Where Have I Been & Where Am I Going...Part 1

You know those people who have always known they wanted to teach?  It’s their undying passion and calling?  It’s what they always knew they were meant to do?  Yeah, that wasn’t me.  Teaching wasn’t my first profession.  When I was in college I really wasn’t sure what the future held for me.  I came from a family of educators and I knew I wanted something different.  You know, I had the typical adolescent “I want to do exactly the OPPOSITE of what my parents do” thought process. I wanted something exciting and high powered.  I wanted to wear designer suits and work in a sky rise and have lunch meetings over martinis.  That seemed glamorous to me.  I graduated from USC with a B.A. in Communication and thought I’d go into the marketing or advertising fields, or perhaps even the entertainment industry.  Looking back, I had no idea what the hell I really wanted.  I was like the two main characters in “Romy and Michele”...you know, the ones who wore adorable suits, pretended they invented Post-Its and asked for the “business woman special” at the diner even though they were unemployed.  (If you don’t know the reference, just imagine a child playing dress up).  What did I know? I just thought pencil skirt suits and heels looked hot!  I didn’t come from a business minded family.  I don’t say that in a negative way, my parents were wonderful, respected, hard working educators.  It just means they probably knew about as much as I did in terms of what career path to take when it came to the world of business.  So I ended up just sort of following my friends.  First, I followed one friend to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and worked there for two years.  It’s hard to imagine getting burned out at the budding age of twenty-three, but that job was about as gnarly as I could imagine.  There were parts of it that were fun, especially because I was working alongside other young recent college grads.  We were getting worked to the bone, cleaning cars in nylons and heels, dealing with difficult customers, and doing grunt work with our newly obtained college degrees.  But hey, at least we were doing it together!!  And to be fair, we were learning a decent amount about running a business from the ground up.  Plus, there was always a company sponsored happy hour to soften the blow of sixty hour weeks, sprinting for cars in stilettos and vacuuming cheerios out of the backseat of an Impala.   

After two years, I was done with Enterprise and ended up moving back home to pay my way out of debt (Hollywood living will do that to you) and find other work.  This time I followed another friend into a staffing agency, where our job was to solicit new companies to utilize our services.  I was terrible.  I am not a sales person.  I don’t want to have to convince you, cajole you, wine and dine you to persuade you to buy a product or a service.  It just isn’t in my DNA and it feels surface and meaningless to me.  After struggling through that job for nearly a year, I was hired as an administrative assistant at a pan spray company.  This was a pretty decent job, but the boss was kind of an asshole and the guy that I worked for directly was an old codger that smelled funny and made uncomfortable comments about the way I dressed.  Peace out.  

At this point in time I had many friends starting to get into serious relationships and head down the marriage path.  Meanwhile I was just kind of floundering, having no idea what to do, how to do it, what I was good at, etc.  I know that tons of people work numerous jobs that they hate.  I get it.  I'm not above hard work, but I was young and wanted to find my passion!  I knew I had some talent somewhere, but I needed to tap into it.  Plus, I was stuck in Newbury Park, where I grew up!  Newbury Park is a beautiful suburb, but I should have left!  I suppose since I had just gotten myself out of my Hollywood living debt, I was too scared to get back into it by moving to a new city and risking financial failure again.  I felt trapped in a bubble.  Plus, I felt stuck on the notion that I was expected to go down the “4 years of college, get a job, get a husband, pop out some kids” path.  Whether those were external expectations or ones I was putting on myself, I cannot say for sure.  I know my parents never made me feel pressured, but they certainly always wanted me to have a plan.  I guess it’s just what I figured was supposed to happen.  And this is where I feel I sold out a bit.  I didn’t know what to do, so I went with what was familiar.  I had a serious boyfriend and our relationship was heading in the direction of matrimony, so I thought going back to school for my teaching credential made sense.  It was a good solid job, I thought kids were pretty cool since I had spent my college summers teaching swim lessons, and I thought it would make a great career for a wife and a mother.  So I went back to school, completed my Multiple Subject K-6 teaching credential, student teaching and eventually completed my Masters in Education.  

