Shannon did come over…

Shannon did come over yesterday, and while I didn't get much actual work done (no writing) while he was around, we had a nice time catching up, and I did some more unpacking and got him to help me move some furniture around. So it was all good. My plant stand is now downstairs instead of up, which means all the plants on it will likely be watered more regularly, and my ficus is upstairs instead of down, which it will hopefully survive.

In the evening I was feeling mopey, so instead of staying in and trying to work, I kicked my butt out the door to go to Twilight Tales to go hear Angeli read from her recently-completed novel. I've heard bits of her stuff before, but not the novel -- it's good! Sort of Jacqueline Carey-esque, though with a bit more of the sexy/snarky/funny flavor of Robin McKinley's Sunshine, and the historical interest of The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. It's set in France in 1848 (I think), in the midst of a revolution, rife with conspiracies, plus it's got demons. Revolution, sex, conspiracies, and demons -- what more could you ask? Angeli was going to show it to a small press that expressed interest at a convention, but I actually think it might have pretty wide commercial potential, so I tried to talk her into hitting the big houses first. We'll see if I can help her in that direction.

This morning, I slept in a bit -- didn't get up until 7, which is shockingly late for me these days. Felt good. I've made tea and heated up a little spinach pie I picked up yesterday. Part of why I haven't been motivated to cook much in the new place yet is that there's this AMAZING Middle Eastern place two blocks down (on North, just west of Damen) called Sultan's Market. Everything we've eaten there has been super-tasty and cheap -- $2 for a meat pie which is a filling lunch for me, or around $4 for a huge shawerma sandwich (chicken or lamb), or you can just fill a dozen little containers with items from their salad bar: fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, marinated mushrooms, yummy dolmas, grilled shrimp, artichoke hearts, green or black olives, and a dozen other items we haven't tried yet -- oh, and their hummus is truly delicious, and Shannon tells me their baba ghanoush is outstanding as well (not being an eggplant fan, I haven't tried that one). We've been eating three out of four meals from food we pick up there, and I know that I'll get tired of the place eventually, but right now, it just feels like I've discovered a treasure.

I will cook soon, though -- the urge is starting to build up, and this morning I finished putting away the spices in our new pantry, so I can actually find everything I need to cook. Pantry. Did you hear that? I have a pantry now! V. exciting. It's even big enough that I can store my garden stuff in it. Yay! Now all I have to do is actually make it to a grocery store. The one clear downside of our new neighborhood is that there doesn't appear to be a good big grocery store in walking distance. But I've dealt with that before, and it's not such a big deal. There are compensations. Did I mention the hummus of the gods...?

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