Copier Wars

My office is very busy. Multitasking in my office has become an art form. The copy machine is a fax/copier/printer. There are four computers hooked up to it and it was dying a slow and painful death. Every moving part was replaced over a two week period and it still jammed. I don’t have time to fuss with jamming copies consistently. So after I called the service guys everyday for two weeks, I was done.

The office manager informed me and the sales people that they had to impress me with the machine. I told them they had to impress her with the price. I was not impressed with the first machine – it was slow, noisy, etc. The second machine was fast, quiet, user friendly and did everything I needed it to do. The third machine was a dud – too loud, slow, it didn’t switch quickly enough between functions, etc. The fourth machine was as good as the second machine. The fourth salesman bought us all lattes. Note to salesman: lattes good.

The fourth machine’s salesman was thrilled when we said we would pick their machine (really the lattes didn’t have anything to do with it). The second machine’s salesman came down in price significantly and won the final deal. The fourth machine’s salesman was disappointed but couldn’t come close to matching the other guy’s offer. The office manager was happy because she got a great deal and I was happy that copier wars were over. Now if my computer would come into the 21st century I would be thrilled.

This taught me something about people. In a situation like this someone wins and someone loses. It’s not pleasant to tell someone that you got a better offer. You can tell they are disappointed.

It got me to thinking. How does God feel when I pick something else over Him? Does He feel he’s not good enough because I rather do what I want over what He wants me to do? I’m glad that He doesn’t hold it against me. I’m grateful that He welcomes me into His waiting arms again and again. Sometimes life gets very busy but I need to remember it should never get too busy for Him.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Thank You & My Son’s New Website

Item 1: I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement during my editing process. Your kind comments in my previous post meant so much. I still have several more chapters to go.

Self publishing is not an inexpensive process, so having your spouse’s support is crucial. I’m grateful that only do I have Tom’s support, it was his idea to pursue this process. He has backed me up every step of the way.

Item 2: My son as most of you know is living in Los Angeles pursuing his career behind the camera. He’s done very well in his first year living there and has worked steadily from one project to another. I’m very proud of him. The picture above is a picture my daughter took of my son when he was living in Seattle.

One of the things he learned in school was web design. He’s done a great job on his new website. Below is his home page. I think it’s quite clever with all of his hidden surprises. You can also view some of his work under his work page. Just click here to check it out.

Thank you all again for your continued expressions of love.

© Nadine Z. 2008

The Editing Goes On and On…

You all must think I’m a bad blog friend. I’m so sorry that I haven’t been around. Besides being knee deep in edits for my book, I’ve been a very busy pastor’s wife. Church activities have been plentiful.

I have learned so much about myself during this time of editing. I’ve learned that I’m okay with my imperfections. I’m okay with the suggestions Lauren (my editor) has made. I’ve come to trust her. I'm okay with not making some changes (I was very unsure of myself).

When I write, I wait. I wait for inspiration. I sit in front of computer and I pray. That’s how I wrote my book. I had an idea – just a beginning and an ending. The middle was very fuzzy. So I waited and the inspiration flowed. I’m grateful for all that God breathed into me.

So when editing my words, I continue to ask Him for His inspiration. I’ve learned that it’s where I’m most comfortable – in His hands.

I’m hopeful that the changes being made will make the story sharper. I’m excited by this process. I’ve learned that if I’m willing not to hold on too tightly to what I have, then I will gain more than expected.

I can’t wait for the next step – graphic design.

Thank you all for your support.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Griot (Haitian Pork Shoulder)

**There are videos now available on YouTube to demonstrate how to make this meal. Check the links below.
Growing up my mom would make this pork dish, called Griot (meal pictured above). When we were dating Tom loved it, so I asked my mom to give me the recipe. I guess my mom cooks like me and doesn’t cook with exact measurements. So I’m posting this typical Haitian meal (the only one I know how to make) in picture form. I must say that if you don’t have all the components of this meal don’t make it. It’s the combination of flavors that makes a party in your mouth.

This meal consist of Griot (pork shoulder), fresh green beans, rice and beans, avocado salad, fried plantains (large green banana).

Rice and Beans: You start off with a bag of fresh kidney beans, parboiled rice (Uncle Ben’s – white rice doesn’t work), salt, pepper, thinly sliced and chopped (5 slices) of onion, parsley, garlic powder, oil and margarine. How much you make depends on the size of your family. If you are making 2 cups of rice then you will need 2 cups of beans and 4 cups of bean juice (the left over water after you cook your beans). In a large pot place kidney beans, add some salt and pepper and water. Remember to add more water as it cooks because the water will evaporate. Cook until beans are tender. Drain water into a measuring cup. In the bottom of the pot add oil, onions, salt, pepper and garlic. Cook until onions are clear. Add beans and cook the beans slightly. Add juice from beans, parsley, and rice. Taste water to see if more seasoning is needed. Cook on medium heat until water starts to evaporate, add margarine and stir. When the water covers the rice and beans barely cover and simmer until all the water is evaporate.My video on how to make rice & beans on YouTube: Click HERE

Griot (pork shoulder): You start off with a nice piece of pork shoulder. Slice and cut into medium size pieces. Trim meat around bone but leave some meat on the bone. It’s okay to leave fat on the pieces. The fat helps to keep the meat tender. Squeeze 1-2 fresh oranges and 1-2 fresh lemons. Cover orange/lemon juice mixture over meat. Place meat (and bone) in large pot and pour orange/lemon juice in pan. Add water but do not cover meat. Cover and par-boil. You may want to rotate the meat in the pot until all is par-cooked. Place the meat on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil. Pour some the juice that the meat cooked in over the meat. Place in 350 degree oven. Cook meat and turn. You may add more juice to keep meat moist. Cook until nicely browned.
My video on how to make Griot on YouTube: Click HERE

Plantains: Slice ends off and cut in 2 inch diagonal slices. In pan fry the plantains on all sides. Place on paper towels. Let the plantains cool slightly. Place one piece at a time between two plates and smash slightly. Refry until it’s golden in color. Salt plantains when you first take them out of the pan.My video on how to make plantains on YouTube: Click Here

Make fresh green beans and avocado salad (cut in cubes, a small amount of lemon juice and salt).

