fine in 09

in my posting for 2008, i rattled off a few things i'd like to do in 09. i didnt revisit that entry until today, when i had an overwhelming urge to create my 09 post. turns out i did a lot of what i wanted, and the more i think about 09, the more i am seriously impressed with all that one little year can bring!

in 2009 i...

...did not

• get that damn promotion
• or, solve that career issue
• get a gratuitously lovely tv
• change cars - knock on wood
• find a grown-up bed (i found a headboard, but the mattress & boxspring are still on the floor)
• read as much as i'd have liked
• again, solve all of my emotional and life issues - do we ever?
  

...did

• meet & fall in love with my half sister
  
• acquire a personal computer (thank you rhettoric!)
• do bikram approximately 2x/week for the whole year
• have my scoliosis improve b/c of diligent bikram & chiro work
  
• co-captain the MGH softball team
  
• get what i think was H1N1
• get hospitalized for my reynaud's disease
• learn how to do inversions in yoga
  
• find a really good therapist
• enjoy the farmer's markets as much as humanly possible
• learn to ride my bike confidently in the city
  
• realize how much i love chicago
• LOTS of career research
• attend two pre-season twins games!
  
• travel to: NYC, denver, the quad cities, minnesota, and ft. meyers

i'm going to have to write a separate entry on the books i read in 2009 - i kinda slacked off and didnt review during the last quarter of the year. but aside from this, i think i had a good one. the positives are very positive, and the negatives are more than do-able/live-able.

if i had to predict what 2010 will bring, i dont think i can do it. too much is in the air right now. will i find myself alone in NYC starting over? perhaps i'll get that promotion and work away like a busy bee, here in chicago. i'd like to embrace the farmer's markets more next year - no more saturday laziness due to hangovers! i definitely need to get back to meet my half-sis's family - the more i learn about them, the more excited i get! but overall, i hope 2010 brings contentment and smiles to all the people in my life. so...

cheers to 2010!

holiday extravaganza 09

happy holidays! e & i celebrated with a few of our close friends, a little schnapps, and a special visit from santa. here's some of the highlights:

holiday extravaganza 09

fortify

i'm sitting on the cusp of one full week of being sick. this is not my normal sick. once a year i usually get a head cold of gross proportions - gooey, snotty, phlemy, stuffy - general head cold. it's miserable and annoying but definitely do-able. this year, i found myself with no voice for four full days, which morphed into a nasal passage issue, followed by a cough of epic proportion. admittedly, i'm running myself pretty hard. it's the holidays and there seems to be someone to see, someplace to be, or things to cook and clean every day. yes, i'm prolonging this agony.

but as the adage goes - misery loves company. so my roomie joined in the fun! the two of us had a lovely, snotty and cough-filled cocktail party. in preparation, we cleaned the whole kitchen and swept the entire fridge of it's old contents. so last night, my night to recoup after such a long weekend, i found myself facing the options of: ramen, spreadable cheese, crackers. that's it. somehow, among all the festivities, i neglected to shop for staples! after such a salty (yet, secretly, i love it) meal, tonight needed fortification.

c!!! i need vitamin c! and green things and protein! i stopped at the store on the way home from work and grabbed any veggie that appealed to me. and thusly, i fortified:

1/2 c. chopped brussels sprouts
1/2 c. slivered shallots
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
1 giant handful of turnip greens, washed and spun dry
1/2 c. eggplant, diced
olive oil
red pepper flakes
splash of chicken stock
glug of milk
salt & pepper

i sauteed the first three ingredients in a pan with olive oil (that had warmed with the red pepper flakes). then i added the greens & eggplant, tossed to integrate, and added the stock, milk, salt & pepper. i set it to a simmer and covered til the eggplant was cooked through - about 5 min.

served over trader joe's harvest grains (israeli couscous w/ quinoa, dried peas, and millet), topped with fresh grated parmesan, this "stir fry" was heavenly.

it was everything i wanted in a meal! it was spicy (turnip greens have a pleasant bite to them, and the red pepper flakes give the whole thing a kick), it was healthy, and it had the feeling of comfort food. fortification, complete! now, hopefully, i will wake up in perfect health, with all my presents wrapped and cards written!

here's to wishful thinking....