Back on the bike

It's been in the mid-forties (around 5 C) here for the past week and transit has been driving me particularly crazy.  Plus, I just made my shiny new resolution, so I needed to keep away from public transit for at least a few days if that was going to survive.  These two things led to me lugging Tiff down to the street this morning and biking to work.

I arrived to work sweaty and breathless, already depressingly out of shape after less than two short months away.  Granted, those two months included Christmas, but still.  Everyone asked me why my face was so red, and I could only smile.  I was totally zenned out after my half-hour ride inside of my own head.  As I buzzed about on my endorphins, I couldn't imagine feeling any better.  I swear, I need to bike to work every day.

New Years Resolutions, again

A website I read put up a really nice list of potential New Years Resolutions, including things like "stop pursuing an emotionally unavailable person" and "respect your own boundaries."  The one I like the best, however, is the suggestion to let other people be idiots.

This one is hard for me.  For one thing, I'm sort of overly self-confident sometimes, and I convince myself that my way of doing things is the best way.  For another, I'm a fixer, and everyone around me knows this.  When they need help, I will fix their problems for them and get them out of a jam.  So, if I prevent people from getting into problems in the first place, I save myself future work.  This has always been my justification.

But you know what?  What other people do, assuming that it doesn't impact me, really isn't any of my business.  I'm not the boss or manager of anything, I'm not in a serious relationship, and I don't have children.  I'm not responsible for anyone but myself.

So my second New Years Resolution this year is to let it go and chill the hell out.  When I see other bicyclists tooling around without helmets on, I will try my damnedest to not sigh angrily at them.  When I am in airport security and a woman is suddenly surprised that she has to take her shoes off, I will attempt to find my own personal zen.  When one of my colleagues tells me that they haven't planned anything for one of their lessons, I will endeavor to simply nod.  I will try very hard to not bitch about anyone or complain about things that I generally perceive as stupid.  In fact, every time I feel the urge to say something negative, I will try to replace that with a positive statement.  And in doing so, I will hopefully become a better person.

This is going to be the most difficult thing I've ever attempted to do.  I've moved to two foreign countries on my own, survived a year in the Americorps, gotten a masters in another language while working full-time, and spent 7 weeks traveling in Eastern Europe with no itinerary.  Those were all cake walks.   This?  This will be hard.

My New TV Obsession

I watched a few episodes of Parks and Recreation during its first season and really was not impressed with it.  People kept recommending it to me, however, so I sat through the (not awesome) first season and it was totally worth it.  It's hysterical and also super sweet.  Between the earnestness of Leslie, the ridiculousness of Ron Swanson (that amazing face up there), and how damn adorable Andy is, I am totally hooked.  And, as such, I am up late watching episodes when I should be sleeping.  Oh well.  I'm having fun, and the morning is still a while away!

Aerial Photography

While at home over Christmas, I got to go up in my dad's little plane with him.  It's an adorable little prop plane and we had a great time together.  Dad did some twists and turns, and it was a bit bumpy, but I wasn't scared.  I even took the controls for a minute while up in the air.

me in copilot mode

a duck-shaped lake

our house from the sky

Elk mountain, the nearby ski resort, from the sky.  People stopped and waved at us from the slopes.

the nearby Nicholson bridge

Your pilot and copilot wish you a good day!

Happy New Year!

After my father's annual epic fireworks display, we are ready to ring in the New Year.  I will kiss my puppy and drink a mini bottle of cava, as is traditional.  And tomorrow I will head back home to Budapest.  Silly short break this year.

My New Year's resolution this year is to blog at least three times per week.  My life is amazing and worth documenting, and I need to remember that.  So I hope to see much more of you in 2012!

Happy New Year, Boldog Új Évet, ¡y Feliz Año Nuevo!

Copyright Infringement at its Best

Pop rocks, featuring Thumper on acid... oh the fantastic things that can be found in Central Europe!

How beautiful is Budapest?

This is the famous Lanchid, the Chain bridge.  It's a ten minute walk from my flat, and I go through the square (that is actually a circle) twice everyday on my way out and in to my home. I snapped this one on my phone on the way home Wednesday, with the twilight all purple and the twinkling lights.  Love it.

A late Thanksgiving...

... or an early Christmas.  Tonight I had Anna's family over for dinner.  I made free-range chicken breasts sauteed in organic goose fat, green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, and sweet potato pie.  Anna made sweet potatoes with apples and cranberry sauce.  And we ate and ate and drank wine and it was lots of fun.  Anna's family has been so kind to me, both when I lived here before but especially now.  They have me over for meals all the time, bought me a chocolate Santa for St. Nick's day, look after me, and so on.  It was nice to make them something in return.

Butter Normal-Cookie-Shapes

Every Christmas my grandmother used to make butter balls.  Essentially the Polish version of Mexican wedding cookies, these little treasures involve tons of butter, walnuts, and powdered sugar.  And they are awesome.  I've made a batch once before, for Christmas two years ago, and they were a big hit.  I'm pretty short on time this year so I won't be able to spend hours and hours making and decorating sugar cookies, so I decided to just make butter balls.

When I told my mom this, she asked me to bring her some back for Christmas.  I guess it makes perfect sense now.  My sister had been helping Grandma the last several years, but she is in Arizona now.  Nobody can make the butter balls.  So I spent the last four hours mixing, rolling, baking, and powdering.  The tips of my fingers are bright pink and my hands are soft from all the butter.  The last batch is in the oven now.  I made about 140 butter balls.  Or, since they wound up not-so-round, 140 butter normal-cookie-shapes.

Some of them will make the journey with me across the Atlantic to Pennsylvania, as their forebears so often made the trip to wherever we were living from Pennsylvania.  I like how traditions change, but still continue on.

Scotland, the food!

Now, because my visit to Scotland was also a visit to Lyla, a lot of our time involved sitting around, drinking a pint, catching up, and eating.  And we ate SO MUCH delicious, really just amazing food.  I managed to take pictures of most of it.  Om nom nom.

tamarind-scented sweet curry pork with thai naan

spring rolls and chicken puffs

rhubarb pie with clotted cream and a cappucino

pitas with chili cheese dip, green pea and wasabi dip, and homemade pesto

burger with sweet potato fries and garlic mayo... perfect after the big night that was Halloween!

meat pies

seafood chowder, complete with fish, smoked fish, and clams

one half kilo of mussels in herbed butter, and easily the freshest and sweetest mussels I've ever had... plus they were only like 8 pounds (12 dollars) and still had bits of kelp sticking to them!

fish and chips (this was the second time we had fish and chips!)

mussel carnage

miso soup, edamame, and dumplings

sushi and stir-fried udon with veggies

manzanilla wine with lemonade

tapas sampler: honeyed eggplant, breaded cheese, paella, patatas bravas, setas al ajillo, pollo al ajillo, and salad

croquetas

Not pictured: the first serving of fish and chips, the sausages we cooked at the hostel, the second awesome burger we ate before I had to leave on Friday, a big bowl of French onion soup, the couscous salad we made at the hostel another evening, an order of baked canelloni, ginger beers, ciders, ales, or any of our breakfasts (which were generally toast, to be fair).