A Hobby of Sorts

I've never really been one to have hobbies. Growing up, my hobby was reading. Or reading and watching TV and listening to the radio simultaneously (seriously.) I did lots of other things, but once I grew out of the toy phase I never really replaced them other than with books and extra-curricular activities.

College pretty much killed my joy of reading for a time, although it did drastically improve my skill level (to pretentious geek stage apparently...) I appreciate this, but with putting a decent bit of distance between myself and my formal education I have realized that having pursuits outside of work (and my head) is incredibly important. And while I now enjoy reading and try to get in at least 30 minutes a day for pleasure (or to put me to sleep) I need something else. Since I read or write upward of 8-10 hours a day during the week, reading even for pleasure is not satisfactorily different to constitute a true reprieve from my work activities. And while I absolutely love TV, there are only a few quality shows on air. I will actually defend the merits of television (I can't stand people who think they are too good for TV or that watching TV means your are unintelligent or simplistic of mind. If you choose not to because you have other uses of your time or simply don't enjoy it - fine by me. However, don't judge me because I take a slight pleasure in the escapism television provides. I can even make an intellectual case for the merit of at least limited TV watching, but that's for another day.)

Unfortunately, my cynical side doesn't allow me to find much joy in "meaningless" activities that most people enjoy. I would rather cut away at my own finger with a left-handed Kindergarten safety scissors than scrapbook. I greatly appreciate sewing, knitting, quilting, and needlepoint but don't really have the patience or time to devote to it right now (I plan to start soon though. I figure if I start sewing a baby quilt now, by the time it's done I'll have a friend or family member to give it to.) I can play a video game for all of about 10 minutes before getting bored or not having the skills to go further. (Except the Sims... but that takes too much time to play and my computer can't support Sims 3 anyway.) I would love to paint or sculpt, but really do not have the talent for it. And the last thing I need in my life is the clutter than comes from collecting things. I'm an abysmal athlete, so sports for fun also holds no appeal. The list could go on. (Enter caveat: If the activity provides value to the person engaging in it, great. Good for them! I just happen to not be interested in things that are not of immediate urgency or provide a tangible good/service. I'm too pragmatic and wish that I was not.)

However, last fall I discovered my love for baking. I always loved baking with my grandmothers when I was a kid, but hadn't done much since I was about 12. This was a great first step because I began to experiment and re-learn techniques that I had forgotten in the last 13 years (or never mastered to begin with.) I began combing through recipe websites and cook books. I also read food and cooking blogs like there is no tomorrow. While I still find baking more enjoyable than regular cooking, I am beginning to pick up more cooking since having tons of delicious baked goods around the house isn't exactly advantageous to my wasteline. It also takes so much time that I typically cannot justify baking during week nights. However, actual cooking always must be done.

Now, to say I diligently prepare a gourmet meal every night of the week would be the grossest overstatement since the OMB claiming that Obamacare will save money. However, I did have the opportunity to prepare a two side dishes for some friends' cookout last Friday. The fruit salad I was particularly pleased with, so I'll share that recipe now. And, since it's my blog, I figure I can write about whatever I want, right? As fun as ranting is, I am actually attempting to keep a low blood pressure these days. And I truly love cooking for others if not for myself.

Sweet and Sour Stone Fruit Salad
(I forgot to take a picture. Next time...)

Ingredients*:
2-3 nectarines - sliced, skin on
2 plums (Damask for tartness; Satsuma if you prefer more sweet) - sliced, skin on
1 ripe mango (bordering on over-ripe to get the full sweetness. It adds another dimension to the salad which is perfect in my opinion) - peeled and chunked
1-2 peaches (or substitute white nectarines depending on preference) - peeled and chunked (unless using nectarines... then slice and leave skins on for color)
1/2 pint blackberries (can substitute cherries as well since they are in season. The blackberries add a balancing color to the orange shades of the other fruit and bring out the taste and color of the plums)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 lime - juiced
*Note, the fresher the fruit, the better the salad. I don't recommend making this with anything that is not in season or not perfectly ripe (including the lime.) I got my produce from Fresh Market and it was excellent - and surprisingly not very expensive since these are all in their prime seasons and were on special.

Directions:
Cut fruit and place in medium-sized bowl. When half of fruit is in bowl, sprinkle with white sugar to get the juices naturally running from the fruit. Stir. Add remaining fruit. In a small bowl, juice the lime. Whisk in 1/4 tbsp of brown sugar (or omit if you prefer extra sour.) Once sugar is dissolved into juice, pour over fruit and stir. Sprinkle top of salad with remaining brown sugar. Set out for 15 minutes or so, then refrigerate until 30 minutes prior to serving. Stir all together once more before serving to ensure the salad is fully coated.

This recipe is simple and delicious. Just don't be afraid to get your hands sticky!

Nails Against the Chalkboard

Do you ever have one of those days where every little thing grates on your nerves to a degree that you want run out of the room screaming and waving your arms in the air like a crazy person? Well, that's been my week thus far. It seems like every task - personal and professional that comes my way is a little more tedious than the one before. Taken individually, these tasks would be fine, but when combined they make me want to tear out my hair.

I also have reached the end of my patience with politicians. It's not like I had a tremendous amount to begin with, but whatever remaining iota of goodwill I had towards them was annihilated with the introduction of the Healthcare Bill. I cannot extrapolate further other than to say it is the biggest, most convoluted piece of garbage I have ever encountered. If Obama wasn't dead set on destroying our country before albeit through good intentions, he's graduated to the next level with this one.

