Ca-Joh: May 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

F2: June Gloom

Welcome again to Friday's Feast¹. Today I'll be talking about our next month's topic.

People from California are familiar with the term "June Gloom". Whereas this typically describes the weather, I am hoping that we can get away from the gloom and have a great June when it comes to Friday's Feast.

June means weddings to me. I'm sure that there are a lot of weddings that are going to take place during this month. Also, many of you have either participated or attended weddings so you should know what is served. Do you have any food related stories that relate to weddings? Was the spread less than what was expected? Are there any particular foods the must be served in order for the wedding to be a success?

June is also Father's day. Does dad like to grill… perhaps you can snag a recipe from him. Do you take dad out for Father's day— if so, where did you go?

¹ If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast— be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution. Also, if you want to see a particular topic— feel free to suggest it as well (I'm always looking for new inspirations).

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Writer's Workshop: Hello Good-bye

In honor of Mamma Kat's Writer's Workshop I have decided to tackle Prompt #5:
What’s so good about it? Write an interesting poem or piece of writing where the last two words of the writing are ‘good-bye’.

I have been wanting to post this poem for quite some time. And since the muse spoke to me through Mama Kat— who was inspired by writingfix.com… it looks like my muse is pretty distant— but is still on speaking terms with me.

I wrote this poem in high school which pretty much sums up my frustrations at the time. It wasn't until later when I re-read the poem that I realized it could be construed as a suicide note. Bearing this in mind, you will need to treat the two Hello's as coming from someone else— the first with an inquiring tone, and the second with a reassuring tone. Someday I will have to record myself reciting my poetry so that you better understand the overall tone of this poem.

I feel I'm trapped inside of myself… Hello

I have no place to hide from the entrapment that has kept me inside.

Who's crude walls are those who push me aside.

Where is my hero of need who sits on their trusting steed?
Nowhere, for they heed to rescue me from my gloom.

The gloom that takes my hand away from the life that was meant to stay…Good-bye

Hello

cj82'

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Tag... You're It

Quirkyloon tagged me in a photo-meme. Since I haven't done this one in a while, I thought I would participate. Here are the rules:

Go to your photos files and select the 8th photo folder.
Select the 8th photo in that folder.
Post that photo along with the story behind it.

Author's Note: I typically feel that memes are a lot like chain letters, so I normally do not participate. But this one is always fun for me to come up with a story based upon a picture. Here you go:

Last summer we did not go camping like we usually do. In order to make it up to our grandson my wife and I decided to have Grandma/Grandpa Camp where we would do those activities we normally participate in when we are camping— but closer to home. If you are interested in that story, you can go here— but I digress… on with the story about the photo:

Just before we had breakfast we were trying to park the car and found that one of the streets was completely blocked by a downed tree from the thunderstorm the night before. After breakfast we went down that street to investigate. Our grandson was greatly impressed by the downed tree— especially since it took up the tree at it's roots. I was a bit surprised that it didn't do more damage than it did. Upon further investigation we found that it fell right on the roof of one car which pretty much hid it from view, unless you were looking for it. Our grandson thought it was cool— I thought it must have totaled the car.

If you are expecting me to list eight other people to participate in this meme— you are wrong. However, if you feel obliged to participate— I am not stopping you. If you do, let me know so I can see your photo-narrative skills at work.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Happy Blogiversary Two Me

No… it is not a type-o. I purposely used "Two" in my title to indicate that this is my second Blogiversary.

For wedding anniversaries, you typically exchange gifts with your spouse like Paper, Gold, Diamonds and the like. On those anniversaries that are not milestones such as the first, the 10th, 25th, etc. there does not seem to be any standard gift to give. The same confusion as to what to do to celebrate my second Blogiversary is very similar to this.

I wish I had something grand that I could share with you my readers, but I'm at a loss. Looking around at others who have celebrated this occasion I don't seem to find any consistent way of celebrating that would clue me in. The first Blogiversary is usually a momentous occasion, but the second seems more like a non-event. But much like the spouse on their wedding anniversary— I feel that I must do something or feel guilty by forgetting the occasion.

