A Beginning

There must be a first post before there can be anything more. I guess like all first time bloggers, I have an idea of what this will ultimately become. But how do you describe something that doesn't exist yet?

I'm a pretty straightforward person so I am taking an obvious approach. First, they make you pick a title. After choosing something adequately vague and perfect (for me) at the same time, I added some descriptive keywords as an afterthought to avoid being entirely cryptic. Guess I'll start with expanding on those words and see where the road leads from there.

Crafts
I spend a decent amount of time knitting, crocheting, and stitching.  I love working on a project and seeing things come together. It's like a relaxing version of a research project in some ways. I also love to give them away at the end. Over the holiday break I was trying to remember some of the more significant projects I've finished and I realized I have done a pretty bad job of keeping photos of them. This is what really drove me to write this thing in the first place. I don't quilt or really sew at all but I hope to learn in the future. You know, some day when I can dedicate a whole room to it! It may also have something to do with the amount of yarn in my storage locker.

Chemistry
I'm a graduate student studying computational chemistry. I love research and it's a huge part of my life. I will talk about it any chance I get and I think about it all the time. However, I don't intend to write about science but I make no promises that it won't creep in from time to time (especially considering my thesis defense is coming up relatively soon). I see chemistry as a part of my identity and I didn't think it would be fair to exclude it from the list of words that describe who I am.

Travels
I live in Minnesota. My boyfriend is a Catalan living in Germany. We like to travel and eat things he considers normal and I consider strange.

Running
I like riding a bike. Always have and probably always will, but until recently I hated running but it turns out I was wrong. I didn't know that I just had to keep it up for a few months for it to stop being a chore and become really fun. I'm really happy that running has become an important part of my life. It took me a long time to feel like I could call myself a runner. Even though I have always thought that isn't how fast or how far you run but the fact that you do it that makes a person a runner, it's easier to see it in someone else than in yourself. I'm really glad that I've discovered a hobby that provides the perfect opportunity to clear your mind, think about current chemistry questions, or just listen to a good song.

Reading
The title of this blog is obviously inspired by my love of The Hobbit so it's probably not surprising that I'm a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain and more. I probably spend more time rereading my favorite books than I spend reading new ones, a fact I always regret when I discover a new author. Recently my brother has become a writer and I'm really happy to add him to the list of authors whose works I will read over and over again. His first book is called To Write A Wrong (a subject of one of upcoming posts). Here's his website.

I also think penguins are adorable.