My Latest Dream

I had a dream last night. A glorious dream. I bought an abandoned Wal-Mart building back in my hometown and made it into a theatre. I don't know where this came from, but I also don't know why I've never thought of it before. I regularly see old warehouses and abandoned factories and think, "Wow, that would make an amazing theatre!" This one just came out of nowhere, but it makes perfect sense.

I've spent most of the day thinking about how perfectly everything works out. There's ample parking. The building is huge, and there's already a loading dock in the back. There would be plenty of space for a generously-sized stage/wings/backstage area/dressing rooms/offices. Concessions up front where the little McDonald's used to be. The area between the sets of automatic doors could be the box office, and the long area opposite that (where they kept the carts) could be coat check. Wall-in the garden center and make it into a scenic/electrics shop. There's some grassy space in the back where I would totally build a deck for a break area/employee picnics. I don't know how high the ceiling is, but I would imagine I could fit at least a bit of fly space.

I don't know if I would want to mount productions, or just bring in tours/concerts/rentals. I feel like in that area, tours and concerts would make out better. There also isn't as much turnaround time between shows, because you don't need rehearsal/build time. Plus, I feel like large-scale tours and popular artists would bring in people from farther away. So let's go with the thought that it's a road house. Then between tours, locals could rent the space for meetings, ceremonies, commuinty theatre, etc.

I would need all of the latest and best technical equipment, of course. Light/projection booth in the back of the house. Sound booth in the house. A full lighting/sound inventory in case of tours that don't come with their own equipment and need the plot hung before they get there....

I would be creating a lot of jobs for the area. I would need someone to do the books, PM/TD, ATD, techs, box office staff, house manager(s), ushers, security(?), company manager, marketing/development/outreach.... I could cooperate with other local businesses to come up with mutually beneficial agreements. Like... if I got a liquor license, team up with Fero and/or Shade Mountain wineries and some local microbreweries. Stock the concessions stand through Weis/Extrava/Purity/Ard's/Pardoe's/local baker friends/etc. Discount programs for local schools when I have children's shows. (My mom's school district gets a super special discount, of course!) Offer tours/workshops for local students interested in professional theatre. Maybe internships for high school and college students?

I don't actually know what my role would be.... I would want to do the scheduling/programming. Make HR-type decisions. Deal with contractors. I guess General Manager or CEO... or something...? My title will be "I Do Whatever The Hell I Want. Deal With It." That sounds about right.

So, yeah, I've been thinking about it a little. Just a little. I wanted to get my thoughts down somewhere, and this seemed like an acceptable forum. Feel free to ignore my rantings, but I think it's a good idea! Maybe I'll actually read one of the many books I have on running theatres/businesses...!

Something New

Alright, so it's been three months since I've posted anything. What are you gonna do? Work has been all-consuming, and I haven't been doing anything remotely interesting. I saw a community theatre production of Les Mis this past weekend, but I couldn't write a whole lot of positive things about it, so I decided to abstain from a review.

I have barely been cooking and haven't even thought about baking, let alone try a new recipe. Well, this afternoon I woke up (hey, don't judge, I'm on night shift tonight) and saw these three sad brown bananas on my counter. This happens fairly regularly... I buy a bunch of bananas, eat two or three, and forget about them until they're far too mushy for my liking. Today, instead of throwing them away, I decided to turn them into bread.

I started leafing through cookbooks, looking for a recipe. Turns out, I don't have any walnuts or pecans, so Banana Nut Bread was out. I was decided on plain old Banana Bread when I came across a recipe for Banana Bundt Cake. Ooh! Something new and different! I got excited about trying something new, so I pulled out every cookbook and just started looking for the word "banana". There was a recipe for Chocolate Chip-Banana Bars that was intriguing, but a little plain. Let's improvise!

So I took bits and pieces from a couple of different recipes and threw in a few of my own ideas, and we have "Chocolate-Covered Banana" Bars.

