Another Pic from Youth Trip

This picture should be added to the discussion of our trip to Ohio. I already have the really nice face shot of Lesa, but I think this one shows how relaxed we were...

New Roses

This is Lizzies new rose. It is an heirloom white rose, growing up the side of our chimney. It hasn't done real well this year due to the lack of water, but seemed to give us a nice last minute bloom before the end.

Tree gurus?

Anyone know what kind of tree this is? Hickory maybe?

Mike S. thinks it is a Gum tree, perhaps a Sweet Gum tree. He says the hanging things are named after part of a monkey ;-)

Excellence is a Choice

Intelligent and insightful comment goes here :-)

52stories 1.08

Ok, this is the one you've been waiting for ;-)

This week, our picture was a little store on an old street, with crates of fresh veggies and fruits all stacked in front of the store.

One of the other writers had mentioned trying to write a single story, and incorporating the weekly pictures. Taking that to heart, I wrote a story that tied my last several together.

The story, How Many Stories?, is available here.

52stories 1.07

This week's writing assignment was a picture of an airline ticket to Paris. My resulting story, Mightier than the Sword, is here.

Leadership "Qualities"

Someone once asked me if I'd seen my boss angry before. There are two times that I remember him in a mood, that speak more of his leadership qualities than his anger. After all, everyone gets angry. But not everyone knows how to, or should, lead.

1. A few months after I started here, he called all the senior developers in a room. We had a lot of work to do, and several projects were behind. He took the opportunity to inspire us by berating each person, giving them personal attention as to their problems, and what they were doing wrong. Then he left the room, to allow us to come up with a solution "to make him happy."

2. After my wife found out she had cancer, and then had the nasty blood clot, I had to spend some time at home watching the kids, and at the hospital. The boss called me to the office of his legal beagle, and said that maybe I should consider backing out of my contract, and staying home to watch my wife. What an offer! Take away my job and my benefits, to save him the cost of a contract. Please note that all the time I took was as sick time or vacation - I did not miss any days of work "for free."

I recently read "Atlas Shrugged", which talks a lot about working for people who you cannot believe in. Working in a way that is degrading to yourself, because of what you are allowing to happen, all in the name of a job. A friend of mine just went to a leadership seminar, and it spoke of the same thing, calling it a "shadow mission" - a mission that is mostly along the lines to your goal, but just far enough away to keep you from getting there.

I guess you'll have to wait to see how I write my way out of this one.

52Stories 1.06

My latest little story is a fairy tale about the tooth fairy. The picture we were given was of a pocket watch, which in the story turns out to be ... oops. Maybe you just need to read MayBelle here.

A Cool Tree

Is this a cool tree, or what?! I sent this from my phone, while I was looking for a place to write the other day. I love the patterns and colors.

Writing Books

Here is a list of the writing books I've read, separated by whether or not they were of help to a beginning author. I'll try to write some mini-reviews for some of these, that have been the most helpful, over the next few weeks.

Good Writing Books

• Zen in the Art of Writing - Ray Bradbury
• On Writing - Stephen King
• Sometimes the Magic Works - Terry Brooks
• By Cunning and Craft - Selgin
• Stein on Writing - Sol Stein
• No Plot? No Problem! - Chris Baty - NaNoWriMo Guide
• How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy - Orson Scott Card
• From Where You Dream
• Tom Bird's Writing Method book
• Creative Writing self-hypnosis audio from ...
• 
  ... to be continued ...

Not-As-Good Writing Books

• Fondling Your Muse - Warner. Comedy - maybe. Good for writing - no!

A Different Salad

This is from a restaurant in Industry, CA. They only have one selection for salads -- you get a bowl of this recipe, and a bowl of green salad with blue cheese. I liked them best together, but they are good side by side as well.

1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup veg oil
1/2 c plus 2 Tbl red wine vinegar
3 Tbl sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp onion powder

Mix and let rest together in the fridge for best flavor blend.

Graham Crackers and Peanut Butter

Noah, Nico and I played with graham crackers and peanut butter today, trying to build something impressive.

Nico built a tent, then surrounded it with a box, which he promptly ate. This was Noah's place, complete with tv, chair, and fireplace! Mine was more of a sculpture/art work, and didn't need a place here ;-)

Our Little Back Yard

Our backyard is small, pretty, and simple to care for! By the way, it really IS small - the tree line is the end of our yard- the white barn on the right is the neighbor's!

