Salsa

When all else fails, make salsa.

i learned the recipe from a friend, who learned from a friend....

Shannon's Salsa
(this is the way i make it, which maybe means i get to call it my own salsa...hmm? Claire's Salsa?)
28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes
1 1/2 t crushed red pepper
1 1/4t salt
1/2 c finely chopped cilantro
1/4 c finely chopped onion


blend. short and sweet.
chill a lil if you can stand to wait. Enjoy!
It's best within 24 hours.


all measurements are approximate, adjust according to your own preferences.

it has become a staple in my diet this year. not that it wasn't before, but now, on a good day, we celebrate with salsa. on a rough day, drown out sorrows with salsa. after finals, enjoy salsa!
It's fresh, healthy. the only bummer is the killer onion breath afterwards. But, it's so worth it.

I've been a student almost a year now. i still procrastinate writing my papers. i think I'm a faster reader because of my practice. I save money by NOT printing articles out, but probably am ruining my eyes by reading them online. I still struggle to put my thoughts onto paper. i have learned a little about buying books online. i have not learned how to sell them back online yet. i love taking notes in fun colored pens and have used up almost all the fun pens Jeff bought me in the fall. I'm learning about having TA's and how to cite sources in Chicago or APA style. i have only accrued one library fine at school this year, and actually, i don't know how to pay it. Hmm. I'm getting better at taking care of myself and resting in the midst of life.

As M says, you gotta keep living life. and sometimes school and life don't always balance. I'm learning to hold it all more lightly. still learning.

Disruptive is the word they use to describe the first year at MHGS. yes. disruptive. it's hard to even comprehend what disruptive means when you show up to the first couple of events. what is practicum? disruptive...? am i just going to be drama all year? how will i be disrupted? And then class starts. practicum starts. and the unraveling begins. the unraveling seems to happen before the space for reweaving can begin. perhaps things are not as you have thought. perhaps you are not as you have thought.

will you stop to listen? will you stop to care? Will you come close enough to listen? or do we shout at each other from across the room? Asking a question, for whose sake? When you don't know what to do, will you do something? can i say the same thing with my face, and use less words? do i pay attention to all the subtle things happening in an interaction, or will I plow forward with my own agenda? am i aware of my own triggers and places where i get caught up with myself? where do i bring conversations back to me? It's not all about me.

i can only walk with you into anger as far as i have let myself walk into anger. i can only mourn with you as far as i let myself mourn. i can only celebrate with you as much i have celebrated myself.

and so, i continue on. talking the next step. a student still. reading in every moment. practicing in every moment. learning. growing. being. living.