Figs and the Spread I Made From Them

So, here’s the deal: I cut up a boat load of figs and layered them into a big skillet. I poured (mounded) white sugar all over them. I poured in some lemon juice. There was a bit too much lemon juice for the first load along with some orange juice for a really tart batch and just a little bit of lemon juice for the second, sweeter skillet-full of figs.

I cooked both batches for about 5 minutes or so until everything was real mushy. Then, I pulsed it all in the food processor and returned the figs to the skillet to cook some more. We liked the second batch more than the first so I mixed both together and the final product is pretty interesting. This, when it cools, is going to be a nice fruit spread.

One Two Three

It’s funny, but before I learned how to channel I always had this ache inside. It was like this unfulfilled yearning that never really stopped. I couldn’t really put a finger on what the matter was, but somehow I just wasn’t hitting on all cylinders.

I learned how to channel almost 15 years ago. Doesn’t seem that long ago. I don’t have that ache anymore. I still get angry. Hell, face it, I’m going through menopause. You think menopause for a psychic is any easier than menopause for anybody else? I doubt it. But, I don’t have that ache anymore.

This evening on the road coming home from work I was testing out one of the basic channeling exercises. I delight in helping folks learn how to channel or just moving them a little closer so that one day they’ll break through for themselves. I was sort of down and up all at the same time emotionally. A bit on the needy side. Not really feeling sorry for myself, not in an absolutely pissy mood. Just a little needy. Anyway, one of the guides suggested I start counting. It began as a rhythmic sort of a thing.

One two three
One two three
One two three four
One two three

It felt to me sort of like a rhyme.

One two
One two
One two three four
One two three
One two
One two
One two three four

And, then they started singing the numbers.

And, somehow I relaxed into it.

I mean I really fell into it. And, I was still driving. I’m pretty amazed at it now.

Somehow I relaxed and let go of so much tension the tears just started streaming down my face. I’d swipe at my face. I was still singing. Numbers. Stupid, silly numbers. But, it was the love of the guides. I was having one of those moments when you just know in your bones that you are so connected to the universe and so much a part of your life and the people in your life that it just brings you to your knees. And, that’s what it did for me.

I feel better.

Trudge...Trudge...Trudge...

This rebuilding of blog has hit another wrinkle. I tested it on two different computers at work today only to discover that although one computer was fine with it the other froze up horribly. What was it? Well, logically I should go back to the last newest thing I put on. It’s either going to be the technorati widget that says how much the blog is worth or the drop down for the archives. I vote for the technorati widget. So, I just took that off. Will test again tomorrow and see if it’s any better. Ding donged, but this is slow.

Rebuilding - From the Ground Up

Well, I’m making progress on putting the blog back together again. Last night I put my blogroll back on. I really like adding just a tiny snippet of code and have everybody already in place. There was no typing in each link one by one. So, that was a large part of it. I also put one of the last little do-hickies on from Technorati about how much the blog was worth. Who knew it was up there in the $9,000 range. I thought that was cool. I’ve never paid $9,000 for anything, car, refrigerator or computer, and to think that my blog is worth that much. Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool. I do spend a lot of time on it. Maybe it paid off.

I also got DeeDude’s books back up and my own, “Spirit Whispers” from LuLu.com. Got my buttons back up and the biggest thing of all, the thing I’d been wanting to do forever and just couldn’t figure out how to do it was to arrange all the archives into a drop down list with newest showing first, a reverse order sort of deal.

Slowly I’m building it back up again.

Where I Channel in French

Here’s a channeling funny that happened the other day. I was considering learning another language. I’ve got a blog going to practice and learn Spanish, but I’m not all that good at it.

I had a yearning to return to French. I had half a year of it in high school, but I don’t remember squat about what I learned. This is from a person who went to 5 different high schools in 4 years. Anyway, I was thinking about how I could satisfy my yearning to learn another language and maybe exercise my brain some.

