Something New

Let me give you a little bit of history. I’m 29, just married to a great man (I’ll call him Mountain Man to protect his identity), have family nearby (and like it) and a ton of wonderful friends all over the world. If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you that I have always loved to read and when I decided to become an English major (after going from archaeology to medicine to music to business in my mind), there was a resounding “DUH” heard round the world. It made sense.

As soon as she heard it, my mom, who comes from a long line of worriers, started flipping through the classifieds, trying to find a job that would be appropriate for someone who majored in something as cloudy as English. What does one DO with an English degree? Success came one day when she found a publishing company located near the family home, and she tore out the ad and passed it along to me, who filed it away since I had three more years of college to get through. Upon graduating, I applied at the publishing company (we’ll call it “PubCo” to protect its identity) and got a job.

I’ve been with PubCo for seven years, have been promoted four times, and am now one of the acquisitions editors for their book division. And I’ve realized that I just don’t want to do it anymore.

I’m not going to say anything negative about PubCo, because this isn’t the place for that. I’m really not going to complain about my job at all either, because that’s not what I need and what I’m writing this for. All I will say is that I’m tired of working for someone else at something I’m pretty sure I don’t love. And as I told a friend of mine who was playing Devil’s advocate - why should I be doing something for 40 or 50 or 60 hours a week if I don’t love it?

I’ve started this blog to figure out how to take that next step. I pretty much know what I want to do - I want to cook and bake all day. I have grand plans for a small bakery that specializes in Lebanese finger food and rich desserts. Sort of a traditional French bakery (that serves bread, quiche, and sandwiches alongside fruit tarts, eclairs, and meringues), but with a twist.

The issue is really how to do it. So I’ve bought books and have started combing other blogs (some of which you’ll see on this site) and begun working on putting a plan together. This space will be to get feedback from friends, family, and maybe, people who have done this before and have advice.

So keep an eye out, feel free to ask questions or comment or (constructively) criticize. Don’t say anything mean or I’ll kick you out.