Planning Ahead...

I would just like to report to everyone that I've got an interview lined up in Columbus, OH for early May and I'm really excited about it! Like I said before, I think it's bad luck to give specifics, but just know that I am very happy. As was pointed out to me the other day by a new Finnish friend, gumption is a choice and not a destination. I realize that, but I will say that when I started this whole quest thing, getting a job was a big factor in my mind when I pictured the end result of this project. I feel like I'm one step closer to accomplishing something here.

As I was doing my research on the Columbus area, I stumbled upon Easton Town Center, a shopping mall of epic proportions. All I ever really wanted out of life was to live within close range of a Norstroms, and it looks like that dream could possibly be fulfilled. And until the day comes that I am able to afford a seasonal wardrobe from there, I will shop at the nearby H&M, which happens to be one of my favorite stores, and I haven't actually been in one since the France days.

The only thing that would make this any better is if there was a Joseph Beth's. There's not, I already checked, but there is one in Cincinnati, and I can't think of a better reason to make that trip.

(PS. I realize that I do not in fact have a job yet, and that I am getting waaaaay ahead of myself, but I enjoy doing this so much. Humor me.)

As for living arrangements, I am thinking of getting a two bedroom apartment and using the second bedroom as a reading room. This means I have a new space to decorate, and the idea is overwhelming. If you have any suggestions for this room, please share. I've yet to find my inspiration.

You know, just the other day, I said to someone that I was a big believe in the power of location, and I went on to give this big speech about how our location plays such a big role in shaping our futures (I took one semester of the Space, Place, and Culture Honors track at UK. I know my stuff). Anyway, this idea is in the forefront of my mind right now as I ponder moving to a different state. As I was doing my nightly reading in Under the Tuscan Sun,  I came across the following passage:

"Southerners have a gene, as yet undetected in the DNA spirals, that causes them to believe that place is fate. Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave."

Are Frances Mayes and I riding the same brain wave, or what! Is this really just a southern thing? Or is this an everyone thing? I don't know. I just thought is was a strange coincidence and vaguely interesting. I love finding real life parallels in my reading. 

Updates

Time for some housekeeping-style blogging. My last post listed some of my missions for this month. Here's the update...

1. Once again, on the subject of job searching...I have a very promising prospect! Finally, this is one that I actually have some confidence in! It's a wonderful feeling. My resume was sent in on Thursday of last week, and I got a call on Friday. I hate giving details because I feel like it jinxes it, but I will say that I've been looking at living prospects in the Columbus, Ohio area. We shall see. Wish me luck!

2. I have completed the culinary adventures I mentioned last time. The croque monsieur was nothing short of amazing. It was ooey, gooey, cheesy, buttery perfection, and I fully expect to be making one again soon. Gruyere cheese is divine! Also, the lavender ice cream was one of the most interesting flavors I've ever encountered. Once I got over trying to decide what it tasted like (to no avail, it tastes like nothing else), I decided that I absolutely loved it. It was a big hit with mom and dad as well. New adventures I'm considering: chocolate croissants and Julia Child's French onion soup.

3. Haven't cracked open the French books yet, but I did listen to some great French music over the weekend!

4. Gym....well, I've done okay. I was a day short of my goal last week, but there's always this week to make up for it.

5. My Itunes is immaculate! All of my music is now on my Macbaby, organized exactly how I want it. It is heaven!

and on an unrelated note....

Some of you might remember a post from back in early February about my undying love for Bellarom chocolate (only in Europe). You should remember it, because it is far and away my most read blog post. Anyway, I have received a comment from someone in Finland who owns a food export company. After 2 years of searching, I now have a way to get my precious Bellarom chocolate!!! This is a monumental day in my history. I'm having all of my readers over for coffee and chocolate, as soon as I get a job with a steady income to where I can afford to make some frivolous purchases. Well, maybe not all of my readers. The ones from the Palestinian territories might have a hard time making it.  ;-)

April's Mission

I have just returned from a truly delightful weekend in Lexington. I spent early Friday afternoon at Keeneland with my very dearest friend Jessie and her charming manfriend. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and luke warm. The only downside was that for the first time in recorded history, I did not win a single penny on a race. Thank goodness I had limited funds to begin with. On my last bet, I wagered two dollars worth in quarters on a horse with 66-1 final odds to win. Obviously, I was desperate, which is never a good mindset to have when you are gambling. 

The best part of the weekend was the multitude of opportunities to reconnect with all of the people that I have sorely missed during my going on four months of exile in Dayton. It's just the teensiest bit sad to see all of my former peers with jobs, or plans for jobs, or just plans in general, but I know that my time is coming. 

In the meantime, I've decided that I need to live with a bit more purpose for the duration of this month. February and March were a complete waste, and I refuse to go on like that. Here is my plan...

1. On the subject of job searching: Focus more on quality and less on quantity. I've wasted a lot of time doing job submissions that I knew would amount to nothing just because I needed to feel like I was doing something, but I've realized just how correct my professors and advisors were when they tried to impress upon us the importance of networking, networking, networking. I've always known this, but now I need to start practicing it.

