I could write all night.

I don't dwell too much -- or try not to -- on things that happen at work when I am not at work. I make an effort to keep work separate from life outside of work -- which is easy enough to do when one works retail because you can pretty easily leave the store and leave it behind for the day. But it is worth mentioning that when things get stressful at work, it's harder to shake off that feeling when you know it's going to be stressful again the next time you go in. I mean, it's no small thing to work 40+ hours per week somewhere; it's a big chunk of your life that can affect your attitude hugely if things aren't going the way they're meant to.

It was like that for about a month at the bookstore as they/we were busy implementing all sorts of new technology and inventorying all the books/CDs/movies/younameit, and the overwhelming feeling of being overwhelmed was getting the place collectively down. It was a little touch-and-go there for a while; I never knew what sort of situation I was going to walk in on when I went into work. For my part, I consider a number of people at the bookstore good friends. Like, awesome friends. And it was a bummer to see people that I usually have such a great time with, not having such a great time.

But... as it always does, it subsided. And once all the craziness started to calm down and things started getting back to normal, and all of us took a big breath and thought, okay, moving on... a few of us managed to get together for some bevvies and the world turned upside-up.

Beer and liquor, pizza and pancakes and coffee. Lots of coffee. Typing up poems, listening to music, laying on a dewy lawn and smoking too many cigarettes. Singing and dancing, and drinking more coffee.


Somehow, at least for me, like a switch was flipped back on, things are once again wonderful in the world. That may seem like an overstatement, but it's not: I am merely appreciating (vigorously) how much my friends and these (sometimes very) spontaneous gatherings make me happy.

I also dread/love the first hint of sunrise every time.


So now that I'm all rejuvenated... It was time to think about something to make -- I needed an ingredient list for the farmer's market tomorrow so that I could stay within my means/bounds. I flipped through a couple of my cookbooks and found one that I had nearly forgotten about: The Highlander's Cookbook: Recipes from Scotland by Sheila MacNiven Cameron (Gramercy Publishing Co., 1966).


I picked it up after getting back from my most recent trip to Europe where my family and I roadtripped through Scotland (and now can hardly go through a day without wishing ourselves back there). We were spoiled by a bunch of authentic Scottish food while we were there, and when I ran across this oldie at the bookstore not too long after getting back home, I knew I had to have it. How could I have almost forgotten about it!? I've found a simple cold dessert recipe perfect for the farmer's market tomorrow that uses blueberries and bread to make a bread pudding/cake that is then poured over with cream or custard. Can't wait!