[edited to add: special thanks to Pat and Bill for taking these photos]

Balancing life is important. I get so sucked into working, school and everything else during the week that my nights are pretty drab. That’s why I like to make up for out on the weekends.

But last night was a little different. Truth? I wanted to stay in my pajamas and ignore the cold. It had nothing to do with my friends. I just get like this sometimes, especially when the weather is less than desirable.

Instead of whining too much, I just decided to suck it up (with some encouragement from Bill). I got bundled up, braved the metro + cold and spent the night traipsing around the city, my jeans wet and snowy.

Of course I had a great time. I knew I’d have a great time. It’s great when you can find those people that you can really let loose around and be yourself.

Besides, I was only cold when I was outside. And I was barely outside. Every place we went, I completely forgot about what it was doing outside anyway.

The moral of the story? Complaining about stupid things is just stupid. So what if your pants get a little wet on the way to the bar. So what if you’re cold for 5 minutes waiting for the metro. How rarely do people actually get physically uncomfortable to begin with? It’s generally a passing thing, temporary.

Thank goodness I have friends who want to have fun. That makes it all the more better.

Do you ever get like I do? Where something like the weather or inconvenience makes you a complainer? How do you deal?

Just writing up a short post to say Happy Birthday to my mom today!

I love you, Mom, and I hope your birthday is wonderful!

(PS: Call you soon!

I’m pretty sure that everyone must bake on snowy days. But what to bake? I’ve had the ingredients to make make Super Charge Me cookies for a while and, after seeing them on Brandi’s blog, I decided to make them today. Thanks for the inspiration, Brandi.

I’m in awe that this cookies are healthy [in moderation]. The ingredient list includes some of my favorites – oats, raisins, flax meal, almond butter, CHOCOLATE. Clearly, the inventor of these cookies is a genius. It’s also a pretty easy-to-follow recipe. First you mix the wheat and dry in separate bowls, respectively. [note: I did not include coconut *yuck* and I used wheat flour instead of spelt.]

And then together, of course, being careful not to overmix.

Space out evenly on a tray, make sure your oven is set to 350 degrees and pop them in for 13 minutes.

During your thirteen minutes, you could do a variety of things. I folded laundry and talked to my friend Kelly about our upcoming spring break plans. It’s looking like a few days with friends is in my future, and I couldn’t be happier.

My cookies came out looking differently than I had seen on other blogs. But they seem to taste just as good as others have proclaimed. I’m assuming it was the flour I used. Oh, and the fact that I didn’t spoon them onto the pan but instead balled them up with my hands. I have never been one to follow directions.

Now I’m off to brave the snow and cold for shuffle board and pool playing at Atomic. Here’s to a victorious night!

How did you spend your (potentially) snowy day?

The snow is falling down again. There’s something about winter on a Saturday morning that makes me want to lounge around in my pajamas, enjoy some coffee and eat a filling breakfast.

I talked to Scone, and he agrees.

I’m not sure how filling Scone’s grass is, but at least he’s enjoying something while watching the parking lot fill up with flakes. Bill was kind enough to walk to the supermarket and pick up some ingredients so that we could have a breakfast-sammy kind of morning. For payment, I cleaned the kitchen and put the dishes away. I’d say that was a fair trade for this beautiful wonder.

We made ham, egg and cheese sandwiches on bagels. I’m pretty sure this massive sandwich is going to hold me over for hours. Hours of homework. I have a feeling my weekends are going to be spent this way for the next several months. Nose to book, pen in hand. Little time for anything else.

Blogging about food has been a bit sporadic because I haven’t done much in the way of interesting cooking lately. I hope that changes this week. Lately, I’ve really had this drive to work on creative projects. I was thinking about how I need to buy a dry-erase board so I can write down all my school and personal tasks. Then I thought, I should just make my own dry-erase board. With some help from my Twitter friends, I found out about chalkboard paint, and I’m thinking about constructing a chalkboard somehow.

Only I would turn something simple (like a to-do list) into a creative thing. Perhaps this is why I’m always doing assignments up until the last minute? Hum.

Anyway, sorry for being a food blogging stranger. I’m embarking on undoubtedly the toughest four months of my academic life. I’ve promised myself to live the mantra my professor discussed the other night and walk with CALM CONFIDENCE. I love that expression. I am confidently calm about this semester. I have a confidence that is calm. I am confident and calm.

