Tailoring.

I'm going to trim the extraneous accumulations down to a reasonable minimum, to preserve both the quality and the flavor of the basic, yet divine cuts of enlightenment.

Stuff on my Mind.

From the Serpent and the Rainbow.

"To understand... you must think of a glass of water. You cannot avoid touching the glass, but it is just a means of support. It is the water that slakes your thirst and it is the water, not the glass, that keeps you alive."

Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow

Spring! Why are you so far away!

Have you ever tried to paint on layers of subtlety, so that you could become more human? What is it to be human, if not to have these levels of sentience, of experience, and reflection, and graceful separation and yet revelation with the world around you?

I don't know. I feel like we are losing depth, even as we sink deeper into the stagnant mediocrity of Western civilization. A few people are breaking out of the monotony; sometimes I have to shake myself awake in order to keep on swimming up and out of it.

Planning a future.

A year without restaurants.

So while I was watching the Food Network yesterday morning and lazily studying for a humanities quiz, I thought seriously about resolving to only cook at home for a year, with a few exceptions for birthdays and celebrations if need be. I know some people do this quite often, while others are understanding to my lifestyle because they live it, too: not enough time in the day to cook. But that's not really true, and I know it's not, because my roommate cooks pretty frequently and although she isn't working while going to school (my main excuse), she is still tied up in a college student's hectic schedule of class, homework, tests and studying (and a little playing to balance it all out).

And so I have found my New Year's resolution for 2010: to cook at home exclusively, using very little premade things (like cheating with frozen dinners, I mean) and taking the time to plan out menus and make grocery trips that aren't sporadic at best. It could be the worst idea I've ever had, but it's a challenge that I feel could help me feel healthier, challenge me to recreate dishes I miss, and to save up for who knows what.