J. H. Authors

One Woman. Three Names. Many Books.

Random Thoughts

Cooking for One

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As a single person, I am challenged to cook well for myself. I cook to entertain, and I cook large quantities. But as I am not super fond of left overs, I don’t cook for myself. I suspect that is going to change. At my friend Deb’s suggestion I bought The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. I just got it, and I love it already. Beautiful book, great recipes and all geared towards single servings, or with ideas for making them single by freezing part of it. Blueberry soup. Single Quiche. Chicken Divan.

As I am fighting the battle of the middle aged bulge, I considered going back on Jenny Craig or trying Weight Watchers. But here’s the deal. I don’t want to. Instead, I have committed to eating real food. Watching portions, but eating real food. Food I can pronounce. And this book has real food.  I will report back as I work through it.

Maybe a Julie and Judith riff.

Quality of life. Real food. Beautiful cookbook.

And truffle salt. Yay for truffle salt.

Now This is Storytelling

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A friend shared this on Facebook. I love it. As a book lover, it resonates.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adzywe9xeIU&feature=share

Tick Tock Tick Tock

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Sunday was T – 6 months. 6 months before my birthday. A birthday that ends in a “0”.

6 months used to feel like a long time. Now it flies, FLIES by. So it is time to get the ducks lined up.

What do I want to be different in 6 months? And what am I going to do about it?

I want to get back in shape. Three years ago this fall I ran a half marathon. Two years ago this summer I did spring triathlons. Last year, nothing. I need goals–am thinking about signing up for a couple of 5Ks to get moving. Am not going to talk about losing x pounds or y inches. Just want to be in fierce shape.

Balance. Still trying, still losing. But reframing, realizing that I can’t have traditional 9-5 balance in my life. Need to figure it out, and steal time where I can.

Writing. I am revising my first novel again–getting rid of a character completely, shuffling a couple of scenes. Then back to #2 and continue shopping for an agent.

Reading. Less for work. More for pleasure. Much, much more.

Gratitude. I have a wonderful life. I am grateful for it, and want to keep being more conscious of how blessed I am. No matter what happens, I am blessed.

 

Resolutions

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I think I do this same blog post every few weeks. But here goes. I’ve either got to write this blog, or not. And New Years is a great time to take stock.

Been wavering, but then read a blog by a friend (who blogs every day, and has a book hidden in her posts). She posted this TED talk.

Brene Brown TED talk

And I realized this blog is that for me. Vulnerability. On my work blog, I am in work mode. On my writing blog with NHWN, I am part of a tribe. But this is me, hanging out there. So how about this–this blog is about my journey this year on accepting who I am (“I am enough”) but keeping it interesting. Challenging.

The last few days have been about cleaning, organizing. Regrouping. Last year, though fab, was incredibly challenging. And I feel like I was treading water a lot of the time. This year, got to get the systems back in place, and find new ones that work.

So, been going through piles, and getting rid of stuff. I have a lot of stuff. I could never buy a pen again and not run out. I have books upon books upon books. Half filled notebooks. Reams of paper from my thesis that I am saving for drafts. I have gotten off the exercise routine, even though I know it would help. A lot.  I have also gotten away from writing. I keep writing, talking about balance, and then I can’t find it. And then I beat myself up.

So in 2012, here are the goals:

  • Get a handle on the systems. Start today, and don’t look back.
  • Exercise.
  • Write. And the rest of that world choice (query, edit, submit and write).
  • Give up on the balance thing. Your life is nuts, but you like it. Hours blur. Work blurs. Stop trying to make your life 9 to 5 cause it isn’t possible, so make it what you need it to be. You’ve got 24 hours a day, sleep at least 7 of those hours and then figure out the rest.
  • Do the best you can, and don’t beat yourself up.
  • Sunday blogs to keep up.

Happy New Year folks.

 

In Praise of a Handsome Man

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This could be a multi-part blog series. And it has nothing to do with the People issue that just came out, though Bradley Cooper was a nice choice. Instead, it has to do with the theater weekend I just had in New York. I saw three shows, all of which featured handsome men. Paul Gross in Private Lives, Alan Rickman in Seminar and Hugh Jackman in Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway. My focus for this post is Hugh Jackman.

I have seen him in the movies. And I have watched him host the Tonys. But I had never seen him live. And while I was prepared to enjoy the show, I was not prepared for how enormously talented Hugh Jackman is. He is charming and charismatic and has a nice singing voice. But it is the dancing that got to me.

I love old movie musicals, with a very special place in my heart for Fred Astaire, with Gene Kelley coming in a close second. I love their easy way of telling a story through dance, and layering romance with athleticism. Hugh Jackman is that kind of dancer. Lovely, at ease and really, really good. Truly a talent that may have been better served in another era, when he could have made some movie musicals a la Gene Kelley (or Fred Astaire). Wolverine the Musical? I don’t think so. But maybe take his Wolverine cache and make a big old fashioned musical with production numbers? A girl can dream.

Hats off to Hugh Jackman. You surprised me.

Surfing over the Bucket

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I have professional goals for my role as ED of a non-profit, and as a teacher. And writing goals, both for content and publication. And I have blogging goals (like doing it regularly).

And I have my bucket list. Now the bucket list are both goals unto themselves, and they require many steps that are goals unto themselves. For example, there’s surfing.

My BFF from high school had this on her bucket list, and I’ve added it to mine. We both have August birthdays, and thought it would be a good time frame for crossing this goal off the list. But the steps leading up to it include:

  • Getting in really good shape. One is because core work is necessary. Two, because there will be photos of me in a wet suit.
  • Figure out the best way to do this. TLS had found Surf Diva camps, and that seems to work.
  • Practice the jumping up part. You know the look–from stomach paddling to jumping up and standing. Right now I would need help with that, as I am not very nimble. Yoga will help, right?

Nine months away. TLS and I–Surfing USA. Should make for some interesting posts…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grj7sjQ0_p4]