New Blog!

Hi,

If you follow this blog, I encourage you to check out my collaborative effort with Sarah Thunell and Katie Hankins at thepurpleslippers.blogspot.com . Its just getting off the ground, but I'm excited about my food contributions!

Starting Again, Again

I realize that I say this every year, but this year I'm going to start blogging more.  No, really!  2012 is going to be my year.  I've been reading up on strategies for success, and I have a big huge planner full of ideas.  I have so many goals and resolutions.

Last year my main resolution was to exercise and I did it.  I am in far better shape now that a year ago, and I have found that working out is a fun activity.  I love the endorphin rush, and how it makes me feel strong and in control of my body.  My body was a dick to me last year,  giving me a sprained ankle, an infected ear pimple, a precancerous lesion that resulted in minor surgery on my leg, an infection in the incision site, side effects from antibiotics, and of course my migraines.  Every time something made me unable to exercise, I came back and started again.  For me, that is the key to keeping resolutions, to not give up when life throws a wrench in your plans.

I'm starting school again tomorrow, earning a Clinical Lab Certificate at my local community college.  I'm excited, but nervous. Nervous mostly about logistical things, like getting the last class I need, getting books in time, getting a parking space, getting a parking sticker before I'm cited, etc.  It was a whirlwind of a decision to sign up for classes this quarter and I didn't have the long summer of preparation that I usually do before a new school year.  And who knows, maybe I'll find a good job before I finish the certificate?  If not, it will definitely make me more employable.

Meanwhile, I got a lot of fun things for Christmas.  Foremost, I bought my dad an Xbox.  I also got several bread cookbooks, a soup cookbook, and a canning book.  So I have so much cool stuff to look forward to this year!

Currently I'm braising beef stew in my mom's new fire engine red cast iron enameled pot.  The oven is emitting a delightful smell, a perfect companion to the sound of wind and rain outside.  I'm very excited to begin 2012.  Its going to be fantastic.

Lazy Summer Days

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." -Sam Keen

Thoughts on Now

The only problem with not participating in commencement is that there is no catharsis.  It's like I drove off of a cliff and am in free fall.  Commencement would be a way to hit the ground hard and fast, but instead I'm waiting for something to make me hit, knowing it won't happen.

I stand by my choice though.  I feel like doing many things today, but sitting around for a few hours with mostly strangers to get handed a fake diploma isn't one of them.  Its one of those things I'd only be doing because I thought I should.

In conclusion, this graduation feels similar to my high school graduation in that I am much more focus on what I did wrong than on what I accomplished.  But its different in that I don't feel like giving a huge "EFF YOU" to my school and everyone there.  I feel more thankful to WWU for the opportunities, for showing me that scientific research is the path I want to walk in this life, and for putting me in close enough proximity to my boyfriend so that I could find him.  Four years ago I didn't know what I wanted in my future, now I know that I want these two things to be a part of it.

The things I did wrong, I have learned from, so I will make a list of these things to keep in mind for the future:

• Try to see people as they are, not as who you want them to be.  When you find out who they really are, it will hurt you both.
• On that note, try to accept people for who they really are, instead of faulting them for not living up to your expectations.  
• Always try your best.  Don't take the easy road.  You are capable of more than you think.
• Eat things that are not carbs or you will feel like shit.
• Try to tolerate the intolerant.  
• Do the dishes right after dinner or you WILL NEVER DO THEM.
• Don't always let little things slide or they will snowball.
• Don't be intimidated by people you admire.  People are just people like you.

Be genuine.  Have actual taste.  Don't like things because they're "Indie," like them because you like them.  This isn't so much a problem with me, but has irritated the shit out of me all college, hearing comments like "I like how you like Friends even though its so mainstream."

Ugh, I think I'll make another post on things I won't miss about college.

Processed Food

I decided to eat less processed food because it has come to my attention that it is really really bad for you.
Like, the reason Americans are fat and dying bad.  Also, I have long suspected that my stomach is sensitive to something in it (specifically wheat based breakfast cereals).  I can't help but wonder: If I eat healthier, will I feel better?  More energetic?  Will I stop getting headaches?

In any case, this sounds like an awesome idea in my head.  But in practice it isn't so easy.  What counts as a  "processed food"?  For example, last night I made myself sauteed chicken with honey-grapefruit sauce over a bed of romaine with vinaigrette.  Sounds great, right?  Except that I used panko breadcrumbs to coat the chicken, and those are surely processed. In fact, I'm not even sure what they are, except that they make an awesome breading.

Anyway, I've decided to start small.  First on the chopping block, the easy ones: Ramen noodles, packaged soups, frozen tv dinners, pop tarts/eggos/frozen french toast things, and bottled/powdered salad dressings.  Things I don't eat often anyway, but never outrightly "banished."

Socks

I have a love hate relationship with socks.  Maybe just a hate-hate relationship.  They get lost in the dryer.  They make my feet hot.  They trap sweat.  They're ugly. 
But I walk a lot and my feet get blisters.  They get cold and wet and generally uncomfortable.  So I submit to socks and suffer the ugly, sweaty, consequences. 
I bought the September issue of Vogue today, mostly just to see what all the fuss is about.  I was pleased to see in it's pages (aka ads) many models wearing very visible socks poking out of heels, Mary Janes, and even sandals.  Damn, is that a trend I can get behind.  A warm and comfortable way to wear fashionable shoes.
Although I have professed to despise socks, they are warm, and they prevent blisters, which are a bit of a plague for me because I walk so frequently.  Should I reconsider socks? 
Hmm.

Thoughts After Finals

Sentence fragments:
Small break with nothing filling my time.
Committed to sailing the high seas in the dead of winter.
Change of venue so I can let my guard down.
Baked things but camera battery recharger is at parents.
Breathe in,
Breathe out,
Recharge batteries.