The Portland Pie Off

On Wednesday of this past week my husband tweeted at me on Twitter about an event I had never heard of before: The Portland Pie Off. His tweet was pretty darned specific that I should enter. Like ASAP. So, I looked into it. I seriously considered it. Wasn't sure about it, though, because I only had a few days to prepare - the Pie Off was set for today, Sunday, August 16th. That's not much time to make a good decision! I talked with some friends about it to get some ideas. I talked with my husband about it and got his thoughts on it. Finally, I decided to go ahead and register online for my famous Buttermilk Chess Pie. Well, it's famous within my family anyway.

I was first introduced to buttermilk pie when I was about 12 years old. My uncle's then wife, Kim, was from Texas and this was her pie. She brought it to a family gathering at my grandparent's house and my older sister, Teri, was absolutely adamant that I should try it. Well, like any 12yo girl with discerning tastes, I was extremely hesitant. I mean, who wouldn't be with an ingredient like *shudder* buttermilk in it? In fact, it took a lot of coaxing from Teri to convince me to finally try it. Oh, but when I did I instantly fell in love! To this day, buttermilk pie remains my favorite pie of all time.

When I was 18 and on my own I went in search of the perfect buttermilk pie recipe. Over the past 14 years I have played with the most basic of buttermilk recipes and have made it my own. This is such an amazing pie that my entire family loves it and asks for it pretty much every year during the holidays. And I don't just mean my immediate family (you know, the husband and kids), I mean the extended family as well. Mom, dad, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. They all love my pie. For quite a few years there I was known as The Pie Lady on both sides of my family (and then I had a couple more kids...less time for baking these days). Of course, I make more than just the famous buttermilk pie. But it is definitely my signature pie.

We do love it.

Of course, my husband being the loving and doting husband that he is (at least where his stomach is concerned haha) had insisted that the buttermilk was the way to go. So, yet again, I tweaked it just a little bit more. Doing my best to make it my own. This pie belongs to me and no one else. I also tweaked my pie crust recipe (which once started off as one from my Great Grandmother Effie Dilley) to make it just that much better. No, it wasn't just better. It was perfect according to judge Byron Beck of the blog Byron Beck's Window.

This afternoon at 1pm, I showed up at Peninsula Park in North Portland with my pie in hand and laid myself out on the table to be judged by one and all. The Portland Pie Off was my very first ever cooking/baking competition. For over an hour and a half we waited on the sidelines, watching the judging. Waiting. I managed to get a few shots of the judges obviously enjoying my special entry even though they didn't want any of the competitors milling about during the judging.

The kids played. We had a picnic lunch - my special home made egg salad sandwiches. We tried to keep ourselves busy taking pictures of the kids playing. Everyone enjoyed the merry go round quite a bit. Sometimes I worry that my 5 year old son has no fear ...

Finally, it was time to reveal the winners. All the competitors were called back over to the judging area and were asked to move in nice and close so that all could hear the announcements. I waited by my pie with bated breath as they read off the winners for the various categories. When the announcement was made for the winner of the Best Custard Pie I was shocked. I was excited beyond belief and boy, oh boy, was I PROUD! Can I just say how frigging difficult it was to keep from crying? I know, I'm a complete sap. But being that this was my first ever cooking or baking competition, I think it's to be expected, right?!?

Along with my Blue Ribbon for The Best Custard Pie, I also received a Betty Crocker Cooking Basics cookbook which I plan to share with my 11 year old daughter as I teach her how to cook and bake in the same way my mother did for me.

Once the revealing of winners was complete, all who were present were invited to dig in and enjoy all of the pie entries. My pie went FAST. No, it was faster than fast. It flew off that table! Lucky me - or maybe it was lucky for everyone else? - I had a 2nd pie on hand to give others a chance to taste my truly divine creation.

After today one thing is for sure (aside from the fact that I have a winning pie recipe). I absolutely will be entering more cooking contests. Baking, especially, is a passion of mine and has been for many years. Since we moved back in June I am finding that I have to learn how to bake all over again. But, having a convection oven does that. I certainly am enjoying the lovely convection oven ... and I shall continue to share my baking spoils with the world.

Bon Appétit.

Do You Ever Just Feel Rotten?

I don't mean physically. We all get sick every so often and usually the best word to describe that feeling is "rotten". However, that is not at all where I'm going with this. It's more a mental thing.

So, yeah, I've been feeling pretty damned rotten for the past week. I've even gone so far as to explore my use of the *F* word. You know which one I'm talking about: FUCK. Not on Twitter, mind you. In an effort to appease my husband I try to keep the cursing to a bare minimum on there. But Facebook is a different story. He's not on FB and probably never will be. Plus, pretty much everyone I chat with on FB is well aware of my fondness for this word. So, in hopes to help my mood and see if it truly is as therapeutic as some experts say I started a few "Fuck" rants on FB this week.

Wait! Stop right there! Before I go on I feel I should qualify something. Many of my friends and family who do read my blog already or who may in the future read this blog know this one basic thing about me: I am indeed a Christian. Baptist, to be exact. I love the Lord. I have been Saved since I was 12 or 13 (I remember the moment, just not the exact year). I am comfortable with my salvation and my standing with God. Yes, such language as is described above is not considered very Christian like and is in fact often considered hypocritical. However, I just want to point out this one little fact: We Are ALL OF US Sinners. There is not one person on this earth who can claim to not be a Sinner. Some of us are just more at peace with their "Sinner" side. I happen to be one of them. Again, I love the Lord and I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I know where I am going after this life here on earth is over. I also know that I will have to answer to God for all of my sins I have willingly, and unwillingly, committed during my life time. But, I am who I am and I won't change that for anyone. So, if you think me a hypocrite and decide you can have no respect for someone who confesses Salvation while also accepting their Sinner status, well then you'd better just leave right now. Click that little red X in the upper right hand corner of your browser and never come back.

OK, now that I have the attention of those who truly enjoy my witty writing, I shall continue...

Where was I? Oh, yes, the "Fuck" rants on Facebook this week. Never before in my experience on FB (about a year now) have I received so many approving responses to my status updates. I'll admit it, I'm a bit of an attention whore. I do so enjoy having the focus on me at times. Not all the time, mind you, as I do have some anti-social tendencies and when those tendencies take hold of me I am mostly absent from the internet and draw into myself, away from my family and friends.

"Ha!" you say? "Jen? Antisocial? No way!" you're thinking? (Someone actually said something to that effect to me just last night.) But, yes, it is indeed true! In my teens and early 20's I had a very hard time assimilating into crowds. I hated parties with a passion and always felt out of place no matter who was there. I have worked very, very hard over the last 14 years to banish most of those issues and have learned to become a far more social person. I still don't have many very close friends and have lost quite a few over the years, but I now have also learned to surround myself with people who appreciate me for who I am - not for whom they think I should be.

Ahhhh, but I digress. I was talking about feeling rotten, wasn't I? Yes, indeed, I have been in a mostly rotten mood this week. Not entirely sure as to the full reason for this mood, either. But, the "Fuck" rants on Facebook were a sort of experiment. As I mentioned before, I wanted to see just how therapeutic it was and as much fun as I had reading through the witty and often downright hilarious comments, I found that it truly didn't help much. Now, I won't lie and say that I don't enjoy flying the F bomb every so often because I most certainly do. There are times when no other word or expletive will do. Nothing says it better than "Fuck!!!" when something has you just so darned frustrated that you can't think of anything else to say.

Well, I guess Experiment: Fuck was a complete failure. Or maybe it was a success? I guess that all depends on the way you look at it. Either way, the rotten feeling has yet to leave me. I have good moments, sure, but mostly I can't shake this BLECH mental feeling this week. Not only that but because of this horrid feeling of ultimate rottenness I've been a bitch to my family. I don't mean to be. In fact, I try very hard to stay more relaxed around the family - kids especially. Unfortunately, I have not at all been successful in that endeavor this week.

