i am in the midst of redesigning this whole site.  [how many years have i been doing that?]  i’m excited to be blogging again and have a million things to say.  but all i can focus on right now is a deodorant called teen spirit.  i was a big nirvana fan back in the day, [...]

welcome back dear readers. we were offline for a while thanks to a misunderstanding between the site host and me. boy did that kick off a lousy day. on the upside, i think i successfully white balanced my camera to take this shot. at the bottom you can see the little yellow glow from a pleasant daffodil surprise.

another surprise, roasted broccoli thrown in to some leftover pasta with homemade tomato sauce. the pasta lost its al denténess (does that make sense?) and i needed something to liven up the leftovers. it worked! was that an exclamation point? i guess my lousy day got better!

why are there more readers here now that i’m on hiatus? anyway, change is in the air and that is exciting. i miss blogging a bit, but am grateful for being able to redirect my energy elsewhere for a while. thank you dear readers for coming back and spreading the good word about almost foodies.

i’ve mentally checked out for a bit. i have so many things to share with you, but am struggling to organize my thoughts. i feel like i’m an all or nothing kind of gal, and when it’s an all moment, i just need to let my head spin for a bit until things come together. 2008 does not seem to be the year of the blog. i must admit to losing interest after accidentally wiping out that trusty old layout a few months back.

the above photo takes me out of my spinning head for a second to remember a photo series i was developing years ago (at a time when i never thought about a photo series and that i was actually developing one). there is somethig interesting about the focus on the ladder in the foreground that i like. i don’t even feel like completing this thought process. i need to go find those old photos.

anyway, please bear with me while i get my shit together. in the meantime, you can check out a few recent photos of the big troy night out afterparty (the hottest thing the last friday of every month in the city where i live (i don’t feel good about calling it my city because it’s not totally my jam)). oh and of course the soup swap! i have some great stories to share about that. more soon!

i revisited working with shrinky dinks last night and it didn’t go too well. i’m trying to make fun magnets to give away next week. why in the heck am i spending so much time doodling, shrinking plastic (with my head almost in the oven watching) and then photographing the results instead of calculating proportions and making a giant batch of chili? because i’m nene! (and my brain is on possible overload) i’ve got to come up with a different shape…

i’ve been gettin’ my doodle on trying to come up with a cute soup swap party favor for the big day next week. i should probably be trying to perfect my chili recipe instead.

sometimes i get lost in a sea of e. they always seem to creep into my doodles. it’s kind of like pressing the c button on a calculator. drawing out e’s helps me to clear my mind, focus and recharge for what’s next. right now i feel like i could spend an afternoon on some e’s. i’m sure my temporary employers would like that.

back to the soup. i am psyched for soup! i’m not exactly sure how many people will be showing up. i haven’t done a great job of promoting the event and fear that my cheerleading skills have faded a bit. there is still time!

is it a good idea to be looking for a new job while planning a wedding and searching for a house? today i am overwhelmed, but grateful for having so many options.

yeah, we have a lot of homies. they might make another appearance at our wedding. good times…

i decided to put up soup swap flyers at work today. i don’t know too many people, and wonder what they will think of national soup swap day. i’ve already had to “defend” my need to take pictures of food. most of the office people are probably wondering who i am. (i usually refer to myself as the temp, but not that temp.) but it’s not about me (i swear), it’s all about the soup. i am all about bringing people together through food. if i were to finally get around to writing the “about me” section of this website, that would definitely be mentioned. (it’s starting to seem like it’s all about me here, but that is not the case.)

on a side note, i am really trying to “get things done” in 2008. even if it means putting out a flyer that i could’ve spent more time on, to look a bit more nenetastic. (to all of you newer readers, nene is my nickname, and hello!) instead, i decided to get the facts out there and move on to the next task. i’m having mixed feelings about it. (it being the decision not to spend an overwhelming amount of time on something to look a certain way, when the message can be communicated in a simpler manner.)

anyway, it will be interesting to see new co-workers mixed with a handful of almost foodies and a couple of other people i don’t know. i just hope we don’t have any secret soup poisoners in the mix. (and that could be someone rolling up with a reconstituted box of mrs. grass. oh how i used to love that stuff. i once popped the golden flavor nugget to find out what was inside. my favorite green shirt was ruined from the grease stains. it was worth it for my first rebellious act in the kitchen.)

it really is the little things that help get you through a rough day as a temp working in an office cubicle. no holiday pay? no year end bonus? no sick time? my crushed spirit is on its way out though. yay!

(do you see the purple post-it notes under the unicorn’s nostril? another little thing!)