A blogger's blog

"That's all you."   Mel replied to me after he had read the link I sent him last night around midnight. "You're the one who said that they didn't have enough promo time and that you gave them all that 'blog time' and that they were getting whatever the equivalent of air time was on your blog. This, this new blog the company has them doing each week, it's all you. You bitched and screamed and someone listened. SOMEONE listened. So shut up about not being respected. You got this gig for them.  And they're talking to you." 

See now, I want to believe Mel. I half way do, but they have not come right out and said my name or my blog or anything to single me out.  And as much as I hate to admit that anything Joshua has said about the business might be more then just his grumpiness towards not making it; when he said last month during our fight that unless they single me out there is no way to know 100%.   I do not want to think in a negative way.  I want to; and am going to believe that I was what gave them the idea for this new 'blog time'  that they have been doing the last 3 weeks. 

3 single blog posts on the weeks that they have curiously not been on the show.  Oh but hang on, Mel believes that they were talking to me in a round about way in each post. 
Remember the bottom half of a post I wrote at the beginning of the month, when Mel pointed out that Mr. S. might not be allowed to reply to me.   Mel then pointed out a few things in this new company blog Mr. S. is doing that connect to things I have written about on my main blog. 

This is getting weird, and exciting, and more complicated.

My Chest Hurts

The little bones in my chest are hurting today, can't really get a deep breath.
That's the leftovers from the many broken bones I've had over the years. Little aches and pains for no real reason.

I bought the dvd Dinner with Friends last night when I was at the grocery. It was in the $3 clearance bin.
I had seen it few years ago but didn't remember much on it. Was hoping to review it for my cooking blog, but sadly, there isn't really a lot to do with the actual food. It's more a prop or backdrop then center piece.
I had no idea either that it was based on a play or that a major Canadian producer/director had done this one. Goes to show what you learn when you pay attention.
But for those who have not seen this film, it's about two couples who have been friends for over a decade and the ripple effect the divorce of the one couple has on the other. What you end up with is 4 relationships that have broken down in very different ways, almost like the two sets of best friends are the ones going through the divorce and not just the one couple.


I think we have to hand it to Julie/Julia, as a new standard for food movies has now been set.

8:33 am on a Saturday

I survived getting older. I didn't think I would but I did.  I had pictured myself curled up on the floor just giving up.   Dramatic yes.

The week went like this

*Stood in line for wrestling tickets on my birthday. Blogged about the insanity of it on my main blog (but will repost it here later)
*Had lunch with my mother.  Now obsessed with figuring out the recipe for the pink grapefruit vinaigrette

*Bought the book Cleaving a Story of Marriage Meat and Obsession by Julie Powell. And I'll do a post on that book too in a few days as .... its not what I was expecting.
*Spent the next two days doing nothing but drinking a bottle of wine and eating left over birthday cake. 
*Did my Blog Partner's column for the wrestling blog once again. Did my own column two days late because of it not airing here on time.
*Helped my buddy Mel with a bit of a meltdown.  Listened as my buddy Darius had a bit of a meltdown.
*Weighed myself and see that from the wine and cake have gained 6 pounds. Am more depressed then at the start of the week. 

Oh my god! I'm 36

I can't believe it either. Where did my last few years go?

I'm running an hour behind as it is, and still have not had coffee.

Gone? Gone Where?

If you have been reading this much you know I have had this thing for Caleb.
You have also read that he's not from here originally. Well, he's gone. I found out he went back home. His work visa was up.
Damn! I had wondered why I hadn't seen him around the donut shop lately. This sucks.
Every time I like someone, there is something or someone that gets in the way. Darius shrugged it off and told me not too worry that "Mr. S. still likes you."
Well, where is that getting me right now? If there is a ban on what Mr. S. is allowed to say because of the show, then what does it matter?
And there is a pay-per-view event tonight and I'm missing it cause I'm poor. The ticket I'm going to buy tomorrow, had to borrow the money from mom. Let's hope I get at least that interview out of the wrestling event.

Hashbrown casserole and broccoli in cheese sauce for dinner.

4 pm Text

Front Row Y?


That is what Darius sent me. Monday I plan on getting up very early and going across town for a wrestling ticket. I very much plan on having ring side. I want to lean over the railing and be able to touch the wrestlers.

I won't try it, but I want to be that close.

Darius was very much disappointed last summer when the wrestling came through, so he's just going to get a seat wherever in the building. Not me, disappointed or not, I want ring side.

Blog Partner has pissed me off once again. Once again I did her column this week. Which, you know in the long run is fine. Because if I'm doing all the work, then I should get all the credit.

