September 27, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Freelance Profile: Staying Current

woman close up black dress I realized the other day that the pictures I use in my “professional” profiles (LinkedIn, this site, etc…) are not at all current. While I would love to be able to say that I’ve not aged physically since 2008, it would be a lie. I decided it was time to address this.

Since I now wear contacts on occasion (rather than always appearing in glasses, as I’ve had to do since turning 28), I felt like a profile pic without specs would, once again, be honest.

The picture here is pretty much the only current head shot in which I am smiling and don’t look like I just got out of bed. It’s not my favorite, but I might use it for a bit… not sure yet. While it doesn’t make me look like I’ve aged in the sense that I have lingering baby weight or numerous wrinkles, it does make me look, I don’t know, like a grown up or something.

I am not necessarily down with that.

Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under I'm a Professional

Tagged as , ,

September 25, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Gold Beet Soup with Grains and Greens

gold beet carrot onion grain vegan soup

Say that title five times fast.

You may remember my little ode to beets from a few weeks back. Now, I’ve discovered gold beets. The photo above does not do them justice (I never claimed to be a photographer). Simply lovely are these delicate relatives of the more familiar red beet.

There is nothing terribly impressive about this Haphazard Recipe. I’ve been trying to buy fruits and veggies that are new to me, and work them into my cooking and eating habits. As the weather gets cooler and the evenings darker, no answer was easier for the gold beets than soup. Happily, I found a basic recipe that included the greens, and took it a little further with the addition of grains and carrots.

Ingredients: Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as , , , ,

September 23, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Pairing – and Pears. The Weekend.

greens pears picture young couple

At the end of last week, I came down with my first real illness since Iris’ birth. Because of this, the wee one spent Friday night with her grandparents, and the hubs and I spent a good portion of Saturday as just the two of us.

It put me in mind of the years before we got married, when we would spend Saturdays holed up in the finished attic/living room of his apartment, hanging out with the roommates and assorted girlfriends, cable TV and Miller High Life. While there are a number of things about those days that just wouldn’t suit us now, I do miss the freedom to be lazy and not run my weekend according to a to-do list.

Saturday also happened to be the 14th anniversary of my sweety and me becoming an official couple. The me then would have been amused with the way that now us marked the occasion. He did roof work, talked to the neighbors and harvested pears from our tree out back. I meandered around the house in a cold med daze, managing to do a load of laundry and make gold beet soup (with greens!), but mostly stretched on the couch with my laptop.

When I pulled out the photo pictured above, I saw two kids with bottle-dyed dark hair, and myself with red nails. I used to hate having my picture taken, though I was likely wearing more makeup than I would on a first date today.

How times do change. It can be bittersweet, but it’s all for the best. I hope you have a lovely week!

Leave a Comment

Filed under AutoBio

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 18, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Oddities in Vegetarianism: Red Cabbage Smurf Child

It started appearing by the stove:

red cabbage pieces kitchen floor

Then I saw it perched on a barstool:

red cabbage bits bar stool

Red cabbage seemed to be populating and migrating around my kitchen. I suspected the usual kitchen mess culprit: My Toddler.

Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under Health

Tagged as , , , ,

September 16, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Michigan Irish Music Festival, 2013

mother toddler festival tent crackers

This weekend, we said to heck with responsibility and drove out to Muskegon for the annual Michigan Irish Music Festival.

Iris looks like a bit of a disgruntled leprechaun here, with a mouth full of peanut butter crackers. She’s no doubt wondering about the deep fried Snickers bar and spiral cut potato fries she got to enjoy two years ago, when I was about three months pregnant. We kept things moderate with wet bean burritos this time.

Although the weather was cool, and a few favored friends were absent, we kept warm with stout and dance, and spent a little time with other beloved friends. One of the best things was that between songs, after Iris had been spinning circles and stomping a pudgy leg, everyone, including our toddler, would clap. Iris assumed, of course, that the applause was for her, and beamed at the crowd with her own “Yyyyaaaaaayyy!!!”

Unlike with festivals past, we went home at about 10pm, rather than crash at the nearby Holiday Inn at 4am. I admit it was nice to wake up without a headache.

Slainte!

