Michael Jackson 1958-2009
I grew up listening to the music – and admiring the style – of Michael Jackson. It’s 12:01 the day after he died, and I’m still having a hard time believing it. At least we still have his music. He was a true artist.
Image courtesy of the Andy Warhol Foundation.
Food Eaten Guest Blog
My lovely friend Lainey, who is a blogger, foodie, writer and generally cool gal, asked me to guest blog at her food site, Food Eaten, about my recent adventures with baking. Check out the post, and if you have time, try those muffins. They’re divine.
Meat-Free Mondays
I’m following Stella McCartney, one of my favorite designers, on Twitter. The shoes above are just one reason that I love her. Anyhow, her feeds this morning have all been about one thing: the Meat-Free Monday. Stella and her dad, Paul, (maybe you’ve heard of him?) and a bunch of their celebrity friends started a campaign today to encourage people to make one day a week meat-free. It’s better for your bod and for the planet, too. Reducing your rate of heart problems and reducing global warming seem like pretty good ideas, and if all you have to do is eat one less burger, well, that’s not so much to sacrifice.
Anyhow, if you want to get involved, check out the cause’s Web site at www.supportmfm.org. There you’ll find in-depth information about climate change and how Meat-Free Monday might help slow it down and why one less meat-eating day is good for your body. You can also sign up to get a meat-free recipe e-mail every Monday.
Weekend in review
Late last week, I tried a new recipe that my friend Lainey posted on her blog Food Eaten. It was for “meatless” meatballs. I haven’t had a meatball in nearly two years – since I became a vegetarian- so I had to try it. My Cuisinart, usually my best friend in the kitchen, did me wrong for the first time. I thought mixing all the ingredients in the food processor would have been quicker and neater than doing it all by hand. Instead of ending up with a chunky, meat-like mix, I ended up with a concoction more the texture of hummus. Oops. But as I don’t usually let cooking get the best of me, I dumped the mix into a baking pan, topped it with some sliced mushrooms and made a msuhroom meatloaf. It cooked for much longer than the recommended time, but tasted absolutely great. I sliced it the next day and ate it cold in a sandwich, reliving one of my favorite treats from my meat eating days. Thanks, Lainey, for the great recipe. Readers can find her blog post about it here.
Last night, I went to the newest opening at the RNG Gallery, “Paradox of Value,” featuring new work by Jess Benjamin. I really enjoyed the show. I’ve written many stories about Jess and her work, most of which is inspired by her Nebraska home, and this work builds on what she’s done in the past. I chatted with her for a few minutes at the show, and mentioned that this work is so different from her past work. “That’s how it’s supposed to be, right?” she asked. Yes, I suppose it is. Anyway, I’ll write a capsule review of the show later this week. But I highly recommend stopping by. It’s thought provoking.
Today was pretty much my idea of a perfect Sunday. Long run early in the day. Afternoon nap. Dinner on the roofdeck. Ice cream in the Old Market. Hope you had a lovely Sunday, too.
Ring me.
I’ve been looking for one of these hands forever. I’ve found many in vintage stores, but never one that has small enough fingers to hold my rings. My mom finally found me one at a west Omaha discount outpost. Who knew? I love, love love it. Not only does it display my rather (ahem) large selction of rings, it looks really pretty, too. I remember one of these, in glass, sitting on my Grandmother’s bureau when I was a little girl. It was one of my favorite things at her house.
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
I’ve been in a rut lately.
At first, I just thought it was the rainy weather. Then I started to blame it on a host of other things. My seasonal allergies. Stress at work. Wedding planning. Marathon training.
But last week, I got called into my editor’s office, which is the equivalent of getting called into the principal’s office in grade school. “We think you might be in a bit of a rut,” he said.
Then I knew it was real.
It’s true that I’ve had a hard time lately making time for blogging. It’s also true that I’ve felt lackluster at best when it comes to sitting down Sunday nights and writing for a few hours in order to meet my regular deadline.
It’s not the first time something like this has happened to me; I just can’t seem to remember what I did the other times to snap out of it.
I’ve been writing about art for close to seven years now. At some point earlier this month, while writing a review of a show that I quite enjoyed, I simply ran out of things to say. The story was far short in length and I tried my hardest to think of things to add, but I felt like it would have just been padding . So I sent it as it was. That was probably my lowest point. At least I hope it was.
I’ve got a couple assignments coming up, and I hope I can find a hidden pocket of inspiration somewhere – I wish I could find my usual turn of phrase and get back to where I was once before.
Wish me luck.
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