Instead, here is an update on the first four days of 2009, particularly in regards to resolutions:
I am happy to say that I have started reading my first book of the new year! The novel is the English translation of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I had read a few of Murakami's books and short stories translated into German a while back. There was something I really liked about his style: to-the-point, but yet elegant, at times glamourous and mysterious. Murakami is one of Japan's premiere writers.
I'm a bit intimidated by the fact that this book is, as the Washington Post says, "Murakami's most ambitious attempt yet to stuff all of modern Japan into a single fictional edifice." I'm not sure how much of the subtext I will be able to figure out, since my knowledge of Japan is fairly limited. But even if I only minimally grasp what this book is trying to achieve, I can enjoy Murakami's fantastic story-telling ability.
And in order to spend less time on the computer and more time reading, Michael and I finally got the computer out of the living room and into its own nook in the dining room (hey, we live in the New York metro area...at least we have a dining room!). We also bought two lamps for the living room, so it is a lot more cozy. I'm really looking forward to reading there!
We also organized and donated a lot of clothing and other things we don't need to the Salvation Army. And we had a maid service come in and give our apartment a thorough cleaning yesterday.
So I feel a lot more in control of our life and our stuff here. We finally have some more room to move around!
Now I'm off to cook dinner...and not order take-out!
***
10pm update
Dinner turned out great! I made four courses from scratch (except for the pasta) and modified some existing recipes to better fit what I had in the fridge!
- Romaine Salad with Kalamata Olives and Lemon Vinaigrette
- Baked Carrots with Cheese (served in tiny cast iron casserole dishes)
- Spicy Ratatouille Farfalle (Michael helped kick it up a notch with Northwoods Fire)
- Savory Orange Dessert Salad