There is some hope on the horizon, though. My good friend Ariel is getting married next weekend. I am very excited and for many good reasons. I love my friend and am beyond pleased to see her so happy and in love after her last relationship that lasted 10 years and I'm not entirely sure any of them were truly good ones. The man she is marrying is awesome and he treats her like she's a queen - exactly what she deserves! Plus, I love weddings! Oh, and on top of all that my husband and I are photographing the wedding as our gift to them. I am also making her wedding day jewelry. So, with any luck the preparations over the next week for the wedding will be enough to lighten my heart and my mind if not the anticipation of finally getting to meet my friend Tori and her husband Wayne IN PERSON. Tori Wayne will be arriving Friday evening and staying with us so that they can be there for the wedding, too. This will actually be everyone's first time meeting Tori in person. We've known her through the internet for 2.5 years now and have often talked on the phone but have yet to finally meet up (even though she lives less than 4 hours away).

Hmmmmm...how do I end this now? Hahaha! I guess I'll end this by reiterating that having a "Fuck" fest on Facebook while feeling mentally rotten just doesn't cut it. However, I am pretty sure that the anticipation of a happy event and enjoying time friends is just what the doctor ordered.

Why Can't Sex Do THAT For Me???

Truly, it's just not fair. Just sayin' ...

My niece. My favorite niece. The oldest child of my oldest sister. She's a special girl, or rather, a special young woman. I adore her, she is truly a young woman to be proud of. This niece, whom I shall call S, is 18 (19 in November) and just graduated from high school last month. This same niece has also entered into her very first mature relationship just about 2 months ago.

S's boyfriend, J, is a sweet kid. He's 20 and absolutely adores her. Not only that but he's been good for her, she's really growing up even more. I am a very proud auntie. S waited to have sex till this boy. She was a good girl. She was 18.5 before losing her virginity and let me tell you, she did not mean to share that info with anyone, it just kind of slipped out one day.

Let me tell you about that first because it was quite comical...

You see, it was a Sunday afternoon and I was visiting with S's mom - my older sister - and one of S's other aunts - her dad's younger sister. We were all out on the back deck and talking about periods and hysterectomies and other womanly "issues". S's other aunt, G, had a hysterectomy last year due to some serious complications with her poor girl parts. Some very similar issues to those that I have as well. So, we were talking about birth control and heavy periods and such when S comes out to join in and visit with us. The topic of S's super heavy and horrible periods came up and my sister volunteers that S has been on the pill for 3 months to help with that (and apparently it has). But then my sister also made a comment about how the pill was not 100% effective (this was pointed at S) and that our own mother had gotten pregnant while on the pill. I, of course, chimed in that I had as well. This is when S blurted out, "Well, that's why I also use other protection!"

Whoops.

Yeah, she didn't really mean to say that. It ... just ... slipped out. And boy, howdy, did she get RED! A few minutes later J joined us out on the deck and the shade of magenta got just a little bit brighter. My sister, G and myself all being married women and mothers with at least three kids for each of us (S is the oldest of five), we had a good laugh and weren't at all upset or even embarrassed by S's untimely admission of her adult-like behavior. We just found lots and lots of humor in the way it came about. So, of course we had to clue J in on the conversation so he would understand poor S's flushed face. He, too, blushed a bit but took it good-naturedly and we all laughed it off and I soon left as I needed to get back home.

Fast forward to 2 days ago. Sunday at noon I show up at my sister's house to pick up my 11 year old daughter who had spent the night. S walks through the kitchen and it strikes me that her body has changed. She has lost a lot of weight, her waist has slimmed down and, if I am correct, she's even lost some size in her boobs (oh, that I could be so lucky!). So, being the open family that we are, I comment to my sister about the weight loss who then responds with this:

"It's all the sex! As soon as she started having sex, her tummy went flat! Why can't sex do THAT for me???"