"Chocolate-Covered Banana" Bars

Ingredients

3/4 C. unsalted butter, softened

2/3 C. white sugar

2/3 C. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 ripe bananas

1 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1/4 C. cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

powdered sugar to serve

Method

- In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add in the vanilla. Beat in the bananas until well-incorporated, and no chunks remain.

- Add in the flours, cocoa, baking powder, and salt all at once, and stir until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips.

- Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

- Remove from the oven and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar to serve.

They're very thick, cake-y bars. Plates and forks might be called for. They're also delicious!

Hopefully this is the start of a new wave of baking in my life. Let's hope you hear from me more often!



Enjoy!

Tofu-Veggie Stir-Fry

I'm doing it. I'm really doing it. I'm attempting to go one month living a vegetarian lifestyle. It's something that has interested me for a long time. I'm curious about how it will make me feel, and if it will help me to lose any weight. I considered trying to go vegan, but there's no way I'm giving up cheese or ice cream!

I started on May 1st, so today is day 6 of my experiment. I might go really crazy and try a fruit/veggie cleanse or even a juice fast while I'm on this bandwagon. Both the vegetarian lifestyle and a cleanse are things on my 30 Things Before 30 list... of which I have been rather neglectful. I'm trying to step it up since I'm down to four years until I turn 30 (yikes....).

I know it's only been six days, but so far giving up meat hasn't been difficult. It's a little hard at work because the employee cafeterias don't have many healthy vegetarian options. The past couple of days, I've made do with a salad and some fries. I'm probably going to start packing a lunch more often. This is where learning to cook without meat comes in (or, you know, lots of PB&J's). I sought out tofu at the grocery store and decided to try to make something with it. I came up with the idea of stir-frying, and it seemed easy and something I knew I would like.

Now, this wasn't as homemade as I would have liked, but I had just gotten off of work and I was tired and lazy, so I bought a frozen stir-fry veggie mix (sugar snap peas, carrots, onions, peppers, broccoli, celery, water chestnuts, and green beans), and a jar of stir-fry sauce. Someday, I'll try the sauce from scratch, but the frozen mixed veggies are just so easy. No washing, no dicing/chopping/julienne-ing, no wait time for it to cook.... So nice.

This is the perfect recipe for those nights when you just don't want to put a lot of effort into a healthy dinner, but still want something satisfying and impressive. It's fast, easy, and delicious!

Tofu-Veggie Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic - minced
7 oz. Extra Firm Tofu - cubed
1 bag Frozen Mixed Vegetables - thawed (Any variety you like.)
2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 C. Stir-Fry Sauce (I used La Choy brand.) 

Method:
-  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Add in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until it softens and starts to brown. Add the tofu and cook until golden.

- Stir in the veggies, crushed red pepper, and cloves, until all incorporated. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are heated through.

-Stir in the sauce so that everything is coated, and let cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.

- Remove from heat and let stand a minute or two before serving, to let the sauce set and the flavors come together.

I served mine with brown rice. It'd be great by itself, too, or with something like Quinoa or Couscous.  If you want to get really fancy, you could go the Lo Mein route, but that's a whole other dish to prepare!

The whole recipe (not including the rice) has about 760 calories in it, and I got two meals out of it, so 380 calories for a serving is amazing! Let's say half a cup of brown rice has about 110 calories in it, that's only 490 calories for the whole meal! Of course, I enjoyed a Yuengling Lager with my meal for another 135 calories... oops!

Please comment with some of your favorite vegetarian/tofu recipes that I can try out!

Enjoy!

Relay for Life 2013

I'm finally involved in a Relay for Life again! For those of you who don't know, Relay for Life is a global fundraising effort in the fight against cancer. Every Relay is made up of teams of community members and I've joined the team that my workplace has put together.

I thought I'd share some pictures of Relay from High School.

