I came across this today and was really bothered by it. I love food and am bothered like hell that something so obvious is being given such little attention. So I figured I would post this video in a few different places.

Letter I sent to Kellogg

I am typing to inform your corporation that I will no longer purchase Kellogg, Eggo, or Kashi brand products. This is due to your corporation’s decision to stop sponsoring the 14 career gold medal holding Olympiad Michael Phelps.

Too often corporations cater to the views of a closed minded, overly intrusive, and increasingly dwindling-in-numbers section of America. On behalf of those that believe in a socially libertarian country I reject your decision in full.

The days of seeing one’s hero as a faultless beacon of hope was shot during the upheavals of the sixties, buried under the excesses of the seventies, mourned by the Reagan revolutionaries in the eighties, and enthusiastically accepted by ravers in the nineties. Instead we decide what offenses are truly unforgivable and which are matters of personal preference. In the case of Mr. Phelps there is no true offense or harm by his consumption of a recreational drug like marijuana. The real issue would be if he were found to be taking a performance enhancer to aid in his swimming career.

Do know there is a growing cohort of America that accept people like Mr. Phelps in the limited context of what makes them great and nothing more. We do not look upon them as idols to be worshiped or followed as an example in every aspect of their lives.

As a corporation you have the right to sponsor the person of your choice. I would just like to inform you that in the future you will not find as much public support for this type of a decision as in the past.

Asparagus/Tempeh Meal

I had various ingredients in my kitchen so decided to come up with a meal. Here were the goods:

--Tamari, Buttermilk, Olive Oil, Stewed Tomatoes, Red Wine Vinegar, and broth (not pictured)

--Molasses, Paprika, Tumeric, Honey, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves, Cayenne, and Tabasco 

--Asparagus, Carrots, Celery, Garlic, and Onion

--Spaghetti Pasta and Tempeh

Then I chopped things up:

I Sauteed the onion, garlic, and celery first:

Added dried seasonings and tomatoes. Broke the tomatoes up in the pan:

Added Molasses, Honey, Bay Leaf, and Buttermilk. I let it all cook together for 15 minutes (may cook it longer in the future:

I fried my tempeh while my sauce cooked and then added it to the sauce:

Added asparagus and broth:

I allowed everything to cook for 20 minutes:

Hella Cool Way to Multiply

Time

Tick-Tock! In deciding to do new things in life the question of how to divide and prioritize time between the new and the pre-existing (friendships in my case) comes up. The challenge is to give time to new hobbies while not feeling distant from friendships.

Most of what I want to do can be done involving other people (video projects, cooking, etc.) while a couple I will do alone (writing, guitar playing--at least until I have some concept of what I am doing).

Time alone to focus on new hobbies is worth the time away from other things/people. It might even enhance the quality of time had with others by removing that feeling that something is being left out in life.

Hobbies to Hope for!

Figure if I am going to blog about hobbies then I should list off those things I want to try. I am not sure in what order I will start them, but I will do what I can.

Videography:

Culinary Arts--Do this with friends already, but want to do more challenging recipes:

(A pumpkin chorizo soup I made this fall--thought using the pumpkin shell would be cute)

Massage Therapy:

I found a guy on Youtube that gives video explanations on various massage techniques. He goes by massagenerd.

Writing:

Wall Climbing/Outdoor Pursuits--I took an introductory course in wall climbing once and thought it was fun and challenging:

Play Guitar--I found this interesting after a friend explained the basics of finger placement on a guitar:

Hobbies are a good thing. They are a way of keeping us connected to our true interests beyond the day-to-day things needed for modern survival. Oddly enough historically they are something I have never valued and therefore not had in my life. Some of this may come from having parents who never really pursued any one thing with great interest (besides my father’s occasional gambling--money for nothing and sex for free). Maybe even my moving every two to three years to new cities in different states and between divorced parents made adjusting my hobby? 

Regardless of the reason nothing tangible branches up into my current adulthood as a long maintained task done or interest pursued. For a while I had not noticed this absence since being occupied with adjusting to college life and then post college reality.  It is in this post-college calm that I am finding a need for something new. 

At first partying and hanging out seemed to be enough. Then I started feeling less connected and unsure of what to do with myself outside of simply going to work (who wants to only be their job?) or going to a bar. Then I came across my current circle of friends. Some I have known for a while, others only recently arrived but have me seeing my older friends in newer and deeper ways. They are people with rooted know-how cultivated over the years. People flawed yet actualized in tangible ways. To see them at work in regards to art, music, technology, machinery, sport, and other areas challenges me. I see how these separate interests blur together for them creating something meaningfully independent of basic survival. 

I hope to germinate some of my deeper interests that I have always brushed aside out of the necessity of adjustment. At 26 it feels so late, but I figure at 40, 50, and hopefully later I will appreciate that I put something down into the earth.