I was in the car at the time driving home from work and one of the guides said to me: Je t'aime. At least, that’s what I thought it sounded like. Sometimes I'm not sure that I channel things right and I said, “Je m'appelle?” Like, maybe I hadn’t channeled it right and were they really trying to say, “My name is?” That’s about all I remember of my high school French. No, they said, “Je t'aime”. I figured I’d look it up when I had a moment, but forgot all about it until I was talking to a friend this weekend. I told him what the guide had said. He said it means, “I love you”. How sweet is that?

It's Slow Work - I Found a Drop Cap

Actually, maybe this is a good thing. That's what I keep trying to tell myself: "My higher self wouldn't hand me something that wasn't going to be a good thing for me no matter how I cringe or holler about it." As I'm surfing around the internet looking for a likely looking blog template I found this interesting snippet of code to create a drop cap. Figured it might come in handy and it looks sort of interesting.

I got it from Manderin Design. I think it's pretty nifty.

The Blog Broke

It’s the minimalist look. We’re done with fancy schmancy. Well, what happened was the blog broke. It was okay to look at with FireFox, but totally busted with Internet Explorer. I’ve been farting around with it since the weekend. Thinking it was Internet Explorer, I took the plunge and upgraded to version 7. Nice, but not the fix I needed. So, tonight I held my breath and reset the template to plain. Real plain. I saved the old blog so I could go back in and begin the long, laborious process of tweaking and adding on all the bells and whistles I’ve been accumulating for the last few years. But, I’m real happy that it works at all.

Have Their Eyes Glazed Over Yet? If Not, Keep Talking.

Most of us are regular people. We’re not famous. We’re not movers or shakers. We’re just folks. But, what we have to say, I think, is important. So, getting to the point is also important.

Figuring along with a 30 second commercial (at least the ones I still understand) they say right up front what it is that they want you to know about.

My husband, for years, has constantly yammered at me, “The short version, please.” Irritating? Yes. Pointless? No.

So, next time you’ve got to tell somebody something, rather than explain all the in’s and out’s, the wherefore’s and why’s of the matter, just state your case. Then, if it’s a woman you’re talking to you might be able to go into more detail. If it’s a man you’re talking to stop. It’s how we’re wired differently.

Thinking About Advice

What qualifies me to hand out advice to anybody? Nothing, really. Actually, nothing more than it qualifies you, Dear Reader, to hand out advice too.

We do it anyway. The idea, though, is that the person listening to said advice, from either of us, will either accept or reject it. Or, they could just wonder about it. Does it offend me that you don’t take my advice? No. Does it offend me that you might disagree with my advice? No. Will I listen to you as you list all your reasons for why my advice sucks? Maybe. I’ll give you about 15 seconds and within that 15 seconds you will either present yourself as a legitimately qualified person to say something constructive or you’ll come off as somebody on the attack. That’s where I make my decision.

And, I either listen to you or I won’t.

I think, though, that there is also another route that we might be open to in regard to listening to advice from others. I’m thinking of what the inner you has to say about any of this. Could this advice be rated on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of being good for you?

Okay, so it’s good advice. If you buy into it whole heartedly this particular piece of advice would help person A only a little bit, therefore it’s a #2 on that scale of 1 to 10. Person B listening to the same advice, given their own set of circumstances and stages of development, might be helped to the 8th level of that scale of 1 to 10.

Same advice. Didn’t help the first person all that much but was more beneficial for the other person.

I never really thought of it in terms like that before. Degrees of helpfulness.

Do it anyway.

Larger Might Not Be Better

I am considering my email. Why would anybody want a larger penis? It’s not going to fit in your pants anymore. You’ll need to get underware and slacks specially made. You’re going to have trouble getting into and out of your car. Picture this: As you open the car door the next move you make is going to cup your hand to protect your scrotum as you ease slowly, butt first into your car. Then, you’ll probably honk your horn with your elbow.

What else could go wrong? You’ll probably hit the back of the commode as you pee. Your range is going to be off. Women will scream at the sight of you and run fleeing into the night. It’s just not worth it. We like you just the way you are.

