WFMAD 3: Cooking

I have put a bowl of Texmati Rice and water in the microwave to cook. Rice is one of the foods that always soothes and comforts my soul. I should say good rice actually. Give me fragrant Basmati, Texmati, or Jasmine rice.

Rice takes me back to some wonderful meals in Austin, where I first learned the mysteries of rices other than plain old white long grain. That’s where my affair with Texmati began. Just the smell of the open rice cannister makes me smile.

Perhaps it’s the actual fragrance of the rice. I think, though, it’s actually the meals that rice calls up for me. We have a handful of family favorites–hamburger gravy and rice, jiffy chicken casserole, and “rice with too much rice.” None of the meals are the stuff of great chefs. They’re all basic, utilitarian meals, but all of them are things my sisters and brother and I love.

I’ve had far more complex meals, where rice was the base or the highlight. Even if I could make those meals, I’m not sure they’d ever rival the family favorites. There’s nothing in the world that can compare to some chicken broth-soaked rice with a touch of parsley and a small pat of butter.

The microwave is still humming along. Maybe I should sneak over and check its progress again. I know, I know. I need to write. I should be able to sit here and concentrate. I know. But the aroma. I know it’s got to be nearly done. It couldn’t smell like this if it weren’t time for me to pile some in my bowl. How can it take so long? Surely it’s almost ready. One little peek can’t hurt, can it?

WFMAD stands for “Writing for Fifteen Minutes a Day.” Author Laurie Halse Anderson has declared August as the 2009 Write Fifteen Minutes A Day Challenge Month. Each day she posts some writing advice, some inspiration, and a prompt to get the writing flowing. For more information, see her blog.

11/27 Journal

I made it home, but I gave up on the audio posts. Something happened with the last one I tried, from the Ohio/Indiana border. Besides I just drove straight through from there. I got home around 11 and unloaded the car into the kitchen. Once you have it all in the house, you can take your time unpacking it.

I’ve spent most of today trying to get my holiday shopping done. I think I have all but one family member taken care of. Plus I’ll need to get a few purchases that can’t be made online.

I found the recipe for Monster Cookies, which I’m thinking of making for the Cookie Exchange at work (and certainly to carry home to Virginia).

Tomorrow I’ll have to go back to work. I haven’t untangled any of the various notes and things that I packed. I don’t even know what I need to find. I fear that I’ll end up in the office with nothing that I need. I didn’t get much work on anything done last week. I feel like such a failure. :(

11/19 Journal

I think I have most of my stuff relatively close to ready to go. I’ve made (I think) six different kinds of cookies, about 2 dozen each; prosciutto pinwheels and two variants—dried beef and pastrami & corned beef; and sausage balls and two variants—chicken with mexican seasonings, and beef with worchestshire. The freezer is jam-packed. Tomorrow, I dump it all in the ice chest and hope it stays cold.

I have most of my clothes and such packed. I’m just waiting for a couple of things to dry, and I need to pack the stuff that I’ll still use in the morning. It feels as if there are far too many things that can’t be done till the morning. I’m probably already behind. Sigh.

One of the hardest parts is figuring out what I need to bring to occupy myself. I have 4 young adult novels. Sharon wants me to bring the book manuscript (which I haven’t picked up since sometime in August I believe). The sad part of that was that I didn’t even know where the printouts were.

I always end up carrying a pile of junk that I never use; so I forbid myself to bring the box of books for the writing assignment. I’ve pulled a couple of books and my box of notecards, plus the drafts obviously. Still I have this endless fear that I’ll need the one thing that I’ve left behind. I could have an entire library of books in my car, and the one I need would still be the one I left behind.

I’m just full of happy, optimistic thoughts, aren’t I? Too many memories today. Pictures and old texts and other things lost. I need to go to bed I suspect, so that I can stay awake during the drive.