It's been a while... an update

I was on a roll there for a while -- blogging every couple weeks like I had promised.  But then I got off my usual schedule when I travelled to Indiana in April.  And, well, I never got back on my routine.  Which is disappointing...  At this point I suppose there are 2 options: decide the "failure" is final or decide it's a great to give yourself a get out of jail free card.  I think I'll choose option 2.

Let's start with the updates today and leave other things to be posted in a couple days... if I remember...:

1. Victorian Literature Challenge: I might have failed all my other resolutions, but I'm rocking this one.  I finished Wives and Daughters a while ago and then started on A Tale of Two Cities -- which wasn't even on my list!  So that's two books toward this challenge.  I am currently working on Bleak House which I am really enjoying.

2.  Expand Food Horizons: I have pretty much failed miserably on this one.  I haven't really done any cooking at all in the last month.  I'm not really sure that I could successfully tell you what I've eaten in the last week... Except for this very lovely salad I've made twice: caramelized onions, smoked salmon, spinach, goat cheese, and strawberry.  Soooo good!  Since my last updates I DID manage to make gumbo.  Which is odd to say since I made that months ago.  It was a success but quite possibly one of the most difficult recipes I have ever made in my life.  I am not sure if it was because I was making it for a large group of people or just that recipe is difficult.  I'm going to out on a limb and say it's a bit of both.  I have a new recipe that I really want to try in the next week but we'll see if that happens.

3.  Cards: I've been pretty good with this one.  I haven't been keeping exact tabs on it so it might just be one a week, but it's safe to say I haven't completely dropped the ball on this one.

4.  The Bicycle Race:  Oh, this one is just a fail.  Firstly, my riding buddy hasn't been riding at all.  In other words, didn't take me up on the challenge and didn't plan to ride.  So.... when I got off my riding schedule I didn't have much incentive to get back on.  But I've been pretty bummed about it lately.  Unfortunately, nothing will be added to my schedule right now as I finish up the quarter.  (Except for using blogging as productive procrastination, of course.  But I'm convinced that writing this will get my writing-juices flowing.)  I did a couple 20 mile rides before getting off course.  Perhaps I can get back up to that before the end of June.

5.  The Blog: Well, this one is obvious :)