So, I'll leave it up to you. What do you suggest?

Friday, May 21, 2010

F2: Bag It

Welcome again to Friday's Feast¹. Today I'll be talking about school lunches your mother used to pack for you.

My wife was listening to the radio sometime last week and they were talking about the ultimate sack lunch. The question was: "What would be the ultimate sack lunch that you would eat". This got me thinking about the kinds of sack lunches Moms make.

I must admit that I never had anything really fancy when it came to sack lunches. The staple wound up being a bologna sandwich with white bread and mayonnaise. I remember seeing a classmate who had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Doritos to which he promptly placed inside the sandwich and ate.

You always see those scenes in food commercials with kids trading the items in their lunch. I never experienced this myself, but am sure it still goes on today.

In high school I used to get a dollar from my dad to get some extra things at the lunchroom. I normally got a string cheese, a Little Debbie, a chocolate milk, and a chocolate malt ice-cream cup— each of which went to good use.

We typically called the string cheese "rat tail" because we used to pull off a good size chunk and stick one end in the corner of our mouth between our lips and gently pull at it while pushing out our cheek with out tongue (silly I know).

It always was a challenge to peel all the chocolate off the Little Debbie, then attempt to unroll it and eat it. We used to attempt to peel the chocolate off of Eskimo Pies (pronounced es-KOE-mo Pie) as well— but they weren't always available.

Since you normally shook up your chocolate milk, a friend and I used to make a contest out of it. We took the milk carton and placed it on the edge of the table. We then pinched the top and flipped it off the edge of the table and see how many times it would land like a cat on it's base.

Finally, we opened the milk and the chocolate malt cup and poured a thin layer of milk on the top and waited for it to freeze. Then we scraped off the frozen milk and repeated until finished.

How about you… are there any sack lunches that you remember eating as a child? Do you pack lunches for your children that the other kids would gladly trade their pony for? And, if you could pack anything and take as a sack lunch, what would it be?

This months theme is Moms and cooking. One of the things we all have in common is that we have a mom. Many of us even have fond memories of our mothers and even memories of her cooking or cooking with her. So what I'm looking for is anything that includes your mother and food.

If you don't want to disappoint your mother, be sure to leave a comment and include the URL so I can include you in an upcoming feast. Don't think that you have to come up with a post right away either. If you have already posted on this topic in the past— your links are always welcome.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Senseless Sensibility

My wife and I caught the last half hour of the movie Sense and Sensibility on television Saturday night. We made a point of trying to watch the beginning on Sunday before church, but had to leave before we got to the point we started with on Saturday.

After church I suggested that I read the story to her. "You have Sense and Sensibility, I thought you only had Pride and Prejudice" was her reply. I assured her that I had the complete works of Jane Austen and could easily read the story to her if she didn't mind.

Please bear in mind that typically I read bed-time stories to my wife and she promptly falls asleep. I must have a relaxing quality to my reading voice because this has happened to others I read to as well. However, whenever I tried reading Pride and Prejudice to her she says that she can't sleep, so I figured that I could get away with reading Sense and Sensibility to her without fear of her falling asleep.

I know that many of us learn to read aloud, and that when you write you should write so that it can be read aloud easily. I don't know if it is because of the way Jane writes, or if it is because I am reading it cold— but I was tripping over many words and did not have a very good rhythm. Still the same, around the middle of the third chapter I noticed my wife is asleep so I stop. She wakes up realizing that she had fallen asleep and asks where I was. I back up a paragraph and she comments "what… you're only on the third chapter— you haven't even gotten past the opening credits of the movie yet".

We then sat there and discussed Jane's writing style. My wife feels that she tends to have a lot of narrative and wonders how anybody could pull a movie script from all those words. I tend to think that Jane uses a lot of big words. This could be that she is trying to convey the mood of being proper, but I think it just sounds like she's trying to show off.

I don't know how many of you have had to read certain authors and struggled. My guess is that this is one of them. If trying to read it aloud is any indication as to the difficulty, it makes me curious as to how it got to be such a popular piece of literature.

