So, what's new with you?

Hi there,

A former colleague of mine dropped by the office last week. He left about two years ago to pursue an entrepreneurship opportunity. He's also newly remarried, has moved to a new town, and had all sorts of newsy stuff to share. We had a wonderful conversation, catching up on his life and talking about updates from around campus. Then he asked me,

So, what's new with you?

Ugh! This is such a hard question for me to answer casually.

I'm fine... hubby's fine... kiddos are great... work's fine...

I haven't seen this guy in a long time, but I couldn't think of one newsworthy thing that was "new with me."

Later, I decided to challenge myself to come up with ten things that were new with me within the past 18 months.

👱     I've started to enjoy sushi. Not anything too crazy, but I can now order it as an entree instead of just sampling it from another's plate.

👱     I no longer watch, read, or listen to the national or local news. It has become too painful and unbearable. It's good here in my bubble.

👱     I'm standing more! I have a new gizmo on my office desk called a Kangaroo Pro. It helps make the day go by faster and has taken very little time to get used to.

👱     In knitting news, I learned the cable cast-on for the CM block stitch baby blanket. It makes a beautiful edge. I also added fringe for the very first time, Montego Bay Scarf.

👱     I tucked away all of my knitting projects and bags except for one! I'm returning to just knitting one project at a time. Dedicated, single focused, tunnel vision knitting.

That's FIVE, let's see if I can come up with FIVE more! 

👱     I've given up lipstick, sort of. My kids might remember when they were little, the car minivan never backed out of the driveway until my bright lipstick was applied. It was required to go with my career "look" that included a dress, pantyhose, and heels. This was the 90's. Now I'm good with a tinted lip balm or simply Burt's Bees beeswax.

👱     I've unfollowed a bunch of people (including knitters) on twitter and instagram. Radically opinionated people are a turn-off, no matter what flavor they are touting. Thank you to those who post with a sense of humor and love.

👱     Like everyone else, I've adapted to TV binging. It is the only way to watch a series as far as I'm concerned. Some of the recent ones that have obsessed me include Nurse Jackie, Gilmore Girls--both the original and the revival, and right now it's the legal drama Suits. I had never heard of this show until Prince Harry started dating cast member Meghan Markle, who plays paralegal Rachel Zane. I'm hooked!

👱     A young man near and dear to me completed boot camp this winter and earned the title of U.S. Marine. I had never before followed along, corresponded with, and prayed for someone entering this profession. I found it to be so interesting, and I am more thankful now than ever to the men and women who serve or have served in the military.

👱     Oh this is a big one! I opened an ebay account. For the first time. Years ago, Burton, a dearly departed coworker, talked incessantly about his bidding and purchases on ebay of golf clubs, fishing equipment, etc. He made it sound so mysterious and complicated, and it involved another thing I didn't understand, PayPal. I've discovered that it's not that intimidating, so I've taken the plunge for a new pursuit, which I'll share in a later post.

That's TEN!
And I wouldn't share any one of these if someone were to ask me in person.

What's new with you??

xoxo Tammy