Back for seconds

In 2005, I stumbled upon the first blog I would follow. I was a junior at the University of Illinois and was entirely consumed  completely obsessed  utterly tormented focused on being accepted to medical school. One day, I was forwarded a link to a comic strip titled "The 12 Types of Med Students. (Never heard of it? Click here for a good chuckle. For the record, I was initially "The Sensitive Soul." But once I got to medical school and had chronic migraines, I became "The Missing"/"The Crier." And now I am "The Sane One." Carry on). After some snooping, I found that the creator of the comic, Michelle, had a blog called "The Underwear Drawer."

And so I began to read it.

I still read Michelle's blog, along with a handful of others (Lauren Conrad and Mix and Match Mama are amongst my faves). I love getting a glimpse into someone's life, because I'm nosy like that. And now that I'm a blogger, I'm ready to give y'all a peek into my world.

When I began toying with the idea of blogging, I asked my sister, Nikita, for suggestions for a title. I wanted the name to reflect me - and she does know me pretty darn well. In retrospect, I should have known better than to ask the girl who commonly declares that this is HER world, and we're all just living in it. Ever the narcissist, she advocated for the title to be "i wuv nikita." I do love you, Nikita, even though I didn't mention you at all in my first post (yes, she did complain about that). But . . . no.

The name, "Just a Spoonful of . . . Something," is just like it sounds - a dash of this, a dollop of that, all of which make up my lovely life. This includes:

* Baking incessantly

I bake at least twice a week. Something about mixing batter soothes me. That must mean I require a lot of soothing, no? 

Sometimes it's from scratch: other times, I use a mix as a base. Either way, it's sweet, and everyone needs a smidge of sweet in their lives - and I will share my sweetness with you.

* And cooking too, because a girl can't live off of baked goods alone. (But oh, if I could . . .)

My family is brimming with fabulous cooks - especially my mom. I always had the best lunches at school, and I had home cooked food every. single. night. Then I went off to college and discovered that the plate of steaming hot deliciousness didn't magically appear before me on its own. What?!

And so I learned to make my own meals, and now I'll tell you about the concoctions that turned out splendidly.

* Real books, because I'm old school and supremely nerdy.

I don't own a Kindle or Nook and probably never will. I'd rather go to the public library and get a stack of books, because it's free. IT'S FREE, YOU GUYS.

I usually read right before I go to bed - in fact, I can't fall asleep without reading for a while - and I average a book a week. I'll talk about some of the good ones that fall into my lap.

* Deep thoughts on "The Bachelor" 

Stop judging me. I am very, very aware that this show is a - not real at all and b - a complete train wreck.

But I can't stop watching it, mostly because it makes me laugh, and I really like poking fun at all the contestants. So humor my inner mean girl, okay? I rarely allow her and her snarkiness out in public.

* And random musings and updates about my life

Pretty self explanatory. 

I'm sure this blog will evolve into more, but this is a good jumping off point. If you come back and visit on Thursday, I'll tell you about the first time I went bananas.

Intrigued? Good. You should be.

Much love,

Kavi

The first bite

Well, hello there.

My name is Kavita.

And this is my blog.

Here's a fun fact about me: I collect children's fiction and still read it frequently. I think of it as "comfort reading" - sort of like comfort food, but much easier on your waistline. Anyway, when I was brainstorming ideas for my introductory post, I thought of the Anastasia books by Lois Lowry. The protagonist, Anastasia, is perpetually middle school aged (side note: why do so many authors do that? I mean, the Baby Sitters Club characters have been in 8th grade for-frickin'-EVER) and wants to be a journalist. And as a journalist, she simply needs to answer the following questions for each story: who, what, when, where, and why. So I'll use that as my jumping off point.

Who: Kavita (that's me!)

What: Is starting a blog called "Just a Spoonful of . . . Something."

When: Today, January 23rd, 2014.  And I'll try to post once or twice a week. So come visit often - you're always welcome here!

Where: From my office, which is also the dining room in my apartment. Beyoncé is likely to be blaring in the background (although right now, it's Prince's "Kiss"). But if I'm feeling lazy, I reserve the right to blog from the comfort of my couch or my bed.

Why: Holy moly, macaroni. Why am I blogging? It's kind of a sudden whim, but my reasons are fourfold:

1. Because underneath my infinity scarf and fabulous shoes, I'm a great, big NERD.

Confession: I absolutely love school. A LOT. In fact, I'd like to pursue a PhD in Clinical or Educational Psychology in the next couple of years.

I also have a significant problem with writing. It overwhelms me so easily and thus causes me so much trouble when writing a cover letter or a paper. If I want to progress professionally, I need to write efficiently and well. So what better way to practice than blogging? Sounds like fun to me!

2. Because I am simply awful at keeping in touch.

Fun fact: I was president of a South Asian dance company during my senior year in college. I don't why, but when you put a group of brown women together, I can guarantee there is an exponential amount of drama. During that year, my phone rang approximately a dozen times a day with dancers whining that she did or didn't do this to me and I can't or won't do that and that's not fair and oh my GOD, why won't you girls just grow up and STOP CALLING ME?

As a result, I hate talking on the phone. I have also become increasingly bad at responding to emails promptly. It took me a year to respond to my college roommate's email (I'm not exaggerating). It's just embarrassing. But if I blog consistently, my loves will be able to keep up with me better.

3. Because I (not so secretly) want to be famous.

Oh, come on. Like it hasn't crossed your mind before?

When I was 8 years old, I asked my dad if I could be famous - and he said no. In his defense, he actually was taking me seriously, and he wanted me to enjoy my childhood (good call, Dad).

But I still want to be famous! And this blog is my silly attempt at fame. Hey, it beats signing up to be a contestant on "The Bachelor." For the record, I would totally be sent home during the first rose ceremony.

4. Because . . . why not?

I recently caught up with my dear friend, Sups, and during our chat, I was reflecting on how I'm in a very different place in my life than I ever expected to be. Don't get me wrong: different doesn't mean bad. It's just that different can be uncomfortable, and I don't like being uncomfortable. But Sups pointed out that different is also really exciting, because I have the power to make my life what I want it to be - and THAT sounds pretty awesome.

I also feel like I'm on the cusp of something really big. It's not a particularly logical thought, but my gut tells me this year is going to be fantastic and life changing. So I've decided to indulge and push myself this year - I'm going to spend time with my loves. I'm going to do things I love. I'm going to better myself each step of the way.

And I'm going to start this blog and document the whole process. Not too shabby of a resolution, huh? ;-)

So, please - take off your shoes, grab a spoon and a blanket, and make yourself at home. Thanks for reading, and cheers to the good times to come.

Much love,
Kavi