New Year, Fresh Start

Yes, I know, it's been a while since I wrote anything. And yes, I know, I've probably lost all of my followers (all one of them). And finally, yes, I know that this is probably not the best use of my time. Now that I've acknowledged all of this, can I continue?

I really don't have a good excuse for the long break. Between the house purchase, move, and speeding snowball of work craziness, I just didn't have time to keep up with my writing. OK, the truth is that I didn't have the mental energy. I lost my sense of humor sometime in early November and I figured that no one wanted to read about how badly I was dog-paddling in the deep end. Day after day of "students irritated me again," or "I'm still really tired," or "delivered yet another soul-crushing lecture" - who wants to read that? (If you do, just know that you make me very sad.)

But, it's a new year - a new decade even - and that seems like a perfect time for a fresh start. OK, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that I watched "Julie and Julia" this weekend. If that movie doesn't inspire you to blog or cook, or both, then you've completely missed the point. I did not miss the point and in the past 24 hours, I have both blogged and cooked. I even tried a new recipe - braised short ribs. Slow cooked ribs in a rich tomato sauce, a baked sweet potato, and buttered asparagus sounded perfect for a cold, cold, cold winter night. In the end, I have to say that the ribs let me down. Lot of fat and not as tender as I'd hoped. I'd make a joke here, but the only ones that come to mind are really not nice. I know, that's never stopped me before. Well, new year, fresh start.

So, the cooking didn't turn out so well, but hope springs eternal. I'll also share that I had an epiphany during "Julie & Julia" - I decided that there must be two kinds of people in the world: those who have a crush on Stanley Tucci, and those who will have a crush on Stanley Tucci. I'll close with this promise: Until Stanley Tucci arrives on my doorstep, I'll try to write more regularly.