Learning New Software vs. Baking by C.H. Admirand

Yesterday I spent 8 hours trying to learn new software before taking a break and then trying for another 3 hours, but ended up totally frustrated and not really figuring it out. In the back of my mind our Purcell ancestor’s family motto whispered: Aut Vincam…Aut Periam, translation: I will either conquer or perish!

So today my outlook is much brighter. I took what I learned from yesterday’s experience and added my own spin on the family motto. Maybe I’m not meant to learn the new software easily (scratch that and insert at all) BUT I can bake! This morning I got up and remembered I’d grated up a bunch of baby carrots yesterday and had the cream cheese softening overnight. Yep in my haste to conquer the software, I forgot I was going to bake Paula Deen’s Super-Yummy Carrot Cake yesterday. I’d purchased her cookbook Paul Deen and Friends Favorite Family Recipes back in November and baked her really decadent carrot cake first thing, then the Pumpkin Cheesecake and the Double Chocolate Pie…*sigh*

The moral of this learning experience, isn’t what I’d initially thought, which was you can’t teach this old dog new tricks. Instead, I’m going back to what I’d always believed when I started writing and submitting my books to editors and agents: Never give up! Even though it didn’t work out as planned, I did learn a few things from the software, not sure when I’ll try to tackle it again, because it takes away from valuable writing time. And I’ve got a bunch of stories that have been sitting on the back burner, just waiting for me to get back to writing them ;)

Hmmm maybe I should write a cookbook next. LOL A bunch of workshops I attended over the last 23 years preached that you should “write what you know.” I’m more of a fan of keeping the old gray matter going by researching and trying new things. So today, I tried a new thing…baking the carrot cake in my favorite spring-form pan instead of the 13 x 9 pan. LOL. Hey, it’s a start.

Oh! I’m trying something really new that I haven’t done in a number of years, so more on that in my next post.

Have a wonderful rest of the day…and remember, when life gets tough…eat cake!