I Wish I Was Homeward Bound

The other day I learned that the quinoa-seed is a complete protein source, I find that amazing, I don't know why. No more than 2 months ago I was taught that the only way to obtain a complete protein source from a single ingredient was from meat but oh no, false...quinoa! I just bought some. Cooked it with ginger and then poured onion and acorn-squash drippings with honey all over it. Thanks for the loan Mom, bet you're glad I'm blowing it all on exotic ingredients for my selfish-self, and not Christmas gifts..

I also just bought this cool book called Local Bread. I have a feeling that my involvement in baking may at some point surpass my involvement in traditional cooking. Everyone should bake bread, the human-race would be at a better place if everyone took the time to bake their own bread. I sincerely mean that. It's probably the most therapeutic and remedial thing I've ever done.

Anyways enough nonsense, the eve of my loves return is nigh. There are six more sleeps until Mag gets on her very first ever plane and flies half way across the globe. I don't even know what to say about that. It's pretty surreal...it kind of feels like sleeping for the first time. To be at a final rest after a life of unending labour...except it's not final, we have to repeat the whole process come January. She actually has a bit of an adventure ahead of her after getting off the plane. She's gotta drive, ferry and walk her way to meet me on campus after I get off class on Wednesday.. It's bittersweet but less bittersweet than it was the day we met...meeting and knowing that a rainy day in August when she'd leave would eventually come...and now knowing that finally, a sunny day in April will soon bring us together again. December is gonna be heaven though, I truly can't wait to go home. It's sick but the thing I'm looking forward to 2nd most to cuddling with Mag and watching movies at home here, is cuddling with Mag and watching movies at home in Ottawa after raiding my Mom's chip-pantry.

I miss a lot of things. I really miss Ben's house. What a phenomenal place that was, I took it for granted, I could have learned a lot more there and participated in some pretty amazing things but at least I got some good friends out of it. Compared to my living-situation now...well the comparison doesn't need to be made for anyone who ever visited Ben's home. I miss Mike and Robbie and Gordon and Trevor so much. I don't think I've laughed half as hard once while here than I laughed on a regular old day hanging out with Mike in Ottawa. I really miss scooting around downtown Ottawa with Nick. There was one day when I was working at the Ottawa Marriott where Nick and Matt Morrow came down and met me after work around 11pm and we just shredded all around these abandoned buildings and streets on a dark Monday night...those times were the best. Or the back of Marty's van with Nick, Rob and Ty...oh lord. God, I even miss OC Transpo. Anyone who has tried to use public-transpo to get around on a Sunday in Nanaimo will NEVER bitch about OC Transpo again.

I took some photos of my hands today, Mag tells me she loves my hands...by most standards I guess this is considered pretty disgusting for someone who handles food for a living but they're clean...this is just what they look like. I like them to look this way, I pounce at most opportunities to handle root and bulb vegetables, to have hands like this is a trophy to me and I don't care how "unkempt" it looks. Years of griptape wear, beet juice, celeriac dirt, a dismembered fingernail, the remains of an old rust-wound infection. One day these hands will remind me that I mostly worked for what I received.