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TOURIST FOR THE DAY in PUERTO RICO

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Confessions of a 24-7 Yogi Blogger






Just like all of you, I'm busy. I manage family responsibilities, a full time profession, and a huge writing project involving research, a working memory and mental processing. Not to mention that my yoga/meditation practice requires that I get up early every morning and do that routine, which always is a blissful respite from the sometimes abrasive world. But blogger friends, I have to come clean, tell the truth, spill the beans-or peas, that is. I admit it, I burned the main pasta dish that I had intended to bring to Noche Buena dinner, last night. Yes, I had to make it again. Then I packed it and set it in the car. I think. When we arrived to our destination, I couldn't find the food-any of it! Not the main pasta dish, nor the specially prepared seasonal pasteles; not the fresh veggies or the spinach dip. I couldn't even find the red and white holiday tray I bought to serve them on. I remembered that I had packed everything and I did carry it to the living room. Did I leave it on the chair -or the couch? When we unloaded the hastily wrapped gifts, and I couldn't find our food. Then I had to suffer through the uniform cries of disappointment for my negligent behavior. Oh yes, I defended myself. Someone should have helped me: I was too busy! Why was misplacing our food such a problem? You see, we're vegetarian-the kind that never eats any meat at all- and one of our foolproof solutions to causing food inconveniences at family gatherings is to bring our own. It turned out fine, my dear mother-in-law had made us vegetarian arroz con gandules-rice with pigeon peas. No, it doesn't have poultry in it, that's just the name. Later that night, when we returned home, I looked for the misplaced food. I couldn't find it- not on the couch, not in the kitchen, not anywhere. I went out to the car and looked again. No, the bags were not there. I looked around the house again. Seriously, I even checked the hall that leads to the bathroom. Where could the food be? I gave up and went to bed. The next morning, I returned to search the mini van but this time, I moved everything out of the back storage area. ..and there, dear readers, under a white plastic bag full of newspapers, was our now spoiled Christmas evening dinner. You might wonder why I couldn't find or even remember where I had set the dinner? Excuse me, I left out a little detail in this somewhat tedious narrative, I had been blogging. I blogged through the first batch of burned seashell pasta. I blogged through and around in my mind when I recooked dinner. The pasteles water pot went dry and the paper burned, "Oh, they'll be fine, I'll just add a little more water." I took unheard of short cuts with the pasta. Usually, the time consuming preparation does not bother me in the least. I left the kitchen and got caught in the bloggy world again. I was brought back to real reality (verses virtual reality) when my husband called out, "Are you burning something again?" I left my laptop oasis in the bedroom and rescued my second attempt at preparing dinner. I feel like I should be in a bloggers 12 step program; "Hello, my name is Cynthia, and I'm a blogger." Here's the problem, I'm addicted to blogging. My neglected-feeling teenage daughter says, "Mom, what are you doing?" "Oh, I'm writing something here, do you want to read it?" Amid groans, she quickly signs the cross at me. I have to laugh. I've been reading her my postings, telling her my discoveries, insights and connections, relentlessly. I'm on vacation, I tell myself. I quickly think about all that I'm doing. Yes, I'm off the blog quickly writing some Christmas letters. I'm still reading but everything of interest connects to my next idea. And I'm cleaning, too, at least enough to make a space to walk through to the kitchen. What has happened to me? I just want to keep writing and finding out who else is in this bloggers world. I'm sure this emotional roller coaster will stop or slow down but for now I need a bit of support, "Dear, will you tell me when I've been at the computer too long? Dear??" Forget about it, he's stuck on his own TV crime story addiction. (We've just gotten satellite hookup out here in the mountains.) "Son, will you...can you hear me?? Son!" He's hooked on the computer chat that never ends-he's no help. "Daughter of mine...daughter! Where are you?" She's got her face in Facebook; no, she's downloading music, I can hear her singing. "Son!" I try again. He can't hear me because he's got plugs in his ears and is listening to screaming music; he's also on the cell phone. What is this? Can no one help me? We're all living duel lives in parallel worlds! Where's my mindfulness practice? Oh, I remember, "A yogi, never feels tension, when she does something, she does just that. ..there is no resistance...no tension." Wait! Is that permission to immerse myself in blogging-to give myself over to the blogging experience entirely? I think it is...or is that my procrastination-persistently-rationalizing to the blogger me? Write about it! Yes, that's what I'll do.

* * * *

Five pounds of these gandules verdes (green pigeon peas) were bought fresh at the Rio Piedras mercado (market). Abuelo (grandpa) spent all day shelling them for the evening cena de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve meal).





