I saw this on Pinterest, so I clicked through and read the article written by Alex Juel and wanted to post it to my blog, so I’d never loose these great tips!

1. Reheat Pizza

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove , set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

2. Easy Deviled Eggs

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing roughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

3. Expanding Frosting

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

4. Reheating Refrigerated Bread

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated , place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

5. Newspaper Weeds Away

Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

6. Picking Up Broken Glass

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.

7. No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

9. Flexible Vacuum

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

10. Reducing Static Cling

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and — ta da! — static is gone.

11. Unsticky Measuring Cups

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

12. Foggy Windshield?

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

13. Reopening Envelopes

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

14. Smoother Legs With Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair…

15. Goodbye Fruit Flies

To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2″ with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

16. Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it “home”, can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains , but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

17. Info About Clothes Dryers

From the original author of this article: The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material – I’m sure you know what your dryer’s lint filter looks like.

WELL…the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn’t go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that’s what burns out the heating unit. You can’t SEE the film , but it’s there. It’s wha t is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free – that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!

I don’t always get to see/hear the finished product when I record a voiceover. In about the middle of October I recorded a TV spot for a Hospital. The producer kindly offered to send me the finished spot, which I very much appreciate.

A little background on the recording itself: I normally do everything in my booth… solo, send my recording to the client and re-do anything that my client needs re-done. For this one, I did my very first phone patch and had 5 other folks on the other end giving feedback and coaching. It was a great experience; they were all really nice and we ended up having a lot of fun.  The final video is below.

Today is my birthday.

Like many other people, there are certain traditions that I not only love, but [think] I need in order for the day to be “right”.

For example, a few years ago, my dear friend Ana and I decided to forgo the traditional Thanksgiving fare and have Chinese instead. I wasn’t ok for weeks. I found out that year that I needed turkey on Thanksgiving.

Birthday cake is another one of those for me. I want to say “any cake will do” but that really isn’t true. I need homemade cake, preferably round, 2 layers and if I’m really being honest, I like vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

A few years back, I made the mistake of announcing that I was going to bake my own cake (cuz I like to bake and more than anyone, I know what I need), but there were many people around me who thought that was a horrible, sad idea, and I let them talk me into letting my husband buy me a cake at the local supermarket. I loved that he went out of his way to do that for me, it was very fancy and delicious, but… I really just wanted a simple, homemade cake. Never again would I publicize my cake-baking intentions.

And, um, for the record, I’m talking about Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. I don’t think I’ve made a cake from scratch in my life – just add some eggs, oil and water and boom, you have cake.

So, this year, I went out and bought a box o cake and was going to make it this afternoon while my dearest friend Christina came to visit.  However, she put a stop to my plans by bringing me a cake that SHE baked, JUST FOR ME!!

I am so moved by this gift!  There is something wonderful about having people in your life with whom you share a history; who know you so well, they even make you a cake from a box when they normally do it from scratch, cuz they know you like it that way; who know that something so simple will mean so much.

Thank you, Christina. I know this gift was made with love, and I will love eating it!

Hey all,

I received an email forward from a dear friend. I thought the contents were very interesting, so I figured I’d put it in a blog. What I like about this email is the idea of giving services and experiences. I, for one, do not need more “stuff”.

“Something to ponder as the time of giving approaches:
 
As Hanukah and Christmas approach, Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with piles of cheaply produced goods – at the expense of American labor.  This year can be different.  Aside from the spiritual importance of each Holiday- which should NEVER be overlooked.  The months ahead are a time when you, yes… little tiny YOU an ME can make a difference for our neighbors and ourselves.  Consider this when planning your gift giving…

Ok, I’m feeling just a little bit crazy right now. See the pic of all that hand soap over there? There was a sale at the supermarket and I saved over $7 by buying all 10 of them. I’ve never bought so much hand soap at one time in my life. Looking at the gaggle of them on my counter had me shaking my head.

I think I’ll be ok on hand soap for a few years. But hey, I saved a few bucks, right?

There is a sign on my voiceover booth that says, very clearly, “No Cats Allowed!!” It even has a little kitty skull with crossbones (see pic). Hogan made it for me when I first started, because when I go in the booth, at least one of the cats decides that’s the time he needs to talk to me. He will meow, scratch or bang on the door, until I open it and pay him some attention. Freddy is the worst about this.  I’ve let him in the booth with me a few times, and I’ve added the sound clip of that at the bottom of this post, in case you care to hear THAT exchange. No, its not the most riveting 2:31 you’ll ever spend, but the end gets kind of funny.

