lwu’s Neighborhood

Not a whole lot to remark upon lately, but last night I made a new dinner. I "fanned" Sunset magazine on Facebook, and now and again they'll cull useful ideas from their readers. A few days ago, they asked "what do you do with leftover rotisserie chicken?" I got a couple good ideas. Rotisserie chickens are great for when you don't have the time or energy to cook but want a homecooked, healthy meal.  Idea #1 was to shred the chicken, pour barbecue sauce on it, and put it in a sandwich. Oh so simple but sounds tasty, no?

Idea #2 was last night's dinner -- chicken and biscuits.  Cut the chicken (I wouldn't shred it with forks, but using spoons gets just the right size pieces). If you have time to sautee an onion, put that on top of the chicken. Pour a can of cream of mushroom soup (Amy's Organic is the best) on top, followed by a package of frozen peas and carrots. Then top with biscuit dough, and bake according to the directions for the biscuit dough. I used Bisquick, so the whole thing was super easy. It turned out great, and I think was reasonably healthy, too.

This morning, I actually hauled my butt out of bed early and went to the gym!  For me, this is a major accomplishment. I haven't been active for the last few months. My workout felt great. Woo hoo!

Saturday - Productive, mainly got all my errands done. Stopped at the Carlsbad outlet malls -- thought I'd tackle a little early Christmas shopping -- but apparently I wasn't the only one with that idea. The place was packed. Scary packed. I thought I might die under a heap of customers clawing at the 50% off bags at Coach. Narrowly escaped.

Sunday - Went for breakfast and took Bucky. When another jumpy/sniffy/nosy dog got near Bucky, we again found out that Bucky's still not dog-friendly. :-(  His next training is Saturday.

Went bowling with some friends, and now my legs are sore. Geez, gotta get back in the gym.

I also tackled my first cheesecake, and it turned out pretty good.  I stuck to a simple recipe -- just cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon rind.  A lot easier than I thought it'd be.

Had some friends over for dinner last night; that's one of my favorite things to do.  Sigh, I already miss the weekend....

I was worried yesterday because both the honey and I had to go to work, leaving our diarrhea dog in the house alone. I got home around 5:45, and miracle of miracles, no messes!  YAY!  Boy, now I know a little bit of how new parents feel. Except babies have diapers.

Bucky seems to be quickly improving, maybe because of the antibiotic he's on.

This month's Bon Appetit magazine included an article called "The 7 Rules of the Italian Kitchen." Good stuff such as pay attention to what foods grow near you and what's in season, use leftovers creatively in new dishes, keep it simple, etc.  But my favorite was this:

Sigh, Bucky is a sick little guy right now. I'll spare you the details, but I'll say this... diarrhea. In the house.  We're getting the carpet cleaned but may have to get it replaced; it's in bad shape right now.

We took him to the vet this morning and she's concerned that it's actually a chronic condition (but obviously worse in the last two days).  I always thought he was just still adjusting to his new food and getting better... but apparently he should have been fine by now. So, now Bucky is on an anti-biotic, de-wormer (just in case), and a low-residue prescription dog food. I hope he gets better soon, because this dog food sounds like crap... lots of grain, and it includes a chicken "by-product meal".  Eesh... I only bought it because the vet assured me that this was best for Bucky since he has some kind of GI issue. 

Freelance life can be tough. Long gaps between commissions. Accounts departments who just can't seem to find your invoice. Not to mention the ever-present need to get your work seen by the people who count.

Jonny Wan, a freelance illustrator from Sheffield, knows all about that. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art, he's constantly striving to ensure his unique illustrative style (think abstracted facial expressions, patterns, symmetry and hand-drawn lettering) snags the attention of creative directors everywhere – and he does so via Business Cards and Postcards from MOO.

MOO first caught his eye at his university degree show, where he noticed that all the students' cutest promo materials were produced by the same company – MOO! Then we tempted him with a free Business Card sample, giving him a chance to try our ordering software ("simple, logical and gives the user complete control") and evaluate our print quality and finishing ("very pleasing"). Duly hooked, Jonny ordered a set of Postcards and some Business Cards featuring a range of his work, and is preparing to send them off to art directors as we speak.

As an illustrator, working in a visual medium, presentation is very important to Jonny. "I like to make little promotional packs of my postcards and business cards", he says. "I send them out packaged in self-seal clear bags. It's good to put real thought into how the art director receives your promo materials – it's boring to just whack some cards in an envelope."

