Hi gang! We’re quitting early today, though you should read that great Deadwood post from this morning.
Please tell us all about your hopes and dreams for 2014, or how you’re planning on watching Sherlock before the Powers That Be want you to. Nicole’s using Tunnelbear.
Tags: meta, new year’s, open thread, talk amongst yourselves
Ooof! I had a good time. You lot? I’m a bit hungover and wearing my Blackened Toast hoodie and a few friends will be popping over later for company.
Where oh where did you get your B.T. hoodie?!? I’ve been clicking all over the site but can’t find the merchandise. *sob* It may be because I’m kind of an internet goob. Had a nice New Year’s though.
I I don’t think they are available now! Just before Xmas they ran a kind of tshirt kickstarter and all the preordered stuff was printed a few days later. I’m sure that Nicole and Mallory could be talked into doing it again though.
I hope and dream to put a new roof on my house and also to eat at the dinner table more often in 2014. I’m also doing drynuary this year, so we’ll see how that goes. I maaaay have over-indulged a bit this holiday season.
we got home at about 5:30am because the buses to oxford from london last night were FUCKED (we left our party at 2am), and we got back to see that someone has stolen our front gate. like we got home and the gate was just gone??! this bodes well.
i want to write more and read more and eat exciting foods. and also i am moving to a city i have never lived in before this summer and i hope that goes ok.
They are ALWAYS FUCKED! I had to wait for three hours last time because it happened to leave when winter wonderland closed. And then everyone on my bus was a girl scout. Which felt like karmic payback for my years of being the obnoxious girl scout on public transport.
Also, I’m in Oxford for school, so if you’re around in January it would be great to be a fellow toastie.
oh nooo!! i usually only take the buses at really weird times when nobody else is on them (like 11pm on a standard tuesday) so this was my first experience of them on a busy night. never, never, never again. it took us four hours to get home from when we left the party.
yes! i live here year-round and meeting up would be great :). i don’t know what the policy about sharing email addresses etc. is here but you can reach me at yourspider at gmail dot com. or on twitter @tambourine.
I took this today (while wearing my toast t-shirt) and thought of you guys. Walked down to the beach in a howling gale and rain so hard it felt like hail, and ended up nearly taking to the sea involuntarily by almost getting blown off the pier. It was proper ‘power of nature’ awe-inspiring stuff to start the new year.
I am in the UK so the powers that be want me to watch Sherlock, so that is fine. 2013 was a right old bitch for me and mine, so my hopes and dreams for 2014 are mostly just that it be a bit better than this one.
I like that 2014 begins a body of water which engages in the pretense of shyness. Coy Pond. I find it absurdly alluring. The year bodes well.
And the best thing is that it’s a beautiful place, full of weeping willows and long grass and little raised wooden tracks through the marshy land by the river.
…but Amy Pond was never coy!
I took a break from drinking in the latter half of 2013 and was surprised to find teetotalling hasn’t improved my life (or my mood or personality) at all.
I fell asleep at 8:30 last night. Goodbye, 2013, you were the worst year of my life.
Jan 2 begins an attempt at Drynuary (with pre-scheduled exceptions, I’m already sucking at it) and eating better foods. Today though, I’m watching the Happy Endings marathon, intermittently playing Dead Rising 3, and drinking up the alcohol that’s already in the house.
My response to dry-uary is “but there’s extra champagne in the fridge! And we didn’t even open the cab last night!” which does not exactly bode well.
There’s been a quote going around tumblr something like, “2013 was character development, so expect 2014 to be full of action,” and I’m feeling that really hard. Except for 2013, substitute, “the past nine years.”
2013 was a bit of a meh year for me, but I had a lovely NYE playing board games with friends and watching the fireworks on tv (best view). I have massively overdone it with the chocolate over the holidays so when I get back home I will begin Veguary and eat lots of greens.
I was asleep in bed by 10:30 last night and I have NO regrets about that. 2013 can go eat a bag of dicks, as far as the Jinx Fam. is concerned, and it didn’t deserve any kind of a public goodbye from me. I am, however, very excited about 2014! The new year has dawned bright and clear, I have black eyed peas simmering on the stove with a lovely ham hock, cheesy grits ready to pop into the oven and as soon as everything’s cooked I’m trekking over to a friend’s house for brunch.
Mmmm cheesy grits! Black eyed peas! Mmm!!!
GOOD RIDDANCE, 2013
Things That Happened in 2013
* Lost not one, but two opportunities to be hired to write a book
* Had to move in with very kind friends because I could not afford an apartment for the first four months of the year. (Grateful for very kind friends, but feeling like a leech sucks.)
* Got unexpectedly pregnant and decided to have an abortion
* Had horrible, wretched complications from the abortion and was in ridiculous amounts of pain
* Friend from whom I was estranged resurfaced to tell me I was a terrible person for having an abortion
* Had to fire my only employee. This sucked.
* Moved into a shitty apartment with my partner because we could not afford to move into a nice one.
* That same abortion-criticizing friend told a secret I had very vehemently asked her not to tell, behind my back, and caused a great deal of pain to all involved in so doing
* I ended that friendship, which had until that point lasted for thirteen years, feeling like I’d wasted a lot of friend-effort over the course of time (the secret-telling was not the only reason, but it was the final straw)
* This secret-telling ended up requiring that I end another friendship that I valued greatly, which made both of us sad
* I got horribly ill during an epic road trip adventure with my partner and wound up in the ER
* Dropped an air conditioner onto my car. Because why not.
* I also ended my relationship with my mother! with a letter that did not actually reach her, which I am still kind of upset about, because while it said a lot of unflattering things it was also true and carefully phrased
* Attended a wedding I very much wanted to enjoy with all my heart, but could not because the above friend was present and I was still very upset about the whole situation. Put on a brave face that I hope fooled people, am quite fearful I was a mildly drunk asshole the entire time, which is far less than the bride and groom deserved.
* Four separate car-breakdowns
* And a speeding ticket
* My partner was diagnosed with a heart condition, but not before we had to go to the doctor six separate times and the ER twice
* My boss had to deliver an ultimatum about my work that nearly resulted in me being fired, but the upshot was that I was . . .
* Diagnosed with depression. Feeling pretty upset that I never figured out I had depression and probably spent many years beating myself up for being unable to do things, because I thought this was some kind of personal failure and not just a chemical problem that could be fixed.
I start 2014 with an overdrawn bank account, an angry mother, an estranged friendship, and antidepressants. And a really fantastic partner, who is far and away the only good thing about 2014, because he was with me through all of the above shit and helped me navigate it, was always kind and considerate, and never got angry with me. And who apparently thinks, despite everything, that I am a catch and that he is lucky to be with me.
