Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Food planning, satisfying work, and a good day

It's been cool lately in North Texas--not cool by fall standards, but it suddenly went from the 90s to the 70s and is damp if not outright rainy. I was cold all afternoon, so I spent the evening planning menus. I will have houseguests Sat. night, and I had planned to serve them seafood (menu planning for guests is one of the delights of my life) but now I have changed to the menu to a hearty peasant dish and dessert (I can't tell it here, because it's a secret from them, but they are friends who often come for my cooking--another joy!). They'll stay for brunch on Sunday, and I have planned Welsh rarebit, a dish my mom used to make but that I haven't made in years. Of course, I found a gussied up version of it.
Next week I'm hosting 14 women--contributors to Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook--for a pot-luck happy hour (and photo session for the back cover of the book), so I had to plan what to serve then. And later in the week, I think three friends are coming for wine on the porch--assuming it's warm enough to sit on the porch. So I sketched out appetizers for them. Looks like a busy but good week.
Today was also a satisfying work week--went to the office where we brainstormed about a book's title and cover art (with some success, we think), and I did a lot of acquisitions work, came home and went to lunch with Fred. We had planned to go to the Community Art Center where there is a new cafe, but it was so gloomy and damp I suggested Carshon's for split pea soup and that's what we had. Comfort food! When I got home I was beseiged by emails, details, trivia that kept me busy, but I did send off the chapter for the history of the osteopathic college. One project off my desk. And the editor who has been interested in a cooking column gave me an okay on the first column, so now I have to think of a second one for January--but I have it in mind: a column on the concept of the French soup pot.
I'm still doing my three pages of free writing first thing in the morning whenever I can. Tonight I'm about to start reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron--from the table of contents, it's about recovering your creativity. Susan, the artist next door, brought it to me last Sunday when they came for dinner because, as she said, "You need to read it." The three-page exercise comes from the book. So I'm anxious to delve into it.
I am impressed by an author--an email, sisters-in-crime colleague with whom I've had some correspondence. She sent me a manuscript, and I read it with interest but some doubts, wrote her that I could send it to a reader but I knew it would come back with strong revision suggestions. She said that's what she wanted--her regular publisher would have published it as is, but she wanted to make it the best book she could. Then last night she wrote to ask if it was too late to withdraw it. She herself saw the need for rewrite and wanted to do that before I take it to a reader. So many writers are just anxious for publication in any form that they jump at the first offer (I'm afraid of falling into that trap), so I really like her determination to make her book the best it can be.

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