The Flash Fiction Challenge is back. I've done it a couple of times in the past with little success. The last time I wrote two stories and although the feedback on the first one was good, the second one (which I thought was much inferior to the first) was the only one that placed, and not well enough to get me into the next round.
In each challenge, entrants are randomly assigned a genre, location and an object, all of which must be included in the story. I like mystery, crime and drama. Last time I got romance/haunted house/marshmallows and historical fiction/church/bucket. I went with detectives in love and preachy post-World War II Los Angeles.
One reason I think I'm going to do this (even though I'd pretty much had my fill of this competition last time) is that I'm just getting back into the swing of writing on a regular basis. When I was in culinary school, I was either too exhausted to do much writing, or if I was, I felt like I should have been concentrating on school stuff. Also, I'm working on a collection of short stories that I plan on self-publishing and if nothing else comes of this competition it might provide me with a couple of writing prompts. Yeah, that's how I'm going to look at it. I'm not going to flip out at all when I get a genre that does nothing for me. Right.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Saturday, August 9, 2014
One month until the new L.A. Quartet
James Ellroy's Perfidia, the first book of his second L.A. Quartet, will be released on September 9. I don't think I've ever been this excited for a new novel. Ellroy released this video today:
I like the comment on the Facebook announcement about Ellroy needing to read his own audiobooks. I'd buy both the hard copy and audiobook if he did that.
I like the comment on the Facebook announcement about Ellroy needing to read his own audiobooks. I'd buy both the hard copy and audiobook if he did that.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Review: The War of Art
Bought this a while back, but didn't get around to reading it until a bout of insomnia the other night.
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance), is great for procrastination champs like myself. That's the good news.
The book is broken into three parts (or Books, as Pressfield refers to them). The first part identifies what Pressfield calls Resistance, that mysterious something that prompts some of us to find reasons for and rationalize putting off things (mainly creative endeavors) that we feel called to do, want to do, but for some reason can't seem to make ourselves do. Resistance is what some would call self-sabotaging behavior. Writers call it block.
Some words of wisdom from part 1:
The second part tells us how to combat our blocks and self-sabotaging behavior and it's pretty much what we already know - that we need to be disciplined, to not make excuses for our inaction. We need to "Turn Pro", as Pressfield calls it, to apply the same behavior to our creative outlets that we do to other responsibilities in our lives. For example, you may hate your day job, but you show up and put in the time and work because you have to. There are bills to pay and mouths to feed, so you do it because it's what responsible adults do. It's what professionals do.
Pressfield's solution to creative and personal blocks is simple and common sense - stop making excuses and just do whatever it is you feel compelled to do. Do what you have to do. And there's no guarantee that you'll succeed, but do it anyway. It may seem like an overly obvious solution, but lets face it - sometimes you need someone to smack you a few times with the Obvious Stick. Pressfield is that someone.
Pressfield is upfront about his belief in God, although he doesn't press the reader to share his beliefs, just to buy into the idea that there is a higher something compelling you to write, paint, create, even start a business. Turning Pro struck me as a pretty effective Christian analogy. Resistance is Satan, trying to keep you from honoring God by not exercising the gift He has given you. Instead of making excuses for falling victim to the temptations of the world (the path of least resistance), the Christian and creative both know what they have to do to avoid evil/Resistance, they know they have to make the conscious decision to honor God by rebuking Resistance and doing the work. Because that's what procrastination and excuses are all about - you know what you have to do, but you find a reason not to do it, and you do it day in and day out, even though you know it's the wrong thing to do. Turning Pro means you suck it up, sit down and stop making excuses or putting the work off for another day. You do the right thing whether you like it or not.
Some words of wisdom from part 2:
That's the good news.
The third part of the book is what I think puts off a lot of people, at least based on these reviews on Goodreads. After two chapters of logic, self-examination and common sense advice, Pressfield introduces us to his world of muses, angels, psychic forces and extra-dimensionality, of messages received in dreams, all as a seemingly obvious and necessary part of the creative process and combating Resistance. It's a huge shift and I found it disjointed and disconcerting, and I think I'm probably more receptive to what I referred to above as the Christian analogy than most creative types who will pick up this book. If he needs to pray to the Muses every morning before he sits down to work, if he considers it necessary to "take a minute and show respect to this unseen Power who can make or break me", that's great. Whatever works. But it seems oddly new agey after all the brutally honest real-life observations in the first two parts of The War of Art.