2. More culinary adventures: Cooking makes me so happy. More importantly, cooking extravagant things makes me so happy. I don't do it as often these days because I'm sharing a kitchen, and it is a bit time consuming, but it's something that I absolutely love doing, so I'm going to dedicate more time to it for the rest of this month. I've already told you about my croque monsieurs and lavender ice cream plans, but I have some more things in mind. For example, I'm thinking about making myself a birthday cake. How does Persian Love Cake sound?

3. Apprendre le français plus: The French language is divine, and I ashamed to say that my mastery of it has lessened of late. I used to be quite dedicated to my study of it, but after I returned from my time in France, I starting slacking, and now I've stopped thinking and dreaming in French, things I quite enjoyed doing. So, I have decided to start doing daily exercises in my grammar books again, as well as reading my French version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone again, and listening to Carla Bruni's Comme si de rien n'etait. (Did you know she was a folk singer in addition to being first lady of France?) This was inspired from my dear friend Aimee, by the way, who has just recently returned from her stay in Dijon, where I lived over there. I am jealous of her fluency.

4. The gym: Oh, the gym. I actually enjoy going. My problem here is in the lack of schedule. I never know what day or what time of day I'm going to go, and it stresses me out because I'm constantly thinking If I don't go today, then I have to go tomorrow, but what if I'm busy tomorrow, blah blah blah. So, I'm going to go 4-5 times a week at 10:00am (my favorite time because the old people are there, and they make me feel like I'm very fast and strong!). The days are to be determined on a weekly basis.

5. Organize my Itunes: I realize that this sound silly, but my Itunes is an absolute mess and it really stresses me out. Here's the problem. I have half of my music on my new computer, about a quarter on the Toshiba dinosaur, and the other quarter I got from friends. I cannot sync anything, and its driving me crazy. Also, I prefer using albums to playlists, and my albums are a mess. It is like an Easter Egg Hunt trying to find my favorite workout jams at the gym. So, I'm going to begin the long process of consolidating my music onto my new computer. The stuff I got from friends is just going to have to go. A small price to pay for organization.

I think I'm off to a great start. I'm going to ring in the big 2-2 on the proper note, as a polished young lady who has her stuff together. I feel better already.

Vacation Station

The family and I have been doing a lot of vacation exploration this week. We just want a nice little 4-5 day holiday from life, nothing fancy. We're kind of thinking Myrtle Beach, since I've never been (well, technically I have, but I don't remember it.). If you have any thoughts on this, please share. 

Anyway, planning a vacation always makes me think of past vacations, and I've had some doozies. Hawaii will always be the greatest family vacation we ever take, and the New York/Nantucket vacation of two years ago would've have been wonderful had it not been for extraneous circumstances. But, let's face it, Europe takes the cake on vacations. (Yes, I'm going to talk about Europe AGAIN). I've had it on my mind a lot this week, so much so that I've been reading back through the journal I kept while I was there. I am a master journalist. 

One of my favorite passages is about the few days I spent in Lausanne, Switzerland. I bet many of you have never even heard of it. It's a truly bizarre little town, but it has an exceptional amount of character and natural beauty. Since I love reminiscing about my travels so much, I figured I'd just write up my entry about this town for you. Heck, I'll even include pictures. Read and enjoy....

September 12, 2009

En Lausanne:

At this moment, I am sitting on a bench in a park not far from our hotel in Lausanne. There are children playing and a handful of runners making their rounds. It's sundown. There's a breeze blowing that's starting to give me the chills, and I am physically exhausted from what ended up being a delightful day. 

We started the morning down by Lake Geneva, in a part of town called 'Ouchy,' which I think is a marvelous name. It was so pretty and peaceful; a European version of Cape Cod, if I'm making comparisons. We walked along the lakefront to the Olympic Museum (Lausanne is the Olympic Capital. Who knew?) 

The museum was quite an experience, and I enjoyed it all the more for getting free admission by participating in a video interview. He asked me what I thought about the future of the Olympics. I said I thought we would see higher standards for excellence, given Michael Phelp's success in Beijing. On the fly, it was the best I could do. 

Following a quick lunch at the Swiss equivalent to a hot dog stand, we rode the metro up the hill to the Old Town. We decided to take a walking tour of the city (which I was not properly shoed for), and while we waited for it to start, we bought some chocolate and watched an adorable send off of a couple who'd just been married at the Town Hall. 

The tour was amazing (and free for us, because we're students.) I appreciated the guide's sense of humor. The highlight was the cathedrale. It's at the highest point in the city so there are some terrific views from there.

After the tour, we had an early dinner at an adorable creperie. It looked like the inside of a grandmother's house. Everything was crocheted and lace. We shared 3 crepes: one with tomatoes and some kind of cheese, one with chocolate and bananas, and the last with chocolate and ice cream. There were delectable! It was a very European dining experience, I thought. 

This city is so quiet! It's not as eery as it was last night. I'm actually starting to appreciate the beauty and tranquility of it. I'm definitely glad that we took this trip because I've enjoyed something a little different. I doubt we will have many more experiences like this, as the rest of our destinations will be more commercial. We leave at 1:00 tomorrow, so I think we'll spend the morning on the waterfront. I like it down there.

