Introduction and food!

I began blogging in full force when I was a young teenager. I posted on AOL message boards describing what I wore each day, I had a 'zine' that detailed my whole life, and both a xanga and livejournal that disclosed personal thoughts and a plethora of now-embarrassing situations that I participated in (please don't google me!). Yet, with all the negative results that arose from my exposing blogs, came some clarity and serenity in putting my thoughts into words.

Thus, I am trying the journaling thing once again. I want to write about the recipes I cook, about the clothes I buy and the fashions that I dream to try! I want to talk about books. and more books. I have no one in real life to discuss books with! I am at a point in my life where my friends are distancing themselves from the social scene and settling down with other people in other cities. My real life social sphere consists mainly of my mother and my boyfriend. My hope is that blogging will allow me to express the opinions and thoughts that I have while I have this void of real-life people to blabber on with. 

So, I am beginning this journey with this particular Sunday. Right now, I am in the process of making Italian Sausage Soup. I have never made this before, but I picked up a couple pounds of Italian Sausage from the Farmers Market earlier this month and have been slowly unfreezing and using the meat. Just a note, I TRY TRY TRY to buy all meat/animal products from local, organic farmers. This is for two main reasons. First, The ecological footprint of local meat is much lower than any meat you could buy in a typical grocery store. The animal is born, raised and killed in the same state as the meat is packaged and sold to you. Get it? Yes, the price is a bit more expensive (Ground beef is only a dollar or two more), but its cheaper to the Earth. Sounds cheesy, but its true. And..I care. Second, accountability. 'anybody can poison you, but if you get sick from a small-scale farmer, you know where to find them.' This point of view can be applied to anything from meat to fixing your material goods to buying drugs. If you know the person involved, things get safer on a smaller scale economy.

I am also trying to make my first two loaves of bread. This is happening right now and I am super unsure of what I am doing at all parts of the process. I think the loaves have risen, but I don't know if how much. My cousin's wife started her blog with two pictures of beautiful homemade bread. I think mine will commence with two pictures of uneven loaves. C'est la vie. (LATER NOTE: YAY THEY TURNED OUT GREAT!) 

Lastly, I would like to quickly introduce the book I am reading: The Black Dahlia, by James Ellroy(?). It's on the list "1001 books to read before you die" list, which I try to base half of my reading choices off of. Right now, I feel that the book is saturated with testosterone and I cannot possibly see how I will get any joy out of it. Needless to say, I am going to stick with it. 

Alright, I will try to post more often. Even with random purchases and like "OMG! I cannot believe with what just happened!!!"

 Love,
Rachel