Having been the daughter of educators, I had a preconceived notion about teaching.  I was under the ignorant impression that you had the ability to choose what grade you wanted to teach and that you could remain in that grade until YOU opted for a change.  That is how it had been for my mom, so silly me thought it would be the same.  And for a bit it WAS that way!  I was fortunate enough to be hired right away, in the exact job I wanted.  I was teaching 6th grade English and Social Science at the very middle school I attended as a tween, where my dad had been my principal.  I even took over my mama’s classroom!  Awwww, so quaint!  For a second it seemed like all was falling into place!  The hard work obtaining my credential and masters was completed, the perfect job was landed, there was a ring on my finger and wedding planning was underway.  Boy oh boy it had all worked out! 

HA!  Don’t get too comfortable.  If it sounds too perfect, it usually is.  The storm was brewing and it was right around the corner...

TO BE CONTINUED

Priorities

It has been far too long since my last post.  Isn't it funny how we can get caught up with all the things we "HAVE" to do, and let the things we "NEED" to do go by the wayside?  I consider myself a relatively simple creature.  I don't need a lot.  Besides the basics that all humans need, I have a few necessities to feel complete and whole.  I need contact with my friends and family on a regular basis.  I need exercise for my body and brain to feel good.  I need good literature to consume.  I need my spiritual life to feel centered.  And I need to WRITE.  Writing is such a cathartic experience for me.  Whether I'm simply recounting my day or expressing a deep thought on something, it is so important to me.  So why do we abandon these things that we so desperately need to feel complete?  I know that I am 100% at my best when I am able to complete one or two of the aforementioned activities on a daily basis.  But then...life.  Oh how it gets in the way!  Since April I've been so stressed out over my job situation (more on that and my utter frustration with the education system in another post), I've been crazed packing up my condo and preparing it for renters, and then as soon as the last box was taped on my condo, I had to start packing up my classroom.  It's a wonder I was able to find my passport for this trip.  On top of that I've been dealing with neighbors who make me want to scream (perhaps I ought to post my letter to the HOA for your reading pleasure?) and consistent health concerns that I will delve into more in another post.  I know I am not alone.  Never do I want to sound like a martyr in anything I write.  I know so many of you can relate to feeling like you are balancing a million things on your plate.  It seems that everyone has their various stresses and commitments that take them away from the soul nourishing activities that we all desperately need.  The truth is, wouldn't we be better equipped to handle all those stresses and commitments if we first committed to taking care of ourselves?  The more centered and healthy I feel, the better I am able to handle anything that comes my way.  This is something we must remind ourselves over and over and over again.

The good news is I made it.  I made it through a very chaotic two and half months and here I am on day one of a very exciting journey.  For those of you who don't know, I am on a month long trip to New Orleans and Spain.  I will try to journal my experiences through this blog.  I'd love for you to follow me, but if you only catch an entry here or there, that's ok too!  It's mostly for my own fulfillment and love of the written word.  The love of capturing moments with rich language and sensory details that allow my readers to be in the moment with me. Whether we are sitting down to a dinner of the most divine grilled catfish or touring Barcelona, I hope you will enjoy the journey with me.  More to come as this is only day one.  In the mean time, let's all think about the things we need to make our souls feel complete and check just one thing off the list today!  xoxo 

Social Media Reflections

Recently I've been very pensive about what technology is doing to human relationships.  In particular, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, Vine and so many more outlets.  Have these sites replaced face to face interaction?  Have these sites helped cultivate better relationships, or have they created a false sense of connection that is, in fact, completely lacking a foundation? I would venture to guess there can be strong arguments for both.  But I do worry that eventually the human race is going to stop talking completely.  I fear that all communication will be done through "liking" a status, "favoriting" a tweet, uploading a photo or posting an ambiguous quote about life lessons and following your dreams.  And if that happens, are we truly living our dreams if we've lost the soul nourishing moments of face to face interactions that actually include, GASP, eye contact?  Can we possibly maintain the same sense of connection?

