when i started this blog months ago, it was during a down time for me work wise. i had the time to cook and write about it. the tag line to this blog is ‘the way to live life,’ and to no surprise julia child was my inspiration and motivator.

in my inaugural post ‘in the words of a genius…‘ i simply quote mrs. child:

‘find something that you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.’ –julia child

pie is something i am very passionate about. in fact something about the rainy weather yesterday urged me to make an apple pie, and as i was making it, i was completely in my happy space. it was beautiful going in and coming out of the oven.

sadly, when cutting into it i saw that the filling was soupy. my friends tried to console me by telling me it still tasted delicious and the crust was perfect. i was even bitchy to andrea when she asked ‘what did you do differently?’ the only thing i could think of was that normally i used some granny smiths, but they didn’t have them at the market. i was thinking perhaps the fujis or galas i had substituted had less pectin than the grannys? or they were more juicy? then it dawned on me from a question andrea asked, ‘what would make it more soupy?’ if it was the same cooking time, amount of apples, and ingredients, what would cause the moisture not to evaporate? ah ha! venting! besides the usual apple cut out in the center, perhaps i normally cut extra slits to allow more moisture to escape? instead, like andrea said, ‘i created a volcano that just hadn’t been allowed to erupt.’ upon further investigation from a previous picture of a perfect apple pie, there were indeed slits!

at my bikram yoga studio they have this quote up on the wall:

‘i have not failed. i have just found 10,000 ways that will not work. failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.’ –thomas alva edison

ironically, while i was making what was to be an epic apple pie failure (in my eyes), unbeknownst to me the announcement of steve jobs death was announced. i was truly saddened to hear this. i didn’t know steve. i have never met him. he was a visionary and a genius and changed how our world sees things. he died too young. i have used apple computers and products since the very beginning. i carry my iphone around like it’s an appendage. yet, i’ve been trying to figure out why his death has affected me so much. honestly, i don’t know why, but he has reminded me to love and live life, and to ‘think different.’

‘sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. it is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.’ –steve jobs

RIP mr. jobs. you will be missed.

on to my next pie…