The Great Indoors

A blizzard is brewing. The flurrying has begun and the sky is furious to rid itself of the snow. I could keep whining about the cold, but it doesn't seem to do any good. Instead, I thought I would share my delightfully cozy indoor activities. I am currently job hunting so I have found myself with an excess of indoor time. In the case that you getting a strange episode of cabin fever yourself (or if you live in New England and you're about to be home-bound for DAYS), I thought I would ravish you with my woefully thrilling indoor fun.

Doing:

Job Hunting, Video Editing and Crocheting. And staring out the window at all the cold people walking by. Is that mean? It's a lovely coffee time activity.

Reading:

A few different treasures. One of the beauties of being out of school is reading, just for fun.

... "The Alchemist" (in honor of my bro-in-law Joshua, because it's his favorite book. Ironically, he used to tease me when I was little - FOR READING. So cruel.)

... I'm also still powering through "Anna Karenina", although it's a bit of a weary read. I'm going to reward myself with a viewing of Keira Knightley's interpretation of the text when I'm finally done. There will be kettle corn involved. And probably fruit snacks.

... "Audition", in preparation for my nervously-nearing future. Have I mentioned that yet? Mmm perhaps another time.

... And probably most importantly, "My Utmost for His Highest", for the Jesus factor. We all need the Jesus factor.

Watching:

...House Hunters and Love it or List it; I'm officially addicted to house shows. Even though I don't and probably won't anytime in the near future actually live in a house. Been in an apartment for.... 5 years and counting. And I don't think they actually make houses for people in NYC. So there you have it.

...Duck Dynasty and Swamp People; I can never live without cable now. How glorious are these people? I just love them and want to go gator hunting. No I don't.

Baking:

Ghiradelli chocolate chip cookies... I may have perfected the ultimate fluffy cookie. More details to come; I need to do one more test run. Market research. Whatever it's called. Okay fine. I need to eat more cookies.

Cleaning:

Ha. Only occasionally, but Mrs. Meyers products have made it slightly more fun. The RosemaryBasil and Honeysuckle counter top sprays are my favorite. Somehow, Mrs. Meyers has made cleaning sort of trendy.

Crushing:

Essie confections Turquoise and CaicosTart Deco and Lilacism. It's safe to say I've developed a healthy addiction to this nail polish. As my husband says, it's better than my addiction to Sour Patch Kids. Mmm that's my movie candy.

Avoiding:

The gym. But just so my insanely fit friend won't reprimand me, let me mention that I've been hitting the Brazilian Butt Lift DVDs hardcore, and my oh my, I have to open a window once I get going. The cold in my apartment suddenly becomes sweltering and my hiney forms vocal chords and screams obscenities at me. It's great. Spring break, I'm coming at you. Along with my mouthy tush.

Any indoor activities that you're enjoying? I could use a few tips, since job hunting can get me a little down. You might call it the winter blues. Muahaha I made a relevant joke. See, I already feel so much better.

Stay warm, my New England friends!

City Musing: Ice Cold Cambridge

Is Anyone Else Cold?

It's bitter. Face-stinging, eye-watering, finger-snapping cold. It's the kind of cold that you swallow through your neck and immediately freezes your appendages. Suddenly fingers and toes no longer work. Oh, Cambridge. These are the kind of winters that make you infamous.

In an effort to get warm, I am continuously cranking up the heat and brewing coffee around the clock. I am layering my clothes and wishing that stores offered lifestyle handwarmers. You know, to keep inside the pockets of the sweatshirt that's under the second bathrobe. Ooh, and electric socks. When is someone going to engineer those? I'll buy stock.

So it snowed all day yesterday. It just snowed and snowed and snowed. And yet strangely, when I took my camera outside today to capture the snowy remnants left by the night's frost, there wasn't much to be captured. But there was still enough cold in the air to temporarily freeze my fingers so I could no longer click the button on my camera. Awesome. However, I wanted to capture my town while it's cold because, obviously, this is a big part of Boston's identity: COLD WEATHER. Call me sentimental, but I even want to remember this ridiculous weather. When I'm not here anymore. So snuggle up and enjoy. Your heater.

So in an effort to stay warm this evening, I will be snuggling up with my honey and watching last night's episode of Downton Abbey. Obviously, the Superbowl took priority last night (and Beyonce and Alicia Keys' performances totally made it worth it to me). My favorite new addition to a traditional Downton evening? Home-cooked kettle corn and La Croix. Yes oh yes. It's a good night to stay in.