tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40911785785943777832024-03-05T04:34:29.423-07:00rachel+cowatch me make things happenRachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-52122014339816295132013-10-22T14:19:00.001-06:002013-10-22T14:25:50.154-06:00routines and a fall playlist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello, hello.<br />
<br />
After a chaotic start to October, I've settled into a good writing routine. It's lasted two days so far. Ha! But I'm counting that. The key for me is to put my blinders on and get my writing done first thing after the kids have left for school. Sometimes* I even have to leave the house or I'll start another load of laundry, make the bed, check emails, put away clothes and before you know it, I have an organized house but no writing done. And we can't have that, can we?<br />
<br />
What about you? Do you have any wisdom you can share for sticking with a routine?<br />
<br />
Here's a <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/1239159856/playlist/0LdDVDjSLaUM1ZnyKDOtku" target="_blank">link</a> to my FALL 2013 Spotify playlist I've been listening to. To cheer me up, to set a mood for writing a difficult scene, and everything in between. As usual, some new, some old. The last song is the soundtrack for the goat video I posted on Instagram. Email me if you don't do Spotify and I'll hook you up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMv4oeZs3y4dbxSgkQyjKoKYhjHHjgQLTn6TFv5aOUApRB3iQq0whF9KNgfl-Fyhfz2PwUe9OCi7Iero9sF-M7ouWRdkcF6xca4C5zSrtv7o0J5Ygl3aRhkrveySBC4mlODcNwiedy4g/s1600/fall20132.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMv4oeZs3y4dbxSgkQyjKoKYhjHHjgQLTn6TFv5aOUApRB3iQq0whF9KNgfl-Fyhfz2PwUe9OCi7Iero9sF-M7ouWRdkcF6xca4C5zSrtv7o0J5Ygl3aRhkrveySBC4mlODcNwiedy4g/s1600/fall20132.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/1239159856/playlist/0LdDVDjSLaUM1ZnyKDOtku">FALL 2013</a><br />
<br />
1. Blurry-eyed Worries :: BRONZE RADIO RETURN<br />
2. Analog or Digital :: WILDLIFE CONTROL<br />
3. Knock Knock :: BAND OF HORSES<br />
4. How Come You Don't Want Me :: TEGAN AND SARA<br />
5. Blue Ice :: SHOUT OUT LOUDS<br />
6. 1999 :: SHOUT OUT LOUDS<br />
7. Junk of the Heart (Happy) :: THE KOOKS<br />
8. The Way You Are :: 46BLISS<br />
9. All My Life :: DJ HARRY<br />
10. Lost and Found :: ADRIENNE PIERCE<br />
11. Farther Along :: JOSH GARRELS<br />
12. The Giving Tree :: THE AUTUMN FILM<br />
13. Look At What the Light Did Now :: LITTLE WINGS<br />
14. Death of an Interior Decorator :: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE<br />
15. A Lack of Color :: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE<br />
16. Yeah Yeah Yeah :: THE SOUNDS<br />
17. WIsh You Were Hear :: THE SOUNDS<br />
18. Bloom :: THE VEILS<br />
19. Drive Darling :: BOY<br />
20. Little Numbers :: BOY<br />
<br />
*No, not sometimes. ALWAYS.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-81709053907945333392013-09-27T14:18:00.001-06:002013-09-27T15:13:32.928-06:00on living my "one wild and precious life”<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>The Summer Day</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>by Mary Oliver</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Who made the world?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Who made the swan, and the black bear?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Who made the grasshopper?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>This grasshopper, I mean-</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>the one who has flung herself out of the grass,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>I don't know exactly what a prayer is.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>which is what I have been doing all day.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Tell me, what else should I have done?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?</i></div>
<br />
<br />
You've probably heard that I've been mysteriously ill since February, a condition I will heretofore refer to only as the Plague. No one seems to be able to figure out what's causing my symptoms or how to treat them. Basically, I feel like I have the flu most of the time. Weak. Dizzy. Nauseated. Sometimes I pass out when I stand up. Sometimes that happens at church, as I'm trying to stealthily sneak out of Gospel Doctrine to have a coughing fit in peace.<br />
<br />
Since February, I've lost a lot of weight. As great as that sounds, I've also lost a lot of hair. Flat warts have spread all over my face. My cognitive ability has been effected as well. Which means I've had a bad case of ADD, burning dinners, forgetting children, and creating chaos. Not to mention the writer's block. It's been a horrible nine months.<br />
<br />
And yet.<br />
<br />
The best months of my life, too. The Plague, along with a bony bum, brittle hair and warty face, has brought me a decadent array of the richest blessings. More than I can understand or comprehend. More time for listening and being still. More time for reasoning together. More time for reading (and discovering the poet Mary Oliver, another blessing). More time pondering mortality and the purpose of my precious life. More time to hear the wind blow low and whisper through the pines and to watch dark clouds roll over mountain peaks and more time to sit in the glow of a rainbow sherbet sunset.<br />
<br />
More bowing and knee bending.<br />
<br />
<i>Tell me, what else should I have done?</i><br />
<i><i>Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?</i></i><i></i><br />
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i><i>Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?</i></i></div>
<br />
<br />
I don't know if I'll fully recover physically. But inside, I am brand new. For now, when I wake up, I look out my window and like Mary Oliver, I say: good morning, good morning, good morning. I'm going to put my lips to the world and live my life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mornings at Blackwater</i><br />
<i>by Mary Oliver</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>
For years, every morning, I drank</i><br />
<i>from Blackwater Pond.</i><br />
<i>It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,</i><br />
<i>the feet of ducks.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And always it assuaged me</i><br />
<i>from the dry bowl of the very far past.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>What I want to say is</i><br />
<i>that the past is the past,</i><br />
<i>and the present is what your life is,</i><br />
<i>and you are capable</i><br />
<i>of choosing what that will be,</i><br />
<i>darling citizen.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So come to the pond,</i><br />
<i>or the river of your imagination,</i><br />
<i>or the harbor of your longing,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>and put your lips to the world.</i><br />
<i>And live</i><br />
<i>your life.</i>Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-10999257690359831272013-09-09T08:00:00.000-06:002013-11-12T10:20:41.984-07:00white bean hummus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOppU2MRpsOWyP1cKp48djHjgnWxvRUA3h279v8EqkMHPfn3jXReWqfpCPqJZLdrxqJVnc6LO-Oyf8p5NmRoiysSaEtFT7Ydr7pw9RCvNgwUR49gUrg_CfGOOLCYO8psjdVvBvVQYO6M/s1600/hveggies.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOppU2MRpsOWyP1cKp48djHjgnWxvRUA3h279v8EqkMHPfn3jXReWqfpCPqJZLdrxqJVnc6LO-Oyf8p5NmRoiysSaEtFT7Ydr7pw9RCvNgwUR49gUrg_CfGOOLCYO8psjdVvBvVQYO6M/s1600/hveggies.png" /></a></div>
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why white beans and not garbanzo beans? because garbanzo beans have a sort of gross flavor that no one ever wants to talk about. but here is a mild, delicious, clean-tasting hummus that even picky eaters will happily dive into.<br />
<br />
(2 things about cooking beans: 1. feel free to cook your beans however you're used to—in the slow cooker or regular stove pot. i use my pressure cooker because it's 2 1/2 hours faster than the next fastest method. this is a recipe for white bean hummus, though. not an instructional on how to use a pressure cooker. if you don't have one or don't know how to use one, just cook your beans in a way you're comfortable with. 2. there is a long-standing old wive's tale that says you can't cook beans with salt or they'll be tough. NOT TRUE! i cook beans at least twice a week and always add salt. it does increase the cooking time, so plan on that, but this is an important cooking tip to remember, especially if you're cooking beans for chili or something like that. it's lovely to have a bean that's salted all the way through and not just the skin.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZakC4V6zcPzNfoFn37Zbq0iX4-stZbntH6czCgrPZ5K1GGYyCG-vbR2WragqdpnU52mZMtIahhMwfKioMDSiPF-dFZfg13UFU4S2GUsdV-NNH_vb6NQLfMqobve1jsfn7kFf0A2TDbc/s1600/hingredients.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZakC4V6zcPzNfoFn37Zbq0iX4-stZbntH6czCgrPZ5K1GGYyCG-vbR2WragqdpnU52mZMtIahhMwfKioMDSiPF-dFZfg13UFU4S2GUsdV-NNH_vb6NQLfMqobve1jsfn7kFf0A2TDbc/s1600/hingredients.png" /></a></div>
white bean hummus<br />
makes 6 cups<br />
<br />
1 pound dry white beans (such as great northern beans), soaked in bowl over night<br />
2 tablespoons sea salt<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
<br />
Drain beans. Place ingredients in pressure cooker, cover with fresh water and pressure cook for 3 minutes. Let pressure drop of its own accord.<br />
<br />
Drain beans again and set aside. In a food processor, chop:<br />
<br />
2 cloves garlic<br />
<br />
Then add:<br />
<br />
beans<br />
2 tablespoons tahini (i leave this out all the time. my kids prefer it without, so if you can't find it, or are new to tahini, you can omit it too.)<br />
juice of 2 lemons (or about 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice)<br />
1/2 cup olive oil<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt<br />
<br />
Process until smooth. Divide into containers and freeze any portions you won't use right away. Lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator. I always double this recipe and blend it in the food processor in two batches. Less work, more food!<br />
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<br />
My favorite snack is just the right size to sneak into my No Food Allowed library for a writing day.<br />
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<br />Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-55253258776047419832013-09-06T22:15:00.000-06:002013-09-06T22:15:17.952-06:00let's talk about lunch, baby. let's talk about you and me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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owl moon bento. i entered this lunch into a contest to win a new stainless steel planetbox lunch box yesterday. sadly, i didn't win, but i did have quite a few people on the 100 DAYS OF REAL FOOD <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/09/06/school-lunch-photo-contest-results/" target="_blank">blog</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100daysofrealfood" target="_blank">facebook</a> page ask lots of questions about this lunch, so i thought i'd answer them all in one place.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1. how do you get everything to stay in place?</b></div>
<div>
easy! i just fold a cloth napkin right over the top of the owl sandwich press the lid on. my daughter rides her bike to school (a little over 2 miles with her lunch bouncing around in her backpack and turned sideways) and then her lunch gets thrown in a giant bin with all her classmates. after quite a bit of jostling and shaking, she reported back to me that it looked exactly the same when she opened it up on the lunch table. good to know! another trick i sometimes pull out of my lunch-making hat is to use cream cheese or peanut butter as glue. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2. the feathers? are those almonds? how do they stay in place? what about nut allergies!?</b></div>
<div>
yes. i used sliced almonds. it took about 33 seconds to place them all on the bread. about one second per almond slice. whew! if you have a nut-free school, i think it'd be cute to use some fruit leather cut in the shape of wings. at our school, there is a table in the lunchroom designated as the nut-free zone.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>3. how much time did this take?</b></div>
<div>
less than 3 minutes. it took about the same amount of time it would have if i was making most of the other lunches in the contest and here's why: packing the lunches is one of the jobs i give my kids. (i have four minions to do my bidding). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
how i did it:</div>
<div>
1. placed leftover kale salad and blueberries into the lunch boxes</div>
<div>
2. sliced the radishes.</div>
<div>
3. assembled the sandwich, using leftover herbed turkey from the night before and cut it with a round cookie cutter (cutting the sandwich takes less than 5 seconds and i save the bread scraps to make croutons for chef salad, which i burned tonight and then threw in the garbage).</div>
<div>
4. MEANWHILE (and here's the secret to my success) my daughter cut the radishes into stars and used different sizes of round cookie cutters to make the moon and eyes.</div>
<div>
5. i was going to use sliced olives for the pupils but realized we were out so i cut a sheet of nori seaweed with scissors.</div>
<div>
6. i didn't want to do the almond feathers, but she really wanted to, so i let her lay them onto the sandwich while i filled up 4 water bottles.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
honestly it took about 10 times MORE time to shoot the picture, upload it, edit it and post it to the contest than it did to make the lunch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>4. wow. you must have a lot of fancy gadgets to put this lunch together.</b></div>
<div>
