New Dawn, New Day

There was ship holiday on Friday. That means I had the day off! I had a list of the things I wanted to get done, because that is just how it works for me. I find it to be a little unnerving that on my list I wrote "get outside". When I get busy it gets so easy not to go outside... ever. Crazy, I know, but I can go to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, go to work, and go to sleep without going near an exit.

Today I had a great day; I am always happy when I get my laundry done early in the day because then even if I don't do ANYTHING else then I feel like I accomplished something. In addition to doing laundry I got to cook! Sure, cooking doesn't seem all that exciting, but when I get to learn something new I always get excited. I got to learn how to cook a delicious meal from a Malagasy. Not many people can say that. A chicken was killed in the making of this lunch. However, I did not eat said chicken, nor did I participate in its killing. Fresh peas! I got to eat fresh peas. I think that is part of the reason why I don't cook very much here: because I don't know how/where to get the good ingredients. Even if I did know where to go I would probably pay too much or not be able to communicate at all. So I am thankful that my teacher was able to gather all the ingredients himself. Something that I was reminded of today was that people can seriously surprise you. I mean look at this presentation...

Who knew that a plumber could be so creative and artistic? Maybe plumbing fosters a sense of appreciation for the beautiful things in life since there is lots of gross stuff to encounter in that profession. Who knows? I'm just making stuff up. 

There are some seriously beautiful sunsets around here. We have such a great view from the top of the gangway:

When I was making pasta today, (a big bowl of pesto covered fusilli makes me a happy lady) I was reading the back of the pasta bag. Take a gander:

Does anything stand out to you? How does Barilla get off claiming that it is "the pasta brand Italians prefer". How can they possibly know that? I thought that they could claim they are the best selling pasta brand (based on sales numbers) and that would be okay. That is not what they are claiming. Then I thought about how they could have polled a random sample of Italians. But what do you define as an Italian? Someone who was born in Italy? First generation Italians? Second? People with one Italian parent? Someone who holds an Italian passport? This is what happens. I find something and then I give it far too much thought. That is my life. Don't do what I do; you'll go crazy.

Have a great Sunday!