Braaains

Dear Joanne,

Thank you for your photos of spring! Congratulations on finishing your classes! And for the fellowship and the teaching job that will come.

I am exhausted.

EXHAUSTED! I demand belly rubs!

I keep thinking that sleep is an optional thing, that it is something that I can contort to fit into my schedule. If I need an extra hour to edit something, or if need to get up at dawn because I don't have time in the evening to run, I will cut into that extra hour of sleep.

I figure I could choose sleep. I could choose not to edit something or not to contact someone or not go running or not to do all the other things I do with my time. There are years of my life where sleep was the greatest luxury I could afford and I relished in its excess. I'm too old for that shit and my damned self discipline won't let me squander the possibility that these self-imposed exercises are the building blocks to a future where I have a client list and write for pay and sing for pay and run marathons and NEVER SLEEP.

When I decide not to succumb to nature, I think of you and your work ethic. You work so hard. You are my hero. I want to be just like you. But like me. But, like, I'd like to have your bosoms. On  my body. That would be ideal. Let your mind wander where it will, I apologize for nothing.

I digress.

My music WIP board. There's a whole another wall covered in other WIPs.

When I am exhausted I like to eat fruits and veggies. Heavy meals from a restaurant would just weigh me down and make the burden of sleep greater, plus then I'd have to take the time to place an order, wait for it, pick it up. Not. Fast. Enough. Fruits and veggies are fast.

I also think vegetables and fruit are indulgent. They can be expensive, especially considering the smallness of the caloric energy you obtain from them. They have such a short shelf life that if you buy them you must eat them within a few days. I also believe that no chocolate will ever taste as rich and complex as the heaviest pear in a bushel.

I am exhausted and my breakfast is a cup of coffee and a pear. My lunch is strawberries and cheese. Dinner is a catered meal for a meeting where I will probably just eat like 12 rolls and some chicken and a salad, if it looks good, plus all the candy and cookies I can get my hands on before I get a sugar headache. Remember this when you perceive me as a model of health.

Raw Zucchini Salad

Ingredients:

Zucchini*. Smaller ones are better and more flavorful, but whatever, eat what's around.

Garlic. I use the frustratingly small cloves in the middle of a head of garlic. So, like 1/3 of a normal-sized clove for a 7-inch zucchini? This is very much to-taste.

 Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Break the zucchini into chunks with your dysfunctional vegetable peeler. Switch to peeling delicate strips when your roommate hands you a functional vegetable peeler.

Place zucchini onto the surface where you will eat it*. Or in a bowl, where you can assemble the salad and then put it onto a plate. I sometimes eat straight from the cutting board, but I hear most people enjoy using plates for their food. Quel civilite! You'll notice in the photo that I opted for a plate this time. I also take my whiskey pinky-up.

Chop the ridiculously small piece of garlic into as small pieces as you can get it. Don't use too much! You can always add more if you want more raw garlic flavor. Mix the garlic bits in with the zucchini strips.

Salt and pepper the mess you've created, then sprinkle (douse) with as good olive oil as you have in your pantry. Toss everything together, ostensibly with utensils, but I won't judge you if you use your garlicky monster hands.

Wash your hands before you eat straight from the cutting board, you savage.

Notes:
*Asparagus is a delicious replacement for zucchini!

*I would never eat a zucchini again as long as I lived if I had a bakery near me as good as Silver Moon.


Miss you terribly! I sent you a postcard from the Legion of Honor. I've always loved postcards, but I have waaay too many, so I decided to make it a thing and start sending them to my best friends for those times when I'm happy and I want to share that happiness.  Check your mail. Send my love to Graham!

Love you!

Shelly