they are fancy! and you can be fancy too! i got the lunch box at target. it's ziploc brand, called the divided rectangle, and it's sold in pairs for about $3. the cheese was cut using a set of circle cutters i bought on amazon. and the stars were cut with a play-do cutter that came in a set i got about 9 years ago when my oldest daughter still played with play-do. </div>
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
and that wraps up our FAQ on the owl moon bento. but you know me. there's a few more things we should discuss. but i'll kindly pepper the rest of my post with pictures of past lunches, in the hopes that it will inspire you and distract you from the ranty tone of the rest of this post.</div>
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i occasionally post pictures on facebook and instagram of the lunches i make. and i haven't ever said anything, but i get REALLY BOTHERED by some of the comments.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzHGw70pof05N1ars5iY9tys00Htq-tgzssA-6YF4mzXWZGSy7LlLYRVNFye0u9KhyphenhyphenJdpa7-5HwnIbsAevbTEMdES7ytQyLn3A17nw7ICDdvh6XGiKuemI9M6Ws5oeoDIpt71Rg1GLS0/s1600/honeydijonsmall.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzHGw70pof05N1ars5iY9tys00Htq-tgzssA-6YF4mzXWZGSy7LlLYRVNFye0u9KhyphenhyphenJdpa7-5HwnIbsAevbTEMdES7ytQyLn3A17nw7ICDdvh6XGiKuemI9M6Ws5oeoDIpt71Rg1GLS0/s1600/honeydijonsmall.png" /></a></div>
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<b>this lunch looks great, but what does it look like by lunch time?</b></div>
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so glad you asked. i'll answer that by asking a question: you know i'm making these lunches to be eaten, right? ALL THE LUNCHES ARE DESTROYED BY THE TIME LUNCH IS OVER ANYWAY. regardless, i am pretty good at packing things tightly so that they are still presentable at lunch time any way.</div>
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but this brings up a second issue. <i>i'd make lunches like these anyway even if they were destroyed by lunch time</i>, because for me, i find joy in the process of creation. packing lunches used to be something i hated like i hate laundry and scrubbing toilets. now it's one of my favorite parts of the day. and it's even better because i get to share that time with my kids and they're part of the process as well.</div>
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which brings me to my third issue with this comment. i don't think the value of any type of art diminishes based on the permanence of the artwork. in other words, it's the process of creation that gives art value, not how long the art lasts. i have a favorite quote by picasso: <i>"art washes from the soul the dust of every day life." </i>for me, i find an incredible amount of joy working with my kids in the morning and making something beautiful and healthy. i'm nourishing bodies <i>and</i> souls.</div>
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<b>i don't have time to do decorative/elaborate lunches like that.</b></div>
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oh really? last time i checked, we all lived on the same planet, which means we all have 24 hours in a day. what i hear when someone makes a comment like that is really: "you should have better/more important things to do with your time like i do." what we do with our time is a CHOICE. we're not victims, locked into a set schedule everyday. and i like to remember that saying "yes" to one thing means saying "no" to something else. maybe i get up earlier than you. maybe i watch less tv than you. maybe my house is messier than yours. maybe my clothes are more wrinkled than yours because i let them sit in the dryer for 5 days. maybe i'm smellier because i skipped showering to have time to make these lunches. i am busy all day long just like most of you. i have four busy kids. i write novels. i design. i make 3 meals a day for 6 people. i volunteer at my church. i wash about 17 loads of laundry a week. i make my own bread and yogurt. i coach my son's soccer team. i take meals to my friends when they're sick. we all have to prioritize based on what we think is most important. for me, creating is important so i prioritize it. even if i'm doing it with school lunches. and i think it's fine if that's not one of your things, too. i'm sure you're saying yes to something really valuable when you say no to spending time making a lunch like mine.</div>
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<b>you're so lucky that your kids aren't picky</b></div>
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i don't think i'm lucky so much as persistent and vigilant. i'm the parent. i'm the lioness at the gate. i buy the food in the house. if the kids haven't finished something in their lunch, they eat it for a snack when they get home. hungry kids just might surprise you with what they'll eat. </div>
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be happy. a good note to end on.</div>
Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-11556264113114650322013-03-29T20:25:00.000-06:002013-03-29T20:25:00.101-06:00the plague of 2013, or why i just spent $60.00 for a 16 oz. bottle of the most disgusting thing i've ever tasted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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oh hai. that's me in the photo above. gazing longingly at the trail i used to run. back when i could, you know, run and not be weary. take note of my scapula/bird wings beneath my highly attractive green jacket.<br />
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i'm sick. was sick. for a few weeks in january, after which i enjoyed a brief week of supreme health, then a dive into the health pits of despair. hereafter to be known as the plague of 2013.<br />
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by the numbers [since i'm remembering fondly the past years in which i was preparing 800 tax returns right about now and i miss working with numbers all day every day. <--- a lie]:<br />
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1, 2, 3, 4 and FIVE: number of different types of antibiotics i have consumed.<br />
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4: number of night terrors about murder caused by the meds. [why do i always dream that my loved ones are murderers?! why?]<br />
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2: number of CT scans I had performed.<br />
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7: number of feet tall the giant radiologist named leroy who did my CT scans was.<br />
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3: number of blood tests ran.<br />
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134: amount i weighed in january.<br />
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116: amount i weigh today.<br />
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121: amount i weighed when i got married.<br />
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116: amount i weighed when my nickname was skeletor and a frenemy spread a rumor at school that i was anorexic.<br />
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1: number of times my pants FELL OFF whilst i was errand running. my skinny jeans are baggy. MY SKINNY JEANS ARE BAGGY.<br />
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3: number of minutes i can stand without feeling like my muscles are going to collapse.<br />
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1: number of days i have left to take antibiotics #4 and #5.<br />
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>2,000: number of dollars i have spent in doctor's offices, hospitals, massage therapists, and pharmacists.<br />
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and guess what? still not feeling great. at all. which is why i bought this today:<br />
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didn't blink an eye at the $60.00 price tag. i bought the biggest bottle they had. chugged the suggested dosage of one tablesoon. and then i blinked an eye. or maybe it was more of a fluttering twitch of several rapid blinks because i can tell you for certain. MOST GROSS THING I'VE EVER TASTED OR WILL EVER TASTE. more gross than that weird black indian candy my friend brought back from audi arabia in 7th grade. (that was the second most gross). more gross than castor oil.<br />
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guys, it's so gross. of course it's gross. what can you expect with the 3 main ingredients being raw garlic, raw honey, and raw apple cider vinegar? and i'm supposed to chug a tablespoon an hour. how, i don't know, but i'm going to do it if it kills me. unless the plague kills me first.<br />
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if i die, i would like to leave my book collection to brook. and i would like my unfinished novels to be completed by my sister angela and her husband and published posthumously. please try not to make them too funny or people will know it wasn't really me writing them. i would like my organs donated. and i would like my sister anna to come clean my desk and basement and throw away my free write journals before anyone else goes through my things.<br />
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goodbye for now, cruel world.<br />
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<br />Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-14029309796966044152013-03-11T19:54:00.000-06:002013-03-11T19:54:05.979-06:00but i thought you finished your book.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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when i finished the first draft of my second novel, i joyfully told EVERYONE I KNEW. the same way you'd tell everyone if you'd completed a marathon. or graduated from college. or, you know, BIRTHED A CHILD.<br />
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it was a great accomplishment and a triumphant moment. but then something kept happening. people started asking me the same question. it started about a week after i'd finished the first draft. in passing conversation, i happened to mention that i was spending about 6 hours a day writing. and this dear person, who probably loves me more than anyone else in the world, asked me:<br />
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but i thought you'd finished your book?<br />
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then same thing happened again with someone else. and then again. and it hit me: there MIGHT be a couple of things that the normal person doesn't understand about writing, or writers, or maybe just about me. and of course it falls on my shoulders to correct this injustice.<br />
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and so. two things. first: writing is rewriting. i've never heard of any published novelist who wrote a perfect first draft and never changed a thing. many writers i know spend AT LEAST as much time revising as they do first-drafting. i'm no different. it took me about nine months to write the first draft, but that was writing about 1 hr a day. and i suspect it'll take me about that many hours to rewrite and revise until i feel like it's ready for the publishing world.<br />
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and here's the other thing. even when i am done with this second novel, even when it feels complete and like it's as good as i can make it on my own, even if it gets published, EVEN IF IT NEVER GETS PUBLISHED, <i>even then</i> i'll still be writing. because it turns out i love it, and it makes me feel alive and energized and there are so many stories i have to tell.<br />
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and i have a sneaking suspicion that even after i die, i'll still be making up stories. i'm just not sure the publishing process will be the same in heaven.<br />
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follow my pinterest board <a href="http://pinterest.com/rachelandco/body-double/" target="_blank">here</a> to see the image sources from above and to see what's inspiring my next story.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-14600370886536596282012-09-19T15:14:00.001-06:002012-09-19T15:14:58.448-06:00from whence writing ideas come<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>where do you get your ideas?</i><br />
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i'm not certain, but i believe that most published authors get asked this a lot more than any other question. [this assumption, of course, is based on what i've heard and read as i've relentlessly stalked the lives of my favorite authors, both online and in person.]<br />
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well, it's your lucky day because i'm here to tell you where we get our ideas and where you can get them too! they come from a section in target, near the seasonal items, always on the bottom shelf, in boxes labeled "really awesome story ideas".<br />
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not amused, huh? okay, seriously, i've heard authors answer this in a lot of ways.<br />
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some try to be funny, i think it was steven king who joked with fans that he gets his ideas at walmart. THAT IS JUST ONE MORE REASON NOT TO SHOP THERE, PEEPS.<br />
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i've heard authors answer arrogantly: i make them up, duh. my ideas come from my brain. which is totally not helpful.<br />
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but those authors are kind of also, annoyingly, right. you need to create ideas. but there's a process i learned to follow for getting those ideas, and it worked really well for the novel i'm working on right now and it starts with making a list.<br />
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raise your hand if you like making lists as much as i do. okay, now go grab a notebook or open up a new word doc and start making a list.<br />