Here’s to a better year.
Ugh, that sounds utterly terrible – many many sympathies. Here’s to a great 2014 in recompense!
Hey 2013. Yeah, you previous year there. Yooooouu suuuuuuuuuuuuucked!
Here’s to a better year, yes. Here’s to a year you’re starting from a position of strength – with a solid partnership; with the knowledge of your depression and the help you need to manage it; and with toxic people no longer near you. Your partner is right, you do sound like a catch, b/c you seem – from the perspective of this internet stranger – like one strong lady.
Also, Eff the person who told you you’re terrible for having an abortion. That person is terrible!!
What a ‘friend.’ Here’s to starting the year without that person and with your fantastic partner. I hope the shit of this year fertilizes a thriving 2014 (worst metaphor ever).
My sympathies. I was in a similar shitty place between 2008 to 2010 and it took a couple of years to be in my happy spot now. Sending good thoughts to you!
Here’s to a better 2014 indeed. Sounds like you survived a lot of wretchedness. At least you’ll have rid yourself of a toxic friend, which I know from experience is a huge weight lifted off the shoulders once you get past all the feelings relating to everything. Sounds like she tore the house down on her way out, though. Yeesh. I hope 2014 takes it easy on you!
Happy New Year everybody!
Stayed in with husband and made a nice homemade dinner together. Then watched Die Hard while sharing a bottle of prosecco. I couldn’t ask for a nicer New Year’s Eve.
We stayed in, The Fella made veggie tacos, and I sat under a blanket and wrote while a “Happy Endings” marathon played in the background. A perfect night.
It’s also the first time in several years that one or the other of us hasn’t had a vicious flu at New Year’s, so A. the habit of staying in is firmly established and B. that’s worth celebrating on its own!
I got cornered by an acquaintance I’m avoiding (because he suuuucks) at a party, which I ended up leaving right after midnight to avoid him. On the plus side, I got in a great furniture shop for my new place, and am much closer to having my stuff actually put away and living in a more useable space.
If anyone’s looking to spend $4 and dramatically improve your life, I must recommend this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/601501… or something like it to prop up your computer while you lie in bed.
Today I learned that nobody reads the internet on New Year’s Day!
Well that is just clearly not true, unless you consider all of us to be “nobody”. Harumph.
No, I just mean, we had a whole day planned out, and then Nicole messaged me, and she was like, literally eight people are reading the site right now, we have no traffic, let’s move everything to a day where people aren’t sleeping/hiking/out having brunch and inside looking at computer screens. YOU WERE GOING TO GET TO READ MY WOLF SENTIENCE SCALE POST TODAY.
WHO IS HIKING TODAY??? Is hiking on New Year’s Day a Thing? Am I a failure? Gahhh
Our New Year’s Day tradition is to go get donuts for breakfast in order to keep some sort of karmic balance in the universe, what with all the people starting their healthy resolution. I had half a maple bar, half an apple fritter, and a sugar donut. All of which were delicious.
Now I want donuts. Which would be less of a problem if it weren’t 9.45pm and pissing with rain.
right? “i think i’ll start my year off with a hike after drinking heavily and staying up till the wee hours of the morning.” i’m sorry, but i’m not a viking.
I KNOW IS THAT A THING I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS A THING / am I The Worst?!
Edited to note that I now will refer to all NY day hikers as vikings and bobthebeau’s comment has restored my self esteem.
I had no idea it was a Thing, if itndeed it is. It’s sure as hell never going to be a Thing in my household.
It is a Thing for me, actually, most holidays, if the weather is at all passable, I go hiking. New Year’s Day is sometimes the coolest–one year I was hiking along a river, wondering what the weird alien insect attacking noises were, and finally figured out that it was the river ice being dragged along and bumping into and over ice that was out of the channel and not moving as much.
Somehow, it always seems to start the New Year out in a way that makes me happy. Which can be hard to find in the middle of winter–
I promise to love wolf sentience sight unseen, whenever it is posted.
Mallory, I had a VERY DETAILED dream last night that I was recommending to you the works of Stephen Leacock. And then I woke up and realized I can make this dream reality. So…have you read Gertrude the Governess? http://www.online-literature.com/stephen-leacock/…
How about My Financial Career? http://www.online-literature.com/stephen-leacock/…
A Leacock audiobook was a constant companion on my family’s long car trips when I was a kid.
In my dream I had hand-transcribed these on the back of a cookie recipe for you. Please accept my apologies that this is not the case.
Today is the one day I had nowhere to be, nobody expecting me anywhere and nothing to do, so other than my wander to the beach I have spent all day reading the internet.
BTW, did you see the Ani DiFranco piece got linked at bitch magazine?
But I’ve been reading Middlemarch!
On a different topic, does anyone have any interesting resolutions? I’m using Chains.cc to track my goals of eating a fruit and a vegetable every day.
My goals: make fewer mistakes at work, lose enough weight that my BMI drops below overweight (yeah, it’s a broken system, but it’d be nice to be in that range), get another tattoo (Golden Snitch tramp stamp, obviously), kiss Pete Holmes while my husband gives me a thumbs up somewhere in the background.
ATTAINABLE, I THINK.
GOLDEN FINCH TRAMP STAMP! You are the winner at tattoos!
Also, you know what, it’s your body and you do you — if BMI feels useful to you for your body, go for it.
Oh man I am rereading this 9 hours later and noticing that, while I read “snitch” and thought “snitch,” I typed “finch.” How foolish of me!
That sounds delicious! My resolutions tend to be more of a to-do list than a real goal, because I will completely fail at “finally make friends in my city” (my actual resolution), but I can make myself do something like “voluntarily attend 6 events with strangers.” DC book club should be a good start!
SMART goals! That’s what it’s all about!
Ugh, we make SMART goals at work, so I’m opposed to calling them that on principle–but basically, yes.
I am going to revise my goal from my original post, actually, because I am okay at doing things with strangers, but TERRIBLE at assuming that those strangers could ever possibly want to see me again and/or that it would be appropriate to follow up and try to do a second thing with the same people. I also need to make more doctor/dentist appointments, but that’s boring.
I am the same way with followup with people. I assume they already have enough friends, or must be busy, and I chicken out of asking. Last year I decided to just ask anyway, even though the possible rejection freaks me out, and it was an amazing year friend-wise. I started out hardly knowing anyone in my new town, and ended the year with a few really good friends. In the middle was an Easter dinner I hosted for 17 people, and in the end was my family being invited to join a friend’s extended family for Christmas Day dessert. And I learned that most people are a little lonely and mean to try to make more connections themselves, so asking is a kindness.
