Author Archives: Tim Elhajj

Page of True Stories

4-8-2007 016

I added a page to the site where I can showcase my writing.

I added one new piece and put some links top stuff I’ve already discussed in other posts. The title of the new essay is 20/20. This one earned kind comments from an editor who rejected it. I hope you like it.

On the new page, I’ve got links to the New York Times article and to my essay on Brevity. I believe my Brevity story is going to come down at some point, so I thought I’d get some other stuff posted. I added two stories from my childhood memoir project that I previously posted, but now on pages of their own. 

Things still looks a little sparse, so I’ll try and get some other stuff up soon.

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Ramblin Man

I got The Complete Led Zeppelin for $9.99 at Rhapsody, RealNetwork’s music service. That’s 165 MP3 files encoded at 256 kbps with no DRM for less than 10 dollars. It must have been some sort of goof up because they have raised the price to $59.99. I love MP3 with no DRM. You never know when a DRM provider is going to change the standard, go out of business, or abandon their technology.

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Tim Elhajj Said That You Two Are Married…

Holly got an email from Facebook with a subject header that said, “Tim Elhajj said that you two are married.” After adding her as a friend to my facebook account, I indicated that we were married. Facebook was checking on the veracity of my comments, as they probably should. For some reason the verification e-mail cracks me up. Someone at Facebook has a sense of humor.

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Tim Elhajj at Brevity

I’ve got an essay appearing in a special mid-summer bonus edition of Brevity 27. This is a companion piece to my Modern Love essay from earlier this week. The Modern Love essay examines my relationship with my son, while the Brevity piece explores my relationship with Dad.

The Brevity piece also appears on the Brevity blog, a great place to discuss creative non-fiction, truth in memoir, or the concept of a mid-summer pick me up.

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Tim Elhajj in Modern Love

07-05-2005 (197)

I have an essay appearing in the New York Times this weekend. I wrote this one right after Timmy graduated high school, and we took all the kids to New York City that summer (that’s Timmy in Central Park).

Earlier this year I came across the essay on my thumb drive, cleaned it up, and sent it to my writing group, who then helped me hammer out the rough edges. I’m still a little amazed Modern Love picked it up.

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Spicy Mulligatawny

Today I cooked Spicy Mulligatawny: difficult to pronounce, but tasty to eat. I was looking for a stew, but was swept off my feet by the curry and apple in the ingredients.

6-8-2008 002

As it turns out, spicy mulligatawny isn’t a good meal by itself. Not enough protein. Tonight Holly grilled up some chicken sausage to go with it. We had hot dog buns, but a tasty sourdough bread would be an excellent addition.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil, divided
  • 1 lb. skinless, boneless, chicken breast
  • 2 (medium size) peeled, chopped Gala or Braeburn apples
  • 1 1/2 C chopped onion
  • 1 C chopped carrot
  • 1 C chopped celery
  • 1 C chopped green bell pepper
  • 4 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 Tablespoons curry
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 (14 oz) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 2/3 C mango chutney
  • 1/2 C tomato paste
  • chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Steps:

  1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken, saute 3 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
  2. Heat remainder of oil (1 Tablespoon, 1 teaspoon) in pan. Add apple and next 4 ingredients and saute for five minutes. Stir in flour and next 4 ingredients and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, chutney, and tomato paste; bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat; simmer 8 minutes. Return chicken to pan, cook 2 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Yield: 8 servings (serving size 1 1/4 Cups)

Calories: 242 (20% from fat); Fat: 5.4 grams; Protein: 16.6 g; Carbs: 33 g; Fiber: 3.3g; Chol: 31mg; Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

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The Love Shark

When Aaron was five, he drew the image that appears in my new header for Father’s day. I have always loved it. The gang over at Qt3—especially Coca Cola Zero and Fugitive—helped me turn it into a nice looking banner. Thanks guys!

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The Sun Magazine Responds

I finally got a response from The Sun. They couldn’t use my story Saved. When they say they may take six months, they really mean it. I sent it out to them early last November. I sent it so long ago, they had to affix a little extra postage to get my SASE back to me. I thought that was mighty nice of them.

Twice now people have suggested I send them my story The Solution to All My Problems. After reading some of Poe Ballantine‘s work, I believe they may be right. I’d love to have a story in The Sun.

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Hayes Carll, She Left Me For Jesus

I’m not a big fan of country music or novelty songs, but NPR had a piece on Hayes Carll earlier this month and his chorus to She Left Me for Jesus made me laugh out loud.

Give it a whirl:

Here’s that chorus again in case you missed it:

She left me for Jesus and that just ain’t fair
She says that he’s perfect, how could I compare
She says I should find him and I’ll know peace at last
If I ever find Jesus I’m kicin’ his ass

I love how “finding Jesus” goes from an abstraction about salvation to an actual threat (not that Jesus is scared, mind you).

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