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<b>people</b><br />
think about people who are <b>interesting</b> to you. not people you want to be like, or admire, but people that are in situations or do things that make you think big thoughts. when i did this, i listed people like: homeless bums. (why are they homeless? do they like it? are they ashamed?) people who live double lives (i love the idea of keeping a secret. are they doing it to protect someone? to avoid getting caught?) addicts (the idea of someone who feels so intensely that they must buffer the sensations of the world is so interesting to me).<br />
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now make a list of the last ten people who did something to <b>hurt</b> you. go ahead. savor those resentments. ha! no really, don't dwell on past wrongs, but just remember those people. thinking about people who hurt you opens up your heart to pain, but it also opens it up to ideas, i think. when i did this, i could only think of five people who have ever hurt me in my entire life. i don't know what this means. but moving on...<br />
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<b>places</b><br />
make a list of places that you consider <b>spiritual homes</b>. places you feel the most serene, the most calm, the most in tune with the universe. THERE'S A REASON BOTH MY BOOKS HAVE REFERENCES TO CITRUS GROVES.<br />
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now make a list of places that <b>scare</b> you. tall cliffs? dark forests? suffocating small towns? see how this works?<br />
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<b>concepts</b><br />
now make a list of themes or concepts that engage your mind. your list could be single words or paragraphs or more. one word or idea may spark more. make yourself continue listing for at least 15 minutes. i especially love the story and themes of THE PRODIGAL SON. on my list i have things like: self loathing, redemption, jealousy, betrayal, secrecy, revenge, vindication. these are the things juicy stories are made of.<br />
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if you're like me, or have the heart of a potential writer inside you, by this point characters or places or ideas have coalesced or combined or generated in your own mind the seed of a story idea.<br />
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once i have the seed of an idea, i move on to brainstorming, which sparks a future blog post idea. for another day, peeps, another day.<br />
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at least that's how it worked for me. i'd love to hear where your ideas come from.<br />
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<br />Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-70515520059855371352012-09-14T12:54:00.000-06:002012-09-14T22:15:26.772-06:00breathe deep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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[<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kekekumba/4817007014/" target="_blank">image source</a>]<br />
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hello friends. it's been an <i>interesting</i> couple of weeks. and by interesting i mean it's been horrible and i would just love a redo. too much yelling and anger and unkindness coming from my mouth these last weeks. because, in case you don't already know this about me, i am easily overwhelmed. even something like seeing the peaches from my peach tree smashed on the sidewalk [because i was too sick to pick them and so they fell off and are now infested with earwigs] is enough to make me crumple to the ground and start weeping because this world is all just too much. i am not joking.<br />
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friends, you are amazing. i see the kind of things you are dealing with and i am in awe at your courage and strength.<br />
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i am floored. stopped frozen in my tracks. friends, this life can be brutal. we suffer with addictions and want to claw out of our own skin. staying sober feels impossible. our fathers abandon us. our mothers get sick and we become their caretakers when we are still babies ourselves. our loved ones are addicts who cannot or will not recover and we watch them kill themselves in slow motion. our mothers--the life of our parties--die too soon. our children get sick or struggle to make friends and are called disgusting because their skin is not the same color as everyone else's. our husbands go crazy, <i>literally</i>. our organs are so messed up that the team of doctors who will be operating on us want to put us in medical journals. and some of us have our innocence stolen from us and carry that unclean feeling with us for a lifetime.<br />
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unspeakable.<br />
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<i>in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see.</i><br />
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i have spent some time these last couple weeks crumpling. i've been grieving life's adversities--mine and yours--as they come, because this is what it means to be me. i cannot swallow things down or shrug them away, much as i have tried. and whether the suffering is mine or yours, i feel it all the same. this is why i would make an excellent addict. i'd be the best freaking addict ever. and yet, when i am like this, i know i'm doing it right. i'm not using drugs or alcohol or reading or food or exercise or religion or work to buffer the pain. i've learned to just open up my heart let it come. because if i can keep my heart open, then the good stuff gets in too. the beautiful things, the blessings, the tender mercies.<br />
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and there are many. here is something i know: for every sorrow, every horror, every unjustice we live with in this life, god will make up the difference. he gives us the ability to handle the burdens, he blesses us a hundred fold in other ways and at other times to compensate. there will always be enough love and approval and grace for us in this life because of him. he pours out peace to our hearts, gives us friends to share our sorrows with, and when that is not enough, he gives us sunsets. rainbows.<br />
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sometimes even <i>double</i> rainbows. or <i>triple</i> rainbows. of course he does.<br />
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<i>and god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.</i><br />
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friends, being a person who feels intensely means that i have the capacity to love ferociously. you are my people and i freaking love you. so, i thought i'd show that love to you using <i>my</i> love languages: quality time and receiving gifts [and please keep that in mind for me in the future]:<br />
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i have another playlist to share with you. this one i've taken great care to curate. most of the songs are peaceful and gentle because i think we need that right now. don't you? a few have a little more pep, but mostly, these are songs to sit with and be still.<br />
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breathe deep.<br />
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and then email me if you'd like me to share the actual mp3 files. otherwise, you can listen to this on spotify <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/1239159856/playlist/09Qm782MJmd9vqRqWRC520" target="_blank">here</a>. there are a few more songs on my spotify playlist than listed below, because i only own songs that i paid for. got it?<br />
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fall 2012 playlist: for my peeps who face life with courage and strength<br />
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1.Always | <b>Digits</b><br />
2. Ships On The Ocean Floor | <b>The Autumn Film</b><br />
3. The Stable Song | <b>Gregory Alan Isakov</b><br />
4. Breezeblocks | <b>Alt-J</b><br />
5. One Hundred Million Years | <b>M. Ward</b><br />
6. Catch | <b>The Cure</b><br />
7. Middle Of June | <b>Noah Gundersen</b><br />
8. Hear the Noise... | <b>James Vincent McMorrow</b><br />
9. Kingdom Come | <b>The Autumn Film</b><br />
10. Heart & Bones | <b>The Pines</b><br />
11. Lions in Cages | <b>Wolf Gang</b><br />
12. Mended | <b>The Autumn Film</b><br />
13. Hurts Like Heaven | <b>Coldplay</b><br />
14. Cold Feet | <b>Lost Lander</b><br />
15. Drown | <b>Smashing Pumpkins</b><br />
16. Beggar In The Morning | <b>The Barr Brothers</b><br />
17. Blood | <b>Middle East</b><br />
18. Something Good | <b>Alt-J</b><br />
19. Weather To Fly | <b>Elbow</b><br />
20. Animal Life | <b>Shearwater</b><br />
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love you.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-61235134574314601692012-09-12T09:56:00.002-06:002012-09-12T09:56:59.408-06:00how to find a writing group<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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you guys! i'm really excited about this post. if the exclamation point doesn't convey that to you, then how about all caps? I'M REALLY EXCITED! most people, when they find out i'm writing, and they are thinking about it too, they will inevitably ask how i found my critique group. i often answer that question by saying "tell the universe you are writing and your critique group will just come to you." which leaves them staring, unblinking at me, and me just shrugging my shoulders thinking, well it totally worked for me.<br />
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today i have one of my partners, <a href="http://oliviacarter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">olivia</a>, doing a much better job of explaining how it really works. there's some great advice here, friends!<br />
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and to answer your second question, no, you cannot join our writing group. we've found that the number 3 works pretty good for us, just the right number to be efficient, but still allow for more than one opinion. every group is different though. don't panic or feel needy. the universe has enough for you and that means there are enough critique partners for you. they will come along if you do EXACTLY what olivia says.<br />
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It started in January 2009. I was ashamed & hid it from everyone I knew. Even my husband. </div>
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I didn’t confess to him for 4 months & I didn’t tell anyone else until well into the end of the year. By that point it had become so all consuming and obvious I just had to admit it out loud.</div>
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<b>I had started WRITING…</b></div>
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And that, my friends, is first step to finding support in your shared addiction of writing, or in other words <b>HOW TO FIND AN EXCELLENT WRITING GROUP</b>.<span> </span></div>
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Because nothing beats the coming together of other like-minded, obsessed, crazy people like yourself. Let alone the leaps and bounds your writing will take for the better.</div>
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So, step #1, friends?</div>
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<b>1. CONFESS</b></div>
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To be able to find a writing group you MUST tell people you are writing. You may have NO friends that are writing. I didn’t. But when I finally told them I was writing it led to a friend who knew a friend who was looking for a writing group. Which lead her to introduce me to some of the most kindred spirits I’ve ever known, Rachel & Meagan.</div>
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All because I grew a pair and said it out loud.</div>
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<b>2. GO WHERE WRITERS ARE</b></div>
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This is not always easy. My first step was taking a “continuing education” class through a local University. <i>(This is what finally prompted me to tell my husband I had been writing. I couldn’t exactly explain away my missing for 3 hours every Wednesday night)</i>. But if a small group like that is intimidating there is also a plethora of writing conferences you could check out. Those usually have a large group of people, great advice, and time to chat & network if you want. And, you’d be surprised, but just writing at Barnes and Noble A LOT of people will come up & ask us if we are writing or what we are writing. Most writing groups I know meet at Barnes & Noble.</div>
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I’m not saying go & eavesdrop on neighboring tables, but go ahead & eavesdrop on neighboring tables. Just not ours. </div>
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<b>3. CHEMISTRY</b></div>
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Like love, a great writing group has to have chemistry. This isn’t something you can really know until you try a group out & see if you have that “je ne sais quoi”. I have tried two other writing groups besides my magical combination of Rachel, Meagan & I. The other ones verged on miserable. But don’t give up.</div>
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Because, like love, you might get the perfect match on the first try, but most of us have to search around a little bit before you find your soul mate.</div>
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<b>4. LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS</b></div>
