I love making resolutions. I make them year-round, and December 31 is just another excuse to indulge in one of my favorite activities.
I am delighted and inspired by these two blog entries by Maggie Stiefvater about her own resolutions, and resolutions in general:
I Intend to Smack 2010 Around
2010: These Are the Things I Will Do to You
My rules for this year (and most years):
1. Resolutions must be quantifiable and definable. I heard someone say on the news this morning that his resolution was "to be a good daddy in 2010." What does that even mean? When will that ever be crossed off the list? If he hadn't resolved to do that, would be have been tempted to be a neglectful daddy in 2010? I ground my teeth in frustration.
2. Resolutions must be able to be crossed off the list, ideally. It is useful and probably attainable to state that I will go running three times per week, but it's an item that cannot be crossed off until the end of 2010, and that isn't very satisfying.
3. Resolutions must be a slight stretch to accomplish, but still within my control.
4. Resolutions must be something I actually want to do. It may sound obvious, but not to me. Sometimes I resolve to do things that will contribute to me having a cleaner house on a consistent schedule, and those are always doomed to failure.
The following categories were considered this year: Physical fitness, dietary intake, financial, intellectual/artistic, spiritual, interpersonal, home improvement, career.
Here they are:
1. Buy a piano. This may not seem like a big deal. It won't take me long to find one, and it won't be my effort to move it into the house. But first, I must redo the living room floor (probably laminate flooring with area rugs), paint the living room walls (probably a warm and buttery yellow), and move the television to a remote corner upstairs permanently to make it fit (and rid myself of that distraction).
2. Plant a raspberry bush at the side of the house. First, I must conquer the weeds and remove a large and ugly shrub.
3. Complete a short story and submit it to a journal for publication. I am planning to attend a writing school for a week in July (if I am approved for the time off work- something not entirely within my control), which should help me along that path. But classes or not, I will get it done.
4. Complete the Couch to 5k plan. Week 1, Day 1 starts TOMORROW. Run in another 5K and improve my time from last year.
5. Read Anna Karenina. Maybe it sounds small. But my fat copy has been sitting on the to-read stack for about three years, and it's got competition. It intimidates me, sometimes. I'm thinking that the long, bleak nights of winter ahead will be the suitable setting for this Russian novel.
The above list will soon be printed and affixed somewhere prominent, along with the Couch to 5K schedule.
Anyone else making resolutions? If so, I would love to hear them.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Books Read in 2009
Listed in order of completion:
1. As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway
2. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
3. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
4. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (OK, these two are really short stories, but I am listing them anyway)
5. This Side of Paradise by F.Scott Fitzgerald
6. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
7. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
8. Hooked: Write Fiction that Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (reread)
10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
11. Paper Towns by John Green
12. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
13. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
14. The Gathering by Anne Enright
15. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
16. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
17. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
18. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (reread)
19. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (reread)
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (reread)
22. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (reread)
23. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (reread)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (reread)
25. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
26. How They Met by David Leviathan
27. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
28. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
29. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
30. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
31. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
32. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
33. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
34. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
35. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
36. The Goblin Baby by Berlie Doherty
37. This Is What I Want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone
38. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
39. Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
My goal this year was to read 50 books, but I think 39 is respectable. That's more than 3 per month! For next year, I think that I will try to read LESS, do more re-reading, and savor each one for longer periods of time. But I won't make that an official resolution, because I suspect that I will promptly break it. 2010 promises me three books that I know I will devour: a new one from Jeanette Walls, Half Broke Horses- in my possession NOW (author of The Glass Castle, that I beg everyone to read), a new one from Jaclyn Moriarty (author of The Spell Book of Listen Taylor, which I adored), and a new one from Tana French (author of In the Woods and The Likeness, which I obsess over even to this day).
My favorite book of 2009 is easy to spot: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. No competition. Adored every word of it. Salivated over every footnote, and wished that each fascinating digression would become a novel of its own. I would start re-reading it now, if the height of my to-read stack would stop giving me indigestion for a minute.
But I am unable to come up with ranked runners-up for best of 2009. I will state, in no particular order, that my other favorites of 2009 are these (and re-reads cannot qualify):
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan: For its sinister and heartbreaking beauty.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Because I couldn't put it down for one second and really thought that my personal safety was in danger, and for its truth about what people will do in pursuit of entertainment.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale: Because of the strong voice of the protagonist, who seemed very real to me. And I like stories about people locked in lonely Rapunzel-style towers.
Paper Towns by John Green: The suspense and mystery nearly killed me, and I almost missed being in high school.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: It was ugly and delicate and made me hungry.