Friday, May 14, 2010

F2: Mother's Day Dinner

Welcome again to Friday's Feast¹. Today I'll be sharing when we took our mother out to dinner.

When I was little my dad decided to take mom out for dinner on Mother's day. Being diplomatic, he asked her where she wanted to go and we all hopped in the car and went to go eat. Unfortunately where we lived the places to eat were all far apart, so it took us a while to get there. Once there we found that there was a very long wait… so we went to the next place on her list… then the next… and the next.

By the time we encountered the third restaurant that had a very long waiting list we knew our hunger was far outweighing our patience. We then decided that we would just go to Mr. A's and pick up sandwiches to take home and eat. Why didn't we think of this to begin with? Mr A's is more of a hot-dog stand that served roast beef sandwiches and had no place to sit and eat. It was only two blocks from our house and having a reputation of being a "greasy spoon", never had a long line— especially on a Sunday.

Of course, my mother thought it was definitely worth the wait, so I guess it goes to prove that it doesn't matter where you go— it's the thought that counts.

¹ If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Introduction to Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast— be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution. Also, if you want to see a particular topic— feel free to suggest it as well (I'm always looking for new inspirations).

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Compassionate Comforting vs. Arm-chair Advice

When I was in high-school youth group there were many times I saw someone who looked like they needed comforting. I would then approach them and ask "Do you want to talk". They would decline and I would walk away. Then a few minutes later I would pass by and see that someone else was comforting them.

I think this experience has made me a bit gun-shy when it comes to approaching someone to give them the comfort they deserve. Sometimes it makes me wonder if people see me as one who can comfort. This in turn feeds my insecurities and makes me question my ability to be truly compassionate towards others. I do not think that I am any less capable of offering comfort than others— I just wish that I could get the opportunity to do so.

How often do you hesitate being compassionate towards others? Do you find that it is appropriate to offer your comfort— or do you shy away because it may appear to be too forward.

Whenever I am given an opportunity to comfort someone, I usually ask myself if I have the necessary background to be effective when I comfort them. In this I feel a bit at a loss because I do not know the history behind their need. I have experienced first hand the concept of Sometimes a stranger is better company than a friend— where it does not matter how well you know the person if the words you convey to them are truly sincere. Knowing this gives me the confidence to know that I can comfort someone, even if it is general and not specific.

Many times people put up a post that expresses their feelings and shows that they are looking for direction or advice. I think that many of us feel lost and don't know where to turn so we cast out our thoughts to the world in hopes that someone understands us.

Why do I sometimes feel compelled to offer words of advice?

I sometimes find that the words I offer sound a lot like "pat advice" which may seem empty and lacking sincerity. This puts into question my intentions when I make a comment on other people's blogs. Just to get the record straight:

I am not the kind of person who is saying these things in order to play Arm-chair quarterback and tell you how to run the play. I typically draw from experience and hope that my words impart of my experiences and assist you in seeing a different perspective.

I will leave you with two poems I wrote that summarize the giving and receiving end of things:

You find someone who's not yet there
and ask yourself now should I care.

Should I show the path to set them straight
or wait a while until it's too late.

So come to me and all the more
you'll find the door and be aware.

86'

You find a friend when life seems down
it seems like chance they've come around.

A friend you find who seems to know
to pick you up and help you grow.

Now be a friend I'll find so well
so we can tell that love has been found.

86'

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Being In The Real World

You may be familiar with the book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus— but did you know that there is a blog site dedicated to discussing this difference…?

If you don't know already, I am currently a contributor over at the blog called In The Real World Venus vs. Mars. This site has many contributors who post about relationships, and we encourage you to to join in on the discussions.

Since much of my personal philosophy posts revolve around relationships— this allows me the opportunity to talk specifically about relationships and give real world examples rather than talk abstractly as I sometimes do. So if you are interested in hearing my perspective on relationships— feel free to sign up and read not only what I have to say, but what others have to say as well.

