Surprise Party Saturday and Mad Men Monday

AMC is running a Mad Men marathon today in anticipation of season 3’s premier next Sunday. I have a feeling I am going to get nothing accomplished today. I’ve seen bits and pieces of Season 2 but I missed most of it. Today is the day I catch up.

If you haven’t seen Mad Men yet, I highly recommend checking it out. The show is fantastic. It’s well done on every level, from writing to acting to production design and wardrobe. It’s also incredibly addictive. Whenever I start watching, I never want to stop.

Start at the beginning if you can but make sure you don’t miss the end of season 1. The bit with the Kodak slide show is fantastic.

Whatever acclaim this show has received, it’s well deserved.

Mad Men Season 3 premier: Sunday, August 16 at 10 PM on AMC.

***

Today is my roommate K’s birthday. About a month ago our other roommate J and I decided we were going to throw her a surprise party. Along with our friend L we took a month to tell people about it, plan it, and get everything together. I never thought we would all actually be able to keep the surprise and pull everything off but somehow we managed.

It was a summer time cookout. The yard was strewn with streamers and balloons, there was a piñata, we grilled. The turn out was great and most importantly K had a good time. Her family even came to town from Phoenix and their presence more or less guaranteed the success. It was wonderful.

Of course every summer cookout needs some sort of delicious summer sides. J made a beautiful fruit salad with lovely fresh seasonal fruit. Melon, berries, kiwi, pineapple. Tasty!

My contribution was a delicious pasta salad from Smitten Kitchen. The dressing alone was sublime.

Summer Pea and Roaster Red Pepper Pasta Salad from Smitten Kitchen.

I really didn’t change a thing beyond using canned peas instead of fresh. I didn’t have any fresh ones and even less time to shell them if I had. The dressing is what made this so good anyway.

Since the first step does involve roasting the pepper for an hour, make sure you’ve got the time. Otherwise, it’s super easy and even more delicious.

My other contribution was spicy corn and peppers. Also incredibly easy to toss together. This recipe actually came from my little brother.



I prefer fresh corn for this one but again I was lacking on the time so I went with a giant can. Worked well enough. Since I was making this for the party I also used more pepper and onion when I normally make it as just a side. For a smaller serving size, go with 2 ears of corn, 1 pepper and half an onion or so.

Spicy Corn & Peppers

1 large can of corn or 2 small
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 white onion
3 cloves garlic
Cayenne Pepper
Hot Sauce (I love the Louisiana Hot Sauce but use whatever your preference is)
2 Table Spoons Olive Oil

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic, sauté until the onion is soft but be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the peppers and corn. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste. I like it spicy so I usually end up going pretty heavy on them.

That’s pretty much it. Once everything is heated, the peppers are soft, and it’s spicy to your taste, you’re good to go. An easy, fresh summer dish that’s been a hit every time I’ve served it.

***

Happy Summer everyone! And Happy Birthday K!

Girl Talk Thursday - Music

I’ve never really considered myself a music person. I’m a movie person and I only have so much room in my brain. I can remember only so many obscure facts and details. That being said, I do have my favorite music. Who doesn’t?

Music is something that surrounds us. Culturally saturates us. It’s on TV, it’s on the radio in our cars, it’s in grocery stores and elevators. Even more so than film and television, music is a part of the daily fabric of our lives. You can go a lifetime without seeing a movie in a theater, but unless you’re deaf you will probably hear music.

Still not a music person but I do have my favorites. I have a few songs that individually remind me of things but for the most part my favorites are the artists themselves. The songs tend to depend more on what I’ve been listening to in the moment and change frequently over the course of time. I don’t have an Ultimate Playlist for my lifetime; I have smaller playlists for the season. If I were to make the Ultimate Playlist, it would certainly include songs like Hey Jude by the Beatles that will always remind me of my dad pushing me around the lake as a kid or if I’m feeling sentimental I might include I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing from Armageddon, the song my high school boyfriend and I (along with a million other teenagers) decided was ours.

