The Metaphorical Magpie

My life is about to profoundly change

This morning I walked into work and whisked into a meeting called at the last moment. On the way downstairs, I walked by a room full of ashen faced editors that had a preview of the news to come. Evidently, our financial picture is bleaker here than any of us imagined. We all thought some changes may come around soon, most likely another round of buyouts for employees at retirement age. Instead we were told that in two months, our paper may be sold if two major conditions are not met. The first condition is 200 employees must apply for a voluntary buyout. The second requires coming to terms with a union. If only one of these issues is resolved. We will be sold. If we do attain both goals, our stripped down staff would face being shuffled into other departments where we may be more "useful." If we are sold, our jobs will no longer be secure and will most likely be required to apply for own jobs again.

The announcement came as a total shock. People are walking around dazed, teary eyed, defiant, or vacillating between those options. Others muttered something about cocktails. I broke out some pretzels and chips and offered people a place to snack and joked with them to keep things as light as I can.

A story on the situation was posted on our website. The comments on the post are ridiculous and rude. News helicopters are flying over our building getting footage for the evening news. Stories are popping up on our situation on other news sites.

Sweets and I have some serious number crunching and soul searching to do right now.

Is this a blogging moment?

Remember all those tomatoes I scored last week? J-Po came over on her night off and we cooked together. Although she has to be the slowest sous chef ever, she does do a damn fine job in the kitchen. After selecting vintage aprons to wear, we got set up at our work stations. I cored and diced tomatoes. J-Po took on finely chopping garlic and shallots. While a pot of ravioli cooked, we made a quick, fresh sauce. The garlic was sauteed in olive oil, then in went the tomatoes, salt and pepper. After the tomatoes were warmed in went a handful of chopped oregano and parsley from the garden and minced shallot stirred in right at the end. As I worked on mixing the sauce with the ravioli, she turned to the table, picked up my point and shoot and asked "Is this a blogging moment?" I froze and waved off the camera.

When I am thoroughly enjoying something I find it is hard for me to document it. There are things I want to photograph to help me remember later. And then there are things that if I stop to photograph I think the moment will be robbed of its special shine. Yes, I'm sure the ravioli would have made a pretty photo, I just wasn't feeling in blogger mode. I was in enjoying my friend's company mode.

Throughout this week, that question "Is this a blogging moment?" has returned to me many times. I wonder if I can adequately describe the fawn I saw at the edge of the parkway, golden in the long slanting light of early evening sun, fur freckled with white dollops. Or the hawk I spotted flying quite low over the parkway median turn up and rise, it's wings unfurling in a flash of burnt sienna, only to be hidden by trees after a mere few flaps from it's powerful wings. Or why I'd like to write about them at all. The sight of them this evening on my journey home was exhilerating to me but is it worthy of a blogging moment.

Somehow, after passing my blogging anniversary, I feel serious about it again. As if this better be a serious undertaking if I've dedicated over four years to this past time. The monthly Typepad cost is gnawing at me . I feel the urge to be more productive. To have more blogging moments.

But maybe I'll wait until the summer is over. Right now there are lightning storms to watch, growing watermelons to touch, berries to put up and skeeball to be played. Maybe some of those will turn into blogging moments. Now that I know to ask.

Up, up and away

I've talked a little bit in the past few months about the new video program I'm participating in at work. To be honest, I've been struggling more than a little trying to learn new software and find the time to do the editing, which is tremendously time consuming for someone who moves at a snail's pace right now. I've had to take a break from shooting in the last few weeks to catch up with editing what I've already shot. There has been some recent  progress for me in understanding the Final Cut Pro. Hopefully, very soon, I'll be blazing along and forget these uncomfortable moments I'm having now. As soon as I have a finalized video to share I will post it here.

In the meantime, I'll fill you in on the real reason we are dedicating staff to producing video. On our newspaper website NJ.com, we just soft launched Ledger Live. This is a five minute newscast that is broadcast live from our newsroom. (You may even catch a glimpse of me in the background some days!) A reporter, Brian Donohue (who has a very Clark Kent-y vibe about him), anchors the show, delivering news of the day and introducing video pieces the team I am on is producing. This is a very, very cool new thing we are doing and I hope you'll check it out. Especially if you line in NJ. Even if you don't the feature pieces are so amazing that it doesn't matter where you are tuning in from.