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Notice I didn’t say people who are “like” you. Or people who are writing the same thing as you. But people who are “like-minded”. My writing group is half therapy session/half writing. Because we have some similar experiences we can vent about what’s hard/craptastic/lame in life, get it out of our system and out of our brains. That, my friends, makes space for the onslaught of creativity, tinged with insanity that is writing. We are also in similar places writing-wise. Well, not so much me, but I am content with riding the coattails of my more brilliant counterparts for a bit.</div>
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And, what I believe is the most important step to finding a writing group is to….</div>
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<b>5. WRITE</b></div>
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Write your little heart out. Whether you have a support system of writers yet or not. Just keep on plugging the words out. The group & the help will come eventually, but to be ready for them you must have your words down. Your heart all in. Because the biggest thing about writing is that it can be all consuming, all encompassing, all engrossing. You have to throw your chips all in. Go for broke. </div>
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And when you find people who are ready to go for broke along with you, then you will have found that soul mate of a writing group. </div>
Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-24051388101819337962012-09-05T14:02:00.000-06:002012-09-05T14:07:25.251-06:00how bob ross gives me the faith to keep writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfyflbS3I4vwBGnKv-KQUtwLvcRlsiEiTFNShDe1ul5P6ofDYf5usnHf8f-5WXSnfREFpccNJ02B7h1ixg1YMP3zQczGvjtTchJnmddix-qvsGVNWSMDUZ490sV6k_VZ9BDhek7dry-I/s1600/book.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfyflbS3I4vwBGnKv-KQUtwLvcRlsiEiTFNShDe1ul5P6ofDYf5usnHf8f-5WXSnfREFpccNJ02B7h1ixg1YMP3zQczGvjtTchJnmddix-qvsGVNWSMDUZ490sV6k_VZ9BDhek7dry-I/s1600/book.png" /></a></div>
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<i>“Art glows with faith even in its weakest parts. At every moment, writing is an act of self-confidence – the sheerest, most determined, most stubborn self-belief. You CAN have faith and doubt at the same time; the most insecure writer on the planet has faith that shines just as bright as her doubt, and she deserves props for that. It might be hidden deep, she might not feel it and you might not see it, but it’s in there, or she wouldn’t be able to write.”</i> - Kristin Cashore<br />
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<br />
friends let me tell you a little secret.<br />
<br />
it takes a lot of courage to say <i>i want to be a writer</i>.<br />
<br />
it takes even more courage to say i want to be a writer more than i want to spend time with friends, or organize that drawer, or visit a neighbor, or volunteer at the kids' school, or contribute to my family's finances. when i write, there is a list of a 1,000 other things i could be doing with those hours. i look at that list in my mind's eye every day when i sit down to write. and i have to take fresh courage every day.<br />
<br />
do you think when bob ross set up camp in front of his canvas he said, "what will so and so think of me, wasting this time on such an unworthy pursuit?"<br />
<br />
no. he said, "i believe we're all creators and that the joy of creation is reason enough to make something. creating brings joy to your heart. come, paint with me for an hour and see what i'm talking about."<br />
<br />
or at least that's what i think he said. something like that.<br />
<br />
so when i start to doubt myself, and wonder if i'm wasting the days of my life on an empty pursuit, i remember what he said.<br />
<br />
<i>believe that you can do it. this is your world. make happy mistakes. you can do anything. you're full of power. you're the creator.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YLO7tCdBVrA" width="420"></iframe>Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-59199238423813633122012-09-03T10:11:00.001-06:002012-09-03T10:11:09.662-06:00we have a winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgwiCHry_LTmKrj2SUlH1t8QIssMxJhgs8qPMAFPiL17MI9HXwaeUHy_9RnLCh_OhQ4ydxD3Hz5GsuvkViD0fxeiZKHQJ3ZlJikNV3yDc-4DGeGivz-l53yce0bNKfhWx0C-mAiu9ee0/s1600/draw.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgwiCHry_LTmKrj2SUlH1t8QIssMxJhgs8qPMAFPiL17MI9HXwaeUHy_9RnLCh_OhQ4ydxD3Hz5GsuvkViD0fxeiZKHQJ3ZlJikNV3yDc-4DGeGivz-l53yce0bNKfhWx0C-mAiu9ee0/s1600/draw.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tVxvoC9TaZUav-P6GAPV9t237CjN8h5BltApMJKJfocPwDajBm5UvyH2NfUcHBKJXTMIUgdLA4-JR3yW7gAFuy_Hr4sZlLkELYJEPnnI8UCOMdqGU_YKKPhKvrQiNPKRoeF5zL0MjAQ/s1600/comment.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tVxvoC9TaZUav-P6GAPV9t237CjN8h5BltApMJKJfocPwDajBm5UvyH2NfUcHBKJXTMIUgdLA4-JR3yW7gAFuy_Hr4sZlLkELYJEPnnI8UCOMdqGU_YKKPhKvrQiNPKRoeF5zL0MjAQ/s1600/comment.png" /></a></div>
the drawing for my marked-up ARC of RAVEN BOYS is complete. congratulations to Lili who says that maggie stiefvater is one of her favorite authors of all time. yay! me too. enjoy your book, lili and look for an email from me. i'll stick your book in the mail as soon as i have your address.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-88880405809358085222012-09-01T13:45:00.000-06:002012-09-04T09:02:54.100-06:00milking almonds + super smoothie recipes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgob-IjAYGR1URVnoXcrZTNgLLRK3LNU1NosXDTWLZzCE8lxtHWdtk3ew4chDp2U8HSjf5S3r73mxjKo-nBwIVNbBLJnrm5Du_NTyTGPLOKEtBFn1iZx_e0DLXons2f7p_-W8GmKHzMo9Y/s1600/almond.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgob-IjAYGR1URVnoXcrZTNgLLRK3LNU1NosXDTWLZzCE8lxtHWdtk3ew4chDp2U8HSjf5S3r73mxjKo-nBwIVNbBLJnrm5Du_NTyTGPLOKEtBFn1iZx_e0DLXons2f7p_-W8GmKHzMo9Y/s1600/almond.png" /></a></div>
"you can milk anything with nipples." -greg focker<br />
<br />
i milk my almonds. and by that i mean i make my own almond milk, and this is why:<br />
<br />
1. at least one of my kids has a dairy allergy.<br />
<br />
2. the boxes of soy/rice/almond etc. are full of things i don't want my kids drinking, just like milk!<br />
<br />
3. it's cheaper, about 1/4 the price, than buying the commercially-made almond milk if i buy my nuts in bulk at costco or through <a href="http://greensmoothiegirl.com/" target="_blank">green smoothie girl</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>the secrets of making really good almond milk:</b><br />
<br />
1. soak 1 cup almonds for at least 24 hours in a bowl covered in water. less time than this and you'll have watery milk. gross. i want it white and rich and creamy. i think you do too.<br />
<br />
2. add drained, soaked almonds and 3 cups water to a blender.<br />
<br />
3. blend for at least a minute.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_dpva8_DE29rFDBxx2oE9fwjENkoylOpBUMEUZ3qIpLkN902iayL_75KPwNn6qvpzvyOKfpmCIhn2aowJ2RJEfPRvc-EtGwfZx6pZ5YLKXFUFm7WogVUqEhW84PODbJyQ07srTNnbY4/s1600/milk.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_dpva8_DE29rFDBxx2oE9fwjENkoylOpBUMEUZ3qIpLkN902iayL_75KPwNn6qvpzvyOKfpmCIhn2aowJ2RJEfPRvc-EtGwfZx6pZ5YLKXFUFm7WogVUqEhW84PODbJyQ07srTNnbY4/s1600/milk.png" /></a></div>
4. strain with a fine mesh sieve. you don't need any fancy nut milk bags or cheese cloth. trust me on this, or you will be sorry and cleaning up a big mess.<br />
<br />
5. i set the bowl i soaked the almonds in on top of the strainer to press out the liquid. i let it sit while i do another job in the kitchen and then come back to it about 5 minutes later. i only have to press a few times. i've saved the solids sometimes, adding thyme and salt and using it as a topper on a sliced tomato and cucumber. i've also heard you can dehydrate them and grind them into almond meal. that would save a lot of money if you use a lot of almond meal. i have never done this because time is precious and i'll die one day and i'd rather just buy the almond meal. but you could, or i could if i needed to be more frugal. anyway...<br />
<br />
6. don't add any sweeteners. it's delicious without it.<br />
<br />
7. drink it within two days. it's like manna; it doesn't last.<br />
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<br />
and now, i want to share two excellent smoothie recipes, both featuring delicious almond milk as the base. around these parts, we have green smoothies most days. we usually stick to water+frozen festival fruit blend+banana+spinach+kale.<br />
<br />
but lately i've been branching out, to great success! here are two smoothies that will fill your bellies with loads of superfood nutrition and an added boost of energy that kicks in around afternoon when most people are nodding off on the job.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBa5e6eYECcRlTDTX-yCrQstdKnbXOoXpqH-nMj-Jij_5wYEfXj-m6izhYFYss2kC1gYFt37DR3FLXVo4RVneUSGB1-B5rWAo9GKWnRcgcli61iok2B7PiMchNko8sTfYWizIMzHNes0/s1600/cherrysmoothie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBa5e6eYECcRlTDTX-yCrQstdKnbXOoXpqH-nMj-Jij_5wYEfXj-m6izhYFYss2kC1gYFt37DR3FLXVo4RVneUSGB1-B5rWAo9GKWnRcgcli61iok2B7PiMchNko8sTfYWizIMzHNes0/s1600/cherrysmoothie.png" /></a></div>
<b>super power chocolate berry smoothie</b><br />
serves 1<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups almond milk<br />
4 cups spinach<br />
<br />
blend well, then add:<br />
<br />
1 to 2 tablespoons raw cacao*<br />
1/4 banana<br />
1 cup frozen blueberries<br />
1/4 teaspoon <a href="http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/astragalus-000223.htm" target="_blank">astralagus</a> powder**<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
<br />
blend again and drink up! my kids call this the "poop smoothie" but they always slurp every last drop. if you're sensitive to physical sensations and medication like i am, you'll notice a buzzing, caffeine-like high that starts just after lunch and continues until bedtime, without any horrible side effects that you'd get with caffeine. i make this when i didn't get enough sleep the night before or when i have a overwhelmingly busy afternoon and it makes me feel like superwoman.<br />
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* you could sub cocoa powder. i like my chocolate bitter. use less if you don't.<br />
** used as an energy tonic in chinese medicine for thousands of years. also a great immune system booster<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZIG62m69OdJRTL_sst6o0-V3GgCuaMkXmMcSwjXlc4evz97vm9rKaQgIRVmfHdoRR_Uo8QNBRHJMiw0q6NVIfKCpSqntCWB8gM0REH2Ph0Qi5uggydoxxNIUybjqArpzBeWjQjgGIPg/s1600/cherry.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZIG62m69OdJRTL_sst6o0-V3GgCuaMkXmMcSwjXlc4evz97vm9rKaQgIRVmfHdoRR_Uo8QNBRHJMiw0q6NVIfKCpSqntCWB8gM0REH2Ph0Qi5uggydoxxNIUybjqArpzBeWjQjgGIPg/s1600/cherry.png" /></a></div>
<b>champion cherry limeade smoothie</b><br />
serves 1<br />
<br />
1 cup almond milk<br />
1 1/2 cups frozen cherries<br />
juice and zest of one lime<br />
1/2 teaspoon <a href="http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/macaroot.php" target="_blank">maca root</a> powder*<br />
1 teaspoon raw honey, optional<br />
<br />
*maca root can improve sexual endurance, physical stamina, adaptability to stressful situations and an increase in both the number and activity of spermatazoids (sperm). so you may or may not want to give this to your husbands. i always make enough for the family, pour their servings out, then add the maca to only my smoothie.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-56810985507033766752012-08-29T15:19:00.001-06:002012-08-29T15:19:51.246-06:00writing wednesday: guest post by meagan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdEUpDYLAJOrmURZVTBF0r4OqrtBUnvpdPMz0hdWmkl1pn8GgpEmdJD3QK2X65HW02MIgy0Lk01UUhywLZY-Uxdj9Pypyzv2BIJlS15r6AZX_xlumsuZ6BY_SAScmvB4toM4oN-QyA8Y/s1600/tears.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdEUpDYLAJOrmURZVTBF0r4OqrtBUnvpdPMz0hdWmkl1pn8GgpEmdJD3QK2X65HW02MIgy0Lk01UUhywLZY-Uxdj9Pypyzv2BIJlS15r6AZX_xlumsuZ6BY_SAScmvB4toM4oN-QyA8Y/s1600/tears.png" /></a></div>
[image from the lovely etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/dearcatherina?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">dearcatherina</a>]<br />
<br />
hello friends, writers and non-writers alike. today i have a guest post from one of the girls in my critique group, <a href="http://themarriedbridgetjones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">meagan</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://themarriedbridgetjones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">meagan</a> is the oldest of 9. she is the one that everyone goes to when they need something, the dependable one, the kind one who thinks and listens a lot before she speaks. and you guys, she totally keeps her house spotless clean ALL THE TIME! here is the amazing<a href="http://themarriedbridgetjones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> meagan</a>:<br />
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<i>Don’t only practice your art
But force your way into its secrets
For it and knowledge can raise men to the divine -Ludwig Van Beethoven</i><br />
<br />
When I was a little girl, I always felt lost. I knew I wanted to <b>be</b> something, that I wanted to <b>do</b> something, but I didn’t know what. Looking back on it now, I realize that what I really wanted was to <b>write</b> something.<br />
<br />
I started seriously writing a few years ago. One day I sat down and decided to write a book. So I did. Then I wrote another one. I had so much fun writing that I didn’t worry too much about anything. I was just having fun. And when I began to get all those reject letters from agents I had queried, I didn’t really pay attention. Sure, it would be cool to be published. And maybe that might help justify to others that I was a serious and brilliant writer, but for the most part I just wanted to create. I wanted to write a story and I wanted those characters in my head to come to life and live all the lives that I never could.
