Making Me Happy, 2/1/15

So, I've fallen down on posting about things that make me happy over the past couple weeks...time to catch up a bit.

1) The Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl after an epic comeback win in the NFC championship game, one that's easily in the top 5 best endings of any football game I've ever watched in my life--and I grew up in Alabama. I've watched a LOT of football down through the years.

2) I've read two really good nonfiction books in the last week, Over Here by Edward Humes on the GI Bill and Promise Land by Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, a memoir/journey through the self-help industry.

3) This isn't something I'd usually include in this type of post, since I try to focus on things that you the reader could also watch/read/cook/listen to/etc. But I just had an idea for a new book, possibly a series, that has me excited about writing in a way I haven't been in a long time. Since I'd been battling burnout and self-doubt for several months, this makes me even happier than the new idea rush usually does. What's the idea, you ask? I don't want to go into too much detail at this stage, but suffice it to say I asked myself why I wasn't writing the kind of thing I most enjoy to read or watch these days. So think something in the vein of Sleepy Hollow, The Librarians, and Doctor Who. Sort of. You'll see, assuming the idea pans out.

What's been making me happy this week, 1-18-15

I had a tough time coming up with anything to say for this post, since it's been, in a quiet way, a very sad week for me. One of the key members of an online community that was my internet home for many a year died suddenly last weekend, and though I hadn't been an active participant on the board in a long time and she and I weren't close, it was still a blow.

But there have been some happy things nonetheless. I'm excited that my Seahawks are going back to the Super Bowl. And that was some game, too! Best ending I've seen since the Kick Six.

I got to go to the farmers market yesterday, which sounds like a summer thing, but Seattle has a couple of year-round markets. If you have access to a year-round farmers market, do make time to go. There isn't the ridiculous abundance you see in July and August, but I was able to get local, organic hazelnuts and carrots, some beautiful fingerling potatoes and apples in unusual, not-found-in-supermarket varieties, and the local bacon I adore.

In book news, my critique partner Rose Lerner has a new release, True Pretenses, which I can highly recommend from having read it as she was getting ready to send it to her publisher.

I'll be back next weekend, hopefully with more happiness.