All that to say: Go for it! Follow up! It will be so, so good.
Oh man, I need to get off my ass and try to make more friends. It’s so scary though! I’m out near Portland, OR but I almost never get into the city or actually do things. Such a homebody.
Thanks for the encouragement! I used to use the “host a bunch of people for dinner” strategy to great success, but my current abode isn’t very well-suited to that kind of thing. Maybe in picnic weather, though!
“Asking is a kindness” is a good thing to remember.
You live in DC? Let’s be friends! I am actually serious. What book club are you joining? I am so far behind in Middlemarch madness I am unsure about another book-related commitment. How do you feel about drinking?
Hooray, friends! I am not a big drinker (unless the drink is coffee), but I am not a teetotaler, either. If that’s good enough, you can e-mail me at “wonder and uncertainty” (all smushed together) at gmail.
JocastaCarr is organizing a DC Toast-people book club; we are meeting in early February to discuss The Goldfinch. (Contact details are in the Hey Ladies Book Club post comments–I’m sure you could e-mail her to get on the list even if you aren’t ready for February.)
I am going to go to DC book club TWICE because the first time of everything is always fine, it is the second stage that is terrible when they are still basically strangers but strangers who know who you are. this is the year I learn to make my masochism work for me. ugh what if everybody has wrong opinions about The Goldfinch though?
Book club with wrong opinions is a lot more fun than book club where no one did the reading or book club where everyone agrees that the book was pretty good!
Write a book! And buy more makeup.
This lip stain in Infinite Red and Always Rose is one of my fave purchases of last year, and I’m not a big make up person, so maybe try that out?
Malloryyyyyy…. You have a book inside of youuuuu…
Drag more women to judo with me! And get my black belt.
Any Austin Toasties want to try judo out this year?
That’s so awesome and cool! Too bad I’m not in Austin; I’d love to be dragged to a martial arts class.
I started doing a women-only TaeKwonDo class a few months ago, and enjoyed it immensely. It turns out, I love kicking things. Unfortunately I horribly borked my knee at the start of December and still can’t quite straighten my leg. So my resolution if my knee heals soon is to get my yellow belt, and if not to find a form of exercise that is more gentle on my joints.
Women only classes must be awesome! I think our club has a total of 3-4 women who come regularly, and I’ve been the only woman there a few times already (and I’ve just started up again with this club). Since judo involves full body contact right away, it’s really hard to recruit women without having a certain number already there, so that anyone who’s not comfortable working out with men right away has someone “safe” to work out with.
Also, women’s bodies and balance just work differently than men’s, so training for competition without a woman nearish your own weight class available is tough.
I hope your knee gets better soon! It’s no fun being out with an injury.
Thank you! The injury is indeed no fun at all, but my instructor and classmates were amazingly lovely in looking after me when it happened and afterwards.
I do really like that the classes are women only, I think it’s definitely a more comfortable environment for me than with a mixed class would be. And I can see how in Judo it could be even more of an issue.
Best of luck with your black belt!
Yes! I am in Austin, and I have been thinking about taking some sort of martial arts class for a while as part of my supervague goal to both get out more and exercise more, but I always chicken out. Do you need to have any previous experience, or be really in shape?
You don’t need any previous experience at all! Everyone has to start somewhere! And I have been out for a year and am officially in terrible shape, so I could use some out of shape company 😀
If you’re feeling tentative, you can always come watch a class before jumping in, or we have loaner gi’s if you want to just try things out (if you’re within 2-3 inches of 5′-5″ and within 20 lbs or so on either side 140, I’m happy to loan you one of mine, which I can guarantee will be squeaky clean).
The club I practice with is Kokoro Judo. If you happen to be a student at UT they also have a club with some awesome people. Practices right now are Thursdays 6:30-8:00 pm and Saturdays 11:00am-12:30pm, location is the Salvation Army Gym at 1001 Cumberland Dr, 78704 (the club isn’t associated with the Salvation Army- it’s an entirely separate entity). And you can totally email me if you have any questions- [email protected].
But you should totally come! Judo people are totally the nicest (not that I’m biased or anything), plus you get to throw people, which is awesome.
Not judo, but mildly related: I took a kung fu class with a friend once, and I was so sore the next day that I fell down a flight of stairs because my legs refused to work. I’m terribly out-of-shape.
I’m getting back after being out for about a year- it’s totally depressing because I remember being in shape, but I’m so completely not in shape at all. Working on it, though- things are already getting better!
My resolutions:
– To not drink alone
– To move out of this city that I despise.
I hope to succeed in at least one of these.
I love Chains! This year my goals are:
-give birth to a child who does not grow up to kill and eat people
-drink more water
-learn to make really great croissants
-put bills on autopay
-save for a house
-consolidate and restart our 401k
-remember that I deserve to look pretty and feel pretty, and if someone wants to stomp on that, they can get bent.
-Find a regular position instead of just substituting forever.
Wear more lipstick, and get the tattoo I’ve been talking about for years. (A number of people I know are talking about tattoos for this year. It’s gonna be rad.)
One of my resolutions is the somewhat fuzzy ‘Buy the most ethical version of things that I can reasonably afford’ which mostly means walking the extra third of a mile to the union grocery store and trying to buy clothes from places that signed the Bangladesh accord.
Wow! I was not aware of the Bangladesh Accord. I have now spent the past half hour investigating my preferred clothing brands to see if they are members of it or a similar workers’ rights agreement. Thank you for helping me towards a more ethical 2014!
My resolution this year is to not do a whole lot of start-stop-start-stop with my exercise and actually get into a routine that I maintain. Last year I kept going for two weeks and then stopping for a month and then going for two weeks and stopping again. So not productive.
I also have resolved to play with makeup more. I have a bunch and I love using it when I ACTUALLY DO IT but I often just choose laziness over taking the time.
Really I think most of my resolutions fall under the blanket category of “stop being so lazy.”
I got inspired by A Year of Reading the World and am trying to set up my own attempt to spend 2014 reading books (preference is short stories or novels, poems are okay) from around the world, with an emphasis on women writers and cultural classics.
I’m thinking about tracking it on tumblr so I can have a platform to touch base with other people trying to do this sort of thing (I know the above blog was not the first one to do it, but it’s the only one I know of thanks to NPR) and trade reading recommendations.
P.S. I also have a good reads account that I just started recently.. does anyone have suggestions on which would be better, tumblr or goodreads?
2013 was massively stressful and too eventful. I moved house twice, broke up with my partner of nearly 8 years, started a Master’s degree, applied for a gazillion jobs, had 6 job interviews, turned down 1 job, and badly injured my knee. Most gut-wrenching finally living with my cat, who had been at my dad’s house, and then having to leave her when I moved out of my ex’s place.
