We are [still] the world.

“We Are the World” was recorded 25 years ago today, and I've heard that it will be re-recorded this year to benefit Haiti.

A few interesting tidbits about “We Are the World,” courtesy of Wikipedia, of course:

• It was the fastest-selling American pop single in history, as well as the first-ever single to be certified multi-platinum.
• The song earned three Grammy Awards, an American Music Award and a People’s Choice Award.
• And most impressive, as of 2009, it had sold more than 20 million units and raised more than $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the U.S.

[Subscribers, if you can’t see this in your reader, click here for the video.]

It can be argued that the song is completely cheesy and only put a bandage over the gaping wounds of our world. It can be said that the lyrics are pandering and the melody is simple. But today, some of those lyrics are still poignant:

• There comes a time when we hear a certain call when the world must come together as one. 
• There are people dying, and its time to lend a hand to life.
• We can’t go on pretending day by day that someone, somewhere will soon make a change.
• We are all a part of God’s great big family.
• Let us realize that a change can only come when we stand together as one.
• We are the world, we are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.

Do you remember when this song came out? I don't, really. Obviously I've heard it a million times in the past 25 years (give or take a few thousand), but I don't remember the impact its debut had. And now, with celebrities pulling together on a fairly regular basis, from Farm AID to 9/11 concerts to last week's Haiti benefit, it's almost something I've come to expect. What do you think about celebrities working together on special compassion or aid projects?

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We all have pain; we all have sorrow.

A positive outlook does not run in my family.

Depression, on the other hand, does. The bad, serious kind. The kind that comes with substance abuse and suicide and therapy and medication.

The genes and chemistry that cause that sort of thing? The ones several members of my family have? Those are the same genes I've got. And while I don't battle the kind of depression many people I love do, sometimes I get a glimpse into that struggle.

And when that happens, I can’t always keep it under control. It’s kind of like holding a beach ball underwater. Once it starts slipping out of your grip, you know it’s just a matter of time before that piece of slick plastic explodes through the water and lands just out of reach on the side of the pool.

That’s what happened last week.

I’m better now. It took a few days, sure. And about an entire box of Kleenex, my husband’s patience and several Advil. (See: therapy and medication.) But I’m back.

I won’t say “back to normal,” because, really? Yeah.

And now that I’m back, listening to the Flight of the Conchords sing/talk French nonsense and looking forward to an extra-large bowl of Golden Grahams and my NCIS fix, I want to say thank you.

When you read my post last week, it may not have made sense. I know it was a little vague. And coupled with a random music question. All of that may not seem risky to you, or vulnerable. But for me? It was a big risk.

I wasn’t sure what you all would say. Or if anyone would say anything at all. Nothing like baring your soul, even if vaguely, just to hear crickets.

[By the way, I saw someone make a whistling noise last week that sounded like crickets. I wish I could do that. I can’t remember who did it. Was it you? Please tell me. And then teach me how to do it.]

Anyway, thank you all for your encouraging comments and e-mails and chocolate (that one was Smitty) and dinner and hugs. Thank you.

This one’s for you:



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A Valentine's Day Date Night

One of my goals for the year is to have a monthly date with Mark. January’s almost over, and we’re not off to a good start. But next month is February, and we’d really be in trouble if we couldn’t even figure out a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

[Yes, cynics, I know it’s a fabricated holiday that only benefits card makers and chocolate bakers. But I’m a girl, and I like it. Got it?]

It should come as no surprise that Hollywood is offering up several options for a movie date night. (Including one called “Date Night,” strangely enough.) But after being so disappointed at the lack of movie options for my birthday, I’m still excited to have so many to choose from! Here are my (yes, predictable) favorites so far:

• Date Night
• Dear John
• Leap Year
• Valentine’s Day
• When in Rome

What about you? Do you have plans to see a movie anytime soon? Do any of these look good to you?

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But what did Peter Piper DO after picking those peppers?

