First Post -- Mulligan

Okay, it's been a little over a month since my maiden voyage blog crashed and sunk.  I spent an hour or so typing and copying a recipe and getting myself convinced that this is a good thing to do.  Not because anyone anywhere might ever read it or care, but because it was a good, easy way to get me into the good habit of writing regularly.

I typed my original post on my laptop which, for some odd reason, chooses to delete entire passages at its own discretion.  Sometimes the cursor just jumps to a spot of its own choosing; sometimes it takes large chunks of text with it when it goes.  I have to watch it every minute to make sure I'm not starting a new passage in the middle of an existing paragraph and that's just not how I type.  Mrs. Berry taught me years ago how not to look at the screen (of course, back then it was the paper in the typewriter) or my fingers when I'm typing and that old habit will die hard.  Besides, when I look at what I'm typing, I am often overcome with this weird sense of self-doubt and discouragement -- did you really write that?  why?  who cares? why? why? why?

So, with that brief look into my psyche, I will just leave it at this:  I don't like looking at what I'm typing as I'm typing, but if I don't my laptop will sabotage whatever it is I've written.  So here I sit at the desktop -- basically making all my excuses for buying a laptop in the first place null and void.

I am going to try to write a little something each day.  Ideally, I'll record some recipes here because I really do want to ultimately assemble a cookbook for some family and friends and I have never been in the habit of writing down how I do what I do in the kitchen.  For today, I don't really have a recipe to record.  I just wanted to start the new week and the new year on the right foot.  I'm also using Weight Watchers and checking class schedules at the gym.  Any or all of these resolutions may crash and burn at any moment, but for right now, I'm doing pretty well with 2011.

Ironically, I found a list of New Year's Resolutions in my Joy of Cooking last week.  The list was from 2008.  Many of them I still hope to accomplish in 2011.  When I told Bobby I had found that three-year-old list, he actually burst out laughing.  I guess he doesn't expect much from me.  I hope I'll surprise us both this year.

Especially me.