Each weekday at noon, you can tune in to watch the show being broadcast live at noon or visit the Ledger Live blog page anytime after 12:30 pm to see at your leisure, the whole show or individual videos, chime in with comments and more. So tune in! You can also embed or share the show and videos. Pretty nifty, eh?

Today, take a gander at this piece on hot air ballooning shot by Andre Malok. Breathtaking views, I promise. I thought it was appropriate to announce the takeoff of the program.

Ballooning over New Jersey

Pinching pennies, produce, results

Recently, I wrote about the weird food hoardy feelings I've been getting and found I was not alone. The cost of food is unquestionably on the rise. Our food bill has gone up in the past few months even with my eyes on the bottom line. Here are a few of my penny pinching tips.

Find out if your grocery store puts items like produce, baked goods, store prepared meals and more on clearance. Some stores don't. I don't shop at those often. Hey, I like the thrill of the hunt. Next find out when they put out the stuff. It may be worth changing the time of day you swing in if you can scoop up major discounts. Like the pints of seafood bisque for 25 cents I once scored. I've been really keeping an eye on the produce department at my regular store. This week I popped in, on a day I wouldn't usually shop and at an unusual time for me. Well, jackpot!!! My planned quick stop for milk and coffee landed me lots of unexpected extras. And an admission from the cashier what day is produce delivery day. (Evidently "the man" doesn't want you to know these things.) Now I know, to drop in the day before they get new stock.

The score:
* Six pints of blueberries for 30 cents each (these were local grown in Hammonton, NJ)

* Twenty one vine riped tomatoes for $2

*Three packages of blackberries for 60 cents

* Two raspberry packs for 75 cents

* Four red peppers for $1

* A pound of big stuffing mushrooms for $1.20 (local enough from a Pa. grower)

* Four pounds of strawberries for $2.25

* Six cukes for 60 cents

Some tip on buying produce on the cheap:
* Be discerning. If it looks spoiled or on the cusp, pass it by. For something like berries, if you see one or two berries that are off and the rest look good, at prices like those above give it a shot.

* Know what things cost at full retail price. Some bargains are better than others. For instance that blueberry stash was worth about $12 if I had bought them at the front of the store.

* Have the time to deal with your perishable haul soon. Most of those blueberries and half of the blackberries are already slumbering in the deep freeze. Tomatoes will be turned into a fresh sauce over ravioli for a dinner and a nice salad for lunches.

*Share your bounty with someone who can use it. My sister is feeling the pinch trying to feed four perpetually hungry boys. Some of my haul will go straight to those little guys. As do kid friendly staples I stock up on when I find seriously good  prices. If you want to extend beyond people you know, check in with your local food bank and ask if they will take produce from the store (or even from your about to bust vegetable patch).

Other things to look for on sale at supermarkets:
* My store usually discounts bakery items and puts them near the cashiers. Evenings are usually a good time to find the best selection on those.

* Also at night, store prepared sushi, chinese food, soups, rotisserie chickens etc are discounted. I hardly ever buy  prepared  foods but one of my friends loves these deals in particular.

* Recently over by the deli area, I stumbled upon this little area where meat ends are sold. They are packed up two ways. Either as a  hunk of unsliced meat, such as roast beef, ham, turkey or in a quart sized container full of surprise contents. Usually cheese isn't included but I did find some in the containers recently. The containers are usually priced at $1. The hunks can be priced at $1-$2 per pound. On this last trip I got some turkey for 32 cents. Once I got pastrami that retails for $8 per pound at the deli counter for $1 per pound this way. These deli cuts are great for making chef salads or sandwiches. A nice small ham end cubed up will add great flavor to a soup. I've found the best selection in this area after a heavy day at the deli. Usually the first day of weekly sales.

* The floral department also does clearance at this store. Bouquets of a single type of flower are about $1. A little mixing and matching and I've got a great arrangement for less than five bucks.

