8 Things Friday - 100th post!

1. The problem is that it's January. Stay with me, I have a theory. I've noticed I've been cranky more often, and it's easier for me to become cranky, lately. I haven't felt like blogging, I haven't felt like writing, I haven't felt like being crafty. I just want to sit on the sofa with my laptop and a movie and brood. And it's not just me. There seem to be fewer updates on my RSS feed every day. Stress levels seem higher in people around me. What I think happens is, after Christmas, people go into a slump. (And the economy's not helping, of course.) After Christmas, there's no reason for snow or cold (i.e. "Yay winter!" or a white Christmas). People are sick of winter. February has Valentine's Day, which is nice and cute, but March, when the calendar says the season changes into spring and there seems to be hope, is miles and miles away. The snow we thought was lovely in December is now crusted over and dirty. The ice in the parking lot won't melt because the sun sets at freakin' four-thirty in the afternoon. People have made New Year's Resolutions, and are either mad that they've already broken them, or hungry and tired from their diets and workouts. Cute summer clothes and bathing suits in shops seem to taunt us. The next holiday to look forward to brings chocolate (which is bad for our diets) and makes us spend money on cards and flowers and such. January... is just a bummer!

2. What do I propose? Get out of the slump! Make yourself do stuff, even if you don't feel like it! (As my dad would say, it builds character.) Write a blog entry; you'll get into it after a while. Go make something, whether it's cookies, a new purse, or a page in your scrapbook. Take a walk to get your blood going. Invite a friend over or out to coffee. We can do this! We can survive the last 15 days of this month!

3. Moving on:



I did my hair up in rag curlers the other night, slept on them, and woke up to



THIS! (Sorry for the scary flash. The lighting in my bathroom is not the best.)

The uber-ringlets calmed down pretty soon, but were still fairly ringlet-y for the rest of the day. I brushed them out when I got home from work that night, and it made nice waves, but it was more frizzy than wavy the next day, so now I know not to do that. I did the rag curlers again last night, and will not be brushing them out tonight, as much as it kills me to not brush my hair before bed aughhhhhh! But I was in a "I'm sick of my hair" phase, and this has cured it, at least for now. Something easy, cute, non-damaging to my hair, and not anything drastic (irreversable) like a cut or colour. Huzzah!

4. I did indeed make scones, but have taken no pictures of them. Alas. They were delicious, though! Cranberry orange yumminess, and even though I thought I might have kneaded the dough a little too much, they were still the right balance of dense and light (does that even make sense? like... substantial, but not seeming heavy). I also made awesome Devonshire cream to go with them, and it was all a success at the breakfast with friends this morning. Although it ended up being breakfast with friend, singular; the other one couldn't make it. :( Next time, Jeana!

5. Matt and I watched Get Smart tonight, which was very silly, yet entertaining. Thanks for the loan, Megan! I have inherited my dad's strange sense of humor, and I think he would really like this movie. Mom, if you're reading this, you guys need to rent it if you haven't already. I could just see Dad chuckling through various parts (if he doesn't fall asleep, of course).

6. Ugh, my brain has not been working lately! I can't type, I can't speak, I can't think of the right words... And I know why it is! It's because I'm not writing (creatively, not blog-ially or email-ially)! I promise Bernice's show is going to get back on the road again soon. There will be an update post tomorrow letting all twelve of my readers know what's going on. :P I miss it, I do! I just need to take a little time to plan.

7. I think several people who read my blog will find this comic amusing. (I would've put the comic itself on here, but my layout isn't wide enough to support it full-size.) If you are of the nerdy persuasion, I highly recommend xkcd. Some of the more math- or science-y ones are a little over my head, but usually I at least get the gist of them. And then there are the general nerdy comics about, oh... cats, and dating, and DnD and the like.

8. Jen showed me this blog, A Year of CrockPotting (that is totally a verb) and I think it's an excellent idea. It's finished now, as the blogger made something in her crockpot every day of 2008, but all the 365 recipes are there to use in 2009! So far I've only really looked at the soups, but there's everything from desserts to casseroles to pasta! And! BONUS: all or almost all of the recipes are gluten-free or have gluten-free options! Good news, Carrie and Noelle! I'm making the broccoli-cheese soup sometime soon, and I'll let you all know (if I remember) how it turns out.