Holy Mother of Tofu... It's been a long time

Well guys and gals, just wanted to let you all know that I am still among the living - more or less.

The surgery was mostly a success. By that, I mean it did what it was intended to do, which was to prevent further damage to my spinal cord. But nothing comes without a price.

Aside from the drugs I've had to take for pain, which have had effects ranging from moderate sleepiness to hellish hallucinations... I've completely lost the use of my right arm. It's still there, it just won't do anything. It's kinda like having a very large rubber chicken attached to my shoulder.

The doctors assure me that this is a temporary phenomenon, but right now it's a huge pain in the ass for three reasons:

• I'm a copywriter. I rely on the written word to make bank each month. Fortunately, voice recognition software solves much of the typing problem, except occassionally the medicine will kick in, and "disappointed" will come out on the screen as "This is Porn Ted". Toss in a beer, and it's all over.
• Ever tried to cook one handed? I've been living on veggie burgers and Veggie Shreds quesadillas for weeks.
• I can't drive. Well, not more than a couple of blocks. Even that's kinda scary. So when I get inspired to create some new vegan dish, I'm kinda up the river.

We're going to assume that this is indeed temporary, and that life will get back to normal in the coming weeks. I hope so, because I have a slew of new recipes to try out and (hopefully) post.

Anyway, hope all is well with each of you! I look forward to getting back to blogging full time very soon.

Just a quick update...

Hello everyone!

First, my profuse apologies for not having posted for a while... I recently found out I am having back surgery on June 4 - a cervical laminectomy - and I've been running myself ragged trying to get my 4th book finished, wrap up copywriting projects, and finish a few household things I've been putting off. I'll be basically useless for a while after the surgery, so I'm running in high gear now.

Second, I've managed to create a few culinary disasters in the little time I've had to devote to cooking. Most notably, I made a vegetable korma that managed to be insanely hot and depressingly bland at the same time. I'm still puzzling over that one.

Then there were these lentil cakes - I was so excited about these babies - that somehow turned to a skillet full of tasteless goo with crunchy bits on the outside. Bah!

But hey, it happens. That's the thing about being willing to experiment - sometimes, you'll have raucous successes, and sometimes you'll have monumental failures. It all evens out.

Fortunately, my wife has been extremely supportive (and tolerant), and has refused to let me through away the figurative apron, no matter how badly my creations suck. Gotta love that - thanks Carla!

Anyway... since I have no deliciousness of my own to offer you, I'll take this opportunity to pimp another blog. Fat Free Vegan Kitchen posted a wonderful grilled asparagus and spinach salad recipe, which I tried last night. This recipe uses smoked paprika dressing, but I wasn't in the mood to drive halfway across Columbus to get white miso paste, so I just sprinkled paprika on the salad and doused it with seasoned rice wine. Oh, and I used chickpeas instead of walnuts.

Rest assured that I will be back very soon with something inspired and yummy. My cooking curse is about to lift, I can just feel it.