Resolutions, confessions, and dinner with friends.

I feel compelled to share with the class that this is my fourth attempt at blogging in the past six months.  I decided I wanted to chronicle some aspects of my life--my search for the right career, my cooking and baking endeavors, and my trials and tribulations as a research technician--but, blogs are weird.  A blog feels sort of like a diary, but you let (and encourage) other people to read it.  Um, what?  Each time I came up with a theme for a blog and began writing, I felt like it got too personal, too whiny, or just not interesting to anyone but me.  I read a lot of blogs, but recently a trip to Running Foodie made me realize what I was doing wrong.  The entry was about body image, but I realized that I have a self-talk gremlin that's a real jerk.  The gremlin was making it's way onto my blogs and making me feel worse, rather than better  The take home message from the entry about self-talk gremlins is to never say something to yourself that you wouldn't say to someone else.  And with that, I put into motion my September Resolutions.

I know it's more traditional to make resolutions at the start of the calendar year, but because my boyfriend, Matt, and many of our friends are teachers, I sometimes feel like the school year calendar is the norm for us.  And, why not make resolutions in September?  The umbrella resolution is to be more positive, enjoy the wonderful people I have in my life, and cut myself some slack.  Maybe it's because I'm a scientist and I'm trained to be as specific as possible, but I knew I also needed to make a list of specific things I wanted to change, or else it would all fall by the wayside.  They are, in no particular order.  To begin playing the flute at least two times a week.  To plan and cook dinner at least 4 times a week.  To bake something (and give most of it away) at least once a week.  To read from a book, as opposed to a blog or magazine, every day.  To chronicle my resolutions here, updating at least twice a week.  And, that's it.  I am not sure if doing these things will make me a better person, but I do think they will make me a happier person, and that is enough for me right now.

Because I read a lot of blogs, I know that many people who have blogs are talented photographers and spend a lot of time staging photos of their food or crafts or friends or whatever.  I am not one of those people.  I leave the photography stuff to my friend, April, of April Eve Images.  But, I will try to include some sort of visual representation of whatever I'm blogging about.  Today, it's a dinner we shared last night with April, her boyfriend, Will, and his roommates, Dave, and Greta.  Will lives right down the street from us and we hope to have many dinner parties like the one we had last night.

April was the chef last night and she made some really delicious risotto with asparagus, mushrooms, and peas.

Stirring away.  Look at the steam flowing from that pot!

I asked her if I could help somehow, but she had already done the bulk of the work for the risotto, including sauteing these yummy looking mushrooms...

Seriously, yum!

She said I could make the salad dressing.  These are her directions.

"Blend that shit together."  So technical.

We ate dinner by candlelight on the porch.  We were thoroughly entertained by Dave and Greta's cat, Felix, a.k.a. Fefe, who was observed smelling April's hair and using her back to do some parkour from one side of the window sill to the other.  After dinner, I brought out some Apricot Espresso Chocolate Chip cookies, with modifications from Running Foodie.  I forgot to take pictures of them, but you will have to trust me that they are the best cookies on the planet.  All in all, it was a successful night with great food and great company.  

Today I am...

happy that: it's Friday!  And that it isn't raining!

less than happy that: iTunes mysteriously deleted my favorite Regina Spektor album!

daydreaming about: getting some new shoes this weekend.

Current reading:  Bossypants, by Tina Fey

Next up: Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Playing on the flute:  Nothing yet, but maybe I'll find some sheet music this weekend.