I really think it's time for some new friends don't you?

Vegan chocolate cake for dinner. It was... dry.

I swear my mother hates me

For those of you who have been reading off and on lately, my rants, you know I headed over to my mothers the other day to bake as my oven was busted.

While I was there, we sat down to watch tv while we waited for the bread to rise.
It went like this.

"That's right there is a cooking show now on this channel." mom said flipping the channel at warp speed.

"I see they have really jumped on the foodie bandwagon, going for that MTV generation Eh?" I mindlessly said while trying to drink my coffee that was too hot. "Having a teenager host a cooking show."

"She's not a teenager! She's a MARRIED woman!" mom said huffily.


So it would seem to my mother, that being married is the magickal element that makes everyone either in the plus category or minus.
I am in the minus. My sister the Goddess, who even though she's living with her boyfriend the Married Man, and is 8 years younger then I am, is still in the plus. Oh it gets worse. I could sit here and tell you about the last 36 years of my life (yes I am only 3 short days away from being the big 3-6 so might as well start referring to myself as that age) and how mom has showered my sister with everything under the sun and literally forgotten me at times... but I'm a big girl now so...

P.S. the cooking show host is only 21. Just barely out of her teens.

BREAD!

I promised, and I have it for you.

Me and mom making a mess while making bread. A comedy.

The Bread video (on my cooking blog cause I really want traffic on that blog) is one I uploaded to youtube, and I am very hyper over the fact it had 19 views within the first 2 minutes of the upload. It was not even done processing completely yet!
That might be all the views it ever gets but that is a record for me.

You are doing it wrong

I left a comment yesterday on SITS, with my morning roll call, asking the question "is it okay to point out to an official site they screwed up?"

Seems it is.

Why did I leave such randomness in my morning comments?
I have no idea, other then it was on my mind at the time.

For those of you who semi-follow this blog, you know that I do a wrestling blog. One that has gotten some attention from the industry. There are two big official "spoiler sheets" one for each of the main wrestling companies.
Yesterday, the one who works for TNA screwed up. They screwed up on their weekly review coverage of this week's show.

I let them know.
I know when you have more then one blogger working on your staff things can get hairy. It happens, and if you blog with partners or have co-blogged a few times you know it can.

Instead of doing an edit with a little "oooppps" or even just an extra post, they took down the entire review and got someone else to redo it.
I know this, because I subscribe to their email feeds.

And you are thinking why did I bother to do that? Well, it is an official site for starters, and that will just reflect bad on them and the wrestling company they are connected to. Not too mention so many fans go to that site for the updates if they missed an episode. And since we've once again entered into what is called the "Monday Night Wars" (both WWE and TNA are on the same nights at the same time now.) many fans are choosing to watch one show and just get the review for the other. In an odd way, it's the best thing that ever happened to us wrestling bloggers. We're the one's benefiting from this more then the wrestling companies themselves.

Complicated and crazy isn't it?

Why did I point out the screw up to what is technically my competition? Cause they are an official site. They get paid to do the reviews. I'm running just a fan based site which is not official.

Ugly Ramen

I am going to just link this one to my main cooking blog.

Because...

1) It took nearly 45 minutes to upload it the first time on that blog, and I just don't have the time to sit here again and wait another 45 minutes.

2) I no longer care if my family discovers this blog. It's my life as much as theirs.

3) I need a coffee.

So, the video of my Ugly Ramen can be found HERE
As always, let me know what you think... and hey you get to see and hear me.

Now, off to edit together the bread video.

Homemade Ramen

Photo by ME copyright hcvp'2010

You read the last post that my oven is dead.
There is one small working burner at this time.

Just enough for me to make a pot of something.

I went out to the grocery yesterday and bought a bag of noodles. Last night I made a small pot of homemade ramen.

3 cup water
1 medium onion sliced
1 cup frozen mixed veggies (carrots, celery, onion, red peppers)
1/2 cup frozen carrot coins
1/2 frozen Asian mixed veggies (broccoli, green beans, onion, mushroom)
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of salt
3 whole black peppercorns
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of marjoram
1 vegetable broth cube
2 handfuls of steamed broadcut noodles

Boil all ingredients EXCEPT the noodles for 20 minutes. Add extra water if needed, stirring every few minutes. Then add dry noodles. Stir turn off heat and serve.
This severs three.

My Oven!

Photo by Me copyright hcvp '09

At 4 pm my mom called me to tell me that in the sports page was a listing for a live wrestling event coming to town.
I got the information needed and sent an email asking if they have press packages for bloggers and told them about my wrestling blog.