Every morning I go to Starbucks.  I know, it's a very expensive habit.  It's one I've tried to give up over and over, vowing to make my own coffee and use the saved money toward a fabulous trip or something else I need.  I just can't seem to do it.  In addition to loving their coffee, I also love seeing the same baristas every day, hearing them greet me by name, and even seeing some of the same customers every morning.  My delight, however, has been cut short lately as I've been noticing more and more often that out of six or seven people in line at Starbucks, almost every single person is looking down at their phone.  It is as if they are in a bubble, so entranced by whatever is being projected on their tiny blue screen that they forget that actual real life human beings are all around, waiting to be engaged and acknowledged.  How can projected pixels be better than the living breathing interaction and eye contact with someone standing in front of you?  What's worse, is now that I have become much more aware and reflective about our loss of human interaction, I've realized that for years I have been just as guilty of doing this as much as everyone else. Like so many others, I have been trapped in the technology loop...check my personal email, read a few texts, mosey on over to Facebook, like a few posts, maybe make a comment, post something, head on over to Instagram, check out the photos, scroll down to Twitter, favorite a few tweets, check my work email, RINSE AND REPEAT.  It's insane and has suddenly made me sad.  If we added up the minutes spent on these supposed "social" media outlets, would it be the equivalent to having a lovely lunch with a family member, grabbing a glass of wine with a friend, or taking a walk with a coworker?

Of course I acknowledge that there are great benefits to these social media websites.  Recently, a dear friend of mine helped her mother find her long lost son that had been given up for adoption over fifty years ago.  By posting information on Facebook and asking people to share it, the search reached as far as Asia and mother and son were reunited.  How amazing! Facebook allows us to keep up with people who are far away.  I am thrilled to be able to stay in touch with my cousins in New Orleans who I don't see very often.  I love knowing what they are doing and seeing their beautiful pictures on Facebook. I know there are many other stories of lost connections being remedied, advice and support being shared, and often a sense of community and support offered through tough times, times of mourning and shock, and times of celebration and happiness.  I love these aspects of social media and for these reasons, I am certainly not saying I want them to disappear.

I am simply asking for a bit of balance.  I think we give ourselves a false sense of connection through these social media websites.  For example, I read through my Facebook feed and I see that Johnny and his family went to the beach today, and my cousin Jane is at dinner with her husband, and my friend Suzie is having a tough time at work.  I take it all in, maybe make a comment or two, and then move on.  Am I giving myself the false sense that I am all caught up on these peoples' lives and don't need to make any more effort than that?  Does "liking" a tweet constitute the necessary support or enthusiasm between friends and families these days?  We need to keep in mind that these posts, tweets and pictures are only capturing an itty bitty fragment of the much bigger picture.  I don't want us to lose site of this.  I don't want us to let ourselves off the hook.  My hope is that people will remember that cell phones have only been around for a few decades.  In a simpler time people could stand in line at the coffee shop and chit chat with other patrons, moms could leave their kids at home with dad or a babysitter and not be checking their cell phone every ten minutes, friends could have dinner without the iPhone sitting next to their plate, and stories could be told using live voices and eye contact rather than being read in 8 point Times New Roman font in less than 140 characters.

My new goal is to unplug more often and interact face to face more frequently.  I've been making a concerted effort to leave my phone in my purse more often and not have it clutched in my hands at all times.  I don't want my memories to be made up of staring down at a screen.  I don't want my knowledge of my friends and family to be fed simply through a Facebook post.  I WANT to have a conversation with a random person at the coffee shop, because we have so much to learn from new people.  Because face to face human interaction feeds the soul.  Today I challenge you to unplug, make eye contact, and reach out to your loved ones beyond just liking their status.  I'm not saying that we need to give it all up, but let's bring it back to a simpler time.

Blue Table Gourmet Deli and Market

The other day I was desperately craving a deli sandwich.  I also wanted to go somewhere local where I could sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous Southern California day.  The sun was shining and I was hungry!  I decided to try Blue Table in Agoura Hills, as I have passed by it several times and have been wanting to give it a try.  Blue Table is located in the Whizin's shopping center, right next to the Canyon Club.  

  

The restaurant is actually a deli and market combined and presents a quaint European cafe style atmosphere.  The cafe offers small tables for two and longer communal tables inside, as well as sidewalk seating for those of us who love to eat with the sun on our face. It is a perfect place to dine alone or with a group of three or four people.  It may be difficult to find seating with a larger group.  The shop portion of Blue Table offers gourmet pastas, sauces, dressing and preserves.  I can see these coming together to make a fine gift basket or a special dinner at home.  The menu at Blue Table is written on a large chalkboard and boasts delicious sandwiches, paninis, pizzas, salads, soups and several tantalizing desserts that look freshly baked.  Blue Table also offers hot daily specials such as pastas and quiches.  On the day I visited, the special was Mac 'n Cheese, which was very tempting!  