I don’t have that list yet though and if I tried guessing at it here most of the choices would be arbitrary and would probably change in a month or so. I’d pick something by Led Zeppelin, maybe a Fleetwood Mac, definitely Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Bob Dylan, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, more Beatles, The Clash, Velvet Underground. We can go another direction with Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday. And those are just the classics. What about the more recent artists with the songs I love just as much? Or the guys from the 90’s whose music defined my adolescence? Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Bush, No Doubt, Stone Temple Pilots, Everclear, NIN, Greenday, Nirvana. And don’t get me started on what I was listening to in 8th grade when I discovered Punk and Ska. Do you see my problem here? There’s just too much.

And I say I’m not a music person…

I don’t have room in my head for it but I love it just the same. I’m going to cut myself off here and go ahead and post my current summer playlist. It starts off a bit folksy, a little indie, expressing some minor frustrations over friendship and relationship (non) issues and then moves on to a little more upbeat, dance type fun stuff. And ends with something silly that’s mostly there for a friend.

Track 1: Brownstone Alley by Freddy & Francine

Freddy & Francine are a couple of friends with their album Briar Patch recently out on iTunes. Always one to support my friends, I have to admit that I was still surprised by how much I like this album. It’s fun, upbeat and yet soulful. Great music to ride your bike to. And man can Bianca sing.

Track 2: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend



I love Vampire Weekend. I thought I didn’t but then I heard their album and realized I was wrong. I gave them a chance after a writer I follow added them to his favorite album list of last year. Also on that list were Death Cab’s Narrow Stairs, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss’s Raising Sand and Adele’s 19. Those are all great albums so I figured if he liked those, maybe he was right about Vampire Weekend. Yeah, he was.

Track 3: Best for Last by Adele

This is one of the ones that was just hitting home. I love Adele; I love her sound and her music.

You should know that you're just a temporary fix
This is not rooted with you it don't mean that much to me
You're just a filler in the space that happened to be free
How dare you think you'd get away with trying to play me

Track 4: Call It Off by Tegan & Sara

Tegan and Sara - Call It Off


When I first heard Tegan & Sara I thought they were kind of silly. Then my ex sent me their album, I listened to it, and it’s great. A Fleetwood Mac kind of feel to it at times. This particular song is another that fell in with my current mood toward relationship-y stuff.

Maybe I would have been something you'd be good at
Maybe you would have been something I'd be good at
But now we'll never know

Track 5: The Ice is Getting Thinner by Death Cab For Cutie

This one actually isn’t one of my favorites from Narrow Stairs. But it fits in with the rest of the mix and works for the time.

Track 6:Portions For Foxes by Rilo Kiley

I love this song. I have loved this song. I came to Rilo Kiley shortly after More Adventurous was released, Accidental Death was actually the first song I heard, but Portions For Foxes is the one that caught my attention. It came up on shuffle on my old iPod one day while I was at work after my friend had given me a few of their songs. After it finished I paused my iPod, wrote down the song so I wouldn’t forget it, and proceeded to play it another five times. And I still remember that moment years later!

It’s on this particular mix because it also goes along with my relationship mood.

There's blood in my mouth 'cause I've been biting my tongue all week
I keep on talkin' trash but I never say anything
And the talkin' leads to touchin'
and the touchin' leads to sex
and then there is no mystery left

Track 7: Candy by Paolo Nutini

Paolo Nutini - "Candy" (Official Video) HQ
Uploaded by wonderful-life1989. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

I heard of this guy from a British kid I follow on Twitter. Nice, right? He came out with his new album Sunny Side Up just a bit ago and I really enjoy it. It’s just something I’ve been listening to, goes a long a bit with the relationship theme, and is fun.

Track 8: I’m An Animal by Neko Case

Neko Case was a college discovery. One of the first female artists I really got into. I love her voice and what she sings about. A little bit country. Yeah. I’m An Animal is off of her most recent album Middle Cyclone. One of these days I’ll manage to not miss her playing in LA. She seems to play often enough.

Track 9: Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

This is where the mix starts to move into the more dance-y portion. Stuff to move along with. Zero was on the radio a bit and I got the album from a friend I met during the three weeks I spent hanging out in Lake Havasu, AZ back in May. I will forever associate it with Piranha 3D. A strange little tourist town on a lake in the middle of the desert, unbelievable heat, and a little heat of another sort with a not unattractive man. If you know what I mean… May was certainly a memorable month. One of those little adventures that make life interesting. I have a feeling those memories will make me smile for a long time yet.