The jarring spirituality aspect notwithstanding, there's a lot of good, solid advice in The War of Art. To think of art as work, something that you have to show up for because that's what you do, and not make excuses for avoiding. Pressfield constantly emphasizes professionalism and the need to accept that it's a lot of work to create, and that the work will be its own reward. The first two parts are valuable enough to recommend this book to people who want to do things with their life, whether if be creative, self-improvement or making the world a better place, but can't seem to bring themselves to pull the trigger, whether due to fear, doubt, laziness or anything else. Two out of three isn't bad. The first two parts are all of about 95 pages, and the short, one/two page chapters make for fast reads, as each point is made quickly and efficiently. And if you live in a world of angels, muses and dream messengers, then congratulations, in Pressfield you've found both a soulmate and advisor.
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance), is great for procrastination champs like myself. That's the good news.
The book is broken into three parts (or Books, as Pressfield refers to them). The first part identifies what Pressfield calls Resistance, that mysterious something that prompts some of us to find reasons for and rationalize putting off things (mainly creative endeavors) that we feel called to do, want to do, but for some reason can't seem to make ourselves do. Resistance is what some would call self-sabotaging behavior. Writers call it block.
Some words of wisdom from part 1:
- Resistance is not a peripheral opponent. Resistance arises from within.
- Procrastination is the most common manifestation of Resistance because it's the easiest to rationalize.
- The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit.
- Fear is good...fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do.
The second part tells us how to combat our blocks and self-sabotaging behavior and it's pretty much what we already know - that we need to be disciplined, to not make excuses for our inaction. We need to "Turn Pro", as Pressfield calls it, to apply the same behavior to our creative outlets that we do to other responsibilities in our lives. For example, you may hate your day job, but you show up and put in the time and work because you have to. There are bills to pay and mouths to feed, so you do it because it's what responsible adults do. It's what professionals do.
Pressfield's solution to creative and personal blocks is simple and common sense - stop making excuses and just do whatever it is you feel compelled to do. Do what you have to do. And there's no guarantee that you'll succeed, but do it anyway. It may seem like an overly obvious solution, but lets face it - sometimes you need someone to smack you a few times with the Obvious Stick. Pressfield is that someone.
Pressfield is upfront about his belief in God, although he doesn't press the reader to share his beliefs, just to buy into the idea that there is a higher something compelling you to write, paint, create, even start a business. Turning Pro struck me as a pretty effective Christian analogy. Resistance is Satan, trying to keep you from honoring God by not exercising the gift He has given you. Instead of making excuses for falling victim to the temptations of the world (the path of least resistance), the Christian and creative both know what they have to do to avoid evil/Resistance, they know they have to make the conscious decision to honor God by rebuking Resistance and doing the work. Because that's what procrastination and excuses are all about - you know what you have to do, but you find a reason not to do it, and you do it day in and day out, even though you know it's the wrong thing to do. Turning Pro means you suck it up, sit down and stop making excuses or putting the work off for another day. You do the right thing whether you like it or not.
Some words of wisdom from part 2:
- Aspiring artists defeated by Resistance share one trait. They all think like amateurs. They have not yet turned pro.
- The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps.
- Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only went struck by inspiration. "I write only when inspiration strikes," he replied. "Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp." That's a pro.
- There's no mystery to turning pro. It's a decision brought about by an act of will. We make up our mind to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.
That's the good news.
The third part of the book is what I think puts off a lot of people, at least based on these reviews on Goodreads. After two chapters of logic, self-examination and common sense advice, Pressfield introduces us to his world of muses, angels, psychic forces and extra-dimensionality, of messages received in dreams, all as a seemingly obvious and necessary part of the creative process and combating Resistance. It's a huge shift and I found it disjointed and disconcerting, and I think I'm probably more receptive to what I referred to above as the Christian analogy than most creative types who will pick up this book. If he needs to pray to the Muses every morning before he sits down to work, if he considers it necessary to "take a minute and show respect to this unseen Power who can make or break me", that's great. Whatever works. But it seems oddly new agey after all the brutally honest real-life observations in the first two parts of The War of Art.
