What you may or may not know about me, is that I am a Libra. You know…the icon that looks like scales in the “Astrology” segment on page 15 of the “Living” section?
Do I believe in astrology? Oh, not too much. If the proximity of the stars at the time of birth governs ones actions, I should rather consider myself to be a “Schwartz” the name and most strong gravitational influence at the moment of my birth…that of my doctor delivering me.
What I DO find coincidental about astrology is that Librae are supposed to be all about harmony and justice (scales…the symbol of justice…right?)
What I cannot deny is that I:
1. Was raised by a lawyer/judge who imbued upon me a strong social conscience.
2. Value honor, justice, and honesty above all human attributes.
3.. Strive to attain harmony in all personal, social, and collaborative endeavors [and here, please stress the word “strive” in this statement instead of “attain“…which is far more rare.]
And, I fully admit that this may be a “chicken and egg” scenario: was I predestined to be concerned with justice and harmony by virtue of my “star-sign” or was it rather that I somehow sensed this was expected and lived accordingly? I dunno. The conundrum is that the former doesn’t explain the chance case of being born to a judge, while this fact, at the same time, fully enforcing the latter.
If Librae are all about harmony, I suspect that there must be a lot of them who have a life that is rolling along on an even keel. That seems not to be the kind of Libra that I am. I tend to gain harmony through manic expressions of opposites. Take my cooking, for instance: friends and family know me to make for them extravagant gourmet meals…and they are perfectly correct to think so…while they are around. My dirty little secret is that I personally subsist on a daily habit of cooking whatever happens to be around at the time I decide to make a meal. When I think about this style of cuisine, I refer to it in my mind as “student/bachelor/camping/guerilla” cooking. It is close to the bone, cook it before it spoils, as few dishes as possible. It is quick, simple, cheap. Through experience, I have made a lot of these meals quite tasty. If they are impressive at all, it is due to the fact that even spartan ingredients, cooked well, can come out quite satisfying.
In my college days, I was hitching a ride home with a friend during a bitter snowstorm. I suspected I might be in trouble, as being from Florida, she told me she had never even seen snow before. The two miles to her apartment were the most torturous two miles I’ve ever spent in a vehicle. We finally made it where she promptly “parked” headfirst into a huge snow bank. As the car had front-wheel drive, it was stuck. Of course, she owned no shovel, so I spent the next couple of hours shoveling out her car with a board! Soaked, exhausted and starving, I asked her is she had anything to eat. “Nothing” she replied. Scrounging around her apartment, I found pasta, bouillon cubes, a few veggies and made a passable “chicken soup.” Not altogether the most hardy meal in the world, but enough to weather the storm.
This kind of cooking is good for everything from minor emergencies, “guys night” and camping to breakfast at Armageddon. So, here’s an omelette, worthy of a last meal.
Armageddon Omelette [Recipe serves one. Double, if you are lucky to have a friend at the end of days.]
Ingredients:
2 eggs (room temperature…quite likely, anyways. The wisdom of popular films tell us that power and lights go out waaay before the end of the world.)
Packet of ramen noodles (your choice of flavor.)
2 Tblsps. diced onion, spring onion, or leek
2 Tblsps. veggie oil
In 2C. H2O [Oh, sheesh…I hope there’s water. Please, don’t shoot anyone or anything, trying to get it!] boil 1/2 of ramen noodles (Do NOT add the spice packet to the H2O) and drain. In a medium, non-stick, skillet heat oil on medium/high heat for 30 seconds and lower heat to medium/low. Add onions and cook until caramelized. Add 1/4 (*and ONLY 1/4) of the ramen spice packet to beaten eggs ad cook in the skillet, lifting the omelette gently a couple of times to let the runny egg under. When omelette is almost cooked through add the ramen noodles. Fold omelette, a grind of pepper, serve and enjoy…before saying “sayonara.”
*These spice packets have enough sodium to stop your heart…and if it is Armageddon, why rush things?)
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