NaNoWriMo 2014

Hey Guys!

Just a quick note to say that NaNoWriMo is happening again right now, and so far it's going like this (click to expand):

...Which is perfectly fine, but I'm not really hitting overachiever status at the moment.

Yes, you're right--my novel is currently titled There's a Lot More Vomit in This Book Than I Originally Planned. The other title idea I had was Everyone Is Hospitalized and Puking Their Guts Out. So, there you have it.

I'm going to put a little follow-along widget below if anyone wants to check in and see how things are going from time to time. This new version shows daily progress on a calendar, so that's nifty. If all goes well, it should appear in the space below.



Thanks for reading! I'm off to bed now. :)

A

Things I Love about the Things I Love

Part One: Knitting, Top Five

1. All the amazing things you can make, just for the pure joy of making them.

2. That the basic skills are easy to learn, and that after that, you can learn the more difficult skills with little trouble.

3. It can be an incredible aesthetic experience, not just for your eyes, but for your fingers as well.

4. That seven different people can knit the same sweater in seven different colors according to their own tastes, and they can all be beautiful.

5. The way it always feels miraculous when you look down at the finished product and think "this used to just be string."


(I also love that you can take a break from it for however long you want and come back and be able to pick it right back up again. Knitting holds no grudges.)


A

Signs That It Might Be Easter Break

1. Pineapple juice appears in your fridge.

2. All pretense of shoe-wearing is abandoned.

3. Multitasking is rejected in all its forms.


If experiencing any of these symptoms, please consult the nearest work of fiction immediately. Talk to your friends about the potential for road trips in the near future. Be sure to drink several piña coladas.


A

Hobbit Bread

Did you know that I have a hobbit themed food board on Pinterest? Well I do.

Tonight I made this amazing peasant bread from Alexandra Cooks that I've had pinned on that hobbit themed food board on Pinterest for over a year. Why did I wait so long? Fear. That's right: fear, my friends.

This was my first ever attempt at baking a yeast bread.  I've always been scared to try because it seems like bread is the sort of thing that would be really easy to mess up. Like, not only do you have to make sure that you have all the ingredients and have enough of them, you have to make sure that one of those ingredients is alive. That has always just seemed like too much responsibility for me. It's enough of a commitment for me to gather my ingredients together while maintaining the will to actually do something creative with them--I can't imagine emotionally committing and willingly dedicating the time to the project only to find out that the yeast I bought is somehow defective and has given up the will to live. Or even worse? The possibility that I would kill it somehow on accident halfway through due to my clumsy incompetence and rudimentary direction-following skills. Just think of the trauma for a second. I might never bake again.

(/melodrama)

But with this recipe? Honestly, the hardest part was waiting around for the second proofing. (I dusted and rearranged our living room bookcase while I waited!)

Golden, buttery, and delicious, this peasant bread was served tonight with lentil soup and beet green salad. Consider this an official recipe recommendation. Go! Go now! Make delicious bread!

A

Thoughts from a Rainy Afternoon

There are times when my job really sucks. I've talked about it a little before. Dealing with parents who think I'm a horrible person who is out to get their student, working twenty-hour days grading term papers, disciplining students who plagiarize or cheat--not fun.

But today--

Today I had a quiet and cozy day of re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring. I got to curl up on the couch in front of the electric fireplace and watch from our office windows while the rain came down through the trees and onto the field. I got to think about bravery and adventure and loving and leaving your home. And I got paid to do this. Today was one of those lovely, amazing days that help balance out the really difficult days.

I am really thankful for days like today.

A