Life Lately

You may remember my recent(ish) post on blogging. I have been kind of busy lately and quite frankly haven't really felt like writing, so I haven't. I was in Detroit for a week for the North American International Auto Show, which was really pretty cool (I love my job).

Then I got back and almost immediately it was all about the flu, all the time. I was also kind enough to share my illness with Layne. So, we both basically laid around for a week, sort of wishing we were dead. And honestly, I'm just getting on my feet again. This flu has left me completely wiped out. Even though I'm back to work this week, my body is still necessitating a daily nap and I'm eating miniature portions of everything or suffer the wrath of the hurgly gurglies in my stomach for hours. Yay!

I'm back in Detroit (my second home for the year) next week, but I wanted to give you an update on my resolutions.

1. Travel somewhere new. (Detroit does not count, though I admit I'm pretty smitten with the city.)
   
2. Bake more from scratch and begin building a recipe collection. (I baked a knock off Levain recipe last week! I completely messed it up when my flu-addled brain forgot the brown sugar, but you gotta start somewhere.)
   
3. Study interior design. (I have been trying and making some progress, but if you guys have any ideas on where I can actually learn some of this on my own, I'm open to suggestions!)
   
4. Take a calligraphy class. (Nope.)
   
5. Begin learning Spanish. (No progress.)
   
6. Read more. (I am crushing this resolution, averaging about three books a week. If you have read Gone Girl, please talk to me. I'm dying over here to discuss the genius of this story.)
   

The Polar Vortex Blues

This polar vortex has really showed me something. Something I always knew, but never knew how true it was: I hate winter.

I hate the cold. The way it seeps in through your clothes and straight down deep into your bones, clinging to you desperately. The way even when you walk inside, the people around you shudder from the blast of the frigid air that tagged along. Those long, icy fingers wrap themselves around you and claim your body and mind for months on end.

But there is a single thing about the freezing temperatures that I do like.

... And that would be the moment you escape from it.

As that icy gust that stole your breath right from your chest pushes you through a door and into a building, the cozy embrace of a heated room is very nearly heaven.

When you slip your toes-turned-icicles into fur lined slippers and stretch your feet in the miniature cocoons of warmth, all you can do is let out a contented sigh.

Or that stark contrast of a piping hot chocolate warming your palms as the outside of your fingers freeze in the brisk and cutting wind.

These jerks are not my kind of people. Who over the age of 10 enjoys snow for more than a minute, let alone for long enough to have a snowball fight? (source)

It's January, people. Depending on what part of the country you're in, we have at least another month (and most likely more) of coats and gloves and chapped lips from wintry gales. Join me in encasing your body in no less than five blankets and curling up on the couch to await the thaw. If you reach down deep and hope with all your heart, you may see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We'll get through this, guys.

Not Too Late For Resolutions

I know it's been almost a week since we all rang in the New Year, but I hadn't gotten around to jotting down my resolutions for the blogosphere yet.

I had been thinking of resolutions in the days leading up to January 1, but hadn't really settled on anything. On New Year's Eve we went to our friend's house for a party, and they handed out a list of questions to prompt resolutions. It may have been targeted at their kids, but it certainly got my wheels turning.

Who says resolutions have to be huge and all consuming and, quite frankly, boring? Lose weight. Save money. Shouldn't I be doing this anyway? I mean...I'm not. But shouldn't I be? And isn't my boring, adult life already filled with this kind of stuff? Go to work, do the dishes, pay the bills.

 I have decided 2014 is a year to live. I mean, really live. Give more time to the things I enjoy, instead of worrying about the shrinking numbers in my bank account or fretting about eating another donut and how many more miles I might have to run if I do. My resolutions this year are about doing some things to enrich the quality of my life. I have all these hobbies that are really only half hobbies. For instance, I like baking, but I'm no expert. I enjoy decorating, but I really don't know the first thing about it. These are the things I profess to love, these things are supposed to be my passions. (Therein lies the paradox.)

source

So, my resolutions this year...

1. Travel somewhere new.
2. Bake more from scratch and begin building a recipe collection.
3. Study interior design.
4. Take a calligraphy class.
5. Begin learning Spanish.
6. Read more.

Some of these things I love. Some I have just always wanted to do or try. They all make me feel improved and excited and happy. And that's just the way I want to begin my new year.


P.S. You should always eat another donut - how is that even a question?

To Blog, or Not to Blog?

Been taking some down time ( like every other blogger over the holidays). I used the time to think about my efforts here lately. I flatter myself by assuming, but you may have noticed I had been doing a pretty decent job of blogging for a little while there. Then, I don't know, something happened and I just stopped.

See, I follow a lot of blogs. And some of my favorite bloggers post every single day and so I thought, "Oh, I know. I'll do that, too!" And so I did for a while until I took a moment to look back at it and a niggling little voice went, "Um... why?" The bloggers that post every day - bless their hearts - have something entertaining to say every single day. I... do not. First of all, I am naturally a private and quiet person. Sharing my deep, personal reflections is not something that ever occurs to me. That lead to me scrounging up random blog ideas instead of just talking about the things I wanted to talk about. I kept meaning to be more honest and interesting in my posts, but that takes a lot of time. And time is something I often dedicate to watching television. Maybe I give up blogging, once and for all?

Enter... Harry Potter. I caught some of the movies over Thanksgiving and dedicated the weeks leading to Christmas to re-reading the books. And as I read, as I devoured the magical world I had fallen in love with in my teens, it reminded me of another love of mine. I spent the better part of my high school years with my nose either buried in a book or with a pen in my hand. How could I give up this outlet I have for my writing? I have a journal, but that tends to only occur to me on a rainy day. And this blog is such a great way to chronicle all the other things that happen in my life, to share my little accomplishments, and to keep in touch with family and friends. Why stop now, if it's something that makes me happy?

So, for now, I'll keep this little blog of mine. If only to honor that nerdy little teen-age girl, stuck in a small town, but reaching out and exploring the world through reading and writing. 

P.S. Happy New Year. :)