Track 10: Little Bit by Lykke Li

Little Bit


It’s a fun song! Um, yeah, that’s about all I’ve got to say there. Honestly I don’t have much to say about the next few other than they’re great for the summer.

Track 11: Stillness Is the Move by The Dirty Projectors



Track 12: The People Tree by N.A.S.A Feat. David Byrne

Discovered this one through Boing Boing, which I discovered around the same time. I think someone actually may have linked me to this video. Either way, I love them both. And David Byrne! Any other Talking Heads fans out there?

Track 13: Strange Overtones by David Byrne and Brian Eno

Sooo good…

Track 14: Hunter by Bjork

This one actually reminds me of working on Reno 911! Watching a Bjork video (for a different song) with the Co-Producer (and my now good friend) when we possibly should have been working. C’est la vie.

Track 15: Superman from the Scrubs Soundtrack



This one was for KT. And all of the time we’ve spent together sitting on the couch watching Comedy Central. Good times with a good roommate and a great friend.

And isn’t that what music is for? Expressing emotion and bringing people together. At least, that’s what it’s about for me.

Links: A Comic, a Video, and a Purple Raccoon

I promised things that make me smile and I deliver on my promises.

Dog Hates ME

Short little comics by Sam Brown that make me smile. This one suits my mood at the moment but many of them make me smile. He updates a few times a week for guaranteed entertainment.

An Endless Cycle

My friend took a motorcycle trip from New Orleans to Chicago to the West coast and then back to NO. He promises updates and even if there aren't many it's a fascinating trip to follow. I have to admit to complete jealousy. What I wouldn't give to be able to take a crazy journey like that... Maybe someday I will.

Never Gonna Give You Up

KT sent me the link to this video to make me feel better. It worked. That bartender is awesome.

Then there's this guy:



Dude! He's a purple raccoon named Boris! I'm in love.

I honestly don't know why I love this guy so much. Maybe because he's awesome?

He's brand new from artist cool guy Nathan Hamill (yes, he's related to THAT Hamill). Nathan's got a blog too, go check him out.

You can also find Boris online at U1 Toy Arts.

This weekend also made me smile. I spent it with the family in San Diego since my little brother was in town for the week. He's in his second year of law school so he hasn't had much time for the visiting and whatnot over the last year. It's always nice to see him and his girlfriend and spend time with the folks.

The weekend really was a good one. Family time, delicious pizza, an afternoon spent at Stone Brewery in Escondido, beer, a little beach, onion rings, True Blood watching. Pretty good right?

As always, there are a few pics up. San Diego pictures.

EDIT:

One more thing to add. If you're on Twitter, check out @robhuebel. His updates are top notch and make me laugh without fail.

Unemployment Tuesday

Remember a month ago when I claimed I wasn’t going to let unemployment get me down? I like to think of that post as more of a pep talk before a big game than anything remotely realistic. So now a month later when unemployment is most definitely getting me down I have something to look back on, something to remind myself of all of the positives.

Why is it always worse at the beginning of the week? I’m guessing it’s because after a weekend of being able to forget about searching for a job, everyone around you has gone back to work and you have to go back to facing reality.

I feel like I have to keep repeating the words “I’m okay” to myself and to others. Really I am though. I know this is all temporary, a job will come. Preferably sooner rather than later, but it will come eventually. And then I’ll go back to bitching about how bored I am, how miserable the hours are, etc. etc. etc. all while I’m secretly thrilled be doing anything, not matter how mundane it may be.

One of the things that had been helping me with my sanity was the number of friends and acquaintances who are also unemployed. I say “had been” not because they’ve now gotten jobs, they haven’t, but because rather than making me feel less alone those numbers are now making this feel more helpless. If all of these people can’t find jobs, how will I?

I know these aren’t healthy thoughts to dwell on. It’s just impossible to keep them from popping up.

