Feeling rather loosely assembled over here.

Naming a blog is a bit like choosing a tattoo. Or possibly naming a baby, though that's not something with which I have direct experience. The point being: it's something you kind of have to live with.

And names mean something. They say a bit about who you are or what you're up to or why you think it's really a good idea to be launching a blog in 2011 after half the world has already been blogging since 2001 and your own four attempts at blogging are now collecting dust in Blogger's archives.

This naming is also a fairly daunting task. On the one hand, the possibilities are endless. "Small But Spunky!" "Giddy-Up, Monday!" "Loosely Assembled!" And then the possibilities also feel surprisingly few, considering that all the good or otherwise clever names have already been taken. There's risk in being clever these days, too. It says, "I've thought about this very very hard and I expect you to be awed by my cleverness." Or too cutesy. Or precious. Just the word "precious" makes me shudder a little.

One thing that I've been considering is how this blog might sound when referenced out in the greater world. Not that I have delusions of impending famousness, but...well, it's still good to plan for the long game. My friend Angelina of the admirably-named Better Than Bullets mentioned that she couldn't imagine actually saying the word "Giddy-up" when telling people about my blog. A valid point. I also can't imagine being interviewed by The New York Times and asking them to please include a reference to my blog, "What Would T-Rex Do."

Really, I just want a place of my own. That's all. A place to jot down thoughts and share some photos that I think are rather nice. Like the picture of my cat washing himself, perfectly centered on our scruffy sofa. It's just a nice photo, don't you think?

I do a lot of writing about food in daily life. Which makes sense, seeing as how I'm a food writer. I truly love this work: developing recipes, sharing a great tip I just discovered, coming across a new ingredient and planning an article around it. It's satisfying and makes me happy every single day. I'm glad I made this my life.

But sometimes I have a food thought that doesn't quite work for The Kitchn, where I write every day. Or a recipe that's not quite refined enough to make it into an article, but is tasty none the less. I like the idea of this blog being a home to those side-stories.

But I occasionally have thoughts about other things as well. Like why all the molecules in the human body are left-spinning. Or my anxieties about an upcoming work trip to New Orleans, where I will be meeting many Big Name Food Bloggers and will no-doubt feel very much like a small guppy in a big pond. (Note to self: should probably buy new pants.) And also why it's so difficult to take a non-stupid picture of my cats when Pioneer Woman makes it look so easy. Those kinds of things.

So that's this place. Unnamed. Except, of course, for my name, which as served me quite well so far in life. Wish me luck.