And there you go. We are jealous of the newest addition to adulthood in our family: My 18 year old niece, S. She is a woman, full and true. And the lucky little bitch is losing weight because she's having sex.

Seriously. Not. Fair.

I Should Post Something New You Say?

Oh, I suppose it is overdue. So often I think of things I want to write about. Sitting on the bus or train to or from work I think of things. Or lying in bed, I think of things. Often, at work, while working on an issue for a user I think of something that's bugging me or that I think may be blog worthy. But then once I get to a place where I might actually have a few moments to write, I can't think of shit.

Really? Yes, it is true. Mostly, by the time I have a few moments to myself I've completely lost everything that makes me ME. When I have these moments for me it is only after working a full time job outside of the home all day, coming home to fix dinner for my brood, performing various household chores, spending time with afore mentioned brood and then putting them to bed. Once they're in bed I usually have a few other things to do and a husband nagging me to do yet more things for him. And then, usually around 11pm, I have some time for myself. I get up before 7am. So, yeah, I don't really get much time for me.

Being a full time working mom - outside the home - and the "bread winner" to boot is a tough job. A mother's job is never done whether she works outside the home or works as a stay-at-home-mom. Yes, I know that the job of a SAH-Parent is never easy and is also never ending. But somehow so much more always falls on the mother even when the SAHP is the husband.

I often hear from my SAHM friends complaints about their husbands who work hard (or not) outside the home to provide for their families. Complaints that these husbands "get" to go to work and then "get" to do whatever they want every night once they're home while my friends, these SAHM's, are constantly on the go taking care of the house and the family. Well, how does that play for the moms who work and the dads who stay home? I wonder what it's like for other families out there who are in similar positions as my husband and myself.

My husband has been unemployed for going on 3 years and not by choice, mind you, but it is what it is and we make do on my income alone. In fact, we have often made do on my income alone far more than we've had 2 incomes. Mostly, I don't mind this. In fact, it wouldn't bother me at all if I knew that my poor husband was happy at home with the children. But he's not and the fact is that he just is not able to make enough to pay for daycare at this point should he go back to work. And he especially could not support us on any salary he would make getting back into the workforce after 3 years off. Again, this is NOTHING to me. I have always had a sense of need to work outside the home. It is important to me that I contribute to the household.

When my now 11yo daughter was a baby my role was reversed. My ex-husband made more then than I do now and I was a SAHM because I thought that this was what I wanted. I soon realized that I equate my worth with my ability to provide for myself and not take from someone else even if he is my husband. Having been through that situation during my first marriage I can sympathize with my current husbands frustrations and diminished selfworth - though I am sure he does not think about this.

My husband, Lord bless him, is a GOOD man. To me, he is a desirable man. He is talented in so many ways, he is witty and funny and so amazingly full of love. But for some reason he is unable to keep a job for more than a year it seems. Honestly, I don't understand it and neither does he. And at this point, after his longest stretch of unemployment, he is feeling extremely disenchanted with life in general and especially with our family. He is miserable quite frankly. He hates being home with the kids. He sees my having to work as a gift. He tells me I'm lucky that I get to go to work and doesn't understand why I am jealous of him. He also feels that he does everything in the home while I sit back and laze around like a sloth and can't ever understand when I need a break - from both he and the kids. He truly and sincerely resents me my gainful employment. I have been with my current employer for 2 years now and prior to this position I worked on the Nike WHQ Campus for 6.5 years. But for me, working has never really been anything but a must. I have to work. There is no choice in it for me and especially not now. We are dependent on my income and the benefits I receive through my employer.

How do you come to a workable solution in a situation such as this with the unemployment rate sitting at over 12% in our beautiful state of Oregon? At one time I thought for sure we could handle this arrangement but now I fear it can't hold together much longer. It's become an immense strain on our marriage and, truthfully, I have no idea how to fix it.

