Question:

Do other people have as many awkward social interactions as me?

Related:

Are other people as aware of their awkwardness during the aforementioned awkward interaction as me? 

Further:

Does this line of thinking make me an extreme narcissist?

Even Further:

Does the fact that I am asking such a question on my own personal blog make me like, sooooo postmodern?


p.s. Not to be super pushy but if you are looking for a delicious treat and/or a breakfast recipe, make these. I have made the "bites" both times. The first time I did exactly as I was told. The second time I got super daring and REPLACED the chocolate chips with 1/2 c dried cranberries and 1/2 c almonds. THEY ARE SO GOOD! I eat them with yogurt in the morning. (My dad just gagged at my recipe suggestion. AGAIN.)
Note: I had the best luck with these when a) using my hands to mix (so I could tell when the granola was moist) and b) by using my cupcake pan WITH NO LINERS. Otherwise it is messy. And that is just no fun.

p.s.s. Raise your hand if you did indeed find my p.s. to be "super pushy." Sometimes writing off the cuff can be hilarious.

Queen for a day.

Remember when you were a little kid and had to write that essay that started off like "If I got to be President for a day, I would..." and then what followed was a laundry list of promises that sounded eerily similar to the same exact promises we made to each other when running for student council? (Four day school weeks! Free pop for everyone! No more MEATLOAF MONDAYS! PIZZA PARTIES EVERY DAY! It's our RIGHT! WHO'S WITH ME?!)

No one asks me anymore what I would do if I called the shots. Probably because I'm an "adult" and therefore I "make my own decisions." HAHA. Just kidding guys. I don't really know what I'm doing most of the time and even when I think I do, I am often proven wrong by this little thing called Life.

The point is, I tried this new recipe last week. My b-f-f Sarah said I need to embrace the crock pot and you know what? I agree. Who wants to cook when they get home from a day of work? Not this moi. I have way too much Damages to watch for that kind of thing.

So, I turned to the trusty Pinterest and found this gem.

It's risky, you know, trying a new recipe and all and for some reason the slow cooker heightens the anticipation because you just don't know what's going to happen when you remove the lid after 10 hours.

Luckily for everyone, this recipe was a major success. NOT ONLY did my husband eat this for three meals straight, but after his first bite, his eyes lit up and he said AND I QUOTE, "You are Queen of the Crockpot."

Soooo yeah. Movin up in the world. And as your Crockpot Queen, I would just like to say--nay, MANDATE--FREE POP FOR EVERYONE! And someone please invent calorie-free brownies already. IT'S OUR RIGHT!

Who's with me?!

p.s. Make this soup. Unless you are a hater (ahem, DAD) and upon hearing the very WORDS "sweet potato", wrinkle your nose in disgust and say, "Ughhhhh. That is gross." In which case you are banished from my kingdom but can buy your way back in with ice cream.

It's complicated.

The problem with doing hard things is that well, it's hard.

It's a romantic notion, sure, but in practice? It can be kind of terrible.

I mean, who wants to wake up with their stomach all in knots? Who wants to risk failure or embarrassment or...well, really anything at all?

There is a reason, after all, that we have not done that hard thing already.

There is no reason, in many cases, that we have to do that hard thing at all.

So to choose it? To choose challenge, sacrifice, interruption in mere hopes that in the end, it will be worth it?

How absurd!

And yet...

Both/and.

 Feeling this, especially in this new, shiny season of order, planning, list-making, thinking, evaluating, re-evaluating:

"Being reflective is both a blessing and a curse, a potential for strength and for weakness. It can lead equally well toward truth or error. Life can be richer, more textured, more challenging, more meaningful. Likewise, it can become more barren, more threatening, more overwhelming."

-Daniel Taylor, The Myth of Certainty

Where our crap comes from.

I encourage you to listen to this podcast. It was well worth the hour of my time.

Basically, it's about this guy who loves Apple products and is totally obsessed with technology. Then one day he wonders where it's all made. And so the adventure begins...

I love This American Life.

(FYI, for a very short time, it was also a TV show. It rocked. You can watch it for free here.)

p.s. For the first time in a looooong time, I am wearing brown AND black. I feel both daring and apologetic. My middle-school self would be horrified. To that middle-school Sara, I would like to say:

"Dude. Lay off. It's a new year and I'm pretty sure it's cool now. Also, at least I've discovered HAIR GEL! Oops. Sorry. That was a low blow. Forget everything I just said and go enjoy Surge while it lasts.
OH! And would you believe that one day you will get to watch Titanic in 3D?! TRUE! You know I wouldn't lie about something like that. (sidenote: Leo may not return your fan letters but life will go on.)
ALSO, right at this very moment your future husband is out there in the world with blond spiky hair playing guitar in a rock band soooo yeah. Ignore all those idiots around you, read more books, gossip less and you know what? Enjoy "family time." You'll miss it one day."

Lately:

Reading:  

A true story about both the Chicago World Fair AND a Chicago serial killer (weird combo but it was really fascinating—and I usually dislike nonfiction!—and only sometimes terrifying); a hilarious memoir (rumor has it that if you get the audio book she reads it herself!); an interesting collection of ideas regarding Christianity; and now, a novel that, though I’m halfway through, I still can’t decide if I like (Catcher in the Rye-esque).

Also, really liking these two blogs –especially posts like this (about journalism), this (about living an exceptional life) , this (about relationships in a digital age) and this (about reputation vs character).

Also, consuming a ridiculous amount of news articles to be discussed with my husband which usually ends in us both being really stressed out. But also feeling informed (ish) so…win? (I personally have discovered this website to be a really fascinating take on the difficult—impossible?—fight to write without bias, especially, in my opinion, when it comes to politics.)

Watching:

America in Primetime (if you only watch one, watch “The Misfit.” Trust me.)

Thinking:

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could bottle motivation and sip on it all year?

...and youuu?

I like you but...

If you're anything like me, yesterday was a total drag as you muddled your way through a work day that felt never ending (times a billion since we were OUT OF COFFEE! OH THE AGONY!). You wanted to crawl back to last week and stay there forever--a land full of lattes! and date nights! and reading Tina Fey's book in less than 24 hours just because you could!!!

But you made it to today and things are better (read: two cups of coffee and four chocolates. WHAT?!).

It's glorious to take a break from "real life" and recharge and give yourself permission to do nothing in all sorts of ways. It's a treat to get enough sleep and not have pinched shoulders or even an eye twitch.

It's awesome to see all sorts of your favorite people and all be in the same physical space for more than five minutes. And to just laugh the crazy Liz Lemon laugh when you do things such as drop the peanut butter jar on the floor.

It's a huge blessing to spend time with your also-not-stressed husband. It's like, DUDE, we are SO MUCH MORE FUN RIGHT NOW! And look! We stayed up past midnight two days in a ROW! WE ARE AWESOME!

But then that time is gone and back to the reality of long days, never-ending lists and "crap we forgot LUNCHMEAT" as we drive away from the store and back home to put away Christmas decorations.

It's like, hey, yeah, I have a lot to be thankful for and I know I'll get adjusted and probably won't keep my resolutions and everything will be fine but for now I just can't help but think:

Um, 2012? I like you but you're crazy.