random thoughts on Tuesday

Before I started this blog (which was more than 4 years ago, what?), I did personal blogging of some sort at least once a week. For many years. In many different places over the years. While this blog has been all sorts of amazing for me, it's largely killed that aspect of my writing. I can try to put the blame elsewhere, but the bottom line is that for me, maintaining two regular blogs has proved impossible. And as much as I try to deny it, I really miss that sort of journaling. So I'm going to try to mix it up here once in a while and share some different things. I hope that you'll stick along for the ride.

1. I've had the above picture as the lock screen for my phone for more than two months, which is some sort of record. Usually I switch that picture out once a week or so because my current favorite photo changes frequently. This photo is from one of my favorite days this spring, and it still makes me really happy seeing it there every day.
2. I've been listening to the same Pandora station almost exclusively for over two years: Brad Mehldau. The variety on that station is so amazing. I can listen to it for hours while I work every day and never get tired of it.
3. I've also been listening to the I'm Not a Pilot album Need Money for Rocket Fuel at least once a week (if not once a day) since March or so. I think that Jake has, too (it's usually at work). I'm sure that people are getting sick of us talking about how much we love this band.
4. Improving my photography skills the past couple years has been so empowering. Now that I own an SLR, I feel like nothing can stop me.
5. On a similar note, I never thought that I'd be driving past places like cemeteries thinking about how I'd have to come back sometime and take photographs. It is amazing the places that life takes you.
6. Also, on a similar note, I was confident that getting an SLR and adopting kittens right around Christmas would make for an amazing year ahead, but I still didn't really have any idea what that would mean. I needed both of those things so much at this point in my life.
7. I think that I love reading about food and many different aspects of food almost more than I actually like cooking and baking. Who knew that photographing chicken fingers and debating the various methods for measuring flour could be so interesting?
8. One of my unofficial goals this summer has been to eat more salads and to keep more fresh ingredients on hand that make it easy to prepare quick, healthy lunches. When I get busy with work, I tend to grab food and go...and we all know how goes. I feel a million times better when I eat well. And there is no excuse not to have fresh foods around at all times during the summer. So far it's been going pretty well.
9. Why does summer go so darn quickly? I thought that wouldn't be true once I wasn't teaching and Jake wasn't on a school schedule anymore (the combination of which has been more freeing than I ever could have imagined). But it's still true.
10. My brother's fiance sent this to me a couple months ago, and I laughed so hard the first time I read it that I was literally crying. I know that many of you will appreciate it.