Can’t he read the sign? Its clearly posted, and should strike fear in his heart!  I suppose I should teach him how to read.

Here is the audio of me talking to my cat, while in the midst of recording an audiobook. While he was in the booth, I thought the mic was picking up on all the noise he was making. At about 1:52, I picked him up and brought him to the mic to get the FX of a cat purring, in case that would come in useful at some point… it hasn’t yet. Shortly after that, I kicked him out:

When someone asks me what project I’m working on, its normally someone outside of the voiceover business, like friends and family.

When this happens, I give a shortcut answer, that isn’t entirely accurate, like, “I’m doing a job for Coca Cola,” or “Le Creuset”.

For those of you who have gotten an answer like this from me, please know that I do not work for these companies directly (and no, I don’t get any discounts, lol). What it really means is that I was hired by a production company or agency, whose client is most likely the more famous name I gave you.

If I’m being honest, I do this not just for economical communication, but also because I think it makes me look ‘cool’ in your estimation. This is total crap, which is why I’m coming clean here. I’m still going to use the short cut answer, but just know that while I’m still amazing, its not because I am doing a job for someone famous.

I occasionally get on these “kicks”. Like, last year for about 4 months, I was really interested in learning how to play guitar. After that, I wanted a bicycle to ride around. I pictured myself riding that thing everywhere… and then the heat came and the lovely bike has been sitting in my garage for a few months now (though I fully intend on riding it once the weather cools off a bit).

Then it was learning Spanish via the Rosetta Stone. I think I did that for about a month before promising myself I’d get back to it “soon”.

Well, I just did a job for an ESL program, where I recorded sentences like, “She is eating soup. She is eating fish.” and so on. Of course it made me think of the Rosetta Stone and how I really would like to learn Spanish.

And I will.  Soon.

I live in South Carolina. Its really beautiful here; everywhere I look, I have a choice: let my thoughts take over and distract me, or let them go and look at the sky, the trees, the way the grass here grows really wild if left alone.

When I do that; when I soak it in, its amazing how peaceful I feel; how calm and certain.

Without going into details, I’ve been off-balance for the last few days. Something was brought up in a session with my Life Coach, and it sent me reeling.  Today is the first day I’ve felt right again, after about 5 days.  I’m still in process regarding the upset, so I just looked out my window and saw all these different bushes around the building across the street from me and how each one is so different from the other; each one its own shade of green; each one has its own leaves; each one has its own way of growing out of the ground.  The landscapers did a lovely job with this area, and beyond the building I can see an un-landscaped area, which to me is even more beautiful.

I had been feeling better before I looked out the window. Now I feel happy and peaceful. And thankful.

About 8 years ago, after I’d adopted my 2 cats and had them in my apartment for awhile, I decided to train them to use a toilet. I bought a book on how to do it, and within 3 weeks, they were doing it.

Sort of.

Freddy caught on and did not seem to have any trouble sticking with the program. Sebastian, however, didn’t like it much and for the next 2 years, I dug my heels in and did whatever I could to MAKE him use the toilet.  He would pee in the bathtub and poop on the floor, or on my bed, or also in the bathtub.

The result was, I lost the war and had to bring the litter box back.

Then, on Friday, I was watching Shark Tank (for the first time), and saw CitiKitty. Some woman had invented a system to train cats on how to use the toilet.  Its been a few years, and I still have Sebastian, but I figure, what the hell, I’ll give it another shot.  I mean, as it stands, if Sebastian doesn’t like how full the litter box is, he’ll poop on the floor next to it, so I figure, I’m having to clean up poop anyway, why not try to bring the toilet back into play?

She also has some automatic flushing system on her site, which I’ll totally invest in… IF the kitties get on board.

If you want to know more about CitiKitty, here’s the link for the site. Good luck if you decide to do it – I’d love to hear about your own experiences with it.

I’ll probably use this project as an excuse to write more often in my blog, so… stay tuned!

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For 2 years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made; but the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”

“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

“I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path and this cheered it some. But at the end of tile trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on YOUR side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your crack, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them.

For 2 years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

I love Keds.  I do, I just think they’re cute and comfy and great little shoes.

I haven’t owned a pair in a few years. I bought into the notion that I needed “real” sneakers in order to do any activity, but I’ve recently discovered that is just not the case. So, I bought 2 new pairs of “Classic” Keds.  One for my daily wear, and one for the trunk of my car, for those times I decide to wear a pair of uncomfortable shoes and need something I can slip into and continue my day.