In high school, I was a team captain for a Relay team for a couple of years. I loved it. Staying up all night with my friends, walking the high school's track and eating junk food, all the while raising money to help fight cancer. I have great memories of it, and I've wanted to become involved again for years. When I heard that my work was putting a team together, I jumped on the bandwagon immediately. Unfortunately, only a handful of others have jumped, too. I expected to be able to easily convince the friends that I've made here to join me, but I guess not everyone has the same fond memories of Relay for Life that I do. Weird. Nonetheless, I'm still very excited about the whole thing.

I don't even remember what year this was.... 2004, maybe?

Cancer has always been a part of my life. When I was four years old, I lost my paternal grandmother to cancer. I've had friends and extended family members who have battled cancer. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. My maternal grandmother has survived three different types of cancer. And just last June, I lost my father to esophageal cancer. Now, more than ever, I am committed to helping in the fight against it. This opportunity to rejoin the Relay for Life event came at the perfect time.

Yes, this is me in High School. With all the snacks within reach, of course.

I have my own personal fundraising page to help my team, well... raise funds. Every cent goes to the American Cancer Society to help in the fight against cancer. My goal is to raise $500 by May 17th, but deep down I would love for it to be $1000. If anyone reading this can donate anything to help rid the world of cancer, I would be eternally grateful.

You can also dedicate luminarias to the honor or memory of loved ones who are battling or have battled cancer. Luminarias are bags/torches that bear the name of your loved one along with an optional message, and they light the track all night for the people walking in the Relay. Thank you in advance for anything you can give, and to the people who have already helped me to get a step closer to my personal goal.

On a more general note, if anyone out there is interested in learning more about the Relay for Life, or finding one in your area to become involved in, you can get any info you need on the Relay website. Trust me, it is a life-changing event and you can make memories to last a lifetime.

Chair Project

Apparently I'm on a project kick. I've had this on my to-do list for months. When I moved in, I just had a chair and a love seat. I wanted another chair to round out my living room.

Initially, I found this one....

It was oversized, overstuffed, and comfy as all get-out. Not to mention that it was a $600 chair, on sale for $177.

Alas, it was way too big for my apartment. I don't know that I could have even gotten it in the door, let alone find space for it.

So in the same furniture store, I found this guy:

It may not look as awesome as the other one, but it's still really comfy, and much more size-appropriate for my place. It was a $200 chair that I got for $35. The price was so great because the leather on the seat was cracking. Apparently, it had been in the store for a long, long time.

I decided to go for it anyway, and see what I could do with it. I went out and found fabric right away, and then it sat untouched for months. Well for some reason, I finally decided it was time to spiff it up.

The scary part was taking apart the old cushion-cover to use as a pattern.

I was afraid something would go wrong, and I wouldn't be able to make a new cover, and wouldn't be able to get the old one back together, and everything would be ruined forever.

But everything went perfectly, and this is the final product:

I like it! The cushion-cover fits perfectly, and I like the look now better than I did when it was all leather.

The original cover was essentially in four pieces. I used it as a pattern for the top, bottom, and front pieces. The back piece had a zipper in it, and it just seemed easier to re-use it.

I'm super proud of the way it turned out, and I'm glad I actually mustered up the ambition to do it!

One more before and after:

Shelf Project

I thought I'd share a little project that I undertook recently.

So I've lived in my apartment for over nine months now. Ever since I moved in, there's been this big empty space above my sink, in which I've wanted to hang something. Along the same lines, I've had my shotglasses tucked awkwardly behind my faucet and wanted somewhere better for them.

While I was at home, I ran to the store and found these shelves. I figured they were the perfect solution to fill the space above my sink, and provide somewhere better to keep my shotglasses!

It helps that I love the whole "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much" motto. 

I saw this trick on Pinterest.... Instead of measuring, or trial and error when trying to hang something with two holes, use a piece of masking tape across the back of the shelf and mark where the holes are. Now, I didn't happen to have any masking tape, so I had to make do with spike tape... which I did happen to have... go figure.

Once the holes are marked, place the tape on the wall where the shelves are going to hang, make sure it's level, and drill or screw right through the tape. 

Perfectly spaced screws every time!