But actually, it’s been a good year. My mental health is better than it ever has been, really, and I have a clearer sense of myself, and a great network of friends around me. So yeah, I’m feeling pretty hopeful about 2014.
I went to my friend’s house and drank too many differing varieties of sparkling wine and threw up in her sink. Midnight was cool though because in Holland anyone can buy and set off fireworks so it just goes completely nuts then.
I’m watching Sherlock on BBC 1 because I get it here.
I rang in the new year wrangling two of my sloppier friends while still managing to drink myself. Then, when all my drunk friends fell asleep, I (still tipsy) cleaned up the kitchen. Why do I only clean when drinking?
For 2014, I hope to write more, to get on the right medication, and to be kind to myself and others. Oh, and to find an internship for the summer so I don’t have to go home!
Ugh, Justice Sotomayor. Whyyy?
It’s actually a temporary stay that’s pretty par for the course in such matters – I recommend checking out Ian Millhiser for some more info (https://twitter.com/imillhiser)
Thanks for that. I get that he’s saying it’s no big deal but I don’t understand why we shouldn’t consider this as “tipping her hand” in re being anti-mandate.
plans for 2014:
write more.
submit more.
learn how to make cauliflower at least 5 ways b/c cauliflower is awesome.
get over my ex.
and/or kick ex’s ass.
I recommend making this one of the ways you make cauliflower: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/12/cauliflowe…
that looks delish, thank you!
also love your username!
Thanks for both!
Another cauliflower option: http://pinchofyum.com/creamy-cauliflower-sauce
I thought this was pretty good – just don’t think of it as alfredo, but a different white creamy sauce. It just made SO MUCH and I definitely didn’t know what to do with all that sauce. (She has a lot of other recipes using the sauce!)
… that looks amazing. and so versatile. thanks!
Also my grandma used to make deep-fried cauliflower. It was delicious.
I had chicken-fried cauliflower steak at a restaurant once. It was amazing.
GURL I roast cauliflower florets with olive oil and garlic until they turn golden and partly crispy, then take them out of the oven and squeeze lemon juice all over them. It’s amazing.
OOOh sounds great. How long do you roast it? Thanks to toasters I’ve basically knocked one of my resolutions off my list already!! Never fear, I will add another cooking one to the list.
My fave cauliflower ever was pan-fried. At a mediterreanean joint on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. Last time I went there though, they had changed management and it wasn’t the same.
I roast mine at 425f, usually, for 20-30 minutes depending on how big the pieces are. Also, a tip I only recently learned (though it’s pretty obvious, in retrospect): toss your florets in a bowl with your oil and whatever seasons you want to use before spreading them on a baking sheet. I’m often too lazy to do that one wee extra step but the end result is really much better when I do it the “right” way.
Oh! And roasted cauliflower makes for an excellent creamy cauliflower soup. If I have leftovers, I’ll make a small pot of soup, because it’s not as good reheated as it is straight from the oven.
There are a zillion recipes on the internet for this, no two of which are the same, but Punjabi aloo gobi is awesome (potato and cauliflower curry)
YES.
Here’s my absolute favorite cauliflower recipe. I use dried thyme and grate the garlic and toss it with the cauliflower but it’s still incredible: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/parmesan-roasted…
thanks! I am going to try all these recipes, take pics, rank them based on ease and deliciousness, and repost about it.
I would be VERY excited to see a Cauliflower Review.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s cauliflower recipe is delicious if you like saffron: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/mar/…
My husband spent the morning laughing at me for trying to find Sherlock-watching alternatives. I’ll even pay a few bucks, BBC, why must you make me be shady?
I know, right? I WOULD PAY YOU MONEY FOR THIS, BBC – WHY DO YOU FORCE ME INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS OF THE UNDERVERSE?!?
I used Hola (https://hola.org/) to watch the livestream from the BBC. I believe you can watch shows that have recently aired on the BBC site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv), and Hola unblocks it in the US. Good luck!
2014 will be the year I prepare for my move to Seattle. It’s been my dream to move there for a loooong time but LIFE kept getting in the way.
So Seattle Toasties/Toasters, let’s be friends!
From where? Which neighborhood? Yes!
From Reno and I don’t know which neighborhood yet. I’ll be researching stuff like in the months to come.
Any recommendations?
It somewhat depends on where you work and if you have a car. I’ve liked every neighborhood I’ve lived in, although it was harder in some areas without a car.
I’ve lived on Capitol Hill (central near downtown) for about 7 of my 11 years here, there are lots of affordable apartments here.
I lived in Ballard (west/north) for a year, but that was hard because I have no car. It can be hard to get between Ballard and other neighborhoods.
I lived in the U-Dist (mid-central above Lake Union) for about 2 years and it was . It has gotten more expensive, but points slightly north of there are also good, and that whole area is accessible except on Husky game days.
We’re going to be looking for our next apartment this year in Queen Anne/Interbay (mid-westish), Columbia City (mid-southish), and Northgate (north).
Like Prawns said, it’s really about what you need and what you come with.
We lived on Capitol Hill (on the back side, east of 15th) for two years and liked it. It’s easy to commute without a car, it’s full of pretty houses, there are some good restaurants (I lived in the same building as my favorite coffeeshop). Downside: expensive rent (we paid $1100 for basically a studio with a tacked-on bedroom and one small closet), not many places take dogs, landlords hold all the cards because it’s so desirable.
Now we’re in Ballard and love it– again, it’s expensive (we would never be able to buy a house here and rent is slowly pricing us out after 3.5 years), but our location is right next to two bus lines (the 44 and the 28), so Mr Ipo commutes downtown easily without a car, but neighborhood-to-neighborhood sucks. You have to drive through somewhere else to get to Ballard from a freeway or highway. BUT I live within a mile of TEN nice micro/nanobreweries, and the community is very involved and it’s got an amazing park (Golden Gardens). When we move, we’ll probably buy either far north (Greenwood and further) or West Seattle (south of Fautleroy, north of Roxbury).
Based on the bus lines, I’m pretty sure you live within half a mile of me. Maybe we’ve run into each other at the grocery store! Hi neighbor!
And yes, Ballard is really only cheap compared to Capitol Hill (although I’m pretty sure we got one of the cheapest apartments in the neighborhood), and it is kind of a pain in the ass to get anywhere but downtown unless (and sometimes even if) you’re driving, but on the other hand I live within walking distance of great Mexican food, great barbecue, several excellent bars, my tattoo parlor, Goodwill, a comic book store where I have never felt uncomfortable despite being female and not very comics-literate, a movie theater, and two grocery stores. And a library. And a bookstore and two record stores. And as you said, microbreweries.
