Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Corner View - Lights

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
 
 
Here is the "light at the end of the tunnel" - this is the firm where I will start a new job on 12/31/12.  As many of you know, this past year has been one with severe ups and downs with my job.  The last few months have been particularly bad. I wasn't planning on seriously looking until the new year and this job wasn't even posted, yet.  I learned about it through a friend of friend.  I accepted the position on 11/30/12 and turned in my notice yesterday.  Needless to say, I am very happy and looking forward to the new job!
 

Lake Eola is two blocks from the new office.  Here is the fountain wearing its Christmas colors.


 
Happy Corner Viewing and Happy Holidays!
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Corner View - White

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
 
 
The fog this week cast a white pallor over the city.
 


 
 
Happy corner viewing!
 
 
p.s.  Good news to post next week :-)
 
 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Corner View - Serendipity

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.

Well, this is a great corner view topic, but everytime I tried to think of something unique to me, my mind went blank.  (Okay, lately it's been blank a lot. Alright, alright, most of my life it's been blank...) Anyhow, one of my favorite - albeit predictible - movies is Serendipity.   What's not to love about it?  It's got John Cusack - need I say more??  So, here is a cute clip from the beginning of the movie.  Enjoy and happy corner viewing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FqrewAHKBE&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Julie & Julia Self-Challenge - Weeks 11 and 12

For week 11, I made butternut sqash and apple soup with ginger.  It was delicious... but I have no photos.  I made it for my parents when they were down for a visit and was too busy chatting to remember to photograph anything. 

For week 12, I made roasted garlic and bean dip.  Yummy!



I may have to make some more next as next week's recipe is herbed flatbread chips and I bet the two together would be very good.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Corner View - Thankful

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
I am thankful for these two crazy people:
My parents.
It's funny how things change over time.  When I was young, I worshipped them and wanted to grow up to be just like my mommy and daddy.  Then came the "tween years" (11-12) when I acted as if I had no parents and had somehow miraculously appeared on the planet.  (The "take me to the mall, but drop me off two blocks away so no one will see me getting out of the car" years.)  Then came high school during which time any reference of a parent or by a parent would result in immediate eye rolling.  This is followed by the university years where parents aren't perceived as people, but rather the Bank of Mom and Dad.  Then came my twenties and my first apartment that I paid for... starting a career... getting married... buying a house.  All things that I went to my parents for advice and counseling and I actually listened to what they said... suddenly realizing that they are smarter than I gave them credit for...  Then came the thirties and forties and a mutual respect and deep friendship.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Holiday

I was fortunate enough to have my parents visit over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Last year, my mother "had enough" and got aggravated with the extended family as there were tardies and no shows for the big meal as well as some family fighting.  (I was out of the country so I missed all of the excitement.  Thank goodness!)  When I found out what happened, I suggested that they come to Orlando this year for Thanksgiving and we'll have a drama free holiday.  I was surprised how quickly my mother accepted.  She has hosted the family Thanksgiving for well over 50 years.  (And she's not even American :-) )

Anyhow, we had a great visit.  The arrived Wednesday around noon.  I had made a Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Ginger for them.  (And it was actually edible and Dad had TWO bowls.  This is huge to me as I have always been a flop in the kitchen!)   After lunch, we went "thrifting" - my parents love to go thrift store shopping when they visit.  (There are not a lot of thrift stores where they live as it is very rural.)   We all found some good deals.  I bought this adorable pitcher for $2!


And this little cupboard for $4!  I am going to paint it white and hang it in my bedroom.

 
Thursday was Thanksgiving.  As I don't eat or cook meat and they wanted turkey, I made reservations for us at the historic Park Plaza Gardens in Winter Park.  (My parents are fairly open-minded, but their one request was turkey and not tofu for Thanksgiving.)
 


 
 
After a long walk - and plenty of window shopping - we took a little drive and came across a flock of peacocks:


The lady whose car that is came out while we were there and the peacock would not get off her car or let her get in it.  Was it an act of solidarity with turkeys??


Friday, we went to Leu Gardens for a stroll.




