Resolve THIS

You may have noticed that I tend to be a bit list-y, and I apologize if reading other people’s lists is not your cup of tea, though they can be very funny sometimes. I find lists to be my friends, especially in times of stress, which has been most of this year. They help me to organize my thoughts, and I can’t help thinking that they may be the vestiges an “organization gene” barely inherited from my compulsive mother. My mother, who, God bless her, follows a long line of bossy, OCD women, wonders over me and how I did not inherit said organization gene, to which I reply, but I can make a mean list!

Like at New Year’s. I love New Year’s resolutions, and I love listing them. I often have boring resolutions, like “exercise more,” “eat less junk,” and “get out of bed before 9,” that kind of thing. This year, I thought I’d come up with some fun ones, especially since this year I am more in need of serious, boring reminders, er, resolutions, than ever before. Here goes.

Drink more rum. I was thinking, I don’t drink many rum drinks. And rum is so fun! The words almost rhyme. Rum can both warm you up, as in a hot toddy, and cool you down, as in a mojito. Rum is universal, consumed from chilly Britain to the hot Caribbean. Rum is sweet as candy, unlike, say, gin, which is harsh and dry, or vodka, which makes me scrunch up my face when I down a sip, or brandy, which makes my esophagus burn. Honestly, I’m not a big drinker, but a cocktail from time to time makes me feel like I’m really living it up. The best thing about this resolution is: I drink one rum drink, and I can check it off, because I almost never drink rum. Cheers!

Dance more. Again, don’t do this nearly enough. I feel like such a blob this year, as I exercise very little. I’m not sure walking to the metro counts. I’m talking, really sweat. I love belly dancing, ballroom dancing, even stupid dancing. (That would be what I do free-form at weddings and the like.) Even if I can never commit to a dance class, I could go out to some of those Cuban bars (with the mojitos, hello, resolution #1!), and Mr. P and I could get down. That’d be fun. I think I must check this resolution off at least twice a month.

Keep joy in my artistic work, dignity in my day job, pay bills on time, balance my checkbook, (or at least keep track of expenses) iron out my mental issues, stay physically healthy and fit, finish the home remodel, practice acceptance, compassion, and patience, and maintain a positive attitude.
Ok, so maybe I have only two fun resolutions and whole slew of serious ones. I know what I need to do this year, and most of it will require hard work, perseverance, and patience.

According to Chinese astrology, 2008 will be the Year of the Rat. I was born in the Year of the Rat, and they say that a rat year is a good year to make a fresh start.

Here’s hoping a little Rat Luck will be on my side, and yours, too, this New Year.

Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind

I’ve experienced a lot of signs in my life recently. Behold:

Sign that my home remodel has lasted way too long:
instead of putting on slippers to go downstairs to make coffee in the morning, I slip on my work boots

Sign that I should probably wash my jeans already:
the cat keeps smelling the same place on my jean leg like he’s interested in eating it

Sign that the writer’s strike has taken its toll:
I turn to free movies On Demand and watch Sleepless in Seattle, for Pete’s sake

Sign that I might need to get a new refrigerator:
I smell something burning… and see the cat lapping up steak juice

Sign that I need a real job:
I find my checking account in overdraft after having to buy a new refrigerator

Sign that banks are criminal bastards:
the account would not have gone into overdraft if they posted the transactions immediately after I made them, like the &*$# bank commercials say they do

Sign that my luck may be changing:
I GET A JOB!

Sign that the company may be totally desperate:
they call me three hours after my interview to offer me the job and don’t even bother calling my references

Sign that I may be totally desperate:
I take an “entry-level” job (but it’s in the ARTS, finally!)

Sign that the holidays are upon us:
I start planning my schedule around meals

Sign that Christmas may be the most overrated holiday of the year:
I start singing along to the jewelry commercial jingles

Signs that Christmas may be the best holiday of the year:
everything counts as a “Christmas present,” you can pretend to be out of town for two weeks, even if you’re not, and it’s ok to have eggnog and gingerbread cookies… for breakfast

Me Cook Good (sometimes)

I'm not much of a cook, really. I'm a bit of a spaz in the kitchen, and often, I catch something on fire. I enjoy cooking, but I didn't grow up in a gastronomic family, and despite my enjoyment for eating, I've never had a natural sense for what flavors work well together, what happens chemically to ingredients mixed together, or how to create a dish from a few random foods found in the refrigerator. However, in mere survivalist form, I have learned how to whip up a few things, and the few dishes or items I know are pretty tasty.

