Hey, dummy

If you watch one of my favorite TV shows, '30 Rock,' you may remember that Liz Lemon's unfortunate ex-boyfriend Dennis Duffy (portrayed by Dean Winters) will often show up at an inopportune moment, usually uttering the affectionate greeting used above.

I kind of feel like I'm Dennis, appearing out of nowhere to shock and dismay the protagonist of - okay, that simile got away from me, didn't it. Let's try again.

Hi. I haven't blogged for over a year.

Both a lot and not much has happened over the past 12 months. Baby Boots is a few months over 2 and a half (she's starting preschool in a few weeks!). We still live in Cambridge. I still work at my hippy feel-goodery school. I've been biking as much as possible when the weather permits and I'm hoping to continue by biking to and from the relevant train stations when going to/from work (school starts this coming week). I've taken up the ukulele. My hair is still long, my glasses are still green.

I didn't miss blogging much for most of the year. It was a tough year in many ways: I got increasingly unhappy and fed up at work. I pursued my dream job only to realize that it was taking a toll on my marriage, so I excused myself from that job search, which depressed me so much that I ended up getting some therapy. These past few months, I've been learning what it is to have hobbies again (biking, ukulele), which I haven't had in so many years, and that's been helping me to realize that I can be more beyond an unfulfilling job.

Over the past few months, though, I've missed blogging. So many of my favorite bloggers have disappeared and I miss the connection with other people. Sartorially, I think that my aesthetic has changed: with a summer spent State-side doing not much but biking, playing music, reading Sanskrit, and playing with Baby Boots, I've relaxed a lot - not so much dresses and sandals, but more harem pants and shorts (shorts!). I'm curious to see how that plays out when I start teaching again the week after next.

Oh, and in boots news? My husband bought me those fun turquoise cowboy boots for Christmas. I adore them. In other news? I found the elusive Frye boots that I've been wanting since November 2008 (Paige cuffs in grey). I won them in a lightning auction on eBay. Minimally used. Super comfortable. I've reached my own personal Holy Grail of boots. I'm… done looking?

So, internet, I'm back. For now. Let's see how this goes…