The final product:

I love that the big white space isn't empty anymore, and it looks much better without the shotglasses shoved behind the faucet. As an afterthought, I put in a little hook for my dishtowel so I don't have to hang it on the cabinet knob anymore.

I'm happy with it!

Baked Coffee Cake French Toast

I made french toast for supper! What? I'm an adult. I can eat whatever I want.

I'm back in Virginia after two weeks at home in PA. I didn't want to run to the grocery store today, and I happened to have everything I needed to make this. Plus, I got to use my new cast iron skillet that I got from my gram for Christmas!

My time at home was wonderful! I had planned on staying for a little over a week, but it turned into two weeks when I couldn't make myself leave! I took lots of pictures, and there may be a post soon about the places I went and people I saw while I was home! It's funny how all through high school and college, I just wanted to move away to somewhere fun and exciting. Now, I'd rather be there with my family and old friends.... Maybe I'm growing up or something? Huh.

At least I'm not so grown up that I can't have french toast for supper!

Baked Coffee Cake French Toast

(adapted from the Joy the Baker cookbook)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

10 slices of slightly stale whole wheat bread

4 eggs

1 1/2 C. vanilla soy milk

1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/3 C. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

1/2 C. flour

1/4 C. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 C. cold butter 

Method

- Melt the tablespoon of unsalted butter in a cast iron (or any oven-friendly) skillet. Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the butter. Remove from heat.

- Cut the bread diagonally. Arrange the slices of bread in the buttered skillet, pointed side facing up. 

- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla until well-incorporated. Pour the mixture over the bread in the skillet, covering every slice as much as possible. (The bread will not be submerged.)

- Cover the skillet tightly with plastic wrap. (My wrap wouldn't cling to the cast iron, so I added a lid, too.) Refrigerate for anywhere from an hour to overnight. 

- When you're ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

- For the topping, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a fork, work the butter into the flour mixture, until it is coarse and crumbly.

- Remove the soaking bread from the refrigerator, uncover, and top with the crumb mixture. 

- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the custard in the bottom has set and the tops of the bread have started to toast. 

- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Scoop into bowls and top with powdered sugar or syrup.

This really is heavenly. The bottom turns into a kind of custard-y bread pudding. The part sticking out turns into buttery, cinnamon-y toast. It really would be great for breakfast or brunch. Especially since you can do everything the night before and just throw it in the oven in the morning. But... it was just as good for supper!

If you don't do the whole soy milk thing, the original recipe calls for 1 C. of whole milk and 1/2 C. of buttermilk instead of the soy milk and lemon juice. I've just been on a soy milk kick lately. I'm starting to like it better than cow's milk, so it's all I have on hand and I'm trying to substitute it in recipes. 

Enjoy!

Super Bowl S'mores

February is my month off from work. Since I'm a "seasonal" employee, I can only work 10 months out of the year. I have February off, and then another month sometime this summer. It's kind of glorious. Being away from work for a couple of weeks now has made me realize how much I bonded with some of my coworkers, though. There are a few people that I really miss!

A few days after our last day of work, I went to a Super Bowl party. I really didn't care about the actual game, but it was my last chance to hang out with most of my work friends before they went back to Florida until next season. I was also excited about the commercials, half time show, and the food! My hosts made buffalo chicken dip, baked beans, mac & cheese, cocktail weenies, amazing home-smoked bbq pork loin, and a glorious peanut butter pie.

My contribution was a couple of cases of beer, and these Red Velvet S'mores Bars.

They're soft and gooey and super sweet. I think they were a big hit, and I ate many more than I'm willing to admit. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, these would be great to make for someone special, too!

I got the recipe from Sugarcrafter. I didn't make many changes, because they were pretty perfect already. Although, I have to say... when I was eating the last one, I decided to experiment. A little peanut butter made them super-mega-awesome.

Red Velvet S'mores Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsp. butter - melted

1 1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. softened butter

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 C. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3 heaping Tbsp. cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. red food coloring

2/3 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C. marshmallow fluff
bag of marshmallows

Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8"x8" cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

- Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, then press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

- Combine the cocoa powder, red food coloring, and 1 tsp. of the vanilla in a small bowl. It will create a red paste. 

