having spoken about this a bit last year, i’m not tryna sound like a broken record or an obsolete iphone model or anything, but new year’s and all of it’s resolution-making is kind of whatever, you know? i remember some wise words on probably-a-facebook-post this time last year about someone’s dislike of the almost ritualistic starting of clean slates as soon as midnight strikes, because this person chose to, instead, put their energy into continued momentum on projects that they’ve already begun.

2017 was an interesting one. i moved out of my parents’ house, made some of the best friends of my life, had some major ups-and-downs as far as my physical and mental health, and put some serious effort into completely makeover-ing this little blog. i don’t want to lose any of that. i don’t want a fresh start. i want to keep working towards dealing with chronic illness and learning 3d-modeling and writing weird recipes and putting love and care into the relationships i already have. there have been times in my life where i’ve wanted so badly to be able to start over. but now, i just want to keep going

here are a few of my goals for this year, and most of them are not really “erase the sins of our forefathers” type goals like Lose All The Weight I’ve Ever Gained or Destroy Every Last One Of My Enemies (obviously i’ll be destroying some enemies, just not all of them). they are not things that are going to have me beating myself up if i haven’t accomplished them all by 2019, because that’s no way to practice self-improvement. but rather, they are ways to add a little something to my life. new experiences, new things to learn. i hope to complete as many of these as possible while surrounded by the people i love, so…won’t you come along?

  • cook from a different cookbook every month. january is ottolenghi’s plenty!!
  • go swing dancing
  • learn to make candles – completed!
  • learn to parallel park lol
  • be a kitchen witch
  • have weird theme parties. ideas i’ve come up with so far include a mac and cheese party and an electro-swing party (whatever that is)
  • go to services at my local synagogue sometimes
  • eat dinner at travail kitchen and amusements
  • be simultaneously even more grampa-ish and more extra than i was in 2017. ideas of how to accomplish include wearing dwight schrute glasses and taking hour long baths every morning. or something. (probs not at the same time idk) – completed, glasses and all!
  • try a lil bit of molecular gastronomy
  • use my juicer and my pasta maker more often
  • go as cruelty free as possible – completed!
  • learn to code a lil bit
  • “adopt” a goat
  • finally finish stephen king’s dark tower series – completed!
  • finally work on and post about that mac and cheese recipe i’ve been planning for like years – completed!
  • finally attempt to make ivan orkin’s ramen
  • just consume large amounts of good-quality ramen in general – completed!
  • wear more red – completed!
  • ok the last one on here was going to be “probably not drink all that much any more because if i drink too fast it doesn’t make me feel very good and so i am the slowest drinker you ever knew and it annoys me when people are like WHAT A WASTE!!!! when i don’t finish my drink and so it would probably make me happier to just stop drinking” but actually upon reflection it’s going to be “continue drinking however often and however much i feel like because i shouldn’t let anyone’s reductive judgments stop me from enjoying two sips of a margarita!!!!!!!!” – completed!

happy new year!!!

-kara

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