…it’s pretty great, is what I’m saying.
unf Ballard BBQ. LOVE U BOAR’S NEST. And Mr. Gyro’s, home of the CUTEST GUYS EVER.
Wow! Thanks for all the input. I’m already making a resource list.
It’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m half Turkish and wonder if anyone knows of the Turkish American community there.
I am not actually Turkish or from Seattle, but I study Turkish and it is a small but connected universe, so I can tell you that there is a relatively active Turkish studies / Turkish community at the university. They are lovely people, and I think there are regularly scheduled events that the non-university community can join!
Where is the Hey Ladies NYE edition? I’ve been dying to find out what they need all those vaccinations for.
Two more semesters of grad school! Trying to remind myself that any resolutions like “show up at the gym more” “actually practice French instead of pretending that listening to the Sirius french folk station counts” “eat healthy food at home instead of going out” are likely going to be subsumed into grad school madness and not going to happen. My resolution is to finish this damn program.
Happily, though, I already have the post-graduation vacation planned!
I am a New Year’s nerd! I love it! I wake up in the morning and feel ridiculously optimistic and make resolutions (and whole-wheat blueberry buttermilk pancakes).
Most of my resolutions are pretty standard, but I make them with feeling! And this year, I really would like to get out more and make more friends (or be much better about seeing the ones that I allegedly have [hello? are any of you still there?]).
Tunnelbear, with backup Hola, for Sherlock. I WILL NOT BE DETERRED.
ETA I also have VPN. Backup for my backup.
AWWWWWWW YISSSSSSSSSSSS
I used Hola with no problems. What did you think of the episode?
OMG THE BUFFERING
Even with all my backups, I have to wait. Damnit.
BOO HISS. It’s worth the wait, IMO. Really fantastic episode. I might have a few quibbles after I’ve had time to process it, but right now I’m giddy with adrenaline and maybe too much Tumblring.
2013 was great! I finally learned to be truly happy and peaceful as a Single Person, although it took well into the Fall for that to happen. I read some outstanding books. I visited three new countries. I was in Dubrovnik when GoT was filming in September and saw a lot of the sets, crew and principle actors all over town! I did the Polar Plunge in February, and in September I quit smoking!
In 2014 I just want to get laid properly. That is all.
Wow! That sounds like an amazing year. I hope all your 2014 dreams come true too. 😉
I hear you. My New Year’s Eve was spent at a friend’s enjoyably mellow party, but when midnight came around I thought “Dammit, is it too much to ask for someone to kiss right now?”
(Also: Woohoo! Dubrovnik! GoT!)
I think you have the most admirable New Years resolution. I wish that for us all.
And did you happen to see Brienne drinking a beer after hours in Dubrovnik? Because that would be amazing.
No, but I crossed her path as she was prancing down the street in the most adorable floral sundress and wedge sandals with a beach bag slung over her shoulder! She was coming from the beach and I was going to it. BRIENNE!
That scenario is literally better than I could have imagined
2013 ended pretty badly for me, but I think I’m moving into that phase where you stop crying and feeling sorry for yourself, and start making positive changes. I hope there are fewer tears in 2014.
I also hope to go back to school and finish my BA after a 10 year break, and possibly quit being an ex-pat???? I dunno…..big decisions ahead. I spent NYE in bed at my grandparent’s house after an America’s Funniest Home Videos marathon. I’m thrilled that the holidays are now over.
Remember how we were talking about the Desolation of Smaug last week? Well, I was flipping through AO3, As One Does, and some beautiful human being has written fic based on that comments section http://archiveofourown.org/works/1107370
#DwarfRacistPartyDad
Perfect!!
Aaah, “puffy face of youth”!
BECHDELUIN.
OMG It’s amazing. It’s beautiful!
I missed that thread (haven’t seen the movie yet) and that conversation, and both are AMAZING.
“Nobody makes me bleed my own blood!”
New Year’s is kind of a bummer right now because I’m stuck at work, no one’s calling, and none of the websites I read are updating. WHAT DO I DO FOR FIVE MORE HOURS.
When I was fourteen I gladly would’ve paid ten bucks to see Patti Smith perform with her band (she stopped touring the first time just about then). When I was in my twenties I would’ve gladly paid ten bucks to see Galaxie 500. Now that I am almost fifty (well in ten months or so) I paid ten bucks to see both Patti Smith and a band that is basically the 2014 version of Galaxie 500. Not only was it a great bargain, it was also an excellent show– and on New Year’s Eve too (the date when you are most likely to see a bad band for an outrageously inflated price). On Facebook a friend said his next tattoo would be “WWPSD” (What Would Patti Smith Do?). If New Year’s Eve portends the year to come I’m going to have a good one–and so will everyone else who was in that (huge) auditorium. Happy New Year!
The 2014 version of Galaxie 500! Who’s that?
Dean Wareham (who was in Galaxie 500) has an eponymous band with Britta Phillips and others that sounds very much like his old band.
Last night I went to a fairly low-key but really nice party. A friend and his wife who live several states away were in town, so I got to see them, and I spent a lot of time playing with the three awesome kids of two of my other friends (a married couple). The adults all played Cards Against Humanity, and, as usual, the drunker I got, the more successful I was. The only downside was that my digestive system was not so crazy about the food – I think either all the sweet wines or the million billion deep fried pickles I ate. Totally worth it anyway.
2013 was a pretty good year for me, but I don’t feel like I accomplished all that much. My resolutions are not to let any junk mail in the house and to get through the ludicrously tall stack of books I’ve been meaning to read.
Last night we went to friends’ house for extensive hors d’oeuvres and Cards Against Humanity before coming home and watching the Glow Cloud Space Needle fireworks. It was bonkers. We only live a mile from the Needle, but with the dense fog, you could not see anything at all. Even the televised broadcast couldn’t get an angle around the fog.
2013 was great for me. I got my first tattoo (ST:TNG episode “The Inner Light” iconography), got married, opened my relationship, and figured out that you have to be attracted to people to date them.
For 2014, I want to move to a bigger apartment, get ahead on my student loans, and start dating women in earnest. Possibly also get a dog, but it is harder to predict whether we can make that happen (depends on the new apartment’s pet policy).
Is there a way to say “you seem neat” without it sounding like total sarcastic assholery? Because I am entirely sincere and I think a Seattle Toast meetup should be a thing.
I am pro-Seattle Toast meetup. Always.
I think “you seem neat” is so charming, it could not possibly be read as sarcastic assholery.
Totally Seattle Toast Meetup! Let’s do this!
Anybody want to get together this weekend? We could get brunch or coffee or something.