It wasn’t until I had finished my second book that fear and doubt began to set in. I realized then that I had no idea what I was up against. What if I wasn’t really a writer? What if I was wasting all my time on something that in the end would mean nothing? What was my end goal?<br />
<br />
It was about this time that I met and fell in love with my writing group, which presently consists of Rachel and <a href="http://oliviacarter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this lovely gal</a>. It only took a few times of me sitting next to them at a Barnes and Noble café to realize that these people were <b>my</b> people. My writing had found a home and I knew that this was where my writing would really start to grow.<br />
<br />
I was right. The past few years have been sort of brutal, writing wise. I’ve written the same story three different ways. I’ve written 50,000 words just to delete them and try again. And then again. I wrote an entire book and then had to walk away from it completely because it just wasn’t right. It has been hard and sometimes I yearn for those moments where the words just flow and the pictures in my head literally materialize themselves onto the screen of my computer without effort. I have days like that. Sometimes I only have moments. But a lot of the time I am working and learning. I am gathering <b>knowledge</b> and <b>forcing</b> my way in.<br />
<br />
I think that Beethoven was absolutely right. It isn’t enough to just write. We have to unlock the mysteries of our craft. We have to give ourselves over to it and set aside all the fear and all the doubt. We have to think of every sentence we write as a gift and every deleted word as a lesson. And then we have to move forward.<br />
<br />
So what is my end goal as a writer?<br />
<br />
To raise men to the divine, of course. ;)
Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-46440381423215707492012-08-27T15:47:00.002-06:002012-08-27T15:54:36.946-06:00book recommendations, and a GIVEAWAY!today i am directing you to <a href="http://oliviacarter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">olivia's blog</a> where i shared a few book recommendations. she asked what i look for in a favorite book, and i <a href="http://oliviacarter.blogspot.com/2012/08/friday-fiction-fiend-3-rachel.html" target="_blank">shared here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7TXt1lEQ6rNpedCPayK50oXqyAZrqljMJuvj9N93h5HMHCJkbl-mB6tyiP109xm-DN7UxdtDyB93aqSg10criNz3AJqxYaEEmP4ycsuGyS2WkLm94UYJbd0eU1UMRwdv_c2S3NUkRwk/s1600/ravenboys.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7TXt1lEQ6rNpedCPayK50oXqyAZrqljMJuvj9N93h5HMHCJkbl-mB6tyiP109xm-DN7UxdtDyB93aqSg10criNz3AJqxYaEEmP4ycsuGyS2WkLm94UYJbd0eU1UMRwdv_c2S3NUkRwk/s1600/ravenboys.png" /></a></div>
also, i just now finished <a href="http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-raven-boys/" target="_blank">THE RAVEN BOYS</a> by maggie stiefvater and let me tell you, i think you're going to like it. a great ghost-like story with fantastic characters and a lot of seemingly unsolvable problems brewing. and i think, like me, you'll be really frustrated that you have to wait for the next one in the four-book series. it's really good. eeek!<br />
<br />
and now, my first giveaway! i loved this book so much that i'm planning on buying the hardcover. the copy i have is an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) that is signed by maggie, with a few marks from me (it's well-loved, and i wasn't sure i wanted to give it away when i first read it). i'm giving away this copy to one lucky person that comments here. spread the word. the book comes out september 18 and now's your chance to read it early, before it comes out, if you are an impatient fan like me.<br />
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leave a comment with your email if you think i might not have it to be entered to win. contest closes sunday, september 2 at midnight, mountain daylight time. good luck!<br />
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<br />Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-83255160605388218212012-08-24T14:09:00.002-06:002012-08-24T14:12:27.555-06:00my new favorite things, plus new running music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF4WSuOILiUG3XkQxRvZ6fA3cAlCQYwU0jqIfmb1gYCi17_B8PoCeWDo4n9NBanUvUXPCvATaY6gGd7634-yY441nmWXFZSeBqfyF4qTEKISZR5AYrW76Il5TTJhtgMu1-7VpFHUYsTs/s1600/10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF4WSuOILiUG3XkQxRvZ6fA3cAlCQYwU0jqIfmb1gYCi17_B8PoCeWDo4n9NBanUvUXPCvATaY6gGd7634-yY441nmWXFZSeBqfyF4qTEKISZR5AYrW76Il5TTJhtgMu1-7VpFHUYsTs/s1600/10.png" /></a></div>
oh, hello!<br />
<br />
how are you? me, i'm good. the world is beautiful. our bodies are miraculous. children are precious. so many things to be grateful for. here are 5 things i've been enjoying a lot.<br />
<br />
<br />
1. victoria bjorge's sketchbook<br />
isn't the above image great? it's from her <a href="http://victoriabjorge.com/sketchbook/#" target="_blank">online sketchbook</a> which she uses to foster inspiration. i'm going to try a collaging laser beams coming out of people's eyes in my own sketchbook and see if it helps me focus when i'm writing. ha!<br />
<br />
<br />
2. spotify<br />
am i the last one to know about <a href="http://www.spotify.com/us/" target="_blank">spotify</a>? it's my new favorite thing.<br />
<br />
if you haven't heard about spotify, it's like pandora, BUT WITH DOUBLE RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS. you can create and/or listen to a radio station based on a song or artist, much like pandora, but spotify is like a whole other level of greatness. you can also create playlists to listen to whenever you want. you can find other people who have the same taste in music you do and follow their playlists, or just them in general. you can share music on facebook, twitter, or tumbler. you can listen to it on your smart phone or ipad. and if you are a paying member, you can make ANY playlist available offline. i think it's genius. and you can try it out for free for a month, then cancel your membership anytime you want.<br />
<br />
i have playlists for my two novels, for a working idea of a story, and lots of other things. it's so much fun!<br />
<br />
<br />
3. treadmill workout by <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/" target="_blank">iowa girl eats</a><br />
i usually HATE the treadmill. i think it's ruined many a potential running lover. but, <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2011/03/24/39826/" target="_blank">this workout</a> has got me through a smoky, hellish utah summer. it's fast--only 30 minutes, it's really, REALLY hard and i can feel the afterburn from it all day long.[and really, her whole blog is excellent. workouts, recipes, and when i read her blog i feel like i'm chatting with a good friend]<br />
<br />
<br />
4. running music<br />
and last, a new-to-me running playlist that's making my indoor workouts feel like a party. i always start out with slow tempo and then take off. i think you're really going to like this music! you can see the <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/1239159856/playlist/7u5KcdvwfdDiiC4iTTJqUe" target="_blank">full playlist</a> over on my spotify, but the first 20 songs are listed below. i'm happy to share if you email me.<br />
<br />
1. hit the ground (superman) / <b>the big pink</b><br />
2. i've got your number / <b>passion pit</b><br />
3. run on / <b>moby</b><br />
4. enjoy the silence / <b>depeche mode</b><br />
5. over and over / <b>hot chip</b><br />
6. girls like you / <b>naked and famous</b><br />
7. e-pro / <b>beck</b><br />
8. ice ice baby / <b>vanilla ice</b><br />
9. ready for the floor / <b>hot chip</b><br />
10. sixteen saltines / <b>jack white</b><br />
11. pull up the people / <b>m.i.a.</b><br />
12. midnight city / <b>m83</b><br />
13. lasso / <b>phoenix</b><br />
14. dilly / <b>band of horses</b><br />
15. gonna make you sweat... / <b>c+c music factory</b><br />
16. girl / <b>beck</b><br />
17. train in vain / <b>clash</b><br />
18. pure / <b>the lightning seeds</b><br />
19. someone great / <b>lcd soundsystem</b><br />
20. on top of the world / <b>imagine dragons</b>Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-55117028714314614932012-08-22T14:03:00.001-06:002012-08-22T14:05:54.259-06:00strong at the broken places<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMf4WDft22loH_gyjnNX2pWqE-Ed_ed1vupmFL5QltD9SfL1SmCCBQCVJL70Z7QwErUrRW0GMkjCjLf5Alhqdd6ku-0PwSgKp9SSbPu55BOGIcZH_3Vc11MX6Ld-0lpz52Oc0mmKbv0Jw/s1600/worldbreaksSMALL.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMf4WDft22loH_gyjnNX2pWqE-Ed_ed1vupmFL5QltD9SfL1SmCCBQCVJL70Z7QwErUrRW0GMkjCjLf5Alhqdd6ku-0PwSgKp9SSbPu55BOGIcZH_3Vc11MX6Ld-0lpz52Oc0mmKbv0Jw/s1600/worldbreaksSMALL.png" /></a></div>
the kids are back in school and it sure is quiet around here.<br />
<br />
and clean.<br />
<br />
you'd think that would make it easy to write. yes, it gives me <i>time</i> to write—which is half the battle. easy though? well. i guess no matter where i go i still have my brain following me around. which means i'm easily distracted. [and also i have <a href="http://rachelandcompany.blogspot.com/2012/08/confessional.html" target="_blank">crazy brain</a>.]<br />
<br />
but the quiet helps a lot. i have been sitting here all morning just thinking...and sighing...typing a few words then sighing some more.<br />
<br />
i'm thinking about the things in my life that have been hard. not just hard like running 13 miles or giving birth. hard like being pregnant 36 months of my life and throwing up all day every day. hard like being falsely accused. being shamed and feeling like i deserved it. standing alone, being misunderstood. realizing that a few of my own dreams will not come true in this life.<br />
<br />
things that have broken me.<br />
<br />
and i'm thinking about my character, trying to think of what will break him. because my favorite kind of story is one where the protagonist becomes strong in his broken places. i hope the story i'm writing, as well as the one i'm living has that same character arc.<br />
<br />
strong at the broken places.<br />
<br />
<br />Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-2968948614087456642012-08-13T11:56:00.000-06:002012-08-13T18:25:37.679-06:00happening this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbscHT0wE7JXfKnpr4U-AsMP0SJBKeaobARs9pTriUFo4YAn0WK21RCGm5aj4zL6ANDc0k-YDfQO5lRzNjYT5RPFJ9xDTpaaVzYf8301ynOER41AjflJzvUgzB_SIbsovzaIKyvVPorw/s1600/lucas.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbscHT0wE7JXfKnpr4U-AsMP0SJBKeaobARs9pTriUFo4YAn0WK21RCGm5aj4zL6ANDc0k-YDfQO5lRzNjYT5RPFJ9xDTpaaVzYf8301ynOER41AjflJzvUgzB_SIbsovzaIKyvVPorw/s1600/lucas.png" /></a></div>
<br />
oh, hi! just a few quick things.<br />
<br />
1. last week of summer here. the kids all go back to school next week. i would be more sad about this if i'd had even one writing session go for more than five minutes this entire summer without being interrupted by my dear, sweet, needy children. [i realize this makes me sound like a heartless, ungrateful, selfish mother. i'm not. we've had a summer full of fun family time. it's been wonderful. but. i have a rule to always have an open line of communication with my kids, even when i'm writing. they know they can always get a hold of me if they need something. which they take full advantage of, thus the interruptions.]<br />
<br />
i'm so excited for them to be involved in good things at school so i can sink my head deeper into my novel. so excited.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2. it's the little guy's birthday this week. if you live in northern utah, you've seen the swampy, smoky air we've been breathing. lucas has had some breathing trouble because of it and because of me not being vigilant enough to stop his dairy-sneaking ways.<br />
<br />
i was up all night with him last week, doing breathing treatments, rubbing essential oils on his chest, and trying to keep him calm. it worked, his wheezing eased a little after about 5 hours of ministering to him, and finally, in the wee hours of the morning he dozed off. i crawled into my own bed, exhausted, only to hear him yell down the hall, "MOM HURRY! I'M DYING!" i rushed in, asking what was wrong. "I'm starving to death," he said.<br />
<br />
yeah. happy birthday little guy! he requested a fun day at the waterpark, crepes for breakfast, waffles for lunch, and pancakes for dinner. can you sense a theme?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
3. in addition to the birthday this week, it's also my anniversary [15 years!]. and we have two soccer tournaments going on. so naturally, i decided this would be a great time to start a yeast cleanse, to see if i can't get rid of my horrible, horrible allergies/hay fever that have persisted for almost a full year now, only getting worse and worse. i'll let you know how it goes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
4. and just a quick writing update. [i feel a little silly always posting these, since i'm so far away from being a "real", published author, but i keep doing it anyway. my way of faking it until i make it, i guess.] i am loving my story now. i wish i could ignore all my other responsibilities and just finish writing it, but i am a wife and a mother and a volunteer at my church, all things that i choose to take precedence over writing some of the time.<br />
<br />
anyway, i'd love some first draft beta readers in about 4 or so weeks when i get to the end. let me know if you're willing to read it and have the time to offer constructive criticisms. just a caveat: it's probably pg-13 in content for swearing and drug-use, and it has some dark, intense themes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
5. what about you lovelies? anything great happening this week?<br />
<br />
