I want to clarify first of all that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being "boring." Boring people can live perfectly fulfilled lives and benefit society tremendously. The world NEEDS people of all degrees of interesting-ness (Is that a word? It is now) to function. No one should feel guilty for being a little boring if that's what they truly want. That's just not me, and it's okay.
I have had times in my life where I have fallen into a more boring life and found that those are not the best times for me. I get stir crazy, I need to be learning something or building something or fostering relationships with people. Not that I can't just chill and relax, my relaxation just happens to generally include something either social or intellectual. It's part of why I liked school and to this day continue to learn. Hillsdale (the college I went to for those not in the know) attempts to cultivate this desire for learning as part of every student's education.
So, while what I did this weekend seems active and like a lot of work to some, I actually found it to be a very relaxing weekend that left me ready for another week of my job.
But lemme tell you, it did not start well. On Friday evening, I was having some dinner, a nice salad. I chomped down on a wasabi pea (added for spiciness and crunch), and something gave. That something was not a tasty vegetable with ginger dressing. I have a temporary crown on the tooth that had the root canal a while back. The permanent wouldn't be in for two weeks and I had just broken the temporary right down the middle. On a Friday night. Great. Thankfully, as luck would have it, my dentist is open every other Saturday and this Saturday was one of the open times. I rolled in at 9 am right when they opened and got a new temporary that will HOPEFULLY last until the permanent one is ready. Until then, no more wasabi peas for me.
After that traumatizing ordeal (It's a good thing I'm not afraid of the dentist, or I'd just be a wreck all the time) I got a recommendation from the receptionist for where to go for a good brunch. This place had a nice little table for solo diners with no wait. Very convenient, as this was a weekend morning and the place was busy. I sat down, got some coffee and ordered. As I waited for my banana crunch pancakes, a man a few years older than me sat down and ordered as well. We struck up a conversation, and before I knew it I was talking costume building with a person who does medieval fighting as a hobby. This happens all the time, too. You never know who is doing something amazing behind the scenes. The cashier who check you out at Target? He does special effects at a haunted house. That friendly barista who has your order memorized? She makes money on the side sewing authentic costumes for Civil war reenactments. Artisans and craftsmen are everywhere, in secret, hiding amongst the general population.
That evening, I volunteered at a charity event. It had a circus theme, and I cobbled together an outfit for it. I sold grab bags to donors with carnival-esque flare. This event reminded me of my days in college selling raffle tickets to donors at events, which I was pretty good at. A smile and a tactful approach, and suddenly no one can say no to this face. Or at least that's what I pretend happens. Talking with the other volunteers, I found one who built replicas of weapons from video games and anime as a hobby. Yes, this kind of thing happens all the time. I wan't exaggerating when I said that craftsmen are everywhere.
Finding "my kind of people" is something that adds color to my life and keeps it interesting. My life will never be stagnant as long as I'm always finding more people and things to keep it interesting.
And in that vein, my recipe for this week takes something simple and makes colorful. I offered my coworker's a chance to pick any dessert that I can make for their birthday. This coworker is a man of simple taste and chose chocolate chip cookies. Now, as these are for a birthday, they can't just be ordinary chocolate chip cookies, they must be special. I found a recipe for rainbow chocolate chip cookies and the wheels in my head started turning. He also likes sports, so I covertly found out one of his favorite sports teams, the Dallas Stars. I made a batch of these rainbow chocolate chip cookies in the colors of the Dallas Stars and put star-shaped sprinkles on top.
He loved them and everyone else in the office enjoyed them. They're homemade chocolate chip cookies, who wouldn't? Here's my base recipe:
Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sprinkles of Kim:
-I did the Dallas stars colors and put star sprinkles on top, but you could use any colors you like. Sports teams, Hogwarts house colors, colors for the flag of a country, take your pick. I recommend using gel food coloring to really get nice vibrant shades.
-I made the recipe with the ratios of brown to white sugar as written, and it's more of a white sugar taste than I generally like. If you like that brown sugar flavor, I'd say just divide the total amount of sugar 50/50 brown and white.
-Add a dash of cinnamon and thank me later
-If you like a crunchy cookie, bake just a bit longer. I'm a soft cookie person, so I went with roughly the amount of time listed. Or at least I think I did. I don't use timers, I just bake things until they're done. I know, it's weird, but it works.
I hope these cookies can add a little color to your life. I like to keep thing interesting and live a life in color, and I'm glad that I get to share it with you!
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