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My car on a February morning. How did I ever survive the winter?

Well, I’ve officially entered the working world: First I got a job, then I got an apartment, then I learned how to cook for myself (well, sort of), and then I decided looking in the home department at Target was a good way to spend a Saturday morning. And one morning, I woke up and realized I hadn’t even thought about my blog in weeks and I was (gasp!)  a working stiff. That’s how dire it has gotten.

Actually, things are going pretty well here. My job is great, the weather is finally getting warmer and I even went on vacation to D.C. for a week. I’m still running and I’ve actually started lifting weights on a regular basis.  Life is good.

But I definitely am feeling more and more like a “real adult.” I go to bed at 11 p.m., brew my own coffee in the morning and purchase Lean Cuisines by the shopping cart. I’ve had a lot of night meetings over the past couple of weeks (see battlecreekenquirer.com for details) but I’ve definitely settled into a very adult-like schedules.

Don’t worry, Michael and Mike –I haven’t totally let go of my immature ways (do most people blast Taylor Swift and dance around their apartments?).

Anyways, I purchased a resistance tube at Target tonight so I’ll have to whip that out when I’m watching the latest episode of Castle for the second time later tonight. And I recently discovered the quickest I can run a mile is a little less than 7:30 (absolutely woeful) so I’ve been working on that at the gym. I’m also going to try to get back into “this blogging thing.”

Let’s see how I do.

I did, however, have an unusual find at TJ Maxx (yes, I love TJ) last weekend. I found a pair of Brooks running shoes (in my size, no less) for a third of what my first pair cost.  I had no choice but to snatch them, initially with the intent of using them as a back-up pair. But I’m thinking about taking them to the gym tonight just to try them out.

So, that’s my current shoe dilemma. I almost feel as if I am cheating on my first pair if I take the cheap pair to the gym with me but I think think I’m going to do it anyways. I haven’t yet lost hope that my first pair will be wearable, but I do need something that’s not going to hurt my feet.

Speaking of the gym, I’m really starting to get the itch to run outside again. The weather still isn’t warm enough, though, and probably won’t be for a couple of months. It’s above freezing today but it’s so slushy my feet would be cold and wet by the time I got back. I’m hoping when I go to D.C. in March I might be able to sneak outside once or twice. I hear it’s warmer there than in the Midwest but I’ve only been there in the summer/fall so I can’t really speak to that.

I am planning to be in Evanston (sigh) in the next couple of weeks and I might find it necessary to return to some of my old haunts, even if it is cold. I mean, we just don’t have a beautiful lake or Bahai Temple in Battle Creek and I don’t go to the Windy City much anymore. We shall see.

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my new shoes. They’ve definitely made my day.

Ironically, I’m not one to make excuses about working out but I do make excuses about blogging. But my friend and former roommate Christine inspired me to get back in the groove. Christine is training to do a half-marathon and blogging about her experiences, which I think is pretty cool.  You can read about her running journey here: runningwilddipompeo.blogspot.com.

Also, I’m getting the new year off to a good start with a new pair of Brooks running shoes. I have never ordered shoes online before, but I decided to give it a try.  I’ve had excellent experience with Brooks and if they don’t suit me I can send them back for free.

One last random tidbit: I forgot my lock at home so I bought a new one at Meijer (they’re $3…less than shipping). However, I got my old combo confused with my new combo and the next thing I knew, the guy at the gym was sawing off my lock. Embarassing but true.

You see, I enjoy snow for about the first two hours, provided I don’t have to go anywhere. Snuggling up under my down blanket and admiring the white stuff is nice and all, but as soon as I have to leave the house I’m done. For too long, I’ve waded through knee-high snow in Evanston just trying to get to class. God knows what I’ll do when I actually have to drive in it.

I grew up in an area where it snows about two days out of the year and the whole place shuts down for those two days. Seriously, I’ve had snow days when there’s been less than an inch. We just don’t do snow in unincorporated King County.

We’re supposed to have our first snow tonight so I’m trying to mentally prepare myself. Wish me luck.

This is all fine and good, but most recipes are intended to feed a family of four (and sometimes more). Sometimes I’ll make half what the recipe calls for; however, it’s not always practical to do this. When I make eggplant Parmesan,  I want to cook the entire eggplant.  What am I going to do with half of an uncooked eggplant? They don’t last forever.

So, I end up making the full recipe and then I end up with enough leftovers to keep me going for the next week. Which is where the real problem starts. I may have enjoyed my eggplant Parmesan the first time and it is nice to have something ready when I come home from work. But I don’t want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 8 days.

Knowing that there are people somewhere who would love nothing more than to have something warm to eat for dinner (let alone something as tasty as my eggplant) I feel very guilty about throwing away leftovers. Someone should eat them, right? Nevermind that it’ s a huge waste of money and I don’t have a lot to waste. So I eat whatever lovely dish I’ve made for the next 5 days and then don’t make it again for another 3 months because I am so sick of it.

