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the unfortunate extension of persnicketiness
As I left work after 6:30 p.m. last night for the third day in the second or maybe fourth week in a row, it occurred to me that the sense of being “done” with work and it being “time” for me to go home might never announce its presence. My job isn’t really set up like that: like so many others, there’s always more you can do, and you need to figure out for yourself when you are done for the day. All of this is pretty unfortunate for me because if there is one thing I am terrible at navigating internally, it is completion. Or, moderation.
If I were the kind of person who was good at moderation, I might not be the kind of person who got home at 8 p.m. last night and made dumplings from scratch with my husband. A small dose of rationalization would have led to take-out, but I didn’t want takeout. And I know what you are thinking: wait; can’t you just defrost dumplings from the freezer? Boil pasta? Aren’t there meals that fall in between making complicated foods from scratch and ordering Thai?
Ah, now you get it. I’m not very good at the middle ground, and I don’t think I ever want to be, especially if that means that I’ll stop baking Oreos or whipping up pizzas for us to grill on Ang’s patio on a Monday night. Besides, if I can’t prioritize an amount downtime that would allow me to lose these circles under my eyes, I can at least serve as entertainment for my husband and mother in the living room as I try to get my graham crackers to have the precise lines and dots of the packaged variety, as I did last Friday night.
comments (9)
Yeah, i made those oreos last week at about 10:00 at night with a 1-week old. It is a disease, I tell you, this homemade food trap (but they were damn good and I ate them ALL!).
1 | PhC | May 11, 2006 09:31 PM
Wait, wait, PhC with the two-week-old baby at home? Made cookies? Still gets to shower twice a day? You're giving me too much hope!
2 | deb | May 11, 2006 09:50 PM
Deb, I love that you are persnickety. I am anxiously waiting for the LAST batch of what will be 15 dozen oatmeal cookies for our open house this weekend to be finished at 11pm on a Thursday night...I have baked EVERY night after work: 24 dozen chocolate chip, two separate batches of 20 dozen peanut butter (tho one of the two batches is just plain wrong and I don't know why so they aren't going to the open house--just not good quality) and now these. I wanted so badly to bake the oreos! If I had one more night this week to do them I would--but it went too fast!! I was >< close to emailing you to see if you'd bake them and ship them :P But alas it is too late and the old (and young) fly fishermen will have to do without homemade oreos until our winter open house.
And I too am afflicted...whilst I awaited the baking to be done, I checked and responded to work email...from home... late at night. Bah.
3 | Teresa | May 12, 2006 01:06 AM
Ooooohhh! What's the graham cracker recipe? We don't have them in the UK and I miss them a lot!
4 | UKYankee | May 12, 2006 07:12 AM
oh, no ya don't, if there is any baking and shipping to be done it'll be sent to Fl! and how about dry ice for those homemade frozen pizzas, hmmm? I'm thinking, I'm thinking....
I was the same way when I had to learn to make sushi. And I am so glad!I finally learned how to make perfect rice. It is that pursuit of perfection and the proecess, right? so methodical,so rythmic, like dancing.
5 | jezzie | May 12, 2006 10:03 AM
Four Words on Surviving Infancy:
Awesome Husband
The Sling
6 | PhC | May 12, 2006 01:12 PM
I'm prescribing yoga, a new CD of your choice, and a hot bath. Sounds like the stress of work is pouring over into your kitchen, and frankly, there should always be room for take out too!
Although, I would mind seeing a photo or two of those dumplings. Yum...
7 | Kelli | May 14, 2006 11:52 PM
Deb, you are THE woman (image that comes to mind: you with laptop in one hand and baking spoon in the other, kinda like Superwoman/ Betty Crocker hybrid)! You always have the best links for foodstuffs on your site. I enjoy reading your blog. You sound like a gal not unlike myself.
Good luck on the graham cracker line making!
8 | Bronxgal | May 15, 2006 11:15 AM
Mmm I double suggest the yoga, CD and a hot bubble bath.. with CANDLES!
According to cat @ http://www.aspenleafhosting.com/cat/
it's click and comment day. I came to your blog via: http://www.queserasera.org
9 | Tabz | May 15, 2006 02:12 PM