I mixed up a batch of tea buns and put them in the oven, then emailed my buddy Darius to tell him about the wrestling event. He had started the blog with me last summer but it became too much with his band and already having a full time job. That's when I got the Blog Partner, that I am working with now. If you want to call it that.

While I was typing the email to Darius I heard a noise. It sounded like a chair scrapping across the floor. I live alone. Racing into the kitchen, I saw the oven was as bright as a bon-fire.
I have an old oven and there has never been a working oven light so this was odd.
I turned it off and opened the door. What I discovered was the element coil in the back was looking like a burst bubble and the screws were visible.

My landlord is away so I can't even tell him about if for a few days. I am without an oven. How am I suppose to cook?

And still waiting to hear back from that wrestling company to see about press. I'm really hoping they will send me a press package, as the main event is a local wrestler.

Cross your fingers that I will get both a new oven soon and an interview with the wrestler.

Potato Salad Version #2

Originally posted on my cooking blog on Sept 12 2009


Photo copyright hcvp'09

*3 medium potatoes chopped and cooked in salt water
* 2 large green onion chopped
* 1 and a half teaspoon sugar
* 3 tablespoons mayo
* 4 pieces of sweet mustard pickles with 2 teaspoon of the mustard chopped
* dash of black table pepper

Drain the potatoes, mix the rest of the ingredients with potatoes until you have a yellowish tint. Chill for about a half hour.
This is a small sized bowl which serves 3 people. If you are using this for a party you may want to double or even triple the recipe.

You can use plan pickles and normal mustard, in which case you would only need one teaspoon of the mustard, and then add another pinch of sugar.


This gets a lot of hits on my cooking blog so I thought I would post it here. I know I have too many blogs.

My Editor Says

Photo by Me copyright hcvp'07

I got the next round of notes back last night from my editor.
I ended pacing around the apartment like a wild beast spitting nails.

This is not going smooth. She's changed the why one character talks. That changes their entire personality. If you change their personality, you change their story arch.

I'm not too sure how to deal with this as this is my first time with an editor. I was told by another author that she went through the same thing and feels her work is better for it. Which, I suppose is great for her, and I did love her book, but this is my novel. Characters I have spent the last year pouring my soul into. The idea that someone feels those characters could be "more this" or "less that" is having the same effect on me as being slapped on the head with a 2 by 4. Painful and causing confusion.

Dude what's the score?

In a follow up from my last post, It was Wednesday night before I saw the replay of the show and did my review column on my wrestling blog.
Everyone had me thinking horrible things, like uh oh maybe Mr. S. said something on air about the message, or maybe they used something from my blog again that put the blog in a bad light?

All it ended up being was that one wrestler I really can not stand has joined the company.
That's what everyone was so weird about?

I have a strict rule for the wrestling blog, no gossip. Only things that get reported are the reviews of that week's shows, any injuries that happen and any deaths. Nothing personal. Could be why compared to some of the other wrestling blogs out there, we are still scrapping the bottom. I've had to get rid of one blogger already because he was making up rumours and copying from one of the bigger blogs sites. Dude, that's just not cool.
I've been doing my best to get the blog noticed in the business, and the last thing I need is some d**k ruining the reputation of the blog.
I even got us nominated for a bloggers choice award for best sports blog of the year. I know full well it won't win this year, but I'm hoping to bring in new readers.

Oh my god you did not !

The other day I told you that Mr. S. blogged. This was the hot topic of that evening.
It led to SDG and Mel telling me to message him.
My mistake was blogging about the conversation on my main blog. The replies I got were all the same, do it!

So I did.

Then I made the mistake of telling Darius. He thinks I crossed the line this time.
That was Sunday afternoon, it is now Wednesday morning.

This was the week the show made a big schedule jump to Monday nights. I have not seen it yet as I have to wait for the replay. Everyone else watched it and the reactions are like this.

Blog Partner "I can't wait for your review this week."

Darius "Um Yeah, I liked the show this week...You need to...well I await your review cause...well."

Mel "Um I am not saying anything."

SDG "My lips are sealed. You don't like spoilers. But I can't wait for your review, should be interesting."

Great. Now I am wondering if it's something I should be worried about or not.

Pancakes

I wanted something sweet. I also needed to start eating breakfast.
So pancakes it was

1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
dash salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup hot water

He blogged

Okay so I got the chills and shakes just as my email lit up. Which always happens when Mr. S. is online. Don't ask how I know he's online as he logs in under invisible mode, I just know. I creep myself out sometimes.

