This is an off topic post. Usually I blog about writing but occasionally I love to throw a curve ball out there.
I saw a discussion about cheap meal options for families amid this crisis and wanted to share a dish that I have been making for years. Cheap and tasty.
Pasta Bake.
1 box (12 ounce to 16 ounce) any kind of pasta noodles that tickle your whatsit
1 8 ounce bag of shredded cheese (or you can shred your own if that's your jam. I prefer cheddar for this)
3 cloves of diced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried italian seasoning
1 26 ounce can of tomato soup (or 2 regular sized cans if your wrists need the extra exercise.)
Cook up the pasta as directed.
Drain and stir in the tomato soup.
Stir in the diced garlic, seasonings, and pepper
add in 1/2 cup of cheese and mix in
put in an oven safe pan -- around 9 x 13 in size or something similar.
Cover with the remaining cheese from the bag
Bake at 400 degrees for right around 10 minutes.
Voila!
This entire meal can feed about 4 people, or 2 really hungry ones for roughly $5-$7, depending on whether you buy store brand ingredients or not.
Hope you enjoyed this.
Buy my book:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431
Monday, May 18, 2020
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
It's Been How Long?!
I woke up this morning feeling a bit scruffy and thought to myself, well it's been a good week since I shaved. Look in the mirror and realized I look like Sasquatch's slightly furrier cousin. Wow. Time has gotten away from me lately. Or, to phrase it more correctly, Time has become completely meaningless.
Here in Michigan we're on week 9 of our lock down. I'm not getting into politics of it because we're in uncharted territory and it is what it is. I'm a good boy and try to do my part.
It's like the world ended on Saint Patrick's Day, though. Even the weather feels pretty much like it did in mid March. Spring has yet to arrive here. It's all coming together to create the perfect illusion that time has actually stopped. After I realized that it's now mid May I had to double check all of my bills to make sure I hadn't let anything lapse in recent weeks.
I also realized exactly how far behind I am on my writing. I wanted to be in edits by the beginning of June. Not going to happen. I'm about 25% of the way through draft 2 and can't imagine that I will be finished with this draft until July. So, my plan is to have this book finished by October now. I'm not going to rush it.
Could I even tell if I am rushing it? It feels like I have lost the ability to measure any kind of progress in my life. It's a bit like being a kid again. Every day felt the same back then, too. I wonder how my four year old is perceiving all of this. It feels like we just had his birthday (which unfortunately happened during all of this) and then I realize it was over a month and a half ago.
Anyone else out there suffering from Pandemic Induced Dementia?
Oh, well. It's just another day in paradise...at least I think it's another day?
Also, if you're bored or like scary stuff - only 99 cents now or free on Kindle Unlimited:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431
Here in Michigan we're on week 9 of our lock down. I'm not getting into politics of it because we're in uncharted territory and it is what it is. I'm a good boy and try to do my part.
It's like the world ended on Saint Patrick's Day, though. Even the weather feels pretty much like it did in mid March. Spring has yet to arrive here. It's all coming together to create the perfect illusion that time has actually stopped. After I realized that it's now mid May I had to double check all of my bills to make sure I hadn't let anything lapse in recent weeks.
I also realized exactly how far behind I am on my writing. I wanted to be in edits by the beginning of June. Not going to happen. I'm about 25% of the way through draft 2 and can't imagine that I will be finished with this draft until July. So, my plan is to have this book finished by October now. I'm not going to rush it.
Could I even tell if I am rushing it? It feels like I have lost the ability to measure any kind of progress in my life. It's a bit like being a kid again. Every day felt the same back then, too. I wonder how my four year old is perceiving all of this. It feels like we just had his birthday (which unfortunately happened during all of this) and then I realize it was over a month and a half ago.
Anyone else out there suffering from Pandemic Induced Dementia?
Oh, well. It's just another day in paradise...at least I think it's another day?
Also, if you're bored or like scary stuff - only 99 cents now or free on Kindle Unlimited:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1701845431
Monday, May 11, 2020
Growth and Reflection
It's been half a year since the release of The Morbid Fascinations of David Bennett. I can't believe it's been that long, actually closer to seven months now. It's also bee roughly six months since I began my current work in progress.
So much has changed with the world, and my perspective on it since my debut released into the world. I have learned how to appreciate criticism without letting it devastate me. I have also learned to discern what qualifies as criticism versus knit picking or tearing down. I also have learned to appreciate that people will have very different reactions to my work depending on their own philosophy. It should have been obvious to begin with, but I was singularly focused and pretty obliviously obtuse about what life as an author is really like.
In the best moments it has been overwhelming, uplifting, vindicating, and just pure fun.
In the worst moments it has been frustrating, draining, humbling, and downright devastating.
You know what, though? I wouldn't trade it for the world.
My writing routine looks a lot different than it did a year ago. Back then I was struggling to find time to write amid a busy life as a work from home dad. Then, when I started drafting my current novel I had more scheduled time and it flowed much better. Now, I have time, support, but I also have extended periods of malaise as a direct result of the pandemic sweeping across the globe. It all makes life feel rather pointless, these days. Some days are better than others. I went from a pace that allowed me to complete the first draft of my current work in four months to being stuck in the first act of the second draft for the past two months.
So, what have I learned about the journey of being a writer, so far? It's not just a job or a career -- it's a lifestyle. It's a complete immersion into a new way of existing...and unless you can handle wear and tear, physically and mentally, it's going to wear you down like a jagged stone in a river. A year ago I was a very jagged rock. Now I'm but a humble little pebble who has learned to let the current flow around me without sweeping me away with it.
So much has changed with the world, and my perspective on it since my debut released into the world. I have learned how to appreciate criticism without letting it devastate me. I have also learned to discern what qualifies as criticism versus knit picking or tearing down. I also have learned to appreciate that people will have very different reactions to my work depending on their own philosophy. It should have been obvious to begin with, but I was singularly focused and pretty obliviously obtuse about what life as an author is really like.
In the best moments it has been overwhelming, uplifting, vindicating, and just pure fun.
In the worst moments it has been frustrating, draining, humbling, and downright devastating.
You know what, though? I wouldn't trade it for the world.
My writing routine looks a lot different than it did a year ago. Back then I was struggling to find time to write amid a busy life as a work from home dad. Then, when I started drafting my current novel I had more scheduled time and it flowed much better. Now, I have time, support, but I also have extended periods of malaise as a direct result of the pandemic sweeping across the globe. It all makes life feel rather pointless, these days. Some days are better than others. I went from a pace that allowed me to complete the first draft of my current work in four months to being stuck in the first act of the second draft for the past two months.
So, what have I learned about the journey of being a writer, so far? It's not just a job or a career -- it's a lifestyle. It's a complete immersion into a new way of existing...and unless you can handle wear and tear, physically and mentally, it's going to wear you down like a jagged stone in a river. A year ago I was a very jagged rock. Now I'm but a humble little pebble who has learned to let the current flow around me without sweeping me away with it.
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