Why, hello! I could start right off the bat with hokey metaphors about being on a journey together, or something off-kilter like the photo below, or savoring the scenery more than the destination… but we have time to get used to each others’ senses of humors, and particularly my B-grade puns. I had the good fortune to watch the clock turn to 2014 from a warm cabin at the frigid shores of the St. Croix River in Minnesota. I flew across the country to hop in a car from SFO and bop up to the Sierras and spend some more time reflecting on the year that passed and the one to come. I resolved to get this baby started. Probably a lot of new blogs get started in the first weeks of January. I’m okay with being part of a trend. 
I’ve been meaning to start a new chronicle since I started classroom teaching three years ago. This new year brings with it many fresh starts and new beginnings, including my sense that I am finally getting some of my wherewithal back, enough that I might find a few minutes a week to document where my mind has wandered and what’s inspiring me. Right now, I’m feeling inspired by conifers and snow; by crisp, fresh air; by really good friends; by braided rugs and handknit gloves; by the kimchee pork stew from The Art of Simple Cooking II we made two nights ago; by striking that balance between ambitious optimism and appreciative satisfaction to land in the sweet spot of my admittedly good life.
I aspire to write about what I’m cooking, how I’m teaching, who I’m loving, where I’m adventuring, and why my thoughts are spinning. I live with my girlfriend and our part-time dog in Berkeley. I teach at a charter school in Oakland. I pine for my family in the heartland, as a Midwestern girl to the core. I have bright eyes and a big vocabulary. I’m an external processor with a love for adjectives and stories, and all the things keep capturing my imagination. Thanks for joining me. We’ll see where the road leads.
and all the things 