2011-01-01 Lessons Learned

It's taken me a while this year to absorb the huge step of having finished the 365 Project.

Last year on Dec 31st, I ran across an article about someone who had the idea to take a picture every day during the year, and some kind of light switch went off for me. I desperately wanted to do it, too. So, I did. And the first half of the year came pretty easy. I took a photography class and it helped focus my energy on my pictures. I took little road trips so I could take pictures. And the pictures were plentiful.

But sometime along the mid-way point, the "stuff" to photograph became harder to conceive of, and the project started to feel like a chore. I took another photography class, which re-energized me but I began to stumble again after it was over.

I made it all through the year...365 photos, 1 photo per day. What did it mean? Well, I think what I've learned is this...

-I'm proud of the accomplishment. I'm not sure I've ever actually completed a New Year's resolution, and this was definitely the first time I can recall ever completing a resolution. I don't think I've ever done something so consistently, and I do feel like it reaffirmed my ability to accomplish a task if I really want to.
-I do a lot more than I think I do. Looking at many of my photos, I saw tons of days filled with events, parties, festivals, family get-togethers and more. I thought I led a fairly quiet life, but a lot happened in 2010!
-My photography quality is directly related to how much time I want to put into it. All my best photos are ones where I have the time to think clearly about the subject. Sometimes I have been in places where I am just too embarrassed to haul out my big camera and take a photo. But it's worth my while if I want a really good picture.

The next project for the year is coming up. I am excited to get started but, be aware, the stress levels on this next project will be low. I've got a lot of stuff on tap this year....let's get to it!


BEST OF THE 365 PROJECT

2010-12-26 Christmas Redux

Today, we get to get the whole family together, except a few members who are out of town. We've planned a lovely brunch...


...and a few hours of opening gifts and hanging out.

The gifts were fun...and the family was funner! Here's my mom, my brother and my nephew.


My sister got some yoga stuff...


My dad and brother-in-law watch others open gifts...


My niece gets a cuban coffee maker with cups and all the fixin's...she's going off to college and needs the caffeine!


And of course, my brother received the traditional Christmas harpoon...what? Yes, it's a harpoon.


Well, it was a great day!

2010-12-25 Sorta' Cuban Christmas

Christmas is here, and I have arisen from my designated sofabed to prepare for our Christmas lunch. We ordered a paella which is to be reheated slowly this morning while my parents hie themselves off to church. Paella is not a traditional Christmas dish, but it is a traditional Cuban one, so we started off the day in Cuban style.

I mixed up a Christmas punch of cranberry/pom juice and vodka, and my dad made a little concoction of rum and fruit juices. We'll need the alcohol.

We sat and had our lunch and it was a lovely day, but the smallest Christmas gathering I can remember in years. My sister and her husband awoke for the first Christmas with "empty house syndrome," having just married off their youngest in July. But we made a day of it and watched old movies on TV.

Of course, paella is not a super-filling meal, so we called over to the local Cuban restaurant to see if they were open. Score! They were...only the take-out window was open, but the full menu available. Now we can end the day Cuban-style, too.


And we weren't the only ones who had this idea, because right after we arrived, about 7 other parties made their way up to the window.


I had a Cuban sandwich, 2 croquettes and some chicharrones ("real" pork rinds). My brother had the same, except he had Papa Rellena (mashed potato stuffed with picadillo and fried). Oh my tummy was happy.

And, with a rotund belly, I fell back into my sofabed after watching "White Christmas" for the thousandth time.

2010-12-24 O Pippin Tree

Mmmmm, Pippin likes the smell of a fresh Christmas tree. He's been sniffing it for a while, but poking himself in the nose when he gets too close!


I've arrived at my parents' place and I'm getting settled in for about 3 days of ups and downs. I'm sure everyone has certain moments during Christmas that they wish could pass them by...moments that you have to endure because of family or friends or because of memories or whatever. I am one of those people. I am incredibly merry on the way to Christmas, but getting through the actual holiday is only what I can call a "mixed bag" of great and not-so-great times. Eventually, I find myself happy to be headed home.

For now, the plans are to have a small Christmas lunch for those of us family who are in town. We're having a lovely paella, which I'm looking forward to. Then on the 26th, another portion of family comes into town and we do a gift exchange. Now that there are no little kids left, this tradition is a fun time for me, and I enjoy this most of all. Not for the gifts, but for the joking and relaxed atmosphere.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

2010-12-15 New Job Celebrations

My friend (on the right) got a new job!


You may recall from last week, we were doing some interview clothes shopping. Well, the job came through so we're toasting her re-entry to the world of work this evening.