I thought about naming this post, “I made up a recipe and it was actually good.” But that didn’t seem very uplifting. I also considered calling it, “But isn’t garlic good for you?” Then I remembered the vampire craze that just will not die down (kind of like a vampire, I guess), and I decided against that, too.

It's too bad I can't get someone to write titles for me. Short, pithy anything just isn't my style.

Anyway.  

It all started last week when Annalyn and I went to the grocery store. Not the Super Walmart, where we get most our groceries, but the smaller and more expensive grocery store that’s conveniently on our way home. The one with the reasonable parking lot and the cute mini shopping carts that I could use if only I ever ventured to the grocery store sans kiddo.

As we walked through the produce section, I decided to take a minute and point out the varied brightly colored fruits and vegetables to Annalyn.

And then we saw them: big, beautiful, spot-free red peppers. I had to have them. Two of them, to be exact. Two enormous red peppers that put the puny one already residing my fridge to veggie shame.

I didn’t immediately think, “Oh, I’d better find a way to use these peppers!” After all, we both like peppers of any shape and color in fajitas and quesadillas, and Annalyn loves raw peppers to snack on.

But then, a few days later, I found a partial box of bowtie pasta in the pantry. And the wheels started turning.

I decided I would make a chicken pasta dish with red peppers. I just needed a recipe.

Easier said than done! I searched all over the vast cookbook known as The Internet. And I could not find what I wanted.

Not exactly what I wanted, that is. I found recipes for chicken dishes, recipes for all sorts of carbonara (with spaghetti or linguine), recipes for cold pasta salads and recipes for fancy, 28-ingredient triumphs. But I did not find a simple recipe for a chicken, red pepper and bowtie pasta dish.

So I made my own recipe. I didn’t completely disregard the many wrong recipes I found, though. I kept their quantities in mind when I threw together crafted my own dish. And, if I say so myself, it turned out pretty well!

Mary’s Garlic Chicken Pasta with Red Peppers
2 large chicken breasts, grilled and thinly sliced
1 box bowtie (farfalle, if you’re fancy) pasta
1 large red pepper, sliced
½ pound bacon, cut into inch-sized pieces
3 garlic cloves, diced
½ large white onion, diced
1 jar alfredo sauce
Shredded parmesan cheese

[Side note: You may have caught on when you saw the word “bacon,” but I’ll tell you right now: This meal is not diet-friendly. Or Weight Watchers-approved. I’m pretty sure I could make a healthier version, but on this first round, I definitely did not.]

Boil the pasta (feel free to do it in the microwave like I did, if all your large pots happen to be dirty). Rinse and drain.

Fry the bacon on low to medium heat, stirring often. When the bacon is cooked through, put it in a bowl and set aside. Drain most – but, I’m sorry, not all – the drippings.

Add the onion and garlic to the drippings and sauté. It will smell ridiculous. As in, good. Once the onion and garlic are translucent, add the peppers and chicken.

You may have to add some chicken stock (or, water, if you’re like me and have never bought something so fancy as “chicken stock”) if it’s cooked down, otherwise everything will burn. And then it will smell ridiculous. As in, bad.

Combine chicken and vegetable mixture, pasta and sauce. Add the bacon.

Now, at this point, I put it all in the refrigerator and Mark took it out to re-warm about 13 hours later. I think this helped smush all the flavors together, and yes, that’s my technical term. Before serving, top with shredded parmesan. Enjoy with a nice Caesar salad and cheesy garlic bread.

Have you made any recipes that “actually” turned out well?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

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A Woman Inspired ticket winner

Thanks to everyone who entered to win a ticket to A Woman Inspired's online conference about organization and creativity. Random.org picked #1, which was Hillary @ The Other Mama!

If you'd still like to check out this online conference, tickets are very reasonable. You can register here!