I briefly had the thought of counting the number of resumes I’ve sent out (a lot) as compared to the number of phone calls or interviews I’ve had (one) in the last month. But those numbers truly are depressing and that’s definitely not something I want to dwell on. Even the temp agency I’m signed up with has this encouraging message pop up when I update my availability:

As you might expect, the number of applicants/associates is currently quite high relative to the number of available positions. However, if we can locate a good match for you, your AE will contact you.

Encouraging.

Of course it’s not just LA and it’s not just my industry being hit. The New York Times reports on how Unemployment Aid will be running out for many now claiming benefits by the end of the year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported unemployment in June was over 9%. There’s even a nifty color graph by state. The black ones are all over 10%, including my lovely California.



Image from The Big Picture.

Am I shocked I don’t have a job? How can I be?

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not writing this for sympathy or anything like that. I don’t particularly mean to be whining. This just is what it is right now. I’m facing a bit of the inevitable. I want to be a creative type? I want to live some sort of artistic lifestyle? Chances are that no matter what the state of the economy, I’m going to be facing financial difficulty while I get started. That’s how it’s always been. This economy just means I’m not alone in my pain. At least I just have my own ass to worry about. I feel bad for everyone with families and a million more problems than the ones I’m facing

I really don’t want to be a complete Debbie Downer here. Stay tuned for a more fun post filled with awesome weekend discoveries and fun links and other things that make me smile. Coming as soon as I put my sheets in the dryer. At least unemployment has left me plenty of time for laundry…

Rough Draft

I have a Rough Draft! 95 pages of scripty goodness. I've been resisting the temptation to post constant progress updates (which became harder and harder to resist the farther along I got) but I think this is an okay one to post.

I have a screenplay. With a beginning, middle and end. There are characters, dialogue, plot, structure, there's even a climax. Of the narrative device, story telling variety; get your minds out of the gutter people!

This is such a huge thing for me. It's my first feature length screenplay. It's something I never actually thought I could do. And while I know it's far from finished, I still have 95 written pages! Written pages that I wrote!

So what now? Now I print it out, read through it, and make notes on the myriad problems which I know still exist. Scenes need to change, some need to go away all together. The ending will probably change completely depending on something I think needs to happen to one of the characters. A lot of dialogue still needs fixing.

All in all it's a long ways away from actually being readable by anyone other than myself.

So I'll try to refrain from more progress updates until I get to the first draft. Until I send it off to friends for feedback. No promises on a time frame there. And no promises I won't talk about it more until then.

Is this what it feels like to be a writer?

Links: The Greatest Movies Ever Made

Roger Ebert's reaction to London Magazine Spectator's Greatest Movies List.

It's an interesting list and an interesting reaction. Specifically I appreciate Ebert's point that these lists are mostly arbitrary and useless in the sense of actually ranking films. What they DO provide is an excellent source for discovering films you may not know or sharing films you love with the world.

I was surprised to see Night of The Hunter at the top of the list. I don't think it would have ever occurred to me to rank that as a number 1. I do love that film though, Mitchum's performance alone is spectacular, and it made me smile to see it at the top.

I also have to agree that Sight & Sound's list is somewhat more useful than IMDB's.

Links for the original Spectator List as well as past Sight & Sound rankings can be found at the bottom of the article.

Girl Talk Thursday - How Do You Unwind?

I try to keep this blog, and my online presence in general, positive and upbeat. My goal isn’t to be on here bitching and whining and moaning about how awful things are. Because they’re not! Things in general are good.

But seriously guys, I’ve been mostly unemployed since the beginning of February. A little work here, a little work there, but thankgodforunemployment ‘cause how am I paying rent this month? I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t stressed out.

It does get completely overwhelming, especially this time of the month when all the bills are coming due. Sometimes the stress manifests itself in really bizarre ways. Take the other night; I had just gotten home from San Diego and Comic Con and a brilliant weekend. Real life came back and some of that reality was unpleasant. Like the balance of my bank account (not surprising even though I spent next to zero dollars over the weekend).

I went into the kitchen to make dinner and was immediately confronted with a sink full, no, not full, OVER-FLOWING with dirty dishes. I was tempted to ignore the mess but of course items I needed were buried in there. So I pushed back my sleeves and started washing dishes.