The jarring spirituality aspect notwithstanding, there's a lot of good, solid advice in The War of Art. To think of art as work, something that you have to show up for because that's what you do, and not make excuses for avoiding. Pressfield constantly emphasizes professionalism and the need to accept that it's a lot of work to create, and that the work will be its own reward. The first two parts are valuable enough to recommend this book to people who want to do things with their life, whether if be creative, self-improvement or making the world a better place, but can't seem to bring themselves to pull the trigger, whether due to fear, doubt, laziness or anything else. Two out of three isn't bad. The first two parts are all of about 95 pages, and the short, one/two page chapters make for fast reads, as each point is made quickly and efficiently. And if you live in a world of angels, muses and dream messengers, then congratulations, in Pressfield you've found both a soulmate and advisor.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Back to the Farm
With cooking school over, I decided to restart my subscription to Farm Fresh to You, a weekly produce delivery service. Today was the first week back:
This week's haul:
2 Valencia oranges, 1 pound green beans, 1 extra-mini red watermelon, 1 bunch lettuce, 3 peacotum plums, 1 bunch rainbow carrots (which are absolutely beautiful), 1 bunch celery, 1 pound flame seedless grapes, 1 lb. heirloom tomatoes, 1 container red cherry tomatoes.
This week's haul:
2 Valencia oranges, 1 pound green beans, 1 extra-mini red watermelon, 1 bunch lettuce, 3 peacotum plums, 1 bunch rainbow carrots (which are absolutely beautiful), 1 bunch celery, 1 pound flame seedless grapes, 1 lb. heirloom tomatoes, 1 container red cherry tomatoes.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Only in L.A.: Boom mic in the water
This morning at Venice Beach:
I don't know how he doesn't get zapped. There's got to be something electrical going on there.
More pics here.
I don't know how he doesn't get zapped. There's got to be something electrical going on there.
More pics here.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
OK, because it's the internet and still a free country (last time I checked) here's my take on the Hobby Lobby thing
Look, helpless females, if 15+ forms of birth control paid for you by your employer, not to mention the about ten bucks a month birth control available from Target and WalMart, (also, abstinence is free, but of course requires some sort of self-responsibility and self-control) aren't enough for you and despite all that you still get pregnant....
MAYBE. YOUR. EMPLOYER. ISN'T. THE. PROBLEM.
Maybe it's because I'm big on self-responsibility (almost laughable in this entitlement society, I know), but if I get knocked up, it doesn't occur to me to think that my boss is somehow responsible for dealing with that situation. Unless of course he's the guy who knocked me up, but we're not talking about that, are we? Because that would require the adults responsible for this situation to be adults and take responsibility for it. And we wouldn't want to do that, would we? Not when we can blame our problems on some old, conservative white guys and try to make them foot the bill for our actions.
For fuck's sake girls, grow up and be women and take responsibility for your actions. Also, that unfortunate baby you want your boss to foot the bill for offing? I'll take it. Seriously, I will. Because as happy as I am to prevent a pregnancy, I can't kill a baby. I just can't. Because whether you like it or not, it's a human being. It is.
Seriously, grow the fuck up and stop blaming society for your screwups. And buy some fucking condoms, you idiots.
MAYBE. YOUR. EMPLOYER. ISN'T. THE. PROBLEM.
Maybe it's because I'm big on self-responsibility (almost laughable in this entitlement society, I know), but if I get knocked up, it doesn't occur to me to think that my boss is somehow responsible for dealing with that situation. Unless of course he's the guy who knocked me up, but we're not talking about that, are we? Because that would require the adults responsible for this situation to be adults and take responsibility for it. And we wouldn't want to do that, would we? Not when we can blame our problems on some old, conservative white guys and try to make them foot the bill for our actions.
For fuck's sake girls, grow up and be women and take responsibility for your actions. Also, that unfortunate baby you want your boss to foot the bill for offing? I'll take it. Seriously, I will. Because as happy as I am to prevent a pregnancy, I can't kill a baby. I just can't. Because whether you like it or not, it's a human being. It is.
