You win some, you lose some…
Tonight I’m testing out EverPress, a WordPress plugin that will send the notes in a shared Evernote notebook directly to Femme Flavor. If this gets sent to draft and I can pull it up, add tags, and publish when it posts at the designated time, then this will be a fab way to keep a running list of possible blog fodder over the course of a day. [Edited to add: I haven’t gotten this working yet, and I’m not sure if it’s something I haven’t configured properly or a glitch in the update time alignment between Evernote, WP, and my PC – will look into it more, but in the meantime, just gonna copy and paste the post]
Today seems to have gone by in a bit of a blur; kicking it off with two hours in the car probably didn’t help, but seriously, no idea where the last 10 or so hours have gone. I did manage to do my semi-annual bulk lingerie shopping, hit the hardware store, and pick up enough groceries to keep the bottomless pit satisfied for the week.
I also decided that there is no reason I cannot use my crock pot in my bedroom.
Let me explain.
For starters, I have the most ridiculously ill-equipped kitchen pretty much known to femmekind. There are two wall cabinets – two! – and one outlet aside from the one the large appliances use. Said usable outlet is at chest height across from the sink. There is zero native surface/work area aside from the dish drain, which is of the old school sink and drainboard over metal drawers and plumbing cabinet variety. There is one small decorative shelf over the stove, which is home to my three bottles of Marilyn merlot and my Marilyn glass set. There are two functional shelves on the opposite wall, two feet wide and eight inches deep. Most of my spices, coffee/tea/cocktail supplies, etc. live there. There is a small radiator taking up two feet of floor real estate, above which I have mounted a paper towel holder and our family calendar. I put a 6 shelf narrow bookcase in the kitchen to house remaining dishes, pantry goods, and cookbooks, and a five-drawer wire rack system holds Tupperware, snacks for the boy, paper goods, and miscellany. I recently bought a piece of plywood to put on top of this for additional dish drying space, because I hate doing dishes and pretty much always wait until I’m literally washing them to use them before tackling the chore as a whole.
My best friend found a microwave stand for me shortly after I moved in, so my ice maker and microwave are on that, and my coffeepot and grinder sit atop the microwave, and I have wraps, baggies, dishes, and occasional-use appliances – mixer, toaster, rice cooker, crock pot – below. This is in front of the one outlet. Another friend, who is much better at Tetris-ing space than I, moved things around to maximize use of the outlet by rigging a power strip along the wall so I’m not constantly playing musical plugs. I bought a two-foot-square butcher block table with knife storage that fits perfectly between sink and stove, and that is my only workable surface. This is a killer for a girl who loves to bake, cook multi-step entrees, and create elaborate appetizer spreads.
So tonight, I was turning in a grim circle, trying to find an alternative to moving the coffeepot and grinder to the floor, or running an extension cord across the kitchen (making the walk to the bathroom potentially deadly for a 14 year old with ADHD whose meds wear off by dinnertime).
Enter the newly-relocated dresser in my room.
Conveniently situated in front of an outlet, with plenty of surface area for not only the crock pot, but a kitchen towel and spoon rest, I can think of no reason aside from social convention to keep my cooking in the kitchen. I certainly don’t allow other societal expectations to dictate the way I live my life; why should this be any different? So the savory aroma of slowcooked meatballs replaces the usual Midsummer’s Night of my boudoir. I suppose if the way to a [butch, boy, boi, man, grizzly bear]’s heart is through his stomach, this just might catch on.
Today’s lead: Nope. Slacked.
Today’s home office prep step: Epic fail with the Everpress thing, so far. But I am determined to get it working, and since Evernote syncs across my work and home computers as well as my phone, this will be invaluable.
Today’s brainstorm: I’ve always known this about myself, but I think I need to really start thinking about how I can turn it into a business opportunity: my favorite kind of writing is correspondence. I love love love writing to someone, about almost anything, but especially when the topic is one about which we are both/all passionate, and when there is something to be learned rather than just data being collected and regurgitated.
And now, to finish folding and putting away laundry, and check on the meatballs. Cuz I can do that pretty much all at once tonight.
I want meatballs.
I will make them for you. I will even make them from scratch so they are Lisita-friendly.