for good measure.

I missed laughter. I missed song. I think I missed out on an entire year of my life after "the sickness" came on. Slowly, but surely it's all coming back to me. Or I'm getting back to it. I don't really know which it is. Aside from the occasional near-return of the weird and random symptoms that to this day remain unattributed--the vertigo and dizziness being the worst of it--I'm getting by. Oh, and the face swelling. That one's pretty alarming and uncomfortable. 

There's a list of things I've been doing to 1. be happy, and 2. be healthy. The food, yeah that's a given. It feeds both of those things.  I haven't given up anything I can't live without. I gave up gluten, and I eat more vegetables via smoothie. I eat breakfast every day. I smoke less, and when I do it's not in the house. To be happy, I pause in my travels to get flavored iced coffees when I need a little boost, or a hot chocolate for the cold days. Sounds small, but I hadn't allowed myself even that little two-dollar luxury in a long, long time. I watch crappy television sometimes. I make chocolate cake every other week. And as of this week, I sing a little song with a friend. 

Soon, I hope to be making more music. Practice has been going better than it was in that the vibration in my ears stopped triggering the vertigo, and I don't feel quite so weak in the diaphragm. It may not be music to everyone's ears, but I love doing it and it makes me feel happier. 

Other things I'm appreciating in the new year--my cats, my boyfriend, and our new-ish apartment and living arrangements. None could be more perfect. Except for one of the cats, who recently was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Recently, as in, today. I'm just glad we know, and that we have a shot at getting it under control before it got worse. So happy that I opted for the blood work now, rather than later, as there were no real symptoms except that he was farting a lot, which may not have had anything to do with his diagnosis.

And speaking of happier, I also hope Spring makes an early return this year. With two months to go, even the tiniest amount of sunshine has been invoking the fever in me. 

in with the good.

Phew. New job, new year. I hope that it's just the beginning of a long string of gratifying, and if I'm lucky, happy events. 

I've been incredibly busy, both at work and at home. Too busy to play around on this here internets. Sometimes I feel drained, but most of the time it's been satisfying. Speaking of satisfying, a conversation with a friend over some super nachos prompted me to pull my personal-size blender from the back of the shelf and start making "green" smoothies. Sure, I've made smoothies before, but never with the green stuff. With my new busy schedule, I figured I could use a good, healthy boost. 

I've always been able to cook without a recipe, so after browsing a few recipes online, I started planning my own. So far I have an apple crisp smoothie, and a simpler pineapple-banana recipe. As for the green, I've only tried spinach, but I have every intention of branching out. I haven't taken any pictures either, but describing them is easy. They're green and smoothie-like. Simple. And packed with vitamins and antioxidants. So instead of rambling on and on about the new year, change, and a bunch of crap about the holidays, I'll just go ahead and give y'all the recipes for said "green" smoothies. Trust me, they don't taste green at all.

Apple Crisp Smoothie
1/2 Macintosh apple
1/4 frozen banana
4 cubes pineapple
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
approx. 1 cup of raw spinach
1/2 cup rice milk (soy or almond would work, too)
1 1/2 tbsp instant oats

Pineapple-Banana Smoothie
1/2 frozen banana
6 cubes pineapple
2 strawberries
1 cup of raw spinach
1/2 cup rice milk


Pretty much, add all ingredients to blender in this order and blend until smooth. Next week, how to build a cat shack out of a cardboard box--special guest, my goofy boyfriend.