Seriously, grow the fuck up and stop blaming society for your screwups. And buy some fucking condoms, you idiots.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Neglected landmark to get new life as a mini-Starbucks
I don't think I've been back to Hollywood since I moved away two years ago (amazing to think it's already been two years) so I had no idea how badly the old Gilmore Gas Station on Highland had deteriorated. The good news is that it's about to get fixed up to become a shiny new drive-thru Starbucks, according to Curbed LA. And I agree with the Curbed article, the idea of a walk-up window really is brilliant. I'm happy that the old station is going to get restored and see some new action. You can bitch about big evil corporations all you want. I just love Starbucks for doing this.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Aaaaaand...it's over
Friday I graduated from culinary school along with twelve of the neatest people I've ever met, thanks to the stellar staff at New School of Cooking in Culver City.
The past six months were a lot harder and more exhausting than I had expected. The school moves fast and things are covered quickly. The amount of knowledge acquired in this period of time is boggling to think about. A lot more practice is going to be needed to get me really up to speed, but I have a fantastic foundation to work with and a lot of ideas for new dishes to play around with.
I was surprised how fried I was after a day in the kitchen. As a result, a lot of things fell by the wayside. I have a post-school to-do list that's two pages long and tons of writing notes to wrangle into coherency.
In six months it's going to start all over again because I'm going back for the full-time Advance Baking and Pastry program. A whole month just on cakes. It's going to be awesome.
Seriously, it's like an addiction.
The past six months were a lot harder and more exhausting than I had expected. The school moves fast and things are covered quickly. The amount of knowledge acquired in this period of time is boggling to think about. A lot more practice is going to be needed to get me really up to speed, but I have a fantastic foundation to work with and a lot of ideas for new dishes to play around with.
I was surprised how fried I was after a day in the kitchen. As a result, a lot of things fell by the wayside. I have a post-school to-do list that's two pages long and tons of writing notes to wrangle into coherency.
In six months it's going to start all over again because I'm going back for the full-time Advance Baking and Pastry program. A whole month just on cakes. It's going to be awesome.
Seriously, it's like an addiction.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
What we learned in culinary school this week - Week 23 (The End)
Monday's review was a bit different than the previous ones. Instead of having to make specific dishes, we were given trays with various types of produce, plus a protein to work with. We got different ingredients to work with and had to come up with our own dishes.
For my protein I got Italian Bronzino, which I love. It's small enough to work with easily and I was happy with my results.
Tuesday we covered Jam and Canning with Jessica Koslow of Sqirl. A few things I learned:
The lids of canning jars should not be reused due to a loss of suction that could allow mold into subsequent jars of jam. Jars last fifteen months in the pantry and a year in the fridge once opened. If you're using spices in your jam toast them first to get the essential oils. And use a satchel - herbs and dried spices can turn brown when cooked.
I'm not really a jam person, partly again because I don't need to can my produce, but it was an interesting procedure. It was a lot of work, especially if you're doing it on your own. Loved Jessica's big copper jam pot, which reminds me - for canning you don't really use the usual kitchen tools, so if you're getting into this there's going to be a certain investment needed up front.
Wednesday Chef did something really different. She had brought in a bunch of packages of varying size, all wrapped in brown paper, none of which we could even begin to guess at what they were. Once we started opening them, we really got a surprise. Unlike the uniformly high quality ingredients we're used to using, these "ingredients" ran the gamut from junk food (a package of hot dogs, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos) to just plain bizarre - a pack of gum, a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix and a small packet of red pepper flakes like you get with pizza deliveries...and that last one is the one I ended up with. Then we were turned loose with the same idea as Monday, except we had to incorporate our "mystery ingredients" into our three courses of dishes. Some of the results were absolutely amazing. Here's what I managed with my red pepper flakes:
Thursday we were rewarded with a mystery field trip. We didn't know where we were going, we were just told to dress comfortably and bring cash. This is where we ended up:
This place is in San Gabriel at the corner of Valley Boulevard and Del Mar. And at the risk of sounding culturally insensitive, it was freaking insane.
Actually, at first it was pretty cool. The cleavers in a box at a child's eye-level should have been a red flag. I just thought some of the signs were hilarious.
