We’re being very…

We're being very domestic here this weekend. Kavi is a little sick, so she's taking it easy. Kev's trying to work, in between watching the kids. Anand is running and eating, pretty close to non-stop. I spent some time this weekend reading -- just finished the last book in Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, Monsters of Men. Ugh. I mean, it's a totally compelling and well-written series, and I would actually recommend it, maybe even highly. And at the same time, the world he creates is just so awful, that at many points while reading I was simultaneously fascinated and repulsed. At times I had to force myself to pick the books up again, but at other times, I couldn't put them down.

Hmm...that may be the most conflicted book recommendation I've ever given. Ah well.

I'm mostly cooking and cleaning, because tonight we're hosting the local Sri Lankan group's potluck. About fifteen people coming over, most of whom I don't know -- should be interesting. Of course, even though it's a potluck, I am pretty much incapable of not cooking twice (or thrice) as much food as needed. So yesterday I made seer fish curry (based mostly on this recipe, but with notably less tamarind and adding coconut milk), beetroot curry, and beef curry. Today should mostly be cleaning, but I may cook some more too -- possibilities include eggplant sambol, chili eggs, uppuma, and vattalappam. (Will probably make the latter, at least, since I really ought to use up my cans of evaporated milk that I bought intending to make it for a previous party.) (Local friends reading this -- since this isn't a general sort of party, I didn't invite any of you, but if you feel like meeting a bunch of Sri Lankans, there'll be plenty of food. Just drop me a line so I know you're coming. We're starting around 4.)

I've also started packing. This seems a little premature, I know, since it's a good two months until we move. But there are some things that we never quite unpacked -- or not completely. So I've started repacking those boxes, and putting them in the car. We can take them over to the house and start storing them in the basement, since we're not finishing it. When all of that is gone, we can start packing things we don't use actively (books we've bought in the last year and a half and don't plan to re-read soon, the heaviest of the winter clothes, DVDs, some of the toys, etc). The goal is to pack quietly and calmly over the next two months, moving things over bit by bit, so that we can minimize the cost of what the movers will handle (mostly furniture). In part to save money, but also so I can pack in a relatively controlled manner, so I can unpack easily. Particularly important since half of our stuff (which wouldn't fit into the rental homes) is jumbled in the garage of the house, higgledy-piggledy, and it's going to be bad enough sorting that out.

Anyway, I should go. Wash some dishes, and then perhaps slice and salt the eggplant (to draw out the bitter juices).