On the birth of my new cooking blog

I just counted the actual posts, and I've written on this blog a total of 12, TWELVE, times since moving to Portland six years ago. The death of blogging isn't a burden carried on my shoulders alone; in fact, there isn't a single blog I routinely follow anymore when for years there were dozens. We went short form with Twitter or visual with Instagram. We went the quicker, easier route.

Tonight we rewatched The Big Sick, which is 100% a movie you should watch. The lead character is semi-forced to give up his family to be with the woman he loves. During a pivotal scene in the movie, I told Paul I was glad neither of us had to give much up to love the other. This is the point in my writing where I blame Paul for my not blogging. Thanks for your love Paul, how could you let me not chronicle the last six pivotal years of my life? Geez, that guy.

Okay, jokes. I didn't blog the 18 months before I met him and I haven't blogged the last 4 years+ we've been married. That's on me. And I'm so sad about it, but only because I got sucked down a wormhole of reading old posts the other night and I realized I miss the effort of writing for non-professional reasons. Where I can throw out most grammar and punctuation rules and simply write as it makes sense to me. (True story: 10 years ago when asked why I should get hired I told the hiring manager "I write a really great email." 8 years into that job, said hiring manager told me that statement and the confidence behind it is what earned me a business card with their company name on it.) 

Last bizarro thought for the night. Neither Paul nor I are interested in full scale cooking. I like to tell people we're 'great assemblers,' which is short-hand for lazy with a side of 'we mostly like to eat out.' In the last year we've gotten much better about having food on hand at home to eat (because Remy goes to bed at 6:30 and we live next to nothing good to eat and we're too lazy to leave the house in search of food). There are a handful of frozen Costco products we keep on hand that we can quickly throw in the oven and pat ourselves on the back for having a home-cooked meal. (My primary favorite being chicken cordon bleu and a side of broccoli.) Someone recommend a blog for me that's THOSE kind of meals. Since a cursory search of the interweb crushed my dream of finding "easy" meals that require 5 ingredients or less, I shall be forced to start that blog on my own.

At least this will give me a purpose. Riiiiiiiight?

And like all cooking blogs, the wind-up to the actual recipe is four paragraphs too long when all you want is the photo and the ingredients and not some four-paragraph story about how this recipe came to be. Oye. I hate myself. 

Tonight's assembled dinner: TACOS

• Ground beef previously cooked (from frozen!) in an Instant Pot
• Cook yourself tortilla with melted cheese on it
• Pre-made pico de gallo
• Add some spinach
• Add some avacado

WAHLA. Pat for yourself on the back for making dinner. I know I do.

Also bucking the food blog trend by taking a single photo that doesn't oversell what it is you're going to make. Also: not building my own light box. 

Day 20

I'll admit that today's post has given me writer's block. I'm the main character of this story and I feel that this blog is nothing but mostly dedicated to the things I love to do.

A hobby of yours

I'm not sure if my writings have broadcast this bit before, but I'm a bit of an organizer. One of the chief complaints people have historically had about the social scene in Boston is that no one ever does anything. Clearly, a broad, sweeping generalization--but there is definitely a difference here than other places I've lived as a young single adult. I guess I decided some time ago that if I wanted to do (or in turn, get invited to) social things, I'd have to be an organizer and get things rolling.

So, well, um. I organize social events. This is feeling kind of trite to write about (because don't we all do this?), but I've already written two paragraphs and I'm committed.

Here are the steps to setting up an event according to NatA!:

1. Feel the deep stirrings within yourself to either host or plan or gather people.
2. Decide upon an event that people a) inherently want to attend because it was on their list already or b) is quirky enough that piques attention.
3. Research the event and get all the logistical ducks in a row.
4. Send a well-crafted email with an interesting, funny, or to-the-point hook that's impossible to ignore inviting people to attend. Make sure the email isn't too long for the easily distracted. You want to make sure people don't abandon ship before your salutation. [Optional: Ask participants to weigh in on the when, where, etc. Warning: this creates more work for the organizer in back and forth communication and then those people usually don't attend.]
5. Make definitive statements. People are sheep looking to be led. Give them options and they'll probably get confused and stay home surfing the same interwebs they surf every day, all day at work.
   
6. Commit to yourself to have a great time no matter who does (or doesn't) attend. If you're concerned with attendance, commit a few people to the event before you send the email to make sure you don't end up with homemade salsa and guacamole watching the USA vs. Mexico World Cup qualifier alone.
   

Got that? It's really not so hard. With the six easy steps above you're well on your way to gathering folks to whatever you're organizing. Soon it too shall be a hobby of yours.

Putting practice into action, today was a prime example. Tickets for Iron Man 2 became available at the IMAX theater. Knowing I wanted to go (Mallory will be in town, bonus!) and would love to have other people attend as well, a general email was sent out. A "hey, isn't Iron Man awesome? It's already on your list of movies to see (2.a above) so why not see it opening weekend in giant, in your face action!" Include the theater, the time, the day, and the link to purchase tickets.

Eight of us girls also attended an amaaaaaaazing come-from-behind Red Sox victory game at Fenway tonight. That kind of event (the exchanging of money for reserved seats) is a bit more complicated to arrange, but with practice can be done by mere babies! Everyone was free to make their own dinner plans, but I simply told people where I'd be, at what time, and an invitation. Surprise, surprise -- most ladies showed and we had a delicious burger pre-game.