<br />Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-66413330945649445662012-08-08T12:20:00.004-06:002012-08-08T12:20:44.714-06:00of wishes and writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFIpS2b3qNjhWq9Rt-CUJDV4Smp5ZjlWrhZd4HN7c5dPS_bqzrKNdYaILnkBmVeiXPQgpL1QDwUagtMUJxYDlirNZKim8CMNPN88QbQUHmwY2DlXYh0y7r7cPpMQmOsw8S3A1fNn3O_8/s1600/solstice13.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFIpS2b3qNjhWq9Rt-CUJDV4Smp5ZjlWrhZd4HN7c5dPS_bqzrKNdYaILnkBmVeiXPQgpL1QDwUagtMUJxYDlirNZKim8CMNPN88QbQUHmwY2DlXYh0y7r7cPpMQmOsw8S3A1fNn3O_8/s1600/solstice13.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
trying a new thing on the blog—hopefully something that will last a long while—my first guest post.<br />
<br />
i'm so pleased to introduce you to my friend <a href="http://www.brookandreoli.typepad.com/" target="_blank">brook</a>, who has been a writer since i've known her, and has just started on her first novel project. brook is an herbalist, nutritionist, reader, and the person i go to when when i need wisdom to face my own challenges. when i first met her, i felt like it was a reacquainting, because i'm certain i knew her before this earth life. she is really one of my soul mates and i'm so happy to be able to share her with the rest of you.<br />
<br />
here are her words on beginning.<br />
<br />
a friend said, "try."<br />
<br />
<br />
and i looked at the keyboard and wondered.<br />
<br />
i had always said i would.<br />
<br />
and i ached at the lost time since my declaration.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and i wondered. . .<br />
<br />
could i give myself permission to daydream?<br />
<br />
to wish?<br />
<br />
to begin?<br />
<br />
to steal out of the covers early in the morning to commune with my characters?<br />
<br />
and sit out on the porch at night, while everyone was sleeping and listen. to listen to the sounds of my story. working in the sound of the crickets and the breeze?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
to feel?<br />
<br />
connect?<br />
<br />
and take bits and parts of myself.<br />
<br />
and all the things i love.<br />
<br />
and weave them together in that just right paragraph that begs to be read again and again?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and so i combated the daily "not nows" and the bigger "not yets" and the nasty "not good enoughs"<br />
<br />
and wrote.<br />
<br />
and i settled down in to it.<br />
<br />
and let myself feel.<br />
<br />
joy.<br />
<br />
and pain.<br />
<br />
and as I wrote I began to feel me.<br />
<br />
bits and pieces floating up to the surface.<br />
<br />
and i wrote them down.<br />
<br />
and i cried and sighed and felt and believed in these characters and this story.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and in these stolen moments<br />
<br />
i wasn't a mother.<br />
<br />
or wife.<br />
<br />
or daughter.<br />
<br />
or neighbor.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i was just me.<br />
<br />
selfishly, completely, wonderfully me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and yet all those rich experiences came through as i wrote but I tied them together in my own creation. molding them. turning them round to inspect.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and i began to assemble. . .<br />
<br />
pictures.<br />
<br />
songs.<br />
<br />
notes scribbled on tiny pages, church announcements, to-do lists, and brightly colored birthday card envelopes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i felt myself opening.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
creating a space.<br />
<br />
for me.<br />
<br />
my voice.<br />
<br />
a story only i could tell.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
writing the book i wanted to read<br />
<br />
the book that had <i>this</i> without the <i>that</i>.<br />
<br />
and <i>that</i> without the <i>this</i>.<br />
<br />
and the <i>this</i> and <i>this</i> and <i>this</i> that made me clap and rush to write it down,<br />
eager to get to the end of the story, as if I was reading it, instead of writing it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and then I battled the “not yets” and “not enoughs”again and made myself brave<br />
<br />
and sent a little bit out<br />
<br />
to share
with a friend.<br />
<br />
and waited.<br />
<br />
nervous.<br />
<br />
scared.<br />
<br />
was it amateur?<br />
<br />
cliche?<br />
<br />
clumsy?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
i read it again to see.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
and realized, it spoke to me.<br />
<br />
a story<br />
<br />
full of wishes<br />
<br />
and heartbreak<br />
<br />
and imperfections.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
but it was there, pages and pages.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
because someone whispered, "try."Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-51041051328748612802012-08-06T06:00:00.000-06:002012-08-06T06:00:09.207-06:00my family's musical story in a venn diagram<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyEYonKJwAXmAZQzQEe-VNoItFarEuw3g3aR_l6UeAx-XcTztTdHfYYlLo6FnPGk-LUli7o-zqn1z_CFdJ24IQX6ZZaZ700xS14J3hH3NORgHbh41SDweXM9X_VBFNoJQxlBKHJsGZk8/s1600/musicilike.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyEYonKJwAXmAZQzQEe-VNoItFarEuw3g3aR_l6UeAx-XcTztTdHfYYlLo6FnPGk-LUli7o-zqn1z_CFdJ24IQX6ZZaZ700xS14J3hH3NORgHbh41SDweXM9X_VBFNoJQxlBKHJsGZk8/s1600/musicilike.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
when i lived at home, my mother would, on occasion, sneak into my room and...uh..."edit" my collection of music cassettes if she saw anything she judged to be inappropriate. meanwhile, she offended my teenage music sensibilities by listening to musicals, pretty much exlusively. she was particularly fond of michael ballam and i can sing from memory any song he ever sang on broadway.<br />
<br />
<i>i close my eyes, drew back the curtain</i><br />
<i>to see for certain, what I thought I knew</i><br />
<i>far far away, someone was weeping</i><br />
<i>but the world was sleeping</i><br />
<i>any dream will do</i><br />
<br />
awesome. or not.<br />
<br />
my mother and i had but one musical taste overlap. the beatles. especially the beatles on vinyl.<br />
<br />
now, the circle of life is completing itself as elder daughter and elder son develop their musical [it is so hard to type this word] taste. they delight in torturing me with their music. they reset the stations in my car. they add the katy perry station to my pandora. they can't get enough of nicki minaj. maroon 5. one direction.<br />
<br />
the only music we both like is the new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gossamer/dp/B008JIFJ4W/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344218784&sr=301-1" target="_blank">passion pit album</a>. so now i am biding my time, waiting for their musical tastes to mature. do you think i'll have to wait long? did you like the same music as your parents?Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-1675351206461361172012-08-03T11:35:00.005-06:002012-08-03T11:35:42.379-06:00Confessional<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhKiMqH20XZcSO40vhD9iORUlz0qCjbQHJKI0MjSTFT-pWtXxew0_YBk9xaVum-xd5eRB5o33C7gDaleMmXD_zvSUNseD5PZhIiyUY5tkryRoSC0QNDf2CyKC_W4lJietS0rGhj6h9MY/s1600/pushbutton.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhKiMqH20XZcSO40vhD9iORUlz0qCjbQHJKI0MjSTFT-pWtXxew0_YBk9xaVum-xd5eRB5o33C7gDaleMmXD_zvSUNseD5PZhIiyUY5tkryRoSC0QNDf2CyKC_W4lJietS0rGhj6h9MY/s1600/pushbutton.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">please see footnote*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I just love <a href="http://rachelandcompany.blogspot.com/2011/02/gratitude-day-7-confessionals.html" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http://rachelandcompany.blogspot.com/2010/09/confessional.html" target="_blank">little</a> <a href="http://rachelandcompany.blogspot.com/2010/01/confessional.html" target="_blank">chats</a> wherein I lay bare my soul. *cracks knuckles. rolls shoulders back*<br />
<br />
Here we go. Did you know that at least three-fourths of my waking hours [possibly, very possible more like seven-eighths, or maaaaybe even nine-tenths] I spend thinking I might be going crazy. Racing thoughts is a symptom of mental illness. I think millions and millions of things constantly every second all the time and I often want a vacation from my own mind. And I think this makes me a genius or prime drug addict potential.<br />
<br />
I have two toenails that fell off after my last downhill race, one of which ripped off while I was wake surfing in Utah Lake. Toenails falling off post-race is normal for me. Not normal was the infection I got in the one. I blame Utah Lake for that. I've spent the last several years since we got a boat lying to myself, telling myself that lake isn't the teeming bacterial cesspool that it is. No more. Utah Lake you are warm, but gross.<br />
<br />
There are a few easy, easy homemaking tasks that I avoid because I have led myself to believe they are incredibly difficult. As I carry a laundry basket of clean clothes upstairs and into my room I often am thinking "this will be so hard to fold these clothes. So hard. The hardest thing I have ever done. The thought of folding the laundry is sucking the life force from me." And then I fold the laundry, which takes a total of five minutes, and immediately I give myself a mental pat on the back. "You are amazing! You can do hard things!" This is how I have survive the weary life of stay-at-home motherhood for nigh on thirteen years.<br />
<br />
This whole summer I have only wanted to read long, epic, fantasy fairytales. I've read a few other books in between, and even have a late library book of a different genre that I am insisting to myself that I finish before returning, but really I just want to read another <a href="http://rachelandcompany.blogspot.com/2009/07/daughter-of-forest.html" target="_blank">DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST</a>.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, when my emotions are too angry, too big, too explosive, I go to the creek across the street and throw rocks. I think of the thing that is upsetting me, I transfer that negative thought into the rock, the ugly, gray little rock and I throw it as hard as I can. Sometimes even with my left arm, which is hysterical because those arm muscles are practically nonexistent and definitely not coordinated. And then I end up laughing. Laughing so hard I usually cry. It. Is. Awesome. And perfect self-therapy.<br />
<br />
*You may notice that the picture accompanying this post has nothing to do with anything <i>in</i> the post. Thanks for noticing.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-71873837066748215432012-08-01T17:01:00.001-06:002012-08-01T17:01:17.826-06:00Writing Daily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQ5gdMGJG_p66drbSNljib-LmX1pw-TUIW8bj3LJQyiqOGOmTBwDB6O3n05G5jx24Vq013x261REMteR9j2fMVJSDgvql7Wh_BDvE8CGtk52lHG-uVgxiSnePnx2WK1_v-yBaZqvB5TM/s1600/olivetti-posters-by-giovanni-pintori-546_660_935_s.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQ5gdMGJG_p66drbSNljib-LmX1pw-TUIW8bj3LJQyiqOGOmTBwDB6O3n05G5jx24Vq013x261REMteR9j2fMVJSDgvql7Wh_BDvE8CGtk52lHG-uVgxiSnePnx2WK1_v-yBaZqvB5TM/s1600/olivetti-posters-by-giovanni-pintori-546_660_935_s.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How great is this poster designed by Giovanni Pintori?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
“Write every day!”<br />
<br />
I can't tell you how many different sources I've heard say the same thing. Why? Because of what Phillip Pullman says:<br />
<br />
<i>One of the hardest things to do with a novel is to stop writing it for a while, do something else, fulfill this engagement or that commitment or whatever, and pick it up exactly where you left it and carry on as if nothing had happened. You will have changed; the story will have drifted off course, like a ship when the engines stop and there’s no anchor to keep it in place; when you get back on board, you have to warm the engines up, start the great bulk of the ship moving through the water again, work out your position, check the compass bearing, steer carefully to bring it back on track … all that energy wasted on doing something that wouldn’t have been necessary at all if you’d just kept going!</i><br />
<br />
I have to admit, when I first read that, I was in the midst of writing my first novel. I still hadn't learned the art of protecting my writing time, or setting personal boundaries. I had to learn to make it clear to the lovelies in my life that:<br />
<br />
(a) no, I was not crazy for wanting to write; I felt a fiery, passionate burning to do this; writing is work too, something I love and part of what makes me feel filled and complete,<br />
<br />
and<br />
<br />
(b) writing was going to be a HIGH priority, like maybe number 3 after faith and family—meaning that everything else would have to be fit in IF there was time.<br />
<br />
Sooooo. Daily writing. I have a goal for August. The goal is:<br />
<br />
WRITE EVERY DAY.<br />
<br />
Will you join me? If you're not a writer, is there something you'd like to be doing daily? Maybe exercise, or keeping your sink clean, or writing in a gratitude journal, or meditating, or eating raw vegetables. Let me know what you plan to do daily this month and we'll help cheer each other along.<br />
<br />
Don't know what to write about? Check out <a href="http://madwomanintheforest.com/tag/wfmad/" target="_blank">Laurie Halse Anderson</a>'s posts about her Write 15 Minutes A Day program. There are some excellent writing prompts and advice.<br />
<br />
Need a push to develop the discipline for daily writing? <a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/the-discipline-to-write-daily/" target="_blank">Chris Brogan</a> has some great tips.<br />
<br />
<br />
“Writing is a marathon of the spirit. Don't give up.”