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Old 300

Being a singer in a church choir you tend to hear certain hymns referred to by their number in the hymnal using the phrase "The old whatever". This typically means that the hymn is a popular one and is usually known by its number rather than the actual hymn name.

Television shows typically celebrate their something-hundredth episode with a special episode of their own. Even in the blogiverse many bloggers tend to celebrate their something-hundredth post with a special post to mark the occasion. So I guess what I'm eluding to is that this is my 300th post.

I usually strive more towards quality versus quantity— so it has taken me a while to reach this 300th post. If you are new here, or if you are curious as to what on earth someone would say 300 different ways— I encourage you to look through the Labels on the right to get a feel for my previous 299 posts. Think of it as viewing the reruns— many of the old shows are really good even though not many people actually saw them the first time around.

Being around as long as I have, I have seen many a blogger come and go. Those to whom I thought were untouchable and would continue blogging forever, either faded or fell off the face of the blogiverse. Some of them are still listed as being a follower, yet when you go to read their blog you get a blog not found or a message back saying that they have gone private. This worries me, and I wonder if I will ever run out of material. Safe to say, I do have a lot of ideas floating around in my head which should keep you occupied for quite some time now.

Sometimes I view myself as one of "The Old Guard" in the bloging world. In certain circles you typically find those individuals who can be considered a part of The Old Guard because of their longevity. These are the ones who have been around for a very long time and are looked up to because of their experience. I have found that many bloggers that I looked up to as being Old Guard actually started their blogs after myself. I never realized this until I read about their own blogiversary and noticed that they are actually younger than myself.

A clarification needs to be made between having longevity and being popular. I usually say to myself that I got my followers the old fashioned way— I earned them. It has taken me almost two years to get the number of followers I have. Even though many of my readers do not indicate that they are a follower, I can safely say that I have about 100 or so unique readers. If you compare that with other bloggers out there who have followers in the hundreds, I have a very small niche of dedicated readers.

So I would like to thank the ~~Academy~~… oops, wrong speech. I would like to thank all of my readers— those who have been around from the beginning, as well as those who have just discovered me. I do not think I could write as much if I was writing into a void. I hope that you have enjoyed my first Three Hundred, now on to the next…

Friday, May 7, 2010

F2: Sweet and Sour Fish

Welcome again to Friday's Feast¹. Today I'll be sharing one of my mother's recipies.

Participants in this weeks Feast are as follows:

Beverly @ Beverly's Back Porch
Here's a cake recipe that's just Wacky.

One of the first recipes I asked my mother for was one for Sweet and Sour Fish. I remember calling her from a friends house while I was making it to make sure I had it correct. This is one of those recipes that is real easy to make and does not require a lot of real cooking. Making the sauce is one that you may have to adjust since I don't have exact measurements.

With inspirations from Mom

Sweet and Sour Fish:: 1 box of Battered Fish (usually Cod).; 1/2 t Corn Starch; 1/4 C Water; 1/4 C Sugar; 1 Clove Garlic; 1 Lemon

Preheat the oven to 400°.
… or follow the recipe on the box.
Place the fish in the oven and bake for the amount of time indicated on the box.
In a small bowl, mix the corn starch and water together to make a slurry.
In a frying pan or saucier pan, add the slurry and sugar.
Juice the lemon into a small bowl.
Crush the garlic.
Add the garlic and lemon juice to the pan.
Heat all over medium heat stirring as you go.
Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat.
Serve with the sauce on top of the fish, or on the side.
Enjoy.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

I've been a Bad Blogger— Please Don't Hate me

I have been preoccupied with work lately and have not had much time to think, let along blog. I realize that if I don't say something, that people may just forget that I haven't posted in a while and never come back.

The sad thing is that I am three posts away from my 300th post and since I have not been reading your blogs either… you may never know of my accomplishment. I was going to write 300 things that I share with my wife— but after looking over the now 325 items, I realized that much of it makes NO sense when taken out of context. Also, many more of them have accompanying singing or hand gestures which makes listing them not worth listing.

I have been feeling my age (blog age) lately and will probably write my 300th post about that. Please spread the word around that I am going to have my 300th post and stay tuned.