Attention, attention!

Be grateful I don't actually own a megaphone.

Double announcement today:

1) If you're here, you may have already noticed that we have a new color scheme here at Bettina Writes. Hope you like it!

2)... The food blog has officially launched! Check it out at CREAMCHEESEandfeelings.blogspot.com, and I hope you like that even more!

A "Dear John" letter...to Diet Coke

Dear Diet Coke,

We've been through a lot together. You were there for me on some of the longest nights of my life--all-nighters to write papers, late night work shifts, and being "on-duty" when I was a resident assistant. You were there to keep me going through long work days, and you were there for good times too, countless movie and dinner dates, always with your effervescent personality that made me tingle.

Photo (L to R) of me and Diet Coke, circa 2008

Unfortunately, it's not me, it's you.

As much as I know it must hurt to hear this, it hurts me to have to say it. It's time for me to move on. Yes, you've been there for me for many years now, but you've also done damage that will take years for me to get over, if ever. I suspect I don't even know how much damage you're capable of. And you're not just hurting me, but others I care about.

You're not just like a drug, you are a drug, and I've got to call it quits. I can't say I won't be open to a booty call every now and then, but I need to make room in my life for someone better.

We'll always have our memories.

Love,
Bettina


SERIOUS NOTE: If you haven't already, please click the links embedded within this letter. They all lead to articles that are just the tip of the iceberg of why I've decided to give up soda. Soda (and diet soda is worse than regular sodas) does horrible things not only to our bodies, but to the environment. It's a huge challenge for me to give it up, but I'm confident that this is a decision I won't regret. 

Just checking in

I've got some posts in mind to write for this, but I've been busy with some stuff, getting the food blog ready being one of them. So, in honor of that, and to fill the radio silence, here is a photo of me pretending to be a French chef.

Disclaimer: I am not a real French chef.

Brief thoughts on the new year

When you think about it (which you’re apt to do if you are sitting home alone like I was), new year’s eve and new year’s day are just another night and morning. Yet, we’ve assigned these measures of time to our lives, and something about starting another year, opening a new calendar, and trying way too hard to remember what number to write at the end of the date screams of new beginnings. 

"Fresh Start" by seantoyer on Flickr

Since I’ve been working toward several goals over the last year that I haven’t met (like losing weight, but you know, also getting a job, and moving), I didn’t really set any new year’s resolutions (though I did pick January as the month to implement my plan to give up soda, but perhaps that’s for another blog post?). Even so, I was still struck with that ingrained feeling of hope and a fresh start when I woke up on January 1.

So, if I’ve taken a resolution at all, it’s this: to make everyday in 2012 feel as fresh and new as new year’s day. Whether you’ve taken another resolution or not, I hope you’ll consider each day as a new start and a reason to feel motivated to do whatever it is you need, whether day to day tasks or ambitious goals.

Thanks for starting 2012 with me, and I look forward to having more to share with you.

Love,
Bettina

Rigging up eco-friendly gift wrap

In the 450 billion dollar industry that is the Christmas season, I've wondered what portion of that goes towards straight up waste, or as others call it, wrapping paper. This is the third year that I've strived to only use reusable or reused materials for wrapping gifts, and I thought I'd share some of the things I've used myself.

I'll be the first to acknowledge that this can add a little more to your holiday budget, but with some creativity and a little planning ahead, most of the things I ended up wrapping with cost far less than a paper gift bag. I got a lot of my materials from dollar stores, discount stores like Big Lots, dollar bins at big box stores and craft stores, and thrift stores. If you live in or near a big city with a Chinatown or fashion district, that's a great place for things like accessories that can be used as reusable wrap or embellishments.

I hope you'll consider making your gift wrap more eco-friendly this holiday season and throughout the year. Share your ideas or what you're going to do in the comments! And, without further ado...

The project formerly known as "25 by 25"

A little more than a year ago, following the lead of a friend, I decided to start a "25 by 25" list, which had an accompanying, short-lived blog. This list of 25 things I wanted to do before turning 25 including some items that were things I’d never done, some that were things I’d attempted and not been able to sustain, and some that were things I hadn’t done in many many years.

The cakes I baked for our family birthday celebration

Last month was my 25th birthday, and while I didn't do everything on my list, a lot more than I could have imagined has happened or started to happen in the last year.

I also realized that I don't need a list or time limits to do things- if there's something I want to do, I should do it when the opportunity arises, or make such an opportunity myself. Still, with closure in mind, I thought I'd post that list here with a bit of an status update on it.

Let's try this again...

In the last two-and-a-half-months since I last updated this blog, quite a bit has happened. In addition to far more important and interesting current events, I said good-bye to friends in D.C. and moved across the country to California, where I’ve already visited my grade school, reunited with friends, celebrated my birthday with my twin sister for the first time in eight years, started personal training for the first time, agreed to finally learn to drive, and felt thankful for all of this last week for Thanksgiving.

For someone who never really anticipated returning to Los Angeles for an extended period of time (it’s been six weeks as of today), it’s definitely been an interesting and sometimes difficult transition of going back to my roots. Still, I’m thankful to have the opportunity and support to be transitioning at all, and plan on sharing more about that transition here.

On the theme of transitions, I’ve also made a decision about this blog: I’ll be transitioning cooking related posts to a separate, new blog. I’ll still likely post links to those posts here, but I’ve been thinking about it and it seems best to separate the two. So here’s where I can use your help: any suggestions for a name for a new cooking/food blog?