All the people have gone home, it seems. Now it is especially quiet.

-KC

Gee Whiz! Look At These Apples!

I had an incredible shopping discovery this evening. Two words: Earth Fare. To those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a grocery store similar to Whole Foods and Fresh Market, but in my opinion, this one takes the cake. With the exception of the meat/poultry/fish section, which lacks a bit of diversity and creativity, Earth Fare is my new go-to grocer for my gourmet cooking whims.

On that note, I am now fully stocked to create the next round of culinary adventures. On the menu, croque monsieur and honey lavender ice cream. A croque monsieur is essentially a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich, made with gruyere or emmental. I'm going to use gruyere (courtesy of Earth Fare), and I think I'm going to try making some Bechamel sauce to top mine with.

The lavender ice cream is self explanatory, I think. The lavender I purchased (also at EF) is so fresh that it comes in a little zip-lock baggy. Doesn't that sound so exciting?! I've never cooked with lavender before, so who knows.

I also found some rose water. If you'll remember, I made a post about using rose water as a facial toner. Well, my stash ran out about a month and a half ago, and I've been trying to find some to replace it ever since, but all that I was finding was online for over $20. Not cool. EF carries it for less than $10, and it is also culinary grade, so if I ever get a hankering to experiment in Indian-inspired sweets, I'll be covered.

After, the fun at Earth Fare, we figured, while we were at it, we might as well go to Fresh Market, where I found these...

Are these not the biggest apples you've ever seen?!?! I was astounded, and I just had to have some. They are called Gee Whiz apples, and I know why. That is the reaction when you see them in the produce section. I also picked up some delicious sushi for lunch tomorrow. Very productive stop.

Food shopping brings me so much joy. If you live near an Earth Fare (everyone in Chattanooga does, by the way), you really need to go. It is amazing.

Armchair Traveler

I have just purchased Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes on my Kindle, and I am very excited about it. This is a book that has been on my reading list since the movie version came out in 2003, but I would never commit to reading it because I have this thing about nonfiction in any form. I typically don't enjoy it. However, my opinion on the matter completely changed last summer when I read Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, a book which has become one of my all time favorites, so much so that I now tend to think of Liz as a close personal friend.

I like the idea of changing your life through travel. It pleases me to think that eating a slice of pizza in Napoli or the simple act of waxing a brick floor to perfection can bring such earth-shattering joy. Maybe it's just the phase of life I'm in right now, but I am so inspired by reading these phenomenal stories of women taking charge of their lives and demanding change. That's what I got out of Gilbert's masterpiece, and I'm hoping that Mayes can offer something similar.

I've though of a new career option. What do you think about restauranteur/head chef? Get ready for a whole slew of Meryl Streep movie references. Anyone ever seen It's Complicated? You know the restaurant she owns in that movie? It's really more of a patisserie. That's what I want to do. I've got a plan. I want to live in Paris for a year (imagine that) while taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, just like Julia Child (Meryl movie reference #2). Then I want to come back here and open a patisserie/cafe/restaurant. I'm not sure exactly where "here" is yet. I'm not sure how well my plan would go over in Dayton. I could try Chattanooga, but my immediate thought is to take this back to Lexington, if for no other reason than having access to Joseph Beth's again. (For those of you who don't know, Joseph-Beth's is the king of all bookstores, and it is also one of my favorite places on the planet.)

One final thing...This blog is entitled "In Search of Gumption" for a reason. I actually am trying to figure out my life this year, and I feel that I should give an update, now that I've had three full months to do work. I would say that I am somewhat improved. That's not to say that I am any closer to fulfillment than I was January 1st, but I think I'm more emotionally stable now. Give it another three months, and I should be ship shape. To my readers across the globe (I mean that literally, you really are everywhere), I appreciate your attention, and I'm going to try to find more entertaining things to tell you about in the future. Promise =)

Jeb

Ever since Phoebe and her pregnant self came along, I've been thinking a lot about getting a puppy. You know, I'm in this awful transition phase of life, I'm on the edge of striking out on my own, and I just think it would be heaven to have a living, breathing, loyal companion to pack along with me. I've never really wanted a dog before, but now I think the time has come. And I know just what I want.

Enter Back Home Farms, based out of Greensburg, KY (the momma's homeland). And what is their specialty breed you ask? Wolves. That's right, wolves. As in 'I was walking alone in the forest and I was attacked by a pack of wolves' wolves. Isn't that so beautifully different? I like different things. I like it when someone says "Only Kacey..." Look at these adorable things!

I just cannot get over it! I took one look at these little darlings, and I just knew that this was the kind of dog I was meant to have. Look at how beautiful they are when they grow up...

It's been decided. As soon as I officially get out of dodge, I'm getting a wolf puppy. I want one of the grey ones because I want it to look authentic. When the neighbors see my dog running around, I want them to fear for their lives! I want animal control calling me on a daily basis. And I want it to be a boy, because the name is the best part. Jacob Ephraim Black II (affectionately known as Jeb). I know, it's perfect, and you're jealous because I thought of it first.

Kacey Henderson, proud owner of her very own werewolf =)