I guess I'm just embarking on my junior year, then...

Two years ago today, I flew into Chicago, discovered America and stayed*.

As we know, retail here is king. I went out looking for a birthday present for m'wife, and came home with an anniversary present for m'self. Traditionally leather is for the third year, but hey: I am now in possession of a new purse (which you might possibly call a wallet). It's green, so m'lady should be pleased; and it has almost all the pockets a man could wish for. Almost. What is it about pockets...?

In less enchanting adventure, I lost my Fitbit again. And found it again, yay me, on the floor in Macy's - but I'd been halfway home before I realised it was missing. I hate how crap the clasp is, on such a cool piece of tech.

Meanwhile I am still loving the dickens out of my new freezer. It has capacity! Also, two temperature zones, deep freeze and not-so-much: I am half inclined to buy a freezer thermometer, just so's I know what temps we're actually operating at. Mmm, retail. What is it about spending money...?

Meanmeanwhile, taxes. Ever a joy, and a splendid anniversary commitment.


*For some reason, after all these years of heedless accuracy, I have started wanting to type stayed as staid. Any minute now, I anticipate that played will come out as plaid, and we will all be lost.

On freezers

Of course we knew what we were getting into. What Mac would be getting onto. Put a black freezer in a sunny window with birdies beyond, we could expect nothing else. Nor did we.

Nevertheless. I feel very tempted to post another picture. He is totally torn between lying dozy in the sunshine and staring fixedly at the fluttering inaccessible birdies. (I have opened the window, to make his torment all the more.)

In the grocery store, I was delighted to overhear myself think: "Trouble is, that's far too many chicken thighs - oh, but wait! Freezer! I can cook half and freeze the rest! Have my cake and eat it!"

So, in the spirit of new virtue, half my chicken thighs have been bagged and labelled and dated - and as soon as Mac gets off the bloody freezer, I can put them in it...

Tonight's yogi dinner is a chicken biryani. In the recipe I am more-or-less sort of following, it says "Saute the onion/garlic/ginger paste until golden brown." Thing is, I chucked a couple of serrano chillies in there, because hullo, still me; which meant the paste started out a lovely pale green. It is now not so much golden-brown as khaki.