The state of things.

I live in the land of dresses. You can't walk a few hundred meters without stumbling onto a sidewalk dress shop, or a shiny mall (my goodness, this city has so many and it boggles my mind how there can be such demand), or a vintage shop in an outdoor market, or an underground subway shop. The quality varies of course, but the colorful dress is ubiquitous in Bangkok.

I have been cooking in again.  Japanese curry tonight, more bircher muesli for breakfast tomorrow. I am dreaming of baked figs, of lentilles du puy, of rustic plum galettes - and I have not made chana masala in ages.  That needs to change.

I am growing more obsessed with Dream Collective, and I think a visit to the store is due this December. 

I am still thinking of my grandmother Martina and my visit to Zamboanga City, which is a culturally rich, but unstable, city in a region of the country where military presence is strong and grenade and/or bomb attacks occasionally make news (as they did during my visit).  I am thinking of my Dad's childhood home, on a parcel of land, green, overgrown with dense trees and overlooking the Sulu Sea.  

I am thinking of work, of sitting in a small room across a table from a woman seeking refuge.

I am thinking of wedding bands and honeymoon plans and small ceremonies held against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.    

I need to send in my absentee ballot!