Alas, I stuck with a sandwich which is what I was craving.  I ordered a tuna salad sandwich on a baguette and it was just what I was in the mood for.  Fresh, light and tasty.  Unfortunately, I only remembered to take a picture after I had eaten half.  (Did I mention I was hungry?) :)  As you can see, the portions are generous. 

To accompany my sandwich I added chips and an old fashioned orange cream soda, which hit the spot on such a warm, beautiful day!  My total came to $14, which is a bit more than you would pay for a sandwich, chips and a beverage at a chain restaurant such as Subway or Jersey Mike's.  However, the taste, ambiance, and sidewalk seating providing a view of the gorgeous hills of Agoura made the extra dollars worth it!

Overall, I had a lovely experience at Blue Table.  As someone who is forever on a quest to find delicious and unique non-chain dining spots, I was pleased with Blue Table's atmosphere, menu and flavor.  I also love that this is a perfect pit stop coming or going down to Zuma Beach.  I will definitely be going back soon to try another delicious sandwich.  Thanks Blue Table!

Cake Ball Fun!

As much as I love to cook, I'm really not much of a baker.  Baking is truly an art form, as well as a science.  If I were in charge of a four course meal, I would make everything from scratch and then suggest we go out for fro yo at the end of the dinner party.  :)  However, over the summer I learned an easy to make, yet decadent dessert that I'd like to share with my lovely readers.  Not only is this recipe simple, but it's extremely versatile, is quite popular right now, makes for a gorgeous presentation and can be tailored to fit any theme or party!  Introducing...

CAKE BALLS!!!

What you will need:
*1 box of cake mix and all of the ingredients needed to bake the cake.  You can choose any flavor of cake.  I've used yellow cake, chocolate cake, lemon cake and even strawberry cake.
*1 tub of white frosting (you can use chocolate, but only for dark cakes)
*1 bag of candy melts in your color of choice

*Toppings of choice (sprinkles, chopped nuts, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, crushed peppermint, etc)

Directions:
1.  Bake your cake in a 9x13 pyrex according to instructions and let cool.

2.  Slice your cake into four sections, slicing in a criss cross direction.  Pull out two sections at a time, and over a large bowl, gently rub the sections of cake together and it will start to crumble into the bowl.  Crumbs should be small.  Do this until completely crumbled.  Do this to the remaining two sections of cake.  You will have a large sized mound of crumbled cake in your bowl.

3. Now spoon about 1/4 cup of the white frosting into your cake crumbles and using your finger tips, combine the crumbles and frosting.  You may need to add more frosting.  Consistency should be moist and you should be able to shape the cake into relatively sturdy balls.
4.  Line a large cookie tray with wax or parchment paper and as you shape the cake balls, place them on the wax paper.  Once your tray is filled, place in refrigerator to chill.  The chill will help them hold their shape.  Chill for about an hour.
5.  After about an hour, create a double boiler on your stove and melt your candy coating.  

6.  This is where you can get creative in terms of color!  With my lemonade cake (which I think of as a Spring or Summer flavor) I used a beautiful green coating with yellow sprinkles.  If you were making these treats for Halloween, you could use orange candy coat and top your cake balls with crushed Oreos or mini chocolate chips.  The combinations of flavors and colors are endless!  

6.  When candy is thoroughly melted, place a chilled cake ball on a spoon, dip it into the candy melt, thoroughly coat, and place back on wax paper.  Apply toppings immediately before candy hardens.  Repeat until all cake balls have been coated and topped.  VOILA!  A gorgeous and delicious dessert!!

Credit to Julia Wilson for teaching me to make these gems! xo

Heaven for Thirty Bucks

As I write this, I fully realize some people are simply not the "strip down and let a stranger massage your body" type of person.  I can understand that, and while I hate to think of you missing out on this blissful and health promoting indulgence, I will respectfully say that this blog entry probably isn't for you.  :)  So, I'll see you at the next one.  However, for those of us who absolutely ADORE the delicious jelly-like state that a fantastic massage can induce, I literally had to run home and write about the wonderful discovery I made today!  First, I would like to say I'm somewhat of a massage connoisseur. :)  While I am by no means a world travel, I have visited my fare share of cities in my time.  And I've made it a habit to book a spa treatment in nearly every city I have visited.  I have been rubbed and kneaded at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, I have been brushed and buffed while staring out at the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, I have been glazed and coddled on the seas of the Caribbean,  and I have been pumiced and stroked in the heart of Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans, and our very own Los Angeles.  I have definitely had my fair share of pampering.  It's something I adore, so I save my dollars or work an extra job for this lovely indulgence and I count it as one of my excursions while traveling.  Unfortunately, this type of luxury does not come cheap.  I will never forget paying $210 plus tip at the Waldorf for an extremely sub-par fifty minute massage.  Boo hoo.  Luckily, most of my spa trips have been wonderful, which is why I continue to include them during my travels.  

