Catching Up From All the Work

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, I have been far busier than expected between the volunteer work and my job, and now I am ready for action with more time available.

This week I went to go see Jerry’s Girls at the Ivoryton Playhouse. Jerry’s Girls included Amy D. Forbes, Julia Kiley, MaryAnne Piccolo, Jackie Sidle, and Elizabeth Talbot. The girls performance was excellent, and I loved hearing some of my favorite tunes from Hello, Dolly!, and La Cage ay Folles.

These articles were written while I was working on the project for The Barnaba Institute: The Thrill of Laughs in the Great Race, The Exciting Life of the Sims, The 20-minute Steak Meal, Being on Humira, and Howard Hawks’ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

I also made some jewelry. I have been working on Christmas gifts. At the moment I am working on two more necklaces, all are expected to be Christmas gifts.

Recently I prepared Roast Chicken with Garlic and Potatoes. I prepared it minus the carrots, and I basted the chicken with chicken broth. It was nice and crisp and a definite winner. The potatoes had enough flavor not to need butter.

I also prepared Hoisin Oven Barbecue Chicken. I love the flavor of the Hoisin Sauce and it gives a definite flavor to the chicken that makes you want to say ‘Dynamite’.

All the dishes were very easy to prepare and truly enjoyable.

The only thing left to do now is start preparing for the holidays.

Volenteering at Ivoryton Playhouse

Chicken is a typical thing to have in our household. Recently we had Rachael Ray's Citrus Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki For Dippin'. It is scrumptious especially if you like Greek food.
In a time when President Obama has been reminding us to volunteer I recently started volunteering with my mother as an usher at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, Connecticut. They have autographed photos all over the playhouse. It is along the Connecticut River. I am use to seeing plays, it is a new thing for me to show people to their seats, but it is a wonderful experience. We saw the play Marilyn: Forever Blonde. It was a very interesting show because it is in Marilyn Monroe's own words. I enjoyed it so much I wrote about the play.

I am also volunteering for The Barnaba Institute. I am helping them with some manuals.

I was also reminded of some old movies, Bye Bye Birdie and My Fair Lady. These movies are very old and worth seeing again. Who doesn't like to watch Dick van Dyke and Audrey Hepburn. I also wrote Role Model articles on Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill, and John McClane from Die Hard. Let us not forget I also became a little obsessed over goverment after watching the movie Protocol and had to express my opinion.

My boyfriend bought me the game Sims 3. I am not really a game person but he enjoys games and wanted to see me enjoy myself playing a video game. I am really getting into playing but I have to remember not to get too attached.

Here is some jewelry I worked on.



Life isn't anything unless you fill it with people and things to keep you busy which you can turn into accomplishments.

Apartment Rearrangement and New Computers

For dinner recently I made Honey Mustard Roasted Chicken. It had a wonderful flavor but instead of chicken pieces I used chicken breasts. The one thing I forgot to do was add chicken broth because I was missing the skin and bone from the chicken pieces which would have made the chicken moister.
I also wrote two articles, one was on the Double Parallel Brochure which is really part of a series of articles which I have written on brochures and their design. My most popular article in this category is the Barrel-Fold Tri-Fold Brochure. I look at not only the layout but how the customer reads the actual brochure and what types of information are best placed on certain brochures.

I also wrote an article called Corruption: Michael, The Guys and the Great Snapple Caper on Roswell This article is about corruption, of course. It has been so much in the news lately with the loss of jobs who can't resist writing about it especially with all the things in the news today.

This was also the month to rearrange the apartment. My boyfriend and I live in an 800-square foot 1 bedroom apartment. Sometimes the apartment can be a tight squeeze between his stuff and my stuff. We finally decided to rearrange the living room. My computer was all dusty and my boyfriend blew it out for me with a can of air and then an accident occurred. Needless to say after the incident my boyfriend bought me a new computer. I went from a 32-bit computer to a 64-bit computer. The one thing I can say is that I have a really great boyfriend. The one thing I can say is that the room is almost all arranged and the computer is up and running. The living room also has more light.

I also started making a necklace. I bought a bunch of beads from Ebay which came from China. I received this tip from another fellow jewelry maker.

He also took me to the movie Star Trek and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. The movies are both excellent and I don't recommend missing them.

Easter Eggs and Recipes to Satisfy

I have been very busy. This economy definitely keeps you on your toes. I am always looking for new business opportunities and trying something new. I have been so busy I have been unable to make any jewelry, but I am looking forward to putting forth the time.

I haven't been reading as much either. I should have finished the book that I have been reading by now. I am happy I will have more time starting on Friday, although I also have to catch up on work.

I have also been watching the world's going through Twitter. I have been using the add-on Twitbin with Mozilla Firefox. Twitter is great for learning. I found blogs by people in my field along with other tips and trends which can really be quite helpful. A big topic at this time has been the swine flu.

