Comment: Dammit, I forgot the arugula.

I can't believe that those words came out of my mouth today, in my car, alone, with my groceries.

Where do I begin to explain how not like me these words are? I mean, if you had told me twenty or even ten years ago I'd be saying this exact sentence, I guarantee I would have mocked you mercilessly. (well, okay, maybe mercifully, if that's possible)

Anyway, it really is astounding to me that I am attempting to make a recipe I read out of Real Simple magazine, with my family of four, in a cul-de-sac in a lovely little city. I just never saw it coming.

I think part of my shock is that since I'm doing NaNoWriMo, (34,493 words and counting) and my novel is highly autobiographical, (surprise, surprise) I'm ending up reexamining earlier parts of my life that were highly dramatic and fairly alternative to where I am today. They're not unusual, but I couldn't have predicted with any accuracy the trajectory of my life at the very messed up age of 17. I guess maybe nobody could.

There are parts of my past I'm wistful for, unhappy with, and feel grateful are over.
.
But it's an interesting experiment to go back and look at yourself through your developing years. Arguably ALL our years are developing, so I guess I mean the youthful years. Life is so full of promise and drama.

And sometimes things work out better than you expected.