Mid-scrub on a mashed potato encrusted mixing spoon I lost it. I started bawling over the dirty dishes. WTF right? Something about the potato that would just not come off put me over the edge. All I wanted was a quick dinner and a clean spoon and knife and cutting board so I could make that happen. But no! I had been thwarted by potato!

It’s actually kind of funny to think about it now.

And this is the part where I unwind.

I let myself have a good little cry and a few minutes of self-pity. Then I put the potato spoon down since I did’t really need that particular spoon. I picked up the knife, went to the cutting board, and chopped the hell out of some onion. After a few minutes I felt better.

After a large glass of wine and a giant pot of simmering veggie chili on the stove, I felt amazing.

Cooking is one of my favorite unwinding activities. It requires focus so my mind is forced to stop wandering for a while. All I think about are flavors and spices and tasks. When I’m finished, I have something delicious to enjoy. So not only does it take my mind off of stressful things, it gives me a reward for all of my hard work! It's great.

The wine doesn’t hurt either.

****

Some other unwinding things I do:
-Take pictures
-Bike rides
-Phone chats
-Drink some good coffee
-Happy Hours with the friends
-Beer! And I mean a good tasty beer, not a whole bunch of gross PBR type beer. Although I’ve been known to drink that on occasion when a certain former co-worker is involved. My current obsessions include all things Stone (but especially the IPA) and Flying Dog’s Gonzo. So good.
-And of course the old stand-byes of reading, movie watching, reading about movie watching…

Notice how I didn’t mention Facebook or Twitter? Yeah… just sayin.

(It’s my first Girl Talk Thursday! Happy Dance!)

Comic-Con in Pictures

As many folks who like comics, video games, sci-fi, Twilight, movies, and all other things nerdy and geeky all ready know this past weekend was the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. I guess folks who live in San Diego probably noticed as well.

It was my first year going to SDCC. In fact, it was my first time going to ANY kind of Con. (How does a self-described nerd get away with never attending a convention? Um. Nerdfail?) It was also completely unplanned. I literally found out I’d be able to go a half hour before leaving. A friend and coworker type person had an extra pass and when he realized I wasn’t going… He’s a really, really good friend!

I drove down Thursday night with another friend for Wil Wheaton’s reading at Stone and then made my way to downtown Friday morning. There were many nerdy adventures to be had, a lot of food and beverages, and rather than try and recount it all I’ve decided to just be lazy and share the pictures.

Thursday Night:



Steve and I with Wil Wheaton.

By the time we made it through traffic from LA we had unfortunately missed his reading. But we did get to say hi, drink beer, and watch part of the RiffTrax movie playing in Stone’s garden. All in all a successful evening and a solid start for Nerd Adventures.

Friday & Saturday:



Check out my Comic-Con set on Flickr. It pretty much sums up the weekend. Since I didn’t know I was going until the very last minute I really never made much of a plan of my own. I mostly just tagged along with my friend. Which worked out quite well I think.

If I go again next year (when I go again next year) I will definitely make more of a plan. For the most part I’m not sad I didn’t really go to many panels, the lines were absurd, but there are a few I wish I had tried to check out. And staying Sunday may not have totally sucked.

At the end of the day though it was lovely. The hotel was perfectly situated, the food was tasty, and, most importantly, the company was fantastic. For a first time Comic Con adventure, this was a great way to go.

I’m excited for the possibilities of next year.

****

People should also really share pictures with me. I want to see evidence of other experiences! Send me links! Email me! Whatever. Share! Please? Pretty please double chocolate fudge ice cream sundae with a cherry on top?

Thoughts: I'm a Writer?

I’m doing this thing that I’ve mentioned on occasion called Writing. Right. Write. Really. I know that’s a weird thing to say, of course I’m writing. I write all the damn time. Sometimes I write in this blog. Daily I write in my journal. Hourly I put words on Twitter.

I’m obsessive with writing. It’s this weird thing I’ve been doing ever since I learned that putting letters on paper in a certain order made words. Frequently they were the wrong letters in a bizarre order. But still, words! Sentences! Paragraphs! Thoughts! Ideas! Stories? I started keeping my first diary when I moved to Florida in 3rd grade and while there have been periods of quiet I’ve never stopped.