- Stuart Cohen<br />
<br />
Time to put one word in front of the other.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-27379584429376976742012-07-30T08:00:00.000-06:002012-07-30T08:00:00.729-06:00A Special Gift Is Kindness<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click image for a downloadable pdf</td></tr>
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We create our own happiness. I know this because I'm a recovering pessimist who is a learning, practicing, living example. Practice totally works! Changing negative thought patterns into positive ones has brought me greater joy and deeper satisfaction in my relationships than I could ever imagine. Even when things aren't perfect.<br />
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<i>Especially</i> when thing aren't perfect.<br />
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I feel like my life is in transition at the moment. I'm moving out of survival/tread water mode and moving towards the living/breathing/thriving mode. I'm ready to push myself a little bit farther. To see how miraculous and beautiful I can make this life. To start, I'm having a reboot week, starting today. I'm eating only raw foods. I'm spending daily time journaling and reading sacred words and pondering and praying.<br />
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And I'm giving up my phone. For one week. [screams] No really. [screams loudly] You can always email me or call me on my home phone. It will be okay. [breathes deeply]<br />
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Inspired by advice from <a href="http://www.ablogaboutlove.com/p/about-this-blog.html" target="_blank">Mara</a> from <a href="http://www.ablogaboutlove.com/" target="_blank">A Blog About Love</a>—who teaches that even in difficult situations, if we focus on attaining a virtue, like forgiveness or courage, we can be resilient and even triumphant during trials—I decided to focus for a few months (or years, or lifetime—however long it takes) on acquiring the virtue of kindness. </div>
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And no sooner had I been thinking this, than information on the subject started flying my way. The Law of Attraction is funny (or awesome, depending on how you look at it) that way.<br />
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Noah Webster describes kindness this way:</div>
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<i>1. Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love. </i><br />
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<i>2. Act of good will; beneficence; any act of benevolence which promotes the happiness or welfare of others. Charity, hospitality, attentions to the wants of others, &c., are deemed acts of kindness, or kindnesses.</i><br />
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Isn't that beautiful?<br />
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And while I was pondering upon the virtue of kindness, the words of a hymn began to circle around in my head, and then ever so slowly, sink into my heart with a new, deeper meaning than I had been ready to understand before.<br />
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<i>Savior, may I learn to love thee,</i><br />
<i>Walk the path that thou hast shown,</i><br />
<i>Pause to help and lift another,</i><br />
<i>Finding strength beyond my own.</i><br />
<i>Savior, may I learn to love thee-</i><br />
<i>Lord, I would follow thee.</i><br />
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Kindness requires strength beyond my own ability, and I have help as I seek to acquire that virtue. Heaven's help.<br />
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<i>Who am I to judge another</i><br />
<i>When I walk imperfectly?</i><br />
<i>In the quiet heart is hidden</i><br />
<i>Sorrow that the eye can't see.</i><br />
<i>Who am I to judge another?</i><br />
<i>Lord, I would follow thee.</i><br />
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Kindness is showing compassion instead of resentment when people don't treat us the way we hoped. Kindness is recognizing that happy, emotionally healthy people don't lash out at others. Kindness knows that people who are unkind are suffering in their own way.<br />
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Kindness is refraining from judging, criticizing, or gossiping about others. Kindness sees the best in everyone.<br />
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<i>I would be my brother's keeper;</i><br />
<i>I would learn the healer's art.</i><br />
<i>To the wounded and the weary</i><br />
<i>I would show a gentle heart.</i><br />
<i>I would be my brother's keeper-</i><br />
<i>Lord, I would follow thee.</i><br />
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Kindness can be learned! This is the best news for someone like me whose gut instinct is to react to the world with "tough love" and an attitude that people should help themselves and a belief that people only get what they deserve. Kindness instead is teaching in a gentle way, not accepting the victim mentality, but lifting and offering to help when we can.<br />
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<i>Savior, may I love my brother</i><br />
<i>As I know thou lovest me,</i><br />
<i>Find in thee my strength, my beacon,</i><br />
<i>For thy servant I would be.</i><br />
<i>Savior, may I love my brother-</i><br />
<i>Lord, I would follow thee.</i><br />
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How much does the Lord love us? So much so, that as he was dying on the cross, he offered this prayer to his Father on behalf of those who were crucifying him: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." That is the type of love and kindness we can show to those around us.<br />
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How do you practice kindness? I DON'T REALLY KNOW. But I'm trying. I'm studying and pondering and saying to myself "I am kind. I am tenderhearted." and putting reminders everywhere. And the best part? Kindness changes the giver as much as the receiver.<br />
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Any thoughts you'd like to share or things you've learned while practicing kindness?Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-46601434931277462372012-07-27T08:00:00.000-06:002012-07-27T08:00:13.649-06:00How to make the best pie in the world<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A good pie starts with the perfect crust. I always use <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/317858/pate-brisee-pie-dough" target="_blank">Martha's</a> recipe, which will make enough for two pie shells. Some tips:<br />
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-Use cold butter.</div>
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-Use kosher or sea salt.</div>
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-Put ice in your water.</div>
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-Remember, your main two goals with making a pie dough are to keep the dough as cold as possible and to add only enough water to get the dough to stick together, no more.<br />
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-Don't add flour to roll out your crust. Instead, roll it between pieces of plastic wrap. I recommend the Kirkland brand. This makes transfering it to your pie dish a cinch.</div>
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-When baking your pie crust, use pinto beans to weight down the parchment paper. I've been using the same beans for more than five years.</div>
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And now, my two favorite pie recipes.</div>
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Coconut Cream Pie</div>
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Ingredients<br />
1 disk of Pie Dough<br />
3/4 cups unsweetened coconut flakes<br />
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 cups milk<br />
2/3 cup cream of coconut<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
3/4 cup heavy cream<br />
2 tablespoons powdered sugar<br />
1 teaspoon coconut extract<br />
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Directions<br />
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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the lower third. Roll out pie dough to a 1/8-inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch-round pie dish and shape how you want it. I love the imperfection of a homemade crust. Dip your fingers in a bowl of water if you need to smooth the dough a bit. Lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Line with parchment paper, gently pressing the parchment into the edges of the crust; weigh down parchment with dried beans.
Bake until the edges of the pastry begin to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and the parchment paper. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown in color, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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2. Place 1/4 cup of the unsweetened coconut flakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside.<br />
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3. To prepare the filling: Combine cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk and cream of coconut. Set over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks. Slowly whisk hot milk mixture into egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan, and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture returns to a boil, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla and butter. Fold in remaining 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes. Chill in the fridge.<br />
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4. In a bowl, beat together cream, powdered sugar, and coconut extract with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.<br />
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5. Transfer the custard to the cooled crust. Pile on the whipped cream. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup toasted coconut. Slice, and serve. Refrigerate any leftover pie.<br />
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Fresh Peach Pie</div>
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Ingredients<br />
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1 disk of Pie Dough</div>
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5-6 large peaches</div>
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2 tablespoons lemon juice</div>
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1/3 cup sugar</div>
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3/4 tablespoons cornstarch</div>
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4 oz. cream cheese, softened</div>
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1/2 cup powdered sugar</div>
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla</div>
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1/2 cup heavy cream</div>
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Directions</div>
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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the lower third. Roll out pie dough to a 1/8-inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch-round pie dish and shape how you want it. I love the imperfection of a homemade crust. Dip your fingers in a bowl of water if you need to smooth the dough a bit. Lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Line with parchment paper, gently pressing the parchment into the edges of the crust; weigh down parchment with dried beans. Bake until the edges of the pastry begin to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and the parchment paper. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown in color, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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2. In blender, blend together 1 peeled peach, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Transfer to sauce pan and heat until boiling. Boil 1 minute. Slice remaining peaches and mix with sauce. Refrigerate until chilled.<br />
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3. Cream together remaining ingredients. Spread into the bottom of the cooled pie crust. I end up using about 2/3 of this. Save the rest for fruit dip or something. Add the peaches on top, being careful to drain off some of the juicy liquid or your pie will be too sloppy. Arrange the peaches in any pattern that pleases you. Slice, and serve. Refrigerate any leftover pie.</div>Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-15037430660696418672012-07-25T11:35:00.000-06:002012-07-25T11:59:33.404-06:00When Someone You Know Is Writing a Novel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chances are, you may know someone who has mentioned in passing that they are writing a book. Chances are high, if you're reading this blog, that that person is me.<br />
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Since I started writing in 2007, I've learned a lot about the way the publishing industry works, a lot about how other authors work, and a lot about what those things mean to my own writer soul.<br />
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I've also learned that sometimes other people don't really know a lot about the process. Or maybe you're just curious.<br />
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Well. Lucky for you, I'm here to let you in on a few things. Perhaps a better title for this post would have been What Not To Say When Someone You Know Is Writing A Novel. Here are a few things that people have actually said to me when the subject of writing comes up.<br />
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"So, you're writing about vampires?"<br />
Uh, no. Often, when someone first learns I'm writing, they will want to know if I'm either writing the next Twilight, or the next Harry Potter. I'm actually writing about a recovering heroin addict who's chosen as his town's annual sacrifice when he returns after a two-year absence, but thanks for asking.<br />
