And I think cooking at home is overrated. Yes much more economical, but I love eating out!

Where are 2008 resolutions?

X (marks the spot)

let me tell you one thing: forget the haircut, it is so nice (:

If you want to continue to work on your camera work check out http://www.strobist.com (strobist.blogspot.com). Its all about improving your skills by using off camera lighting instead of the little on-board flash. You can go thru Lighting 101 and learn some wonderful things.

The way I learned to cook was by 1) learning not to be scared of the stove or cutting things or using recipes that and 2) planning as I shop.

That latter is really the essence of cooking, actually. If you’re in the supermarket and you see some boneless skinless chicken fillets, for example, you can immediately think “Hey! If I put some fresh rosemary and garlic and onion and olive oil together, stick the chicken with all that in a bag, I’ll be marinating the chicken in all that good stuff.”

I mean, it is possible to plan meals on the fly - think about the concept of sides, and how they can be mixed and matched with an entree.

Does that help at all? I don’t wanna be preachy, but there’s like a way of thinking about planning meals that doesn’t take a whole lot of time, and you can be cooking way sooner than you think.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, I figured that following the feast, I wouldn’t be so easy to hunger and I followed this book. It took me three days really, since I didn’t read ahead and missed some of the baking pans I would need. Next time, I’m sure I’ll be able to do it in one day. I’ve been eating from my freezer since with the exception of eating out with friends a couple of times for holiday occasions.

What it does is set you up with all your staple meals and saves you from spoilage of the usual perishable items. Once you’ve spent this time filling your freezer, you don’t have to worry about most day-to-day meals (lunch or dinner). And that will free you up for better choosing times you can learn to cook those savory meals you might always have wanted.

The book is geared for a family of six, so couples or single folks will be able to eat for 3 to 6 times longer. It also covers the two-week method in case you don’t have freezer space or can’t set aside a full day to cook for the month version. There are other books on the subject, I have two others, and they have more meal ideas, but this was my first and it’s been very enlightening of the power of freezing meals.

I had similar resolutions…

1. Um, does visiting family to play on someone’s PS3 count?
2. I think I got it picked out, now I need the $$$….
5. I got an air pump… it’s somewhere…
6. Does microwave count?
8. Well, partly, see #11
9. quote above q & a
11. Ditto on the G7 (now the G9 is out with Raw support, just my luck)
12. Um, no comment, see #1
13. 1.Maholo, 2.BOL,
15. mine works as long as I’m taking the pictures not having them taken of me….

Comparing BOL and Diggnation is not an Apples-to-Apples comparison. BOL is audio while Diggnation is video BOL follows mainstream tech news while Diggnation covers the niche stuff found on Digg. BOL has sober hosts and Digg . . .

I do think that BOL should publish a video version. I know it would be just a shot of Tom and Molly in the studio, but I am positive that many fans would love to see Tom’s enigmatic smiles and Molly’s rants.

Happy New Year, V!

You can combine a few from last year… #1+#3 (more exercise) + #11. Take walks in the park and stop to take pictures. The more you take the better your “eye” gets and the more familiar you will get with the settings.

Good luck and Happy New Year.