Just going to do one more recipe, and the opening three posts will be ready for viewing. This is quite fun: the cooking, the photography, the peaceful frame of mind I’ve enjoyed in 2012 thus far. (Of course, Grease rehearsals haven’t started yet.)

Look for more random neuron firings next week!

Don’t misunderstand me
I’m not getting soft
All I want is a…

If you can complete that lyric (and I know some of you can without any help), you will have guessed the theme of today’s post.

Yes, fiends, I am taking just a brief hiatus from RtB, while I design the main scheme for The Comfort Foodie, my new food blog adventure. Why do I need yet another project, you ask? Well because, as many of you know, I plan to retire in eight years, and I am going to need at least a dozen other income streams — however meager — to supplement my pension. There is some money to be made in food blogging, so I am going to take the next two-three years to see if I might have what it takes. Only one way to find out, right? And even if it doesn’t make the grade financially, I hope I will have something resembling a family food history that I can pass on to my children and daughters-in-law, if they want it. If not, no worries; it will have still been fun to put together.

So please don’t abandon me totally. Have a look at the archives (I do every once in awhile, just for a head shake — I have said some mighty silly things over the last soon-to-be four years), or post here and give me suggestions on how you think I should go about being the next Bakerella. (Nope, I’m not linking to her; she’s now the competition.)

Are we having a great week so far? A-OK over here in Freezingland. See you on down the road…much love.

Fink out (for a bit)

And here we go!

I’ve said in years past — most recently, last year — that I’m not too good at keeping “resolutions,” so I rarely make any. Actually, I did set one specific goal last year: to be kinder to myself. In many ways, I achieved it; others, not. Well I’ve had a long time to think about it (365 days, to be exact), and I have decided to mete out some detailed plans for 2012. I’m fixin’ to free the lock on the Year of the Fink.

Yes, fiends, 2012 is going to be about me. But no worries; it’s really about how I’m going to relate to the world around me, and that includes everyone and everything else in my life. I’ve already started the work to become physically healthier, which directly affects the interaction with my two grandsons and other family, and that is ongoing. (Don’t want to say too much more about it, because like a fool, I still believe in jinxing things.) Rather, these promises to myself are designed to improve my mind, daily attitude, constitution, general outlook on life and my relationships, to wit:

I Resolve To…

• assert myself more, both in deed and word. (I know — my students would say, “MORE? What the…?” HA)
• be available to my family more.
• improve or abandon unhealthy relationships.
• be OK with people not knowing the whole story. I don’t know why, but this has always been a huge deal to me. I care too much about what others think, especially when they form opinions about me based on one-sided information, or even out-and-out lies. Truth is, people are going to say and think what they’re going to say and think, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I will sweep them away.
• save more money for retirement.
• go home when it’s time to go home. The work piling up can wait.
• be more honest with friends and family about my inner feelings.
• walk the dog more often. (Actually, I need to teach him how to do THIS.)
• forgive more, and ask for forgiveness more.
• Let. It. Go. It’ll never be perfect, so stop agonizing over it.