California Dreaming

I can't remember the last time I've been so consistently happy. Wine country is doing wonders for my general outlook! I've always been an optimist, but here? It's almost annoying, even for me! Hahaha~

The Barista has been an amazing friend to me. He has been keeping me incredibly grounded, reminding me of what I'm doing here, even though he doesn't realize it. He and I have been cooking a LOT together, too! He's not as intense of a food nerd as I am, but he actually seems to enjoy listening to me yammer on about eggs and salt and nonsense. Yesterday we even made kimchi together! I'll post our recipe in a few days when fermentation kicks in and it's ready.

Also happening in a few days! I've been writing a YouTube series, and finally found what I find to be an acceptable place to film. It's going to be all about food science and history, and I can't wait to show you all what it's all about! It's been a blast to work on!

Commute

When we last left your heroine (me), I was on the cusp of a major freak out in the Schwartz.  Since then, I have adjusted way better to a nomadic life, and as of yesterday,  finally unpacked my books in it to really organize and make it "home"!

The adjustment process was definitely weird for me. I found myself trying to be more social, and making more time to spend wih the Barista and an old friend from my Maine days that happens to be in Petaluma for the month. I did kind of revert to my old workaholic ways, but to a lesser degree han what it was. Currently,  I have a full-time job cooking at a brewpub in Healdsburg, and then when I'm not doing that, i drive an hour and a half souh to San Francisco where I work on a food truck. So while technically,  I am scheduled to work 7 days a week,  that really hasn't been happening. The food truck pays better, and will have some excellent potential benefits involved, but at the moment is far too inconsistent and iffy for me to commit to it. Like this week- I was supposed to work last night and today. I was told not to bother, business was too slow. So on the one hand, I have gotten to spend more time with my friends in Mountain View, and got some serious work done on a pet project of mine (more on that in a bit!), but I have lost out on a significant chunk of change that I could really use at the moment. However, it's not worth it to quit the food truck and find a more dedicated gig, because on Friday night, they are letting me work an event serving a country artist I am a huge fan of! Besides, this surprise time off is great for my mental health right now. Really focusing on me and forcing myself to deal with some things I have been avoiding is making me feel like I'm finally really growing into myself.

Now, as for that lovely pet project... I'm not going to really go into details until I have solid *stuff* to show off. Just know that it is everything I love about being a food nerd, and writing for it has energized me in a way I haven't felt in yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaars. Look for something... mmmm... next week. Pretty confident I'll have something to show for this silliness. :)

May the Schwartz Be Witcha!

My nomadic existence has become very very official!  Last night was the first night I spent in my new old van. She has been dubbed "The Schwartz", as she is such an old bucket of bolts she reminds me of the movie Spaceballs. The Schwartz is a 1990 Ford Econoline 150, with a scant 90k miles on her and an inability to reach speeds over 85mph. Frankly, I'm terrified to try and take her above 65, so my mom should be ecstatic about that. She is a tragically beautiful garbage heap of a van, with a very retro pale horrendous pink interior. My dog, Clooney, saw fit to baptize her by vomiting on the bench/bed where I sleep. Seemed appropriate.

Vomit cleaned, I proceeded to collect supplies for the actual act of living in this thing. I am truly Macguyver- I have created a campstove out of sterno pods and shit collected at Goodwill. So, I am lucky enough to be able to make hot water for my crap instant coffee and ramen! It's an exciting prospect.  Really,  the only thing I really wish I had in here right now is booze. Or other substances that happen to be medically abundant in the great state of California.  Because dude, even with my dog, sleeping in this thing is fucking surreal.

There's just this intense, isolating feeling going out alone. I finally have no real responsibilities, and I can run away from everything whenever I so desire. And that is awesome. But, at the same time, these nights when I don't have people to visit? Makes it that much lonelier. Clooney is a shitty conversationalist, and sleeps through half my rants anyway. I'd text or phone more, but the discovery that the Schwartz's electrical system isn't fully hooked up to support my car charger has made my phone that much more of a specialty resource. All there is to do once the sun sets is wait for sleep, and with my mind going a million miles a minute, it is waaaaay more difficult to do without chemical assistance. All of my wine is currently taking up a small bit of real estate in my new friend's (the Barista) garage to prevent temperature damage during my travels. Which is a great thing, I cannot thank him enough, but goddamn I could really use a drink.

...Hm. Apparently I just broke the back passenger door lock, permanently locking it. This keeps getting better!  :D