Tuna

On Friday night, Ryan and I were eating sushi when we decided that instead of seeing a movie, we would drive to the mall to shop. A friend's birthday party was the next day, and I determined that we should get her some nice fish towels from Williams Sonoma or Sur le Table or something. Oh, I mean dish towels. That was an auto-correct keeper (I'm blogging from my phone, one-finger typing while eating my salad left-handed).

The local mall doesn't have these fancy kitchen stores ("What?? Really? " I thought. I know. I'm so spoiled) so we drove across town to a mall new to us, where the Google foretold we would find the fancy dish towels.

I was feeling all silly, in love, navigating and looking out the window at a jewelry store with tacky painted windows when I had a silky thought I had to share (silky = silly; thank google keyboard).

"Ryan, what if the navigation said TUNA left instead of TURN left?!"

"Tuna left? Where'd she go?" Hahaha. I love this man.

And the fish towel mission was successful.

Hey Okay, So.

"So" is my nickname for Sola the kitten.  When I say, "Okay, So,"  I wonder if she thinks I'm saying, "Oh, Queso," my little cheese!

Ryan just sent me this and I had to share it. I'm smiling so big looking at her fluffiness and her little white paws o'er the walls o' Cat Tower.

Well

Today I am feeling well. I have these organic blueberries that are monstrous in size and bold in flavor--a rare combination unless it's July!

I have been trying to figure out my whole life, i.e., plan for my future.

Sometimes I think grad school is just too much work right now when I want to have a family. But I don't have a family yet, duh, so on we go through the classes.  But if I do get married and have kids before I reach the 30 units I need to complete the program, that is okay with me.  The units can wait a few years.  Kids might not.

Being in school while I'm working full time is tricky. It is hard. It is a great experience for me to help me empathize with others who do this.  Having little time for myself will be good preparation for when I do have kids!

It can be stressful to juggle work and school, because I want to excel in both realms in my life. Actually, "I want to" is an understatement.  That is not the type of student I am. It is not how I function. I must excel.

This post is going through my head on a regular basis.  I have already shared these feelings with several people in my life.  I think the tricky thing is just waiting and refocusing my vision on the present.

The two cats are outside.  In my sink are two bowls, two spoons, an empty tea cup.  My hair is damp and I'm barefoot, but besides that, I'm ready to go.

Off to work then.

xoxo
Katie

Dishonesty and Cooking Problems

I wrote this on Sunday and it didn't publish.... here it is, a little late.

I haven't been entirely honest with you.  There have been some problems this year, but I have learned from them more quickly than I learned from previously problems.  Because of this willingness to accept my failures, I mostly forget about them.  When issues have come up, I have been able to state my mind with a firm backbone like never before. Still, I'm far from the perfect paragon of strength.

After my last post, and continual posts which state that I am happy, I wonder if  I am sounding boastful or fake.  While nothing is terrible, everything is not perfect.

I have to tell you something funny, which was that I made dinner and it was horrible.  I was starting to like cooking, and, bolstered by confidence, added fresh rosemary and crushed garlic to salmon, which I baked. Oh my god. It was so bad.  I just had to share that failure, had to be real with you.  I've had good luck with salmon in the past; this time, I've learned a lesson, and will go back to what I know.

I didn't get into cooking very easily.  It has been a rocky road, full of disasters. Then I read The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters and started believing in myself and getting excited about salad.  That book truly changed my life.