Here’s a pic of me wearing my new everyday-shoes:

Ahhh, its so nice to be home.

Last night, Hogan and I were invited to a party out near Moncks Corner.

The party was at the residence of our friends, and their home is affectionately referred to as “The Farm” – probably because the home is on more than 50 acres of land.

Every year, our friends host a party around this time, and the draw of the party (other than the people themselves), is their Fireball Throwing game.  Here’s the deal: You take a little bit of this and a little bit of that till you get a ball, wait till its cold, light the sucker on fire, and toss it around to your buddies (the actual details and ingredients are a family secret to which I am not privy.)

We went last year, and I have a great pic of Hogan participating, which I will add to this post below. Last night, it was pretty cold and they all stayed out there playing for about an hour. I’d guess there were about 15 people in the circle. It was a freakin hoot.

Afterwards, in the kitchen, while they were washing their hands off, and comparing how much hair had been singed off their knuckles, I thought to myself that maybe next year, I’ll step into the circle. Maybe.

While the throwing is going on, Jeanne Mitchum (of Holy City Photography) stands off to the side with her fancy camera and takes photos of the game. She leave the shutter open, so she gets these amazing shots of the fire’s route from person to person. That’s why the below shot looks the way it does. When she adds more to her Facebook, I’ll grab them and add them below. This shot is from last year:

UPDATE!! Here’s a shot from this year: 

I have a guitar lesson today, but haven’t been practicing. I’m still at the early stages of this endeavor, so I suppose my teacher will either not notice, or [hopefully] be very patient with me.

The food in my bowl
Is old, and more to the point
Contains no tuna.

So you want to play.
Will I claw at dancing string?
Your ankle’s closer.

There’s no dignity
In being sick – which is why
I don’t tell you where.

Seeking solitude
I am locked in the closet.
For once I need you.

Tiny can, dumped in
Plastic bowl. Presentation,
One star; service: none.

Am I in your way?
You seem to have it backwards:
This pillow’s taken.

Your mouth is moving;
Up and down, emitting noise.
I’ve lost interest.

The dog wags his tail,
Seeking approval. See mine?
Different message.

My brain: walnut-sized.
Yours: largest among primates.
Yet, who leaves for work?

Most problems can be
Ignored. The more difficult
Ones can be slept through.

My affection is
conditional. Don’t stand up,
It’s your lap I love.

Cats can’t steal the breath
Of children. But if my tail’s
Pulled again, I’ll learn.

I don’t mind being
Teased, any more than you mind
A skin graft or two.

So you call this thing
Your “cat carrier.” I call
These my “blades of death.”

Toy mice, dancing yarn
Meowing sounds. I’m convinced:
You’re an idiot.

I woke up this morning and all three of my cats were looking at me. I think they’re trying to control my dreams.

Have you ever learned something unexpectedly? Like, you’re going along in life and… wham!  You see something from a different angle, or in a different light and you wonder why you’d never seen it like that before.

That happened to me today.  I got a bad scratch on my arm and Hogan immediately took over and made sure I was ok.  He took such tender care of me that it struck me: He treated me more lovingly than I treat myself.

Its hard to explain what I “learned” exactly. Its more of a paradigm shift, where I realized something that was right in front of me.  There are days where I will exhaust myself with self-criticism.  If Hogan can treat me with so much love, then dang it, so can I.

A few weeks ago I attended a great class on audiobooks, which ended up with me cutting my first audiobook demo (see “Demos” to the right).

When I was in their booth recording, I noticed that their metal music stand had a kind of rubber mat just behind where my script sat. I imagined such a device was used in order to absorb my voice, instead of it being reflected back at my by the stand. I was correct.

However, when I came back to my home studio, I couldn’t find anything online that matched what I saw at Buzzy’s. So, I contacted Denise Chamberlain and lo and behold, she actually makes “cozys” for music stands, for this very purpose!

We chatted about material and color, and today I received my red velvet cozy and not only can I read in the booth without worrying about the sound, I feel absolutely decadent!  If you need one of these items, contact Denise right away.

Hey, y’all – I just received the audiobook I recorded last week with Pat Fraley, Scott Brick and Renée Raudman. Scott Brick introduces me:

TV spot I did last month for Pecheles Honda:

I have a head cold.