Like many creative types, Jonny's happiest when he's working, even between commissions. An example of this is his self-initiated "Can't Afford It" project. Whenever he wants an item of clothing he can't afford, he draws it instead! Eventually to be self-published as a book, working like this helps him improve his work rate, hone his Photoshop and Illustrator skills, and keep his unique style fresh and ever-evolving.

No matter how his style develops, MOO's short print runs means that his promotional materials are always in step with his latest work. "As an illustrator, your style is always changing and improving. The last thing you want is to end up with a thousand cards of the same design. You need to keep existing and future clients up to date with your freshest, latest work, because essentially they will hire you based on what they see on your promo material. It's no good for an art director to commission you only to find that your illustrative style has changed or moved on." He laughs. "After all, you wouldn't be happy buying a Jay-Z CD to find a Metallica disc inside, right?"

When designing his cards, Jonny also took advantage of a new feature that allows users to upload images for both the front and the back of the Business Cards. "Anything that gives you more options allows room for creative control – and it's that kind of flexibility that keeps me coming back to MOO. The ability to upload images for both sides of the Business Cards enables you to make the cards completely unique."

"A business card is usually the first point of contact between a new client and an illustrator, so it's important your card jumps out at people while being straight and upfront with your contact details. The fact that the cards can be individual rather than generic also gives a sense of professionalism – people can be impressed that you've put the effort into designing your own cards. A little effort can go a long way."

Jonny's constantly thinking of new ways to promote his work using MOO products. "I love the Stickers – I can see them being a very unique selling point. They're a little different and unexpected, which is beneficial in an industry where everyone strives to promote themselves in a unique way."  

MiniCards appeal to him for the same reason. "MiniCards are great because they get straight to the point and don't take up a lot of space. Art directors get bombarded with samples every morning. They open their mail and have to make snap decisions about what to keep and what to chuck."

"They're more likely to pin a MiniCard onto their noticeboard than, say, a leaflet, because they know it won't take up a lot of space. And if your work's on their noticeboard, they're more likely to bear you in mind when it comes to commissioning. And that's what it's all about!"

Thanks for talking to us Jonny! We look forward to seeing more of your work soon.

Like Jonny's work? He's available for commissions so get in touch, and say hello from us too.

Work, work, work. We had a massive proposal to send -- which is good news for my company. It was a lotta work and all hands on deck, so my weekend was spent in the office, and running some errands. Now I'm feeling gratified that it's all done, off my desk, and well, it looked pretty damn good. Hopefully this means we'll get rich. Well, at least a step in that direction.

I did get a chance to go grocery shopping, and I did menu planning for the week -- something I always mean to do, but almost never actually do. I will successfully avoid eating out and eating cereal for dinner this week!  On Sunday, I made a roasted wild Alaskan sockeye salmon with some mushroom risotto and a salad.  Last night, I made a big rum roast with onions and had a few friends over for dinner. Served it with some sauteed kale and squash, and sweet potato fries. Tonight's menu is a leek, potato and feta tart; tomorrow - shrimp and corn in cream sauce over rice; Thursday, pasta with broccoli and chicken apple sausage.

It's not the cooking that's difficult or time-consuming -- it's the grocery shopping. If someone did that for me, I'd be able to get home-cooked meals on the table pretty easily. Maybe someday I can get a personal assistant. :)

Go forth and fill your libraries with media.

Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.

~daisy

I totally forgot to mention these other upcoming SD food events!  I guess because I'm on a budget and won't be attending the pricey ones. So if you attend, please tell me how they were!

November 1, 11:30 - 3:00
Celebrate the Craft
The Lodge at Torrey Pines
Tickets: $65
Food tastings from some really good chefs, with a killer view

November 6-15
San Diego Beer Week
Various events throughout the county
If you didn't already know San Diego has tons of really great microbrews, it's clearly time to get out of your hole and try some of these events. If you did already know, you're probably already planning on attending.

November 18-22
San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival
Tickets: $65-90 for no alcohol ("designated driver"), $125-175 for food and wine
Pretty extensive list of vineyards pouring

Since I follow a lot of local foodie blogs, I thought I ought to re-post upcoming events here, in case any of y'all are interested. 

Wednesday, November 4
Taste of Little Italy
Tickets $35 in advance, $40 at the door

Includes a voucher for two to attend Anthology's "Fresh Vibe Tuesday" during November.

Participating restaurants: