Flavor of the Month

I'm shopping for a new hobby. Actually, that's probably a bit too generous- I'm shopping for a new phase, a flavor of the month. It happens occasionally. I'm sure not bored; between work, the house, my attempt at a social life, and getting ready to start training again I have more to do than hours in the day! But, I need something new, a break from everything else. And, like any good bibliophile, I turn to books for assistance.

1. Cycling: This is an exception from the whole "flavor of the month" concept- I really want to add this to me fitness regimen permanently. I'm having a treadmill delivered tomorrow, so I think a bike is a bit in the future, but it's going to happen. I must also overcome my dislike for helmets, falling, getting hit by cars and changing flat tires.


2. Cake Pops: I've recently become obsessed with them. I loved them back a few years ago when they were just "cake balls" made at Christmas, but I need to make some. I hate the fact that they're so trendy (cake pops are the new cupcake), but they're bite sizes pieces of cake covered in candy. I'll have to put my need to contradict the general population aside. And I have weird desire to make them into little animals. I am checking myself for a fever. I must be ill.


3. Quilting: Let me clarify; I want to make a quilt out of all my race t-shirts, since most of the businesses that do it for you charge a billion dollars (I'm not exaggerating. A billion). I'd also like to be able to attempt my future baby's bedding, but the main focus are my shirts. Me, me, me, me. I'm a very selfish person, sorry unconceived child.

4. Wine Drinking: I've been working really hard the last year or so to like wine. And by really hard I mean I try it when someone else buys it. I've gone from liking none to liking one (and it's a dessert wine, which is pretty pathetic). I need a book to teach me how to appreciate and choose wine. Either that or I need to drink more. And more. And more. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it's much more socially acceptable to have a glass or two of wine with dinner on a weeknight that a shot or two of tequila. All I know is that after I read Sideways I was all about drinking wine. Unfortunately, I was like 19 or 20 at the time and it was all about the Smirnoff Ices that we could convince people with fake IDs to buy us.


5. Hiking: Normally, I really hate getting dirty, but if I've mentally prepared myself ahead of time I can cope. I really, really enjoy hiking (I hiked all the way to the top of effing Half Dome with my brother a year ago) and I know that there are a million trails in Southern California that I haven't taken advantage of simply because I'm not really sure where to look. Hence the need for a book. Preferably one with maps and pictures.

6. Yoga: I haven't had a lot of luck with yoga- I have a few videos that I'll do, but I know I'm not getting the full benefits (checking my phone for email during the cat pose or getting angry about dog hair on the floor may have something to do with it). I feel like I need to do it, though, since the running has started taking a toll on some of my joints and, according to the massage therapist last weekend, I "have way too many knots for someone so young" in my back (sorry, I have stress in my life and don't get to sit around listening to soft music and rubbing oil into people all day). A book might help convince me that I need to make more of an effort.

7. Vegetarianism: I'm definitely not going to take the full plunge into becoming a vegetarian, but I've reduced the amount of meat I cook quite a bit the last year and have tried to eliminate red meat completely (I eat it less than once a month). I would really like to read some of these books for the main purpose of getting some better ideas at how to more adequately supplement protein (and iron) into my meals.

I know, stingy, only three pictures. The right click button on my mouse is acting up [insert joke about my clicking my mouse here] and I simply do not have the patience tonight to use the ever-so complicated touch pad on my computer (after 9 months I still have failed to bond with my Apple and it's confusing finger tapping routines). And now I sound old.