Ooooops

This week has been a bit stressful, and in order to do the things I needed to get done, I had to neglect my blog. I've missed the last couple prompts of "on my mind," "something beginning with 'i,'" and "chair." Today's prompt is "fly" and surprisingly, it seems like waiting to write these all at once makes a lot more sense.

This past week has been spent stressing over a cover letter for a job application. This isn't just any job to me, it's a start in a new direction, a way into a world that I have finally realized is the right one for me, and a chance to live a little out of the ordinary. I already have an insane hatred of cover letters, and in some cases I don't really understand the point. In others, like this one, I get it, but I instantly become the most insecure, incapable person while trying to sell myself in a half page letter that is supposed to convince a stranger to take a chance, interview and possibly hire me. No pressure, right?

So that's what has been on my mind the last week, from last Thursday til now. Why now? Because I just sent it in. I sent in my application, and the only thing that I can do is hope that this amazing website takes a chance on me. Hell, I probably should just send them this blog entry and be like, "see? I right good."

Back to the point, cover letters have been "on my mind" because I was stressing over this application, my "i" words are insecure and incapable because no matter how good at something I know I am, that fear creeps when I have to explain why I think I'm going to be the person they want in said cover letters.

That leaves "chair" from yesterday, and "fly" for today's post. Here's my set up at a local Starbucks:

My laptop, water, a drink, crumpled napkins, snack bags, my phone, chargers, and most importantly, the chair that has been my home for the past couple hours while I tried to hammer this out. This chair has been my inspiration to get this done because it's terrible for my back and incredibly uncomfortable. The sooner I got my stuff done, the sooner I don't have to sit in it. Makes sense, right?

I'll write my post for today a bit later, I need to take a break. I need to let my brain calm down and do some yoga to help recover from all this sitting. I'm also not going to post where I applied or anything about the job, because in case something comes of it, I know I'll be incredibly superstitious about it. If the reviewing parties read this post, thanks for looking into what I'm all about. I hope you like me!

Mellow Yellow

Well, I have succumbed to a challenge presented by my friend/writing-encourager Marlon. Last month he decided to take an Instagram photo-a-day challenge and use each photo prompt as a writing prompt. He suggested I do it, but I chickened out (I really need to stop doing that).

So here I am, March 1, writing about yellow. There's so much I could write about. Yellow is my favorite color, I have so many items of yellow clothing, my high school colors were blue and gold and my college was black and gold, I have a lemon tree, a yellow ribbon ('round the ol' oak tree).. Needless to say, I really enjoy yellow. I decided on something different, something not many people know about.

A yellow rose. 

Yellow roses are usually brought in sympathy, but there's nothing sympathetic about this plant. In my eyes, roses will forever represent my family. My grandfather was a test gardener for Jackson & Perkins so we have a few unnamed roses in our yard. After he passed away in 1988, my mom continued to take care of them. We have about 15 planted around our front and backyards, beautifully fragrant and bold in color. This specific plant is one of the unnamed ones. It is tucked back behind our garage, roughly 40 years old and I think it holds a grudge against me. 

The size of this rose vise is deceiving. In the winter, it's small, trimmed back to preserve it's resources, in the late spring and summer, it grows to great heights. I have walked or backed myself into this behemoth countless times, each time ending in thorns stuck in my clothes and my skin. It spent the majority of my youth scarring/scaring me from going into that part of the yard.  

But now, we have seemed to come to terms with each other. I am much more mellow (and careful) and I've learned to love nature a lot more. I think the rose knows because it keeps giving me these:

Happy March! 

4 months later.

Well, that was an unexpected break from this thing, but a lot can happen in 4 months.

I decided to give NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) a go... whoa. I wrote about 30,000 words in a month, while working graveyard and barely sleeping, so to say it was difficult is an understatement. I have a beautiful half written story that would be somewhat of my fairy tale life, but it doesn't need my attention right now.

I went head first into college basketball season and loving it and my team is doing really well. Work was awful, and I barely slept most of the time, so November through January was kinda awful other than basketball. I did a lot of friend, and regular housecleaning, and since then I've felt a lot better about things. And as of the end of January, I'm no longer working.... again. So, 2014 is yet another adventure, but an adventure with lots of goals and a good outlook.

Here's my list of goals for 2014:
- write more
- cook more
- write about cooking more
- go on adventures, near and far
- write more about cooking without an oven
- budget and use some of the money that I've saved for the baking adventure to get it off the ground
- get tattooed
- get a new oven
- bake and bake and bake some more
- secure a fantastic job that makes me happy and isn't an awful environment
- do really fun things and write about them
- get a new computer and camera

I'm actually really excited about this year. It didn't exactly start off the way I wanted to, but I truly believe that things happen for a reason and it's never for the reason you believe or when you want them to happen. I have working and researching for the last 2 years what it will take to get this baking excursion off the ground, but it hasn't happened yet, much to my dismay. However I know that it will this year. I'm hoping to have it going by the holidays so I can provide delicious things for lots of people.

Here's to starting the year in March and not paying attention to the actual calendar when you're pursuing dreams.

So, a heck of a lot has happened over the past few months.. every thing from working every day for almost 2 months straight to losing my job, 4 months later. Needless to say, it's been one hell of an adventure. The good thing about all of this is that I am in a far better place emotionally, physically and mentally and I know that a difficult chapter is now behind me. Far, far, far behind me. I'll probably joke about how my migraines have magically disappeared and I laugh a lot more now, but for almost 3 years, I felt that horrible sense of dread each and every day. Now, its gone and while things might be rough here and there, I have a TON to look forward to.

Here's a little background about me, since I declare this my very first post as a "food blogger" and hopefully, a writer of the all things tasty:

My name is Angela and I'm in my late twenties. My dream life would consist of a owning and baking for a small, neighborhood bakery/coffeehouse, doing custom work on the side and living in an original Craftsman house. I will adjust my schedule for a Long Beach State basketball game and will be happy watching college basketball every day for the rest of my life. I'm born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area so, yes, I am a Lakers, Dodgers and Kings fan. I've been in and around a kitchen almost as long as I can remember. My mom, grandma and aunt have taught me to cook and to experiment with food, even if that means ending up with something rather odd and weird. In my opinion, there are few things more comforting than a warm cup of tea, a rainy day, a book and a place to curl up, yet I love the hustle and bustle of a busy city.

All in all, I guess you could say that I'm a big conundrum. I like bunches of things, don't really fit in a societal "label" and want to experience everything I possibly I can.

Funny random facts about me:
- I HATE bananas, absolutely everything about them. I'm not quite sure either, I used to eat them when I was little.
- I once told a girl after an open mic night that her voice sounded "delicious" because it "sounds the way hot chocolate tastes." I'm pretty sure she thought I was crazy.
- My friends have told me I can be a bit of an "old man" because I love cardigans, loafers and whiskey.
- I was a Resident Assistant in college and am still good friends with quite a few of my residents.
- In 4th grade, I was taller than my teacher who was 5'2", that same year, I kicked a kickball onto the roof of a classroom.
- Throwing shotput and discus in college was one of the best experiences I've ever had and miss it every spring.
- It's really hard to gross me out, although people of all ages seem to try. I guess that's what I get for working with the football team in high school.

I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see. I'm planning on posting different recipes of things I've made, reviews of places I go and anything else food related. Hopefully my commentary is interesting enough!