“Hello world!” is the default subject heading WordPress gives you when you post for the first time on your new blog.  I’ve decided to keep it as is… seems rather appropriate for my first ever posting on my first ever blog.  I have been throwing around the idea of starting a blog for a while now, but have been resistant until this very moment, at 2 am on a Thursday night, sitting in the dark of my living room with my husband asleep in the bedroom.  Truth is, I was lying in bed, unable to fall asleep due to the Diet Coke I had at around 7:45 this evening (I just decided today that caffeine really DOES affect me) and an idea popped into my head.  This idea seemed good enough to make me jump out of bed and write it down.  I one-upped that… I decided to start right this minute instead of waiting until tomorrow.

Actually, I will say I’ve attempted to start a blog twice before, but never got to my actual first post because I couldn’t get past the “Pick your blog name… choose carefully, it can NEVER change!” page.  This page always halts me in my tracks, as I sit and try to think of a witty, clever and unique name that emanates the essence of me to the rest of the world.  But, here I am.  I guess tonight’s the night I got over that.

The idea that got me out of bed sprung ironically enough from the blog name that popped into my head.  “nell’s dish du jour” is going to be about the things that are consuming me most at the present time.  The first is food.  I love food.  I am constantly thinking about what I am going to eat for my next meal.  I am teaching myself how to cook – thank you Cooks Illustrated.  I am in the midst of an internship working in the caves at Murray’s Cheese, learning how to care for and age cheeses.  I am always looking for the yummiest meals NY restaurants have to offer – from a tasting menu at Per Se to Enchiladas Chipotle at Baby Bo’s.  You get the picture.

The second is my career.  Tomorrow will be exactly a year since my last day of work as an advertising sales executive.  I left my job after 7 and 1/2 years in the industry.  I was quite successful, moved my way up the ladder, was well-liked and respected by my clients and colleagues and was making a nice salary.  But I wasn’t satisfied.  I wasn’t excited about advertising anymore, in fact I was becoming more and more disenchanted with the excessive branding of everything around me.  Working in midtown stressed me out.  I hated commuting everyday on the subway.  I was bored with the monotony of a 9-6 corporate job and the lack of time I had for everything else I wanted to do.  Hence… here I am now.

One year later, I’m finding my way and feeling really good about it (most of the time), but I still have a lot of ideas about what I want to do… here is a list of the career possibilities that have crossed my mind over the past year:  travel/food photographer, cheese shop owner, life/relationship coach, matchmaker, location scout, restaurant reviewer/blogger, sales rep for local food producers, real estate agent, nursery school teacher.  In addition to those, I’ve also come up with several ideas for starting my own business.  Then there are the things I want to learn…Photoshop, piano, Spanish, decorating/feng-shui, meditation.

So, “nell’s dish du jour” will discuss what’s on my mind each day… relating to food and/or to life and what I am doing with mine.    I’m excited for year 2 of this journey.  In year 1, I had many great experiences, learned many new things and recognized many new talents in myself.  As my husband would say… onward!   Now – it’s off to bed with me.