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Random Readings, 1.23.10

You all, I am FRIED. My bad mood just got worse and worse today. My morning started with Annalyn waking up an hour early, then moved quickly into news that a client had blasted me for a small mistake that I’d already apologized for and offered to fix by emailing my bosses about it. And then I ended the evening by backing into a truck when leaving my friends’ house after what had been an otherwise lovely visit.

So. These links are about as random as can be, and I don’t even think I can offer you much explanation. Please just know I’ve been collecting them all week, and for various reasons, I think you need to know about each and every item. Enjoy.

• Shelly began a series about intentional parenting, and I can’t wait to read her insights. She’s a wise lady who is raising teenaged girls, and since I know I’ll be there sooner than I think, I am trying to soak up as much of her knowledge as I can!
• Have I mentioned I love Chuck, the TV show? Yeah, just a few million times. Well, it turns out that the actor who plays Chuck is a Christian. I love that.
• Matthew Paul Turner, an author, blogger and husband of a fellow (in)courage writer, spent the last week in Uganda with World Vision. Read about his journey in Uganda Week.
• Shaun Groves is amazing. The work he does – and the passion with which he does it – for Compassion blows me away. And he’s doing it again, bigger than ever. Stay tuned for more info about the benefit he’s planning for Haiti.
• What do you do when you see homeless people? I always feel weird and end up doing . . . nothing. Jenn has a great solution and detailed instructions: Keep care packages for homeless people in your car, including items like toothbrushes, hand warmers, water bottle and more.
• Did you read the Babysitters Club books back in the day? Apparently, they’ve been out of print for a while, but they’re coming back and there’s a prequel. I might have to read that!
• If you’re a blogger and you’re not reading Savvy Blogging, check it out now. These ladies are offering up honest, realistic and so very relevant advice, and everyone who wants to improve their blog should be reading every word. I know I am. 
• And I'm over at (in)courage today, talking about a time (not the only time, believe you me) I got in trouble for rolling my eyes. You don't want to miss this one.
  

That’s all folks. Have a good weekend!

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You don't know how it feels.

I don't think it's a coincidence that today I heard both "You Don't Know How It Feels" by Tom Petty and "But It's Alright" by JJ Jackson (which opens with the line, "You don't know how I feel.").

Because honestly? I don't think anyone knows how I feel right now. My poor mom tried to talk to me tonight and struck out every time she opened her mouth. Because there's not a right answer. There's not a quick fix.

It won't help to tell me to be grateful for my many blessings. It won't help to encourage me to share my feelings honestly. And please, for the love of all pity parties, don't recite Bible verses that I have memorized, too.

Because you don't know how I feel. You don't know how it feels to be me.

(Although I realize you might be picking up on the fact that right now, I'm feeling a tad grumpy.)

I was disappointed today. Big time. I pursued an opportunity, and it didn't work out. I'm not even that upset about the specific opportunity; I'd already figured out that it wasn't the best thing for me. I'm just thoroughly discouraged about my entire life.

That's not really better, is it?

My mom even said, "This isn't the life I wanted for you either."

Ah! She wasn't being mean or critical; she was just acknowledging some of how I feel. I think. I don't even really know how I feel.

I do know that I have a good life. I know God is in control. I know the people of Haiti have it way worse, and I should shut up. I know. But knowing isn't helping. Nothing is helping right now.

By the time this posts, I'll probably feel better. Or maybe not. Maybe it will take a road trip and day of family chaos fun to cheer me up. Maybe the sun will show its face after a thousand years, and that will help.

You know - the sun will come out tomorrow, so don't worry, little Annie? Yeah, maybe that will do the trick.

I don't know. You don't know. And that's where I'm at today.

I think I'll go listen to some more Tom Petty and consider one of life's great questions: Why does this straight-laced, goody-two-shoes girl love druggie music so much?

What kind of music do you listen to when you're feeling discouraged?

(I really wanted to say "feeling bummed out...man..." right there. Mainly because I think I'm funny. Please, don't tell me otherwise. Or at least wait until the sun comes out.)