Let’s do this!

Also, I’m participating in the Ask Anything survey that’s going around. Feel free to ask me anything you’d like anonymously. I’ll try to answer in a timely fashion!

Yesterday, someone asked: Where would you most like to visit?

I had this idea once that I wanted to travel to all the places where Raymond Carver lived and wrote. Carver’s characters often seemed influenced by economic status + place. I’d like to see the places that impacted his writing and find some of his characters hiding in restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars.

I’m also interested in seeing Big Sur, California, because of Ansel Adams. I fell in love with one of his photos of a wall that was covered in etchings (names, mostly), and I made a book based on it. I want to find that wall.

The last thing I should be doing is blogging right now. After working 8 hours, being in class for 5 hours and on the road for nearly two hours, I should be sleeping. But you have to fit your hobbies in where and when you can, which is going to be the theme of this post. Fitting it all in because it matters.

Last week I mentioned that I went to an inner city school in South Baltimore to talk about being a writer. I was asked by a colleague/friend at work and decided to give it a go. Of course, I was nervous. I have little to no teaching experience – let alone middle schoolers. But I like to take risks, so I gave it a shot. Plus, I’ve said for years that I wanted to teach. How would I ever know unless I actually tried?

That’s me in front of a 5th grade class. I think only one person is actually paying attention, but one is good enough for me. I apologize for the quality – it’s a cell phone picture, but it’s all I have. What’s more important than the picture is what happened before it.

I had a total panic attack.

I had to spend the morning speaking to four classes of 30 students for 30 minutes each. Even that is too much math for me. The first session was absolutely horrendous. I had no control over the class. They didn’t listen to a word I said. And I became so flustered that I actually ended the presentation early, walked out of the room and almost starting crying in the hallway.

Until Clare came by.

Clare helped organize this event. She helped calm me down, reorganize my thoughts and focus. She said she’d stand in the back of the room while I presented, just in case I needed someone else to fill in the space. Well, while talking to her, I decided that these kids needed an assignment in order to listen to me. They needed to do something that we could all share. So, naturally, I gave them a writing exercise.

But it wasn’t just any exercise. I actually gave them a legitimate graduate school exercise. I told them to imagine a picture – it could be real or imaginary. I asked them to start the paragraph with: “In this one, you are ______.” This is an assignment a fellow student gave me in class. I asked them to consider what was in the frame, what was outside it, what happened before and after.

And you know what? It worked.

They were focused and attentive. Students wanted to share. They discussed personal issues, hobbies and imaginary scenarios. They were engaged. They listened to one another. I couldn’t believe the transition.

Two students particularly struck me. One was an 8th grader who came up to me after the session, pulled out a notebook and showed me an entire graphic novel he was constructing about aliens taking over Area 51. The other student was in 5th grade and shared a story about the death of her grandmother. She got up in front of the class and just couldn’t get the words out. But instead of sitting down, she stood up there until she could get a few sentences out. The entire room was quiet while she spoke and shared.

So what’s the point of this story?

The point is to put yourself out there. Go out today and do something you’ve never done. You will never know whether you like it unless you try. You will never know you want to be a teacher unless you teach. A chef unless you cook. A writer unless you write. Force yourself to go out there and do something.

I wanted to say no. I was nervous and scared and shy about getting in front of kids who I thought wouldn’t pay attention. And the first group could sense that in me. Clare helped me focus but even more than that – she helped me remember what the point of this whole thing was. Just reaching someone, anyone was enough.

Sometimes people say things to me like: I don’t know how you fit everything into your life. Sometimes, I don’t know either. It seems completely unrealistic to work full-time, take two classes in graduate school, help teach a class (which is a new endeavor – more on that soon), blog, make books, cook dinner and see friends and family. It’s a lot. But I’m sure there are people out there who do more.

I saw a bumper sticker on someone’s car the other day that said: You will never find yourself. You only create yourself. To that I will add, you only create who you are through action. If you say something is your hobby, you have to commit yourself to it. Only then does it really becomes a hobby.

I’m not super woman. I know that. I have way too many passions for one person, but they all lead me to one thing: creating the person I am and strive to be. If you keep that in mind, you can do anything you want.