The good news is, I rarely get sick, so the occasional head cold isn’t about to get me down. I have heard good things about Zycam, so started chewing on them today. Not terrible as medicines go, but I wouldn’t chew on them if I weren’t sick.

Meanwhile, I’m not sure if I should just rest, or if I should live my life as if my cold were a minor inconvenience. I’m not the type to lay in bed all day – I get too bored. Maybe a little television and couch time wouldn’t hurt, though.

I arrived in California late Friday night and needed to rent a car. Normally when I come here, I take a hotel shuttle bus and remain in whatever hotel I’m staying at for the duration of my trip. This is because I normally come here for some convention.

This time is different. I’m here to make a demo, as I outlined in my previous post, and the studio where that is being done isn’t in the hotel…

So, I go to the rental counter, have a conversation with the lovely lady and walk away a little giddy. Because I don’t often travel, I don’t often rent or drive strange cars.

Out in the lot, waiting for me was a brand new Mustang convertible. I’d just been talking the other day to Hogan about my old Mustang and what a great car that had been, and I consider convertibles totally frivolous, so I went for it.

The drive to the hotel was SO FUN! I put the top down and rolled the windows up and just drove. At some point I realized I had a grin on my face.

I’m decidedly glad I rented the car, mostly because it’s different, but also because it was a good reminder of how much I love my Honda. My hips are just a bit too generous for the Mustang’s bucket seats (the seatbelt fastener digs into me uncomfortably); I love to wear lipstick and being in a convertible without proper hair inhibitors can get messy and annoying.

However, for 3 days, those minor inconveniences are just that – minor.

Beep beep.

My husband has been in Minnesota on business since Monday.  I’m going to go pick him up from the airport in an hour and I’m SO excited to see him.

I know its only been a few days, but he and I are rarely apart, so this time alone has been a challenge.  Before he left, I made plans to totally veg out, maybe read a book or play a video game.  Instead, I just missed the crap out of him and wandered around the condo like a zombie.  I watched a little tv, ate popcorn for dinner and hung out with my cats.  It kind of sucked, but I’m glad I went through it. It made me miss him a lot, but it was good for me to be alone for a few days, to kind of be alone with my thoughts and such.

My father recently created his own blog, after weeks (and maybe months) of considering it.  He was hesitating because he wasn’t sure he had anything useful to say.

We convinced him to pull the trigger, and he’s been blogging up a storm!

As for me, I don’t often write down my own thoughts for the same reason he hesitated.  However, I totally enjoy when he or some other friend of mine writes a blog, no matter how random or strange or serious it might be, because I like being invited into their thoughts, if only for a brief moment.

The other cool thing about having a blog is that people I’ve not been in touch with for a long time can google me and find me here.  This happened twice recently.  The first was a pleasant surprise, and the second was certainly a surprise, but not entirely pleasant.

That’s ok. I’ll take the surprise, no matter what the outcome.  I love opportunities to learn.

Funny video from Kirby Heyborne on audio narration:

Very interesting video about voiceover animation

Fun interview with Orson Welles on audiences:

When you eat dairy, do you notice that you have to clear your throat more often for awhile after you finish?  I do, and its annoying, but its especially bad when you’re working and doing auditions.

Gotta remember… No dairy during the day!

Can you do an Australian accent?  I can (sort of).  I recently bought a very good book by Paul Meier called, “Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen” and I think it was well-worth the investment.  This book has 24 accents and dialects and comes with CDs for you to hear the sounds and different tones others use when speaking.

I bought it  for 2 reasons: I’ve always wanted to be able to do an Australian accent, but could never get my mouth around the sounds, and I think being able to speak with different accents or dialects makes me more marketable as a voice actor.

So, how has this been going so far?  Well, when I drive around, I will call out things I see (like a 3 year old) and say them with a touch of Aussie.  I can’t put whole sentences together yet, but I’m working on it… mate.

HA!

I had a full day today!

Had breakfast with my sister Sarah at Charleston Cafe (it was very good, I’d recommend it), then on to Tanger Outlets for some girly shopping.

After I left there I headed on over to the gym to take my new swimsuit for a test drive.  I cannot believe how much I love the water… and how bad I am at swimming right now.  I think its been about 6 years since I’ve swam, and I ended up choking on some pool water but had so much fun anyway.

After that, headed on over to the supermarket and picked a few things up for the weekend, plus a sammich for myself, ate it at Hogan’s office and hung out with the boys for a bit then came home and had a nice chat with my mother.

