Home, Again

[Jessica’s flowers, November 2008.]

Though I was in DC for less than 48 hours, I managed to: revisit many old neighborhoods; have brunch (eggs Florentine, french toast, mimosa, coffee) at the place I always seem to end up having brunch when I’m in town; brave the P St. Whole Foods on a Saturday morning for cupcakes and cheese and champagne; get sandwiches at So’s Your Mom for the plane (hummus and an avocado and Emmenthaler) and was nostalgic for Adams Morgan; have americanos at Tryst twice; eat breakfast at the Diner (fried egg sandwich with Swiss, orange juice, lots of coffee, grits); and, oh yeah, participate in a wedding.

Lately my little gang of friends seems mostly to come together to celebrate nuptials of various parties and as there are currently none on the immediate horizon I find I am a bit melancholy today wondering when we shall reunite again. Or maybe it’s the jetlag — there was little sleep to be had during the course of the weekend and I got home late last night to tumble into bed for a few hours before waking up to come into work this morning. I was so tired I forgot to check if I had enough cash for my breakfast (coffee, sesame bagel with cream cheese) but since the cafe where I go nearly every day for my morning brew knows me pretty well I am just going to pay up tomorrow when inevitably I’ll be needing another cup of coffee.

So, all of a sudden Thanksgiving is next week. How the heck did that happen? December 1 is in just two weeks! I’m already planning what I’m doing for New Year’s Eve! Before I know it, spring will peer round the wintry corners of Daylight Savings Time and I won’t be running in the dark and wishing for just an extra few hours of light. Not that I’m trying to wish away the days, but …

Also, today it is 71 degrees in San Francisco. Yes, that’s 71. I hardly know what to do with myself.

In the meantime, I haven’t cooked anything in days. After the recent weeks’ flurry of baking and four days on the other coast, I find myself craving vegetables — perhaps a pile of roasted beets and a tangle of greens with just a bit of balsamic dressing, or a lot of quinoa soup, or pretty much something not involving cheese, eggs, or bread, because while I love all of those things very much I think I got my fill while I was out of town. So, tonight will involve lots of laundry, lots of vegetables, lots of HBO On Demand, and an early bedtime.

But first things first: what to have for lunch?