- With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add in the remaining tsp. of vanilla.

- Beat in the cocoa powder paste until the batter is a solid red. Add in the flour and salt, mixing until almost combined. Finish mixing by hand, and fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter over the graham cracker crust in the pan.

- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the brownies are set.

- Remove from the oven and drop on the marshmallow fluff by spoonfuls while the brownies are still hot. Once the marshmallow is warmed and softened, spread it evenly. If it's difficult to spread, you can cover the pan for a minute or so, to soften the marshmallow.

- Preheat your oven's broiler. Cut about 18 marshmallows in half and lay (cut side down) on top of the marshmallow fluff. Place the pan under the broiler for 20-30 seconds, until the marshmallows are golden-brown. (Watch them carefully... they can go from brown to burned in the blink of an eye!) Let them cool completely before cutting.

They're super gooey... hence, difficult to cut. I just powered through. Coating your knife with nonstick spray can help. You could even put them in the freezer for awhile to harden up the marshmallow before cutting. They're totally worth it, though. They're sweet and delicious and decadent. Take them to a party, make them for that special someone, or heck, just make them as a treat for yourself!

 
Enjoy!

Your Better Self

I Googled something random the other day. I don't even remember what it was. Something like "how to live better" or "how to change your life" or something. Well, I spent pretty much the whole day clicking through links to blogs and articles. I don't know why, but I became enamored with finding ways that people have bettered themselves, and seeing what others think of as positive change.

I found a handful of sites that I really liked, and some ideas that I want to take to heart and try out. I thought I would go through those sites/blogs/articles and put them all into one convenient post so you guys don't have to spend an entire day searching them out. Unless that's what you do for fun... like me... you know....

Most of the sites that I like are about changing your habits, making better choices, tips for bettering yourself, and ways to renew and relax. There are a couple, though, that don't fit that category. Let's talk about those first.

One site that I was on said that learning a new language is a good change to make in your life. Learning something new is fun, it can be useful, and it's on my list of 30 things to do before turning 30. This site popped up: Open Culture. It's a list of free sites and podcasts for learning a new language, or brushing up on one.

How to Get From a 7 to a 10 talks about how you shouldn't settle in life. If you feel like you're stuck in a rut, or your life isn't as great as it could be, it might not be an easy road, but you can change it.

The rest of the sites and articles that I found are about changing your habits, which I am constantly trying to do. I'll admit that I have plenty of bad habits, vices, and things about myself that I would like to change.

30 Days to Success is a great method to keep in mind when trying to give up a vice or pick up a new healthy habit. Heck, even just making yourself stick to something for a week or two can give you an idea of whether or not you like it.

One of my biggest problems is getting up in the morning. Now, it's not necessarily something I want to change about myself... I would rather change my job to one that doesn't require me to rise before the sun. But, since that is a daily struggle, I've found that these articles were actually kind of helpful: How I Won the Battle of the Bed and Mind Over Mattress.

24 Daily Habits has some good points and ideas. They're probably not all for me.... For example, I most likely won't be rewriting my goals and blogging every morning before work. I have been trying to wake up earlier, though, and attempting to exercise and read every day. This is kind of a pick-and-choose list.

Who doesn't want to look and feel better? Besides just losing weight, I like looking for ways to relax and feel better about myself. 24 Powerful Relaxation Techniques and 25 Fun Ways to Pamper Your Body are both great lists of ways to pamper yourself and feel better

Anyone out there have more tips or techniques for self-improvement? I'm all ears!

Juicy! Apple Cleanser

I got a juicer for Christmas! My amazing mother got me a Hamilton Beach wide-mouth juicer and The Big Book of Juices by Natalie Savona.

 I have wanted a juicer for a long time, and I've wanted to do a juice cleanse for even longer. It's even on my 30 Before 30 list. I don't know when I want to do my first cleanse or how long it will last, but I can do it now!