Yup, a nice, full day!

I have a new favorite website: Zenhabits.net. The latest post is really great and has to do with something I’m working on: Mindful Eating. Click here to read the whole article.  Below are the 10 steps he suggests to get started:

How to master the art of mindful eating:

1. Start small. Like all new habits, it’s best to set realistic expectations. Choose one meal or snack each day and commit to focusing on mindful eating at that time.

2. Stop multitasking at meal times. It’s really difficult to focus on eating if you’re doing other things. Set aside time for eating without other entertainment.

3. Only eat at the table. Another way to minimize mindless munching is to get into the habit of only eating when you are sitting down and able to give the food your full attention. No more snacking on the run.
4. Appreciate the appearance. While we’ve all drooled over gorgeous food porn in magazines or online, sometimes we forget about the beauty of the food we are about to eat. Taking the time to notice sets the scene for mindful eating.
5. Focus on each mouthful. Think about the flavour, texture and even the sound of the food in your mouth. Focus on how much you like, or dislike these sensations.
6. Chew. While it can be overkill to go to the monastic extreme of 100 bites per mouthful, make sure you chew your food enough so that it is well broken down before you swallow.

7.Use cutlery and put it down between mouthfuls. It’s much easier to take smaller portions when using a knife and fork. Of course if you feel like you’re having a ridiculous Seinfeld moment eating a chocolate bar with utensils, then skip this step but do put the bar down in between bites so you can focus.

8. Talk and share. One of the joys of eating is sharing a meal with loved ones. It can be challenging to incorporate mindfulness in a social situation but not impossible. Turn the focus of the conversation onto the meal while you are actually eating. Share what you are experiencing in terms of flavours and textures, likes and dislikes. At first this may seem a little weird but trust me, you’ll soon find yourself having fun with it.

9. Go for quality not quantity. By choosing smaller amounts of the best food you can afford, you will not only enjoy it more, you’re far more likely to be satisfied without having to over eat.

10. Make time to prepare your own meals, preferably from fresh ingredients. The cooking process can be as relaxing and enjoyable as eating if you let it. For me, the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly what has gone into my food makes any hassle worthwhile.

Hogan and I recently had some photos taken by a professional photographer and friend, Jeanne Mitchum. Here’s the first one I’ve seen, edited. Jeanne is a big horror movie/zombie fan…

I had a great dinner last night – in fact, I think it was one of my favorite meals I’ve made.

My friend Christina and I went to Whole Foods yesterday and picked up some fresh food. In case you’ve never been there, Whole Foods offers samples of some of their foods, mostly cheese, crackers and fruit. I usually pass these samples by, but Christina twisted my arm by sampling some cheese in front of me, so I just had to do it. It was called “Robusto” and I couldn’t talk for awhile because there was a PARTY going on in my mouth!

I immediately picked some up and started having ideas about how to incorporate that cheese and the grapes I sampled next (because their flavor combination was awesome) into what I was going to make for dinner.

So, the menu:

“Robusto” Cheese
Seedless Red Grapes
Sliced Red Delicious Apples
Alouette Cheese Spread
Fresh French Bread
Hanger Steak (marinated in Grub Rub)

It was FANTASTIC! I had everything spread out on the table, and we each ate whatever item we wanted. The flavor combinations were better than I expected. I asked Hogan what he thought and he seemed to like it and said it was kind of like a “barbaric” meal because we were mostly eating with our hands.

It was awesome – I was so happy during the meal and totally satisfied for the rest of the night!

I just finished recording a testimonial for a company I really like: VOCareer.com.

Went to lunch today with Hogan and my bro. Got to the parking lot, parked the car and as Hogan was about to open his door, a large truck pulled into the spot next to us, so he stopped and waited for the truck to settle before opening his door.

The three of us got out and were in the middle of a light-hearted conversation when WHAM!! The man from the truck comes around the back of his truck and says very angrily, “Do you always open your car door into other people’s cars??!!” Aiming his remark at my brother, who had exited on that side.

My brother responded that the door of our car wouldn’t even reach his truck if he HAD opened it all the way, which he insisted that he hadn’t.

They went back and forth for another minute and when it was clear that my brother wasn’t going to back down, the man disengaged and went on his merry way.

The three of us went to the restaurant for our lunch and it took a good few minutes to get over the shock of being attacked like that in the parking lot. I’m sure if that man had come over and said something like, “excuse me, I think you might have opened your door into my car…” the conversation might have gone a bit different – but no! He decided to come at us with guns ablazin. Jerk.