So, there. That's what's on my mind right now. It's 2am. I should be in bed asleep having been up for more than 19 hours and yet, here I sit, writing something I am sure my loving husband will read but am not sure how he'll react. Truth. I only write the truth.

And now, off I go...to read for a few minutes until I pass out from sheer exhaustion. Until I blog again....

Insight into dream content?

All through my childhood and up until about a year ago or so I often dreamt of flying. But not just flying. I would jump and soar, then come down and gently bounce and soar some more. Each time I soared through the sky my flight would get longer and longer until I would finally wake up just before trying to land for good (landing was always a scary proposition in these dreams).

Well, yesterday I spent all day thinking on the dream I had on Sunday night. It was an odd one that started off in a restaurant with ... IDK who it was, just some random people that I seemed to know. I had to go to the bathroom but instead of using the restroom inside the restaurant I went outside and began to cross the parking lot to use one somewhere else. As I was crossing the parking lot someone called to me whom I apparently knew/worked with so I changed directions and went over to talk to him. He then started pulling a video camera and other equipment out of boxes and explaining to me how to use them and what my "new job" was going to be. That took a while and I never did end up going to the bathroom. Instead, once I was finished with him I went back to the restaurant to meet up with my group who'd already had their food delivered to the table. Once I was back at the table I realized I was naked. I wasn't embarrassed in any way, it actually was just an odd thing of "Where the heck did my clothes go?" I covered my chest with my arm but that was it. I searched for my clothes but it really wasn't *that* big of a deal and no one else seemed to care much. I did worry a little bit about what my new "boss" would think but it wasn't anything that mortified me in any way. It was just odd.

So, the more I thought on this dream yesterday the more perplexed I was. And then it occurred to me last night as I was prepping some steaks to fix for tonight's dinner that I have similar dreams quite often. I've been dreaming about being naked in public for a while now. But just as in Sunday night's dream my nakedness is nothing of any real concern. I am just left wondering what the heck happened to my clothes. I'm not embarrassed in any way by it though I do try to locate my clothing (unsuccessfully, mind you).

Weird, no? Any ideas on what this means? Feedback is appreciated!

I need energy. And time. Definitely need more time.

I am having the HARDEST time keeping my eyes open today!

I had a fabulous piece of cake at the Cheesecake Factory last night and now my sweets craving is totally curbed. I want no crap food. Not even close to craving it. I had my yogurt & berries this morning with a couple teaspoons of grapenuts mixed in and my 2 pieces of low carb toast with Smart Balance spread. I've got a spinach salad and some mini pitas & hummus for lunch. No idea what I'll do for dinner but possibly squash if the house isn't too hot to bake this evening.

Seriously, considering that AF should be showing up anytime between today and Thursday, I think that's pretty amazing. Though I have noticed over the past few months that my chocolate cravings come during PMS and then are gone by the time AF makes her appearance.

I need more time so I can find more energy. There just aren't enough hours in the day!!! I am tired but at the same time I have the desire to just get up and GO RUN (not that I can actually run...stupid body...). But I need to do SOMETHING, you know? And I know that by DOING I will find more energy. UGH. Why can't I be in this place ALL the time? And why can't I have the time and resources to do what I want/need to for my body??? I want to be fit. I don't care if I'm ever even a size 8 again. But I want to tone up my arms and I want to have at least a semi flat tummy. Not all the nasty bulge I have right now. I am NOT happy in a size 14. A 10 or 12 would be perfect...

Now, HOW do I find the time to create the energy???

I mean, I have a full time job where I sit on my ASS all day long. OK, my desk is cool and I can raise it and stand whenever I want but, again, the body doesn't like that. It screams. Literally. But, I do try to spend part of my work day standing. Ahhhh and I digress...

