Inspiration for a New Year

As family and friends frequently remind me, my blog has certainly seen better days.  Which is true, of course, but it's also difficult for me to hear: in my long list of priorities, Pinot and Prose is usually the first thing to get dropped.  Which is sad and frustrating for me.  Certainly in the new year, one of my goals is to make more time for things I love, blog included.  It's usually the things that we love, that fulfill us and energize us, that tend to get shunted to the side in our busy day-to-day lives.  For some reason, they start seeming frivolous and self-indulgent.  Or, in my case, it's easier to sit in front of a 30 Rock episode than to be creative and interesting and challenging.  I hope to end that in 2011.

That said, it's not like my life has become a wasteland of duty to jobs, commuting, and bills.  On the contrary, I am constantly inspired, moved, and wowed by my fellow bloggers.  My Google Reader is chock-full of people (let's face it - mostly women) who make blogging, reading, eating, and living a full life a major priority.  So as this year comes to a close, I want to say thank you to the following people (and this list is by no means exhaustive) who have kept me going in 2010.

• Bookends: Cindy and Lynn blog at Booklist and - maybe this is one of my favorites because I know them - but I find their blog (and them as people) so fun and joyful.  And incredibly informative.  
• Bookshelves of Doom: Leila makes me feel like I have my finger on the pulse of really random pop culture news items. And I laugh heartily reading nearly every post.
• Coconut & Lime: Rachel's photos are gorgeous and her recipes are totally accessible.
• Color Me Katie: Sheer joy packaged in every post.
• A Cup of Jo: So stylish and chic. Not to mention that I credit Joanna Goddard with introducing me to Yves Saint Laurent's perfume Parisienne, for which I've received many, many compliments.
• emilyreads: Book reviews in haiku. Hilarious and brilliant.
• honey & jam: I just discovered Hannah's blog this year and it was love at first sight. Stunning photography - I'm repeatedly awed.
• I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?: As far as I can tell, no one in the children's book world is doing what Lee is doing.  And certainly not as well. He's an essential voice.
• Je ne sais quoi...: Get a true, down-and-dirty view of Parisian life here.
• La Tartine Gourmande: Eye candy.
• Lardon My French: After 3 years as an interior designer in the U.S., Katrina dropped it all to live in Paris as a freelancing, blogging expat.  Inspirational for me, for sure.  Her Tartine Tuesdays feature incredibly accessible recipes, especially for weeknight cooking.
• Lucy's Kitchen Notebook: No "Favorites" list of mine would be complete without Lucy Vanel.  Think her photos are gorgeous?  Wait until you read her prose.  
• Simmer Till Done: Marilyn has such a sense of fun in everything - her blog posts, her recipes, and her photos.  And she is hands-down one of my favorite Tweeters (@simmertilldone).
• Unhappy Hipsters: Consistently reminds me not to take myself nor life too seriously.
• A Year of Reading: Two teachers who definitely "get it".  Their enthusiasm for books and poetry is contagious.

It's a New Year that will see a move for me (Manhattan, here I come!) and a move for the Soul Twin, who it appears may be moving to NYC.  It'll see my daughter, known to all of you as Bug, turning 10 years old (and getting her ears pierced).  Hopefully this is the year when I finally go skydiving.  Maybe this is the year when I'll be able to achieve the cliched and elusive "work-life balance."  

Thanks to my fellow bloggers who inspire, push, and teach me and thanks to the family and friends who keep up with my blog.  

Happy New Year!

Links à deux

Rarely do I care that I don't bake. I just don't have a sweet tooth so I'm never motivated to go through the effort. People often ask me how I can have "only one" square of chocolate after my lunch: "You can stop at only one?!" Why, yes. Yes, I can.

What no one comments on is how I manage to scarf down an entire plate of nachos by myself. I exercise little to no restraint for nachos. I make room because I love all things crunchy, salty, and cilantro-y. On nacho nights, I consciously eat light the entire day because I know I'm going to go the distance for dinner. That's just me. Desserts? Meh. Chips? Awwww yeah, baby.

Anyway...every once in awhile, someone makes me wish I baked. Usually when they bake something savory. I give you Simmer Till Done's Upside-Down Tomato Basil Bread. Holy crap. I want it and I want it now. And Marilyn gives fantastic instructions in case things aren't looking right - she's making baking sound do-able...even for me. However, the very idea of cranking my oven up to 400 degrees for more than an hour is unthinkable right now, my un-air-conditioned kitchen being the gateway to hell in the summertime. But for all you people lucky enough to cook in air-conditioned bliss, you're welcome.

The other link I offer you is Amateur Gourmet's review of Julie & Julia. He said it perfectly and he convinced me that having the juxtaposition between Julie Powell and Julia Child not only worked but was necessary to the movie. And I teared up a bit when he mentioned the movie being about connections: Julia and Paul, Julie and Eric, Julia and her collaborators, Julie and her friends...on and on. I was already feeling so glowy and happy about the movie, and now I love it even more.

Eat, drink, and make Upside-Down Tomato Basil Bread so I can live vicariously through you!