It’s awfully quiet in here.
If you’re there, dear reader, welcome to the beginning.

That’s right, Molly’s blogging! As I’m already learning, you have to take yourself pretty seriously to do this. For as long as I can remember, whenever someone has asked what my pet peeve is (honestly, I’m kind of averse to the idea of pet peeves, but that’s another story for another time), I’ve replied, “People who take themselves too seriously.” So it would appear that I am / we are treading on perilous ground here.

Just so as to wipe away any scrap of mystery, let me explain what I’m doing. My mission statement, in a large nutshell:

This is my space to start writing for myself again, rather than for only for professors, advisors, students, grant committees, and the like. I’ve just returned from five weeks in Paris, ostensibly doing pilot research for an eventual dissertation, but more accurately walking, walking, walking, eating, eating, drinking Champagne, perfecting my Parisian woman poker face, café-sitting, defending my honor in the face of evil BHV employees, fixing what was broken, being impetuous, thinking, thinking, and learning. I’m not going through with my Ph.D. I was perhaps the last to see it, but better late than never.

The alternate plan, as it currently stands: I will continue for the coming year, write my Master’s thesis, do lots and lots of writing, and stick my neck out. Next stop: food writing, or perhaps cookbook editing. Il faut que je sois fonceuse, as those French say.

In the coming weeks, though, I plan to churn through a few cookbooks and bake as much as possible. Maybe work on my meat-roasting techniques too. So this is an official call for a refreshments management team. Are you in Seattle? How does chocolate sound to you? How about rustic-ish French tartes, cakes, clafoutis, and such? I am the woman for you. I bake, you eat. I eat too, of course, but there’s only so much one girl can do on her lonesome. Sign-ups are now open.

And there it is! We’re off!