My wife and I watched Julie & Julia last night, and I have to say that I really enjoyed the movie. While I got a kick out of Amy Adam's role of Julie, it was Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child that had me smiling throughout the movie. I am by no means an expert on the biographical accuracy of Mrs. Child, I just know that I loved the lady and her belief that cooking, really good cooking, should be accessible to all.
Julia had a way of taking a simple dish, like eggs, and reminding the viewer that the dish was special in its simplicity. She'd also take those same eggs and remind us that they needed to be done properly in order to really appreciate them, and then she'd show us how to execute the process step by step, making no assumptions of the viewers expertise on the subject other than the expectation that they'd be impressed with the final outcome.
That video just happens to be the first one a YouTube search brought up for Julia Child, and yet it really epitomizes what I admire in her.
Anyways, I got a little fired up about writing again, and while I don't really have any following, let alone any deadlines over here on my little online journal, I have to admit that I had began to feel a little ashamed of myself for not keeping up with putting my thoughts down on record. I think I've been somewhat reluctant to write because I've got many things going on in life at the moment, yet it seems so many of them either don't really need recording, or, I'm ashamed to say, that I just haven't had more than the desire to do something new, without the means to do it.
How about a list of things I've been meaning to do?
- Weaving- I'm not quite sure where this is coming from, but I've got this tremendous desire to learn to weave. On a loom. With natural fibers. I've been reading reviews, checking out videos, shopping various retailers, and perusing a number of blogs for information about smaller laptop and table top looms. Some time ago I picked up supplies and watched a number of videos about Loom Knitting, and it's fun, but the product just didn't really seem to practical for me because everything I was doing came out looking a bit too "puffy" and crocheted, which is fine for many ladies but really didn't satisfy the want I have to make everyday usable items for myself. The idea of weaving on a loom gives one the ability to make something like fine cotton or wool material that can then be sewn into something practical. I don't mean to say that knitting and crocheting don't produce practical items, but that they seldom produce very masculine goods. I've got some crazy idea that I may be able to learn to weave well enough to actually produce some Black Watch Tartan plaid material that I could utilize to make something I'd be proud to use. I figure I need to start somewhere, and the loom I'd like to get is called a Rigid Heddle loom. This kind of loom is small enough that I don't need an area the size of a baby grand piano to weave, yet still produces enough material that I could do more than simple fixed length items like tapestries or potholders. I'm thinking a Kromski brand Harp or Fiddle loom in the 16 to 20 inch width would suffice. We'll see.
- Wine/Beer- Ok, how sad is it that I identify myself as a homebrewer of beer and maker of wine, and yet for the whole of 2009 I've made none? I have been enjoying the fruits of last year's productivity until very recently when I had my last bottle of homebrew. I've got some time off work for the holidays in the next couple weeks and I may be able to get at least a batch of wine started, some beer into a primary fermenter, and finally get the mead I started way back in the last couple weeks of December 2007 into bottles. It is clear as glass now, and really need to get bottled and stored properly.
- Writing- I need to get back into the mindset of writing regularly. I see the mental cobwebs that come from not writing regularly whenever I get around to getting my thoughts out again, such as right here. The entries of a regular blog/journal almost write themselves when the author has been regular about posting. These thoughts get incongruous and hard to convey when I don't exercise my mind, or fingers, with capturing them via the keyboard.
- Cooking right- I've been a bad cook lately. I haven't been pushing any envelopes of creativity in the kitchen, nor have I been very actively pursuing healthy and balanced meal preparations. I will say that I found a new kitchen item that I'm really enjoying, but I'll save the details for another post. (It's a juicer!)
- Writing, part II- I've got some crazy idea that I've got enough crazy ideas that I could put together in some fashion of a book. There's not any one type that stands out at the moment, but I just have this yearning to create something that other people might find enjoyable enough to read a couple hundred pages of, and maybe ask me to write more. I know this one is about as likely as winning the lotto, but it's not like I have anyone besides myself to let down on this...
So, there's a start of things. Now I just need a start. Seems like a good place for a musical pick-me-up...
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