Seven Quick Takes: Volume 16

-- 1 --

Look!  I executed a mildly successful non-recipe on Wednesday, and it was yummy!

Egg rolls.  I think.  Here's the quick version.

Instructions for cooking come right on the Nasoya package.  You can fancy it up by adding sauteed pork, peanut sauce, and sprouts; or even go southwestern with black beans, rice, and cheese.

Out of a super-neat coincidence, I found a similar simple meal idea on Romancing Reilly.  Yum!

-- 2 --

I got the paper copy books in the mail last week, three total.  One is being reviewed by my parish priest so he can approve it for Mary's Cova, our flourishing little library.  So I have two left.  I'm pretty sure I want to keep one for reference purposes, but the other I've considered making my first Everything to Someone giveaway!

So what's gonna happen is that I'm gonna talk about it for a little while to build up awareness and then probably do a random drawing thing.  2012 Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction Collected Short Stories: it could be yours!  Stay tuned, folks.

-- 3 --

It's time to "come out of the closet."  I'm participating in April's CampNaNoWriMo, which is super silly because I have way more important things I should be doing, not least of which is editing and drafting the second version of the First Story, which has been kicking up its heels and being difficult lately.

I've gained a new exhilaration in novel free-writing that suffers from the restraints and discipline of editing; and I think when I come back to the First Story, it will be with a rested muse.  At least that's my hope.

On the other hand, blog talks with the astute Jenna have made me look at novel-writing as a career in a different way, and I think it couldn't be a bad thing to get a few embryonic novels under my belt to have, maybe even for self-publishing, if attempts at publishing the First Story don't go as hoped/planned.

Talking with Jenna has helped loosen me to feeling less snobby about the subjects I write, and trust that the organicness of my faith and love for real literature will find its way in, even in a less poured-over endeavor.  If I hope to make a somewhat viable income as an author some day, I've read enough about the industry to know that quality over quantity is actually the way to go.  Weird, innit?

You can donate too, and I signed up for my own page, goal $150 in fundraising; in case people were more inclined to help if it were connected to someone the actually knew.  I try to be a good citizen.  c;

-- 4 --

I joined my college friends last night for a showing of their original 30-minute film Cakewalk.  These were the friends that graciously suffered me to put my silly face in the college campus movies they made back-in-the-day, which mostly consisted of slightly absurd philosophical musings, parodies of friends, bad accents, and sing-alongs.  Oh, but those were good times!

So proud of them; even prouder to say that theirs was the best film at the showing: subtlety yet humorously written, positive without being hoaky or preachy.  Well acted, filmed, written, edited, and directed.  Appropriate for the whole family but sympathetic to adults, especially parents!  Only more good things to come from them.  And if you're in the central Florida area and have a skill, it's a rewarding hobby to get into, and the arts are more-than-suffering these days, so contact them at The Hippo Critics if you'd like to get involved.

I know, my friends are kinda awesome.  Don't be jealous.  c;

-- 5 --

Out of nowhere, this local company that I adore is hiring.  I'm applying for a full-time position as Client Relations Coordinator.  Not only would this take the strain off of us financially, I know I would love and thrive at this job.  Really.

So call every saint and praying person you know and get them to offer up for me that my sincerity and enthusiasm is clear in my application, and interview, if I am offered one.

-- 6 --

As Grace and Simon were googling "what should I do if my kid pooped in the bathtub," I google searched "how to clean poop out of carpet," and got this.  Apparently, this is a googled enough topic to merit its own wordpress page.

Oh yes, yes it is.  This happened to me not once yesterday, but twice.  The Squirt had been coming to me and asking to change his diaper over the past couple of weeks, then transitioning to taking it off himself and sending me after it.  Now he's just free-stylin' it.  He's clearly ready for potty training, though when I sat him on the big boy potty, he wasn't sure how to go about it.  Then, last night, my mom sat him on the toilet and told him to "go," and he squeezed out five little drops!!!!

He got huge applause AND a cookie.

-- 7 --

My friend Caitlin shared with me this delightful event called The Faerie Folk Festival.  Her library is participating by building a little fairy library!  Alas, it's in New Hampshire.  (More proof that I'm really too close to the southern hemisphere for someone with my hobbies, interests, aversion to heat, and taste in seasons.)

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Now I'm off to perfect my resume; see more Quick Takes this week at Camp Patton.