P.S. I'm linking up to Sarah's carnival at Real Life Blog.

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More of the important stuff

One thing this blog is good for is keeping me from doing the dishes after dinner keeping track of what I’ve done over time. Thanks to the excellent record-keeping I’ve done here, I can tell you that last year, I watched 40 movies (including seven holiday movies ranging from saccharine to Splenda).

I’ve thought about it, and I decided that I don’t feel bad about it. I haven’t counted, but I’m sure I read more books than that. And after all, I’m pretty sure somebody out there is relying on my movie reviews. (No? What? Oh, sorry, I can’t hear you, lalala!)

Now that we’re well into 2010 and have settled somewhat comfortably into the year, no longer limping from our brand-new-gotta-do-it-this-time workouts and coming to a tentative agreement that we’ll call it twenty-ten, I’m going to do a little recap of my 2009 viewing accomplishments.

Not the regular movies, because we’ve already gone over that. And not the holiday movies, because I’m serious: I’m talking Lifetime and Hallmark movies here. No need to rehash that. Nope. Today I’m going to tell you about the old movies and TV shows I finally got around to watching.

The ones that everyone else and their little brother who was too young to watch them have seen.

First, the movies:

Matrix: I watched this one over Labor Day with college friends. And I have to say, I still have not gotten over the fact that I hadn’t watched it before. I really liked it! It was weird and complicated, but thankfully, our friends have seen it a million few times, so they knew how to answer all my questions.

Flashdance: One night when nothing else was on TV, this was. I’m glad I finally saw it, but I can’t say I loved it. I liked it – and the soundtrack, of course – a lot, but Dirty Dancing, Step Up and Save the Last Dance are in no danger of being knocked off the top of my dancing movies list. (Don’t you have a list like that?)

Say Anything: I read an article about 2009 being the 20th anniversary of Say Anything, and I thought about how ridiculous it is that I haven’t watched it. And after I rented it, I have to say: I still think that. How did I miss this movie? It kind of reminded me of my own high school romance, if you can call it that. And I had a brilliant post written about how Mark was just as sweet as Lloyd Dobler, all ready to share with you. Except – it was only written in my head, and it just never made it to paper/screen.

And now, the TV:

Freaks & Geeks: I know I already talked about this one, and I wish I wasn’t too lazy to link to those posts. But regardless of my linking lethargy, I loved this show. Big, huge, redundant thanks to Triple and Chelley for giving me the entire season on DVD. I anticipate another full viewing this summer.

Veronica Mars, season one: Next to my beloved Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars is one of my all-time shows. But I actually didn’t start watching until the second season. Watching season one (in one fell swoop over a weekend. Yes, I was quite productive, thank you.) just made me love the prematurely canceled show more. I never really understand where Logan was coming from, what happened to Lily or why we cared about Duncan. And now? Now, I get it.

Arrested Development: I’ve made a big mistake. I’m kidding! The only mistake I made was not watching this show sooner. After watching all three seasons (thanks to Hulu and my local library), I can see why fans are still lamenting this show’s treatment by Fox. Dry, dark and sarcastic – this smart show was hilarious!

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, season one: I read a lot about TV. [Insert mock gasp of surprise here.] And all my favorite critics name Buffy as one of the best shows of the 90s, the century, the whole forever of television history. So over the holidays, when nothing was on except Rudolph and Nick Lachey, I thought I’d see if it was available on Hulu. And it was – for only three more days. I’m sure you know what I did next. Yep, I watched the whole first season (minus a couple episodes in the middle – a girl has to sleep, you know!) in three days. I liked it. But I don’t need to watch the other six seasons. I mean, six seasons! That’s a big commitment for vampires. And, like the last three Twilight books, I just don’t care that much.