Looking back on it, it could have gone MUCH worse… and I didn’t have my Taser with me. I’ll remedy that right now.

Don’t go out there defenseless! You never know when you might run into a troll.

I just found out that 2 high school classmates of mine are dying of cancer.

They are unrelated stories, but I found out about both of them at the same time.

I didn’t know either person very well, but I do feel sad knowing that these people, whose lives I crossed years ago are sick.

I feel very sad for their families and will keep them both in my thoughts and prayers.

Godspeed.

I saw this video a few weeks ago and it has really opened my eyes to what we put in our bodies on a daily basis.

Below is the video in its entirety, and here is another version of the same video, chopped up into 9 parts, 10 min each (easier to watch if you don’t have a lot of time.)

Oh! AND – I had some chicken breasts thawed and ready in the fridge and didn’t know what to do with them because whenever I try to cook chicken breasts, they come out tough and dry. I don’t know how restaurants cook them so they come out so nice!

Anyway, I bought a great cookbook: “How to cook everything” and I looked up chicken parmesan but moved on because I didn’t have any breadcrumbs handy and didn’t feel like going out.

Well, I kept going back to the recipe because I’d never made a dish like that and I liked the challenge. I noticed that the cookbook had a page reference for breadcrumbs and WOW, I can’t believe how easy it is make them.

Remember that bread I made? I took a slice from the loaf (the end was a little stale at this point), and riped it into smallish pieces and put them in my little Cuisinart food processor, which I’ve had for years and I don’t think I’ve ever used, and chopped up the bread into little crumbs!

The meal came out great and I’m pretty proud of myself for trying something new, AND was able to cook a healthy meal for dinner (all items were organic).

I’ve been experimenting with cooking things from scratch. Recently, I borrowed my sister’s breadmaking machine (does that count as “scratch”?) and used organic flour, eggs, milk, etc. I was worried about how it would come out because #1, this was my first time, and #2, it was all organic material, and didn’t have all the stuff that other breads have.

It was GREAT! Especially warm and fresh from the oven – seriously, if you haven’t baked bread before, I suggest you try it, its a real treat.

So… remember that post I wrote about coffee? That I get a headache if I don’t drink the caffeine?

Well, I’m also trying to loose weight and I know that caffeine is a hindrance to that. I thought I could somehow skirt around that little detail, but after 6 months of frustration I’m going to change to decaf and Diet 7-Up.

I realize this means migraines for me for the next 3 days, but I think I’ll be better off in the long run.

Meanwhile, I got some decaf yesterday, and its pretty delish, so I’m happy about that. Now… where’s the Advil?

We all know enough about nutrition to get ourselves into trouble. I’m no exception.

I have done just about every diet out there and the one I like the most is the Atkins Diet. I just feel better when I’m on the diet than when I’m off, but of course STAYING on that diet can prove to be a real challenge.

My husband and I decided to try it out last summer and we’ve stayed on it for the last 6 months, with some success.

One of the reasons we can stay on it without loosing our minds is we take every third weekend “off” from it and go crazy.

This is one of those weekends, and yes… I do feel crazy.

Sugar should be classified as a drug, in my opinion. I’ve had some today and I just… don’t… feel… good. I’m shaky and miserable. I’m thirsty, I feel bloated and just generally in a bad mood.

Why do I do this to myself every third weekend? Well, for one thing, its a great reminder of why I eat the way I do the rest of the time; eating cookies is fun while I’m eating them; I like that I can eat crap and not feel guilty about it (that’s a big one); and I like feeling “normal” – that I can eat whatever I want, which is what I perceive “normal” people doing.

For now, I feel like the old adage, you are what you eat: Crap.

I ready a very interesting blog today from Seth Godin about marketing. What he has to say will apply to every aspect of your life, when you think about it.

Good stuff, Seth.

I’ve made a decision!!

Well, to be precise, I asked Hogan to tell me what to do, and his preference is for the booth to be at home, so that’s where I’ll stay.

Its a hell of a thing to not know what to do. I’m relieved and happy now to have it decided, AND I prefer it to be at home as well, so that worked out well.

My thanks to Hogan for helping me out.

I’ve been struggling with a choice: Do I keep my studio in my home or should I move it to another location? I have an opportunity to get a sound booth, which is a heck of lot better than my closet. The problem is, the thing is large and we don’t have a lot of space at home.

