B: Brain food

I live in Minnesota where summer lasts for 12 weeks if you're lucky. This time is sandwiched by 4 weeks on either side by spring and fall, leaving the remaining 32 weeks as a brutal, windy, snowy winter.

32 weeks of a physical need to carb load. Pastas. Breads. Cookies. Muffins. Whatever you're making or baking, I'm eating.

The upside of these 32 weeks is that I spend more time on my writing here than I do during the summer. Why write when you can motor around the lake up in St. Joe on a pontoon boat with your bestie and a cooler full of beer? Seriously. Which would you rather do?

Okay, I'm getting off topic. Talking about the lake will do that to a girl...

After the holidays I try to keep my weekends clear of commitments so I can work on my writing. In preparation of a writing weekend, I head to the food store Friday to stock up. This usually involves a bag of Thomas' hearty whole grain bagels, a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese, a jar of Smuckers no sugar added raspberry preserves, strawberries, greek yogurt, bananas, graham crackers, and for dinner, pasta with fancy sauce. And of course, plenty of coffee with creamer.

I call this my brain food list. Stuff I need to have on hand for my writing days. I write upstairs but can come down to the kitchen and prep something from the list, and head back upstairs with a fresh cuppa joe and plate of goodies in my hands without missing a beat of my character or plot.

Friends of mine consume mad amounts of candy while writing. M&Ms, chocolate, cookies, jelly beans. Others live off of fruit and water only (that would kill me).

How about you? What foods do keep in the house for your dedicated writing days? Any other writing day "must haves" in your world?


Edit: I forgot to add the other things that B is for! D'oh!

B is also for
Yankee baseball. Happy Opening Weekend!
Battlestar Galactica. So say we all, right?
The Buckle - that store for 15-yr olds in the mall where I dropped $100 on a new pair of jeans. Yup, $100.
Barnes and Noble, where I'm headed this afternoon.
And buds, as in the new buds showing on my lilac bushes. C'mon, Spring! You can do it!