Mastering the Arts of Cooking and Blogging

Thoughts upon watching Julie and Julia yesterday:

1. I must cook.
2. I must blog.

Also 3. Meryl Streep is pretty rad.

I really. really need to learn how to cook, at least some things. Next year at school I'll be living in an apartment with a kitchen instead of a dorm, so I would like to be able to make some things more complicated than cereal. Perhaps I'll make something a bit more interesting than a PBJ for lunch today.

You see, it's just so easy to not cook at all. My mom always has dinners planned, and if I say I want to make it (with her minimal help), she ends up stepping in to do most of the work. (Sorry if you're reading this, Mom. It's true, though.) Yesterday I said I wanted to make enchiladas one day next week and she just looked at me funny and said, "Enchiladas?"

And so. I must take it upon myself to cook some things. I already bake up a storm, so cooking meals can't be that different, right? Maybe.

Regarding thought #2 above, I already have it partially accomplished. I have a blog. I post in it. It just seems that no one is reading my posts.

So. How to get more traffic? I think when I comment on others' blogs I'll leave a link to my own at the end. I've seen other people doing it and I click the link about half the time. If anyone reads this, and has any tips, please let me know.

And regarding thought #3 (the movie), I really, really enjoyed the Julia bits. The Julie bits in the present were less interesting, as I found the Julie character to be so melodramatic and self-absorbed as to make herself unsympathetic. But maybe that's just me.

The bits about Julia Child, however, were fantastic. Meryl Streep played the part really well.

And as I watch more movies with Stanley Tucci, I'm finding that I really like him. He just looks so different. Maybe that's it. I'm intrigued by the way he looks and the way his voice sounds. It's just so fun and interesting.

And I really liked him in The Lovely Bones, although I was disappointed by the movie as a whole.