Abuela (grandma) prepared these locally grown peas with rice, vegetarian style so we were able to participate in the eating aspect of the celebration despite my negligence.

We ate this traditional meal minus the pasteles, which were MIA due to a blogger's obsession.

Wouldn't it have been nice if I had cooked this traditional Puerto Rican dinner? Even though I bought the plantains, I couldn't prepare them because I was too busy- blogging, that is.


Arroz (grano mediano) con habichuelas rosadas y tostones


Rice (medium grain) with pink beans and fried platanos (large green plantain bananas)

* * * *
Christmas day, I pulled away from the computer for a few hours by fortifying myself with George's Bangladesh DVD (mentioned in the earlier posting) and focusing on the uphill climb of making a special-ish dinner. For motivation, I reflected on my daughter's morning face when she said to the blogging me, "I guess we're not having a special Christmas breakfast." I still have the chastising and mildly disappointed expression in my mind. Christmas evening, we had a little blessing, dinner, and talked. I didn't rush anyone. After waiting for everyone to leave the table, I dove into the computer world again. Sigh. The table is still dirty and the dishes await. It's almost 11:30pm!

13 comments:

  1. The Pink Cowboy feels compelled to admit his own obsession about blogging. I'm in awe. Just to imagine I am connected to the world through blogging is a thrill. When I go to the OWL blog the first thing I do is to check your tally of people from different nations that have visited the OWL. I am trying to get this gadget but I do not find it. It is such a high to be able to send your own perspective and sentiments about life all over the international cyberspace. I feel I am connecting with the whole world. I feel like a true earthling when I do this. I get anxiously happy when I post something. I have to do it in haste because the computer I am using belongs to my brother. So it all becomes a rather rushing affair. So please, dear Cynthia keep burning those pots!!!!! We need to hear from you. The food you left in the car is not spoiled, it was an offering to the inspiring Muses!!!!!

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  2. TPC, thank you for your support. Maybe we could go to the 12 step meetings together? We could stand up and confess, "Hello. I'm 'blank', and I'm a blogger." Afterwards, we could go out for Chai and discuss blogs.

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  3. TPC, the instructions you might need to add the flag feature are as follows: click on the lower part of the widget, follow the directions until you can click on the text to imbed, copy that then go to the layout section of your blog and click on 'add a gadget'. When the window comes up, scroll down to the add html text and click on this feature. When the window comes up, paste the imbeded information you copied from the origination site. Write a title and save. You can move it around after you save and test to make sure it arrived all in one piece! I hope this helped, dear blogger buddy.

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  4. High Desert Diva, are you saying that you need to attend the 12 step for bloggers, too? I wonder how common our "problem" is?

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  5. I found by accident(Miner,author's last name) in Borders, the botanical name of those loved locally grown beans, gandules: Cajanus cajan.
    There are a few varieties, one is reddish.

    And that is that. Happy New Year and good luck to you and your readers, with all your projects in 2009.

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  6. Cajanus cajan, is that the Latin name? Thank you for coming over, sinmachete, and for your well wishes! May you also have a beautiful new year!

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  7. Dear Pink Cowboy,
    Saludos and Happy Holidays but as a household member, I don't know if I agree with the burning of our food. I especially don't think the kids agree since they're vegeterians and will have to eat burned pasta. Take care W.

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  8. Blue Guitar you're telling my secrets! Don't forget I saved the meal. Help me, Pink Cowboy!!! What's more important, cooking or cooking up stories? Readers support me or it's back to the kitchen!

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  9. Writing is far more important than cooking! Being on vacation over the holidays has taught me that if I show these people I can actually cook, they'll want it everyday and then when I'm back full steam, I'll be screwed. Breakfast this morning was PB&J not buttermilk pancakes. That gives me an idea for the rest of the week- organize my carry out menus...

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  10. Thank's for the input JBA and welcome to OWL blog! You are a funny writer, I know you must know it but I wanted to say it (write it?) out loud. Readers, click on her name and read a few of her postings. The one about blogging is hilarious!

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  11. Cynthia, reading your Noche Buena blog made my Noche Buena in the states so much more enjoyable. It's hard being away from the family especially during this time of the year but your wonderful illustrations vividly recreated so much of what the Puerto Rican Christmas holiday season is all about for me.

    Thanks for that and may the New Year be filled with blessings and joy for you, Wendell, Amber and Alex in every way!

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  12. I felt terrible reading about your experience losing your food.....but I can also sympathize for I blog a lot too....would love to hear more about your morning yoga routine and your mediation......when did you start this and how do you keep it going...


    Mir

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