I’ve been in the VI exactly one year, today. The longest I’ve spent continuously in one place since high school. Momentous, indeed.

Real post to follow shortly…probably. : )

Kelly

First, a well-earned follow-up: I’m toying with this headline here as a potential food blog title, though my favorites from your suggestions (thank you!) were The Omnomnomicon and I Eat Food, I believe. : ) I’ll let y’all know when food blog plans progress.

Second: Yes, I am incredibly lame. In my defense, well, I had better things to do? Kind of a crummy opening argument, wot? (I *love* that expression and am trying to work it cleverly into my personal vernacular…we’ll see how it goes…) Anyway, there’ve been many things happening in the Life of Kelly that have gotten in the way of regular blog-tending.

Here, lemme ’splain…no, that will take too long…lemme sum up. Since my last post, I have:
- scuba dived (scuba dove?) in a 150-year-old shipwreck
- obtained a third job (Sun Times = 1, freelancing = 2, mysterious & exciting New Job = 3)
- lost several pounds
- learned a bunch more about my dream graduate degree (you may remember it from such blog posts as: A tavola non s’invecchia)
- visited Annie in the Big Apple, which entailed some truly exceptional shopping, eating, and general larking about
- learned to cook gourmet meals with nothing but a toaster oven and an electric tea kettle
- and a bunch of other things I’m surely forgetting…

I need to go make something else clever with my toaster oven here in a minute – I must feed – but I suppose I’ll expand on a couple of the key points first. Let’s see… ah, yes, New Job! I am now a proud employee of Big Planet, the surf couture joint about 150 meters east of the Sun Times office. I’m working part time to supplement my income, in preparation for the slow season, which is nearly upon us. I actually really like it – standing around folding t-shirts and chatting with customers and stuff nicely balances out all the time I spend at the Sun Times, sitting behind a desk . So that’s cool.

Also cool was my trip up to New York City last weekend. I went up for an info session about the Italian grad program and came a few days early to hang out with cool NYC people! It was a lovely trip! And the most significant thing I got out of the grad meeting was that even if I apply for a Fulbright this year and (by some freak chance) get it, I wouldn’t be going until March of 2011. In fact, if I do manage to secure a grant, it will more likely be for the 2012 program! This warrants an exclamation point because it means I’m here on St. John for at least another 2 years, and probably 3. I’m coming frighteningly close to having a proper, permanent life going on here…

So that’s about everything of note. I’m going to go figure out how to make mac & cheese in a toaster oven…

Cheers,
Kelly

Okay everyone, I need your help. I need a good name for a food blog. I’m going for concise, but pithy. Something with a fairly intellectual bent, possibly referential, but I’m also open to witty. I’m going to be giving this lots of though my own self, but I know y’all are a creative bunch, so I figured I’d open it up for suggestions, too.

Let me know what you come up with! I’m off to have a good ponder.
Cheers,
Kelly

p.s. I’m in love with Lee Pace (The Fall, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls).

As a counterpoint to Laura’s recent, awesome Cupcakes of Catan post, I bring you this excellent blog:

Cake Wrecks

Blargh!! I am never going to another baby shower...

(Credit for discovery, though, goes to Johnny Wander, which you should read, if you don’t already…)

-Kelly

I love this – apparently NASA is holding a vote to determine what the name of the next module of the International Space Station should be. The first two modules are called Unity and Harmony, and guess what the front-runner for the next section is! Serenity! You should totally head over there and cast your vote!

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html

Thanks, Dad, for sharing this with me! And thanks Joss Whedon (and, y’know, NASA)  for being SO awesome. : )
Kelly