There's no better reason to celebrate with your friends and family!

Wunderlist is an awesome to-do list application that I have recently discovered. Things were getting sort of ridiculous at work because I was juggling 12 different projects and needed to know where they each were. On top of that, I routinely work with a programmer to develop tools and need to make lists of things for him to do (so I can come up with a long list of really nit-picky things and then give it to him). Wunderlist is perfect for this because IT'S FREE and it allows for sharing of lists with others. FOR FREE. When you a share a list, it's completely dynamic--when the person you share with wants to mark something off as done, they can. If they want to add a task, they can! It also has a really sleek, clean, and simple interface which I really like.

I don't know that other people need something like this for work but it would also be great for shopping lists or gift lists for people. There's an iPhone/Android app in addition to the web browser and desktop version. Can't ask for more than that!

A lot of people contend that red velvet cake (or anything else) is really just chocolate with red food coloring. They are VERY misguided, however--the red velvet flavor is very a very complex blend of cocoa, vanilla, and the very essence of "red." I love everything about the red velvet flavor profile and cannot seem to get enough of it in any form I possibly can. There are the more conventional uses of it in cake and cupcakes, but there are also new, unexpected ways of using it like brownies, ice cream, cookies, pancakes, cheesecake, fudge, whoopie pies and even souffles. Any way you make it, I'll love it (especially the ice cream!).

I know a lot of people and a lot of blogs are very busy talking about the new year and resolutions to lose weight, keep your house clean or generally simplify your life. That's not really why I like new years, though--I just generally enjoy a transition to something new and clean and fresh. My love of "clean slates" has prompted a lot of my random summer adventures (which you can follow here, here, and here). I look for a new place, new friends, and a new identity. New years are kind of like that. I like the feeling of something being not quite the same as it was, a new frontier full of who-knows-what. No one has been here before and we're making progress, if only because this year is older than the last. How thrilling!

I know it's not even Thanksgiving and the whole Christmas thing in November is ridiculous but I'm being bombarded with it in store emails and websites so it's hard to avoid. Because of this, ornaments in particular have been on my mind. When we moved out, my best friend and I started to give Christmas ornaments to each other for Christmas so we could each start building up our collection. My grandmother also made a point to give each of her grandchildren an ornament each year for the same reason--usually the ornaments came from wherever she had traveled that year so there was a great variety.

In any case, I've been obsessively looking at ornaments lately. I don't typically buy any until after Christmas when they're on sale but it's nice to look and dream. I especially like simple ornaments in whites and silvers. A variety of textures--felt, ceramic, pearl, wood, etc.--but I like them to be clean-looking and simple. I think this might be because my childhood tree was always a little too busy and too colorful so I'm trying to counteract that. I have fond memories of my childhood tree but I think it's ok that I want my own tree to be a little different. Sorry, Mom!

This is Griffin, my new kitten. He's a 6-month-old Manx with a little stubby tail. He was a stray and immediately went in to foster care with a bunch of other cats so he's kind of feral (not much human attention) but I'm hoping he grows out of all the crazy running around, eating my plants, clawing my feet in bed and waking me up at 7am (no matter what the day).

I love him, though, and he's gotten a lot more affectionate and is doing well. He's definitely quirky and is the strangest cat I've ever had but that's what I wanted in getting a Manx--they are sort of like having a dog-rabbit for a pet. At the moment he's the perfect size--not a kitten but still smaller than most cats. I hope he stays this size because he's so adorable!

Indian food is definitely up there in food heaven. It's spicy and creamy and is accompanied by rice! What more could food need? My favorite Indian food is of the milder sort. I like tikka masala, butter chicken (of course), tandori chicken and chana masala the most. And, of course, naan! Naan is definitely my favorite thing about Indian food--it's just perfectly fluffy and delectable while still serving as a great "tool" for dipping and scraping and wiping up all the sauce leftover on a plate. Yum!