Start Something

Hi again.

It’s already past my 9 PM computer curfew, but I’m nothing if not diligent about keeping my word.  I promised four Thursday posts about gratitude and such, and this post is #3.  (Not that I’m counting or anything…)

I’m completely exhausted tonight because I’ve been running up and down stairs all day.  The situation at work right now is complicated, and I’m not going to bore you with the details, but suffice to say that it takes a lot of energy for me to get anything done.  It’s harder for me to work out when I’m doing molecular biology experiments because I’m on my feet and moving almost the entire work day.  It’s a little like working out, all day long.  I came home from work tonight with the intention of going for a short run, but the couch called my name and I went from reading the new Vegetarian Times to napping before dinner.  I ended up skipping my run.  But tomorrow!  Tomorrow I shall run.  Tomorrow there will be less stair-climbing, I hope.

But I’m grateful for the exhaustion because it means I’m starting to get stuff done.  It can be so hard to start something new because you have no momentum for the task.  I think I deserve oodles of praise anytime I manage to start something, whether it’s dinner, a conversation, a job search.  It takes guts to start something, and while I’m not the boldest person, I’d like to think I’m getting better at figuring out what I want and going after it.

Along that theme of energy and momentum, I’m feeling happy about many things tonight, not the least of which is you, here, with me.  I keep finding blogs that appear to have been abandoned or “retired,” and they make me sad.  I realize that for some people, it’s probably a relief to cease blogging because it can be a lot of time and work, but I really like my little blog.  I can’t help but feel a sense of loss for others who stop writing theirs.  For me, because my blog is already in full swing, it’s easy to keep writing it because there’s a certain momentum.  It’s a project in motion, and I just keep it going.

Other things that make me smile:

* The weather forecast!  We have a SNOW PREDICTION for tomorrow!  In Texas!  How funny is that?  I had more than one person tell me that it does not snow in Texas, but my very first December here may prove them wrong…

* In the face of a snow forecast, it’s important to have a well-stocked pantry.  Fortunately, I’ve got plenty of oatmeal to see me through this avalanche of snow.  (Accumulation of less than one inch!  I may be snowbound in my apartment!  Everything’s going to be closed!)  This week I’ve tried two fabulous new oatmeal recipes, and I’ll just give you a sneak preview in the form of ingredients.  Maple syrup.  White chocolate chips.  Bananas.  Cream cheese.  Pecans.  Brown sugar.  Now that is my kind of pantry.

* Getting things done.  I sent off an electronic application for a new writing gig, and all I can think is, Ooh, pick me!  Pick me!  But the thing I tell myself after I send off anything I’ve written is that it’s the experience that matters and that I did the best job I could.  And now it’s out of my hands.

* Pecans.  I know I mentioned them just a few lines up, but pecans are so, so good—rich and buttery and festive.  They’re a holiday nut, but they’re good year-round as well.  Texas grows pecans, and I’d love to buy some truly local nuts, so I’ll be keeping my eyes and ears open for that.

* My Christmas mugs.  I don’t do much in the way of holiday decorating (though I’d like to change that trend—maybe this weekend I’ll work a little holiday magic around my home), but I do have a pair of Christmas mugs, one of which is a snowman mug, complete with a spoon topped with a fat ceramic snowman.  Around the rim it reads, “Bless us one and all.”  Amen to that.

* Texas skylines.  I love how wide open the sky feels here—it feels bigger than anywhere else I’ve ever lived.  We have the most beautiful sunsets down here, all streaky pink and blue, strewn with clouds.  The sun burns fiercely golden in the dusky skies.  The views are phenomenal.

* Tacos.  Who doesn’t love tacos?  Crunchy, creamy, chewy, all in one bite—tacos are a textural work of art.  My New Year’s resolution should be to eat more tacos.

* On-line shopping.  I cannot even imagine trying to do my Christmas shopping now without the help of Amazon.com.  Great prices, free shipping, clicky ordering—Amazon makes my December spirits bright.

Have a merry weekend, dear reader!  If you get some snow, go outside and play in it, then come back inside and bake cookies.  That’s my perfect winter day in a single sentence.