Better Off Ted: Ohhh, this is a good one. And a sad one. Because it’s actually still on, at least for a couple more weeks. But from what I hear, ABC is burning off the remaining episodes of season two, and then the show will be kaput. It’s too bad. A dry, dark comedy about the absurdities of the workplace is just my sort of thing. (Obviously, I have a thing for dry and dark. Hm.) I’ve been watching on Hulu, but you might see it pop up over the next few weeks on ABC.

And now to move on: if you’ve been wondering about my spring TV watching schedule, well, you might be weird. But I’ll tell you about it anyway. I have several shows I’m watching live, but I’ve discovered the convenience of watching several others online. And a handful I’ll tape and watch over the weekend with Mark. Here’s the rundown:

• Watching live: Chuck, Life Unexpected, Castle, NCIS, The Good Wife, Glee (when it comes back on), and Bones (taped, but still watching it that night).
• Watching online: How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Community, The Office and 30 Rock.
• Watching over the weekend: Chuck (yes, again), White Collar, Psych and Burn Notice.
• Show I want to watch but have no idea when: Parenthood.
• Show I'm watching on DVD: Firefly.
  
• Casualties of having a life and trying not to let it be ruled by TV, despite this ridiculous post: Big Bang Theory and Grey’s Anatomy. And possibly American Idol.
  

{Insert sad face here.}I never said it was going to be easy, people. It’s about sacrifice, you know.

So – have you watched any TV shows on DVD? What are you watching this spring?

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday. Because, obviously.

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Giveaway: A Woman Inspired Conference

• My laundry has multiplied, migrated and is taking over my bedroom floor. That’s the door I shut when anyone comes over to visit.
• Last night I had to boil pasta in the microwave because all my big pots were dirty, and I couldn’t put dinner off for the hour it would take to get them clean.
• I have a big Rubbermaid box full of photos, some in plastic bags, some in envelopes and some just stacked precariously. None of them organized into any sort of system.
• Two days ago, I finally mailed my last Christmas card.

Have you been there? Has your life ever looked – or does it look now – like a big, fat mess? Do you wonder why you just can’t get it together?

Maybe I’m the only one. But I suspect a few of you might know exactly what I’m talking about. And in that case, A Woman Inspired’s next online conference is for you. And me. For us, really.

A Woman Inspired – Nurturing Creativity & Efficient Living will take place January 25-29, featuring speakers such as Laura of OrgJunkie, Sandy Coughlin of Reluctant Entertainer, Meredith of Like Merchant Ships, Jennifer Schmidt of Beauty and Bedlam, Tanna Clark of Organizing Solutions and Erin Chase of $5 Dinners.com.

Without leaving the comfort of your home (or, you know, paying for a flight and hotel), you will learn how to:

• develop your God-given talents and gifts
• push past creative blocks
• further your education in the area of your choice (at no cost)
• be more productive
• be more focused
• let your light shine!

Each day, you can log in and listen to amazing speakers share the lessons they’ve learned about organizing your complicated life and harnessing your natural creativity. Each day features four sessions, and each session is an hour long. You can tune in for all the speakers or pick the ones that best suit you. And all you need is your computer. No cocktail dress or skinny jeans required.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, I’ve got some good news for you. I’m giving away a free ticket!

All you need to do for a chance to win is leave a comment, telling us one way this conference could help you. Random.org will choose a winner on Friday, and I'll notify the winner by Saturday. For more information about A Woman Inspired, visit the conference website.

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Tea party time

Last Sunday, we skipped church. And we stayed in our pajamas all day long. I could say that I regret it, especially in case my choir director reads this. But you know what? After three weeks of Christmas chaos, we needed a day to just BE.

We spent the entire day playing tea party and kitchen with Annalyn. It took hours for the plastic steak to turn into a hamburger that turned into a jelly sandwich, but we were up for the challenge. And that steak/hamburger/sandwich needed lots more sauce, and we practiced stacking up beans and corn and chicken legs.

It was important. And I'm glad we didn't miss it. Even for church. For more small, important moments, visit Chatting at the Sky for Tuesdays Unwrapped.

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