• black bean salad with corn, red peppers, avocado, & lime cilantro vinaigrette via onceuponachef
• raw pad thai via rawfoodlove
• slow cooker honey sesame chicken over rice via sixsistersstuff
• low-maintenance risotto via noblepig
• passionfruit tapioca and lemon cream tarts via dessertsforbreakfast
• baked saffron pancakes with forest berry jam via greenkitchenstories

food things I have the time and resources to make:

• eggs & toast
• tea

my mom sent me this website link as a resource for info on grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free eating. i have been gluten-free for about four years now, but i am still not healthy and so i am looking further into alternative diets.

i was greeted with “eating should not involve math!” on the homepage. oh, i think i will enjoy this site.

this is entirely personal, so i’m not representing christianity at large or—oh for goodness’ sake, just say what i want to say:

i get uncomfortable/upset with people who claim to have all the answers about how to live and how to “make it” to happiness/fulfillment in a very specific way because i think we should be acknowledging and embracing diversity as beautiful and healthy and holy. i mean, look at nature: biodiversity is CRUCIAL for survival and our food sources are getting totally screwed up because it all comes from a very genetically narrow (not to mention artificially modified) base that becomes less and less nutritious and fortifying with every crop rotation and breeding season. similarly, we become more and more divided from each other and from ourselves every time we put up a wall because we can’t love “the other.” THERE IS NO OTHER! we are all the body and the cancer and disease comes from dualistic, exclusive mindsets, not from parts of the body.

1. biology, take two: not looking forward to having class on saturday and sunday mornings
2. ponte fabric: OMG I’M LIVING IN THIS FOOOOOREEEEEVEEEEERRRRR!!!
3. character flaw: i run away from things i’m not ready for
4. more on this later: i feel held back from being a real adult
5. another character flaw: i’m terrible at maintaining long-distance communication
6. food/body image: so many girls at my work obsess about dieting and working out and weight loss and i’m like “no, you’re beautiful and smart and lovely, but if you really feel like you would be happier at a different size, then go for it, but do it healthily, not by crash-dieting and spending all of your free time at some god-forsaken overpriced gym!” but i wonder if i’m speaking from a place of privilege because i’m “average” (whatever that means) and i live at my parents’ house and have access to healthy organic food from the community garden, and my consumption of processed/fast foods and grains is severely limited because of celiac disease? i’m just sick of all the self-hate and guilt and denial when that energy could be focused on doing things you enjoy and eating wonderful food that makes you happy and living life for yourself instead of for a homogenous, unrealistic standard of beauty and health.
7. feel i should mention: typed all that while stuffing my face with peppermint bark squares in the middle of the night. in my new dress made of magical stretchy ponte fabric with pleats and 3-quarter sleeves. it looks amazing. and the peppermint bark was delicious.

Pre-birthday lunch date at Jade Teahouse. Lordy, I dream about this place, so much that I want to move to the (beautiful, quiet, trees-taking-over-sidewalks-perfect) neighborhood (with lots of cute antique shops and cafes) just so I can breeze in for amazing salad rolls and beef noodle soup and garlic lemongrass chicken and fried catfish with curry and gluten-free pastries any time I darn well please.

(Definitely just finished off the box of sesame balls and white chocolate & sea salt macarons I brought home to share with family. Oops.)

making poster collages from opera programs + snuggling in the guest bed with a movie + talking in the dark about boys and the future and things that are important and stories about the past until we drift off at around 4am + waking up to the SUN! FINALLY! + late breakfast at Zell’s (mushroom omelet with Gorgonzola cheese, and gluten-free zucchini bread as a substitution for toast!) + strolling up and down 23rd St. in our unintentionally-almost-matching floral dresses and wedge heels + people watching + wandering into an expensive-looking boutique and finding the cutest pinky-stripey-drapey-summery top on sale for $15 (gratuitous/gloating pictures coming soon) + sun freckles + sharing music + making plans for music collaborations and trips