So dear readers, go forth and conquer. Be a friend to make a friend. Get back what you put out. Don't count the 'hood out.

The unspoken rule is also to have great snacks. Food goes a looooooong way. Remember what was done with simple rice krispy treats?

What are your go-to rules for planning? What did I miss from the list above?

convertible shoes for your feet

This blog goes out to 92% of my blog readers, aka the women of NatA!istheNB.

I know I'm all about emphatic declaration on this blog and the wheat may at times be hard to distinguish from the chaff. I'm hoping my good ideas ultimately bubble to the surface and you get to take something home with you when the browser light turns off and you go back to your regularly scheduled life.

Today, in the effort of full disclosure (and because I found a really really great deal I'm going to pass along), I'm going to emphatically declare my love for the greatest sandals of all time.

I am not a sandal wearer. The Wood/Wms. women aren't blessed with the best feet. Because my feet are long and flat, I had an aversion to wearing sandals, because they looked like pancakes. And the heel cracking was unsightly. But, two summers ago I found a pair of gladiators that changed my life.

The sandals are the perfect bronze color, so they can be equally worn with black or brown. They match everything. For someone with a penchant to look like she's sporting clown shoes, these sandals provided an elegant sleekness I'd only dreamt about from magazines. My girlfriends and sisters always commented on them; I've been bearing testimony of these sandals for more than two years. Purchased at TJ Maxx in the summer of 2007, I RAN THE ORIGINAL SANDALS INTO THE GROUND. With great luck, in the summer of 2008, I found them again and nearly cried in delight. Sadly, I thrashed that pair to pieces as well. Two years, two pairs, and I've been beating myself up for months for not purchasing a several year supply when they were $25 at TJ Maxx.

Now, here's my admonishment. Buy these sandals. Don't think, just buy. I know it's November and past season, but you will not be sorry when it's December and you're going to Mexico for Christmas or it's March and a freakishly warm week springs forth from the Wasatch Mountains or it's any month of the year and it's lovely because you're in California. Instead, you'll be so thrilled you have this fresh set of sandals to enjoy.

Oh also. THEY'RE COMFORTABLE.

BUT WAIT. Here comes the hard sell. They're on sale online.
BRONZE:
$20 for size 6-8.5
$25 for size 9-10

WHITE/SILVER/GOLD:
$17.83 for all sizes

BLACK/BROWN:
Buy one get one free, 2 pair for $40 (use promo code: "fallten")

This post is in no ways sponsored by Madden Girl, though I wish it were. I'm just so enthusiastic about these sandals, that I'm willing to show up to Six Flags, or Prague, or church, or anywhere else I've worn mine in the last two years and I'd be perfectly happy to --GASP!-- be wearing the same sandals as you. In fact, my sister Mallory bought some last year (or I bought them with mine and hand delivered them to her in Portland because she wanted them so bad) and has enjoyed the heck out of them as well. Right Mal Pal?

Wow. This is a long post for what some would consider an inconsequential matter. But here's the driving point. I own three and a half closets worth of clothing. (I'll find time to be embarrassed about this admission later.) These sandals are one of the five pieces I would unequivocally endorse to anyone. YOU WON'T BE SORRY.

Tips for Sharing Public Transportation

• If you're going to walk slow, fine. If you're going to vary your walking speed, fine. But please, for all that's holy, walk a straight line. This allows walkers with a faster gait to judge the gaps and navigate around you.
• Don't give me the stink eye if melting snow from my arm drips on you. You have a seat on the T/bus. I'm standing; I win the pity card every time.
• If I'm sitting on the inside seat on the bus and you see me push the stop button, gather my things, and stand up; this is your cue to adjust yourself so I can get out. This is unspoken rule. Don't make me miss my stop again; I'll drip water on you.
• Can you try a little harder to get off the T faster? I'm politely waiting to get on, but my carnal self is jumping up and down screaming for a seat. Your meandering is going to cost some poor seat-rider melting drops from Heaven.
  
• Here's a shout-out to all the seniors still riding public transit; I admire you. I'm thankful to those of you who hug the far right wall and use the banister to ascend or descend the stairs. I know that's not an easy feat. Here's the tip; if you are also elderly, disabled, portly, leisurely, or on a lazy stroll, hug up on that wall too. Don't try to pass any one. You're creating a stop we New Englanders only like to see our Pats offensive line use.
  
• Have your fare ready to go. You know the bus/T is coming--don't read your Metro, or zone out on your iPod and then look surprised when it shows up.
  
• It's okay* to talk on your phone on public transportation. Please don't shout.
• If you don't have to take public transit, thank your lucky stars.
  

So there you have it, tips for making the commuting experience just a tiny bit better. Lest you think I'm ranting (okay, I am), I do like seeing the humanity on the T. I love when people give up their seats for the elderly, for women, or for children. I like when someone helps hoist a stroller up the steps. I like when people stop to answer questions. Or find mutual satisfaction in grumbling about something (like the 4 hour commute home through the snow yesterday), etc. etc.

This list comes after a nightmare-ish commute yesterday and are just a few simple, every-day tips that can help make public transportation a little more bearable for all.

To all you commuters out there--have I missed any you feel need to be pointed out?
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*It's not okay. You're bothering everyone.