The New Year's Resolution I Never Made

For me, 2014 is turning out to be The Year of Trying New Things. I never planned on it, it's just sort of happening.

The majority of my new experiences are a direct result of my new job, which is also the reason I haven't blogged since October. If you follow the history of this blog, you will notice that I am very prolific when I am unemployed. However, when I'm clocking a 9-to-5, all I want to do when I get home is eat and watch TV.

I strolled into 2014 like I do most years: optimistic and only a little bit hungover. I stopped making actual resolutions years ago, but not because I feel above such things, it's just that, they rarely work out. The only time-sensitive goal on my mind was fitting into the size-10 bridesmaid dress I ordered for July. (I don't consider this a New Year's Resolution, but rather a decision to not be the token fat girl in my friend's wedding party.)

A common NYR, especially amongst bloggers, is to try new things. I like the idea, but I never made a conscious decision to do so. It just started happening, and I want to keep it up. 

So far I have:

Re-upholstered furniture
It's not that impressive, I actually just neatly stapled new fabric over two Target storage ottomans. I decided to use my Christmas money to spruce up my living room, so bought a new TV stand, hung curtains, bought new pillows, and covered the ottomans to match. I may do a "budget decorating" post about it, with pictures!

Mentored an Intern (ongoing)
You know this whole "pretending to be a grown-up" thing is working when your boss assigns you an intern. I'm now responsible for supervising an intern, assigning her projects, and teaching her how to have a big-girl job. I can't help feeling I'm being tested just as much as she is, but I choose to embrace it.

Baked a Mardi Gras King Cake
My new boss is a former New Orleanian, and apparently Carnival isn't just the week leading up to lent, as my Catholic upbringing and high school French classes taught me. Carnival starts on Epiphany (or Twelfthnight, the 12th day of Chirstmas) and goes until Mardi Gras, which usually falls sometime in March. (I just want to take a moment to discuss that fact that if New Orleanians celebrate all the major Western holidays, they are partying from Halloween to Mid-March. THAT'S SIX MONTHS!) Anywho, the King Cake tradition is a big part of Carnival. A person will host a party and bake this special cake with a bean or plastic baby charm baked inside. The guest who finds the charm in their piece has to host the next party and bake the next cake. So, we have a weekly King Cake in my office. The Boss bought the first one, and I got the baby, but instead of buying one, I decided to bake it myself. I am not a regular baker, and I've never made anything where I've had to knead dough and let it rise (twice!) but it was super fun and very satisfying. It took a whole evening, but it was worth every second. I decided to make the cake myself when I thought about just how much of a TV zombie I had been in the previous week. It felt good to work on a project for a change. Also, it was beautiful and delicious!


Next, I will be volunteering at the Special Olympics in Austin. It's not something I ever pictured myself doing, but the more I hear about it, the more excited I get about it. The Boss volun-told us today that we have the sign up for a shift and represent our organization. I was unsure at first, but then I got put in charge of helping the interns sign up. One of them had volunteered with SO before and she loved it, so we are signed up for a bowling awards ceremony on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm interested to see what other new things are headed my way.

Happy 2014!