For Easter my family and I went to Old Lyme to The Hideaway Restaurant.
I had their veal roast for dinner. I really wanted lamb but was disappointed because they sold out. The meal was excellent and they were very busy.

While we were there we also celebrated my mother's birthday. My brother and I bought my mother a cake from Take the Cake! in Guilford, CT.
Their cakes are divine. This cake was terrific. This cake is a White Chocolate Mousse cake and it was rich and wonderful. It was perfect and not to sweet.

The one thing I have made time to do is write. I wrote an article for small businesses, Strategizing Your U.S. Business in a Global Economy, Role Model: Daphne Millbrook of Heroes, Power Plus Money Equals Success, and Queenie: The Life and Times of Merle Oberon. With everything that has been going on at in the business and financial markets I couldn't help but add information of what I saw that was happening with businesses that I have worked with.

I also cooked up some wonderful meals for my boyfriend. He is big for Caesar Salad Wraps. I made him and Easy Baked Caesar Salmon. I found this recipe along with the other below on Recipezaar.Chris loved the flavor and it was really easy to make. Their were only seven ingredients. It is a 30 minute meal!

We also had a Honey Curry Chicken. This was excellent also.
This recipe only had seven ingredients and did not take that long to put together, but this took an hour to bake.

I did have some time to do a little crafting. I did some decoupaging.
Here is a great hint for a book to get great pictures for decoupaging -- use an FTD catalog.

Have fun and happy living!!!

What is life that is not busy?

What is a life that is not busy? I try to keep mine busy at that. Recently I became sick and am on antibodics which is in no way fun. I also purchased my first pair of Keds. They are very comfortable.
I loved them so much I wrote an article about them. They are a classic sneaker I have to say. I also wrote an article on Autolycus "The Prince of Thieves".

I am also the very proud owner of my first Vera Bradley handbag. It is the Little Betsy from the Hope Garden collection. It was such a surprise to receive since it was not even my birthday.

This is the time of many events. My father's birthday just passed along with my niece's in which myself and my boyfriend gave her a homemade French Memo Board. My Mother's birthday is in the middle of the week, and then of course, Easter. Spring really gets me into the spring of things.

We recently dined at the Equinox Diner in Orange. It was worth the trip and am intent on going back. We also went to the Baja Restaurant. Although the food was quite good we didn't care for the atmosphere.

Today we are having a peaceful Sunday at home. Chris is drawing and I am working on my writing and other projects. I am a bit behind in my reading and have not finished The Egyptian. The week may be slow but life will be speeding up by next weekend.

The Land of Pleasantville

I was surprised when I awoke on Monday morning to see snow. I thought the snow was over and spring was coming by the sound of the birds, but then the groundhog did predict six more weeks of winter.

Chris has been working on his drawing projects. Here is the link to his latest masterpiece.

Recently I started reading The Egyptian by Mika Waltari. It is the story of Sinuhe, the son of Senmut and it takes place at the time of the 18th Dynasty. It was a New York Times Bestseller, and was made into a movie in 1954.

I have also been trying to keep myself busy writing, I wrote the following articles, Role Model: Chark Bartowski of Chuck,
Role Model: Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery of Private Practice, Role Model: Salomoneus of Hercules; Legendary Journeys, Role Model: Cordelia Chase of Angel, Role Model: Winifred Burkle of Angel, and A Reminder for the Young and Old.

I found a new place to follow what is going on in the world, Twitter. The information is really quite interesting. I also follow digg.

This weekend I made meatloaf for my boyfriend Chris, Pleasantville Leave it To Meatloaf to be exact.


Here is dessert. Couldn't go without that Starbucks Red Velvet cupcake.

I have been working on a couple of projects -- designing packaging for a box, new business cards, and a cross-stitch project. I also have a piece of jewelry I am working on. Part of life is about keeping busy and meeting people.

Valentine's Day and Other Goodies

Recently I started reading the OptiMystic's Handbook by Terry Lynn Taylor and Mary Beth Crain. I love their way of thinking. It talks about Optimysticism. According to the book,

Optimysticism is the choice we make not only to experience the best of this world but also to see beyond this world, into eternity, and in doing to live the mystery to the fullest here on earth.

It is very interesting, and reminds everyone the best way to look at life in part is through the eyes of a child among other things. It is worth reading.

I also published another article, Role Model: Lois Lane of Smallville.

For Valentine's Day my boyfriend and I shared in the preparation of our special dinner. He cooked us a flank steak, and I cooked up some Earthy Mashed Potatoes and vegetables. This is our second time having these potatoes and they are excellent.