It's so good to heard good news...

2010-12-12 Pippy Pillows

I bought new pillows! Hurrah!

Pippin discovered the pillows! Doggy hurrah!


I put them on the couch while I washed the sheets and he immediately buried himself between the pillows and the couch...until I came over and disturbed him, that is.

I made a terrible mistake with Pippin, you see. Pippin grew up using a crate, which is great. He loves going in there to sleep or to feel safe. I used to buy those fleece pads for the bottom of the crate, but annoyingly Pippin would often get into a playful mood and pull his sleeping pad out of the crate and bring it to me to play tug-of-war with.

So one day, when his pad got manky enough to replace, I decided I would take an old pillow, which I was about to throw out, and cover it with a cheap pillowcase and use it for his bed. It was literally the exact size of the inside of the crate. Well, he loved it. And it was a little too big for him to haul out of the crate, so it stayed firmly in its place.

However, dogs are smart animals. Once he started sleeping on a old pillow that smelled like me, he thought, in his doggy brain, 'All pillows must be my bed.' And so a battle has begun. When he sees the couch pillow, he lays on it. When he sees my large body pillow, he lays on it. And infuriatingly he occasionally tries to lay on the pillow I use for my head. Arrrgh! Everytime I see him on it, I tell him to get off. It makes me furious, but then again, I created this monster. I thought I was saving some money, and now I've got a pillow-loving doggy.

Oy.

2010-12-11 Lunch with Jen

What a lovely day! I went down to Naples and met my friend Jen and her daughter Carly for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.


We had a super-buffet of appetizers and exchanged Christmas gifts while we ate and watched Carly play. It was one of those days where the sun was fully warming up a slightly cool day. Perfect weather for sitting on the patio. And the best part was only one other group was out there so we could just lounge around talking for as long as we wanted.

Carly enjoyed her fries and cheesecake!


We both left cheered by the holidays and a great couple of hours with a friend!

2010-12-10 Sweet Herb

I'm loving the way the grocery store displays these beautiful herbs...


I'm getting into that holiday mood where I like to cook and want to make things I've never made. I've always wanted to grow herbs but my yard is just not conducive to the idea. I've only got space in full broiling sun or complete darkness and shade. No spaces with nice access to morning sun...there are just too many large trees on the property.

But I've always thought it would be amazing just just open the kitchen door to a small garden of herbs and select vegetables, but alas, it's not to be. I will be among the hordes at the grocery buying stalks of basil and rosemary for one dish, just to throw the rest of the package away. For this reason, I always cringe when the recipe calls for fresh herbs. I do hate to waste them.

Ah well, maybe I'll be a gardener at my next home.

On a sad note, today my friend's sister-in-law, whom I also knew well, died after a protracted battle with cancer. She was a beautiful lady, undeserving of her fate, and I hope she is now resting comfortably in eternal bliss. Godspeed to O.

2010-12-07 Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, all I can say is...


Today's the big day -- the big 4-0!

Having an awesome and relaxed day. Did my usual of having lunch with friends at a local Mexican place that gives a free birthday meal...and they take a picture of you in a sombrero. Hm. Doesn't sound as exciting when I typed it in, but it's fun, I swear!


It's a work night, so no further partying was done, but I feel I've extended my birthday fun across the whole weekend. Now, I'm back to paying attention to work and Christmas.

However, I will say that as I leave my 30s, I'm feeling hopeful for a continued happy life. I'm not scared of the 40s. I'm planning on making 40 my bitch.

2010-12-05 Having a Lie-In

As the Brits say, I'm having a bit of a lie-in with my little munchkin...


We had a great night last night and today is all about spending Sunday in bed with a book and a little warm puppy.

I LOVE this time of year! Shopping is done...only a few days of work left in the year, so most projects are going to bed. Mmmmmmmm, me time!

2010-12-04 Party Night

Had a great early birthday celebration with some friends at a lovely local restaurant. Oops, did someone mention shots of Patron?


Yowzer!

I had the most perfect buzz after my few drinks, and no hangover! We loved the dinner and cake and I had a super-nice time with my friends.

I had a smile on my face the whole night!


Of course, true to form for the year (as I mentioned in a previous post), we received a call in the middle of dinner that one of my friend's step-father finally succumbed to his months-long illness and died peacefully in his home. It had been expected for some time, and at this point there was just relief that it was over.

Despite the sad news, we enjoyed the evening, and I marked my 40th birthday amongst friends, even if it was not the huge blow-out I had planned.

2010-11-25 Tiny Little Birds

No turkey for me! Just the tiniest little game hens from Cornwall!


