For Christmas

Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord,47and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,48for he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on all generations will call me blessed,49for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name;50from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him.51He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.52He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;53he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,55as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
From Luke Ch. 1.
Also another good/thought-provoking christmas read found here

i cook sometimes.

Yeah, so i know i used to publish a lot of profound thoughts on here. Well maybe not but they were new to me. However, my schedule now doesn't always permit such things. However, my schedule does seem to permit, and even require, some cooking. So i thought perhaps i'd share some of my foodie tendencies here.
Also, some of you may have been wondering how my "mostly-veg" diet was going. I must say i am still eating meat, though only once a day with dinner. I've definitely held to my resolution to eat well. That resolution, fortunately, has let to some rather fun cooking experiences. Alright so on to goodness.
Tonight's dinner:
-Herb Encrusted Salmon
-Buttered Green Beans
-Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes
So for the salmon, i just mixed in some thyme, garlic salt, dill, and ground pepper with some all-purpose flour, and coated the salmon with it. Then it was sauteed on low in a olive-oil filled pan, with a dash of pinot grigio. Turned out nice crispy and lovely.
Potatoes- just cut em up and boil them. Add garlic (salt), heavy cream, butter, and voila.
Green beans are the easiest. Just boil some fresh green beans for 10 minutes, drain and stir in some butter and salt.
I must say that the wine i cooked the salmon in, Turning Leaf's Pinot Grigio was quite nice, added a wonderful touch to the dinner. I had to go get more potatoes so i could finish up the wine.
I wish i'd taken pictures, it actually looked quite gourmet, i must say.

Yeah, I was there.

U2 concert Raleigh. Talk about checking off a life-goal. It was awesome. They sang my fave- "still haven't found what i'm looking for". I might have gotten a little teary.

OH yeah

I meant to post this earlier.
Go here for pictures.
http://www.donnanphotography.com/wedding/recap-carmen-mark/

Day 2

So i'm a bit amused by all the attention yesterdays post gathered on facebook. And i think perhaps i should restate my goals a bit- this isn't about starving- i don't need to starve, i'm on the thin side, it's not about restricting- it's about living healthier, reducing waste, and cooking more creatively. I'd like to make veggies a more integral part of our diet- get away from the traditional "meat as centerpiece of the meal".
So day 2.
Slept late- blueberry pancakes
Since i slept late- made habanero salsa for lunch, then Mark made me a pinapple mango smoothie. perfect
Seared flank steak marinated in sherry, garlic and pepper, with broccoli and carrot paella.
+why i'm only giving up a little bit of meat.
+the paella was awesome. saffron rocks like that.

Veg diaries day 1

Recently I've considered becoming vegetarian. One, because I want to eat more healthily. Two, because I eat too much. I eat like 3 times more a day than people in the rest of the world. That can't be good over the course of a lifetime. Third, because my jeans are getting tight. No good. Four- meat just isn't that appealing to me. Five- meat gets expensive. So I think my goal will be to eat a more moderate, mostly vegetarian diet. Now I love food. This is going to be tough. In fact I'm planning on eating steak for dinner. But since I already bought it I don't want to be wasteful. I'll just let my husband eat most of it!
Day 1: Bagel and milk for breakfast. Gotta get that protein in there.
Peach for lunch. Yes one huge peach from the new grocery store downtown.
Slice of Veggie pizza for dinner.
see, that wasn't so bad.

I think this whole veg thing comes from my recent frustration with just how wasteful I can be. I've got too much stuff. All those clothes I never wear, all that food I buy too much of and never eat, all this junk cluttering my desk and I'm not sure why or how it got there.
So, here's to a starting a more moderate, less cluttered lifestlye.
Now to eat plantains for lunch and clean out my closet.

"the I which is not i"

"the I which is not i"

i feel much smaller than the I.
the I is straight, it is tall, it is defined, it is unified
it knows what it is and why it stands
it is a skyscraper of defiance
it makes a statement and a point
yet me inside is not ready or worthy of a capital
i am disjointed
i am small
i feel much less than tall
why does english demand we use the I,
the I which is not i?