Not only do I enjoy this extravagance while traveling, but I like to enjoy a massage every now and then here at home, between jaunts!    But as I said before, this can be a pricey past time.  I had a friend introduce me to the Chinese foot massage place on Thousand Oaks Boulevard over the summer and it was o.k.  For $20 you are given a pretty good rub down.  However, my issue with this place is that you are not in a private room.  You are on a lounge chair (think Lazy Boy type recliner) in a rather cramped room with six to eight other lounge chairs.  And these lounge chairs are very likely to be filled with at least two to three other people also being massaged.  I went two or three times and tried my best to block out the fact that there were other people getting massaged all around me.  It was ok (my mind is good at escapism)...until the last time I went.  The man next to me was so relaxed that he quickly fell asleep.  Clearly it was a deep slumber, for said man started snoring, LOUDLY, throughout his entire massage.  The grunting and whistling coming from this man literally sounded like someone was letting out the air of a helium balloon as slowly as possible.  It was so distracting that I simply could not enjoy my massage.  After that, I decided I better stick to nicer day spas, bite the bullet and pay more and go less frequently.  

That is, until today.  Today I was feeling rather achy from a slight increase in exercise and my muscles were begging to be taken to nirvana.  But I only had $40 left in my "fun fund" for the weekend...hmmmm...what to do???  I jumped on the old Yelp (this can be hit and miss, but I gave it a whirl) and found another Chinese massage place on Thousand Oaks Boulevard called 5 Star Body and Foot Massage.  I read in the reviews that they had private rooms, but that the prices were still reasonable.  I was willing to give it a shot.  I jumped on the horn, asked if they had any availability, and was face down on a nice comfy massage table (in my own private room) within twenty minutes.  I asked for the combo massage.  The cost was slightly higher ($30) but OH SO WORTH IT!  This place was a dream.  I was quickly lost in the luxurious feeling of warm oil bearing the faint scent of watermelon, strong skillful hands and absolute bliss.  Rita, my masseuse, incorporated oil and hot stones and did wonders on my back, arms, neck and feet.  I truly felt spoiled for $30.  Of course, a place like this does not come with the perks and frills of a regular day spa.  Certainly no sauna or steam room, no lockers and no citrus infused water coolers hanging about.  However, you are also spending a quarter of the cost and I walked away happy as a clown.  I can honestly say this massage rivaled many massages I've had, for which I've paid double and triple the cost.  If you are a lover of massage as I am, then give 5 Star Body and Foot Massage a try!  ENJOY!!  

Vegetarian Thai Peanut Pasta

As many of you know, there are few things that give me greater pleasure than cooking.  Nothing beats skipping around the kitchen, music blasting, and creating something new and tasty.  So today, in the spirit of my love for all things palate related, I would like share a delicious and easy recipe for Vegetarian Thai Peanut Pasta.  This is a recipe near and dear to my flavor loving heart.  I like it spicy, but you can certainly vary the ingredients to favor your taste buds. This can be prepared for a group of friends or for a party of one.  The recipe I am sharing serves five people.  You can double or halve if necessary.  Additionally, it can be tweaked to fit many diet restrictions.

What You Will Need:

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (You can go with natural, reduced fat or full fat.  It is up to you!)

1/3 cup water

3 tbsp. brown sugar

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

3 tbsp. soy sauce (Use low sodium if you are going for the healthy!)

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (Reduce if you don't like it too spicy!)

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti (You can use white, wheat or gluten-free pasta!)

10 ounces fresh snow peas, trimmed 

1 large carrot, shredded

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions.  Add snow peas to pasta the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl.  While pasta is cooking,  combine the first six ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring the entire time.  Remove from heat and add sauce and carrots to pasta, tossing thoroughly to coat noodles.

I would serve this pasta dish with a light salad made of iceberg or romaine lettuce, mandarin orange slices, peeled cucumber, slivered almonds and a light sesame dressing!  Bon Appetit!!