2010 will open with a classic, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, a bookclubbish event hosted by bookshelvesofdoom in The Big Read V.
1. As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway
2. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
3. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
4. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (OK, these two are really short stories, but I am listing them anyway)
5. This Side of Paradise by F.Scott Fitzgerald
6. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
7. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
8. Hooked: Write Fiction that Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (reread)
10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
11. Paper Towns by John Green
12. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
13. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
14. The Gathering by Anne Enright
15. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
16. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
17. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
18. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (reread)
19. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (reread)
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (reread)
22. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (reread)
23. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (reread)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (reread)
25. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
26. How They Met by David Leviathan
27. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
28. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
29. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
30. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
31. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
32. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
33. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
34. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
35. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
36. The Goblin Baby by Berlie Doherty
37. This Is What I Want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone
38. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
39. Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
My goal this year was to read 50 books, but I think 39 is respectable. That's more than 3 per month! For next year, I think that I will try to read LESS, do more re-reading, and savor each one for longer periods of time. But I won't make that an official resolution, because I suspect that I will promptly break it. 2010 promises me three books that I know I will devour: a new one from Jeanette Walls, Half Broke Horses- in my possession NOW (author of The Glass Castle, that I beg everyone to read), a new one from Jaclyn Moriarty (author of The Spell Book of Listen Taylor, which I adored), and a new one from Tana French (author of In the Woods and The Likeness, which I obsess over even to this day).
My favorite book of 2009 is easy to spot: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. No competition. Adored every word of it. Salivated over every footnote, and wished that each fascinating digression would become a novel of its own. I would start re-reading it now, if the height of my to-read stack would stop giving me indigestion for a minute.
But I am unable to come up with ranked runners-up for best of 2009. I will state, in no particular order, that my other favorites of 2009 are these (and re-reads cannot qualify):
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan: For its sinister and heartbreaking beauty.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Because I couldn't put it down for one second and really thought that my personal safety was in danger, and for its truth about what people will do in pursuit of entertainment.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale: Because of the strong voice of the protagonist, who seemed very real to me. And I like stories about people locked in lonely Rapunzel-style towers.
Paper Towns by John Green: The suspense and mystery nearly killed me, and I almost missed being in high school.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: It was ugly and delicate and made me hungry.
2010 will open with a classic, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, a bookclubbish event hosted by bookshelvesofdoom in The Big Read V.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Veggie Stew
It began innocently. My intent was to make a simple veggie stew, something tomato-based, with the main players being garbanzos, zucchini, and crimini mushrooms. But I couldn't make a soup without the usual abundance of onion and garlic. And then, it's so cheerful to see fat carrot coins in there. I found a rutabaga in the fridge and decided that it was essential. A couple of potatoes thrown in, for thickening. More fire-roasted tomatoes and veggie stock, for thinning. And then I remembered the green beans in the freezer, saved from summer's bounty. They've got to be used some time. I was prevented from emptying the rest of the freezer in there (corn, lima beans, broccoli, and okra) only because the pot was threatening to overflow.
I seasoned it with S+P, thyme, bay leaf, and Worcestershire. Served with crusty multigrain bread and sharp cheddar cheese. A comforting end to a snowy day. Trixie liked it, too.
I seasoned it with S+P, thyme, bay leaf, and Worcestershire. Served with crusty multigrain bread and sharp cheddar cheese. A comforting end to a snowy day. Trixie liked it, too.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Catching Up
I haven't been blogging much because I have too much to say. I can't limit my thoughts to single blog topics. But I have to start somewhere, and so I will begin with stray photos.
I became addicted to winter squash, especially the kombucha-style kind shown above. I purchased this huge thing for $1 and got 4 meals out of it.
I made these cookies for a party. Chocolate dough, rolled in toasted walnuts, filled with vanilla caramel, and drizzled with chocolate ganache.
A closer look at those cookies.
Butternut squash soup, spicy and sweet and creamy, topped with crunchy and salty bacon.
Marinated kale salad. I have made this recipe three times in one month. Served alongside the butternut squash soup, with crusty rosemary-olive oil bread.
I became addicted to winter squash, especially the kombucha-style kind shown above. I purchased this huge thing for $1 and got 4 meals out of it.
I made these cookies for a party. Chocolate dough, rolled in toasted walnuts, filled with vanilla caramel, and drizzled with chocolate ganache.
A closer look at those cookies.
Butternut squash soup, spicy and sweet and creamy, topped with crunchy and salty bacon.
Marinated kale salad. I have made this recipe three times in one month. Served alongside the butternut squash soup, with crusty rosemary-olive oil bread.
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