Dad and his new friend:
 
That night, I took Dad to a Magic game.  (We won!  Woo hoo!)  There was a giant buzzard out front advertising a local radio station.  We had to get a photo of it and make jokes at my poor mother's expense:




Saturday, we met friends at Sebastian Beach Inn in Melbourne Beach for lunch.  Jane and I have been friends since 2nd grade and our parents were best friends.  Sadly, both of Jane's parents have passed away, but my parents have "adopted" her.



On our way back to Orlando, we stopped to walk on the beach a collect shells.


 

 
Sunday, Mom and I went to the Buddhist Center (which she loved) while Dad stayed home to putter... when we got back, he had hung two plant hangers, fixed the handle on the sliding glass door in the living room, fixed the threshold under the door leading to the garage, replaced the toilet seat in the master bath, pulled vines off my loquat tree and brought my Christmas tree in from the patio... is that a great dad or what??   While he did all that work, Mom and I meditated, scarfed down vegan brownies with pistachios and cranberries, drove around, found an ex-boyfriend's new house and picked up Thai food.  He definitely got the short end of the deal.
 
That night we decorated my Christmas tree.

 
It looks like a "Charlie Brown" tree, doesn't it?  Still, it's almost 8 feet tall.   I bought it and another tree several years ago.  They were only about a foot tall, but I wanted a real tree and was disgusted by the prices of the large "re-plantable" trees and the cut ones.  So, my thrifty (okay - CHEAP) self, bought two little ones with the hope that they would grow and could be used year after year.  mission accomplished and every year since I've used one or both.  I believe this one will be planted in the yard this year.  The other is about 5 feet and will be used next year.

Sadly, the parents left Monday and I headed back to work.... which has not gotten better. The week before Thanksgiving, they fired two associates and an assistant.  The door codes have not yet been changed, so we are all assuming more heads will roll - probably this week as Friday is payday.
 
Whatever happens, I am grateful for the last week and the time with my parents. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Corner View - Energy

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
 
Add caption

Energy in a mug... especially useful this time of year.
 
Happy Corner Viewing!
 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Corner View - Spirituality

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
 
Vajrapani Kadampa Buddhist Center
 
 
 
 

Week in Review

I was so happy when I went to vote last week to see that people came out to vote... it was the first time in the six years that I've lived in this district that I had to wait in line to vote.  While I had to wait three hours in the rain, I was still happy to see that people FINALLY seemed to care.  This is a good thing!

 
I have unintentionally started down a path of "firsts."  It started with acupuncture at VegFest on October 27th.  A few days later I got my face painted for the first time as an adult.  Later that week, I tried my hand at a pottery wheel.  Last week, I was a "paid music consultant" for a night.  (Okay, I was paid to listen to and rate 900 songs for a local survey group hired by a local radio station.)  I joined a crochet group from an online site Thursday night.  Yesterday, I had a salt therapy treatment at The Salt Room.  (It was free - I like free :-) )  I don't know that I got any benefit from the treatment, but it was one of the best naps EVER.  The lady next to me was getting her third treatment for eczema.  She showed me her arm, which was clear and smooth, and told me that Monday it had been red and scaly.   Two treatments in one week and her skin was clear after months of pain and redness.
 
 
 
Today, I made my first (but not last) trek to the Buddhist Center for a guided meditation class.
 
 
I wonder what new adventures are waiting for me next week?

What new things have you tried recently?

Julie & Julia Self-Challenge - Week 10


This week's recipe in the Julie and Julia self-challenge is Mushrooms in a Blanket.  In a word - YUM!  (I want bonus points this week as the recipe called for use of the stove AND the oven and I used both without burning down the house.)



 
They don't look pretty, but they sure were delicious. 


Last week's bean dip was a huge success.  I took it to the office and it was hands down the favorite so far.  It received the most recipe requests.  No one else will get to try the mushrooms in a blanket... I ate them ALL.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Corner View - Longing

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
 
I am longing for a change... perhaps a move to Scotland?


 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Julie & Julia Self-Challenge - Weeks 8 & 9

 
I made two recipes this week to make up for slacking off last week.

The first was "Layered Nachos" - they were wonderful!  I also made a black bean dip that did not photograph well... and I don't know if it's any good as I did not get to try it.  I ate the entire dish of layered nachos and had no room left for even a taste of the bean dip.  I'll use my co-workers as guinea pigs tomorrow :-)

 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Another week...