For now, I'm just going to try a bunch of juices and figure out what I like and what I want to become a staple in my life. My plan was to make a juice every morning for breakfast, but I'm usually running around, trying to get ready as quickly as possible so I can get to work on time. So juicing might be a night thing for now.

The night before last, I made an "Apple Cleanser".

It's 2 apples, 1/3 of a cucumber, 1 stalk of celery, 2 kale leaves, and 1/2 of a beetroot. It was an excellent choice for my first juicing attempt. It's delicious!

 ^ Before stirring, it's super pretty.

^After stirring, it's still super pretty. The beet color takes over, but the taste is largely apple, with a little earthiness from the other fruits and veggies.

Plus, the pulp it leaves behind is super pretty. Weird observation? Maybe. 

 So that's my first adventure in juicing. I had way more fun that I should have. I felt like a mad scientist making a potion or something.  So if you have a juicer, you should try this. I'll be trying a ton more, and I might even blog about my favorites!

Happy 2013!

It's 2013! I hope everyone was able to celebrate last night. I was scheduled to work until midnight, but we got out early, so I got to ring in the New Year with some great friends and free champagne!

2012 was a lot of ups and downs...

I got a new job in an area I love, but that meant moving away from my friends and family in PA.

My dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, but was the model patient for his esophagectomy and everything seemed to be working out. Then there were a few cells that all of the chemo and radiation missed, and we lost him in June.

I've made some great friends and have learned a ton while working at BG, but I've come to realize that this isn't the long-term career that I'm looking for.

I think all-in-all, I'm going to have to hope that 2013 turns out to be a better year than 2012. A little less emotional turmoil, maybe?

I don't even want to talk about resolutions. I'm not making any concrete ones this year. I'm just going to say that I want to try to be a better, happier, healthier me. My resolutions from last year were these:

1) Get in shape. Yeah, yeah. Shut up. At this point, it's about not having a heart attack before I'm 30. I have a new workout routine mapped out. Let's see how long I stick to it.
2) Become more socially active/active in the community. I joined the community band this past year, but I really don't have anywhere to go or anyone to see. I need to crawl out of my cave once in awhile.
3) Travel more. There's so much to see and do that wouldn't even cost anything. I just need to get in my car and go. If I want to see the world, I have to leave my house.
4) Read more. I said this last year, too. I get on kicks where I read constantly, but then I go days or even weeks without cracking a book.
5) I'm not sure how to word this one, but I need to purge my life. I guess "live less materially" or "live more simply". Basically, I need to get rid of a lot of crap.

Let's discuss.

1 - I'm down 20 pounds since moving to VA, but that's mostly because of how active my job is. I'm leading as unhealthy a lifestyle as ever. I joined a gym and I've been a few times, but I have to make it a regular thing. Also, lay off the fast food. 

2 - I'm totally more socially active. I go out with friends at least once a week, usually even more often.

3 - I mean... I'm living in a new state, so it's like I'm constantly traveling, right?! Maybe not. I would still like to get out and see more things in the area. Maybe I'll make a list of things to see around here. Maybe it'll be a blog post. We'll see. There is also discussion of going to stay with a friend in Florida for a couple of days when I'm off in February. I'll have to see what my money situation is like, but it's looking like a good possibility!

4 - Yeah, I haven't really been reading much. I did get a few books for Christmas that I'm excited about, though, and I've started one of them. I also still have my list of 100 Books Everyone Should Read, that I'm working through. I just haven't really made much progress on it lately....

5 - I would like to say that I've purged my life a bit. When I moved, I cleaned out a lot of stuff and donated a lot to the thrift stores. I definitely have a ton more that I could/should get rid of. I just like pretty things. What can I say?

So, yeah, this year, there's no list of resolutions. I just want to become a better me. That's going to be my motto for this year. I have a ton of books, the means to travel some, an active gym membership and I got a juicer for Christmas. I have the tools to change for the better, I just have to work up the motivation and willpower.

Bring it on, 2013!