Projects, Progress, Promise and FOOD

So, I turned in that very stressful project.

I have not a guess as to what grade I'm going to get, only that it'll only be worth half the points, since it was so late. And there's another project coming for me already. Hopefully I'll get this one done in a reasonable amount of time.

I'm not sure if I should register for next quarter. It's $50 this time, and I can't really afford it without dipping into the food budget. I'm also somewhat disillusioned about my current school's support services, so I've looked around the internets a little for self-paced online courses at accredited colleges with decent financial aid and disability support services, but I haven't found anything yet. Yes, the bar is high. Classes fill up fast, though, so I need to decide. Should I stay or should I go?

My physical stamina is growing, and I saw my first evidence of it on Thanksgiving. We traveled back to the city to spend the holiday with my family. After dinner, I rallied a few people into getting out for a walk, and I made it much further, much faster than I would have even a month ago. I still pooped out after about a quarter-mile, but it felt good to be moving that quickly, even if for only a short time. It gives me hope for the future.

Turkey day was pleasant. It was just us and my immediate family, so there were no cologne barricades to dodge or awkward small talk to be made. It was nice and relaxing and very, very filling.

But what, you may ask, does a mostly-vegetarian eat at thanksgiving? Oh, I eat well, my friends! Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, herbed roasted veggies, citrus sweet potatoes with an amazing oats/sugar/butter crust, cranberry jelly and crescent rolls, and The Hippie Stuffing. My step-dad is the cook in our family, and he makes me a special stuffing every year, sans animals. This year's was brown rice and wheat bread cubes with dried apricots, mushrooms, pine nuts and cranberries. Divine. Being a mostly-veg certainly hasn't cramped my thanksgiving style. However, in case you have concern for the meat-eaters in my family, they just wouldn't shut up about the the turkey (which was grilled on the Weber this year) and the ham (which had a lovely curry to it) and the gravy (with the mesquite flavor from the barbie, it was apparently amazing), so we were all pretty spoiled this thanksgiving.

We got some laundry machines from a guy up the hill. They're... rustic. The dryer dries, but while making terrible noises. And the washer washes, but only if someone resets it every five minutes. And there seems to be a water inflow issue, so I've been filling it manually with a pitcher. But it's better than nothing, which is exactly what we had unless we came up with $30 for the laundromat or I started washing clothes in the tub. I'm not sure which of those is more likely, they're both so outrageously impossible right now.

And speaking of laundry, it felt like a firecracker went off in my lower back yesterday while I was bent over the dryer. Good thing I'm seeing a spine specialist today. That post is coming.


Taking long walks in the forest with my dog is about the greatest thing there is. Finding new trails, taking pictures of moss and branches and relics of the old mill, I still can't believe I live out here.