For dessert I had a Vanilla Bean Cupcake from Starbucks. I would have loved to have one of their red velvet cupcakes but there were none available. The cupcakes are scrumptious. I am not a big dessert person, but the Red Velvet Cupcakes are definitely to die for.

I also purchased this mug. I have wanted one of their state/country mugs for a while. When I stumbled upon this mug I knew it was a keeper. I just had to have it.

My boyfriend is an artist and loves to use his pencils to the very end. Here is a page with some of his artwork. He went to design school. I am so bad I hate it when I lose a pencil or pen. I am the same way but I am the writer. He introduced me to a new toy to add to my pencil collection.

General's "The Miser" Pencil Extender. I bought it online on Ebay. It is very handy. They sell them in Arts and Crafts Stores and Artists stores. I wish they sold them in stationary stores.

That is all for now, until next time.

Shopping for Chicken

Last night Chris, my boyfriend, and I had to make a trip to North Haven to UPS. While we were in the area Chris felt we should stop at Circuit City to see what the mark downs were. I gave in and we went in. The child at heart that I am, couldn't resist purchasing the movie, Enchanted which I was able to get for 25% off. Chris was able to get a nice price on some monitors.

I published another article about a new item I have hanging up in the apartment, The Practical and Fashionable Memo Board. Chris made it for me.
I cooked dinner this evening...Hunter's Chicken with Rosemary. Here is the recipe. I always like trying new recipes. The chicken smelled wonderful while it was cooking in the kitchen. The recipe calls for sea salt and I was really interested in trying it. We used chicken thighs for the meal. It was really easy to make. Most of the cooking required was stirring and browning the chicken skins. It took about an hour to make.

HUNTER'S-STYLE CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY

Serves 6

4-pound chicken, cut in 8 or 10 pieces

1½ teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt,

or to taste

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half

2 short branches fresh rosemary with lots of needles

½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes or to taste

4 cups (or a 35-ounce can) canned Italian plum

tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand

Rinse the chicken, and pat the pieces dry. Season all over with 1 teaspoon salt.

Pour the olive oil in the pan, and set over medium-high heat. Lay chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down, to brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn them over and brown another 2 to 3 minutes. Scatter the sliced garlic into the hot fat, in between the chicken pieces, then drop in the rosemary stems, and sprinkle with peperoncino.

Keep turning the chicken pieces until they're nicely browned all over, 10 minutes or so, then pour in the tomatoes. Slosh the tomato can with a cup of water, and pour that in, too. Sprinkle over it another ½ teaspoon salt, raise the heat, and turn and stir the chicken in the tomato juices as they come to a boil.

Cover the pan, leaving it a crack ajar, and adjust the heat to maintain a steady bubbling in the pan; cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning the chicken. Remove the cover and cook another 20 minutes or more, until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the tomato sauce is slightly reduced but still loose.

We also had rice, and Broccoli with Cheese Sauce.

Chris said the chicken was his winner! Almost just like his mother use to make.

It is Time for My Treatment

At the age of 21 I was diagnosed with Mediterranean anemia. As a result I have to go for treatments at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven. I visit the Father Michael J. McGiveny Center for Cancer Care.
I spend about an hour and a half at the facility. They usually give me a hospital couch. Oftentimes when I am there I spend my time reading. It is a good time to catch up on some reading. The only person needed to attend to me is a nurse. Basically I am hooked up to an IV. This time was a little unusual as they were very busy so I sat in a regular chair.
Before they begin my treatment they have to check my state of health. This of course is when they check your body temperature and blood pressure. You should recognize the unit or something like it.
Once I am checked out then it is time for the treatment. The give me Ferric Gluconate and they use...
this unit which feeds it through system using this machine....
This all takes a little more time then I want during my day but then it is a necessity. I don't enjoy the needles but in some ways the more needles you receive the more you get use to it, even if I don't really care for the pinch I receive in the very beginning.

Sometimes I am able to talk with other patients who are also receiving treatments. Most of them are cancer treatments who are there much longer than I. It they allow me, I take the time to learn more about them. At times I can be a little talkative but it allows me to learn.

My First Entry

This is my very first blog entry, but this is in no way my first time writing online. I have always thought about blogging, but it was Annette Bednosky who convinced me too. I have articles on Suite 101.com as well as on Associated Content and Triond. My most recent articles have been on role models Ling Woo from Ally McBeal, James Olson from Smallville and Hilda Suarez from Ugly Betty. I am also working on a fiction novel.

At the moment I am reading Jane's House by Robert Kimmel Smith.

I also enjoy cooking and trying different recipes.

Although I do go out I spend a lot of time at my computer at times. I work part time at home, and part time for an engineer who makes medical devices.

When I am not working I am making jewelry. Here are some of my creations...


















Here is a necklace I created













and here are some wine glass charms I made.

As you can see I love to be creative and I love to explore.