Note: I want to take a brief moment to commend the teachers out there in the world. I don’t know how you do it. I don’t know how you don’t collapse at the end of the day. You are an amazing and wonderful gift to the world.

Note: I also want to acknowledge everyone in this blogging community. If you want to look at a hard working group of individuals, visit my blogroll. Each and every person on it has a passion and commits themselves fully. I’m so glad to have examples like that in my life.

[sap fest: over]

So this project was a new one. A baby scrapbook/album. But not a baby book for a friend or family member of mine. This was a baby book for someone from work to give to another friend. Meaning: I didn’t know the parents or their personalities at all. I didn’t know the baby’s gender or future name.

What’s a bookmaker to do?

This is where color can make all the difference. I had my client send me a list of color combinations the couple might use in their gender-neutral nursery.  I used that to my fullest advantage and came up with this:

My biggest goal with the front cover was to 1) make this book gender neutral and 2) incorporate the parents’ names somehow. The middle circle is reserved for the baby’s name once he/she is born. The three circles represent the joining of family to create new life. This isn’t what I had in mind from the beginning – but after playing with many different shapes, I thought it looked best.

For the inside covers, I used gold decorative sheets of paper. I then bought some fancy baby feet paper and alternated between that and yellow sheets – something my client suggested.

You can’t tell from these pictures, but this book is 12 x 12. And I emphasize that because I’ve never made a book so large.  I intentionally bought thicker binder board that normal (and you should see my arm muscles after cutting), and I think it made all the difference. The book feels sturdy and dependable.

I used a stab bind – my favorite when it comes to albums.

What I loved most about making this book was my use of precision. I hate straight lines. But this book was different. I was very focused. I used a ruler. I measured. I really thought things out from the very beginning. I also learned the importance of playing with colors until something takes shape.

Hopefully Martine, Sean and their future bundle of joy enjoy this book!

Trust me when I say this: There really is nothing I’d rather do than write. If I have a day off, I want to spend it creatively. That being said – I am starting to tire of spending all my life lately with fictional characters. The good news is that they do what I want, say the right things and can change in an instant. The bad news? My head is going to explode.

My master’s thesis/creative project/novella is due tomorrow night. Therefore, I spent my day off (and the past two weeks, for that matter) at a makeshift desk on the dining room table. A multi-tasker at heart, you can see a book project in the background (in which, yes, I had to use a lid for circle shapes).

So, this is what’s been consuming me. And it’s a good thing, really. I do believe this collection is the best thing I’ve produced. I’m proud of it, and I can’t wait to see where it comes from here. I love my characters (all 7 of them) even if I hate what they’re doing to my head right now.

I did squeeze in a good dinner tonight. You know my love for stovetop time -along with tofu and vegetables!

This is the ultimate lazy-woman’s dinner. I grilled tofu in a balsamic vinaigrette (Annie’s variety) and then mixed in a bag of frozen vegetables and couscous. I worked on my book in between flipping the tofu to a crispy perfection. No time for special sauces tonight.

Now I hope to catch up on Lost in anticipation for next week. And mix some blog reading into there. I haven’t read blogs in forever. I have no idea what’s going on.

Oh, and a sneak preview for a special post tomorrow… this is a book I’ve been working on for a client:

Expect the big reveal tomorrow!

What has been consuming you lately?

Don’t let the exterior (or even the interior, for that matter) of Mark’s Kitchen fool you. If you do, you’ll miss out on an incredible meal experience in a Takoma Park gem. I went there tonight with Anna from Blue Plate Special to dine on some quirky vegetarian food and dish about life for a while.

The inside of Mark’s kitchen is like a diner and co-op mixed into one. It’s a casual environment, where you could bring a date, a good friend or a loud family. It serves American and Asian-inspired dishes at moderate to even low prices. And the menu is extensive. I particularly wanted to go there because of the amount of vegetarian dishes on the menu. There are also local and organic goods for sale on the walls and a row of goodies in the middle of the restaurant. The food is prepared right behind this glass case stocking fresh fruit and vegetables, and the wait staff is kind and sincere.

When I scanned the menu, almost everything caught my eye. That’s a good sign and one that makes me realize I’ll soon be back. I kept coming back to the Spinach Tofucakes. I didn’t know what a tofu-cake was exactly, but I could imagine, and it sounded like something that would treat my belly well.

