a work in progress

panorama of Vancouver/English Bay in summer

Month: August 2014

“There Can Be More Than One”

This post from Rebecca at Think Simple Now has some really good advice in it, and in particular touches on something I’ve recently realized I strong mental bias about: 

There Can Be More Than One

The Universe is a big fan of multiplicity. Just take a look at how many different flowers there are, not to mention the variety of colors. Just because someone is doing what you want to do doesn’t mean you can’t do it too.

That was shown to me when my friend said I could work at a radio station too. There were several stations where I lived, and she wasn’t even DJ-ing in the same state! How had this never occurred to me?

Since realizing this, I’ve noticed that this thought comforts me and serves to calm down that jealousy most often. A blogger I admire published a book and it’s on the best seller list? There are a lot of best sellers in a year. I could be one of those.

Someone already said they were bringing their amazing salsa to dinner? I’ve got a killer recipe for fava bean hummus.

Remembering that there is not just one of anything can help us all truly celebrate each other’s successes and achievements. It can also serve to help create working relationships among colleagues and peers.”

I do this ALL. THE. TIME. I can’t write because writing is Christine’s thing. I can’t consult because consulting is Reza’s thing. I can’t work in social media because that’s Lorraine’s thing. I can’t get into web development because that’s Mike’s thing. I can’t make a travel blog because that’s Sally’s thing.

That is one hell of a way to limit yourself and to keep you from trying anything new. It’s a great recipe for just sitting on the couch surfing and moping. And lord knows there’s more than one of us doing that thing.

So, in the spirit of trying new things, I picked up some very inexpensive starter paint supplies from Michaels‘ on Tuesday to play around with. To be fair, one of the reasons I got interested in painting was that I don’t really know anyone who does it. But I’m sure I’ll meet someone who does and when I do, I’m going to remind myself that there can be more than one person who paints. And writes. And makes websites.

Summer dinner: ribs, potato salad, coleslaw

Bill’s secret recipe for pork back ribs (he STILL won’t tell me what goes in the simmering broth), and an adaptation of two of Elise Bauer’s SimplyRecipes

Coleslaw (mayo version) with:

  • 1/4 head green cabbage
  • 1 full carrot
  • 2 green onions
  • 4 Tbsp mayo
  • ~1 tsp yellow mustard (ok, one medium ‘squirt’)
  • ~1 tsp dijon mustard (a similar squirt)
  • buncha freshly ground black pepper

Pretty faithful to the original but with a boosted carrot ratio & a bunch more ‘sauce’

Creole Potato Salad, but with a couple of twists:

  • replaced the (loathed) green bell pepper with a dill pickle (Vlasic’s for the relative firmness)
  • didn’t exactly measure the potatoes – about 16 new potatoes
  • 1/3 cup creole mustard
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs instead of 6
  • 1 stalk celery
  • didn’t have a regular small onion – used 3/4 of a small walla-walla
  • thought it could use a bit of greenery so added about 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley (the relatively flavourless parsley)

Because of the dill pickle, I didn’t actually have to add any salt – the potato salad has a bit of sweetness to it.

(Mostly writing this so I remember it the next time I want to make it, but if you try these variants, let me know what you think)

 

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