Laughter Through Tears

I made this chocolate cake for my family but added a whole package of chocolate chips, which made it super-rich, and then chocolate icing (butter + semisweet, melted together) on top to keep it from being dry. It was intensely chocolatey (as planned!) and got rave reviews from the family.

This is the end of week 4, as I count it.

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I'm getting by. I'm okay, really.

For pasta, when tomato sauce isn't to be found, or you're just bored of it, and you need something quick and tasty, from ingredients usually on hand. 1 tbsp butter, salt, plus ground black pepper and a little lemon juice.

Salt, lemon and pepper are all things I'm definitely likely to have in the kitchen, pretty much always. I usually have a bag of pasta lying around, and some butter. Good for Saturdays like today, because I don't have to decide in advance what to cook. And I can make as much as suits, based on my appetite at the time.

Apparently that's what they call it when you're sick with some shit you can't do anything about except "fluids and rest". Ugh. I don't even want to go to a doctor because it's not of any use, except I probably have to because of sick leave. Bluh. I've only just gone to a doctor to pick up prescriptions on Tuesday. And I told myself, maybe I should ask her about the fatigue and the backache and all. But then I didn't.

Yesterday I had to go in because of some things that needed doing that no one else can do. Figures the only time I have actual work to do is when I can hardly get myself out of bed in the morning. I slept most of yesterday afternoon and slept until after ten this morning. I let my alarm go, because I thought I might wake up feeling better and go in, which would be simpler all in all. But instead I felt like crap? So I slept another four hours and then took a long hot shower.

And, uh, did a laundry or two and cleaned the kitchen counter. And now I'm cooking lunch/supper because I have food in the house that I'd meant to cook days if not weeks ago, but I've been awful instead. Even though I know having cooked food in the house makes my quality of life immeasurably higher. I even dropped in some fresh mushrooms, before they get limp like the carrots I had planned to cook with on, oh, Friday?

There was some other thing that I wanted to write before I went to check on my dinnerlunchmeal. Whatever. If it's important, it'll come to me later.

Apartment business I just about over and done with. At the end of the day, everything that needed to get done was done, with much help from certain quarters (and significantly less from others). I have a few loose ends to wrap, but I feel I can take a much deserved break into more low-key shore activity.

Which means now is as good a time as any to establish a good grocery shopping routine, and corresponding menu. Maybe I'll get myself on a decent meal schedule, finally.

I wrote a tiny bit just now, only to try to get myself feeling back on track. This week I was preoccupied with the open university, and family business, and baking bread. And getting sucked into a game update for hours on end. I did do well with the programming work, and it was satisfying.

What I really want is to fuse the fanfic mentality with the original fic mentality somehow, until they form a big oozing ball of creativity.

Today I seemed to have some sort of minor cold, or perhaps an early allergy attack. I was wiped out, so I cut myself a little more slack than usual and didn't even try to write. I think I might have had a bit of a fever.

I did get a call from a recruiter who might have a job offer for me.

Now I'm trying to figure out whether I should make myself a sandwich as a light supper or opt for something more substantial. If I'm ambitious I could make some brown rice.

1 small-medium potato, cubed small
1 small red-orange sweet pepper, cut into short strips
1 egg

Fry in olive oil on a hot flame, stirring constantly. Start with the potato, add in the pepper. When the potato cubes start to soften (poke with fork) make a hollow in the vegetable pile to scramble the egg in. Top with salt to taste.

If the question is, "Can you freeze a ripe mango, then defrost it a week or so later and eta it to your delight?" then the answer must surely be, "Yes, but only with a spoon, for it will have turned to gooey sweet mush."

So I hear some Hunger Games fans have gone all Blaise Zabini on the fandom's ass after watching the film.

How fucking depressing.

Anyway I totally want to watch the movie because it sounds fluffy and fun. I do have that damn neuro lab tomorrow, though, so I don't know if I'll have the energy to go out on Thursday night. Bluh. Tomorrow will be bad, I have ten straight hours of class with only one free period. Also I cooked food for the whole week but it's already almost run out, I have to do some cooking tonight or something. Which means I have to stop for groceries on the way back from the library.

And I will apparently need to buy the Cognitive Neuroscience book, because checking it out from the library every time I need it simply won't work.