Apples & Ice Cream

Venturing out of the comfort of our taste buds is always an adventure. I usually find the adventure to be worth while, and will prepare to taste new and unexpected foods at friendly gatherings. Parties almost always involve food, so it is best to be hungry!

I recently attended a party/gathering where a friend, lets call him Steve, decided to cook us his Mama's homemade apples and ice cream. Now, let me give you a clear picture of how this went down. Steve was really talking up the apples he was preparing. He boasted the best warm cinnamon apples in town! So needless to say we were all pretty hyped up to try some of the infamous apples.

So the ice cream was served, and Steve dished up the warm apples as the dressing. The smell was divine. The mix of warm and cool temperatures was just right. The general experience was lovely, and fragrant. The only disturbance in the dining experience was the unexpected texture of apple skin!

When I inquired to Steve about the surprise, he explained that he preferred the skins on. So I asked if that was how his mother made it, and I was not shocked to hear that his mother prepared the apples skinless.

After a brief survey of the room, it was decided that his Mama's infamous apples would in fact be best if they were prepared according to the recipe.

Solar Power

This is less of a critique. But yesterday while I was driving home I noticed a Weather Alert tower (I'm not sure exactly what they are called) that was powered by solar power. Now, I do understand how solar power works, however...
At first glance I decided that it was the funniest thing I had seen all day.

Why would a tower that needs to alert the public of bad weather be powered by the sun...

Just the thought that made me laugh too hard while driving.

Home Sales

The plan for this blog is to review plays, musicals, operas, restaurants, concerts, art shows, etc. I realize that I could rewrite that sentence as, "to review my friends and family." My goal of course is to be professional, but honest in my reviews. Which means, at some point, somebody might be offended by what I write (especially if it isn't 100% positive). This is why I thought it would be appropriate to review my current job. If I critique myself first, then you can all feel better when I attend one of your events and a review suddenly pops up in my blog!

Okay, here we go:

As unemployment continues to have an impact on the family paycheck, more and more people have turned to Direct Sales. The appeal generates from low start-up costs, potential income, discounted products, but many join simply to "get away from the kids for a few hours." Direct Sales does come with a stigma though. Many people try to avoid a direct sales person at any cost. Nobody wants to be pressured into buying sometimes useless (and expensive) junk.

I had been an unbeliever of this market up until quite recently. I always assumed that direct sales women were just professional-wannabes. I hated being invited to home-parties. I hated having to attend home-parties even more. Perhaps this hatred was motivated out of the annoyance of being asked to spend money (that I did not have), or to join a company that I did not want products from.

Many of you may be able to relate to this perspective of home-parties. Whenever -The Friend- calls to invite you to their home-party you pretend that you are not home. Unfortunately, my "Friend," was my sister. Thus, it became my fate to attend far too many home-parties against my will. The last home-party I attended (against my will) was the first Pampered Chef show I had experienced.

For the first time, I saw a benefit to purchasing the products being shown. Unlike candles (which burn out), or make-up (which runs out), I saw a product that I only had to buy once! And bonus, it would last a long time! But I was still suspicious. I knew the sneaky Direct Sales woman was waiting for her opportunity to pounce. I had braved placing an order, but was weary. I did not want to let her know that I was interested in the business.

That is when I discovered all of the benefits of becoming a Direct Sales person. Especially for The Pampered Chef. A Pampered Chef Consultant, never has to have items in stock (no inventory), they have no territories, and many other benefits. The compensation is commission based, and starts at 20% and increases quickly. I discovered that with self-motivation I could work only 8 days a month and earn up to $800 or more.

The big potential downside facing Direct Sales is the need to constantly generate new clients and leads. This requires a lot of socialization, friendliness, and bravery. Without the client base, the paycheck is not possible.

Now, I understand why so many women choose to go into direct sales (specifically Pampered Chef). They have the opportunity to support their family with income, healthy meals, and flexible schedules. Plus, these women tend to actually have the network available to support the needed client base. Through family, friends, fellow parents, co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, and fellow house wives, women can create a thriving business to help them conquer the perils of unemployment.

For more information on joining the Pampered Chef visit, www.pamperedchef.com, or contact me!

Venus de Milo

Alright, I thought this would be an interesting first piece. I wrote this blurb in 2007, after viewing the Venus de Milo at the Louvre. During my study abroad we were supposed to keep journals and review each place we visited. So, more of these reviews may pop up in the future. For now, this was my favorite review. It is quite "out of the box," and truly just idle speculation, but entertaining nonetheless. Also, I apologize in advance for the somewhat flawed sentence structures - I did write this in rather unusual circumstances, and in "journaling" style.



We'll pick up somewhere in the middle of the review (starting with Nike, then to Venus) entitled, The Louvre:

"The Winged Victory: Nike of Samothrace; from the first moment I saw this sculpture in class a few years ago, I knew if nothing else, I had to see this piece in real life. The contraposto of her body is so convincing, especially the way the fabric of her dress pulls in the "wind" across her midriff. This must have taken enormous talent and time. The fact that she used to be on a boat says that she commemorates a naval victory. I could only imagine how impressive she would have been then. Would the ship she road on have taken away from her glory? Or was the ship merely the pedestal of her throne? What did her head and arms look like? Would I still like the piece as much if these things were not missing? All difficult questions to answer. If she was complete, I don't think she would be as much of an intrigue to people. They would analyze her and move right along to the next piece. At least that is what I assume would happen because that is exactly what to other fully preserved pieces of interest. A great example of that is the Mona Lisa.

We saw Venus de Milo shortly after our session with Nike. Personally, from what I had seen Venus was not that impressive. When I saw her in person, she still was not that impressive. In fact, she looked quite different than her photos. Her face up close look much more manly. Perhaps they've edited all the photos of her to make her a bit prettier. She reminded me of the Mona Lisa. All this hype for nothing really. A he/she mystery-well, no mystery I suppose since she is nude. Perhaps people enjoy her arms, but they aren't there either... Which leads me to conclude that people who love Venus de Milo are actually suppressing their inner desire for the imprisonment or confining of the rights and power of women. They enjoy seeing the Goddess of Love, so powerful and yet so harmless (armless). She appears to be at their will and mercy and judgment. Some people wish women or other oppressed peoples were "armless," in real life too. Powerless. Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme, but we are working outside of the box today."

The Critic

Throughout much of my life I was told that I can be judgmental.

I find, critical, to be a much more warm, and encompassing term.

"Judgmental" people are usually self-affirming, and the term can be associated with irrational thinking. "Critical" people tend to be informed, honest, and consequently harsh.

My goal with this blog is to keep up on my "criticisms." I am involved in the arts, so that is primarily where my focus will remain. Although, at this time, I do not believe in limiting the possibility of things/ideas to critique. Here you may read reviews of plays, musicals, operas, art shows, politics, religion, and whatever else may strike my fancy.