Crazy Cooking Lady
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Saturday 30Dec06 3:08pm

I woke up this morning with images of ground beef, Italian Sausage and pepperoni in spaghetti sauce. Hmm. I've been thinking about spaghetti for days now, I realize. I've got so much food in my freezer, took out soup last night to thaw for today. I don't really need to buy groceries.

Went to Fresh Obsessed anyway and bought all the ingredients to make my spaghetti sauce. Got some Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses to go with it. I talked myself into buying double of all the meat and have filled up two crock pots and a huge stove top pot with my spaghetti sauce. As I was stirring the sauce in the pot on the stove I was cracking myself up thinking that this one pot was more than enough sauce for one normal person. Of course I'm not one normal person I am the crazy cooking lady. Lord Help me!

Zelda kept me company in the kitchen while I chopped onions and garlic and cooked the sausages and ground beef. She is of the tripping cat variety constantly under my feet. I accidentally stepped on her tail a couple times to very loud cat screams and accusatory looks. But it wasn't enough for her to give me a little foot space. I try to pivot around without lifting my feet for fear of the stepping on tail mishap but forget again cuz I'm not a dragging my feet type of gal.

I was flipping through the Now Magazine issue with all the 2006 lists. Nothing of interest really crept out at me but I kept going. I got to the list of passings of the year. I didn't know that Gerald Levert died! I kept trying to convince myself that it was also his father's name but alas no he is Eddie Levert (who sang with the O'Jays). How devastating! Gerald Levert was only 40 years old. Apparently he had heart disease and died of a heart attack. It's really sad. He had gotten so heavy.

I don't know how many award shows I watched him on singing some tribute to some heavy hitter singer and just "sanging" the shit out of that person's music. Often times singing it way better than the original version. I'd always say, "That's my boy, sang that shit!" like he could hear me in my living room. I think he may have been the male counter part to Patti Labelle for putting on a show.

One year, I think it was on the image awards, they presented Diana Ross with a lifetime achievement type award. Patti Labelle did a medley of Diana Ross' songs. Now girlfriend sang those songs, she had me screaming in my apartment. I was lying on the floor like I'd been saved, people in the audience lost their minds. When Diana Ross went up to the podium to get her award she stood there and shook her head and said, "Oh Patti!" It was the highest compliment. It was like she was saying, I kneel to the altar of Patti Labelle. I ain't jealous, I ain't mad at you, you sang my songs!

Oh Gerald!

EY

Half Expected
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Thursday 28Dec06 4:54am

I half expected to hear Christmas Carols when my stereo went off this morning. I guess things are sort of back to normal. It's nice to have just a couple days of work to ease me back into a normal schedule.

We all seemed to have a bit of a restless sleep except for the Zelda cat that was comfortably stretched out on my writing chair. I seemed to wake up almost every hour. I think it has to do with being so free and without time constraints I'm always a tad stressed that I'll sleep in on the day that I really can't. I usually have those kind of dreams that I'm already at work and then wake up all screwed up and have to rush around. But with my 4am promise to get up every morning I really am safe so I don't know what the mild stress is about.

Maybe it's the date. Who knows.

Happily, I'll be able to get back to making my smoothies again since I bought myself a new blender for Christmas. My lovely magic bullet just couldn't deal with the heavy duty work that I put it through. It was really good in the beginning but after several months of constant use, well, the little critter couldn't deal. Plus the cups have little keys that fit into the mechanism to make it run and most of the little keys have broken off the cups. I think I have one or two cups left that still have the keys. It became a crap shoot as to whether it was going to work each morning and I can't have that. Plus the cups were repeatedly unscrewing from the blade while blending and I'd end up with a mess. Not good in the limited time of the mornings. So my endorsement of the magic bullet has changed dramatically. It was great for a minute but I need something more consistent than that.

My Charlescraft juice extractor is getting a little use weary but that's okay because I still have a brand new one sitting on the sidelines. I bought three of them when Eaton's was closing down years ago because I was able to buy them for real cheap. I gave one as a gift and kept the other two. Those are little sturdy guys. I used my first one for a good ten years so I know this one still has some good life to it.

My arthritic feet have been so excellent that I haven't taken my herbal concoction for a good week plus I haven't taken the Castor oil treatments for quite a few days either. The regimen is usually to take a break from everything so I'll probably start up again once the work schedule gets back to normal come next week.

Everything seems to be moving nicely with my body as of late. So that's always a good thing for me. I start to get out of sorts when my body isn't functioning as it should. Lord knows there can be enough things on any given day to make me feel out of sorts. Let's at least start off with a good frame work.

I went through my steno last night and typed up all the writing I can use. I had notes and scenes for White Wishes, notes and scenes for a chick lit novel, notes for my Dream weavers novel, notes for my graphic novel, notes to keep me centred, and a personal essay. I had other stuff that I already used or rewrote. I wrote an experimental piece that I don't wish to share on my blogs. It's a mix of an internal dialogue mixed in with to do lists that could be the beginnings of a longer piece but also stands on its own. We'll see what I can do with it. If I can find a place to submit it to.