Thus, I am always on the lookout for recipes that are conducive to making 2 or 3 servings. If anyone has a good recipe they would like to share, feel free to throw it at me.

I have to admit, I’m pretty thankful this year. I was pretty pessimistic about 2009 when the year started, but time proved me wrong. Believe me, I would not have predicted a year ago that I would be sitting in Battle Creek, Mich. I do not normally like to take risks but I’m glad I’m here (exactly 5 months today!).

So here we go (note: these are not necessarily in order of importance):

My health. Not only do I not have any serious ailments, I have managed to dodge the Swine flu, the seasonal flu, the common cold, strep throat, etc. Nobody likes being sick and God knows there’s nothing that gets me worked up like sorting through insurance/medical expenses (right, Mom?). For the record, I just knocked on the wood on my futon frame.

My apartment. We all know choosing an apartment from 185 miles away is risky. But the place is great and there are no cockroaches to date. All the fancy roach-killing skills I worked so hard to acquire last year are going to waste, but I’m OK with that.

My job. It was a tough market and I was in full freak-out mode about this a year ago. About 10 months ago, I cried in many public places about my employment prospects  but everything somehow turned out OK.

Taylor Swift. Blasting Fearless is an appropriate solution to any conundrum. I hope my neighbors like you too, because they’ve probably gotten an earful over the last few months.

The frozen yogurt in my fridge (no, I will not call it fro-yo). Whoever invited this lovely treat knew that somewhere there would be a 22-year-old girl with a craving for but not the metabolism for ice cream on a daily basis. God bless you.

Susan Boyle. I seriously wish I could wake up to “I dreamed a dream” every morning. I might be in a little better mood at 7 a.m. if I did.

Washington state license plates. I’m a recent convert, but every time I see a car in Battle Creek with plates from the Evergreen State, it brightens my day. If I ever run into the owners in the parking lot, I will probably run up and give them a hug.

All the educational opportunities I’ve had over the years. This means everything from kindergarten at Maple Hills Elementary through senior year at Northwestern. I just wish everyone could have the same experiences I did.

Living in the Fridge. From keeping score (haha) to sharing my fascination with the Duggars, sharing a roof with 8 other ladies made senior year more enjoyable.

Apples. I eat one every single day. A former roommate once told me this would be a good thing to share about myself during an icebreaker game. I haven’t had a chance to do this yet, but maybe someday.

My Civic aka Old Faithful. Here’s to many more years together.

My running shoes. Seriously, the best therapist a girl can ask for. We’ve been all around Evanston and Battle Creek together and I think our time is coming to a close, but I’ll never forget you. You also helped me avoid the unwanted consequences of eating lots of…

Chicago pizza. What I wouldn’t give for a hot slice of Giordano’s right now.

The last three, of course, are most important:

Mom and Dad. Thanks for putting up with me and my questionable life decisions for 22 years, especially the last year. You’re the best. And I’m  not just saying that because I know you recently discovered Sole Stirrings.

Michael.  See above. Except you’ve only known me about 3 years. But it’s probably felt like 22 years. Also, thank you for choosing a fiscally-responsible career path so you can support me someday. You’ll save your couch for me, right?

Everyone else who has supported me over the years. I don’t say it often enough but I really do appreciate you. And I miss you all like crazy right now.

There’s definitely a ton of things I left off. I’m just tired and my head is telling me it misses my pillow right now. Happy Thanksgiving!

My feet are flat so I need something with good arch support or my feet aren’t gonna be happy campers. I’ve been pretty happy with my current shoes (Brooks) and I would seriously consider buying another similar pair. Why can’t shoe companies just keeping the same shoes year after year? I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Buying shoes is tricky because they’re all designed a little differently and the fit is critical. Buy the wrong pair and you will have blisters.

Speaking of blisters, I’ve started wearing some heels to work and they don’t hurt as much as I thought they would. However, my feet are always a little sore after I take them off when I get home and I’ve found that if I wear them a couple of days in a row, I need to wear flats for a day or two to recover. It’s tempting to wear heels because I’m short and I could stand to look a little leggier. Maybe my feet just need to acclimate to wearing heels.  Or maybe I’m just not cut out to wear them.

So, I decided to get outside and enjoy what will probably be one of the last warm days in quite a long while (when is the snow supposed to start rolling in again?). Today’s destination: the Leila Arboretum. A little history about the arboretum: Way back in 1922, Leila Post Montgomery, the widow of C.W. Post (yeah, the cereal guy), donated 72 acres to the city of Battle Creek. Today, it’s a beautiful park filled with hills and trees and home to a children’s museum.

Of course, I brought my camera with me, too.  The results? Well, you’ll have to do a little scrolling. Here we go:

No, I wasn't thinking about climbing the tree. But it's kind of a cool view, right?

Yeah, I just wanted an excuse to lie down on the leaves. (Also: I am pretty sure this is the correct use of lie, but I couldn't find Marda Dunsky so I'm not positive. Where is that woman when you need her?)

Gotta love these fall colors. Who needs snow?