July 21, 2009

I Went to Wyoming & All I Got Was This Lousy Work Ethic

The simplest guacamole recipe, courtesy of Jentel (thanks Brittani!). One avocado--slice in half, use your knife to score the flesh into little cubes prior to loosening it from the rind with a spoon. Empty one half into a bowl and add salt, a handful of chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of one-quarter lime. Empty the other avocado half on top and mash lightly with a fork. Salt the top layer again. Include one-half a clove of garlic, finely chopped, if you are so inclined; or, add several dashes of dried chili pepper (the same kind you shake out over pizza).

If you are ambitious on the very relative scale...add two tablespoons of tomatillo salsa, or a handful of black beans, or 1/2 ear of corn kernels shaved raw off the cob. Mash and mix. If you have to store leftovers overnight, the lime juice is critical--that's what curbs browning--and tamp down a layer of Saran Wrap over the exact surface of the guacamole.

And that's how I spent my summer vacation.

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A partial galley arrived today from Norton. A sneak peek at the handling of fonts, a look at the acknowledgments and dedication, a chance to object in the cases where they had to crowd the page with the last line or two of a poem. How scary and wonderful! It looks like a real book!

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I found myself watching the Comedy Central pseudo-documentary / marketing tool Inside Funny People tonight. As a teenager who spent significant amounts of time watching Stand Up Stand Up and Comic Relief, I have a soft spot for the perils of live comedy. I really want Funny People to be good, though I know the jury is out. The jury is, in fact, playing mini-golf. Eating a cheese sandwich. Playing quarter pool. The jury will probably not come back in a happy mood, and is therefore taking its own sweet time at the local dive bar. But I have a little crush on Judd Apatow. And Leslie Mann! I like her for being so beautiful and, well, still marrying Judd Apatow.

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Not sure, yet, about establishing my at-home writing rhythms. But if I write while sprawled out on my bed, I can look out three windows--one pointed toward the crazy traffic of Connecticut Avenue, one at the Embassy of Albania, one looking down S Street. I can shut the door and play music as loud as I like. I can draft without getting dressed. I'm working on it.

5 comments:

Dan said...

Seriously, how does it feel to be one of those people who writes poems even when she's not writing poems??? :::wink, wink::: :)

The jury is out.
The jury is, in fact,
playing mini-golf.
Eating a cheese sandwich.
Playing quarter pool.

The jury
will probably not come back
in a happy mood,
and is therefore taking
its own sweet time
at the local dive bar.

Valerie Loveland said...

I've been writing while sitting on the couch that has a leg rest. It's awesome, I never want to sit in a desk again.

nathan said...

I still don't have furniture in my new apartment, well, save for a makeshift desk made of boxes filled with books, so I generally draft on the floor, or in public places, like Starbucks. There's something about being surrounded by voices that don't inhabit your own head, by aromas (and odors), and conversation. It's difficult for me to draft in silence, for me to draft at all, really.

Kevin said...

Salad for Lunch



Who would have thought

beets and hard-boiled eggs

could blend so well, hearts

of artichoke and mushrooms,

carrot shavings and spinach

in a plastic container, a little

ranch and a balsamic drizzle.

Shake well before using

but not before adding cheese—

how could I almost forget

to mention the cheese?

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

An avocado would be nice right now, but I have no interest in walking to the store. Later. I love Leslie Mann. Windows and writing are very connected, for me.