Lesa thinks this looks like a picture from a magazine, which gives a lot of hope when we look at the real thing. Not much space for kid stuff, but at least they make friends quickly!

Script Frenzy winner!

I forgot to mention what happened with Script Frenzy (in June). Well, I was a winner! I wrote a 20,000+ word play in a month. I haven't gone back to edit it yet, or figured out what to do with it ;-) but I completed it!

It is a story about murder and intrique in the fairy tale universe. Well, not really murder, but James T. Wolf is accused of killed Red Riding Hood, the sister of Goldilocks, who secretly wants wolf for herself, but works with Peter Pigg (the oldest of the three) to try to frame James, who has actually left to elope with Red. Attorneys Hogg (fourth pig) and Abe Lincoln try their case in front of Judge Jack Horner, and a variety of characters testify in this twisted case.

This link might work, if you want to read it. If not, go to pc.celtx.com and search for ljrpicasso. Don't worry that the word count is under 20,000 - their counting algorithm is different. Two other counters, including the official ScriptFrenzy count, had it at the correct length.

Blackened Catfish Nuggets

We went to the grocery store yesterday, and the seafood department was handing out samples of their cajun catfish. It was delicious! But it was also $5.99 per pound, on sale! I looked around in their case, looking for something I could use as a substitute, and saw the catfish nuggets were only $2.69 a pound. This was much more palatable. I bought a couple pounds and went home to figure out what to do with them.

I found a recipe on the web that had been passed down for generations. Worth a try, I figured. I modified it a little, as is my normal way, and OH MY GOODNESS! I've never done catfish at home before, and this was truly amazing. I certainly won't take all the claim for this one, but I was happy to be the one manning the skillet. You might want to try this one - delicious spicy flavor, but not too spicy. Not fishy at all, which is good for my tastes. And the catfish has a less-flaky feel than most fish - Nico kept thinking it was chicken.

So here is the recipe we ended up with. Let me know if you try it.

4 servings

1 lb catfish nuggets, or boneless fillets
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 or 1/2 tsp cayenne (this is the heat - adjust accordingly ;-)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
butter or oil (for cooking)

1. Note: you must use butter or oil, or bacon grease. Margarine will not work. I used a mixture of bacon grease, butter, and olive oil, which gives a great flavor and the ability to work at high temperatures.
2. A large cast iron skillet works best. There may be a lot of smoke, so be sure to turn on your fan or open a window.
3. Mix all dry ingredients together in a gallon-size ziploc bag.
4. Put the nuggets into the bag, and shake to coat well.
5. Put the butter and/or oil in the skillet and heat until hot.
6. Put the nuggets in the skillet. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side.
7. Change the butter or oil if it gets too black.

We doubled this recipe and fed six of us with leftovers. We made a nice tartar sauce and some cole slaw (recipe on the side of the bag), both which helped cut the heat for the kids.

The original recipe is from James Naron, found on recipezaar.com. I cut back the salt and cayenne, and added the panko for a nice crispy texture on the nuggets. The original recipe was also for catfish fillets - the nuggets was our idea, and probably works about the same.

52Stories 1.05

This week, our picture was of a little red building on a dock. I came up with two ideas, and they said I could post both.

John - "I don't want to be overzealous, or expect this often, but I was struck
by two very different story ideas with the 1.05 picture. Can we do multiple
submissions? If not, I'll have to just guess which I like better, and save the
other one for my grandkids ;-)"

Tom (response) - "John - Yes, you can
submit as many stories as you'd like for each photo. Drew and I thought that one
per week was asking too much, but if you can write more than that, well. . .that
would be terrific! Thanks."

Drew (response) - "As for having more than
one story idea for a photo: All I can say is, "Lucky!" When The Muse whispers
sweet nothings in your ear, take full advantage of the opportunity. Sometimes,
she's damned hard to find."

So, giving the muse her due, I wrote two.

The first is about two guys in a travelling summer house who end up in the wrong place - A Small Miscalculation.

The second is about a surprise gift, a new Retirement Home.

Weekend Trip

 
Lesa and I drove some of our young women to the Kirtland, OH area this weekend to visit several of the LDS church historical sites. We had a really good time, as you can tell by this picture ;-)

Leah and Logan went as well. We got to visit the Kirtland temple, the LDS visitor center, the Morley farm, and the Johnson farm. We left from our house at 3:30 Friday morning, and got back around 6:30 on Saturday.

More later.