I hope these tips help you put some dough back in your (reusable) bag next time you check out. I've got some more grocery shopping tips to share soon.

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Today marks my fourth blogiversary. It just seems remarkable to me that I've stuck to it for so long.

This past year was  great one for blogging. I feel like I really got my bearings. Over the winter, I found myself feeling desolate and dark, unsure how to proceed here and out in the real world. This community I find myself in here, reached out to me and helped light the way. People who extended their friendship and grace in so many varied ways to me this year like Joan, Darlene, M. Heart, Kristen, Denise, Susanna, Leonie, Caroline, Nicole, Shannon, Lisa, Jek, Marilyn really made this blogging year special for me.

I used to get hung up on the need to post as frequently as others. Be as creative or thought provoking. Now I am more comfortable just going at my own pace, realizing there is never enough time to do all the things I want to do. Picking and choosing becomes easier. Continuing to be here, at the Metaphorical Magpie, and amongst you is something I choose to do. Knowing it is a choice rather than an obligation somehow makes me feel less crazy. And aware of the honor it is to interact with you all here.

As I move into my fifth year of blogging, I hope for more of the community feeling I've enjoyed in this past year. I hope to meet more of you in real life - to hear your laughter and thoughts as they come to you before there is a chance to self edit at the keyboard. I hope we can band together to do some common good in the world. I hope to continue cheering for you and comforting you as you do the same for me. I hope the year is a long one, so I may savor each moment.

I hope you'll taste it with me.

Thank you for coming here this past year and years past. And for hopefully, continuing on for many years to come.

The Accidental Careerist

Today, I was walking through the newsroom with a precocious summer intern that is still in high school. As we passed the desk of my very first editor, I stopped to introduce them to each other. I began working for the editor when I was seventeen at the beginning of my senior year in high school. I thought I was going to be the next great American author back then. As editor of my high school's literary magazine and newspaper, I was steered toward a good paying after school job at the local newspaper. That was almost twenty years ago. Over the years, we both found ourselves at the larger paper we work for now.

I told the intern (who is also seventeen and about to start his senior year) today to be careful of accidentally having a career choose him. Who knows what will happen if he hangs out with us newsies for long. Yesterday my advice for the day was to not let being in love with some adorable drug addict ruin your college education/life.  if he learns one thing at all this summer, let it be this one. Of course, we are teaching him all sorts of important photographic things about apertures and f-stops and giving him an entrance into places and situations most people do not get to venture in. Such as Yankees stadium, a fashion shoot, a murder scene. He breathes it all in and wants more. If I squint my eyes and cock my head juuuust right, I  can remember  that breathless youthfulness.

I've got to thinking about all the jobs I've thought were possibly right for me over the years. If I hadn't fallen into my accidental career.

Librarian at the New York City library
Dancer for Madonna tour
Ornithologist
Actress
Writer
Massage therapist
Chef
Celebrant
Lunch truck lady
Documentary filmmaker
Forensic photographer
Police detective
Gardener
Realtor
Tour guide at the Hearst mansion
Park ranger on the Olympic Peninsula
Talk show host
News radio announcer
Soap maker

There have been times I have desperately wanted to do something else. I've done considerable research on several of the professions above. I wonder if I'll ever make the leap. And which one I would ultimately choose. Does my list of professions tell something about me or have some common thread that I can't see for myself?

Did you choose your work? Or did it choose you? If you could start over what would you be?

Summer pleasures

Last summer whizzed by me in the post-wedding haze. This year, I'm trying to occasionally pause and enjoy the little somethings that make the season sing. Some of the best bits so far:

Saving jars for my nephews to turn into temporary firefly homes

Sitting on the front porch at dusk watching the little phospherent buggers dance

Appreciating the long slanting summer light in early evening as I come home from work from working the day shift for the first time in years

Neopolitan ice cream sandwiches

Summer girlfriend road trip with Cyndemouse

The messy mulberry tree planted on our fence line, that I mostly hate for it's berry mess  in the yard, except for the one weekend of the year it becomes alive with birds tussling over it's glossy sweet fruit. I saw an oriole for the first time ever! Mulberry trees attract 40 varieties of birds.

