it rose!

i just finished eating a completely homemade meal that, hopefully, will mark the beginning of a less disgusting way of life for us.  i spent about sixteen hours this afternoon making potato and pea samosas with basmati rice, and when i say sixteen hours, i almost literally mean it.  i'm not the most graceful person in the world, so the introduction of intense heat and sharp knives into my world makes me very nervous.  thus, i work very, very slowly in the kitchen.  i think it took me about a half hour to wash, peel and dice three potatoes, a carrot, a stick of celery and an onion, which means i won't be winning a top chef quickfire challenge any time soon.  i wouldn't have minded taking so long (as it probably saved me from slicing myself) if it weren't for luke, who surfaced in the kitchen a few times to ask rapid-fire questions about the recipe, saying things like, "does that dough have to rise?" and "are you sure it has to be in the oven for thirty minutes?"  however, whining aside, it was worth it, because we are both pleasantly full now and don't have to worry about the health consequences of eating powdered beans at taco bell. yipee!  plus, i made something uber delicious all by myself - no help from packages or other people, for, sadly, perhaps the first time ever.

in order to accomplish this fantastical dinner, i had to go to the market and load up on fresh vegetables, which makes always makes me feel very superior - i love loading a ton of produce onto the conveyor belt at the ralph's check-out because it makes me feel healthier than everyone else.  i get the same feeling just by standing inside whole foods.  anyway, when i was at the store today, i had an interesting realization: every single supermarket manager i've ever seen has looked exactly the same.  like, every one i've seen in my entire life, in every grocery store i've been into.  each and every one of them is a middle-aged man of confusing ancestry who smiles too much and likes to ask if i'm finding what i'm looking for.  it's gotten to the point with these identical managers that i actually think i'm insane sometimes, with part of the psychosis being that i see the same *maybe* half-asian man whenever i happen to be standing near a frozen food aisle.

when i got back to the apartment after the marketing, luke had hooked up his brand-new video camera, which is about the size of a soda can and takes really awesome pictures.  he insisted on "testing" it as i unloaded the groceries (which i must do really, really quickly these days as the kittens have decided that they love flinging themselves head-first into bags and eating the contents).  i hate being in pictures or videos - i essentially melt when there's a lens on me.  cameras make me super self-aware, a feeling i don't like.  knowing this, luke proceeded to analyze my every move (before and after he replayed the video) and razz me for playing to the camera, which annoyed me for two reasons: 1) teasing, by definition, is annoying; and 2) he was implying that i'm not always as charming and hilarious and self-deprecating as i was on that bit of digital record (which was later unceremoniously deleted).  

no one appreciates me.