requested it because they're all foodies too), and my cousin is now like, omg you HAVE to come over and cook for us! ( ... )

5. I have found/purchased Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vols 1 & 2. It's supposed to be a seminal cooking book (and I ordered Julie and Julia from PBS, so I'm interested in the source material). ( Why this is interesting. )

6. Food wise, I've been busy. Here are some highlights from the last couple of weeks...

- Hodge Podge Salad
- Seared Chilean Sea Bass and Scallops
- Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli
- Meyer Lemon Sablés
- Creamy Scallop Soup
- Copycat attempt at Old Spaghetti Factory's Browned Butter & Mizithra Cheese + Meat Sauce Spaghetti

7. I've been watching Heroes S2. ( Commentary -- please no spoilers for S3! )

8. I'm still loving Two for the Road. There are a number of recipes they share (2 after every chapter) that I'm intrigued by and will make soon. The problem is that they're not exactly health foods. Still, if I don't have it every day it's okay right? Right! A few of the recipes that I want to make: Mama Lo's Broccoli Casserole, Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting, and Chicken Fried Steak