Works for me! Sounds like somewhere in Ballard/Fremont/Queen Anne would work for the people in this thread – does anyone have a favorite coffee shop? Or if we want something more substantial, I’ve been enjoying the shit out of the breakfast burrito’s at El Camion’s indoor location (I’m open to other things, but I can never think of brunch places that aren’t either massively overpriced or massively crowded or both).
I have not been to Bauhaus since they opened in Ballard. They always have pastries and such.
Ooh, I keep forgetting they moved here. That works for me!
Do we have a day/time preference?
Sunday 11am?
I shall wear a blue hat, as per my usual attire during the winter.
Works for me! I’ll be in a green corduroy jacket and plaid scarf.
I think I can? Life is always dependent on the toddler, but I can most likely get there. I carry a red purse.
Grey’s Anatomy marathon and homemade salted caramel ice cream. Also, our building had an emergency plumbing situation with raw sewage spewing from the basement apartments because someone tried to flush their hair weave down the toilet. So those were some of the best flyers ever.
Sounds delicious, is the recipe from David Lebovitz by any chance? / Hilarious I am going to borrow that anecdote for retelling.
It was actually from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, but I’ve made the DL one before and it is delicious!
My couch and I are inseparable right now.
last night after a work party, me and a friend drove to alabama, just because we could. Being on the road in the wee sma’s of the new year was a good portent of what I hope this year will bring!
That sounds fun and freeing and wonderful, great plan!
I’m going to drink a significantly less amount of alcohol in 2014; it’s just time. I also hope that I injure my body a lot less since 2013 saw a lot of expensive hospital trips. Lastly, I’m gonna be more picky with who I date, even if that means being single as hell for a while.
I had a cinephage spinster’s dream New Year’s Eve: stay-at-home double bill of “Computer Chess” and “The World’s End” accompanied by Singapore rice noodles and chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Out like a light by 10:30 p.m. as always.
Toasties (is that the word?) who haven’t yet seen “Computer Chess” might want to check it out: it’s making a lot of high-profile Best of 2013 lists and with good reason. The score, featuring Collie Ryan’s unbelievable singing and guitar work from the early ’70’s, is worth the rental on its own.
It was hot for NYE so luckily the husband, myself and new(ish) labrador puppy were at our friends’ house with a swimming pool! We brought in the new year by missing the countdown like we do every single year because no matter which radio station we listen to, it never has a goddamn countdown! And every year we vow to remember that and put the TV on, but never remember until it’s too late!
It was overall a nice chilled out night, the highlight of which was when the puppy made a grab for my friend’s glass and fell in the pool! He gave himself a rather large shock! He didn’t really like being in the pool, I’m starting to think he must be a defective labrador, he wasn’t super keen on the ocean either…
I don’t really make resolutions, but if I was going to have a wish for 2014, it would be for it to be at a slower pace than 2013, between working involuntarily in a (terrible) job for six months, buying a house and getting a puppy, 2013 was a lot of work! This year we have a Europe trip planned for August, but other than that and dog obedience training, we don’t have a lot of plans, which sounds amazing to me!
So on NYE, this woman I’ve never met told me I “have a bitch face.” Then when I was leaving, she leans in and says, “Sorry I said you have a bitch face,” to which I replied, “No worries,” and she continues, “But most of all I’m just sorry you have a bitch face.” I’d think this was funny from a close friend, but from a stranger it was rudeness ascribed to drunken humor? *FYI i do have a serious-looking face but if i were a man no one would give a shit!
2013 was a year I escaped a terrible, soul-sucking job to a much less soul-sucking job in the same expensive city. Washington DC — I don’t like you very much. Maybe 2014 will be the year of a new city.
Your stoic beauty was just too much for her to handle.
SORRY ABOUT DC. It’s…yeah. It’s DC. I’m glad you’ve moved on to less soul-sucking work!
Is bitch brain a thing? Because she definitely has that.
I find it easier, or maybe just more useful, to think about themes than resolutions. So I’ve decided that one of my themes for 2014 will be “embodiment” (or something a little less vague than that, I’m still not completely satisfied with the wording): not ignoring my body, not getting annoyed at it for being too clumsy or not looking perfect, but trying to dwell happily in it instead, and do nice things for it. What that’ll entail besides dancing and hiking and good food, I’m not yet sure, but those things are a start, anyway.
Tonight I’m making boeuf bourguignon — sort of a personal tradition of making classy comfort food on New Year’s Day — and polishing off the last of the burgundy that went into the boeuf, so I feel like I’m at least beginning on the right note.
Happy New Year, Toasties!
I spent last night with my roommate, eating a fuckton of pigs in blankets and another fuckton of cheese, and watching Mulan. It was good times. And I spent the first day of 2014 making fruit salad and then spending literally six hours at my friends’ house for brunch. The black-eyed peas are getting started a little late, but it was worth it.
I have a really good feeling about 2014. I’m turning 30 this year, I have Plans and a couple of resolutions, I’m gonna get back over to the UK for a visit, it’s gonna be awesome.
Related to another Toasties’ resolution, I want to find more simple, healthy ways to cook yummy veggies. I tend to steam them or have them cooked into the main dish, which is fine, but I think everyone around here would eat more veggies if we added some variety and flavor to how they’re cooked.
Beyond that, I don’t know. I had a goal to no longer be obese by 2015 (a milestone birthday for me) and I have made only a smidge of progress on that in the last year. I did start exercising regularly last year, doing things that feel like taking care of myself instead of punishing, so that’s good. But more needs to change. All along the goal has not been quick weight loss, but to really tackle the underlying issues that lead me to binge eat. Am considering checking out an OA meeting, but the idea scares me for some reason.
I just roasted some Brussels sprouts that ended up really tasty – just rinse & trim them, cut them in half, and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and some chopped/sliced garlic, plus whatever else sounds good. Then put them cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast at 375 for 20-25 minutes. The great part is that they get a little bit brown on the bottom, which is really the entire point of Brussels sprouts, but you can just stick them in the oven & leave ’em instead of trying to do them on the stovetop.
That sounds really good! I’ll have to try it! My kids decided they love Brussels sprouts because “everyone else hates them.” Haha.
Veggie ideas: I do this all the time: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laure…
Also, you can do things like spinach manicotti and just bump up the spinach in the recipe, or make shredded veggie pancakes or fritters (the Smitten Kitchen fritters are always delicious and she has a few different recipes). Even just boiling some sweet potatoes and doing a quick mash on them is pretty good– I boil in salted water until fork-tender, then toss in some pepper, butter, brown sugar, and cumin.
That link looks so yummy and perfect for winter. Thanks!
