A Grade-A Day

If both-coast days are a little uncomfortable, second days back are (in this case) pretty awesome.

I woke up to the sad realization that I, away from the comforts of my parents' refrigerator, had no food. So I donned my new scarf (Thanks Mom!) and stuffed a pair of socks into my pocket to serve as makeshift gloves. This may need some explanation - I could stick my thumbs through the holes in the heels and wear the rest of the sock as a sort of mitten. It didn't come to that, thankfully, as my nine a.m. walk to Trader Joe's was blue-skied and brisk, but not freezing. I got all sorts of yummy goodness, such as pesto pizza and vanilla yogurt. The cashier even gave me a raffle ticket (for $25) for bringing in my own bags!
On my way to the mailroom later, I ran into three of my friends tossing around a frisbee. I joined in for a bit, and we discussed all sorts of interesting things in between throws. When I got my mail, I saw that a stranger had written me - an old Reedie by the name of Clint who read my application essay in Reed magazine and was "blown away". He had a few things to say about how it spoke to his own spirituality and sense of wonder, which was really gratifying. It was pretty fantastic, actually.
A bit later Phil and I went to the bread-making class at the Co-op. I had so much fun! We proofed our yeast, got in flour fights, drank homemade Pinot Noir (wooo...fancy), and devoured our naan and tortillas, complete with avocado, tomato, and olive oil and garlic toppings. Mmmmm. I'm thinking I might apply to be in the Co-op dorm next year if I don't get the HA position. There was a strong sense of community, likely due in part to their simple act of making and eating dinner together five times a week. Plus I could learn to cook. See the massive loaf of bread me and my friend Kate made - and this is only half of the thing!

After that I pretty much hung out with Peter and Phil for the rest of the day. This involved long dreaded sunglass-wearing folk appearing out of the cold to play beautiful piano music and leaving without a word, that pesto pizza, contact juggling, intense discussions, and the suchlike.
Ah yes, a good day. And tomorrow I'll be able to pick up my film (hurrah!). I might even build a bicycle.