Anyway, I work. Full time. I'm up and out the door by 7:15am every morning. I rush out, drive to not the train stop nearest my home but the next one because parking is better at that one. Jump on a TriMet MAX train and walk into usually just about 3 minutes to 8am. I work all day and then back home and walking in the house usually around 6pm.

Once I'm home I am inundated in children screaming:

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
"Can I have ____?"
"Will you get me ____?"
"I want ____!!!!"

This I must deal with all while trying to say hello to and spend a few quality minutes with my husband (whom the children have been stuck at home with) before heading to the kitchen to try to figure out what to cook next that my children are only going to turn their noses up at.

Then comes the prep/cooking part of the evening that includes somehow managing to keep the children OUT of the kitchen. Ha! Yeah, right...my kids, stay out of the kitchen? Never! And, of course, this entire time they are yelling at me that they are HUNGRY. Then, as soon as dinner is finished and served guess what they do! You got it! They turn their noses up and say, "I'm not hungry!"

HUH? Really? You're not hungry? Are you sure about this? Because, I'm quite certain I just heard you say you were STARVING like 10 minutes ago.

Yes, this is a scene played out in my home on a nightly basis. It never ends. I swear. After dinner it's snuggle time, books and bed. Of course now that it's getting darker much later they're going to bed later, too. And so this means that anything *Mom* wants to do w/out children under foot has to happen later as well.

Do you see where I'm going with this? I have no life of my own. My life belongs to my employer and my children. Mommy works 24/7 whether she stays home or works for someone else. There never is a quiet moment. Even when the kids are in bed. Oh, how I wish I were kidding...

BEST. Present. EVER.

Today is my birthday. Big whoop, right? Yeah, I'm 32 years old today. Woo. OK, so until this birthday I have dreaded the birthday. Every year. I don't know why. I've always insisted that there is nothing wrong with "getting old" and I get upset with my husband for being self deprecating regarding his age. He claims he's old as dirt and often teases me for being "young". He loves me, though. Not like he had a choice! Ha! The good Lord took care of that for us. ;)

So, anyway, it's my birthday. And all weekend I was really dreading it. Not because of the whole "birthday" thing because, again, I'm finally cool with it. But because my husband's awesome grandmother passed away early Friday morning at the ripe wonderful age of 96. Mammo was fabulous woman and we shall dearly miss her. Well, her service is this afternoon at 2:30. It's just a "viewing" but obviously, these things are never just viewings. Friends and family will be there to remember her. I've really had a hard time this weekend keeping that one little work in focus: REMEMBER. We are not mourning her death, we are remembering her life. It just kind of sucks that it's happening on MY day, you know? But, I guess that's the selfish jerk in me. We all have that little bit in us.

Hey, at least I'm nothing like my mother-in-law who on Saturday found a new level of selfishness that we had no idea existed for her. In talking on the phone with my husband Saturday night about prepping for today's viewing she mentioned the gift we gave Mammo for her birthday / Mother's Day. It was a very cool radio that reads Secure Digital cards and USB drives and plays any music stored on said drives. Along with the radio, we included a 2GB SD card with 1.6 gigs of music from the 30's and 40's. Mammo had mentioned to my husband how much she missed that music and how sad it was that no one plays it anymore. So, for the last month of her life Mammo was able to listen to the music of her youth that she loved so much. And I digress. So, my MIL being the incredibly selfish woman she is actually had the audacity to say to my husband on Saturday night in regards to this awesome radio (keep in mind that Mammo has been dead barely a day and a half):

"So, do I get to take it home?"

Uhhhh....

Wow. Just effing WOW. Seriously? I mean, I knew this woman was beyond selfish but she has officially found a whole new level. And here I am keeping the bit about today being my birthday to myself when talking to her because this thing isn't about me. It's about Mammo and, well, I actually CARE about others feelings. I didn't feel it was appropriate to mention to her that the viewing for her dead mother is on MY birthday. See there? That's me NOT being selfish with regards to my overly selfish mother-in-law.


OK, so now on to the BEST. Present. EVER.