I realized that I was confusing myself trying to update my counter of my 1000 hours and words. I just can't update it daily because I forget what day I'm up to and have to go back to all the sheets and recount everything. So I'll have to update it on a weekly basis instead which makes more sense anyway.

Well it's 5:30am and I'd like to do a little Pilates before I bathe and make my smoothie and stuff.
Don't know if I'll blog about the date so don't expect any updates on that. I already haven't blogged about beautiful eyes and his distinct confusion causing behaviour of last Friday. I just don't want to give my focus to strange and confusing men anymore. I've got way too much writing I want to do and I don't do strange and confusing anymore. No good can come from it.

EY

A Little Bit of Lazy
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Wednesday 7:16pm 27Dec06

I was a little bit of lazy today and a little bit of productive. It's my last day and I'm back to work for the next coupla days. I have a date tomorrow night and since I'm still in the mode of waning interest we'll see how that pans out.

My best friend in Montreal called me yesterday and we chatted on the phone for 2.5 hours. Once we get on a roll. Some of the stuff we discussed is still running through my head. I told him about reframing in family therapy when you change the way you see a person or view a situation. It would probably really help with the men in my life. ha ha! But with my need to feel more patient and accepting of others I've been thinking about using it again. Just sitting down and taking one aggravating person at a time and trying to see him or her from a different perspective.

The other big thing we talked about was facing our fears and insecurities. I marveled at how we attract relationships that activate our fears and insecurities. I have to think about my waning interest and know that part of it is because of some not so hidden fear that I'm not admitting to. What can I say? It's time to take a second look at those men and it's really time to take a look at my fears. Write those bad boys down, tear them apart.

There's always something more to look at, in writing and in life.

EY

Been Looking Forward to This
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Monday 25Dec06 8:48pm

I've been looking forward to this time all month and it's been a long time coming for sure. Well I haven't been disappointed and haven't had any bouts of sadness.

I've been enjoying the time to myself, listening to my own thoughts and thinking about what's next for me. That's bound to happen when you spend so much time alone. Maybe that's why so many people can't stand the time alone, I, of course thrive on it.

The last few days have been somewhat lazy with no particular direction and not much writing. Thankfully I did all my cooking yesterday so that was a mission accomplished. I started to go through my stuff to purge as much stuff as humanly possible, the pack rat that I am. I'll do more next weekend.

On my walk last night I had to remind myself that it's all well that I want to write in my spare time but sometimes the quiet, the lack of writing is just as important as the writing. It's that incubation period.
We're silent before we learn to talk. I just can't push myself to be all work all the time and for the first time ever I haven't guilt tripped myself for taking this time.

Went to see Dreamgirls today with a friend. I loved the movie and although I thought Beyonce was good, the movie belonged to Jennifer Hudson. When she sings, 'And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going,' Lord have mercy she did way more than just tear the house down. The desperation and strength in that song and the way she sings it. Somebody needs to make her perform that at every freaking award show this year.

Well, that's about it for me tonight. Going to sip a little Shiraz and just enjoy the moment.

Merry Christmas to everyone who has taken the time to read an entry or more than one entry. It's really nice to know that there are eyes out there that find something I have to say somewhat interesting as I work my way through balancing my full time work life with writing and all the other things that crop up amongst these entries. May you realize all the dreams that you thought were once impossible and the love of someone who's face lights up when you walk in to a room. xo

EY

Turkey Potpourri
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
11:21am Sunday 24Dec06

The turkey potpourri and roast beef potpourri have begun. Yippee! I managed to slap that Italian Sausage stuffing together and stuff my bird within an hour. There's enough for inside the bird and still more to fill a casserole dish, meatloaf size.

Was supposed to do this all yesterday but I still had a bit of running around to do and couldn't find fresh cranberries anywhere so I had to do the grocery store tour of downtown Toronto. Kinda sucked but it made me hit over 20,000 steps when all was said and done. Plus I bought a couple bags of pistachios at one grocery store and CHERRIES (!) at another store. The one place that I finally found cranberries must have known that everyone was out because they were charging almost $3. Bastards! I only bought one bag, obviously.

I don't really have to leave the house today but it's so nice and sunny I'll have to get out and make some steps. Just to make room for all that food I plan on eating. Got some cleaning up to do and of course this is a prime time to get laundry done since most residents have gone to their families cept for the polish immigrants who live here. They all stay.

I've been opening a present each day because I can. I still have the presents that I bought for myself.

Hey Grinny! I won a million dollars! ha ha! wouldn't that be fun? I'll have to scratch that ticket now, just in case. ha ha

Safari has been giving me troubles again so I haven't been able to access my blogs. Explorer is working but it can be iffy. Oh well, it smells like food in the house, can a girlfish who loves food ask for anything better?

EY