i’ve been kind of grumpy lately, because i’ve been trying to figure out whether or not to take a semester off, but more, i suspect, because i’m starting to get homesick. don’t get me wrong, new york: i like you fine. even more than fine, really. i really like you. but living out of a suitcase for a few months, regardless of how much of your stuff you’ve surrounded yourself with, just can’t compare to being home: there’s this permanent sense of your life being temporary.

i think i’ve felt as much at home as i can this summer, and in truth it really has felt like a vacation. you know, a vacation where i’ve got multiple jobs, but a break from school is a break from school. so now that i’ve finally had enough vacation, i’m starting to get antsy about feeling like i’m at home. part of this is cooking, and it’s just been so long since i’ve gotten to do any therapeutic cooking. this sounds pretty stupid, but it’s actually a great way to relax: basically i just do something that’s really complicated or unnecessary, just for the sake of doing it. my standby is roasting a chicken to use the meat for chicken pot pie; usually people just buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket (ugh) or poach some chicken breast (uninspiring). after you roast the chicken and pull all the meat off the bones, you get to make chicken stock. and somehow the chicken and the food it’s turned into all disappears within a day or two, courtesy of your friends. (more…)