Friday, April 8, 2011

Define Defining

Everyone has a story. Magazines will run contests: tell us about what you have overcome. Radio stations will have contests: tell us who your hero is and will send him/her on a spa vacation.

The truth is every one of us has been there, done that, or knows someone who has. We have all had our moments of depression, hair pulling anxiety, never ending tears, feelings of hopelessness. So maybe we all haven't had a cocaine addiction, or had to live on the streets, or been in an abusive relationship, but we all have something. We all have that thing or things that have defined our lives, defined who we have become, or who we are trying to be, or maybe just who we were.

I don't know one person who has never lost a loved one, who has never had a broken heart, who hasn't struggled financially at one time or another. I can't think of a single person who seems to have a cake walk life. Everyone has something. That one thing you take for granted could be the exact same thing someone else is losing sleep over.

The other day, I was thinking about what I would write if asked about my defining moment, my victory over an obstacle, my moment of hair pulling anxiety and never ending tears. While in deep thought regarding this, it occurred to me that I could not write about just one thing. My story would be multiple events, a rolling history of me, if you will. Some may call this simply: life.

Isn't that what life is after all? Isn't it a series of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, sunshine and rain, yin and yang, Optimus vs. Megatron? A journey.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Gobble, Gobble; No, No; Well Maybe

In an effort to be healthier, G and I decided to try some turkey bacon. You see, if you ask the child what mommy loves more than bacon, he will respond "pretty much just me". He's kinda right.

We purchased two different brands of turkey bacon and quickly went to work. We pan cooked it, we broiled it, and we baked it. This was new territory for both of us, so we followed the cooking instructions.

The fact that I could bake it did not sit well with me, you are not supossed to bake bacon...although I will say it was the easiest way. I did not like the pan cooking method. The lack of shrivel made me feel like I wasn't cooking it correctly. It didn't shrivel up with a ton of grease oozing out showing its crispy fattiness, and extra yumminess. There was not a greasy sizzle saying "pay attention to me", it was more a heat sizzle that said "whatever, I'm bored".

The dog didn't even come into the kitchen when we were cooking.

I fixed a small plate for each of us making sure to put some of each cooking type on each plate. G is a very finicky eater at times, so I was slightly worried about the money I just wasted on this healthier choice. I brought him his plate and tried my share in a different room, so I wouldn't influence his taste buds.

I did not care for this gobble gobble bacon. I felt like I was eating thinly sliced cooked ham, not turkey, and definitely not bacon. My taste buds said "whatever, I'm bored". I did what any 5 year old would do, I gave mine to the dog.

G, on the other wing, asked for a second plate. I guess I will continue to purchase this gobble bacon as G will eat it, and I want him to eat healthy. However, I will not be eating it again. I like my bacon with all the fat and all the grease. I like the sizzle.