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A Poem

Quiet, quiet. Still, still.

Hush away the buzzing whir of empty chatter,

rushing traffic, hour to hour radio.

The burble of the office building.

Leave me with computer hum, clicking keys,

and the promise of words (private words).

Let time fill me with unending space.

Show me the way to the next line.

Only God knows where this is leading.

Quiet, quiet. Still, still.

Without witness I am most alive.

This isn’t a blog about poetry, I know. You’ll have to forgive me for the side step. But poetry is something that sometimes happens to us writer types. It sneaks its way in between the cracks sometimes, and carves out a space that begs for attention. Poems are like that. Just like people.

Though these words came to me in a steady stream while driving through LA over six years ago, they seem especially true for Right Now and I felt compelled to share them with you.

Our world is moving so fast right now–what with iPhones, iPads, Twitter, blogs, media streams going! going! going! It’s incredible that none of that technology really existed when I wrote this poem. And yet…I stumbled across this poem the other day and thought it was a perfect way to celebrate the three year anniversary of my blog and where I am right now.

No matter how busy the world gets, it’s important to be still. Still within yourself. Because without that quiet, nothing good, clean, or true can come.

That is all.

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National Food Blogger Bake Sale

On Saturday, April 17th, hundreds of food bloggers from across our country will combine baking talents for the first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale. This first annual fundraiser–part of the Great American Bake Sale–will give food lovers from Massachusetts to California the chance to buy treats from their favorite blogs and rais money to support of Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America.

The event is the result of private chef and food blogger, Gaby Dalkin of WhatsGabyCooking.com.  Thanks to her organizational skills and clever ideas, this year’s nation wide food blogging bake sale promises to raise thousands of dollars to feed our country’s hungry children. Nearly 17 million—almost one in four—children in America face hunger. Despite the good efforts of governments, private-sector institutions and everyday Americans, millions of our children still don’t have daily access to the nutritious meals they need to live active, healthy lives.

Here in Los Angeles, some 50 food bloggers will team up to put together a notable collection of sweets for the bake sale. Hosted by the generous people at Morel’s French Bistro (a former employer) at The Grove, my friends and fellow bloggers like Gaby, Matt from Matt Bites, Erika from In Erika’s Kitchen, Rachel La Fuji Mama, and Esi from Dishing Up Delights will be on hand to talk about their baked sweets and their love of food.

If you live in LA, I look forward to seeing you there! I’ll be bringing the spiced caramel corn. Recipe to come soon!

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Food Blogging News Weekly Round Up: May 29

When burning books might be a good idea
Librarians are quick to defend freedom of speech, but a handful of them aren’t afraid to talk about the need for current titles. Proof that librarians really know when it’s time to pull a book from the shelf. Here at Awful Library Books.

Keep your hands to yourself
A regular feature at Chronicle Books’ blog is this 7×7 column that offers a restaurant insider’s view of what it takes to wait tables. Her most recent post offers this advice: Hands off! *And since the general dining public doesn’t seem to understand this concept, here is a simple reminder:

Touching your waiter is a real no-no! If you don’t know what I mean, ponder this: when was the last time you reached out and tapped your bank teller on the shoulder for service?

Burgers for everyone
Clinton loved em. Obama likes ’em too. Our new president loves his burgers.

Follow this
Ad Age thinks there are 25 people you really should be following on Twitter. Here are twenty-five cutting edge social media people you should know about.

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Food Blog News Weekly Round Up: May 19

A weekly round up of some of the week’s top national and Los Angeles-based food blogging news…

–The Federal Trade Commission is planning to require bloggers’ full disclosure of receiving freebies. Douglas MacMillan staff writer for BusinessWeek writes,

“The world’s more ambitious bloggers like to call themselves ‘citizen journalists.’ The government is trying to make sure these heralds don’t turn into citizen advertisers.”

–The New York Times introduces a new large format photo/video blog called The Lens. A visual coffee break.

–Frank Bruni, long time restaurant food critic of the New York Times leaves his weekly dining column to become a “writer-at-large” on the staff of The New York Times Sunday Magazine. Bruni writes a heartfelt letter goodbye while the food-intelligentsia are betting who will replace him.

–After much anticipation (and peering into paper covered windows and months of construction), The Farmer’s Kitchen–run by the nonprofit group, Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles, that also runs the Hollywood Farmers’ Market–opened this weekend in Hollywood.

The Kitchen’s hours are still a work in progress, but are expected to be open on Sundays from 7:30 am until 2 pm and Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 am until 3 pm

–If you live in LA and are looking for something to do (before you die) LA Food blogger Caroline on Crack gives her bucket list of things to eat and do in LA.