Reading: I was reading and enjoying Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee, but I took a quick break to read Wonder by R. J. Palacio when I found out the book group I (very sporadically) attend will be discussing it next Friday. Wonder is great so far - I started it yesterday on Kindle and only have about 30% to go. It's the first book in a while that I lost track of time and accidentally stayed up too late reading - hello, 1:30AM!
Anticipating: Spring. It hasn't been especially snowy in my neck of the woods, but it certainly has seemed first colder, and now just generally more rainy, overcast, and dismal than usual. Despite no indication in temperature or conditions (the nor'easters keep blowing through at a good clip), my birthday is usually when I start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's cold today, but sunny, and there's something in the light that makes me think spring.
Buying: Books, naturally. At the winter library book sale, on my Kindle, from Books-a-Million. At this rate, I'm going to need to be even more brutal about DNFing the bad and the mediocre to keep up with my problem. So far, so good - I've jettisoned approximately 1/3 of the books I've started so far this year.
Also, I bought this blanket from Society6, and I'm pretty sure it's been about the best thing about the season I loathe most. It's warm, comfy, and funny. It's been my constant companion for all reading, TV watching, and napping these last couple months. I think I might need a beach towel in the same design to accompany me through the summer....
Cooking: I love to eat good food, but for most of my life, I've had a complete disinterest in cooking. Lately I've started to realize that my disinterest lies more in planning and shopping for obscure ingredients I'll never use all of and just end up wasting. So, one of my life goals this year was to join one of those meal delivery services. Enter one of my co-workers with a free Hello Fresh box. Two weeks and four meals in, I'm happy to report that given all the necessary ingredients and a certain level of instruction, I can, indeed, cook. All four meals have been good (number 5 to be prepared tonight), and I'm pretty super stoked to have culinary variety back in my life along with a nice ego boost stemming from the fact that I am not actually an incompetent cook (just a lazy one, LOL!).
Tex Mex Tilapia! I made that!
Watching: Ever since I moved to my new place and subscribed to all the streaming services so I could skip buying cable, I've been dying for the TV show ER to stream all its episodes somewhere so that I could re-watch. Thanks to Hulu my TV dreams have come true.
Planning: Trips. I kind of got way behind the eight ball last year planning travel but still lucked out on a few mini vacations. Not getting fooled again this year. I've already got all the money down on my portion of a lake house rental in Cooperstown, NY this August with my family, decidedly a different type of vacation than I've ever taken. Relaxing instead of on the go, and with a good chunk of my family, too, should be an interesting departure from the norm, and hopefully a good one!
Private water front? Yes, please.
Then, just recently, one of my best and oldest friends accepted a job in Washington state. I volunteered as tribute to road trip with her across the nation at the end of May, and we are starting to lock in the plans. I traveled out west to Montana once upon a time with the intention of taking a job there, but it didn't work out as planned. I'm surprised and a little excited to have the opportunity to take another cross country road trip. This time in better weather and without the stress of my having to start a new life at the end of it.
What have you been up to lately?
