fyi

I HAVE A SITEMETER ON MY BLOG!

**(it helps me stay motivated to write when i know people are reading, for those of you who just like my blog).**

to those few of you who don't care for me, have made that painfully clear recently, AND continue checking my blog OFTEN... having a sitemeter means that i know you are visiting my blog. [MORE than i do by the way...sad]. so this is my fyi for the, you-know-who-you-are's (and so do i). i am aware that i am not for everyone (duh!), and clearly your particular opinions of me are very low. that's fine, but please have some dignity, and follow through on your pompous, indignant, uninformed judgments of me by avoiding me altogether (ie- get off my blog bitches!)

...or don't, and open yourselves to blog fodder of immense proportions (and don't say you weren't warned).

distillation

i love to cook, and for a home chef i am quite good (if i do say so myself:). one of my favorite methods to play with is the reduction. from a simple balsamic reduction of vinegar into a dark, sweet, and savory drizzle of magic; or the use of a wine or spirit to deglaze and reduce adding flavor and intensity to a dish in it's early stages. it seems, however, that as i age this concept creeps into my relationships as well. i am the vinegar. full bodied and flavorful with many uses, place me in a pot and simmer me on low until i reach my mid 30's, and i become something refined and discerning. lacking confidence in my youth i was willing to be used in a variety of dishes and ways; however i am now confident in my rich and dense attributes; and no longer will accept being dumped in mass quantity on anything in front of me.

in my adolescence and twenties it was about quantity, quality being a mere pleasant surprise. this was true of friends, food, hell - life in general! over the years i have sought my education through self analysis and experimentation. slowly but surely i have learned what my tastes truly are. i have learned a lot, and continue to do so. for instance i would prefer to drizzle my edible masterpieces with a small amount of thick, succulent, balsamic reduction; than to dress a large plate with a thin and unsatisfying cheap vinegar. similarly i would also rather savor the goodness of a small, high quality, network of friends than drown my schedule in a sea of semi-friends (definition- semi-friend: someone who may offer quantity, but not quality in respect to your relationship. aka-cheap vinegar:). despite knowing this i seem to be in the stage of life where every now and again i must test my theory and dowse my dinner in the old dressing of my 20's, thinking it will hold the same delights it did back then. always i am left feeling unsatisfied, until finally i say ENOUGH! enough dinners that are either lackluster or ruined altogether. enough mediocrity. enough.