 
Well, another bad week at work, but I was expecting it.  The next 1-2 will be rough as well...  However, work is not life and luckily my friends have rallied and are helping to keep my spirits up.  Friday night was the season opener for the Orlando Magic.  My friend, Aly, won tickets and treated me.  We went out for curry and then hit the little kiosks outside the arena before the game.  Being the mature, sophisticated, middle-aged women that we are... we had to get our faces painted and have goofy photos made.  The cherry on the top of the fun sundae?  The Magic won - 102 to 89!
 


Today, a group of us went to a pottery shop where we painted a piece of pre-made pottery and got to make a bowl on the pottery wheel.  I find that doing something creative is a wonderful de-stresser.  And I'd never used a potter's wheel before - it was a lot of fun!  I can't wait to try it again.  (On the way home, I was thinking about buying one and where I'd put it... not the brightest thing to think when one is worried about being out of a job, is it??) 




After we created our works of art, we went to lunch and gabbed.  Later, I met another friend for a movie, we saw Argo.  It's wonderful.  Even though you know how it ends, you are on the edge of your seat for most of the movie.  Well done altogether.
 
I am trying to stay positive and realise that I am lucky to have such a good support system - that is what I need to focus on.  After all, I can't control the negative, I can only control how I respond to it.  Of course, it sounds easier than it is and I won't lie, I am dreading Monday. 
 
Nonetheless, I have all day tomorrow to enjoy and enjoy it I will! 
 
 
 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Corner View - "Am I an artist?"

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane and currently curated by Francesca, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. If you'd like to join in, please leave a link to your Corner View post in the comments at www.fuoriborgo.com, and be sure to visit other participants, too.
 
 
Yes, Mr. Spider, you are indeed an artist! 
 
(Please "click" on the photos to see better.  Sorry for the poor quality!) 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Week in Review - Monday to Monday

I've had a rough few weeks at work and have a couple more rough ones ahead.  Having said that, I am trying to focus on the positive things from the past week:
 
I learned to crochet flowers...  Here's the first one I made:

 
 
 
And the ones I crocheted during the presidential debate last Monday:
 


They are not perfect, but they are a start.  It did feel odd, making flowers though as I screamed at the television, but at least I felt productive.  Plus, I learned from the first debate that presidential debates, whiskey and Facebook are not a good mix.  So, I kept my hands too busy to hold a glass or type on a keyboard.
 
Saturday, was the Central Florida VegFest.  I was afraid it was going to get rained out thanks to Hurricane Sandy, but the rain stayed away.  It was a great festival.  We had vegan carrot cupcakes for breakfast and amazing Indian curry for lunch.  And we snacked our way through the event... lots of freebies.  I like freebies.  I even got some free acupuncture.  It's something I never tried before, but I will get more.  It really helped my carpal tunnel pain and the "pricking" was completely painless.  Beats the heck out of surgery or medicine in my book!

Here's my friend, Elayne, with a dancing cow.  (The cow only stopped dancing long enough for the photo.) If you look at the two tents to the right, you can see people holding on to the tents... it was very windy.


Sunday, I was supposed to do week 8 of my Julie and Julia challenge.  However, I could not be bothered to go to the grocery store for the ingredients.  Plus, I was in full Spring clean mode.  (Yes, I know it is Fall.  No one's ever accused me of being normal.)  I cleaned out six bags of trash, three bags for Goodwill and filled the recycle bin... much better and now I can even see and USE my piano as a piano... not a stuff holder.  (I am ashamed to admit that in one of the stacks on the piano were receipts for things I bought for my trip to Kenya, which was a year ago.)

Later, I found this little guy in the kitchen:



I had left the back door open so the dogs could go in and out and this little guy saw an opportunity.    He left with very little fuss.
 
Today, I was back at work and, truth be told, it was not a good day at work.  However, after work I went out for drinks with one of my favorite co-workers and a couple of his friends and then we went to watch the Orlando Magic practice.  Young, athletic guys in shorts running up and down the court - this definitely lifted my spirits.



Here are a couple of very bad shots of the beautiful new arena.



Well, I am going to continue to try to focus on the upcoming positives rather than the negatives. For instance, this coming Saturday, I am trying my hand at a potter's wheel for the first time.  Sometimes we need a little something to look forward to in order to get through the week, don't we?  Happy thoughts to all!