Having a backyard barbecue so good, even a vegetarian could love it

Fireworks that are such a hassle to get to but so rewarding to watch

Sleeping with the windows open and the fan on overhead for a delicious breeze

Giving away tomato plants

Strangers pausing to compliment our garden

Working amongst the branches well after dark

Fish tacos from Surf Taco

Trips to the library

Going to bed early to read

Getting up early to a waiting pot of coffee and a quiet house

Italian ice

Realizing I can direct out-of -towners to good local spots- unless they are naughty

To join or not to join

I find myself in the mood for joining lately but then actually doing the activity... not so much. It's not so much that I don't WANT to do the thing. I do. I really, really do. I just never have a scrap of time at my disposal. Or so it seems. Maybe if I read less blogs I'd have more time. I definitely wouldn't be finding links to more and more things to join up and do if I wasn't scoping out your blogs.

I joined One Local Summer and I've only contributed one meal so far. Part of this is because I am a stickler. I really want all my ingredients to be local to participate. I've been thinking about what markets to visit and which things to stock up on. I've been cooking, of course. Homemade hummus, pizzas from scratch, pasta salad studded with salmon, lentils drenched with yogurt. We just harvested our first two eggplants. I suppose whatever they become should be featured as a local dish. Right now they are resting on the counter waiting for me to make up my mind about their fate.

Over the weekend, I was over at Secret Notebooks * Wild Pages and followed M.'s lead over to Rebekah of Sunnybrook Farm Designs to join her Summer Reading Groupies . This one, I can do. My town's library recently extended the amount of time we can check a book out for to a whole month. In June, I happily piled my arms up. Mid-month, I returned half of my loaners and tonight I went back to drop off and select  another bundle. I tend to grumble about the quality of my town library. They don't participate in our county library system and it pisses me off to no end. If I want to use any of the libraries that are in the county network, I'll have to pay a pretty hefty annual fee. So for now, I'm making due with my sometimes laughably out of date possibilities and delighting in some of the old books that a hipper library might have rotated out long ago.

Tonight, I stopped over at Sticking to the Point to learn Kristen has joined an intriguing group, 100 Strangers, which challenges you to stop complete strangers and make their portraits. I'm quite happy  doing street photography of hapless strangers. The concept of engaging them does appeal to me. Now that I've started shooting video regularly, I've been pretty amazed at how nonplussed most people are about being shot. Tonight, I will sleep on this idea of 100 Strangers. Who knows what I'll join if I meet 100 more people to influence me.

In closing, I leave you with one of my favorite Groucho Marx quotes: "“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."

Magic underfoot

 

Over the weekend, Lisa put up a that captured my imagination. She wondered if you had a magic carpet where would you go? I answered right away.

When I was a child, a book that made an impression on me was The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit, a sequel to Five Children and It. I was also enchanted by The Little Lame Prince by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik. (Which you can read in it's entirety here along with other favorite bedtime stories. In both books, the characters are able to hop on a magic carpet and fly off to where they want to be. That concept just dazzled me as a kid. It still does really.

In the first apartment I had, I purchased two oriental rugs. These were big money purchases for me in those days. In one room of the apartment we laid the rich red carpet out, pushed the furniture to the corners of the rooms and spent hour upon hour lounging on that carpet listening to music, balancing cups of Pepsi and passing the pipe. During that time, my house became the hangout for our group of friends. They were practically always there. Even more than I even knew. Apparently, they'd leave when I went to work and then wait a while, go back to the house to hang out with my boyfriend and then leave before I came home. I came home to a quiet house and started preparing dinner for the crowd that would inevitably arrive soon after. Our group became the Magick Karpet Posse.  We believed in the magic of our carpet.

Over the years, there was squabbling amongst us about who could use the name and when. I felt because I owned the carpet I could use the name. Another friend wanted the right to throw parties under the name and was mad if I did. Eric, ended up being the keeper of the name. He's started a record label using it.   

The carpet moved with us to another apartment a few years later. That's the last I remember of the carpet. I wonder if someone rode off on it to a faraway land.

Go tell Lisa where you'd go if you had the chance to ride away.