I have notebooks full of stuff. I have notebooks half full of stuff. I have notebooks with a page full of stuff. I have a quote book that I’ve inflicted upon my friends (and filled with our nonsense). I have a self-inflicted rule that I’m not allowed to buy any more notebooks until I use more of the ones I all ready own. I frequently break that rule, but I try.

However, in all of this writing and babbling I never actually believed that I could write anything of any real length. Sure, I’ve written a few short stories, some really bad poetry, a short screenplay or two. A novel though? Not bloody likely! What about a feature? I don’t have the patience or the focus for a feature!

Yeah. Belief. What a funny thing.

I know I've all ready talked about it but I'm saying it again. Guys, I’m writing a feature. For real here. I know, I’m probably jinxing myself talking about it as it’s happening. I’m not allowed to keep a running page count anywhere (I’m on page 87). I shouldn’t be so giddy when it’s not even done.

I am though! Giddy that is. I’m giddy and surprised and pleased. I honestly don’t really think it’s very good, yet at least, but the fact that I’m actually writing this thing. I’ve been working on it for a solid two months now, after leaving the idea alone for two years, and it feels so real.

And please don't ask what it's about or if you can read it or anything like that. We'll get to that but we're not there yet. Yeah, I shouldn't talk about it if I don't want to TALK about it. I do a lot of things I shouldn't do.

This writing thing is such a strange development. It’s my work. I’m unemployed sure, but I’m still working. Every day I write something. Sometimes it’s just notes in one of my many notebooks. Sometimes it’s five whole pages. Sometimes it’s not even one. Some days I write for twenty minutes. Yesterday I wrote for over four hours.

I think what’s most exciting about this for me (other than the fact that I’ve written 87 freakin pages) is that I’m discovering things about myself. I’m learning what works for me. I’m realizing that I actually have a process. A process! My very own!

I’m putting together words that are forming sentences that are telling a story.

I don’t think of myself as a writer. I don’t think of myself as a director. I only vaguely think of myself as a filmmaker. I feel like these are all titles that I need to earn. How can I be a writer if I’ve never really finished anything that feels substantial? How can I be a director when I’ve only directed one short film? I work in the film industry so I guess I can sort of get away with the filmmaker thing. Even that I’m not so sure of yet.

I don’t know. When do I get to call myself these things? These are the things I aspire to. I suppose I’ll get there eventually.

For now, it’s just one word in front of another.

****

In the meantime, other things!

Movies!
There are good movies out right now that people should see. I highly recommend Hurt Locker and (500) Days of Summer. I also really enjoyed Harry Potter. Transformers 2 I skipped but I have to admit that I kind of really want to see The Ugly Truth. Funny People looks possibly worthwhile and Humpday I cannot wait to see.

Photos!
I gave in and made my Flickr Pro. I'm very pleased. The photo posting will not be stopped. My Photostream

Crafts!
I love crafts. I love people who make cool, original things. Sometimes I buy them. Some recent cool discoveries from the Renegade Craft fair:

Vital Industries: They make cool shirts with bikes. I love all things bicycle related.


Supermaggie: More fun t-shirts. And notebooks! I adore the little notebook I got.



And finally, Ex Libris Anonymous: Not only do they make super cool notebooks, they are SUPER cool people.



(This is the part where I fail at not buying more notebooks. So worth it though.)

That's where life has me right now. Broke, unemployed, writing. It's certainly been an interesting year so far. What's the rest of '09 got in store?

Production: Returning to Unemployment, Quiche, Bicycles, and other Summer Activities.

It’s official, or rather has been official since last Friday. I’ve returned to Unemployment-Land. The land of… well, unemployment? Job(less)-centric anxiety attacks fueled by a dwindling bank account balance, uncertainty over the future, and infinite amounts of boredom. The question of “Why am I doing this?” being asked countless times a day, in between cups of increasingly cold coffee and a phone that remains stubbornly silent. WAITING.

At least, that’s what it could be (and I have to admit, has been). It doesn’t have to be that though and I am determined to not LET it be that this time around. It’s summertime and I live only 30 minutes or so by bike from the beach. I have a basket full of projects I had to put on the back-burner while I was working, including a feature length screenplay that I’m all ready 60+ pages into (yes, seriously, I’ve actually been writing something beyond a blog. How weird is that?).