How about curried peas and carrots? Probably my favorite recipe that I ate in India: http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/gajar-matar-reci…
Or curried cabbage? (Also delish): http://www.northindiancooking.com/cabbage-curry-b…
Both recipes have a lot of ingredients, but they’re not particularly a lot of work, and they’re sooo tasty.
Roasting and sauteeing with garlic (and sometimes onion) are how most vegetables end their lives in our house. Also spinach sauteed in sesame oil topped with sesame seeds and soy sauce. Making your own salad dressings (1:3 acid to oil plus mustard/ jam/ whatever) and adding herbs like parsley or mint to your salads can really liven up side salads, too.
I can’t believe I never tried roasting my veggies before. Maybe because I was raised on canned veggies and steaming fresh seemed exotic for a long time? Herbs in salad sounds great too. I have a little window herb garden, I’ll have to throw some in my next salad.
When it gets warmer, shaving fresh veggies thinly and tossing them with a dressing is also super tasty. We do one with fresh zucchini, lemon, olive oil, garlic and parmesean that’s awesome in summer zucchini season. Carrots are good that way too.
Our CSA overload of veggies encouraged a lot of creativity for a while…did you know you can make pesto out of just about any combination of green leafy thing and nut? Kale + almond, spinach + walnut- add olive oil, garlic, lemon and parm and you’re good to go.
After I learned to roast veggies it’s juuuust about the only thing I do with them at this point. So easy! So tasty!
I just made a vegetarian version of this http://pinchofyum.com/simple-san-marzano-pasta-e-… and it was great! Lots of vegetables and you can put in other things you have at home (I also left out celery because I hate it).
2013: The Hairpin died (essentially), but the Toast was born!
This year has been a real motherfucker, but I actually have hope for next year, despite everything that has happened.
also the BBs daycare is closed tomorrow so I will have them at home by myself… It’ll be just like a Saturday:
9am-11:30am Play, attempt to coax 3 wily toddlers into bath
11:30-12:15 Lunch
12:15-1:00 Attempt to put down for nap
1:00 Sneak out when they’re all snoring
1:00-1:30 Eat ramen with shredded cheese, cry
1:30-2:30pm Try to sleep
2:30pm-3pm Attempt to rouse 3 cranky, sweaty toddlers from deep napping, receive much side-eye from said toddlers
3pm-5pm Snacking/playing/attempting to bathe if earlier efforts unsuccessful
5pm wrangle trio onto bus to meet up with Daddy when he finishes work.
Ohhh, the rousing from a nap- it’s an act of valor. Yesterday I chickened out and let her sleep until she woke up on her own, and I was paying for it when she was still awake and demanding a toasty bagel for herself and one for her sock monkey Tyler at 10pm.
This made me laugh so much! So true.
Man, I’m still pretty sad the Hairpin died. It just hasn’t been the same the few times I’ve gone back. I finally turned off email alerts over there because I was just getting spam crap.
They also have the weirdest spam ever!
*sigh* I do miss The Hairpin terribly.
Jia’s piece about the 18 weddings was lovely, and gave me hope for the Hairpin in 2014. Now if only they can get rid of all that terrible comment spam…
I resolve that from now on, whatever skin product I put on my face (lotion, sunscreen, etc.) I will also put on my neck and chest. (I like to be realistic with my goals.)
love this and I’m adopting it as well.
This is a very noble, sensible goal and I support you wholeheartedly in it.
I’m working on wearing sunscreen more often now that I live somewhere with actual sun…
Putting sunscreen and moisturizer on my neck always makes me feel really responsible… it’s the little things I guess.
Am I the only Toastie in the US who was able to successfully livestream the new Sherlock episode?
Yes. Who did you pay off?
Ugh. I have no idea. I’ve had kind of a shitty year and this was the universe saying sorry?
Oh, good on you, then! Just deserts. Desserts? ooooh, yes, one Cumberbatch a la mode.
I’LL TAKE TWO.
Lucky you! I’m using Tunnelbear and that’s all well and good, but unless I want to watch the show in one-second snippets with 5 minutes of buffering in between, no dice for now.
I’m actually now trying to download it with BBC’s iplayer and it is screaming along at 52 KB/s. So I don’t think this is happening tonight.
BUMMER. Sorry it’s not working out for you. I have no idea how I got so lucky. We had sporadic buffering pauses (I just typed “buggering pauses” before I noticed), but nothing horrible. Hope you get to watch it soon!
BUGGERING PAUSES. Best typo of the New Year.
This NYE I went to the special NYE dinner at bf’s brothers new restaurant and was so proud of how this is working out for him! I had scallops and they were ginormous and delicious. Then I proceeded to drink all the champagne i could find and woke up this morning huuuuurting everywhere and attempted to get out of bed twice before noon which my body aggressively rejected. Today I accomplished eating lots of green beans and black eyed peas; watching the rain & a Twilight Zone marathon. Tomorrow I think we’re doing an impromptu road trip to Savannah which I’m SO excited about primarily because of Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil and to-go cups at bars for your cocktails.
Wishing the Toast an amazing 2014 (and loving all the veggie recipes on this thread/ i think I’m addicted to Middlemarch)
Resolutions for 2014? Call them goals. I have a list.
1. Get back into the profession for which I was educated (my career path took an unfortunate turn with an inadequately diagnosed medical condition);
2. Move into my own place asap (anywhere away from this older sibling who thinks that we are still 9 and 6);
3. Continue with the therapy (because dammnit, it has helped);
4. Find me some more sex and some better sex (the two are not necessarily the same, and dammnit that has helped too);
5. Find me some good loving (not necessarily the same as sex, but extremely nice if connected to the sex);
6. Introduce the practice of Art into my life (I am struck by the lack of colour and play in my life at the mo’, and I feel the lack acutely);
7. Train for a half-marathon;
8. Take a vacation (some place with a beach and some salt water);
9. Grow the fuck up; and
10. Put the past to rest.
Last night was low-key, exactly how I wanted it. I spent a couple hours with friends, came home and watched another episode of Torchwood on Netflix, and went to bed at midnight feeling good about the new year. This morning I discovered that Torchwood has disappeared from Netflix (Canada). This evening brought a 4-hour power outage beginning right before suppertime, so half the meal didn’t get cooked. Oh, and outside temperatures were in the -40 to -45C range at the time.
2014, you have some explaining to do.
The only resolutions I made that aren’t linked to already ongoing stuff, like my endless struggle to unfuck my sleep patterns:
1. Have people over for dinner once a month. I don’t think I’ll learn to cook more things unless I force myself into it like this, and it’s a good way to see those of my friends who are busy or a little more settled-down/don’t go out as much.
