The Ice Cap is Breaking my Heart

Getting people emotionally involved with the issues is one thing--actually taking action is another. I've been marching and voting for environmental awareness for most of my life--my father was a preservationist. I've been recycling and composting for 20 years. I use my car as little as possible. However, it's made so little difference, I wonder why I do it.
I just read an article in TIME that showed the size of the polar ice cap in 2000 and now--it's lost nearly a QUARTER of it's size. That's when it hit me--it's already too late. The most negative futurists were right: the ship is going down for our children and young people. Global warming, and its attendant flooding, storms and droughts will continue to grow worse. Solutions of national size are what's needed, and they're far too slow. We keep diddling around here in the US; politicians are more interested in keeping their pork barrel projects alive than giving a flying fart about the environment. Do I sound frustrated and angry? I am. Sadly, I'm also powerless beyond my infinitely small contributions. The good news is that as a species, we're remarkably adaptable; we're starting the race late, but we can shore up some of the damage we've done through innovation. At least I hope so--we just have to keep on keeping on.
Joanne Miller

Writing versus Cooking: The Work Smackdown

My two chosen fields are completely compatible because they are totally opposite. Writing is all about the life of the mind. The work takes place in my head and in front of a computer. The only slight exception is my travel guides--I've been to every place I've written about, but the research--even on a large book such as Pennsylvania Handbook--is done within three months of travel.  It also takes a great deal of time to complete a writing project--each of my five books and the multiple updates I've done on them have taken a minimum of a year to three years to complete--and that's before editing. Talk about deferred gratification! I never see the great majority of those who buy and benefit (I hope) from my writing. In fact, I've only met one or two of the people responsible for publishing my work--it's all done electronically.
Cooking, on the other hand, is immediate, tactile and sensuous. It normally takes me three-five days to plan and prepare for an event; the last day is hectic and stressful, but the end result is that people get to enjoy the taste and appearance of a wonderful meal, and the gratification is immediate--all around. I love working with food: it's beauty, and the nourishment it provides. It's more than offering a service and receiving money--it's a gift I can give to my clients.
Both "jobs" require an ability to plan, stay within a budget, provide the best product available, meet deadlines, require good people skills and are entirely self-motivated.
Is it any wonder that my schizophrenic work existence will happily continue?
Joanne Miller

From Pen to Pan

Though my novel Shaketown--the intertwined stories of an Irish madam and Chinese scholar set in Victorian San Francisco--is receiving good play from a NY agent, the art of food will never be far from my mind. To read about my adventures in culinary school, click on http://chefjocooks.blogspot.com. I've been lucky enough to cater several different venues ranging from 8 to 45 people, and I continue to learn from my gracious hosts and my cooking mentor, Chef Jim Standfield.
I recently catered a birthday dinner for eight for a local winemaker--you can't beat the perks! Some people just have the touch, and these folks produced the best wine I've tasted in a long time--in fact, we met when they poured at an art reception for a mutual friend, photographer Keehn Gray. Thanks again, Barbara and John, for the opportunity to serve you.     Joanne Miller

The Final, Final Face Entry

It has now been a year since I underwent surgery for a facelift. Strange as it may seem, I don't even think about it any more.  I'm aging normally, including my face--though when I see others my age, they appear to be older than me. This has a strange effect; I am more engaged in life than I think I would have been if I didn't have the surgery. Before the lift, I was feeling as if it were time to settle down, settle for less--settle in general. That's easy to do in this society where age 40 is considered out-of-it by employers and the public. After, I felt more confident, though I still looked (definitely) over 40. Perhaps it's all psychological, but there was a transformation, of more than just appearances.