Here are just a few:

1. Chicken Soup

2. hot chocolate (just a little bit spicy, a la mexicaine)

3. omlette (only recently learned that 3 eggs are better than 2)

4. pommes de terre au gratin (Or: potatoes au gratin) (I learned it in France, and they have better cream there. No, seriously, they do. But it still works here)

5. red cabbage (this one is a bit of a surprise to me)

6. ratatouille (Even if you speak French, it’s still hard to say)

Sleep Now

I just tried hypnosis for the first time. In a workshop for actors (free with my Actors Center membership!), I surrendered myself to a certified hypnotherapist, who helped me and a dozen other hopefuls to fill our minds with positive affirmations in order to increase our confidence and ease our anxieties in auditions.

I feel like someone just massaged my subconscious.

I used to think hypnotherapy was a non-scientific, spooky, old-fashioned brainwashing or regression technique used to sort through trauma. I would picture a Freud-like figure dangling a golden pendant in front of a gullible (beautiful, young) lady's eyes, commanding her to "sleep... sleeeeppp..." Instead, I found it a lot like meditation, but with exterior positive reinforcement. That's right: hypnotherapy is mind programming.

There is, actually five kinds of mind programming: 1. by repetition, 2. in a highly emotional state, 3. in an altered state (this is hypnotherapy), 4. by an authority figure, and 5. by your peers. In television advertising, we typically see all five of these techniques at work at one time. Scary thought, no?

So, what was it like? Besides meditating (which I don't do enough of), it reminded me of the first time I went scuba diving. Weighed down with an oxygen tank and additional weights, I submerged 25 feet under the water with the help of a rope tied from the boat to the a rock on the ocean floor. Little by little, I "climbed" down this rope, adjusting my ears every few feet. It was a pretty brilliant means of descent, actually. This is what it felt like to sink down into deep relaxation, as I held onto the "rope" that was my instructor's voice.

We all went "under" twice, but don't let the word "under" alarm you. I did not feel under anyone's influence, but rather, awake, in control, and just so, so relaxed. My body felt like a liquid blob. When she brought us "out" of this state, I felt happy and refreshed, like I just awoken from a good night's sleep and a pleasant dream. She said we were in a theta state, which is that feeling you may get if you are in the process of dozing off but still can hear what's going on around you.

I have yet to put my new auditioning affirmations to test, so the effects remain to be seen. I hope very much that when my anxieties start to creep up in a high-pressure performance situation, my newly-programmed subconscious will take the wheel and steer me towards smooth, confident sailing. I know one thing: hypnosis felt good, and I think I want more.

While it snows outside and Mr. P and I nurse our new colds (yes, I have another cold, hooray!), I have been working on perfecting my chicken soup recipe. Actually, I don't have a recipe, so technically, I am perfecting my first recipe of chicken soup. Good news, though: I did it. I made a chicken soup that is both delicious and nutritious, and it's not disgusting to look at, either. Here it is (sorry, my vegetarian friends):

Quesadelia's Chicken Soup

Ingredients

1 whole small chicken
liquid chicken broth (about 1 liter)
1 onion
1 small bunch of carrots (fresh, with greens)
a few hearts of celery
butter
5 small Yukon Gold potatoes
your choice of spices (parsley, thyme, salt, pepper... etc)

1. Remove packaged giblets from inside the chicken. Cut whole chicken up into about 4 - 5 pieces, but do not remove skin or bones; keep the chicken intact. Place in a large pot and cover with liquid chicken broth and water.

2. Bring chicken and water to boil, then let simmer for at least one hour or hour and a half. Frequently skim fat off top of water with a skimmer.

3. While the chicken cooks, prepare your mirepoix: finely chop an entire onion and add to a few tablespoons of melted butter in a saute pan. Saute the onions until they are soft, then add a few, finely chopped carrots and celery hearts. Carrots do not need to be peeled, but you will need to remove their greens. Mirepoix ratio should be: 50% onion, 25% carrots, 25% celery.

4. After the chicken has cooked for a while, remove the chicken (or chicken parts) from the stock, and cut the meat from the bones. Remove the skin as well. Place just the meat back into the stock.

5. Place your prepared mirepoix into the stock with the chicken meat.

6. Peel and chop potatoes into nice, bite-sized pieces, and add to the soup.

7. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and your choice of spices, such as thyme, parsley, dill, and/or juniper.

Soup does not need to cook much longer, just long enough to cook the potatoes. Then you can enjoy a nice, hearty, wintry soup. It will make your cold feel better; it will also make you feel happier.

I am witnessing the first snowfall of the season here in Maryland. And how pretty it is! We should have about 2 - 3" accumulated by the end of the day. Then it will probably all melt away tomorrow. Oh, well.

Very funny short film, from Wholpin.