Allow Myself to Introduce...Myself

Hello! Welcome! This blog is my way of chronicling all of my (mis)adventures in the kitchen for friends, family, and stalkers alike. Don’t be surprised if I throw in some of my general musings on life. I've got quite few. The name of this blog (and of my unsigned, unwritten autobiography) was thisclose to being "From Banker to Baker." Allow me to explain...

For two years, I lived the life of a banker. And when I say banker, I really mean lowly investment banking analyst. [Cue foreboding music.] I lived in a state of constant fear, woke up at all hours of the night to the incessant beeping of my BlackBerry, and often found myself arguing with my colleagues about the "important things in life" such as how many spaces should go after a period (one) and the pertinence of the Oxford Comma in 21st century correspondence (as you can see, I am a fan). I consumed over 400 dinners in a lonely conference room and my closest personal relationship was with Microsoft Excel. And I dated PowerPoint on the side. (He wasn't as good with numbers.)

After a long day in the office, I came home and found solace in baking. Some people play golf. Others drink. Still more tune into the results episode of "American Idol." Discovering new and delicious ways to combine butter, sugar, and chocolate was my personal form of escape. The more stressed I felt at work, the more excited I was to come home and bake. As luck would have it, this was during a chapter in my life when I had a tendency to "eat my feelings."  

In the summer of 2010, I approached a large and markedly varied fork in my proverbial road. My heart and my head both said, "Go forth! Do something you care about!" So I ditched the desk job and the above referenced BlackBerry and relocated to the west coast. I now live in Oregon and work at a bakery in town. The goal being to one day own my very own cozy, happy bakery. Or to just get fat along the way. Either or, really.

So here’s to you and to the road less traveled.