The presentation was absolutely gorgeous. The spinach tofucakes consisted of tofu patties w/ spinach, red pepper, spring onion and shiitake mushroom mixed in and served over steamed rice or brown rice w/ a raspberry soy sauce & greens on top and string beans and sweet potato on the side. Talk about a mouth full. Literally.

Anna and I ate while catching up on life, school, blogs and her recent trip to Africa. It was great hearing about her adventures, especially because I had never really done anything like that. The only way I could compare was the summer I studied at Cambridge in England. A beautiful 6 weeks spent punting, learning about Shakespeare and yes – drinking tea. Study abroad really does wonders for a person’s perspective; I’d highly recommend it – as I’m sure Anna would too.

A beautiful Monday night dinner with a great companion. If you’re ever in Takoma Park, be sure to check this place out!

Someone is tuckered out from birthday celebrations. Or he’s just had too much cat nip.

Either way, we celebrated Scone’s 5th birthday to the fullest. And yes, we might be crazy. And yes, this post is going to be all about Scone and very little else. But we just love our cat.

We started the day by making a trip to The Big Bad Wolf in Takoma Park – “essentials for the socially conscious pet.”

Um, you could buy a billion and one things in this store. The prices aren’t too bad either. They have everything from organic pet food to a ceramic water fountain.

We left the store with some cheaper “essentials” for Scone’s birthday and decided to give them to him periodically throughout the day. Many of them involved cat nip, so we decided spreading it over the course of the day would be the best course of action. The first of which was some grass.

Scone has tried eating our plants enough times that we had to move them all to the top of the bookcase. This way he can have some plants without 1) dying and 2) killing all seven of our plants.

We have a winner!

An hour or so later, we brought out the big gift. The cat lounge!

Have you ever seen such a thing? I can’t wait until Scone looks like that cat on the box. Cause it’s going to happen; I don’t doubt.

Next on the list was some jerky treats.

Which entirely confused him, and he did not like. Present fail.

But that was made up for hours later with a leather, cat-nip-filled mouse.

… which he promptly took to the lounge. Of course.

By this point, we were slightly worried that he was on a cat-nip/present overload.

But instead decided to embrace the joy of birthday celebrations.

… by giving him one more present. A wand with a feather on the end.

… which he promptly destroyed.

Ok, so by this point you think I’m obsessed with my cat I’m sure, which – I kinda am. He’s been a great pal over the past year. He sits with me when I’m alone, he reaches out to me in times of need and he listens without talking back. Pets are a great thing.

In honor of his birthday, I decided to make a tuna salad of sorts for dinner and lunch tomorrow. Even though Scone couldn’t eat it, I knew he’d like the tuna smell.

I didn’t want a mayo or yogurt base, so I improvised. Here are my ingredients:

• 1 can tuna
• 1 cup lima beans
• 2 chopped carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper

It was a little dry, but I liked it that way.

It’s been a full day. Good night!

Long time no post! It’s been a busy working weekend, full of 75 pages of my manuscript (a.k.a “thesis”) that’s due this Wednesday. I did take a few moments for fun and food here and there, however.

Friday night, Bill and I went and saw Crazy Heart with Marie and Pat. No food or fun pictures, but it was a delightful time. And last night, Bill and I met up with his old high school chums Joe and Marty at RFD in Chinatown.

If you’re a beer lover, and you’re ever in Washington, D.C. – put this place on your list. I’m not huge on beer, but every time I go with a bunch of boys they swoon and awe over the selection. This is just one page:

Intense? Why yes. The good news is that this place also has a decent food selection. I particularly enjoy their sandwich selection and usually go with an old favorite every time I visit. A garden burger with sweet potato fries. Any place that has this combination on a plate is a winner for me.

Unfortunately, my stomach had been feeling funky all day – and after I ate this, I started to get really sick. I said a quick goodbye to the boys and drove home pretty early and watched “The Pregnancy Pact” on Lifetime. Yes, a riveting Saturday night indeed.

I’ve spent the day running errands, getting birthday presents for a certain feline friend of mine and writing my thesis. Stay tuned for a birthday recap featuring the one and only Scone! I can’t believe it was just one year ago today that we adopted him from the shelter. Maybe some of you remember his first video debut?