The End of Cooking… Again

Controlled chaos. That’s the state of our lives right now. The house looks like a disaster at the moment, but I think that’s just the disorder of all the boxes required for the decluttering of our possessions. Once they get filled, sealed, and put away, it will look much tidier.

And then there are all the helpers we need to manage. We have a handyman for the small inside work. There’s a contractor to patch up some damage in the exterior siding. I just found a gardener to help make the yard look more presentable too. And I’ve put in a request for Habitat for Humanity to come and take away some extra furniture we’ve emptied out which is just taking up space.

Mind you, we’re shooting for all of this work to be completed in less than a week. And within that time frame, I have an Official Yelp Event, some fixed work deadlines, and a trip to visit family on Long Island. Plus hanging over my head are the mission critical tasks of summer camp paperwork, getting the kids enrolled in Michigan schools, and submitting an application for a really interesting job in Ann Arbor.

Something has to give. And that seems to be cooking.

For someone who has pushed the importance of family dinners for so long, this does not feel great. Maybe I’m finally starting to get a better understanding of the time crunch so many Americans are under these days.

But it’s not just time. It’s also about maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen once the house goes on the market. I’m not sure how we’re going to do it. However, I know for sure we will not be eating out every meal. I just can’t.

At least there will always be roast chicken Fridays.

Of course, we’re also trying to squeeze in as many social outings as humanly possible between now and the time we leave, because the hardest part will be saying goodbye to our local friends. And the kids have evening and weekend activities. For example, tonight God willing, we’ll be going to the Albany Language Exchange outing in Troy. Why? Because the young man is into languages, and seems to have found his tribe. That means he and I will eat dinner out. The ladies will be on their own.

Last night, Little Miss Fussy had a performance at her school, so I took the kids to Five Guys before the show. Mrs. Fussy joined as at the school straight from work. And on Monday, while I was at the City Beer Hall’s Other Half dinner, the family ate macaroni and cheese from a box.

Yesterday for lunch, I quickly heated up the last cup of the leftover macaroni and cheese. To make it a little more of a meal, I browned some Trader Joe’s soy chorizo in a pan, and then made the whole thing taste a little more Mexican by adding some Cholula hot sauce. And it was pretty tasty, if not particularly healthful.

And while I was out running errands, I couldn’t resist popping into Hong Kong Bakery to pick up one of those zongzi that Emily L was raving about yesterday. At the restaurant, Vivian Chan told me that to prepare it at home, I simply had to drop the whole thing in boiling water for fifteen minutes. So that will be lunch today, but that’s barely cooking either.

I’m not sure when this madness will end. My hunch is in August. Our real estate agent said this process was more like a marathon than a sprint. It’s just that I hate running. Period. What I love is sleeping, which is crazy, since I get so little of it. Maybe I need to find a job where I’m paid to sleep. That’s what people say, right? Do what you love and the money will follow.

I think I’ve found my answer.