Jen Clodius

One of the best parts of being back on the west coast is fresh produce. Never mind being three-to-five days fresher when produce doesn’t have to be trucked across the country — although that’s certainly a factor! — it’s the variety of it all.

It was rare that I could find jicama in an east-coast grocery store, and even rarer that the checker knew what it was. Conversations would go like this:

“Is this a turnip?”
“It’s jicama.”
“Never heard of it. What’s it taste like?”
“Kind of like water chestnut. You peel off the skin, then slice or chop it up and eat it raw. It’s great in salads.”
“Interesting — let me find the code…”

Thinking to speed the process (and suspecting what’ll come next), I spell, “J - i - c - ”
“You said ‘HICK-uh-ma’.”
“It’s like the ‘j’ in “Tijuana’. It’s pronounced ‘h’ but spelled ‘jic’.”

Once, the checker couldn’t find the code in her flip chart. She also thought I might be fibbing about the pronunciation (”I’m not saying THAT over the PA!”), so called the produce department for a price.

Moments later, over the PA we hear “The juh-CAM-uh is 99 cents a pound.”
“See?” the checker said. “I was pretty sure you weren’t saying it right.”

It’s nice to be home! (Added bonus: local blueberries are currently two POUNDS for $5!)

I closed on the house on March 27, moved in March 28th. Since then, I’ve
- bought a new washer and dryer
- had the roof replaced
- had the furnace replaced
- had the water heater replaced
- had a heat pump installed
- bought some bits of furniture
- planned (with Tric’s help) what furniture I want to buy next
- gotten input from Tric on colors and themes and design and balance

I’ve begun to think that maybe I can stop analyzing every move quite so much — I may be getting to the point where I can stop thinking about *how* I live in the house, and start just living there.

But…

I noticed a couple of days ago that the fridge is running oddly. It turns on for a minute or two, turns off for 30 to 45 seconds, then turns on for a minute or two, then turns off for 30 to 45 seconds… I’m pretty sure that’s Not A Good Thing.

 sigh.

After almost six weeks here (can that be true?) and almost five weeks on the job (ditto?!), I have to say that I love, love, love being here.

Found a house that fits me at a price I can afford, my folks visiting for the weekend tomorrow (and have promised a longer visit this summer) (and I’ve even managed to vacuum the guest room after setting it up), a pal is arriving next weekend for a fiberishly delicious week … it’s hard to imagine how this could be better.

Okay, that’s not *exactly* true. Everything unpacked, wireless working flawlessly, detritus removed… THAT would be better. But I’m well on the way