Earlier today, I was feeling like I should have gone to work because I wasn't doing any studying. However, I ended up accomplishing other things, so the day hasn't been wasted. I got some household supplies at Target, banker's boxes at Office Max, groceries at Trader Joe's, and a 2002 calendar for my kitchen at a bookstore.

Last year I had a Los Angeles Times gardening calendar, with beautiful pictures and So. California gardening advice for each month. I didn't like this year's as well even though the photographer was the same. The Huntington usually publishes a calendar but, for some reason, not this year. So I ended up getting The New Herbal Calendar by Theresa Loe. Besides watercolor pictures of herbs, it has recipes and gardening tips.

This afternoon, armed with banker's boxes, I picked up quite a few of the piles on my living room floor. I keep telling myself that if I organize my work space, I will be less distracted from studying. My main issue is keeping it organized. I don't have that much space and, between books and papers, things quickly get out of hand.

Then I mailed some bills and cards, washed a pile of dishes, and made Laura's Macaroni and Cheese, another of the recipes posted at Susie's website. [Edit: I used more macaroni than the recipe calls for.] It is very good! Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite dishes, especially when my mother makes it. She makes a simple stovetop version of white sauce and cheddar cheese. However, it never tastes the same when I make it. She always made it for me for my first meal when I got home from boarding school.

Later this evening I'm meeting some out-of-town friends at McCormick and Schmick's. One of the disadvantages of making friends through grad. school is that those friends usually move away at some point.