Linden's Pensieve

I’ll be writing several posts looking back to 2009 this month (have you read my Top 10 Songs post yet?), and today we’ll revisit some of the best posts on Linden’s Pensieve.

Now, “best” is quite a subjective word. I mean, there are unfounded bests (it’s just a black dress–nothing exciting) and bests we don’t care about (although I’m not making light of personal hygiene). So let me take a few seconds to define how I mean “best” in the context of this post.

I love the beginning of a new year because it’s, well, a fresh start. Really, we just change the number of the year we’re in, January 1 is just the day after December 31, just like January 2 is just the day after January 1, but we have celebrated the beginning of this new year for a long time, so I don’t feel silly for enjoying the newness of it.

Every new year, I take some time and evaluate the last year, then think about how I want to make my life better during the coming one.

During NaBloPoMo, I wrote about an inner struggle I was having about smoking, and today another struggle is on my mind: controlling my spending.

I did not use to struggle with buying things; I’d just put whatever it was I wanted on credit cards and think nothing of it. This strategy work for about two years, and then I found myself chin-deep in debt.

It was depressing.

When I click “Publish” on this post, I will have successfully completed NaBloPoMo. Definitely fun, and definitely challenging. I already looked back over what I have learned during this daily writing adventure, and I think now it’s time to look forward to see how coming up with something to write about every day.

I used to love blogging, and that was back before anyone liked reading my posts. I have actually never stopped enjoying writing blog posts, but the pressures of school and teaching took the joy out posting. And NaBloPoMo has renewed my interest in blogging. With the possible execption of yesterday, I did not have much trouble coming up with posts every day.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. President Abraham Lincoln on October 6, 1863 This year has been the most different year my life has ever had. I never ever would have imagined that I would, by the end of my 26th [...]

That’s right. I got “pulled over,” if you can call it that. I was on my way home on my bike, when a policman, Herr Kolb, called me over to him, just past the railroad tracks on Schiffenberger Weg. They had a stake-out on that corner, a much-used route from the center of town to my campus. It was dark, and they were trying to catch people whose bikes weren’t properly dressed up. My problem? My lights weren’t working.

First, let me preface this by saying that as much as I feel the desire to smoke, I will not start. You do not need to send me emails and comments encouraging me to make the right decision. I’m just struggling with this and I know there must be other people out their going through the same thing, so I’m writing about it. Plus, I think it will help me cope. Writing always does that.

After that very important intro, let’s get to the meat of this post.

I cannot explain why, but for about three months, I have been hankerin’ for a cigarette. I smoked at parties in college for about a semester. I was exposed to it some as a child because several of my aunts and uncles smoked. But I was never, by any definition, a regular smoker. I’ve never dated a smoker. Only one of my best friends smoke. So why am I having these urges?

I can’t believe I haven’t done this already. Wondering what I’m doing? Here‘s a great explanation. [Technorati Profile]

Ah, food. I love food. And I’ve been struggling with it for the last few years of my life.

I’ve never been “fat,” but I was almost always the “big girl” in my group. Maybe it’s because I’ve been blessed with what we* always joked were “birthing hips,” but then again, I’ve always had a little more to love. And don’t get me wrong: I do not I have a serious eating, self-image, or obesity problem, but I’m a woman, and I notice how I look, I notice how clothes fit me, and I like to eat!

After re-reading several articles weighing the pros and cons of WordPress and Blogger, I decided that when I bought my own URL, I was going to go with WordPress.org over Blogger (that’s another post for another day). I was more convinced when I tested out buying a URL through Blogger and found out that you have to buy through GoDaddy*. I have nothing against GoDaddy,