Ten Year Anniversary

I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for ten years. Today marks the tenth anniversary of my first blog post. I feel ancient. I was photographing a model, her name was Jessica and she was part of a white clothing on white background series I was doing. While I was taking her picture – she told me about her passion – blogging. I’d never heard of it, but went home and started this blog that very week.

I even remember switching back and forth from Typepad to WP and back again. Is Typepad still around? I’ll have to look that one up later. I still love blogs even though I don’t post nearly as often. I read quite a few of my favorites daily and it’s opened me up to whole new worlds of real food, writing, reading, publishing, and cooking.

Blogs have exploded in those years – going from second class journalism to appearing on the front pages of most highly regarded newspaper websites.  I couldn’t have predicted it then.

I’d love for you to raise a virtual toast with me.  Here’s to ten years!

Quick Review – Picture This – Jacqueline Sheehan

Picture This by Jacqueline Sheehan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How I got this book:
Sometime last year, I said I’d be interested in reading books that dealt with the issues of foster children. In one of my past/lives careers I used to work in Juvenile Court with children who were in foster care, going there, or with parents trying to get their kids out. I even wrote a book about foster care that I may even publish next year. But I digress. So a publicist for Harlequin Teen sent me Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. But popped into the envelope was this book. Since this is a completely different publisher, I have no idea why it was there, and I’ve long lost the little post it note accompanying both books.

What I thought:
I liked a lot about this book. (I didn’t know it was a sequel until my husband pointed out the first book advertised on the back cover). I enjoyed the main character, Rocky, and the difficulties she was having grieving and recovering from the death of her husband. I also liked the setup – a purported daughter of her dead husband – calling her to reconnect. The actual story was slow in the telling. Also, halfway through the book, I thought the readers would have been more familiar with the background characters and the dog that seem important, but not the focus of this book.

The thing I didn’t like about this book was the inconsistency of the main character. She was very distrustful of her paramour Hill after just one incident that could be interpreted hundreds of ways. On the other hand, she seemed to implicitly trust Natalie whom she’d never met, and who was a little too shady for my taste.

I found the portrayal of Natalie’s time in foster care interesting, and essential in forming the woman she is today. Unfortunately, she’s a completely unreliable narrator, so it’s not clear if she embellishes the bad parts of foster care to gain Rocky’s sympathy.

What I didn’t like about this book:
What was up with the endless references to Tess and the loss of her synesthesia. I swear the word was the most prevalent one in the book, far more common than Cooper the dog and Rocky the protagonist. I’m not sure why I was supposed to care about Tess’ loss or what in the heck it had to do with this story.

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Quick Review – The Murderer’s Daughters – Randy Susan Meyers

The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book started as a one star read.  After the first quarter I was ready to give up. My husband started it at the same time and after we talked about the beginning, he abandoned it. I finished, talked to him about it, and he’s not willing to give it another try.

But, I hung in there because the description sounded so compelling. I’m mostly glad that I did. I liked the end a lot more than the beginning.

I hate the trend of starting books in media resa, but this book would have benefitted from it. I’m not sure what was to be gained by showing that the girls’ mother wasn’t great.

Also there was a lot of meat left off the bone in skimming over the relatives who abandoned them or the kids at Duffy.

The best part of the book was the flawed characters who didn’t grow. so many books have people learning and growing and becoming more self actualized. It was refreshing to read about people who were more real.

After this book, I’m trying to decide which is better: a great start before petering off, or a slow build to a mostly satisfying conclusion.  The best would be a book that’s compelling all the way through, but I think that’s too much to ask for.

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Review – GE Monogram Range

A few months ago, I get this e-mail from GE, please rate and review your appliance. I click . . . and . . . can’t rate or review GE Monogram appliance on the site. Go figure.

In early 2012, I had my kitchen remodeled.  After debating between Wolf, Viking, and various other so-called, ‘high end’ ranges, I opted for a GE Monogram. I picked it for two main reasons, first it offered a self cleaning all gas option in a forty eight inch range. I’d purchased a dual fuel option  years ago and wasn’t entirely satisfied with broiling, etc. Also, I’d purchased the brand before during a 2004 kitchen remodel in another house.

I had a number of friends with Viking (with all sorts of problem – confirmed by the Viking sales guy at one store), and worse problems on other ranges. I had one friend with a Thermador double oven where the entire computer panel short circuited EVERY TIME she ran the self-cleaning cycle.  (Needless to say the company took out the entire unit for ‘troubleshooting’ while she was trying to sell her house). How horrible is that?

I bought a GE Monogram 48′ range, with six burners and a grill Model#ZGP486NRRSS.  You can click here to see the stove in my kitchen after the remodel.

Of course, I’m writing this review while I’m waiting for the GE repairman – who is at least a half hour late. When I got the stove, the small oven wasn’t working. The little, fragile stone like thing that sparks to light the gas came broken. When I called GE, they kindly informed me, that it often comes broken. The repair guy came to my house, took the tiny pieces of the broken part out, and announced he’d have to come back in a few weeks after the ordered part arrived at my house. And did he order just one part – no – he ordered four. Why? Because they break easily, of course.  You know I’m thinking that ANYTHING that breaks that easily should NOT be on a residential appliance that’s used every day.

The upside – this broke during the warranty period and so instead of a one year warranty on the part, I have a five year warrant.  Now you know I so wanted to have every conceivable part repaired so I could extend my warranty.  Alas. As I wait for my very late repair guy, my large oven is now inoperable.  A few weeks ago Thursday, I made a roast. Friday, the oven refused to light.  Now the oven is out of warranty, and I’ll have to pay for any repairs. I did have to laugh, though, when the GE operator said if it couldn’t be repaired they’d offer me $100 toward a new appliance. At 10K for this appliance, I can’t even go there.

Now, the stove.  For the most part I like the range. The best is having heavy, flat continuous grates, the wok side of the grates, and a super low simmer. Melting chocolate and making custard have been super easy. The ovens preheat quickly and cook very evenly.  The bad, the grill does not get very hot. The last grill on my 2004 GE Monogram had little ceramic briquets that kept the grill super hot and even. This infrared grill does not get very hot. I can cook items on one small area in back that gets hot while having my finger (yes human flesh) on the front and I have never burned myself. Also the burners do not get much hotter than a standard range. So boiling water for pasta, soup, et al still take a long time.

Ah GE just called. The repairman is one his way . . . as soon as he finishes what he’s doing . . . whatever that is.

UPDATE: And I got the same repairman as last year (Yeah for Frank).  When he realized he was coming back to my house, he ordered the part ahead of time. The downside – I’m out 400 bucks. The upside. I have four and five year warranties on the ignitors now. So the next time they burn out . . . .

Quick Review – Just Like Family – Tasha Blaine

Just Like Family: Inside the Lives of Nannies, the Parents They Work for, and the Children They Love by Tasha Blaine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love good narrative non fiction and this book fit the bill.

I became interested in this book when we hired a nanny eight weeks after my son was born. She often talked about what it was like working with different families. I also learned a lot about what nannies hated from her harrowing stories of nannies working for other families. (I live in one of those neighborhoods where you don’t really know your neighbors. Needless to say I learned a lot about the dysfunction, and peccadilloes of all the people around me who had children and nannies).

If you read this book, please keep in mind that each relationship is a two way street. While the nannies in this book were all taken advantage of at one time or another, they are also in the relationship. While they sometimes appear powerless, I think they would have no more power in a lower paying retail job at a big box store or at the local fast food joint.

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