Blog Entry: Monday comfort list
Tonight I'm having a hard night, beating myself up over a lot of things that are out of my control. Things I want to do with MrD but just can't because of my health; things I want to do for our family that I can't manage either, right now...no fun at all to confront these issues.
Add to that the itching discomfort of being between books (and it really does feel like that; the downside of an addiction to writing is that when I'm between major projects I feel miserably uncomfortable)...and, well, it's one of those nights when I really miss all those dairy-based comfort foods I used to eat at times like these. (Ohhh, hot chocolate; ohhh, macaroni & cheese...)
Since I can't eat dairy for at least another eight months, though, I have to resort to other measures for comfort. So I'm going to talk about my weekend, because that really was wonderful, and just thinking about it makes me feel a lot better.
MrD and I went to the local market on Saturday morning, for the first time in a long time. We both love the market, which is full of a huge variety of different kinds of stalls, selling everything from antique matchbox cars to used paperbacks to handcrafted jewelry and fresh fruits and vegetables. This time I found Patrick a Sharpe novel for £2 and discovered a Persian food stall that was amazing - and which even had tons of dairy-free, meat-free options. MrD and I were both offered samples and were both equally enthusiastic about everything.
Better yet, when I asked to buy some baghlava (the Persian version of the "baklava" I grew up with), it turned out that the baghlava could only be bought by the tray, not as individual pieces...so what could I do but martyr myself with a whole tray? ;) I was very, very strong and saved a third of the tray to give away to our babysitter on Sunday...but I REALLY enjoyed the two thirds of the tray that I ate Saturday afternoon with a cup of tea, celebrating Kat3's completion.
And then Sunday was Valentine's Day, and Patrick and I both love that holiday despite all the commercial hype. Actually, I think we love it even more now that we're parents. It's a celebration of romantic love...which means it's a guaranteed day to be offered free babysitting! ;p It felt like total decadent bliss to go out to our favorite coffeeshop and sit and just talk to each other for two whole hours, then wander hand-in-hand up to the local castle. Truly wonderful and romantic - and then genuinely wonderful to get MrD back afterward, too. He'd had a great time, and so had we.
Just to make the day perfect - remember that amazing Kat-related compact I drooled over at the Jane Austen Centre? Well, I have a husband who pays attention. :) It was a really special Valentine's gift, and I've been playing with it ever since, keeping it by my side during all my writing sessions as I've dabbled with three different short stories at once.
OK, writing this all out has made me feel a lot better. What about you guys? What were the highlights of your weekends? Or alternately, what do you do to make yourself feel better when comfort food isn't available?