Turn Left

There's this path type thing, sort of in the woods, that borders a whole big ton of acres of land that, to the best of my understanding, is fenced off for military training purposes. But it's a big piece of land with walking/running/biking trails bordering it, and I like to go wandering some days. On clear mornings, you can see all the way to London, and it's pretty beautiful. Not to mention, it's where Millie (the dog) goes for her walk every day.

So I usually get to this path type thing, and turn right. And then it does a sort of loop, and sometimes I wander off on another trail that goes into the woods more, and then circle back around and eventually end up on my way back to the house.

But today I turned left.

And boy oh boy, and I glad I turned left today. What a way to end the week.

It's Ok

If you asked me about my approach to most aspects of life lately, my most probable response will include the words "over it." I'm not particularly stressed out or busy or overwhelmed; it's sort of the opposite. Waiting for my visa is literally going to kill me - right now it looks like I'm headed down the congestive heart failure route.

Between yesterday and today, I almost forgot that it was January. Sunny 55 degree weather (Farenheit, because I still don't know how to convert to Celsius) has tricked me into soaking up a little bit of the sun's rays - you know, before they completely disappear by 3pm.

I think I need a weekend doing something new, something out of the house, something in the sun to refresh me a little bit. Like a room that needs to have the windows opened so it can air out a bit, I'm a cramped up stuffy little piece of human these days. Let's see what this warm weather can bring, shall we?

Bedroom Talk

TGIF! It's about time. I know, I know, I don't have a "real job" at the moment, so why am I so excited that it's Friday? Well, for those of you who are wondering, I don't just lay in bed all day.

My bedroom is also... *drumroll*... my office! For now, it's got a little desk-like setup, and it's where I do all of my blog shenanigans, my workouts, and of course where I relax and sleep. Quite the all-purpose room! So I thought I'd let you step inside my little space.

I try to sit down each day and work a regular 9-5, and most of the time I put in weekend hours, too. Blogging is a full-time job, y'all! I think that getting up, getting dressed, and acting like I'm going to work each morning helps to keep me motivated and on a schedule. If I'm making a recipe for Street Cred, I'll have my tripod set up in the kitchen, usually in the afternoon for the best lighting. But otherwise, this is where all of the editing, writing, and blogging takes place.

I really like the calm quiet mornings when I'm alone. I tend to get a lot more accomplished when there's no socialization or noise to distract me. I'm a bit of an introvert, so I love the coziness of my little bedroom office, and the soft morning light when the frost is melting off of the windows.

I love candles. There will always be one lit when I'm working - and I'm obsessed with coordinating fragrances with seasons. I've even written a satirical essay entitled "The Proper Use of Scented Candles," just for fun. I just find them to be calming, and warm the mood, and make my workspace and living space feel super cozy. This week it's a "Festive Spice" Febreeze candle...Which reminds me, I need to go candle shopping because my current one is getting a little low.

I couldn't showcase my bedroom/office without this guy. Doopy sometimes contributes to my posts by walking across the keyboard of my computer while I'm writing. But for the most part, he just keeps me company and reminds me when it's breakfast and lunch time.

And at the end of the day... there's a fluffy white bed waiting to snuggle up to. With Doopy, of course. And sometimes Steve. But mostly the cat.

Cop-Out

I'm having a "cop-out" day as we speak. There was a thunderstorm that decided to wake me up around 1:30 this morning and keep me awake until around 3, so I'm a little on the groggy side. My bedside table has been replenished with a fresh cup of coffee half a dozen times already this morning. And my shoulder is sore/twinging. I'm not really sure what I did to it, but I'll just use it as an excuse to skip exercise today. I made an army-sized portion of pasta with prawns and pesto last night for dinner, so leftovers for lunch it is.

My plans for the weekend? I'm excited about the changing leaves and I might bake something involving pumpkin. I'd like to figure out how to use a French press for my coffee.... That's right, I've been drinking instant coffee. Gasp. It's not so bad. I put a bunch of yummy autumnal spices in it, and I found a really good brand that tastes like real coffee, so I'm surviving until we get our own place and I can invest in a proper machine. Tomorrow there's a farmers' market, and Sunday there might be something fun happening, pending the threat level of Steve's hangover (he has a going away party for a friend to attend on Saturday night).

Everything seems a little grey and hazy this morning, and I'm anticipating one of those days where time moves slowly and the air smells like moss after a rain. I might throw on some wellies and go for a bit of a woodland walk, but I think that's the extent to which I'll leave the bed today. Any film recommendations? Sometimes, you just need a day like this.