#Swoon4Spoon

I have a cat.

I've never had a real pet before in my life.  By "real pet" I'm referring to anything that lives outside of a cage or a bowl.  My mom is nervous around cats and dogs, and so we never had them... and truthfully, I was pretty nervous around cats and dogs, too.  Maybe I imagined having a pet in the future, but not really... I can maybe remember dreaming that I'd one day have a dog, but as I moved into my twenties it wasn't part of my future plans.  Pets just seemed like too much work, and they represented permanence.  In the past 8 years I've had 6 different homes... permanence isn't something I've felt for a while.

But the more serious I got with my girlfriend, the more I realized that I'd likely have a cat one day.  My GF has had cats for her whole life, and so I accepted that a cat would be in my future... I just didn't expect to have a cat so soon.  That's how life goes though... here's how it went down...

Our friend L. fosters cats through the Annex Cat Rescue, so she'll take care of a cat for a few months and help find it a "forever home", even involved in the screening process of the potential new owner.  Back in November, L. started fostering a cat named Spoon.  My GF went to visit the l'il guy and fell in love.  She gushed about Spoon when she came home that day, but that's where the story could've stopped.

Two months later, L. posts a photo of Spoon on Facebook and says she'd love to find him a forever home, and would prefer that he go to a friend.  K. (my GF) was so hoping our home could be Spoon's forever home, but I needed some time to consider this.  I wasn't at all opposed to having a cat... I wasn't even concerned or nervous... just apprehensive, perhaps.  I needed to ask a lot of questions - weird ones!  "Will I be surprised a lot, i.e. will the cat jump onto random places, frightening me?"  "How much will it cost?"  "Are cats inherently evil?"  And so on, and so forth...  After a lot of discussion, and a lot of patience on K's part, we decided the next step was to meet the cat.

When I met Spoon, I had to hold him.  He's just got such a great demeanor: cuddly, mellow, sweet, friendly, etc.  We cuddled with him, asked L. lots of questions, and then afterwards, when we got into the car, I told K. we should go for it.

That evening, K. called the Annex Cat Rescue and had a screening, wherein she answered some questions, and then was approved on the spot for adoption!  The next day we went to Petsmart and bought everything we could possibly need to care for a cat (including a few special things to enhance Spoon's life).  A week after our initial meeting with Spoon, we came back to L's place, armed with our new collapsible cat carrier, allowed L. to say her goodbyes, and then brought Spoon into the car to take him to his forever home.

We've now had Spoon for almost two full weeks.  It seems like he's been here forever... in a good way.  I thought I'd need to sleep with the bedroom door closed for a few weeks before I was comfortable with him having the run of the apartment... turns out it only took one night! I love having Spoon around.  He's so funny and cuddly and sweet and I couldn't believe how quickly I fell in love with him.  I frequently find myself lying on the floor petting him... I've brushed him for 10 minutes before (he loves it!)... I love knowing that he sleeps near me (or on me)... and I love how happy K. is to have a cat.

So... I'm a pet owner, and there's no going back now.

I Don't Care / I Love It

I have an upcoming post on my cat (!!!), but in the meantime, here's a track that I've been playing on repeat today. It was featured in the latest episode of "Girls" (have I written about "Girls"?) and my sister sent me the link to the video last night and I can't stop pumping the jam.



Bringing media content back to S & G.  What is this, a blog of essays?!

Upcoming posts... Spoon, Girls, RuPaul

Reader's Digest

I can't believe it's already January 22nd!!!  This month has flown by.  It happens to be pretty much my busiest month of the year at work, so it was a stressful and overwhelming start to the year.  But, with the biggest project in my portfolio behind me, I'm feeling very successful, accomplished, and productive.  That is a great way to begin 2013.

I don't have anything in particular to blog about today, but I was feeling like I'd been neglecting ol' S&G.  So - how about a bit of a general update?  Perhaps even a list of things I want to blog about when I have more time / I'm in the zone.


My cat: I got a cat.  His name is Spoon.  I've never had a pet before in my life, save for a hamster and maybe some fish... and an infamous turtle (ask me about that story as I'm unlikely to blog about it).  Spoon and I already have a beautiful, budding friendship, and I have no doubt I'll want to dedicate one - if not many - entry to him in the near future.

Hobbies: I wouldn't call myself a workaholic.  I love my job, but I make time for lots of other things, too, and it's not that often that I find myself "burning the midnight oil".  However, when someone asks me, "What do you do?", I'm determined not to reply with my job title.  Therefore, I am cultivating a number of hobbies that bring balance and fun to my life, and which I can state to people proudly.  I'd love to write about a few of them soon.

My iPad: I got an iPad and I really enjoy it.  I may or may not blog about it.


That'll be all for now.


Currently reading... Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington, Quiet by Susan Cain
Posts to come... An overview of all contestants to date on "RuPaul's Drag Race" ... and maybe sometime on my cat and my hobbies.

Happy New Year | rc-4: Concluded

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Bring it on, 2013!


I am back to work today, in ways both professional and personal, so it felt timely to update good ol' Sugar & Gravy.

How was your holiday?  Mine was great!  It was the perfect balance of seeing family and friends, eating food, sleeping, resting, socializing, and more.  I had a great New Year's Eve, too; very low-key with some loved ones.  The holiday felt long, too, which is a surprise... not to say that it was easy getting back to work today, but still, it feels nice to be back to routine.

I owe everyone a salute to John Lennon, but it just doesn't feel right anymore, being nearly a month since the anniversary of his death.  Moreover, there's not necessarily a significance to the 32nd anniversary of his death, so perhaps I'll save it for 2015... here's hoping I keep S&G up until then.

I also owe y'all an overview of all contestants (seasons 1-4) on "RuPaul's Drag Race".  This post I will absolutely do, as it's partially written and I think will be a lot of fun to write and get feedback on.  I hope to get this written in January, but I won't make any promises yet.


rc-4 Year-End Update
What I will do right now is give my rc-4 update.  Another year has ended, and so therefore has another one of my reading challenges.  Reading Challenge #4, more commonly referred to as rc-4, was to read 20 books in 2012.  Once again (17/20 in 2011), I have not completed my challenge.  In fact, I only completed 60% of it, but.....

WHO CARES?!  The challenge is arbitrary to some degree.  It's a great regular segment to blog about, a chance to discuss the books I'm reading and what I plan on reading next.  And, the whole point was always to keep me reading after I was done my English degree, and I have been.  12 books in 2012 is fine.  A book a month is likely above average, and plus - I'm not competing with anyone.  rc-4 was for me, but hopefully any regular readers got some enjoyment out of it, too.  I know I did!!!

All that said, here's what I did read:

1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
4. Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
7. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone
8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
9. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom **re-read
10. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb *favourite author **re-read
11. In One Person by John Irving *favourite author
12. Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane **re-read

In Sum: 12 books read, 9 new books and 3 books re-read, 10 different authors, 1 series, 6 non-fiction, 6 fiction

As for what I'm going to do in 2013 or rc-5... I'm not sure yet.  I think I'm just going to re-commit myself to reading lots, blog about it here, but not make it a challenge.  I may change my mind, but I'm a bit over the challenge: not the intent of it, but the whole being a challenge part.  I'll read, I'll write about it, but that'll be all.

All my best for a great 2013, all!  Until next time.....

Currently reading... Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington, Quiet by Susan Cain
Posts to come... An overview of all contestants to date on "RuPaul's Drag Race"

Christmas!

I love Christmas!  My family celebrates Christmas, so that's the holiday season I love, but Happy Holidays, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Solstice, etc. to you!

I love Christmas for so many reasons.  I like that it's cold outside and warm indoors - by a fire, in a sweater, in a chair, under a blanket, reading a book, drinking a warm mug of cider..... those are the images that come to mind.  I like that it's an occasion for many family get togethers.  Cousins you never see all gather in one place with aunts, uncles, and grandparents (if you're lucky!), catching up, eating delicious food, and spreading the good cheer.  I like giving presents!  I don't like the commercial side of Christmas for the most part, but I do like giving and receiving presents.  I like putting thought into it, wrapping it, writing cards.  I like bringing new things back to my apartment and thinking of the person who gave it to me every time I see it.  I like the food!  I like a meal where gravy can go on every item on the plate.  I like turkey and wine and all sorts of vegetables in their mashed/pureed form.  I like pies and Christmas baking! 

