2010, you are most welcome

It's a new year, a clean slate. I'm taking a sabatical for the next few months. Moving back to NYC, taking classes, looking for work, making a personal website, staying with friends, seeing old friends, meeting new people, experimenting with food, and trying to live on a smaller budget.

My stuff is packed, I'm leaving my apartment tomorrow (though I may have to come back to take out the trash and recycling :P ). I'm headed into the unknown. Tomorrow I have a pile of books to sell. When I get to my mom's house I want to go through all my stuff (this was the only time she had to help me move, so I didn't have time to sort it before moving it.) I want to reduce my clutter. Reduce my possessions that make it hard to move around. I don't know where I will be going next, I might be applying for school in Sweden, or working architecture in Colorado (or other random state), or living in Brooklyn. As far as 2010 this is what I know
- my brother is getting married, and I will be there
- I want to meditate, do yoga and run
- I want to explore the field of architecture and get more experience and figure out what part I want in it (via classes, informational interviews, apply for school, do certificates, get an internship- do what it takes to figure out what I want my career to be)

I was inspired by the film 'Coco Before Chanel' to take a pattern making class so I get more out of my love of sewing, hopefully there is a spot left. I'm also interested in furniture design, graphic design as well as green architecture. Much to explore. I also plan to get this blog back on track... food!

Tonight we went to North Star on Fall Street in Ithaca, NY. It was fantastic! Large portions, tasty local food, good conversation. The service was a little slow, which makes my only warning: don't go here if you are with someone you can't make conversation with!

Time to chill a bit and lay down, my back is sore from a day spent packing and lifting and descending stairs. I am excited/scared/nervous about why lies ahead, which made it difficult to pack.

A day at home

I made scrambled eggs with spinach and cheddar for... brunch :) And then I sauteed 3 little zucchini and a tomato and mixed with rigatoni for dinner, making enough to have it as a cold pasta salad tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm having a little get together. I just got here but I met my neighbors and a friend's girlfriend and invited them all over for a little potluck! Not sure what I'm making yet, but I want to make something using things I already have (of which there is a list on the fridge, to remind me NOT to go grocery shopping again, because I love shopping for groceries!)

(the little asterisk means it's in the freezer)

One of the things I did today was watch the rest of project runway season 5, disc 3 (still have some catching up to do, and I don't have cable... or a TV, so I'm always a season behind!). So I started draping with fabrics I already have. I'm so not allowed to buy anything except for notions I need to finish a garment! So I played with some draping, not sewing anything yet- I have a few patterns I want to make and I'm still a little intimidated by draping and making patterns from draping because I'm all self/book taught and in the past it hasn't gotten me too far with draping... hopefully that will change!

Pretty elementary, but mostly fun to work on! (Though I really should have been reading, grad school is a lot of work!)