About


Currently stuck in the DC-area moving to Champaign August 23rd, I spend time cooking and crafting packing and job-hunting and lining up ducks. Longing Excited to return home, I blog about comfort foods, cottage living and the sweet simplicity of life in the Midwest. More...

MN Goodness

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About

You’ve reached the place where I get to shamelessly expound upon how wonderful I am and what Midwest Neurotica is all about. You don’t have to live in the midwest (I don’t), to find your roots and return to your own heartland. Here’s my story:

DC
This is me, StarXLR8. I live in the DC area.

According to my best friend, Midwest Neurotica is about a “quintessential connoisseur of quirky crafts, conscientious cooking, chaotic yet controlled clutter and one cute cat.” (She is an English teacher, can you tell?)

lauren
This is my best friend, eating.

I like to eat too and if you couldn’t tell by my Rubenesque-ness, I prefer comfy, cozy, stick-to-yer-ribs fare. My stint as a vegetarian expanded the horizons of my tastebuds, but there is nothing quite as good as grilled cheese and tomato soup.

eating
This is me, in Charleston, eating a caramel-covered rice krispie treat.

When I am not cooking or eating, which I admit is infrequent, I read blogs, knit very slowly, sew crookedly, read chick lit, watch too much Tivo, talk on the phone with my sweetie, lead a troop of 9 rowdy Girl Scouts and generally try to live every day with creativity, hope and not-quite-reckless abandon. I’m a bit reserved and cautious, but am told I am “actually a people person who just hasn’t figured it out yet.”

danger
This is me, pointing to a sign, after I disobeyed it.

Ok, but what’s the real dirt on you? I grew up in southwestern Michigan, moved to Texas when I was 9, just barely forgave my parents for it, created my online persona StarXLR8, moved to California for grad school, then to DC for work. Somewhere between marrying the wrong person and living alone for the first time, I decided it was imperative for my hypothetical future kids to know about life in the Midwest. I spent my childhood running through cornfields, catching fireflies and selling lemonade on the corner of my gravel road and a county road. I couldn’t fathom that my kids might not understand what its like to be neck deep in a pond, trying fruitlessly to grab a slippery toad with your bare hands. So, I set out to change that. In part of that effort, I started this blog to reclaim my roots and find sweet old-fashioned goodness.

cider

 

Comments

Comment from Jonathan T
Time: February 19, 2008, 11:46 am

No mention of your undergraduate years, eh? Even though San Antonio isn’t “the midwest” it’s a wonderful town with many great people *cough* who read your blog…and occasionally comment in very long sentences.
Also, I recently had an excellent grilled cheese sandwich at Udi’s (wonderful deli in Colorado) with tomato and…bacon! Mmm….I was quite comforted.

Comment from starxlr8
Time: February 19, 2008, 11:49 am

Oh yeah. Good point.

Fine readers - I spent 4 years in San Antonio earning my BS in Geology. This is where I honed my skills in writing, page layout, event planning and flirting.

Comment from Tina
Time: March 15, 2008, 1:11 am

Just came across your blog. Sounded very familiar. Liked what I saw. Cant wait to see more. Later.

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