Week Update.

I was being such a good, regular blogger there for awhile. Then I fell off the wagon. Last week was a great blend of not working too much, cooking delicious meals, catching up on TV shows and a weekend trip to visit M. With work being a little bit slower, I had plenty of time for looking up new recipes, cook dinner for a sweet friend and peruse the aisles of Trader Joes. I also got in a few trips to the gym and finished my fourth book of the year. January has been a good month for reading.

This weekend I headed to Pittsburgh to spend some time with M and attend his work holiday party. There was a terrible storm rolling through the Midwest on Friday night, and I made it to Pittsburgh just minutes before the heavy snow hit. Ya’ll know how much of an anxious driver I am, so I was gripping the wheel the whole way through the mountains as the flurries were blowing. Luckily, the brunt of the storm held off until my car was safely in park. Friday night we relaxed, watched TV and got a good, full night’s sleep. Saturday I had the sweet pleasure of taking my “little sister” pottery painting and out for bagels. We had such a fun time catching up and being crafty together. I’m so glad that our relationship has been able to be sustained even though I moved away.

Saturday night we headed out in a limo with some of M’s coworkers to the country club where his company was holding their holiday party. For some reason, they always have their party in January—something about getting more people to attend. It is kind of nice to have something to look forward to after all of the holiday cheer has worn off, but I don’t know.....I didn’t quite feel like I was in the holiday spirit. Regardless, they had beautiful Lenox centerpieces to give away (which M won!), and I’m so looking forward to setting out our new ceramic Christmas tree next year.

Sunday we slept off the night before, had a greasy lunch at Red Robin (yum!) and watched a movie before I headed back to D.C. As always, it went to fast, but I’m very much looking forward to M visiting me in Virginia this weekend.

This week has started to pick-up at work, so I’ve been plenty busy during the day. So much so that I haven’t had a chance to pull recipes or make a grocery list this week, so I’ve been pulling together some unusual lunches and dinners. Hopefully tomorrow I will find a moment to figure out what I’m making M for dinner on Friday night. Any suggestions??

This week I also started “Blue Nights” by Joan Didion. My girl Shauna recommended this book on her blog, and though the book is a bit different than I expected, I’m enjoying her perspective and getting used to her writing style. After reading Shauna, I thought all essayists were kind of similar: straightforward, convicted, blunt. But now I’m realizing that there are a million ways to craft the story within the essay. Didion is crafty, sly and slow with her words. You have to keep reading and keep paying attention, story after story, essay after essay. But I’m trying to keep up, and I’m constantly astonished at this woman’s sorrow, heartbreak after heartbreak within her immediate family. At seventy-five, she’s become the kind of strength that I certainly aspire to be.

That’s it for tonight, friends. I’m curling up on the couch and watching Sunday’s Desperate Housewives!

To reading and cooking,

Lia