Happy (belated) New Year, everyone. I would have written sooner, but my coffeemaker died last week, and while waiting for the new model to arrive, all I could think, let alone write, let alone blog, was Me needs coffee. But I am now the proud owner of a fancy Cuisinart DCC-2600, and I have a 14-CUP CARAFE of joe at the ready. So come at me, 2014.

Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to so far:

• Prior to my coffeemaker’s demise, I blogged at The Little Crooked Cottage about my one New Year’s resolution.
• In between warm and wonderful holiday celebrations with extended family, my husband and I have been watching Breaking Bad. I am woefully late to this party, but I’m sure Vince Gilligan is glad I’m joining in now, since it’s clear he created this show just for me. The cancer-as-catalyst theme really hits home, and the storytelling is my favorite combination of dark and twisted and hilarious. Walter White is so narcissistic, so cringeworthy, so riveting. I can’t believe all the internet hate for Skyler, now that I’ve seen her husband in action; she is literally the only grounded character on the show, and she’s merely reacting to Walt’s shenanigans like a normal person would/should. And somehow that translates into her being a “nag” (the nicest language I’ve read)?? I have a little more than twenty episodes to go…can’t wait to see how it ends. (DON’T SPOIL IT FOR ME, FOR THE LOVE OF METH.)
• I drank plenty of Prosecco and Champagne, and discovered the wonders of lambrusco, a sparkling red. We’re not talking Riunite here — we’re talking lambrusco secco, light and dry and delicious, and heavenly on New Year’s Day with roast chicken.
• I finished this amazing biography of Beatrix Potter, after reading a little bit of it before bed each night. The one thing I hate about biographies is that they usually end with (spoiler alert!) death, and this one struck me deeply. BP was an extraordinary woman, who accomplished and overcame so very much. I’m now reading Cranford, another perfect bedtime read, in my opinion. Do you have any other suggestions? I’m looking for stories that won’t give me nightmares or keep me up all night pondering or worrying.
• During the day, I spend my time looking after my giant baby, who is both teething (he’s had two little ruffly ones on the bottom for a few months now) and venting his frustration re: learning to crawl. So far, he has become an expert at rolling, but can’t quite get his beefy baby legs to bend and flex into a crawling motion. I don’t know what’s worse: his current exasperated cries, or what my life will be like once he gets some forward momentum. I’m betting on the latter.
• Slowly, slowly, I am finishing a draft of something I’ve been working on for the past few months. It’s a hot mess of a draft, and I am learning to be fine with that. I have lots of other ideas for stories, and I can’t wait to get to them! Maybe it’s the new year, maybe it’s the new coffeemaker, but I am feeling ENERGIZED these days.

How about you? How’s the year treating you so far?