Breakfast

Anyone who knows me knows that I am simply not a morning person: getting out of bed is one of the hardest things I have to do each day.  So I linger, and linger, snooze, just another minute.  And then: oh, shoot, any longer and I'm gonna be late, there's the 15-Minute-Flurry and I practically run out the door.  These days I've been plugging in the kettle before I brush my teeth, and getting the fresh press on while I'm doing my makeup.  The French press is done in just four minutes; dash of milk, and I'm ready to go.  Once in a while I'll even have a couple minutes to get some toast on, though admittedly, those days are rare.  To be honest, I had to force myself to get up and get breakfast, just because of the P52 theme!

I'm working on it, though!  I've been trying to both go to sleep and wake up earlier, and have made it official by naming it one (two, actually) of my New Year's resolutions.  I actually started late last year, getting to bed about 10 or 10:30 and feeling refreshed all the next day.  I could never quite get to it more than two or three days straight, so it's a work in progress.  There are tons of articles out there (like here or here or here) on reasons why it's better to wake up earlier, and how to go about doing it.

This blog makes the idea of waking up and enjoying the morning so much more enticing.  My goal is to sleep by 10:30 and wake up at 6:30 five consecutive nights.  Slowly I'll add depth and variety to my breakfast menu as well: cereal, then oatmeal, yogurt and fruit, protein smoothies, etc.  I'm glad to have started this year with "breakfast" as a theme; it's something I hope to carry on throughout the year!

Here's what I had for breakfast on Thursday (yes, it took until Thursday!):

[water, coffee, read bean toast]

Cold

The first real coat I ever bought was the year I studied abroad.  In England.  That's the first time I remember being really, really cold.  (It was a lovely navy blue peacoat that I found at a Marshalls- or Ross-like discount retailer, and probably the most I'd ever spent on an individual garment.  I found it the other day as we've been cleaning out my parents' old house.  Yes, I let it go.)

When my  neck, fingers, and toes are cold, I can't function properly.  When my feet are cold (as they are now), I can't sleep.  This is where a good hand-knit accessory becomes invaluable.  Scarves, mitts, socks: yes, please!

During my first winter in Japan, I wore two scarves at a time, wrapping my head and neck with only a sliver open to see as I rode my bike to and fro. No peripheral vision but it didn't matter much because I was the only one on the road, everyone else having access to a car or a friend with a car.  Coworkers would tell me that they saw me riding to work.  "Why didn't you pick me up?!?!" I would often think to myself...  I still remember Japanese winters as the kind that make your marrow cold.  Thank goodness for nabe dishes and kotatsu.

I don't run because my ears get cold.  Most people are incredulous when they hear this.  But it's true.  Even in warmer months, simply brushing up against the air makes my ears cold, which starts a headache, which renders me pretty much miserable.  Someone suggested a headband.  So on my to-knit list: Calorimetry.  Sooner rather than later, as I've got a 10K for which to start training!

Growing up in Southern California sure spoils a gal to seasons.

2011, week by week

I decided to continue with Project 365 this year on my own (though I already missed January 2nd -- I'll be gentle on myself and count the pic I took at 12:42 a.m).  Though I have no idea how it will work out, I anticipate that 2011 will be a significant year for me, and I want to document it photographically.  But I'm still interested in the idea of a group project, so have joined one started by the lovely Marsha, which will follow weekly themes set by the folks at Digital Photography School.

And what with all the synchronized writing challenges, I've decided to jump on that wagon, too.  But I'm not going to do the weekly post using Plinky's prompts.  Rather --and to make things easier for myself -- I'm going to both photograph and write about the same theme each week.  (If you're interested or curious, here's a link to the theme list.)

It's late night Friday/early morn Saturday, which gives me just a couple of days to compose a post about this week's theme: cold.  Wishmeluck!

In the meantime, here's this week's photo:

[week 2: cold]

Only in Southern California can you find fancy ice cream at a farmers market in winter!  (And tomatoes.  And strawberries.)