New Year's Resolutions

Haven't blogged since February. Well, I guess not a lot has changed. I'm still in the same crappy job, only it's worse now than ever. But that is not what this blog is about. Some one on Facebook asked what New Year's resolutions we'll be making this year. And since my response is long and probably not family friendly, I decided to blog it.

I always say that I am going to be a better person. Well, fuck that, I am already a decent person, but always end the year cranky and frustrated. So, I am going to just start out that way. 2012 is going to be the year of crankipuss. I am going to be Scroogette from day 1.

I vow to get more done. Hah! I am not going to do more. I'm lazy and winter makes me even more so. I'm not going to put in a garden this year. I'm not going to finish a novel this year and I'm sure as hell not going to ever find the perfect job.

I'm not going to win the lottery or fall into a pot of gold. I'm going to work at a shitty job with shitty hours and that's what 2012 looks like to me right now. See me again in the spring, when I will most likely have a better attitude.

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

I used to have a friend that would ask me that question every time I'd get stuck in a rut or start feeling really down about what I was doing with my life. That person is no longer in my circle of friends(for other reasons). However, I am asking myself that question a lot lately. I am staring down the barrell of a probably lay off and the big 4-0. Both are making me realize that I need to make some damn decisions and make them fast. I am where I wanted to be 5 years ago. I am married to a wonderful man and we are living a comfortable life. We travel when we want and have everything we need. But I also think I could do more with my life. I just don't know what it is. If/when I lose my job, I am not sure what my next move should be. Of course, I will get another job. But it most likely will be just that - a job. I doubt it will be my dream job and most likely it will be a huge pay cut. I could get a technical certificate, like medical transcriptions or some such. Supposedly, I could work at home. That would be nice, but I think it would be a boring, lonely job. I could stay home for a while and try to finish a novel or two and see if I can't make a miracle happen and get it published. Well, lots of people are published, but they are making a living out of it. But I just don't have enough confidence in myself to believe that I could even get published. I know, I know - negative, negative.

But mostly when I ask myself that question, the answer is alive and healthy. It's a boring answer and doesn't help me make my next move. But it's the only answer I've got right now.

Dried Pears with Kosher salt

Okay, I know the first thing you thought was "eww". But trust me this is good stuff.

2 pears
kosher salt

Easy ingredients, huh? Preheat oven to 225 F. Slice pears 1/4 inch thick or thin or whatever. Place evenly on a cookie sheet. Put in oven for 2 hours. Now most recipes will tell you to add sugar to this recipe. Trust me, unless you really, really like super sweet- do not do this. I pulled these out and tried one. They were so sweet, it made my teeth hurt. And I didn't even add sugar. But I didn't want to waste them. So I put them in a bag with some kosher salt. You can use sea salt as well. I wanted to use it, but seem to have lost my sea salt in the madness that is my kitchen. Anyway, don't use too much. Just a little in the bag. Shake the bag so that the pears are evenly covered. Put back in the oven for about 10 minutes. Perfecto. An easy, healthy snack. These are good on their own. Or on toast with some goat cheese spread.