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"So, you're going to make us all rich!"<br />
Again, no. The average amount a first-time author makes on their first novel is between $6,000 to $10,000. Shannon Hale, a favorite author of mine, posted more about it <a href="http://www.squeetus.com/stage/mince_riches.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I actually have a higher chance of becoming a millionaire by winning the lottery than I do through publishing my novel. And you know you're really a writer when this fact doesn't stop you from writing your story anyway. Even if I knew I'd never make a cent, I'd still be writing what I am. It's the joy in creation, the feeling that I am the only person in the world who could tell the story I'm writing that finds me in my chair at the keyboard every day.<br />
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"Your life revolves around books."<br />
I know, isn't it great? (That was my response to the first person who said that to me. I've since formulated a better answer, since people keep saying this to me in a concerned way, with the same tone of voice you'd use when holding an intervention for a drug-using loved one.) Do you say to your tax accountant friend "Your life revolves around taxes and numbers?" Or to the grocery store clerk "Your life revolves around produce?" No. It's their work, it's what they do. Writing is the same. For me, it's a part-time job, but many authors write full time, 8 hours a day.<br />
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"Your life revolves around your friends."<br />
I know, I have the best friends! Writing can be a lonely pursuit, and sometimes you need others to keep you on course, or to talk out a plot knot, or critique your horrible first draft, or to provide therapy when the rest of life is hard to deal with. I have a writing group that meets once a week. We don't sit and write when we meet, we can do that all by ourselves! We do all those other things, and for me, it is absolutely vital to my writing. While my life outside of writing is very full, and I disagree with the fact that my life revolves around my friends, I will say that my WRITING revolves around my friends, who happen to be co-workers, so to speak. SO many of you read early drafts of my first novel and gave me valuable feedback. And the girls in my critique group have saved my life a time or two. I would not be without the help of <a href="http://themarriedbridgetjones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Meagan</a> or <a href="http://oliviacarter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Olivia</a>. Period.<br />
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"Are you finished with your book yet?" or "I thought you finished that."<br />
Remember how I said, a few paragraphs earlier that I am a part-time writer? And even famous authors who write full time and don't have kids or a volunteer job with their church, or a garden, or cook all their meals from scratch, or eighteen loads of laundry to do can't write a book faster than about a year. So if it takes me three years to write my first one, and a year and a half to write the second one then I am doing just fine. Also, and I'm confident this is true for most authors, each book will go through many, many revisions and drafts before it feels finished. Neither of my books feel like they're at that point yet.<br />
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"So, you're going to send your book to Rand McNally to be published?"<br />
Um, you know Rand McNally publishes ATLASES, right? This is how the publishing industry really works, in general. Step 1: write your book. Revise, repeat until it's the best you can do. Step 2: submit query letter to agents until one agrees to represent you. Step 3: work with your agent to revise your novel until it's the best it can be. Step 4: your agent submits your novel to editors at publishing houses. Step 5: your novel is accepted at a publisher and will be an actual book in about 18 months.<br />
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"I can't wait to read your book!"<br />
Actually, you probably should. My current novel is not going to be a book for everyone. I think a large number of my acquaintances will find it offensive. And that is okay with me. What I'm trying to write is emotional truth, and sometimes that means writing ugly things. Hopefully, if I can do it right, including the bitter will make the ending—the long-awaited redemption—that much more sweet. For there must needs be an opposition in all things.<br />
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Any other writing related questions? I'd be happy to answer them in the comments.Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091178578594377783.post-25142420061046094212012-07-02T08:00:00.052-06:002012-07-02T08:00:04.603-06:00New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9g2mbKP65QKFfzDQ-KviDiuhhTa0S8-KoB9Y9Wo6G6uHglAJO3ay9OHAd7lrL8mpEJQeo4ksniq_u7K_aNYntVIOuVllJwmrz1kb-PsU4rs9D_xCWBnZPTBPbbZFCUt-ERrQCNur_P0/s1600/skyline.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9g2mbKP65QKFfzDQ-KviDiuhhTa0S8-KoB9Y9Wo6G6uHglAJO3ay9OHAd7lrL8mpEJQeo4ksniq_u7K_aNYntVIOuVllJwmrz1kb-PsU4rs9D_xCWBnZPTBPbbZFCUt-ERrQCNur_P0/s1600/skyline.png" /></a></div>Aw. Happy sigh. New York was an incredible experience and I've felt overwhelmed every time I attempted to collect my thoughts on it. I did so much, saw so much, tasted so much, SMELT so much. I loved, LOVED that place. I mentioned on Instagram that I felt like I had found my people there. Someone asked what I meant by that. I one-finger-typed a response, but I'm not sure I truly captured exactly all I thought and felt by that comment. I'm going to try to do that here, interspersed with pictures from my trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDokf5MLkYC-QyfP0zR6lLb-CLOZkbFoQhIsr-1Gxq5WpcxFmaKqPtTv4ST188lFvYEU_CIzSTU57agCLNBpxbNyzwn7JBDxWK4T286MIZN8P5ba9OjmM6tuUzZabzA0sc6pRrum60Bs/s1600/brooklyn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDokf5MLkYC-QyfP0zR6lLb-CLOZkbFoQhIsr-1Gxq5WpcxFmaKqPtTv4ST188lFvYEU_CIzSTU57agCLNBpxbNyzwn7JBDxWK4T286MIZN8P5ba9OjmM6tuUzZabzA0sc6pRrum60Bs/s1600/brooklyn.png" /></a></div>New Yorkers are fast. I loved the speed with which they walked, transacted, entered and exited. It filled my impatient heart with a great big love for people who matched the pace at which I barrel through life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBLONhz_UAoYHbfSBp13kgKSQZFdaI_FH9lDfdu9RqK56w-53xCPUvjsmg11CAlvoidM7fsuIe1sClFnDz86hEdI-IO8f5NJoVeP_Kyle4r8zCp1i2waIlNNEjEzUPOkD-AYlRGdpV_g/s1600/subway.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBLONhz_UAoYHbfSBp13kgKSQZFdaI_FH9lDfdu9RqK56w-53xCPUvjsmg11CAlvoidM7fsuIe1sClFnDz86hEdI-IO8f5NJoVeP_Kyle4r8zCp1i2waIlNNEjEzUPOkD-AYlRGdpV_g/s1600/subway.png" /></a></div>New Yorkers are stylish and well-dressed. I don't think fat or frumpy people live in Manhattan. Or maybe they do but they weren't the same places I was. Either way, it was fun to watch all the people walking by and try to guess by their attire whether they were locals or tourists.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRBR_E87afWtvm9P9_rysAgX9Ox8-OnOUSSN6y0gmIxCervwckacDR32LnmeC1OVXxHxqhXycu8EeajOcCoWu1VIvDdmD4svkx9E_ZTS94SLhDdONNamNULtX5bMxF9TjpDRGYUHSifw/s1600/coney2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRBR_E87afWtvm9P9_rysAgX9Ox8-OnOUSSN6y0gmIxCervwckacDR32LnmeC1OVXxHxqhXycu8EeajOcCoWu1VIvDdmD4svkx9E_ZTS94SLhDdONNamNULtX5bMxF9TjpDRGYUHSifw/s1600/coney2.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXmCJqrNuWULGilEXFojikjRVbLFbUz8S6r3pf2tlHlGiQHRIy3JGWi4yGuSeXhbdviLAfHGTpEvaNjB9nWdhGoYAYTCYGqNIvZrFQEl9AhxF6lESvSRcrKmK_caiLikg7djcYSfp1kc/s1600/coney3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXmCJqrNuWULGilEXFojikjRVbLFbUz8S6r3pf2tlHlGiQHRIy3JGWi4yGuSeXhbdviLAfHGTpEvaNjB9nWdhGoYAYTCYGqNIvZrFQEl9AhxF6lESvSRcrKmK_caiLikg7djcYSfp1kc/s1600/coney3.png" /></a></div>New Yorkers utilize public transportion. One day, Danylle and I rode the subway from Manhattan to Coney Island to Queens and back. Not on purpose, but only for TWO DOLLARS. We walked almost everywhere. Or took a shuttle, a taxi, or even a pedicab. (I don't recommend the latter. I felt so guilty the whole time our skinny little bike peddler sweated his way up the street). Did you know that Penn Station is like the airport of trains? Well it is. For $12 you can go to Boston from Manhattan, which we almost did, but changed our minds at the last second. But you could.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PAkyxCpbMB0bv_p-nra6oGI2vfl1yKsqz-51zcHAK5dOik24kv0RBhtyrjKSgMVc8ajGUKbk4Xhaf_mE3ZhTa90kilkT2iEYhVHfnmf0RFZMgdmPoPdmM_mSl7ibY4THO_rFf688bRM/s1600/bridge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PAkyxCpbMB0bv_p-nra6oGI2vfl1yKsqz-51zcHAK5dOik24kv0RBhtyrjKSgMVc8ajGUKbk4Xhaf_mE3ZhTa90kilkT2iEYhVHfnmf0RFZMgdmPoPdmM_mSl7ibY4THO_rFf688bRM/s1600/bridge.png" /></a></div>New Yorkers eat well. Did you know when I eat preservatives, I get a little sick for a few days? (Like, need to stay near a toilet sick. Ahem.) I loved not having to worry about that, because everywhere we ate the food was fresh and made from scratch. Not only that, but within walking distance there was ANY ethnicity of food we could ever imagine. And at the food carts I could get falafel or a fresh fruit smoothie or a spinach apple ginger fresh juice. In New York, I could eat ANYTHING I WANTED, WHENEVER I WANTED IT. And I didn't have to drive or cook or clean up after myself to get it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5tV0NRhgCiBOElw3PQ0TwnOwLgYCGwU8rgSuUCuvkMY0MPHN9QW6B6uOtUhp7N2yuLt3zdQ1uJf9RjP_C5a50HWLIeeTrFLi7FEJ0PHxiGsRsy5P2EVXu0KwvEgNbr_VkrkiKYROn3w/s1600/moma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5tV0NRhgCiBOElw3PQ0TwnOwLgYCGwU8rgSuUCuvkMY0MPHN9QW6B6uOtUhp7N2yuLt3zdQ1uJf9RjP_C5a50HWLIeeTrFLi7FEJ0PHxiGsRsy5P2EVXu0KwvEgNbr_VkrkiKYROn3w/s1600/moma.png" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYP7HTOEeZvw_LBTFjNXAJ_6pbevtLUHP9hUACi6RNnOKSAewbYVpvYQ_d6IzoDDl63W7qxbuGtVTlAPNWxFd9e_1hP6HztlURlqAib1AAIH3UfeXvUzDlFDhBYSGD6ZPnQ6dlTJ9Gc9A/s1600/Moma3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYP7HTOEeZvw_LBTFjNXAJ_6pbevtLUHP9hUACi6RNnOKSAewbYVpvYQ_d6IzoDDl63W7qxbuGtVTlAPNWxFd9e_1hP6HztlURlqAib1AAIH3UfeXvUzDlFDhBYSGD6ZPnQ6dlTJ9Gc9A/s1600/Moma3.png" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYE3mQ8qFhYyWtlvNHyF2cm3DDYtLSaY6ju7rAX8-TtpnRV8eaYzEWiEV9i3WeQU4asfqX6odl0WYSmiqkfFZIo6bjgnx8UMAJzLbXoKYmkGAJOguKJKSWQj_O-ca26ofc3ATzGAFoRMA/s1600/moma2.png" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m6tpQ402PLLSIlxG4TNR8_05pbnu6WHrJX1PIyyBcq2fpuw2de2C37MV9AuQTUIHb6Cu0qeSMJs9SfhgvfXJjcl4aOKrwJ5XLwO7XX2cysa4jA-S4YkQfRylnIz-FHGwK_2VDe0GEpw/s1600/met.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m6tpQ402PLLSIlxG4TNR8_05pbnu6WHrJX1PIyyBcq2fpuw2de2C37MV9AuQTUIHb6Cu0qeSMJs9SfhgvfXJjcl4aOKrwJ5XLwO7XX2cysa4jA-S4YkQfRylnIz-FHGwK_2VDe0GEpw/s1600/met.png" /></a></div>New Yorkers appreciate art. I think I could have used a full week to explore the Met. The MOMA was incredible, even if I did feel a little traumatized by some of the exhibits. Some works of art must be seen in real life to fully appreciate them, and New York is a great place to do that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_Ah9KR6HrNcuV9Hvb8ke3xIcVEXIf7bG38fxhlVyAxRGh_c8W8Q46IuMmH4JSiBEh5MZ5K5AvY-t1frmmTGx2m-M9tEMEt01ZVEt1GfdagfvOkbHdnKUbMH3QUr2AF5_g_k8fcd3UG4/s1600/library1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_Ah9KR6HrNcuV9Hvb8ke3xIcVEXIf7bG38fxhlVyAxRGh_c8W8Q46IuMmH4JSiBEh5MZ5K5AvY-t1frmmTGx2m-M9tEMEt01ZVEt1GfdagfvOkbHdnKUbMH3QUr2AF5_g_k8fcd3UG4/s1600/library1.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOacYQ5Au5mGpCdVE_eshrPvO_J0Ww3er5_YmYwUYunQb_t7_yrHXzwV33yQKOZHj0sJeNdD3yBNGJ8RPzuSg9kgdErFUo4cEv-q9Vj1yIQXXUyRtqMs0a7ynwjVjlYUF6LavIumlanhk/s1600/library2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOacYQ5Au5mGpCdVE_eshrPvO_J0Ww3er5_YmYwUYunQb_t7_yrHXzwV33yQKOZHj0sJeNdD3yBNGJ8RPzuSg9kgdErFUo4cEv-q9Vj1yIQXXUyRtqMs0a7ynwjVjlYUF6LavIumlanhk/s1600/library2.png" /></a></div>New Yorkers value architecture. We saw an old prison converted into a library. A Dunkin' Donuts in a building that rivals anything in downtown Salt Lake. The Brooklyn Bridge. Grand Central Station. And my favorite, the New York City library.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-h-Aqy6PShKCWlonTSFs83uAPyFkAyXL-ksj3Twr2Yt-c4o0pyggykuhmTw4sOxFSkNUufEqOAeGK_VE801PztJnFSMOtQSn2cAwM5crNO15TOaNrVApeev6xp5CyD51FKLNsftIsouM/s1600/centralpark.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-h-Aqy6PShKCWlonTSFs83uAPyFkAyXL-ksj3Twr2Yt-c4o0pyggykuhmTw4sOxFSkNUufEqOAeGK_VE801PztJnFSMOtQSn2cAwM5crNO15TOaNrVApeev6xp5CyD51FKLNsftIsouM/s1600/centralpark.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwzDOJuEgbeGDv_QDj163pbIUavzIe1qPrXQthMmv-bjYIJyEjqRLn_KVCNlPMBxRsWCOPwkkI9fYhaDF3voMr0SROpnUlbBSBxrNHOHQL1tAt7CWnUPG9vYoR4qzgpEx6qy0TEMD54Y/s1600/central2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwzDOJuEgbeGDv_QDj163pbIUavzIe1qPrXQthMmv-bjYIJyEjqRLn_KVCNlPMBxRsWCOPwkkI9fYhaDF3voMr0SROpnUlbBSBxrNHOHQL1tAt7CWnUPG9vYoR4qzgpEx6qy0TEMD54Y/s1600/central2.png" /></a></div>And can I just give Central Park its own paragraph? I sat on a park bench there, the day after arriving, and just cried. Because it was so quiet and hushed compared to the bustle of the city. Because I was with two friends who were the perfect travel mates. Because the little yellow ice cream cart beside me was playing Band of Horses and they had hand painted drawings of herbs on the side of the cart and WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD WOULD THEY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?<br />
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Nowhere else. There’s nothing like it.<br />
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<span id="goog_1553870220"></span><span id="goog_1553870221"></span>Rachel+Cohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01932780419139715504noreply@blogger.com8