did i also mention...

It's eight o'clock on a Saturday morning and I'm up and brewing coffee, having had a wonderful night's rest.

A large part of me can't wait for middle age, when going to bed at ten or eleven on a Friday night is just something you do. I like my Saturday mornings, I like turning in relatively early, I like waking up well-rested with an entire day ahead of me and sitting around letting the morning slowly unfold while I sip coffee and lounge.

Mom said sometime last month, "I know, I couldn't wait to be forty because then I could act the way I've always wanted to act" -- be a homebody, hold get-togethers that start at seven and end at nine-thirty, go to bed early, wake up early.

I hear you, Mom.

So over the summer I have blossomed into a wonderful cook. My forays into vegetarianism are turning into settlements, something slightly more permanent and less clap-board based than a squatter's hut but not quite the huge impressive I-refuse-to-go-anywhere solidity of a middle-class development house. Vegetarian (or whole food) eating is something I've wanted to explore for awhile -- not just Boca burgers and soy crumbles, but the real combination eating deal, beans and rice and lots of spices. My cookbook has been a great place to start -- the introduction talks about nearly every kind of food that a vegetarian would consume, how to prepare them, where to find them. And the recipes are delicious.

I have no ethical reservations about eating meat. I order meat quite frequently when I'm dining out and think fondly of colder weather to come, which means beef stroganoff. But for a few reasons -- my health, my finances, and the intimidation I feel when trying to master my mother's recipes -- I'm liking this new swing in my diet.

Also, having switched to soy milk, I find myself in greatly reduced intestinal discomfort. I think I started becoming lactose intolerant at Grove City, but always thought it was stress. When I stayed at Colette's house earlier this summer, which contained only soy milk, I found I liked the way it tastes and decided to give it a try. Pure intestinal bliss.

The beans are another matter. But they taste so good, and I've had so much fun cooking with new spices and new ingredients (like tahini). And I've discovered a love for fresh cooked beets.