Quakers...

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was a Quaker. After an extremely hectic Thanksgiving, filled more with research and writing than eating and socializing (though, there was some of that too), I decided to go to meeting for worship for the first time in a long time. It apparently needed to happen, because my mind breathed a sigh of relief during the silence. Suffice it to say that that hour every week of reflection has been something I have not only missed, but has become a time that I need in order to take care of myself properly week to week. Why is it that at those times that we most need it, we neglect the life of the spirit and choose to hunker down deeper into our troubles instead? I suppose that when we feel low on energy and/or stressed out, it is natural to turn inward instead of outward, to become insular and isolated. Basically, this is one of the most un-helpful impulses I think we can follow. Better to turn outwards to a supportive, loving community than to dwell on problems that, if we are honest with ourselves, aren't anywhere near as big when we can tackle them with each other. 

This might sound extremely "kumbaya" for those of you who don't know very much about Quakers, but it is certainly a very real and tangible feeling when I leave meeting and re-encounter the tasks I need to perform that week. Certainly today was a day that, for no particular or specific reason, showed me why the act of having faith is so unbelievably important and visceral, and why reaching out again to the community is an act from which a great deal of perspective can be drawn about our lives and the lives of others around us. I know that if I don't do it, I start to lose the ability to have grace and compassion for people who I don't necessarily see eye to eye with, and I lose the ability to be frank, kind, and honest about what I'm thinking and feeling with the people around me. These are qualities that I'd like to try to embody in my day-to-day world that just don't get fostered by the environment of graduate school, or of Boston in general. 

I know I haven't posted since October, and there's no way I can catch the blog up on the things I've been eating, thinking, or reading for the past two months. However, I'd like to start by saying that I went to Seattle and ate a lot of delicious food. I can pretty much stop eating burgers now, because no burger will ever come close to the one I had at Lunchbox Laboratory. Nothing will ever be able to compare with this. Period. If you're in the Seattle area (and you should be because this is an amazing and wonderful city), you MUST go here. Additionally, I could spend forever going through all the possible beer choices in Seattle, but I won't. I won't because good beer practically falls into your lap at many, many, microbreweries and pubs all over town. Just take a walk. Also, I found this, and I want one. 

Next, let me say that I recently bought a 15 inch cast iron skillet. That's right, 15 inches. As one of the greatest kitchen purchases I have ever made, it has so far produced perfect and bubbly Mac n' Cheese that I'm busily patenting the recipe for, and I plan on making cornbread in the near future. Comfort food, here we come! The main advantage here is the ability to start something on the stove top and finish it in the oven with even heat. Not to mention, if you use it the way its supposed to be used, the pan is non-stick and lasts a lifetime. 

I'm working on all kinds of papers right now as well, so you can expect another long wait before I actually post again. I'm trying to find a way to post or link my papers to the blog somehow (in the interests of academic posterity and the possible future failure of ol' compy), but I haven't figured it out yet. I'll be in touch. Go cook something. Right. Now. 

I bid you peace.