The other ‘location’ is within my family’s business offices, in which there is potentially a space for me.

Pros and cons for home:
Pros: Well… I’ll be home, which means I’ll be comfortable and feel safe to experiment with the copy; I can possibly use the space in my home to write off the business expenses; I’ll have immediate access to the booth, in case a client needs something right away.
Cons: I might not focus on the business as much if I’m too comfortable and I have a lot of distractions here. I don’t have as much space in my home for a “studio”, and the booth alone will take up a lot of space and be a potential eyesore.

Pros and cons for office:
Pros: I’ll be out of the house and when one does that, one tends to focus more; I’ll have more space and may possibly be able to get a larger booth with a few more bells and whistles; my family will have ready access to the booth for their own needs.
Cons: I might not feel as safe to experiment with the copy (which might turn out to be a good thing for me; it might be good for me to be forced to be creative in an open environment as you never know when that kind of skill will come in handy); I won’t have immediate access to the booth, in case a client needs something right away; I can’t protect my equipment if its out of my hands.

As you can see, I’ve thought a lot about it. I think my druthers would be to stay at home, but it just may not be feasible in the little condo. I don’t want to squeeze us into a smaller space by introducing a large room-within-a-room situation, but I also feel like it would all be just fine and Hogan and I would make the best of it.

I’d love to hear what you think about it. What would you do?

My site re-direction went all kaflooie, but its all fixed now! Thanks for stopping by!

We just donated money to the Haitian relief from StillerStrong.org – I saw that Ben Stiller had actually created a charity organization, like his character Zoolander said he’d do in the movie.

I thought that was clever, so I donated thru his site instead of Red Cross or something.

SO CRANKY TODAY!

I took a business class about a year ago and one of the instructors offered to give honest feedback about our websites.

He was brutally honest and I really appreciated that.

Now its a year later and I’m going against some of his advice, because I’ve been convinced about the new way to do business. In case you haven’t noticed, things have gotten a lot more social.

Last year, the advice was to keep it professional only, and I think there was a time when that would have been the thing to do – but nowadays, with the internet making our planet smaller and smaller, people are more interested in doing business with people they know, and I like the idea of that.

So. I merged my 2 sites, like I said in an earlier post, and now you know why.

What do you think about the new ‘social’ way to do business?

I’m a big gamer.  I may not be as big as most (like my friend Ian in Texas), but let’s say I know a thing or two about a thing or two.

Anyway, my sister is not a big gamer, but seems to enjoy playing video games, mostly to be social.

She came over tonight and played the original Fable because she had played Fable II recently at a friends house, and I tried to convince her that the original was better.  To me, it still is.  I don’t know where she stands on the matter, but I was a bit taken aback by the graphics compared to how graphics are now.  The difference is pretty amazing and I’m really in awe of how the smartie pants of the world figure out how to make things better and better all the time.

I had a lovely evening and hope she wasn’t too bored with my pixelated hero of Albion…  Maybe I need to invest in some multi-player games for the next visit.

What say you?

Hey!  I did it!  I figured out how to merge my voiceover site with my blog.

/bow

It only took me all day and a smidge of my sanity, but here we are!

Went to a restuant today and ordered a “medium rare” burger.

It arrived raw.  Nice way to ruin a perfectly good day.

A wise person once said, “I don’t have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without caffeine.”

For me, the problem is I get a major headache if I don’t have coffee.  Its terrible, but the good news is, I LOVE coffee, so about 99% of the time, no problem. This post will not be about headaches – just wanted to share.

Currently my favorite flavor is French Vanilla.  Someone suggested I try the Paul Newman version of the little K-Cups we use (specialty coffee maker), and so while at Target recently, I picked up the only box that was there.

The ‘flavor’ we unwittingly bought was something called “Extra Bold”.  I was unsure about this new flavor, but being the adventurous woman that I am, I took a chance.

Woah!  Delicious!  Move over, Guatemalan Antigua, Mama has a new baby!

Now I still have the French Vanilla in the afternoons, but the mornings are reserved for the Extra Bold.  I forgot how much I love super-strong coffee, and I felt moved enough to blog about it.

Or I was pushed into it by Christina and Nick. Either way.

I was doing some fall-cleaning yesterday and decided to re-do my library.  I found a huge cache of old journals.  Each and everyone of them had some writing in them, but not one of them was filled.  I have no idea why I have like 15 different books, all partially filled.