My brother Todd called me last night at about a quarter to 9pm saying that it was time. His GF Shannon was in labor and it was definitely time. So, I threw on some flipflops, grabbed my phone and purse and ran out the door to go pick them up. They don't have a car so my sister Tracey and I have been "on call" for the past few weeks waiting for Shannon to go into labor. She was overdue by over a week, poor thing!

When we got to the hospital last night her contractions were 2.5 minutes apart and she was dilated to 4cm, 75-80% effaced. She was ready for drugs RIGHT THEN. Poor thing doesn't handle pain well...though, IMO, I think she was doing great! They admitted her fairly quickly and got her an epidural pretty darned fast! We got there just after 9pm and she had the epi in by 10:30pm. Seriously, NOT BAD for time, don't you think?? Anyway, I stuck around till 11pm because I wanted to make sure that Shannon's little boy Lucas (6yo) was taken care of by his grandpa. Her dad lives over an hour away from the hospital so it took him a while to get there and then he didn't have a carseat for Lucas so I'm *really* glad I stuck around 'cause I lent him one of my boosters.

I got word this morning that my newest nephew Clarence was born just after 10am this morning. ON MY BIRTHDAY. This is the BEST gift I could have ever been given and it makes up for the sadness that shall be felt this afternoon. So, now, for the rest of my life I shall no longer look at my birthday as being MY day. It's Clarence's day, too. I get to share it with a special gift from God. Life is good.

PMS is My Friend

I wanted brownies last night. BAD. Hell, I've wanted brownies bad for over a week and somehow I've managed to keep the box in the cupboard. But last night was the worst. Even the enticement of sex wasn't enough for me as it was last week.

Unfortunately, it was way too frigging hot in my house - 79°F in the kitchen! So, I "settled" for a rather minuscule bowl of Cocoa Puffs. Let me tell you first that was IN NO WAY an adequate substitute for brownies. And second, it so was NOT good enough to make up for the PAIN IN MY LIVER. (Thanks to my recently diagnosed "Fatty Liver".) Grrrrr....I don't care how frigging hot it is tonight. I'm making BROWNIES.

Yes, PMS is here and she is my friend.

My first blog post in almost 3 years...

Not at all sure exactly *what* to write about so I'll just start with the first thing in my head and go from there. Beware: This may get very random and odd. But bare with me as I will eventually find some direction. Promise!

The Twitter Bug

Have you been bitten? My husband listens to this awesome Podcast called TWIP - This Week In Photography which very recently launched a new site called Photofocus. Anyway, the various photographers who frequent the podcast, mainly Scott Bourne, kept mentioning this site called Twitter. My husband, the ever curious man that he is, finally checked it out. And signed up. Shocked the heck out of me! This is the man who shuns social networking. MySpace? Nope! Facebook? Heck, no! But Twitter? You betcha! Hmmmm...made me wonder. What's so great about it? I mean, I certainly was one to shun the mainstream social networking outlets as well.

In fact, I waited something like 5 years after I first heard about MySpace before I finally gave in and checked it out. I played a little, got in touch with some old friends from high school. Eventually got bored. Then about 8 months later I gave in and checked out Facebook. Facebook was cool, I got into some of the games, played on that even longer than MySpace. And then life and work got in the way. Plus, I do actually run a forum community for moms and that tends to take up a lot of my time as well.

So now, Facebook is a semi-thing-of-the-past for me and thanks to my well meaning husband, I am hooked on Twitter. I like Twitter the best, though. Far less information to share about yourself so that IF you wanted, you can have a following without ever sharing the smallest amount of personal information. You can post a website. Or not. You can post your real name. Or not. Your Bio can be as truthful as you want. Or not. It truly is up to you how much you want to share. I. Like. It. Oh, yes. I really do!

Check me out on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/Jen2Squared

And then there's my lovely husband:

http://www.twitter.com/MrJoatmon

You never know who else you might find on there...