Anyway, I hit the link and read his blog. He started an advice column. Odd. I have an advice column on my main blog. He's formatted it the same way too, not as strange as there are only a few ways to do an advice column.
I was shaking still as I read. Another email came in. It was Social Disorder Girl.

"Did you see Mr. S. blogged. He never blogs. When did he blog?" SDG went on. I replied that I just finished reading it, and since the shaking had not let up, I figured he must still be online, so I did a little quick blog of my own - this is all on Myspace by the by. I waited a few minutes and when the shaking stopped, I logged out.

I then pointed out to SDG that Mr. S. had quoted something. A quote that was surprisingly in tune to something I blogged about last night on my main blog.

I honestly now do not know what to think. Should I consider the idea that he was giving a half reply to something I wrote/said? Or just put it down to timing?

Headlines

My sister the Goddess is moving in with her boyfriend the Married Man.
I am still trying to wrap my head around this one. He's married and has four kids. Did I mention he's married. So it seems he's leaving his wife for the moment anyway.
Little history on this guy, he was my sister's professor. Yes, I am serious. He was her computer professor for about six months and then they started dating.
From what I am told, that is how he met his wife to begin with too. I see a pattern here.
Mom told me the news this afternoon when I went over there. This is the first time in a year and a half since the Goddess started dating him that mom has had any problems with him. Mom has thought him the best thing ever until this news.

I just spent the last 4 hours doing the one column for the wrestling blog that Blog Partner should have done. Plus, we have a Facebook fan page now. I just finished adding a bunch of the latest link feeds to it and sent out "come join" memos to some people. Yeah, I'm a little on the cranky side at the moment. Anyone who wants to check it out, you can find the link to the wrestling blog on my sideboard, or through my twitter.

I was really hoping to get some work done for the cooking blog today, but that just does not look at all like it will happen.

13 hour week

I was watching the movie Juile/Julia and got to the scene where Julia Childs is talking about how many hours a week her and her partners put into the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
It got me thinking. I grabbed my cell phone and called my mom.
My mom knows half of the situation around the wrestling blog, and was not surprised at all when I did the math.
I put 13 hours a week into it.

13 hours a week on a blog.

You learn something every day.

But speaking of cooking, I have to spend some time next week on my cooking blog. Oh and here is a copy of the post I did on my cooking blog last week.

Originally posted on Feb 27th 2010 Mock Seal Flipper Pie

I have been saying for two months one goal was to take a seal flipper pie recipe and make a vegetarian version.

Well today I did... sort of.

I didn't realize it was so hard to find. After no luck for either me or mom hunting through the cook books, I ended up having to go online for a copy of the recipe.
So, off to the grocery I went for ingredients. And after 2 hours... it didn't really turn out. Well, not true, it turned out...dry.
It tasted alright, as I used the Mexican flavoured Yves Ground Round (soy meat replacement)
I did not get a photo however as I made it at mom's and forgot my camera at home.

Original Seal Flipper Pie

3 seal flippers
salt pork
3 potatoes
2 carrots
3 parsnip
1/2 turnip
salt
pepper
1 onion
1 cup beef stock

Pastry topping

Remove all the fat from the flippers, reduce salt pork, fry flippers in the salt pork,
In casserole dish add stock, flipper meat, vegetables, salt and pepper cook for 2 hours at 375
add pastry topping and cook uncovered for another half hour.

Well, since I was doing a veggie version, I forgot to replace the stock. So it ended up really dry.

Mock Seal Flipper Pie

1 large carrot
1 large onion
2 large potatoes
2 parsnip
1/2 turnip
1 package Mexican Yves Ground Round
4 sheets Philo Dough

Chop turnip and carrots, boil for twenty minutes. Drain. Chop onion, add mix well. Chop potatoes and parsnip boil for twenty five minutes. Drain. Add to bowl, mix well. Add Yves Ground Round, mix well.
Layer 2 of the Philo Dough on the bottom of dish, add the mixture then layer the other 2 sheets of Philo Dough. Cook for 15 minutes on 375.

Now, as I said, it tasted okay, just abit on the dry side. I know, I had forgotten that the meat replacement does not have any fat in it at all.
I am considering this a first try. I plan on trying to make a mock seal flipper pie again soon. Next time, I will remember to add some vegetable stock and switch out the philo dough for a doughboy mix.

A second opinion

I received back half my novel from the editor. The rest is suppose to be coming to me after the weekend.
The first page was bleeding it was so red. After that point, there was barely anything touched. Does this mean I am a better writer then I thought or that my editor is not that good?
I am going to say I am a better writer then I even thought.