We decided to go a different way with our little Cornish Game Hens, and it was a welcome break. I found I didn't even miss the turkey.

But once we dispensed with the eating, we had to find things to do to entertain ourselves.

First, a family picture...


OK, check. Next, let's watch Pippin interact with the new kitten!


OK, that's done. Now...hm....what should we do? Oh, I know, my niece said...let's all take a picture with our faces sticking through a poster board with a Thanksgiving scene, just like I made my 1st graders do last week!


Yeah. That's how we roll.

2010-11-24 Sugar on Fire

Nope, that's not a brush fire in the distance. It's a sugar cane field being harvested.


I grew up in a sugar town and in a sugar family, so please, next time you see me, let's have discussion about sugar production!

Anyway, I saw this out in the distance and thought I would share what the skies looked like every fall as the sugar workers would go out into the fields and set them on fire in a controlled burn. The smell, a mixture of burned vegetation and caramel, permeated the air. Sometimes if the field was especially close to the house, a light snow of ashes would rain down through the air.

Once the field was burned, the men would move into the fields with machetes and pile up the giant stalks of cane onto the trucks. The trucks trundled their way into town to dump their contents into the never-ceasing mill. On the other side of the process, a huge warehouse began to fill to bursting with 2-story mounds of fresh brown sugar.

2010-11-19 A Night at Bern's

Went out with my pal Jeff, who is visiting, to Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. It was my 2nd time this year, and when Jeff came down, I just had to make an appointment for us to eat there.

We finally got to see the wine cellar...there's about half a million bottles on the property. The oldest is from 1791.


The wine stewards are amazing...he talked us through all the sizes of wine bottles...the big one is called a Nebuchadnezzar!


I love the dessert room the most, since you sit in these giant wine-cask-style rooms.


I had a beautiful dinner and can't wait to go back!

2010-11-14 Hairspray

Enjoyed a great night of dinner theatre with the girls..."Good morning, Baltimoooooore!"


I was surprised at the quality of the show. The guy they had playing Edna Turnblad was so great he almost reminded me of Divine.

Also I ate three desserts. So, all in all, it was a good night.

2010-11-07 Taste-y Day

Well today is our biggest Junior League fundraiser, Taste of the Town. This does not even show a hint of the more than 10,000 that came out to enjoy the day...


More than 40 restaurants offer little tastes of their best dishes while listening to music and hanging out in the park. We little JL workers each pull a 10-hour shift to manage the event. My job this year was to work the counting room for the tickets, along with my colleague and friend Shirley...


I got to taste a few things while I took my break and visited with my sister, my niece and her husband...


Super-great day!

2010-11-04 Doggy on My Back

Well, I don't know what the hell my dog things sometimes. I was laying there working on the computer, and my dog came over and very delicately climbed up on my back and laid there. You know...no big deal. Just laying on my back. Like you do.


"Now, I think I'll sit up here and groom myself for the next 10 minutes. Wow, yeah, I like the view..."

2010-11-03 Short on Ribs, Long on Taste

I've never made Short Ribs before.


But now, I know, I'm clearly good at it. Now, having said that, there's a few things I would change for next time. I was using some grass-fed beef, and to be honest, I don't think there's enough fat on grass-fed meat. But the wine sauce was tasty.

As much as I liked these, they don't taste as good as those served at the Flamingo Deli in Jersey City, NJ. I'll never be able to make them like that, and that makes me a little sad. 'Cuz I ain't moving back there...

2010-10-31 Hello-ween

I don't have a lot of interest in Halloween. I don't have a child and I don't care about dressing up as something in an uncomfortable costume, and spending the evening sipping my drink through a mask...but I often spend Halloween with friends, walking the neighborhood with them and their kids and enjoying watching OTHER people dress up in uncomfortable costumes!


Spent the evening with my friend Shirley and her neighbors and nephew...we had a blast...that's a pun that goes with this picture! Enjoy...

2010-10-29 Eating Epcot

Got up bright and early to head over to Epcot to experience the International Food and Wine Festival. I've wanted to go for a few years, and I thought it might be fun to take my folks. Disney knows how to welcome you right!


I could go on an on about the great food and drinks...I love the format. You enter the World Showcase around 11am, and from there you wander through sampling dishes from each country on display.

My favorite thing was the Lamb they served at the Australia booth...this is how much I liked it:


Second place was the escargot in France...I could have eaten about one metric ton of snails that day.

Third place goes to the mussels in Belgium.


Gotta say, I really loved it...can't wait to go back! Cheers!


Here's the album...