The Mind's I: iko's journal

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January Collab

From Kathryn:
1) What are your goals for this year?

From Bronwyn:
2) What is this year look like it's going to give you, job/school wise, life wise, country wise, personally, relationship wise. What is the big event of this year (if you know it and if you don't try and predict it)
3) Your favourite recipe that you have either cooked yourself, tasted or want to taste (show your own picture, or the picture from the cook book or magazine - which ever - it's not a must to show a picture)

In July 1998, I turned 23. 23 is my favorite number. I vowed to really live my 23rd year. I'm young. I'm pretty independent, but without too many financial obligations (it's nice to live at home). I wanted to experiment with my life a little, explore the things that I really wanted to do. For example, I got into body modification and piercing, something that I've always been interested in doing. I gritted down my teeth and purchased my own domain and put up what I believe to be a quality website. I devoted myself to improving my writing... and I concluded that the best way to do this is to force myself write every day (or as close to every day as I could). How could I write every day? By maintaining an online journal! I've always kept a diary off and on since I was very young and it is about time that I gave myself a big enough responsibility and obligation that I couldn't avoid doing it. I regretted my life passing me by and my memory failing and forgetting all the wonderful times in my life. I'll eat a pair of fetid dingo's kidneys before I was going to let that happen to my 23rd year! So, here I am keeping a journal.

Yes, I know that I'm talking about last year... but for atleast the next seven months until July 11th, my goal is to continue the wonderful progress that I've been making in my life. I want to continue to meet and make wonderful new friends. I want to explore myself more... try to grasp at myself more. I know that I've been pretty sheltered all my life. My friends were always the same type. I want to expand those horizons. I look at one of my best friends out here, Christine, and I see someone who is very unlike me when I was younger. We talk about when we were in high school and what we were like and we freely admit that we would mock each other's "group". Yet, here we were sharing a great African dinner and yapping away like long-time girlfriends. I want to continue to expand in 1999. I want to be able to say on July 12, 1999 that I've grown more in the past year than I have in a long time. And then I'll make the dedication for the next year.

I want to open my eyes more. I want to be more creative. Express myself artistically. I think that's one of the biggest reasons why I wanted a digital camera. I can snap away without any hesitation for "wasting film". I want to start working more with Photoshop and Freehand more. Perhaps I'll get myself a WACOM tablet. I want to start really creating art, even though it is only on the web (I wield the mighty mouse much better than the whimpy pencil or pen). I want to not just be a programmer in this medium, I want to shape it artistically. Find the "style" that will help define me. I'm talented in the scientific arts. My creative ones (not just visual but verbal as well) need developing. I think [woolgathering] and the Mind's I does capture a personal style... but it took a lot of kicking and screaming to get to this point. I want to nurture it more, so that it wouldn't be so difficult.
23
Creativity
Exploration
Expression

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1999 will be a year of increased responsibilities and increased independence. Right now my partner and I live with my parents in their house. In 1999 we're going to be moving out to our own place. No more "meals when I come home". I'll have to go back to cooking for myself again (which I did when I after I graduated from school) and Mike. Back to really cleaning up my environment. Dusting. Vaccuming. The perks of not needing to clean at home will be taken away with the advantage of increased independence. I'll be able to sleep over my friends' apartments in NYC if necessary and not worry anyone. That's the big thing for this year for me to look forward to.

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One of my favorite dishes in the world is what I call "pasta". When I tell my partner "I want pasta!", this is the recipe that I am referring to. This is typically called "garlic and oil". My partner introduced me to this dish... and now I'm 20+ lbs heavier! Evil! Evil!

Garlic, chopped -- the more the better
Pasta -- 1 1/2 servings per person, 'cause you know you will want seconds!
Olive oil (not too light because you're cooking with it)
Parmesian cheese (to taste)
Oregano (to taste)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a bit of olive oil to the water (to help the pasta from sticking). Add the pasta and cook it to almost the consistency that you like.

When the pasta is at the stage that you like it, drain the liquid and put into the pot the chopped garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Turn down the heat to about medium and start stirring the pasta. It will start to sizzle like it is lightly frying. It is! Make sure you cook it for about 3 to 5 minutes in order to remove the bite from the garlic.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with oregano and parmesian cheese. Done! Eat while hot 'cause this doesn't make particularly good leftovers or cold.

For variations on this theme, try putting in some butter to get the dish more "creamy" and rich. Adding some black and red pepper for heat. You can make this into a delicious spaghetti by topping the pasta with fried red tomatoes and fresh basil and oregano with even MORE garlic! Yum!