Not overdoing it for a change

I had my forced unpaid day off today. I keep saying I should use a day off to just relax, but I always end up planning some big event. This time, the big event that I tried to plan fell through. So I slept in till 10, did some reading and went for a long bike ride.

It's been unseasonably warm lately. I actually wore shorts and a t-shirt on my ride. I took a loop that runs through some ranching land nearby our town. The hills have turned green, which they do for about three weeks every winter, and the cows were out sunbathing. It was really nice to get out and clear my head.

Lesson learned: A real day off is nice.

Hockey from the stands

The newspaper crew, plus a few extras, went on a field trip to the Valley for a hockey game on Saturday night. I may not be a huge fan of watching sports on TV, but I love going to games like this. Maybe its because I'm competitive, and the rivalry is catching. Hockey, especially, is high drama. The bigger the fights the better. I spent the game yelling at the home team and jumping up and down when they scored.

It reminded me of when I played myself in college. I was the only girl on an all-boys team. That meant that my hockey jersey went down to my knees, and I got to throw elbows without consequence. It was great. I was never that good, but I could skate.

I'd like to imagine myself down there on the ice with the semi-pro guys, but I think I would get slaughtered.

Lesson learned: Pistachios are the best hockey game snack.

Dusting off my keyboard

I sang and played keyboard at open mic night Thursday. It was a big step for me, considering I usually keep my music to myself.

Much like my cooking experience (see previous post), it wasn't a disaster. I'm not sure I was fantastic either. Still, I made it through without any catastrophes and learned a few things. I'd like to try it again, hopefully with a little less of the nervousness I had this time.

My friends came out to support me, which was sweet. They helped provide distraction in the time I had to wait before I went up to play.

Lessons learned: Mic position is key.

Cooking up a storm, literally

Tonight I made curried wild Alaskan Pollock with apples and a side of jeweled rice. That is an awful lot of words, especially compared to my normal specialty dishes, a.k.a. "spaghetti" and "quesadillas." This dish had fancy stuff in it like cilantro and cranberries. I also made pudding with homemade whipped cream, blueberries and bananas for dessert.

I can't say that the main dish was spectacular. But it wasn't bad either. I have had disasters in the kitchen, and this one doesn't count. Plus, I have a theory that any main dish with apples in it is automatically gourmet.

One thing I need to get a handle on if I really am going to start cooking is the mess I make when I do it. My kitchen is out of control. I used 36 spoons, dumped cut up cilantro on the floor and filled my sink to the brim with dishes.

Luckily, I have left overs, so tomorrow night I won't have to cook.

Lessons learned: I think I'm starting to like onions. Weird.

LIke a child

I feel like I reverted back to being a kid again last weekend.

On Saturday, my friends Walt, Vanessa, Sean and I went sledding, using the tubes we had taken down the river last summer. (Turns out, they weren't such a bad investment).

Then I went to my friend Megan's house, since her parents are out of town. We had girls sleepover, complete with wine, dinner, games, girl talk, but sorry boys, no pillow fights. (Technically, I am not allowed to call it that, since it sounds so pre-pubescent, but I am a big fan of calling things like they are).

Sunday after church, I had hot chocolate and took a nap.

Lesson learned: I miss childhood.

Snow hiking

Last weekend a group of co-workers and I ventured out to play in the snow, via snowshoes. We started out on a groomed path, but got antsy and branched off onto the hillsides. I'm not sure I could have asked for a more pristine setting, with ridge after ridge in untouched powder — that is until we came and moshed all over it.

I spent a lot of the time bragging about my new MSR Ascent snowshoes, made specifically for women. They weigh only three pounds and have a bar you can bend up during climbing to prop your heal up. My mom got them for me for Christmas. (See the phone, where I am demonstrating their capabilities, while doing a bit of ninja apparently).

As if to prove my point about how great they are, James promptly jumped off a small cliff and broke his snowshoes clean in half. Meanwhile, Walt carried his cup of coffee the entire time.


It turns out you can half slide, half sled downhill, despite the claws on your feet. We spent a lot of time doing that, which meant a steep climb on the way back out. No matter. I had these great snowshoes that I can use to walk up the sides of walls. I think Mount Everest is my next attempt.


Lesson learned: My snowshoes rock.

Re-resolving

So, first blog of 2009, and in true cliche fashion, I thought I'd start the year out with my resolutions.

First, I thought I would look at back on last year's and see how I did. (That's the both the advantage and disadvantage of a blog. There is a record of everything.)

1. Play piano more. Hmm. I might have played the piano more than the year before, when I didn't play it at all, but I'm not sure I really did much, particularly lately. I did have a three-month spree when I wrote a bunch of songs, so maybe I get half points on this one.
2. Learn to cook a few more dishes. I may have actually gone backwards on this one. The height of my culinary prowess was opening cans of Campbell's soup. I think I ate more soup this year than an entire hockey team in Alaska. I did go through a phase where I made instant pudding, box corn muffins and baked pre-made cookie dough...Does that count?
3. Keep better track of my spending. Well, to be honest, I looked, and if I failed at any of these the most, it was this one. I had no friggin' clue, till yesterday, and it is a bit ridiculous how much I spent on eating out and my stupid hair. Seriously. It's out of control. What was I thinking. We're in a ressession.
4. Take my Christmas tree down before the end of January this year. I actually can't remember, but I think I may have made this one. Wow. That's a real victory.
5. Buy a new plant and keep it growing. Not even close. I didn't even buy one, much less keep it growing. I did plant flowers again this year though. They are dead, and still sitting on my balcony. It looks like something out of the Adam's family, especially compared to the greenhouse next store.

Given how well I did last year, I was tempted to make resolutions such as, "put gas in my car the next time it is empty" and "do something occasionally." The problem is, I'm too much of an overachiever, so I'll keep shooting for the stars and landing in my parking lot.

Here are this year's:

1. Work on my book, which has had six pages for six months.
2. Buy the equipment to record some songs ... and record some songs.
3. Clear out my apartment of all the junk I've accumulated. Really, what do I need a broken printer, 20 empty CD cases and a 2008 Grey's Anatomy calender for?
4. Lose the weight I gained in Berlin, even though everyone is very nice and says they don't notice. I do.
5. Read more.
6. Spend less. Really.

So there ya go. I'll keep you posted on how well it goes this time.

Lessons learned: Resolutions are easier written than done.