"I WOULD GO OUT TONIGHT, BUT I HAVEN'T GOT A STITCH TO WEAR"

Bigmouth vol. 6: Le SuperBowl from Amy Guth on Vimeo.

As for this recipe, truly, do it how you like. Use white or brown rice. Use the hot sauce you love. Use half fresh tomatoes, half canned. Or, all canned. Use soysauge, tofu, pork sausage, turkey sausage, seafood, shredded chicken, or a combination of all those things. Use ground spices, or grind your fresh in a spice mill. Then, once you have your way down, it'll stay with you and never fail you, not ever. The great thing about Jambalaya is that you can make it suit you, your life, your dietary restrictions, your whatever, and it'll always work.

It's not that I don't want to share recipes, even family recipes like this one. It's more that my foodie philosophy is more about making a dish work for you and for your style of cooking. My grandmother is the same; it took me twenty years to get a particular recipe out of her, and when she finally gave it up, it was "a pinch" of this, and a "few coffee cups worth" of that. And, it's perfect that way. It makes the cook stop and taste and learn lessons and figure out what makes the dish right or wrong.

"A LONG WAY HOME FROM THE FIELD"

Cool:

Dawn Landes - "Young Girl" from LOOSEWORLD on Vimeo.

"GOLDEN LIGHTS"

I was in the gym by 7 a.m. this morning. Someone high-five me before I burst.

Find my infinite freakin' wisdom elsewhere on the Web today:

• What Sherman Alexie should understand about technology on Chicago Tribune's Printers Row
  
• Eunice W. Johnson, the women who named Ebony Magazine, dead at 93 on Chicago Tribune's Printers Row

"THE PASSING OF TIME"

Happy 2010, readers dear.

As you've surely figured out by now, I love NYE. I love the clean-slate feeling every year, but especially this year, 2010 seems ripe with promise.

Untitled from Amy Guth on Vimeo.

Some favorite links, that anyone can use for whatever it is that you're up to:

• "How to Improve your blog when you have no internet access" from ProBlogger
• "The benefits of pissing people off" from Tim Ferriss
• "39 ways to live and not merely exist" from Dumb Little Man
• "10 awesome tools to get more out of Wikipedia" also from Dumb Little Man
• "7 productivity tips for people who hate GTD" from Zen Habits
• "7 habits of amazing writers" from Write to Done
• "Are these 3 words ruining your life?" from Zen Habits
• "All the advice on happiness you'll ever need in one post" from Zen Habits
• "10 Facebook settings every user should know" from All Facebook
  
• "10 ways to give yourself a procrastination inoculation" from Zen Habits
  

"FIVE SECONDS"

In a recent post, I wrote about my resolutions for 2010. Mind you, every year, my resolutions are about the same: work smarter, have more adventures, do things better this year than in the last, accomplish x, y and z. But, this year feels different somehow. I can't explain it all, not really, but 2010 has the unmistakable feeling to weight to it, as if in a year's time, I'll look back and think, "Kickass. That was one helluvan awesome year."

I don't know what it is, but I just can't shake the feeling that 2010 means business, in all the right ways.

"WINTER PUSH ON"

Snow has fallen all day. Because I planned to be indoors all day, I founds this to be perfect. Big, heavy flakes swirled around outside the windows and with the neighborhood rather quiet this time of year, it feels like it's just for me to enjoy.

I worked on odds and ends today; tedious, small things each lacking a declaration of fin. And so, fin. I am particular about this sort of thing this time of year especially; I like to step into each new year feeling put together, on top of everything, and up for anything.

Finally, around 6, I decided a trek through the pretty snow was in order. As it got dark, the snow turned fine and tiny, like glitter falling out of the sky. Gorgeous. I attended to a couple of errands, hopped a train a few stops toward home once the temps started to fall upon which I was asked, "You must be in Army or a f#@$ing cop or something; you walk like you're a tough-ass woman." which I found both insanely flattering and more than a little bit hilariously weird.

Finally, I possibly found a new gay boyfriend at the drugstore. Validating remarks like, "I love the smokey eye look you have going on!" and, "This is the best moisturizer; you are so smart to use it!" will do that.

Anyway, now I'm home and warm and finishing up a few more of the things on my list to make sure 2010 is one awesome year. You'll see.

"STEP UP TO THE MICROPHONE"

I've thought about it and thought about it. In no particular order, here are my resolutions for 2010*:

1. I resolve to host a few flash mob dance breaks, because I think it's really fun to dance.

2. I resolve to host a few more dinner parties and brunches, because I love to cook for my friends then eat and drink wine together.

3. I resolve to ignore perceived limits and really give my all to 2010, because the sky really is the limit in this world.

4. I resolve to bake bread more often, because that focuses and calms me like few other things do.

5. I resolve to celebrate the wins at the gym more, especially as I am still coming back from an injury.

6. I resolve to celebrate the wins in life more often, because the older I get, the faster time goes and if we don't celebrate right away in life, we really never do.

7. I resolve to never again be shy about something I worked hard to accomplish.

8. I resolve to learn three new skills in 2010.

9. I resolve to travel more, especially to spend time with my relatives.

10. I resolve to bring another book into the world this year. Or, at least have the process underway by this time next year.

*I, of course, reserve the right to fine-tune these as I go. I also reserve the right to have a few secret ones I'll never tell. So there.