Leave a Comment

Filed under AutoBio

Tagged as , , , ,

September 13, 2013 · 1:00 pm

The Fish and The Stars

sun ocean clouds space view My curiosities wriggle to the depths of the oceans,

And flit to the height of the stars.

Sharing niceties with the fish,

And begging secrets of the planets.

Listening to Sagan as if in a dream,

And hoping his sentiments do not go unheard.

*

Musing a little as we hear that NASA’s Voyager 1 is officially the first human-made object to leave our solar system and enter interstellar space. Wooooooooooow. Words fail. Astounded. To only imagine what might be found… or what might find Voyager.

We watched some “tribute” videos of Carl Sagan this week, and were again put into that dreamy, inspired trance that his intonation and knowledge always impart. Science and humanity take on new meaning when spoken of by such a sage.

Also, because it’s pretty, and because stars… and fish:

red gray starfish under water

Also, because cosmic fish (the only clip of this I could find):

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Current Events, New Story

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 2, 2013 · 1:00 pm

A Rest from Labor

couple in front of cabin

Happy Labor Day!

This was us in 2005, in front of Cabin 5 at what used to be Fox Lake Resort.

We are there now, as we speak, relaxing with family for the holiday weekend. Today, the entire property (including 80 acres and a lake!) is owned by the hub’s step father and his kids. They’ve made amazing improvements to the mid-century cabins, as well as the beautiful property surrounding them.

Cabin 5 has been reroofed, stained and generally improved, though it retains its 20th century charm and simplicity.

Iris is still a bit young to do the whole weekend, so she is home in GR with her grandparents. We grown ups are taking the time to feel a little less like grown ups, and recapture some of the reckless abandon enjoyed by the kids pictured above. That means pink gin drinks, Uno and maybe some tuna-mac. Living on the edge in Northwestern Michigan.

Enjoy your holiday! I hope you and yours have at least most of the day off, and that the weather is favorable. See you when we resurface!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Seasonal

Tagged as , , , ,

August 28, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Decoding the Howl

wolves howl when wolves leave

A little departure from the norm today to give the animals center stage.

This is all a part of preparing myself for the cooler weather. As usual, the ritual involves me considering things I actually like about the colder months. One of the big ones is Halloween, and general spookiness. Howling wolves fit in perfectly – full moons, dark woods, ominous music and all that. Love it.

But wolves are really just big old softies, it turns out. A study published in Current Biology found that wolves appear to howl more when a beloved member of their pack goes away for some reason. The wolves are also brown nosers, as the howls did increase when the absent member was high ranking. Howling in this manner did not seem to require a spike in stress hormones.

For more details, and some cool wolf howling sounds, go here.

On a personal note… While I am traditionally a “cat person,” I do appreciate a fine dog. My sister has a wonderful basset named Frank, and he is an excellent character. Still, were I to ever get a dog, it would have to be a serious canine. Something that nearly matched me in weight, and retained the look of a true wolf.

This concludes your animal lesson for the day.

2 Comments

Filed under Science

Tagged as , , , ,

August 26, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Into the Water!

family in lake water beach

Just some proof to document a real dip in the lake this summer. Not THE lake of course… Lake Michigan is just too cold this year.

We once again visited our lovely neighbors at their campsite, and the weather was perfect for a little Wabasis beach time. This is us before tucking in to a dinner of prawns, corn on the cob, veggies and grapes. Oh, and Manhattans.

Summer wins. Summer most definitely wins.

Leave a Comment

Filed under AutoBio, Seasonal

Tagged as , , , ,

August 23, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Freelance Diversions: Volunteering

Grand Rapids Downtown Market plan drawing.

In my ongoing quest to find the perfect occupational blend of meaningful skill use, time on my feet, career advancement and human interaction, I’ve started volunteering at the new Downtown Market.

For two hours on Tuesday mornings, while the husband and child (hopefully) continue to sleep, I will stand at the entrance to the outdoor market and greet shoppers. I will also answer their questions and document their visit with a click of a tally counter. Those things are fun to use, incidentally.

My decision to do this has been met with some confusion. I do not make money. I have to get up at our equivalent of 3am. The task is not particularly challenging. Why on Earth would I add this to my list of to-dos?

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under I'm a Professional

Tagged as , , , ,