2. Pending the end of my attempt to date the former rec sports teammate I asked out (he said yes, but I think we’re at the stage where he just never replies to my last e-mail): Giving myself permission to not worry about a) meeting or approaching men b) dating or finding a relationship c) performing an “attractive” version of femininity for 4-6 months. (Though I’d also love to never worry about the latter again.) Those things cause me a lot of anxiety even when I’m not willing or able to be more proactive about my romantic/sex life, and I’ve never just given myself a break about it. So, while I will continue to check out all the babes, the fucks I have to give (literal and otherwise) in that department will be redistributed.
I hope 2014 will have less tire irons and more writing. I would also like to kiss someone, at some point.
My resolution is to figure out how to actually treat my goddamn depression properly. I finally saw a proper psychiatrist in 2013 who actually talks to me for the whole appointment time about how things are going! Not a 10 minute “how are things here’s your refill” which is amazing, and we decided to try increasing the dosage on my RX. Which worked for a while until stress of holidays drove me back into constant thoughts about how the solution is to just not do this being alive thing anymore. And I’ve been in therapy for years now. So I do all these things, and they help some – I’m nowhere near where I was when things were at their worst, thank god! But it is a bit frightening how I understand that Virgina Woolf thought “Jesus I cannot deal with this shit AGAIN” and walked into the water with rocks in her pocket. So this year I want to figure it the fuck out. I think the first steps are visiting the psychiatrist again and a spin on the good ship CBT.
Hey, you made it through the holidays! That alone is a huge accomplishment. I wish you luck with the meds and the psychiatrist and the CBT. <3
Congratulations on finding a decent psychiatrist. It is so hard to take care of yourself when you have depression, and even harder when doing all the ‘right’ things doesn’t seem to make a difference. So, seriously, well done on getting this far.
And oh, Virginia Woolf. When I was at my worst the thought of her was enough to bring me to tears, because I understood so well.
Yeah…it’s been weird realizing that there are people out there who legit don’t get it. Including my boyfriend, who is wonderful, but it is strange that he really does not know and cannot know what it’s like to get dressed, go to work, meet up with friends, go to class, go for a run, make dinner, do your laundry, and think the whole time that you really just want to die.
2013 was not the best. It was also not the worst, but it was not the best. I spent January and February paranoid about food and unable to eat anything more exciting than steamed white rice thanks to a gallbladder that was wreaking havoc on my system. I evicted said gallbladder in the end of February. Now I can eat again, but I still have GI problems which may or may not stem from the gallbladder removal and are still being worked on (nearly a full year later) so I’m not out of this well yet. But I can eat, at least.
I also had my wisdom teeth removed in February, so February is mostly a painkiller haze blur.
The rest of the year was spent saving money to buy a house (which we are currently under contract on) and living vicariously through my friends. One was pregnant, the other is single and dating. Over the course of the year being their vicarious-living friend ended up being quite a rollercoaster in itself, as the single one is dealing with depression and loneliness, and the pregnant one ended up losing the baby in a total freak accident involving a cord prolapse at birth. Lots of emotional ups and downs, none of which are mine, but all of which are so close that I, as an extremely empathetic being, have been feeling in my own way.
I have also been dealing with some depression since the weather changed to winter, so there is that as well.
In any case, I’m hoping 2014 is kinder to my friends and family, and to everyone in general. I know a lot of people who lost family and friends to disease and other things in 2013, and a lot of people who are suffering health issues themselves. It’s been a rough year. Good riddance, 2013. I hope 2014 shows you up big time.
I’m so sorry that your friends have had a shitty year! But I’ve been reading your postings on the hairpin and the toast for what seems to be quite some time now, and I get the sense that your friends are probably very grateful that they had a friend like you to be there for them. I really think just being there through the shitty times is the greatest gift we have to give each other.
Aw, thank you! And I agree — having a support system when you need it is so, so good.
Years of work in the “service industry” (slinging drinks and food) have completely soured me on NYE as a time of celebration, and this year I got screwed out of work on NYE, so I stayed home and sulked and ate weird nachos and frogged a couple of unsuccessful knitting experiments and forgot to refill my meds prescription and woke up NYD super-weepy and overwhelmed and accidentally ripped a big hole in my favorite sheets. But my awesomely great sister took me out to lunch with my adorable niece and drove me in subzero temps to the pharmacy for more meds, and I took a nap with an out-of-town friend’s recently widowed kitty and downloaded Good Omens and read a ton of it and found a way to US-watch Sherlock and woke up today feeling like I might finally get some dishes washed, or at least have the energy to throw out the four (4) half-cartons of sour milk in the fridge. It’s all about January 2, folks!
Spent NYE putting together IKEA furniture, and going to sleep at 9:30. Mr. LF was at a party until late, and somehow turned his alarm clock on, so my first act of the new year was yelling at him repeatedly to learn to use his alarm clock (he hit snooze 5 times before he figured out how to turn it off…)
Resolutions for 2014: finish growing a baby, then don’t break it once it comes out. Possibly look into babyproofing something at some point, or buy a giant hamster ball in which to keep said baby. For bonus points, finish quilt for baby before it arrives in May.
New Years was fun but fairly depressing as a friend who had a baby 10 days ago had complications with her c-section and ended up with no brain function and they’re taking her off life support today.
I am so, so sorry.
The baby is still in the NICU and looks like she’ll be fine, but Uuuuuuuuuuuugh it’s so sad. I don’t think her mother ever got to even hold her. And now she’ll probably be in the foster care system which is even more depressing to think about.
Oh, my GOD. I am so so so sorry. What a horrible tragedy.
I shattered a glass pan on New Year’s Eve by thinking I could use it as a steam pan for baguettes. I know better than to put water in a hot glass pan, but apparently I didn’t on New Year’s Eve. Shattered glass all over the oven and all over the baguettes. I ate a tiny bit from the bottom. They were delicious.
The party I threw was good and all but still sad about the lack of baguettes, guys.
that a legitimate tragedy
Yeah, I think I might have some sort of vague brain problem because I could probably be focusing instead that the macarons I made were the best I’ve ever made despite being still slightly hollow? And that everything else went delicious and we all had a pretty good time despite my friend bringing a guy from our college who is honestly kind of an ass? I mean, he’s smart and fun sometimes, but he’s a huge asshole. And it went better than I would have expected if I’d known he was going to show up. Anyway this is just one anecdote but it is yet another reminder that maybe my brain is a little fucked…
Jia's piece about the 18 weddings was lovely, and gave me hope for the Hairpin in 2014. Now if only they can get rid of all that terrible comment spam…
Haha, thank you! I must admit to always being quite delighted with it as a title.