Intro with Ferg

July 2nd 2010 My first blog entry and I am really happy to be writing again. If it wasn't for my wife who really pushed me in various ways, I never would have taken to the keys again. One of those ways is this laptop I am working on - a mobile device that lets me type anywhere, anytime. Clever woman, since this device has essentially eliminated any and all excuses I may have for not writing. I do have a computer, yet it sits in a room that draws inspiration only in cat litter and the random yet always pleasurable sounds of hacking and coughing from my cat Zero. I can't blame him, he is 18 years old, and if I get to be that age I only hope that I have a room to poop and vomit in with no regrets. An added bonus being that no other humans will want to come in and want to "hang out," which must drive him crazy. Although Zero is as old as he is, he has the mentality of a devious kitten. He still fetches the paper ball and talks like he is ready for a Congress filibuster. Every morning Zero is primed and ready for his treats, a delicious cornucopia of crunchy morsels deemed full of "real chicken" bits and other kitty aphrodisiacs. He loves them and it has become a morning ritual. Its the only time I hear him purr with the exception of his nightly hugs on Mommy. Zero and I have come to an agreement that we are dudes, and that he needs to keep the cuddling with Daddy to a minimum. I love him, but I draw a line. Boo is my dog, a beautiful lab mix that is literally the best dog in the world. Writing in the computer room in my house brought a big dilemma to Boo, since it didn't allow him to dive into the litter box for poop treats, a hobby even I find disgusting. I love my puppy kisses and yet in the back of my mind I cant help but feel like I am also kissing the cats asshole. This makes the moment a little awkward. Now that I am mobile, I have brought my writing to the living room, where TV (ie sports and the food network) can broadcast in all its glory while I write about random stuff. More about Boo and Zero later, since I can chat about them all day. Well, on to me (yes I wil talk about my beautiful wife Nandy, but only with prior approval, she is a roller derby chick after all). I turn 40 this year. No, I have not purchased a brand new red Corvette with T-tops, or decided on the spur of the moment that I wanted to sail to Barbados. I will save that nonsense for 45. No, my vice has become cooking. I say vice since I get a little itchy when I can't do it, much like cocaine, sans the drug, add BOGOs and really good fresh vegetables. I used to rib my grandmother for saving tin foil, now I do it as well as cut coupons (these are tough times, and I am old). I started cooking about 4 years ago and I must admit, Rachel Ray was one of the main reasons why. I figure the 30 minute meal thing tapped into my male lazy side, since I always thought cooking was a tedious, time consuming process. I was flipping through the channels and probably left ESPN during their expanded NBA coverage when I came across a pan of sizzling chicken. I was hungry, it looked good, and so I watched, enamored at the way she cut onions and yammered away about how delicious everything smelled (I always found that kind of cruel since the only people who could smell the food were her and the camera people who more than likely ate better than most people). This led me to give it a go, and lo and behold, it was terrible. Live and learn. But I kept at it, continued watching and eventually made a good meal leading my wife to say - " this should be on a menu somewhere." I realized that the best thing about the cooking was not just the creative side, but the pleasure it could make other people feel, much like writing. And so, I continued to cook and am still cooking today. Now I have collected about 100 cookbooks, subscribed to 10 different magazines and plan my weekly menu every weekend - and I look forward to it. The next logical step for me is this blog. My degree in journalism hangs on the wall and I can't help but look at it and sigh sometimes. I love to write, yet retail can suck the creativity out of you, and I must admit, it took it out of me. Yet cooking opened up something in me. My wife, who not only enjoys my Shrimp and Grits, also misses reading my stories. So I sit here in front of my laptop, typing away, fully realizing that there are truly no more excuses. And here we are . . So with this blog there will be cooking experiences, life stories and assorted other random ramblings that hopefully will entertain and keep me sane when I come home from a frustrating day of work, or for that matter, a really good day of work. It's going to be about Boo, softball, sports, work, happy, sad, music, etc. You name it, it might have it - just depends upon the day. But mostly it will be about cooking - what I've made, burned, or considered a personal culinary triumph. Bon appetite, and so forth.