And who wouldn't want a good swordfish drink to wash down the sherded coconut?
Chef was leading us around and finally announced we were headed for the seafood section. I was stoked. It started well enough.
Then we got to the tanks. Which were crowded and filthy. And the turtles. Yes, turtles. Live ones, in a box.
We have a big pond at my apartment complex, with koi and turtles. The turtles at my apartment have no idea how good they have it. I wanted to grab these guys and run away with them and turn them loose at home with our resident turtles. Not sure how the management company would feel about that.
After shopping Chef took us to lunch at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. We had fun, the food was great, and I had a Tiger Beer. Hadn't had one before and I'm not much of a beer person, but I liked it and would have it again.
Friday we graduated and that's for another post. We didn't really want to leave, and I've enjoyed having the weekly schedule/ structure after being off work for so long.
Even though we were assured that
it sure felt like the end of an amazing and wonderfully exhausting journey. But hey, we got another cake out of the deal, so win. And in the words of the master, "Bon Appetit!"
For my protein I got Italian Bronzino, which I love. It's small enough to work with easily and I was happy with my results.
 |
| Such a pretty fish. |
 |
| Grilled Bronzino with Salsa Verde. |
 |
| NOM NOM NOM. |
Tuesday we covered Jam and Canning with Jessica Koslow of Sqirl. A few things I learned:
The lids of canning jars should not be reused due to a loss of suction that could allow mold into subsequent jars of jam. Jars last fifteen months in the pantry and a year in the fridge once opened. If you're using spices in your jam toast them first to get the essential oils. And use a satchel - herbs and dried spices can turn brown when cooked.
I'm not really a jam person, partly again because I don't need to can my produce, but it was an interesting procedure. It was a lot of work, especially if you're doing it on your own. Loved Jessica's big copper jam pot, which reminds me - for canning you don't really use the usual kitchen tools, so if you're getting into this there's going to be a certain investment needed up front.
 |
| We got Sqirl jars. |
Wednesday Chef did something really different. She had brought in a bunch of packages of varying size, all wrapped in brown paper, none of which we could even begin to guess at what they were. Once we started opening them, we really got a surprise. Unlike the uniformly high quality ingredients we're used to using, these "ingredients" ran the gamut from junk food (a package of hot dogs, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos) to just plain bizarre - a pack of gum, a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix and a small packet of red pepper flakes like you get with pizza deliveries...and that last one is the one I ended up with. Then we were turned loose with the same idea as Monday, except we had to incorporate our "mystery ingredients" into our three courses of dishes. Some of the results were absolutely amazing. Here's what I managed with my red pepper flakes:
 |
| My tray. |
 |
| Greens with Red Pepper Goat Cheese and Vinaigrette. |
 |
| Red Pepper and Pineapple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Radishes. |
 |
| Hot Chocolate Pudding. |
Thursday we were rewarded with a mystery field trip. We didn't know where we were going, we were just told to dress comfortably and bring cash. This is where we ended up:
This place is in San Gabriel at the corner of Valley Boulevard and Del Mar. And at the risk of sounding culturally insensitive, it was freaking insane.
Actually, at first it was pretty cool. The cleavers in a box at a child's eye-level should have been a red flag. I just thought some of the signs were hilarious.
And who wouldn't want a good swordfish drink to wash down the sherded coconut?
Chef was leading us around and finally announced we were headed for the seafood section. I was stoked. It started well enough.
Then we got to the tanks. Which were crowded and filthy. And the turtles. Yes, turtles. Live ones, in a box.
We have a big pond at my apartment complex, with koi and turtles. The turtles at my apartment have no idea how good they have it. I wanted to grab these guys and run away with them and turn them loose at home with our resident turtles. Not sure how the management company would feel about that.
After shopping Chef took us to lunch at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. We had fun, the food was great, and I had a Tiger Beer. Hadn't had one before and I'm not much of a beer person, but I liked it and would have it again.
Friday we graduated and that's for another post. We didn't really want to leave, and I've enjoyed having the weekly schedule/ structure after being off work for so long.
Even though we were assured that
it sure felt like the end of an amazing and wonderfully exhausting journey. But hey, we got another cake out of the deal, so win. And in the words of the master, "Bon Appetit!"
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