Life at "home" not the same

Yeah, life isn't the same at home. So far, it's like life at home always was, except with a few more friends nearby (or soon to be so) to do stuff with. So, I've turned to Craigslist to find more and get myself out of the house—or bring company into it—while I'm on unscheduled vacation this week. I certainly miss being at Freedman. Had I not had home and work responsibilities to return to, I would have jumped at the opportunity to say for the winter.

I'm going to a Chanukah party Thursday at the home of quasi-family who are my parents' neighbors and were mine for the 15 years I lived there. Mike Tabor is my "boss" at the Adams Morgan Farmers Market. Esther Siegel works on establishing affordable housing in the area. I had hoped Mike would come to talk to Adamah this past season, but I just didn't plan ahead enough. I've volunteered to bring my famous tofu veggie ben fry. I'm so happy to be able to use my wok and griddle again. (They're kosher enough by my standard but can't be rekashered to anyone else's, it seems.) Ceramic titanium non-stick is amazing!

Monday I made the above dish with Chinese marinade and served it over red quinoa. Tuesday, I used the leftovers with spaghetti and tomato sauce to have my own sauce creation, and had leftovers of that for two more meals. Yesterday, I made french toast for breakfast. I used a dense cranberry walnut bread no one else seemed to be eating. Toppings galore: maple syrup, yogurt, granola, apricot jam, and banana. Lunch was a sandwich with tofu marinated in Annie's Goddess dressing and topped with fresh spinach on my usual oatmeal bread from Whole Foods. As you may have read in my last Teva blog post, I biked home four full bags of groceries on Tuesday for my first Xtracycle-equipped food shopping trip.

I spoke to Casey last night. He was about to hit the road, having spent Shabbat with friends in New Jersey. He said he'd call me today so hopefully I'll hear from him soon to chat about getting together this week. When I called yesterday, I greeted him with "Hi roomie," and he understood the concept but started off naming his roommates before me (from camp last summer and Israel before that). Took me a second to realize that and remind him to whom he was speaking. Of course, he was so happy to hear my voice as I was his. Perhaps I'll get to invite him to Thursday's party, too.

A smile to my face at the moment because Strong Bad's fhqwhgads just came up on iTunes. Have a happy day! Happy Chanukah, too.