We finally made it home on Sunday - but have still been running around like mad. Getting ready for the 4th tomorrow - I'm Betty Crocker, didn't you know? Or perhaps even crazier than 'ol Betty herself for baking all day in this heat. I blame the Food Network. It does things to me. Today I baked two batches of cookies, two batches of peanut-butter cup cheesecake cupcakes, and a batch of espresso brownies (for the brownie-misu that I will assemble in the morning) - I did all this with lines of sweat stretching from my neck down between my breasts (hate that), hair sticking to my neck (hate that even more) - but I just couldn't stop.
Baking is so simple - it's a recipe and a result. Cut and dry. Neat and clean (ok, neither neat nor clean, but you get my drift.) Whereas life, particularly mine as of late, is so filled with things that have no recipe whatsoever- and results that are too far beyond my line of vision. Today's baking was about control - even in a 90 degree kitchen. I was saying You can't stop me! To the weatherman, or God, or someone. Or everyone.
My residency on campus went well. I managed to miss (skip, or miss with legitimate reasoning) two seminars, but made it to all of my workshops. They were, 'eh. Helpful, but not earth shattering. My faculty advisor this semester is not the one I'd been assigned to work with last semester (before life took it's turn and I took a semester off.) This advisor is soft spoken and sweet...and very encouraging. Perhaps to a fault.
I don't need to be told that I'm good (ok, not much) - I need to be made better. That's why I'm shelling out so much money (and signing my life away to Sallie Mae) for this program. And because, really, what else do aspiring writers who know nothing of the publishing world do? (Aside from bake in sweaty tank tops in July, just because they can.)
Baking is so simple - it's a recipe and a result. Cut and dry. Neat and clean (ok, neither neat nor clean, but you get my drift.) Whereas life, particularly mine as of late, is so filled with things that have no recipe whatsoever- and results that are too far beyond my line of vision. Today's baking was about control - even in a 90 degree kitchen. I was saying You can't stop me! To the weatherman, or God, or someone. Or everyone.
My residency on campus went well. I managed to miss (skip, or miss with legitimate reasoning) two seminars, but made it to all of my workshops. They were, 'eh. Helpful, but not earth shattering. My faculty advisor this semester is not the one I'd been assigned to work with last semester (before life took it's turn and I took a semester off.) This advisor is soft spoken and sweet...and very encouraging. Perhaps to a fault.
I don't need to be told that I'm good (ok, not much) - I need to be made better. That's why I'm shelling out so much money (and signing my life away to Sallie Mae) for this program. And because, really, what else do aspiring writers who know nothing of the publishing world do? (Aside from bake in sweaty tank tops in July, just because they can.)
Labels: Myself, Ramblings, Writing Life
4 Comments:
I really like your blog layout. It's beautiful! Did you do it yourself, or did you find this wonderful template somewhere?
Best of luck on the 4th, Ms Crocker. :) The peanut-butter cup cheesecake cupcakes sound AWESOME!!!
I gotta wonder if that was my mother's deal with baking desserts, too. Sure fire approval, sugar and cinnamon, chocolate chips and nuts. No amount of "Oh, they look awful," would stop the praise of "It tastes wonderful, though!"
Darrell Thanks! I actually got the layout from a site called Templates by Caz (or something to that effect) - there's a link down on the left hand side.
I didn't try the cheesecakes myself, but they were a big hit - as were my low-fat chocolate chip cookies. Yum! (I didn't put out the brownie-misu...partially because I didn't want it to melt...and partially because I want to keep the sweet, but also low fat goodness for myself...)
A Girl It's good to be back, thanks. I love your new picture, by the way!
Zhoen Baking is a simple, good thing, (for both the baker and the recipient of the goods.)
Funny isn't it, the balance we need...between tough and encouraging?
Best editors I've had have managed it..and you learn SO much.
Happy belated 4th of July.
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