I like an opportunity that smacks me in the face and reminds me: you are so unbelievably fortunate.  It sounds cheesy, but I do have that moment at Christmastime.  How couldn't I?  Warmth, family, presents, food?  So many things that I am blessed, lucky, and fortunate to have, and that are not had by all.

That's why I was thrilled when my girlfriend suggested she and I find some opportunities to volunteer over the holidays.  Not only is it something special we can spend time doing together, but it's something we can do to show we are thankful for how blessed we are.  You can't control where you end up on the fortunate scale, but you can control how aware you are of your blessings.

Happy Holidays!!!

Broth Talk

I wanna preface this post by saying that I in no way think of myself as some expert chef. However, I cook a lot, I love to cook, I'm getting pretty good at it, and I make a point of learning how to cook better. Some of my learning happens by reading recipes online, cookbooks, and finding tips on how to cook certain things (better). Some of my learning happens by watching the Food Network, or watching friends as they cook, trying to pick up tips in that way. However, my best learning happens through my own practice; good ol' trial and error.

My latest and favourite discovery involves oil. I love cooking with oil, and of course it's a crucial element to a great number of meals. However, the more vegetables (or whatever) you cook, sometimes the more oil you need. And that is an issue! For example, lately (probably once a week) I've been making my interpretation of Chinese food; a sort of improvised vegetarian chow mein dish. I don't know how authentic it is, but it's tasty and seems like Chinese food to me! At the very least it's Chinese-inspired. Anyway, I cook the vegetables in steps, and often have to add more oil with each addition. Then come the noodles which I boil, drain, mix in soy sauce and sesame oil, and then fry in oil for a few minutes. OIL, OIL, OIL!!! The dish ends up well-cooked and delicious, but very oily. Not good.

So yesterday evening as I cooked this dish I was determined to eliminate the oiliness factor. What did I need? Another cooking liquid. What did I use? Vegetable broth.  It keeps the wok moist and gives the vegetables the liquid they need, but doesn't oil them up and absorbs really quickly. It really seemed to solve my problem, and I'm using it in other dishes, too.

Now the question is, is it legit? For those of you out there who cook, is this effective in the real cooking world?


Currently reading... Quiet by Susan Cain
Posts to come... long overdue salute to John Lennon, my overview of all contestants on "RuPaul's Drag Race" to date, and a Christmas post

Validation

Last weekend I was in my bedroom folding laundry that was hot out of the dryer.  I picked up a pair of fuzzy, purple socks that belong to my girlfriend K, who I live with.  I went out into the main room where she was sitting on the couch on her computer.  I saw that she wasn't wearing socks, so I went over to her and, seeing the socks, she stuck out her feet and I put the socks on her feet.  As she realized that they were still warm, her face completely lit up and she was so excited.  I'm not kidding, she looked like a kid on Christmas day.

It filled my heart with joy.  I'm so lucky to live with and love a woman who finds joy in and doesn't take for granted the simple things in life.  Socks right out of the dryer are only one example; when I make her tea, bring home a random treat, make dinner, etc., etc., she always reacts like it's the most special thing, and so I feel that it's special, too... and that I'm special.

Or, the other morning, I came in to wake her up and her eyes opened and she immediately smiled at me with this incredibly loving smile.

I saw something on one of Oprah's shows once... I can't remember who was talking; it might've been Toni Morrison.  Anyway, the show was about validation, I think.  Whoever it was that was talking said that she made a special effort to always have her face light up when her kids walked into the room.  Rather than briefly look up from whatever she was doing, or - worse! - not look at all, she would look at them, and smile!  Oprah spoke about how amazing these children were and how much of an effect this special gesture made.

That's how I feel about K; that she regularly validates me, makes me feel loved and special.

It's simple, but maybe that's what makes it so great.  Simple or not, it has a significant effect, and I feel grateful to experience that.