My video on how to make avocado salad on YouTube: Click Here

© Nadine Z. 2008

Happy Mother’s Day

Tom and I took a day trip to see our daughter for Mother’s Day on Saturday. It was such a great day. As you can see by the picture above that’s my lovely daughter. For those of you who don’t know her, let me explain some things before telling you what she got me for Mother’s Day.

My daughter doesn’t like her picture taken. In fact, it’s safe to say hates her picture taken. She wasn’t interested in doing senior pictures when she graduated high school. The thought of posing in front of camera in different outfits and poses was not her idea of a good time. In fact that last time she posed for pictures was when she was fifteen. She’s now twenty four. This is not to say I didn’t sneak a snapshot of her here and there, but I’m talking professional pictures.

When we got to her apartment, she told me she had a present for me, but didn’t have a chance to get a card. I had told her I didn’t want a present from her or her brother because she’s a college student and he works from job to job. She hands me a thin paper bag and I open it. I can tell it’s a picture holder. I figured she had given me a picture of something she’s taken before (she has taken some great pictures for photography class). I opened up the holder and the above picture was in it. I believe screams of joy, tears, hugs, and lots kisses followed. It was the best present she could have given me.

She had made arrangements the last time she was home with our favorite church resident professional photographer, Dianna, to have pictures taken for me. She posed for over a hundred pictures and then picked the one above for me so I can have it framed.

We had a great day and dinner at Outback. The only thing that would have made it complete is if my son was with us. He’s a good son and I’ll get a special call from him. I love my kids and their dad. I’m truly blessed.

For all of your moms out there, be blessed today and always. Have a Happy Mother’s Day.

© Nadine Z. 2008

P.S. Now it’s back to those edits.

Yeah, It’s Friday!!

A further update on my book; my editor has been busy, which translates into two more chapters to work on. This means I’ll be busy trying to get more edits done.

Just a side note, you know you’ve being working too hard when….

Let me start my little tale with this bit of information. Part of my job is to call people to make appointments. You might not know this, but many people born in Oregon has a social security that starts with the numbers 541, which by the way is one of the area codes for Oregon. Why did I tell you this? It’s my disclaimer for the rest of the story. Today I was trying to reach someone who lives in Oregon for an appointment. You see where this is heading – that’s right, I started dialing the social security number. I kept saying to myself there is some numbers missing. Something didn’t seem right, and then it hit me. I laughed so hard. I just had to share what I did with everyone. Note to self - you can’t dial someone’s social security number to reach them – it doesn’t work.

I hope you all have had a good week, if not take heart – yeah, it’s Friday! Thank you Jesus for weekends.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Where’s Nadine?

I usually don’t take this long to post. I’m sure some of you have wondered why I haven’t stopped by. At least I hope I’ve been missed. I’ve been so busy working on my edits. I just finished chapter 15 out of 22. I’m really enjoying this process. Lauren, my editor, has made this experience pleasant. She asks good questions and makes suggestions that don’t make me feel like an idiot. Even when we don’t agree (which is not as often as you would think) it’s been good. She makes me smile when she comments how she likes a line or a paragraph. I’m amused by her involvement in the characters and the storyline. It shows me that she’s not just doing a job, but enjoying the story. Since I’m self publishing, she plans on going through the entire book once more to make sure nothing was missed. Now I’m waiting on chapter 16.

I’m not sure how much I will catch up on all my blog reading. I’ve missed you all so much. I am teaching on Thursday night at church and I’m working on my lesson. I will try to pop in this week when I have a free moment.

I leave you with this random thought:

You know you are loved when -

He does the things that mean something to you without making you feel like he’s doing you a favor.

I would love to hear what you all would add to the statement above. Come on share the love.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Double Tag

I was tagged twice this week. The first one is from Kathryn. It’s the Six-Word Memoir. The rules:

1. Write your own Six-Word Memoir.

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogsphere.

4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.

5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

My Six-Word Memoir: Live now, love passionately, forever free

The second tag is from Laura for Six Things About Me tag. I’ve done various versions of this before so I’m not sure I can come up with anything new that’s interesting. If I repeat myself, please forgive me.

1. I only started wearing flip flops a couple of years ago because I didn’t like the feeling of strap between my toes. Now I think they are comfortable.

2. I don’t buy popcorn when I go to the movies, but make a big bowl with plenty of butter when I get home.

3. I played Desdemona from Othello in a Shakespeare contest in high school.

4. I didn’t take biology in high school because I didn’t want to dissect a frog, but I can cut up a whole chicken like a pro.

5. I can’t drive a stick.

6. You may all know this, but it’s worth repeating… I’m madly in love with Tom.

© Nadine Z. 2008