What I'm Reading

I’m reading a new book. It’s called, “Seven Up” by Janet Evanovich. When I’m done with it (probably by tomorrow evening) I’ll be writing up a book review and posting it on my other blog. For tonight though, I’m laughing my ass off. I had the thought earlier in the evening that this book could probably be rated R or maybe even X. No, probably an R. And, I got it in the library! How about that? Anyway, for anybody who has never read a Stephanie Plum Bounty Hunter story, this is the 7th one. Janet Evanovich numbers each of her novels and I believe that the 13th one was recently released.

Stephanie is like Lucy Ricardo on steroids. It is absolutely hilarious. And, the R part is the sex. The stories all take place in New Jersey. Stephanie works for her slime ball cousin Vincent and goes out looking for folks who’ve missed their court dates. Bringing them in is Stephanie’s job. She’s in love with Joe Morelli, a Trenton cop and also has the hots for Ranger, a fellow bounty hunter. Both guys end up helping her out of jams left and right. Stephanie gets help from Lula, a former ho turned file clerk in Vinney’s office. She wants to be a bounty hunter and helps Stephanie out on a lot of the cases. She also weighs more than I do. Stehanie’s family joins in and is also as hilarious as she is. I wonder if it is the water they drink? Her Grandma Mazur is a hoot, a hot old lady who is a terrible embarrassment to her daughter, Stephenie’s mother. Hell, if she was my grandmother she’d be an embarrassment to us too.

Even the bad guys are endearing. I know I am going to be guaranteed a laugh when I read a Stephanie Plum novel. And, the best part? Even though she screws up left and right (not entirely her fault) she does win in the end. Anyway, that’s what I’m doing tonight.

8 Facts About Me Meme

Georganna from A Writer's Edge tagged me for an, "8 Facts About Me" meme. This is the first time anybody has tagged me for one of these and I have to say I wasn't pronouncing it right. I was walking down our hallway after I got her email talking to myself (which in my case always involves talking to Spirit too). I was muttering about the mem I got. That's when my guide said, "It's pronounced Me Me." And, that's when I "got" it. It's a thing about yourself, hence it's all about me. Duhhhh. Sometimes it takes me awhile. (Note: I stand corrected. You really do pronounce it mem.)

The Rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.


Anyway, 8 facts about me:

• I went to 13 schools in 12 years
• I got psychic when I overdosed with Stephen King books
• I regularly act on suggestions from Spirit while I’m cooking
• I met my husband in a restaurant in Germany and complimented him on how well he spoke English. His reply: “Thanks, I’m an American.”
• I have 5 cats
• I once talked to a chicken leg.
• I quit smoking 8 years, 2 weeks and 2 days ago.
• I’ve saved about $18,457 not buying cigarettes since I quit smoking.

I'm tagging the following folks with this meme: Wicked H, Sera, Abhay, Matt, Genuine, Millie, Nancy, the PreSurfer

Curves

Now, this is a really interesting turn of events. I went and joined Curves last weekend. It was one of those really interesting things that verge on psychic. I was looking for a place to get my hair repaired. Not cut. I cut it. This was for repairs. And, I knew there was a shop somewhere along the way. I saw the, “Curves” sign.

Me, who doesn’t exercise. Me who would be caught dead before I exercised. Me who is embarrassed as all get out at how out of shape I am.

I joined Curves. I’ve been 4 times now. Three times this week. Folks who will appreciate the effort I’m putting into this will also appreciate the fact that I went after work on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

All it involves is half an hour of your time. You don’t work up that big a sweat. You’re not dying of exhaustion. But, you’ve burned up between 200 and 500 calories that you might not ordinarily burned up.

It adds up.

Also, I get to work out on 12 different resistance exercise machines. I don’t have to be embarrassed by how out of shape I am. We’re all old ladies (mostly) and no men at all. And, I can walk to it from my house. And, I heard somebody on television recently saying that the best exercise a diabetic person can get is resistance and weight training. I'm really impressed that I haven't hurt myself. Normally, I embark upon an exercise program and within 2 days I've hurt myself so bad I can hardly walk for 3 weeks. I'm not hurting and I'm really encouraged.