I haven’t journaled in a few years (blogging is the only thing that comes close), and I’ll hang on to these journals to enjoy later… but sheesh!  All these books, only partially filled?  What a waste.

I went to the supermarket for a bit of light shopping.  When I checked out, the girl behind the register looked at my hair and commented, “Interesting color.”

I noticed that wasn’t exactly a compliment, so I replied good-naturedly, “It was an accident.”  I then explained what happened (different color than I’m used to – its pretty brassy.)

She proceeded to start to write down a name on a piece of paper.  I asked what she was doing and she said, “I’m going to give you the name of someone who can fix that,” and she pointed at my head with her pen.

At this point, I start laughing because I can’t believe how absurd this conversation is. This girl doesn’t know me, and has no idea how rude she’s being. She honestly is trying to ‘help’ me.

I thanked her and explained that I really didn’t need the number, and that the color would eventually fade.  As I walked away, I said, “And besides, if my husband doesn’t mind, why should I, right?”

She replied, “Yeah, its a good thing he loves you, no matter what,” as she looked again at my copper head.

True. So true.

Hogan and I went shopping today. We bought a ceiling fan at Lowes for the home office, bought some books from B&N, and then stopped by a couple of furniture stores to do a little recon on dining room sets.

The fellow at the first place we looked was someone with whom we’ve worked before, when we bought our living room furniture.  Nice guy, very pleasant.  As we were leaving, he stuck out his hand for a handshake to say farewell.

Now… handshakes are tricky.  I won’t claim its a universal truth… but in my humble opinion, handshakes are a gateway into someone’s character.

There are the “grippers” – people who think they need to be aggressive and subject your hand to their vice-like grip; basically letting you know they lack the confidence to shake your hand properly.

Then, there are the “dead fish” kind.  These people barely make the effort to keep a firm hand or look you in the eye; basically letting you know they lack the confidence to shake your hand properly.

Either way is awful, for its own reason (though I think I’d prefer a grip to a fish, but that’s me).

They guy at the store was a dead fish and it honestly made me not want to do business with him.  Like I said, he was a nice guy, but… I really don’t like to do business with people who leave me feeling ‘oogy’.

How’s YOUR handshake?  Not sure?  Shake my hand and I’ll tell you.

Its that time again. NaNoWriMo begins in a few days and I’m thinking about doing it.

I go thru this every year and am feeling ambiguous about it.

What is NaNoWriMo?  The “National Novel Writing Month” organization hosts a website where you can challenge yourself to write a novel (50,000 words) within 30 days – specifically, from November 1st to the 30th.  There is no competition, except with yourself, and it can be grueling, but ultimately a LOT of fun.

I “won” the contest in 2004 and 2005, and have attempted to do it again since then, but life has been pretty busy the past few Novembers and I didn’t follow thru.

I love the NaNoWriMo and love being challenged. Hm. Maybe I’ll do it this year.

Want to do it with me?

I’ve been having some issues with my earlobe lately.

Growing up, if I wore earrings that weren’t at least 14k gold, my lobes would get red and sore and hurt a really lot.

I stopped wearing earrings for a long time and one day, got a wild hair and started wearing them again.  And… no problem!

Now, I have a ton of crazy earrings and its been REALLY fun… but the old soreness has come back (but only in my left lobe – explain THAT one to me), and I stopped again.

For the past few days I’d been thinking I should maybe go to Target or something and grab a small pair of 14k studs to get back into the swing of things, but got distracted by the sparkly display at Kay Jeweler next door…

I called Hogan to clear it with him, and he gave me the ok: I now own my very first pair of diamond stud earrings!  That wasn’t my intention going in there, but I had a price in my head that I was willing to pay, and as it turns out, I was able to afford diamonds!

I left the store in sort of a giddy limbo – I really don’t know how to feel about it.  Am totally tickled that I have DIAMONDS on my person. Right now. On display. Totally decadent.

I went to Walmart last week with Hogan and he remarked that the merchandise on the way out of the store looked strangely like Christmas decorations.

We go thru this every year – we are always surprised at how early the stores start to push the season, but in the world of supply and demand, is it really their fault?  Would they do it if people didn’t buy stuff this early?  I think not.

As for me, I wait till around Thanksgiving to start making… oh who am I kidding?  I have 2 boxes of blank Christmas cards sitting right next to me, and and am worried about getting people’s addresses in time.

Hi.  Was talking to my girlfriend Christina the other day, and she inspired me to start up my blog again.

I think I’ll keep it simple, cause I’m a simple gal.