Day 178: 3/7/12 - "I Am So Ordinary"

"And she is your holy Mary
And I am so ordinary
And she is your Queen Cleopatra
And I'm just your morning after
And she is your Star Spangled Banner
And I am just Frere Jacques
And you can lose me if you want to"

-"I Am So Ordinary" by Paula Cole

What's My Motivation?  Today was one of those days where no matter how hard I tried, no matter my good intentions, I just could not get anything done!  The phone kept ringing, people kept dropping by, issues kept coming up that had to be taken care of, and all the while, my work got pushed to the back burner.  Tomorrow I will attempt to catch up as best I can before Friday, and then next week (Spring Break!) should mean that I get the chance to really get some work done. Fingers crossed.  But days like today lead me to question my motivation.  Why do I continue to do what I do?  Do I still love what I do?  If not, do I at least like it?  Enjoy it?  Want to do it?  I'm not sure what the answer is to these questions, but I realize that I need to address them, and soon.  There is more to it than this as well.  I have to figure out what I'll do if the answer is no.  Or, what I'll do when the answer is mixed.  No matter what, I do know I have to do something.

No Joy in Indy: I'm saddened by the news that Peyton Manning will be leaving Indianapolis.  I can admit that the main reason I was a Colts fan was because I was a Manning fan.  It was difficult to listen to him say goodbye, but wonderful to hear him continue to be the person that he is...a man with a good heart, who remained respectful even when others would have reacted in a different way.  You may have respect for Indy and the ownership there, Manning, but I've got more respect for you.  I'll see you in your new locale, wherever that may be, and guess I'll likely have a new team to cheer for!

Baking Away:  I tried to do work when I got home tonight but I just didn't have it in me.  Instead, I tried out a new recipe and created a banana pudding cupcake.  Or, at least that is what I attempted to create!  I made a vanilla cupcake, cored it, made a banana cream filing (very pudding like!), and topped it with a banana buttercream frosting, rimmed by crushed Nilla wafers.  Not sure what the full effect is but I enjoyed the cake, the cream, and the frosting.  And of course I love Nilla wafers!  Here are some pics of my fun tonight:

 

Day 147: 2/5/12 - "Superman (It's Not Easy)"

"I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naive

I'm just out to find

The better part of me..."

-"Superman" by Five for Fighting

Super Sunday of Cooking: While most people were busy preparing dishes for Superbowl Sunday get togethers, I was busy just cooking for myself.  It's starting to get old and it makes me more cognizant of my loneliness.  But I will say that I did yeoman's work today and managed to cook/bake a huge amount in a very short amount of time.  Here is what I made today:

• roasted drumsticks
• barbecue drumsticks
• pinto beans
• Spanish rice
• blueberry muffins
• guacamole
• pasta and vegetables
• garlic roasted potatoes
• garlic mashed potatoes
• boiled shrimp 
• baked catfish

Overkill?  Probably, but I must say that I enjoyed myself and relieved some serious stress. Here is a picture of the blueberry muffins.  I didn't take pictures of the other stuff because I was packing it into the fridge as I went.  But trust me, everything looked delicious!

Tough Decisions: I'm back to the tough decisions conversation again.  Yes, this is the internal one I keep having with myself and now I'm starting to think I need to go in a different direction. Now I need to go check some deadlines and some online information before I make my next decision, but I'm starting to lean towards a more scholarly path than I had at first thought.

The Superbowl: I have to include an entry on the Superbowl and the ads that were played as well.  Talk about a great game!  And I was pulling for the Giants, though the pieces that they did on the Pats had me crying and almost cheering for them as well.  Neither is my favorite team but I'm just not a Pats fan.  I'm glad it was a great game that came down to the very end.  As for the ads, I thought there were some pretty good ones and some lame ones.  My favorite? the Doritos commercial with the missing cat and the family dog that bribes the man with his favorite Doritos.  I think that one will be a classic!