The Lazy Post

Not chillaxing as I normally do.  Been having some odd sleep issues.  Wake up early, fall back asleep.  Get up late.  Let's hope this passes because that's it.  Perhaps cutting back on the (gasp) lattes will be another step.  Too bad I can't Jedi Mind Trick myself to sleep.

Get Organized

Spent last night off the net with the exception of a few peaks on the Blackberry.  I needed to relax a little.  In spite of charging the laptop, I never turned it on to type.  I did jot down a page full of notes for the thesis, which I am glad I did.  I felt even a small amount of effort on my part was worth the time to complete.  Now I have to make sure I organize myself because I wish to do a lot of writing that needs to get done.  So below is a list of things that will be worked on this week.

• Blog Posts (6)
• Thesis
• Screenplay 
• Idea Development

For those not in the know I write here, for Several Deadly CINES, and Tastes Like Comics.  I sincerely want to add a few more cinema posts to CINES.  I will settle for no less than two written for this week.  I may get to post them on the weekend, but I feel that writing them will work for me.  I've been updating thesis info of late.  The blog feels naked without some fresh essays.  I have the perfect films I want to look at and discuss.

I also have a collaboration to complete, which I'm excited about.  That's tomorrow's priority.  I need to get cracking.   Thesis needs a lot more research, but that's part of the charm of thesis.  You work those suckers with some intensity.  The screenplay needs some plot adjustments.  I have to thank my buddy Thor for that.  Check out his site, Caffeine-Fueled and forums as well.  The film and game reviews are hilarious as well as good. I have fun visiting.    

Saturdazed But Not Confused

Watching the Nolan Batman films while working on my thesis.  I have a few articles to read so I can use them as scholarly sources. Sometimes this becomes a labor, but I like trying to understand the genre of comedy and a few of its sub-genres. Managed to get a new Tastes Like Comics article written.  I'll have to post on that a little later, since its not up yet.

Dealing Meals

I dunno if I can get this all done, but I have several meals planned to be made this weekend.  Now I won't be eating them all in one day, however I seek to have several dinner for the upcoming week, and spend less on dining out.

The meals should be simple to prepare.  I have several of the ingredients already and started the prepwork.  First off the three meals are, fettucini with  Alfredo sauce and vegetables.  I will explain the jazzed up sauce a little later.  Next is steaks and mixed veggies. Last is Collard greens and BBQ chicken.

I marinated the meats tonight.  The steaks in teriyaki honey, Montreal seasonings and fresh garlic.  The chicken soaks in wine and with fresh garlic, season salt, garlic powder and cajun seasonings.

I didn't get the collards today since the store was out.  I may need to pick up some more fresh garlic and sun dried tomatoes.

To Do Lists

The time has come for me to get more of my act together, and I know that takes more than saying I'm doing what I set out to do.  A brother needs to get organized.  I'm rather scatterbrained (typical artist behavior).  So now's the time to try out making tangible to do lists.

The goal is not to do everything in one day, but rather looking at what I want to do, and not getting overwhelmed with the process.  For example, I'm working on my thesis, but if I focus on getting a certain topic within the thesis covered, I can get that done, then work on the next.  

Also this should help with my fiction and blog posts.   I need to have a list of topics and worth them into my daily schedule.  The main thing is I'm not expecting perfection with this, but rather structure and results.  Even if something doesn't get accomplished, i can map my expectations and eventually fine tune what I'm doing.

The Smells From the Kitchen: Savory Goodness

Before I get into what smells so good, know that I earned this Klondike bar I'm about to scarf down. After a friend suggested making steak in the oven and my own love of steaks, I decided that I would make today's steaks in the oven.  This took a little prep work, but not too much.  It was really simple.

I started with seasoning the meat, then a honey Teriyaki marinade.  I added some fresh garlic to this and let it sit for a few hours.  When it was ready for cooking, I set the oven for 350.  In a baking dish (lightly coated in olive oil), I laid out the steaks. I cut a whole onion, two bell peppers, fresh garlic, and some mushrooms (drizzled in olive oil) to lay on top of the steaks.  They're in the oven now making my house smell so good.  

So this was for sure worth a try, as when I used the marinades on the stove, it tends to stick to the pan  They caramelize and burn too quickly.  The steaks taste good, but the pan is pure heck to clean.

Bad marinade adventures aside, I'm eating this Klondike bar and loving my Saturday.  It's the little things that make this day so good.  For sides I'm making some broccoli with cheddar.