Top 10

As I'm still a total novice at this blogging thing I'm trying to make more of an effort to blog regularly and learn from my more experienced online friends - to write more and tell more about myself and my boys. I freely admit to needing some serious work done on my photographic skills, but that'll come later.

Anyhoo, in honor of Christina's Listicles and Peeper's 10 on 10, here's a collection of non-Boy related things I'm currently obsessed with, studying or crushing on:

- History - Russia in the 19th Century, specifically its war against France under Napoleon and its war against everybody - well, France, Britain and Turkey and sort of the Hapsburgs, Prussia and the US. It's what I studied in college so it's always a little bit on my mind, but this year has seen a slew of books on Ukrainian history, Crimean War history and a Pushkin book remind me of what I've been missing since grad school. To finish off the year I'll be reading Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven. What? It says I'm a history geek over there on the right.

- Social Media - Pinterest - It's like crack, man. Embarrassing, don't want to admit to loving it, can't live without it crack. It's internet crack. Not only does it allow me to indulge my love of Audrey Hepburn, travel and fattening foods, it also offers a million almost useless tips for cleaning, organizing, decorating and DIY'ing lampshades/scrapbooks/lame-ass craft craze du jour. Sweet Jeebuz, it's addictive!

- Housework - Cleaning and Organizing - Most people do Spring cleaning, I do Fall cleaning. Mostly because I see Spring as heralding the coming of Summer... And I hate Summer. But the shortening of days and cooling of temperatures turns me into a busy bee. I've scrubbed the floors and the fridge, purged our closets and already taken one trip to Goodwill.

- Food - Anything pumpkin flavored - Half of the food shit I've pinned on Pinterest has pumpkin in it. I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season the other day and cannot believe how awesome it was.

- Fall shopping - Maroon and Gray - Every year I await the arrival of darker colors in clothes shops. I'm not a big shopper, but every year I allow myself one gray or maroon/plum/wine colored sweater along with a a re-stock of long sleeve black tees. Then I tell myself that whatever expense was worth it since I added color to my wardrobe. Yes, in my world greys and plums count as pops of color.

- Travel - Travel planning - I'm not much of a planner, but I've always loved daydreaming about trips. Staring at a map of Europe with a Eurail Pass in my hand or, more recently, plotting a trip on Expedia and googlemaps. It's more involved now that there's The Boy to consider, and it's certainly more expensive, but it's so much fun thinking of where to visit and imagining how The Boy will respond to new places. I'm currently in the midst of planning The Boy's first trip to San Francisco - and Hubs' first trip there since we moved... 9 years ago.

- Reading - Edgar Allen Poe and John Milton - It's not just that Poe is seasonally appropriate, I'm really digging on them because I'm about to read Poe for the first time since high school, just 'cuz, and I'm about to read Milton's Paradise Lost for the first time ever as the latest, and possibly last, book club book read for the book club my friend and I started so we could read books that we felt clever people should read but we had yet to read ourselves.

- More food - Manicotti - This year's substitute for casserole. I haven't made any yet, but I'm really looking forward to it.

- More clothes - Scarves - I have millions of them and am so glad it's finally time do dig them out of The Closet of Doom.

- Boys and movies- Last but not least, Benedict Cumberbatch

- I love the name, and apparently it's his real name. I had never heard of him until I saw press on the upcoming Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy movie - see history love and Russia fascination for getting why I care about the movie version of a Cold War novel. I think he's dreamy in a funny-looking English sort of way but will probably lose interest before TTSS comes out in December. If that does end up being the case then I can see War Horse, the new Spielberg World War I flick. As a history geek I'm a sucker for well-done war films so I'm pretty excited about this one. I'll probably make a fool of myself by crying hysterically, but I'm cool with that.