27.

hello blog,

i know i just re-hashed our neglected relationship, and i'm sad to tell you this, but i have to leave you again. i'll be back one day though, don't worry...

real talk though: i'm going to take a serious break from "social networking" sites and the internet in general. since the internet intruded on my simple, secluded life back in the 90's, it has kind of taken over my life, and not in any positive or productive way. i can say with a decent amount of certainty that it has caused more harm than good in my life. i let it rob me of my time, of which i have a limited amount, and i let it affect my emotions more than a brightly lit box ever should.

the internet has taken a small world and made it even smaller. it serves as an easy reminder of things and people that have no place in my mind. it keeps me from being productive. it doesn't help me keep in touch with friends - at least not in a meaningful way. i see people act and say a lot of things that i find depressing and sickening. this list could easily keep going, but i think you get the picture. in short, it's a waste.

i subscribe to the idea that if you don't like something in your life, you should do what you can to change it, and i've found myself in a place that i don't want to be, and nobody is keeping me here but myself. i lack self control in quite a few areas of my life, and hopefully if i can be stronger about one of them, the others will be close behind. i know that saying goodbye to a few websites doesn't seem like much, but for me it is. i'm a quitter, always have been.

i hope by the time february 12th rolls around (that's a month, but who knows, maybe it will be longer!) i hope to feel a sense of accomplishment. not only because i achieved a goal i set for myself, but because i made better use of my time and my life. i want to build friendships, see the sights, cook delicious food, read books, write letters, watch documentaries, go outside, make things, clear my mind, and so much more.

so yeah, there we go! if you want to get in touch with me then please! ask me to hang out, send me a letter, write me an email, text me, whatever you want. i want to know people past their status updates.

good luck to me!

xoxo

Tara

(hello.talk.goodbye@gmail.com)

26.

work...

(makin' mini snowballs)

(not amazing, but taking baby steps)

for a non-baker like me, making cupcakes start to finish is pretty exciting. slowly, slowly, slowly, i am learning. even though it's a small feat, it still makes me proud of myself. i kinda fucked up mixing/baking the eggnog ones, but i did an okay job frosting the little snowballs on top, which i was nervous to do. since i got side-sloping peaks on the cupcakes, i'm just pretending i made a ski hill on top of each one. working with frosting is harder than it looks!

left: chocolate "snowball" cupcakes filled with cocoa mousse, topped with vanilla frosting and coated in coconut.

right: eggnog cupcakes filled with creamy "eggnog", topped with vanilla frosting and a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon.

25.

(last picture from 2011)

wowee! it's been almost a year since i last updated this bad boy. a lot has happened since then, so i think it's time for another a-z to catch up...

a) tara susan anley

b) a quarter of a century old

c) been living in the great city of chicago for four months now

d) forever mending broken hearts (maybe it's time to give the little guy a rest!)

e) slowly and clumsily learning how to bake (and getting paid for it)

f) in dire need of a dentist. who needs teeth, really?!

g) currently in possession of four bicycles

h) consistently tardy

i) learning emotional self control

j) trying to be better with words

k) currently trying to read "on love" and "the zookeeper's wife" - been trying for three months now

l) painfully nostalgic. still working on that time machine

m) lucky to have friends that will pitch in and buy me a shot of malort for breakfast

n) living without power in my bedroom for four days and counting now...

o) finally a fan of the office

p) making my way through all the seasons of the wonder years. been waiting for this forever!

q) still haven't shipped any of my belongings from san francisco. please shoot me.

r) lucky to have the best mama!

s) can't swim or ice skate

t) terrified of airplanes, but needing needing needing to fly

u) in need of a bailey hunter robinson horse head tattoo

v) in possession of a 1933 chicago worlds fair good luck token

w) commuting about 9 miles a day for work

x) waiting for snow so that sledding can take place

y) constantly overwhelmed by how shitty people are

z) still trying to make the most of things

...

i was reading back over past entries, and i realized that a) it's nice to have reminders of what you and your life used to be like and b) lately i haven't been getting excited about things, or dreaming enough, or putting positive magic out into the universe, and that needs to come back. so i think i'll try and write a little ditty here and there and keep the spirit of online narcissism alive!

for cross reference purposes, here's my new year's resolutions for 2012...

- stay in touch with people who are important to me, and be better about responding to people when they reach out.

- stay calm through anger and hurt, and not let it overwhelm me. “this too shall pass.”

- be impeccable with my word (thank you four agreements)

- hang out with friends more

- change situations that i’m not happy with (if i can) “if you don’t like the life you live, change it now it’s yours”

- try to be the best person i can be, even when others aren’t.

- drink less.

- try new recipes

- be strong

- keep my room tidy

- start keeping track of incoming/outgoing funds

- punctuality

- spend less time on the internet.

- worry about my life, not the lives of others

welcome 2012, let's fucking do this!

xo