Learning from Gaga

I just wanted to tell you that this morning, 

fueled by my Day Zero motivation, I got up before the sun.

I went for a run.  In the rain.

I've told myself every single morning that I was going to do this for about a year.

I failed to get out of bed (on much more pleasant mornings) over 365 times.

But today I actually did.

Somewhere between listening to U2 and singing Lady Gaga to a field full of cows, I realized something.

It's not supposed to be easy.

I know this seems so generic.  But it finally clicked for me.  

If being that fabulous person you want to be was easy then everyone would be fabulous,

and you would have nothing to be proud of when you accomplished something.  

What separates you from your role model?

And with that I'll leave you with a little inspirational music....

Oh and ps.  For those of you who are following my unemployment saga, today I worked for the first time since December last year!  It was really hard minimum wage work at the University where Nick works, but at least I finally made some money on my own.  Hopefully it will cover that lil shopping spree I took myself on yesterday...

Butch My 4runner

Homesickness is one of those things that gets better over time, but it will never go all the way away.  There are little things that trigger it every now and then, and sometimes they just pimp smack you across the face.  Like today, I was walking Heidi, and parked in a drive way was a black 4 runner.  Why the hell would a black 4 runner make me emotional?

(Via)

Well I guess the thing about homesickness is it is all related to memories.  My first car was a black 4runner I bought for a mere $800 from my very generous aunt.  It was admittedly a piece of shit.  When you closed the doors big chunks of rust would fall off, and it would often smoke on the way to school in the morning, leaving my carpool with big head aches to start the day with. But the truth is, I loved this car.  I named her Butch, because all my friends said it was a car a dyke would drive.  But I didn't care.  It was mine and it gave me my first real taste of freedom.  I loved driving to school in the morning, and sitting in the parking lot having dance parties in the winter until the windows fogged up.  I loved putting it into four wheel drive in the winter snow and feeling like a real bad ass driving by people with little cars that got stuck.  I loved the way it smelled after I let some of my.... less studious friends borrow it to skip class and go get "bagels" in the morning.  (I never skipped class.  Goody two shoes here).  I loved the way the trunk flipped out and we could lay in the back and take naps before rowing practice.  And I really, REALLY loved the car rides home.  I had the best carpool, and we would jam to our CD mixes, on an old battery powered boom box - this car was too ghetto for a CD player.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't miss the car at all.  I miss those memories and the best way to confront homesickness head on  is to realize all that stuff is in the past and I will never do those same things, with those same people on a daily basis ever again.  Even if I was to return home, chances are few other people would be there with me.  So here I am in London, creating new memories.  Who knows - maybe one day I'll be homesick for London?  Doubtful.

Until next time, I'll leave you with the carpool's two favorite jams.  This is for you - MJ, Solimine and Gaffney.

Carrots Make a Comeback

After the carrot salad disaster I last posted, I thought I should post something in which carrots really shine.  To be honest, in the best of times I'm not really a fan of carrots.  As a kid I never had a problem with brussel sprouts or broccoli, but carrots.. yuck.  They made me want to vom.  How do you even swallow a raw carrot?  I mean its so difficult because it never reaches a point of mushy swallow-ability.  I only ever took carrots out of the fridge if I was attempting to catch baby bunnies with them in the back yard.  Yes I was that kid.  (Note : These attempts almost always failed, with the exception of once when the bunnies were too young to even move - I don't think their mom was very happy about me playing with them though.  oops...)  

Anyways enough of that.  I discovered the other day that carrots can actually taste good!  The problem is no one knows how to cook them, except maybe Jesse Ziff Cool, because I got this recipe for Honey-Glazed Carrots from her cookbook, Simply Organic.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 leek (sliced)
• 1 pound carrots (sliced)
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice up your leeks and carrots.  I peeled mine because they were really dirty.

Then melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the leek and cook until its tender.  Then add the carrots and cook until they're lightly browned, about 2 minutes or so.  Then just throw in the rest of the ingredients... Apple juice, honey, cinnamon, cumin mint and salt.  

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer it for about 15 minutes - until the carrots are soft.  You should probably remove the cinnamon stick at this point too.  Unless you want to eat it.  Then you'll have a tasty little pile of carrots and you can say to yourself, "Oh my!  How healthy I am!"

And you can eat them and if I'm not mistaken, you'll actually enjoy them!  They're as perfect as carrots could possibly be.  They're tender, and they're sweet like honey, with a bit of tartness from the apple juice.  All of the ingredients are mingling perfectly and the spices just give it a little extra va-va-va-voom to keep you going back for more.  

Infact, they're kinda like this music video, a tantalizing collaboration from Mariah, Mase, and Diddy. 

Cincinnati

Please read this post in tune with Joni Mitchell's "California"

Sitting in a park in London, England
Lookin' around and it sure looks bad
They don't do interpretive dance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn't want to stay here
It's too old and cold and settled in it's ways here
Oh, but Cincinnati
Cincinnati I'm coming home
I'm going to see the folks I dig
I'll even kiss a flying pig
Cincinnati I'm coming home



I met party animals in the South of Oz....

Who did the shark shuffle very well

They gave me back my smile
But left me with a cow-milking smell
Oh the Toole, Tom O'Toole
He baked good pies and cakes
And I might have stayed on with S2C there
But my heart cried out for you, Cincinnati
Oh Cincinnati I'm coming home
Oh make me feel good Queen City land
I'm your biggest fan
Cincinnati, I'm coming home

CHORUS:

Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
Just gives you the blues
Just gives you the blues

So I bought me a ticket
I caught a plane to Namibia
Went to a party down a red dirt road
There were lots of pretty people there

They're saving cheetahs, collecting poo
They said, "How long can you hang around?"
I said "a month, maybe two,
Just until my dyke spike grows out..
Then I'm going home to Cincinnati"
Cincinnati I'm coming home
Oh will you take me as I am
Even if I don't eat ham? 
Cincinnati I'm coming home

CHORUS:

Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
More about the war
And the bloody changes
Oh will you take me as l am?
Will you take me as l am?
Will you?

We're coming home Dec 14th - 29th.  Hope to see everyone then!