In My Fridge

First of all this is not my refrigerator, but it's close enough. This refrigerator comes from this source.

I went back to the NaBloPoMo prompts for today's post - in fact this prompt was for yesterday, but it sounded fun. The prompt was: "Name five things inside your refrigerator right now and how you feel about them." OK then.

Here are my five items - in my refrigerator this very moment:

Trader Joe's Caramelized Onion Dip - I just bought this today. I've had it before and it is *so good*! I mean, I'm an onion dip fiend, but this onion dip is made from caramelized onions, so it's sweeter and better because, well, caramelized onions! It's low carb, so when I dip low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks, it's diabetic-friendly.

Left Over Plain and Fancy Meat Stew - This is one of my favorite slow-cooker dishes. I got the recipe over 10 years ago from an online forum about the book "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and it's been part of my "rotation" ever since.

Vita Herring in Sour Cream - Love this! It's chunked herring in an onion sour cream sauce. Even though it's sour cream, it's actually kind of sweet. My father used to love this too, so we would share this while we watched movies on the VCR. It's one of the many foods to which my father introduced me.

Heinz Ketchup with Real Jalapeño - This is a new-found delight for me. I have historically not liked jalapeño stuff, but for some reason, I really like this. I use it on all sorts of stuff - scrambled eggs, Cuban tamales, even on hot dogs. It has a kick to it but isn't painful in my mouth like other jalapeño sauces. Yum.

Angry Orchard Elderflower Hard Cider - I love hard cider, but this one, not so much. I don't like beer, so since I discovered hard cider I've been hooked. It works when beer is the natural pairing for food. I like both dry and no so dry ciders, but this one is too flowery. It doesn't pair well with food and isn't tasty enough to drink alone. I bought a six pack months ago and there's one left. I wonder if hard cider goes "skunky" like beer does.

So now, you tell me about what's in your fridge...

Elizabeth Bennet (yes that Elizabeth Bennet)

For NaBloPoMo, BlogHer is providing Daily Prompts for those days when the muse isn't musing. I had a couple of ideas for today but nothing really gelled, and I've always liked using writing prompts, so I'll probably use them again.

Aaaaanywaaay...today's prompt is "Who Is Your Favorite Character of All Time?" OK, that's practically impossible, especially if you watch a lot of TV *and* read a lot. There are so many fantastic characters out there. There's Scout Finch - who is one rockin' little kid, there's Fanny Brice who was all  kinds of brassy and ballsy, Holly Golightly (the movie version), Lisbeth Salander who's a straight-up bad ass, Hermione Granger who needs no explanation, Annie Hall so effortlessly beautiful and boho-chic and cool, and so many others.

I managed to narrow it down to Jo March and Elizabeth Bennet. I like that Jo is a writer and so determined and disciplined about it. As you can see by my so far hardly inspiring attempts at NaBloPoMo, I am not Jo. She's stubborn, and a little rougher than I would like to think I am, but she's loyal to her family - even when Amy is at her most annoying and destructive.

But finally Elizabeth Bennet won out for me. I love that she doesn't put up with Darcy's crap, and that she doesn't seem particularly concerned about getting married - other than her marrying would be beneficial for the family. She isn't as brusque as Jo but is equally literate and outspoken. She loves her father and her father respects her more than his other daughters, because...can you blame him? We see her accept, with relative grace, Darcy's seeming indifference to her and we see her admit she was wrong in allowing herself to be temporarily charmed by Wickham. She too is tolerant of her family and loves them despite their flaws.

I'd like to be that way, that strong and smart and determined. But is anyone really that way? Do we need to turn to literature or movies or television to find all the different pieces needed to make a "you" that you like? Probably. That's what keeps us coming back for more.

What Would You Be?

Today's NaBloPoMo prompt is "If you could have any job (and instantly have the training and qualifications to do it), which job would you want?" 

This is easy for me - either a book editor for a good but not enormous publisher or a librarian.  I know neither of the jobs are just about reading good stuff - but I like the idea of working around literature.

Libraries, of course, have changed tremendously in the last few decades, gone are the visible compendiums of knowledge that were the fabulous card catalogs and the mysterious language of the Dewey Decimal System. But still libraries are cool. I like the computers and the digital systems! While I'm nostalgic for the days when I'd spend hours scrolling through microfiched articles and making 10 cent copies to then write term papers - let's face it, it's just better now. 

As to the editor job, I think that being a book editor for a smallish but respected publisher would protect me from having to give the nod to "market-friendly" crap. I'm not saying that stuff shouldn't be published, I'm just saying I'd not want to be responsible for it being published.

So why not go for it now? Why not change career paths? Well, I'm lucky - it's a good "problem" to have. I'm at a point in my career where I can't afford the pay cut that entry level in either off my dream jobs would present. And to be honest - I really do like my job!