Jan 2, 2010

...2009...

escape
escape, by me

Reflections on 2009:
I started this blog at the end of 2008, thinking that it would eventually become a replacement for my email list of recipes I used to send out on a (roughly) weekly basis.

From my first post.
#1: this is a place for me to post recipes that I've sampled and decided are worth sharing.
Also, as most people who know me have already realized, I'm a bit of an eco-nut. This blog will #2: give me a place to comment, rant, and rave about various environmental topics. Furthermore, I've recently become very concerned over my consumption and how much waste people produce. I'm on a personal conquest to reduce waste in various ways, such as reusing and mending items that would otherwise be thrown out. So I will #3: post stories, comments, and how-to's on my quest to reduce waste.

But then, the unthinkable happened. In January of 2009, I got a job. For whatever reason, this job caused me to think that I didn't have enough time to maintain my email list or recipe blog, and I stopped posting. This lack of posting probably had to do something with the fact that I got married in Sept of 2009... so all of my free time went to DIY wedding planning and projects.

DIY
DIY, by LG Weddings, cropped by me

Around May or so, Kyle quit his job at Sutherland to take up at position in my lab at U.Windsor. This was a good thing from one perspective (he didn't have to do customer service calls anymore, he was learning about a new kind of biology, he was working within 5 feet of my desk), but was also somewhat awkward at times (I was technically his 'superior' given that I had 4 months more experience and knowledge on the job). We worked in this lab until November, because....

I ended up taking the PhD position that I mentioned way back in January, and Kyle and I moved to Quebec in late November. Soon after we arrived here, Kyle was accepted into a PhD position as well, which will also start in January. So we've been adjusting to the new location, learning French (very slowly), and taking some time to be lazy before school starts up again.

Other accomplishments of note include the fact that I helped start a craft group (which is either calling itself World of Woolcraft or Stitch N Bitch) with Michelle back in Windsor. See, I had caught a whiff of the crafting bug starting way back when I knit myself a scarf for my Harry Potter costume. But then I discovered crocheting (thanks mom!) and I can't stop. I finished Kyle a blanket, crocheted a blanket for my cousin Michelle as a multi-year Christmas/birthday gift , have made wristwarmers and a hat for myself... plus I'm currently working on about 5 different projects right now. I also dabbled with quilting by making myself a rather spiffy purse, but I am beginning to think that I don't have the patience or precision required to have quilting as my craft of choice.

triplex
triplex, by me

What this all leads to is a shift in the focus of this blog. I've been doing a lot of writing lately, either emailing friends and family updates and stories about Quebec or updating my Offbeat Bride Tribe profile, and I like it (the writing, that is). So I'd like to continue writing without being restricted to recipes and green-ness. I therefore propose that I can write about anything that comes to mind, but it'll likely revolve around:
  • recipes
  • crafts
  • environmentalism
  • adjusting to Quebec
  • photography?
and there might be a touch of "Hey I read an interesting journal article about ducks today". I'm not sure if anyone will read the things I write, but please feel free to comment if you are a reader - I like to know if anyone's visiting.

1 comment:

Tudor said...

I sadly gave up on knitting. But my other life goal is to learn French. So if I end up in Quebec this summer, maybe you can teach me a thing or two :)