Mediocrity sucks when it comes to food

Have you ever eaten in a really mediocre restaurant and thought about whether the owner is ok with how mediocre his food is?

I have. It’s only because I LOVE reality television and watch things like Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, and Kitchen Nightmares. On these shows you get a glimpse of true culinary passion. Don’t regular restaurant owners have this same passion?

I don’t mean that all restaurants have to serve duck confit with broccoli rabe.  I mean, if you have a burger joint, you need to make a damn good burger.  If you have a Chinese restaurant you need to make excellent general Tso’s (without MSG for the love of all that is holy!).

Where I live we have at least 3 “greek” restaurants. These are the kind of restaurants with 6 page menus with food that varies from all different genres. They usually do breakfast pretty well, but you won’t catch me in there on a Friday night looking for a good meal.

So, it makes me wonder. Is the owner satisfied with this mediocre (dare I say lousy) cuisine that’s being made and served in his restaurant? Does he even care? We’re such a small town, people go to these restaurants because there’s no place else to go and they have late hours.

But are they really living the dream they had planned?

It's NaBloPoMo

So that's a really dumb title! It's National Blog Posting Month where a few years ago This blogger challenged other bloggers to blog every day for the month of November. SO I'm gonna go ahead and do that. 

(What? Yeah it's November 2nd at 9pm. What are you the time Nazi?!? I'll tell you what, I'll blog on December 1st too ok? Jeez get off my back.)

So I realized today why I love reading the blogs that I do (and stalk the authors on twitter). Their community is facinating. They don't really know eachother in person but they still "know" eachother. They have deep meaningful relationships because they share a passion. Mostly the people I read are passionate about food because that's what I love. (I find food people are more passionate people in general) 

I LOVE community. I love it even more when community breeds lasting, one on one, personal relationships. I love when these relationships integrate food! (I've lost 8 pounds and I'm gonna lose more, but I will always enjoy food and I ain't gonna stop eating the things that I love! That's for damn sure)

Cary and I don't have a ton of time to be a part of a community. (This is why we sit with friends at church until 11 o'clock at night sometimes talking about nothing.) We do realize how important it is, which is why I look for it anywhere I possibly can. Even if it's with strangers.

Which is why I want to blog. It provides an oportunity to start a conversation that I would have until 11 o'clock at night, every night, if I didn't work 60 hours a week. 

How 61 classes changed my life...

If you have me on Facebook, you'll notice that I check into Ladies Fitness Zone at least 3 times a week.  I don't do this to brag or become Mayor of LFZ (I think that's foursquare not FB) I do it for encouragment and accountability. 

 I LOVE IT THERE! It's the only fitness center I've ever felt so comfortable that it has become my home away from home.  Sometimes I go there to sit on the couch and have some quiet time. (Even though I have no children, my home is sometimes too distracting. What with all the animals.)

The most amazing thing to me is the amount of encouragment that goes on there. Usually if you get that many women in one place, it is ANYTHING BUT encouraging.  This place oozes positivity. Not the sugary sweet Pollyanna type positivity. It's more like Henry Ford saying "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't you're right." Everyone at Ladies Fitness Zone KNOWS you can, and they help you realize it. (The owner Janet Nevills RAWKS!)

The beautiful thing about the jazzercise is that you can use your own pace and workout however you feel comfortable. It’s the beauty of different in this place that creates that “rare air”

-Some of us have no rhythm but keep going to our own beat and never give up.

-Some of us have a LONG way to go and every class is our next challenging step. But we’re still doing it!

 -Some of us need the energy that comes from a good workout to get through our day.

-Some of us are moms who just need an hour of “me time” away from the kids.

And then there are those of us who just wanna dance like nobody is watching! (Trust me! Nobody is watching! We’re all just trying to match the instructor)

So all this week, I'll be there at least once a day. It's the 5 year anniversary of LFZ under the ownership of the amazing Janet Nevills. So if you join this week there is no joiner's fee! If you want to join me to try it out, LET ME KNOW! If you want to go without me, you can click here for a schedule of classes. To see everything they offer at LFZ you can go here.

I know this post just sounds like one GIANT advertisement but I can't begin to describe how much my life is different because of an amazing women's fitness center in downtown LaPorte.

Light and Darkness

So, this morning I woke up, went to church, listened to my pastor make hilarious jokes and give an excellent well constructed, thoughtful sermon. 

Then I came home with 2 hours left before I had to leave for work.

I opened some mail I had been neglecting for a few days and there was a bill for over $900 for the medical procedure because this particular medical group can't seem to file my insurance claims correctly. For some reason this REALLY bothers me. Even though I know it will be sorted out, it's extra work for me and sometimes the company lets it go so long it almost goes to a bill collector. 

Today however, it took me to a place I haven't been to in awhile.

I wanted to cry. Over something so insignificant.

I wanted to get in my PJs, stay in bed and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer all day.

I was feeling what I remembered as the fog of depression.

I haven't felt this way since I went off my depression meds last year. I actually had my doctor ween me off them because I felt like a walking Zombie who felt NOTHING. I also felt it was safe for me to go off the meds because things were going well and previously I was taking them for circumstance, not lousy wiring. 

I got to work and started reading my RSS feed and came upon this. It turns out, for those of us who may be predisposed to depression, this is the time of year that really messes with us.  This made me feel a tremendous sense of relief.  "It's ok, it's normal to feel a little blue around this time of year." Unfortunately this wasn't "a little blue". This was flat out, DEPRESSION.

I got up off the couch after I noticed the feeling and got busy packing my lunch and cleaning up around the house and by the time I was on my commute (in the sunshine) I was feeling much better.

I love snow.

Now I have 2 reasons to love the winter. ( you'll only understand that reference if you read the link above)

Oh Rob Bell, you will always have a piece of my heart!

I'm reading a highly controversial book by Rob Bell called:

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived

I have a soft spot for Rob Bell because Cary and I fell in love over one of his Nooma videos.  And of course, those of you who know me, know that I love a rebel!  Really I feel that he wrote this book to open up a line of communication. A conversation.  Too many times as a people group, we Christians don't like to talk about controversial stuff. We also, as humans, hate to admit that it's possible that we're wrong.  I'm not that far into the book, and to be honest, Bell's writing style kind of makes me nuts. 

I did however, stumble upon a gem in the 2nd chapter and wanted to share it because I feel like this is a common conversation I have with non-believers. It's about God being a "God of judgment"

"It's important to remember this the next time we hear people say they can't believe in a 'God of judgement.'

Yes, they can.
Often, we can think of little else.
Every oil spill,
every report of another woman sexually assaulted,
every news report that another political leader has silenced the opposition through torture, imprisonment, and execution,
every time we see someone stepped on by an institution or corporation more interested in profit than people,
every time we stumble upon one more instance of the human heart gone wrong,
we shake our fist and cry out,
'Will somebody please do something about this?'

We crave judgment,
we long for it,
we thirst for it.
Bring it,
unleash it,
as the prophet Amos says,
'Let justice roll on like a river' (chap. 5)"

It's true. I have friends....LOTS of them....who fight for those who've been wronged, to speak for those who have no voice, who are appalled by the injustice in society today. So it's interesting when they can't accept a God who is just as angry about it as they are....