We are nearly half-way through January now, so how are my resolutions holding up?
Well, I know you’ve been on the edge of your seats about this one, so let me assure you – I have legitimately flossed every day. My gums thank me. They very rarely bleed now, and I expect that in another month or so they will be even happier.
I’ve started experimenting with skincare products to find my routine, but there are so many! I nearly gave myself a panic attack reviewing my options. The internet, as with all things, is full of contradictory advice, and the costs for various moisturizers and exfoliants can be astronomical. Luckily, I had a couple of friends step in and recommend some products to me. I ended up at LUSH on Oxford Street, and came home with a few products and a few samples that I’m really enjoying. If you missed my Instagram story the other day, I bravely posted before/after photos of myself in LUSH’s Mask of Magnaminty.
I’m not doing as well with cooking – that is, I am cooking at home almost every day, but not from my new cookbooks. I’m falling back on old classics, like pasta with cream sauce, bacon and eggs, and Brussels sprouts and smoked salmon. Easy, fast meals that require only a few ingredients and not a lot of effort. Given my grad school obligations, this makes sense, but the point of my resolution was to give myself some time each week for creative cooking. I have bought ingredients to make Shrewsbury cakes, though. They aren’t from my cookbooks, but rather, a recipe I used to make in Foodways at Colonial Williamsburg (and before that, from my American Girl Felicity kit). I’ve had a craving for them lately, so I might take some time this week to bake.
(Speaking of Foodways, last spring I did an oral history interview with Southern Foodways Alliance and it was recently posted! If you’re interested on my take on food history and working at Colonial Williamsburg, you can hear a short snippet of the interview on their site, and/or read a full transcript.)
Writing. I have written, though not quite 500 words every day, and most of it not polished enough for any kind of public consumption. I’ve jotted down more ideas, taken more notes on readings, and recommitted to my analogue journal. I’ve not started writing any fiction, though I promised myself I would, and I’ve not written anything cohesive for my project. But I have a supervision this week, so that last bit will definitely be rectified! Through writing, I’m trying to fulfill my other goal of caring more and less. This blog post might be an example. I’m caring more in terms of actually posting, but trying to let go of self-consciousness about content.
And finally, my cross-stitch kits arrived! I’ve set up my first kit – arranged the threads on a card and made the first few, critical stitches. The aida cloth for this kit was more unwieldy than I had anticipated, so I ordered a couple of embroidery hoops which arrived the other day. And, whilst ordering embroidery hoops, I impulse bought a FIMO Kids Polymer Clay kit for making a few cat figurines. In the past, I have loved making clay figures, and I’m excited to get back into creating things with my hands. Here’s to reconnecting with old hobbies!
More importantly, here’s to accountability and healthy, happy new year.
(Top Photo: Right now, I’m reading adaptation studies theory for my project. It feels a little bit like a metaphor and it really is full of new challenges, as the title asserts. And I’m drinking lots of tea in the process. Ahhh grad student life.
Middle Photos: Before and after skincare. The photo of me in the mask has an Instagram filter over it, the the second photo is 100% #nofilter.)