There have been some really great things going on lately though, so I'll highlight those:

1. We adopted 2 dogs last weekend! I can't wait to bring them home (they're staying at the adoption center's shelter until we can move into the new house since we can't have them in our apartment.) They are the sweetest girls ever and I can't wait to come home to them every night. I'm sure there will be plenty of crazy, funny, and frustrating events as a result of their arrival. I also can't wait to start baking for them! Now I can bake to my heart's content and not be faced with the temptation of the tasty items I create (I promise, bacon-infused muffins hold absolutely no interest to me. I'm guessing Eva and Zsa Zsa will love them though. They almost took out a table trying to reach a wrapped blueberry muffin at Petsmart on Saturday.) Oh, and the dogs are named after the Gabor sisters which I thought was too much fun to change.
   
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (the movie) finally was released and it was great! I'm holding out hope that Dumbledore's Funeral will be at the beginning of the 7th movie because it is one of my favorite and vividly imagined scenes from the books. I look forward to seeing it again next week when it comes to the Imax theater. I'm especially glad they chose to highlight the friendships and romances of the students considering how incredibly dark the rest of the subject matter is (and will be in the last 2 movies.) It was much needed comic relief that was a great throwback to the first movie.
   
3. Our house is almost finished! We actually have countertops, some appliances, and one coat of poly on the floors. We had some minor tile issues - they said the one we wanted was in stock and it was not (8 weeks backordered!), so we had to go with a cheaper alternative. That was fine by me though. It will still look great and that's money we can use for something else. I just can't wait to finally live there!
   
4. After we move in, unpack, paint, and pick up our dogs we're going back to Amelia Island for a few days of relaxation and bonding with our new puppies. I can't wait although I'm sure taking the dogs to the beach will be an adventure. I think they'll like it though. They're incredibly curious.

I'm feeling a little better after talking about the positive things going on in my life of which there are many. Often, they are unfortunately overshadowed by the daily grind. I guess that is one of the downsides of adulthood.

How I Love Vacation

Last Monday I rushed to work... about 5 minutes late as usual. Unfortunately, as anyone who knows me has observed, the level of my stress-induced fatigue directly correlates to my punctuality. Since being so stressed out about our house (and work and missing a day and a half from being sick and life in general), it has been steadily rising for the last 5 months or so. I still keep it under 9:30am, but ideally I should arrive between 8:45-9. I have a fairly laid-back office, so it's not really a big deal as long as I don't miss a meeting (or deadline.) I also tend to stay later when this happens to compensate, or do work at night. So while I wish I was one of these early morning people who wakes up at 5:30am, goes for a 30 minute run, and sits under a tree for 15 minutes listening to the birds and basking in the sunrise, I most certainly am not. I am diligently working on going to bed earlier though. Staying up until midnight (or later) and only getting 4 hours of sleep a night may work in college when you have a month off every 3 months to rest up, but not in the real world.

Back to Monday, I got into the office and my boss told me to take Friday off for the 4th of July. He apologized for not thinking about it sooner, but said that I needed the day off. I heartily agreed. (I often agonize over taking Federal holidays off... because I want to maximize my vacation days. I'm beginning to learn why I need to take them off though - to preserve sanity.) My husband also had the day off (and Thursday afternoon), so we decided to get away for the weekend since we have been trying - and failing - to plan a vacation for about 2 months now. We looked at hotels at every beach location within reasonable driving distance and decided on Amelia Island.

It was wonderful.

I don't think I have ever enjoyed going to the beach as much as I did last weekend. It was not an overly exciting weekend - we drove down Friday morning/afternoon. Went for a walk on the beach and got some sea food for dinner. We slept in the next morning and then went to the beach for a few hours (about 11am to 1pm so I got some sun for the first time in about 2 years.) We then partook in the 4th of July festivities - a little parade and a beautiful fireworks display over the harbor. The people sitting behind us were interesting of the North Florida redneck variety, but other than their atrocious accents they were pretty entertaining - one woman wanted to "give me money to immediately move away from Atlanta." I didn't mention that we just bought a house there... We then had to search for some food because the one thing this celebration lacked was rampant commercialization via vendor cart. I was astonished that there were absolutely no vendors out considering there were several thousand crowded into the historic downtown district. I assume there was an ordinance and I think they tried to localize the vendors in the "park celebration" earlier in the day. Oh well. The fireworks were still great. And I bet I can find some 4th of July Mardi Gra beads on sale at Kroger or CVS... because that's what the Founders clearly would have wanted.

I must say, I'm a little shocked at how uneventful our weekend was and how wonderful that made it. Life is so busy and stressful all the time that it was nice to take a break and essentially "do nothing." I also find the ocean to be the most calming sound in the world. Even though I am absolutely terrified of it. I refuse to get in the ocean above my knees for fear of imminent drowning. I also am perpetually afraid of sea creatures biting or stinging me. Wading around is nice though and I could walk along the beach for hours every day (too bad I'm married and can't put that in a singles ad, right?)

This weekend made me want to up and move to the beach. Even if that means just working at a hotel to make ends meet. I would never actually do that... but it was nice to think about for a few days. And I do hope that one day we will actually be able to move to the beach semi-permanently. As we were leaving, I still couldn't wait to get home to see the progress being made in our house. The hardwood floors have been installed, which is great! Things are moving along nicely and I can't wait until it's done. Our new house will be a great substitution until we can take off to the beach again.