A Little Rambling

I've been cooking a lot on the weekends, and feeding as many people as will come over and eat with me.  Dad told me I need to be a little old Jewish grandmother, since I never seem to be happier than when I am feeding people.  It's true!  I think it might come from having worked at the Hospitality House , but wherever it originated, I absolutely love to cook for others.  Sharing food makes it better, and part of it might be just that I like to show off. I had one particularly show-offy meal this week.  Nate came over for dinner on Sunday, and it was a Greek/mediterranean/middle-eastern food fest.  I got to use my new-to-me grill for the first time, and all the food actually turned out really well!  It's always nice to feed someone who vocally appreciates one's efforts, and Nate was good at that. The menu was: pork souvlaki (almost), quinoa tabbouleh, tzatziki, and flatbread.  The flatbread I bought from Trader Joe's, and I wish I had a lot more because it was SO

I often compile lists (of a single item...is that still a list?) with arbitrarily assigned numbers, eg. "Reason #412 why I will never join the army," or "Reason #275 why I am destined to become the crazy cat lady." Tonight is a reason why I wish not to be single: so that I have someone I can call and say, "Come hug me for an hour.  You don't have to talk, just come hold me and breathe with me, and things will be better."

Today was my first day of teaching, at a school which shall remain nameless for the sake of privacy.  Just know that it's a pretty big school somewhere in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. I've looked forward to this moment for quite some time now, with varying degrees of excitement and trepidation.  I wasn't too nervous...and even that turned out to be for nothing.  I really did almost nothing today.  I got to do some warm-ups, but only one choir actually sang.  I took roll in a few others, and then sat at the desk listening to the explanation of the handbook over and over, doodling a new choir poster at the desk. I was so underwhelmed by my activities today that I am now eagerly looking forward to getting to teach actual things tomorrow instead of being terrified.  I guess that worked out well. It's weird to look at my little photo id card and see "Faculty" instead of "Student."  It's weird to eat lunch in the fine arts office with all

That seems a silly thing to say, considering how much I probably mention my commute in any my-life-is-harder-than-yours contest.  I drive 30 miles (one way) to work every day, right about the time that rush hour traffic begins, though fortunately I manage to avoid the most congested freeways.  It costs me a small fortune in gas, though with my recent move I'm filling up once a week rather than once every 5 or 6 days (but that's because I'm closer to everything else, and farther from work).  It takes me 30-40 minutes to get just about anywhere after work. But I realized yesterday that I would probably really miss my commute, were circumstances to change.  (Not to mention missing my wonderful job!  I love my job!)  If my daily drive were a few minutes along surface streets, maybe a quick couple exits on the freeway, I would miss out. Long drives mean time to think.  I have few distractions, and can take a breather to sort through the chaos of my mind, since the rest of my