So rather than lamenting about my lack of prospects, my financial uncertainty, or any of that other stuff, I am going to instead focus on the things I enjoy spending my time doing. Writing. Taking pictures. Bike riding. Cooking. Spending time with my friends and family. These are the things I’m out here for after all. What’s the point, I ask myself? Well, all of that really.

Writing: As I mentioned, I’m working on a screenplay. Yes, I know everyone and their mother in LA is working on a screenplay. I’m working on incorporating all of the clichés into my life. Screenplay? Check!

I am really excited about this writing adventure though. Sure I’ve written things before but this is by far the longest, most real feeling project I’ve worked on. I don’t know how good it is or anything like that but honestly at this point my goal is more to finish something. The rest of those concerns are for the next draft.

Bicycle: I got a new one! After my old one died (the rain killed it, I swear) I was feeling rather helpless and stranded. So on Friday, just in time for the 4th of July festivities, I ventured up to Hollywood and bought my new ride out of some random dude’s garage. I love you, Craigslist.

She was a little rusty but some steel wool and scrubbing took care of that. Really the bike is in great shape and kind of completely perfect for me. I now even know a tiny bit about Raleigh bicycles. Yes, I googled it almost as soon as I got home. NERD.

Here she is:



Photography: (I know, I’m going out of order here) Back in December I purchased my friend’s old Nikon D40X. He was upgrading and since this was the camera I’d be lusting after for months, it was the prefect opportunity. I took it on a road trip and played with it a little but now I’m finally, actually, attempting to learn how to really use it. So far my photo subjects have included flowers, my friends, my cooking experiments, my new bike, bees (poor idea), and an onion (um, better idea than the bees?). I don’t know that I’d call my photography “Good” yet, but I’m learning! I’m pleased. You can see some of my efforts over on Flickr.

And, finally,

Cooking: Quiche! I made one! I’ve been promising my mom I’d post this recipe (I’m only two weeks late) so here it is:



Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Vegetarian Times has this whole cool crust part of the recipe involving phyllo dough but I have to admit to laziness on this part. I went with the store bought Pillsbury variety. Which is apparently vegan, good news for the roommate! Not that she’d eat an egg filled quiche anyway, but I digress.

As they also note in the magazine, a quiche is perfect for customizing. Add the ingredients you love. The original recipe called for Feta cheese, which I don’t really like, so I used Gruyere instead. It also called for a red onion but since I had a yellow one all ready on hand, I went with that.

Crust:
Pillsbury Pie Crust (usually found with the pre-made cookie dough and biscuits and all that stuff)

Filling:
Fresh Spinach (You can also use frozen. 1 10-ounce pkg., thawed and all liquid squeezed out)
1 Yellow onion, finely chopped (depending on the size of your onion, you might not need all of it. I had a bit left over)
½ cup cheese (I used Gruyere, one of my favorites and GREAT for baking)
10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Batter:
2 eggs
1 cup soymilk (or your milk of preference)
pinch ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Make the crust at this point if you’re going from scratch. Press your crust into the pie pan.
2. Filling: Stir together spinach and onion. Sprinkle cheese over crust. Top with spinach mixture. Arrange tomato halves over quiche.
3. Batter: Whisk together all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour quiche batter over the filling in the crust. Set quiche on baking sheet, and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is brown and center is set.

And that’s it. Seriously. How easy is that? If you’re making a bigger pie, it’s ½ cup milk for every egg used.

The recipe really is great. I think my favorite part was the nutmeg. It added such a perfect, subtle touch. The cheese on the bottom keeps the crust from getting too soggy so it held up really nicely for meals over the rest of the week. I think I may actually make another one this week. Maybe trying out a few different ingredients. Maybe not.

Other upcoming culinary adventures: Whole Wheat Pasta Stir Fry (also ganked from Vegetarian Times), a spinach smoothie, and a Rhubarb-Mango crumble my lovely friend posted over on her blog Do Not Feed the Editor.

I suppose that’s enough chatter for now. I should probably actually eat food, not just write about it. And there is more screenplay writing to be done as well. Maybe I’ll even make it outside today.

Unemployment-Land, here I am.