With that said, I was talking to my friend's mother. She's a retired English teacher. I sent her a copy of my unedited novel. Yes, I am cheating on my editor with an English teacher. Why? Well, I need a second opinion, as I found out that not only is spelling different from Canadian to American, but so is the way punctuation is done too.

I had no idea. Given that my novel is set in Canada, and will be marketed to a Canadian audience, I need to have all my bases covered. The good point in this is that my friend's mom is doing this for free.
My editor, I have to pay.

I was also talking to my buddy Mel tonight too about something totally different.

"You ever think that Mr. S. legally can not reply to your blog?" Mel said

I thought about this for the first time ever. "What?"

"Yeah, didn't you say that one of the guys from the other company has a disclaimer on his official site saying he's legally not allowed to interact on the net with fans? So wouldn't that hold true for the company Mr. S. works for?"

Oh my god.
This could explain a lot.

"Not saying that Darius, SDG, myself are wrong about him liking you." Mel continued "Cause I am more and more positive that he does. Just from the last thing he did to screw with your head. I think it's his way of replying to your blog."

This is what I love about Mel. He is the voice of reason at the weirdest times. Had he said this to me even 6 months ago, I would have handled the way I write my main blog different.

It's a mock Basquiat... Part 2

I was asked for some samples of my paintings.
This is one I did in 2005 called the "Incubus"
It took me a year to paint because I kept changing the colours. That's the corner of my messy living room where it hangs.

Well You're A Freak

Okay, I had an appointment yesterday with the Neurologist for a follow up on my MRI. It was clean. Nothing going on in my brain, in a good way.

I blogged about it on my main blog last night. Big rant.


You have heard me say more then once that I have Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 1

I have been the favorite freak of nature for every f**king medical student who's ever come through this damnable town. Today was no different.

You also remember me saying I was suppose to have gone to the Neurologist back few weeks ago for a follow up from the MRI. That appointment got moved to today.
So there I was, sitting in the clinic staring at the computer screen with the MRI results and when the Neurologist realized I have O.I. he did what every f**king medical personal has done in the last 35 years, got in my face to stare at my eyes. Literally, this dude was nose to nose dragging my bottom eyelids down all giddy like I was the latest Cabbage Patch Doll or something. I was starting to feel like Alex from Clockwork Orange in the torture scene, just waiting for the sounds of Beethoven to come screaming out of the woodwork.

Yes, my sclera (whites of the eyes) are blue. Robin's egg blue. The bluer the sclera the more broken I am. OOOHHHHH Let's all run pointless tests on the human eggshell.
Both my mom and my sister have this. It's genetic. Why am I the only one being poked and bleed out like a lab rat?

Jesus I am going to start charging admission soon. I'm sure they had fun after I left, pouring over my medical records. God knows my x-rays read like a medical journal themselves.
You know, when I was 5 or 6 years old, it was cool being the center of attention like that. Now, I just want you to tell me what the hell is broken this time and what pain pills to take for it.


My friend the Nurse read the original post on my main blog under my other account and laughed. "Well, you are a freak. Big freak of nature. You love it"
Of course she would laugh at my reaction to being the lab rat of the week, she's known me for over 30 years, and even wrote one of her medical reports on O.I.
I got her an A on the final first year. Nice to know I have been good for something.

It's a mock Basquiat

There is one "artists gallery" in town.

We have in the spring usually, it's timed for the university student's graduation, what the city calls the "art crawl". All the art shops, pottery places, craft stores etc have an open house and sell everything at dollar bin prices ($500 and up) of things made locally by the art students.
This is normally the week after the City's Art Gallery, has shown the graduation class works, and awarded the grant to the one winner. The rest of the students then submit their works to the art crawl.
So for one week a year the City Art Gallery becomes a real gallery, and not just a bad retrospect of the city's history. And on the opening night, the big grad showing. They sell out fast for tickets. I have not been able to go in a couple of years.

There is one gallery on the far end of town that is a real gallery that shows everyone's work. I have had my paintings shown 3 times. Not that I'm all that good, my stuff looks like a two year old's finger paints next to the stuff they normally show. But, The Goddess is friends with the owner's Nephew, so the first time around, they pulled some strings to get my painting in. After that, the owners felt like they had to add me. I realized after the third year in a row that my stuff was not selling that painting was not my strong suit.

I do have one piece that people keep asking how much for. The only one I will not sell. It's a painting I did of a demon and it took me a full year to paint. He hangs in my living room at the moment. I never went to art school, would have been fun. The last art class I took part in was grade 10. When the owner of the gallery asked me what my work was like, I could not tell her. I had no idea, it was just stuff. I think they compared my "style" as a cross between Frida Kahlo and Basquiat. How original.