My Favorite Things this Week

I've been sick for the past few days and while resting on the couch and drinking lots of fluids, I have also been trying to motivate myself for the rest of the year.  It's almost February already--January went by so quickly.  I made a list of things that I want to accomplish or learn or start in 2010.  I made a list of crafts that I would like to make and perhaps sell in the future.  And while I was thinking about things I want to accomplish (I'm really looking forward to taking a class on operating my new sewing machine!), I started thinking about the things that I do now that my younger self would be proud of.  I'm closer to 30 years old now than 25 years old, but I'm still young with plenty of time to experience new things.  I am going to make an effort to cherish the cool things that I can do and not worry so much about what I can't do.  Below are four things that my teenage self would be envious of:

1. I know how to eat with chopsticks.
2. Every week I do the New York Magazine crossword puzzle in pen and almost always finish it without help. 
3. I can navigate New York City, including the subways, almost as well as a local (well, much better than I tourist at least)
4. I have no problem being by myself.  I'm able to sit in a coffee shop for hours alone or eat dinner solo without feeling like people are looking at me.

What can you do now or have you done that your teenage self would be impressed by?  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I'll be on the mend for the next few days, shaking this cold and thinking of more things to add to my list for 2010!

Blog Envy

One of the reasons I decided to start a blog of my own is because I love reading blogs.  They are online diaries that strangers bravely share with the world that address everything from writing to fashion to cooking.  It's so interesting to see what people are reading, what is interesting to them and to really start to identify with and form a 'virtual' relationship with a blogger.  Recently, the woman who writes one of my favorite blogs announced that she was pregnant and the response that she received in her comments section was unbelievable. 
  I find that as a new blogger I face two problems: one, I'm not sure what people truly want to read.  Am I interesting enough or informed enough to talk about the publishing world or what I think about the global economy?  What do people really want to read?  I've decided to focus on writing about what I would want to read or commenting a bit about something that I just read myself that really made an impact on me and stuck in my mind.
  Secondly, how do I get people to read my blog?  This is scary and exciting for me.  I want people to read what I have to say but am anxious about it at the same time.  How do popular blogs gain a following?  It's hard for me to even remember how I started reading other people's blogs.  I've decided that when I comment on people's sites I will leave my website address and hopefully, someone will want to click on it and read what I have to say.
  For now, I'll share with you some blogs that I love and hope that you will check them out, if you don't already read them. 

1. joannagoddard.blogspot.com
2. eater.com
3. smittenkitchen.com
4. blog.nathanbransford.com

Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend!