I’ve had the same blogging style for so long that sometimes I forget I can change things. Recently Justin reminded me to Break The Rules. And so! Here is a post WITHOUT A PHOTO! (gasp)

I keep meaning to carry my camera with me, because I really enjoyed the daily posts I did from Portland. But somehow in Austin, things don’t seem as photogenic, and it’s harder for me to see new things to photograph. How many times can I photograph our cats, and my desk, and my lunch? I feel like I do the same things most days. Surely that should be inspiring for me to get out and DO things! Maybe tomorrow (yawn).

Sometimes I remember tiny moments and images, and just sit and think about them and relive them. Recently, I thought of the fried fluke bones that we ate in NYC, and how they were crispy and delicate and somehow reminded me of chicharrones, and weren’t fishy at all, and seemed both frugal and luxurious all at once. It’s not something I want to cook, or look for here in Austin – it’s something that belongs to that night in NYC, at that table with my love.

We just watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which was fun and cute and charming. Most importantly, it has my beloved fairy godmother, Judi Dench in it. (And Bill Nighy, who I’d like to adopt as my uncle.) It reminded me of this lovely story, written nearly two years ago when the film was being made in Jaipur. Judi Dench is my hero.

I am thinking a lot about this list. I think I have number 1 down, but numbers 2 – 5 are proving to be more difficult than I had imagined. I do think it’s time to revisit the simple living movement. It may just be nostalgia, but I feel like I was happier and life was easier when we lived more simply, cooked at home, didn’t eat meat, didn’t drink, didn’t read a bajillion blogs, didn’t have phones with cameras and games and social networks and newspapers embedded in them, didn’t have super-tiny-mobile laptops to carry everywhere, and went outside and walked around the city nearly every day. That could very well be nostalgia. And also, a violation of number 5, as I am expecting quite a bit from myself. (sigh)

I hope you’re all having a great weekend!