the house that controls the spice...

i slept badly last night. i have a strong suspicion that it's the quiet that got to me. or the quantity of strawberry and cream cake that i consumed. or the odd space that i'm in in my head because i finally made it up here and my life is finally back on track - and that track makes sense.

more cake for breakfast, and i sat warming myself by the tv until we all went out for a drive through the countryside.

our first stop was a spice farm, a tiny house *packed* with people buying every type of spice and spice-related that you could possibly imagine. absolutely amazing stuff... i especially loved walking past the mustard powder that can clear sinuses at three paces; i didn't buy anything just because i wouldn't be able to do anything with it.

although i did organize granola with coconut chips for my breakfast tomorrow.
our second stop was a small restaurant: it sucked. really, truly, unbearably aweful service, and the food was mediocre at best, unpleasant in general. we all left with an unpleasant taste in the mouth, but i'm feeling better after a quiet drive home and some more cake to smooth it all out.

i think the most interesting bit about that restaurant was sitting there as a couple received the fish they ordered - standing upright on a plate, in full uniform (fins and scales and eyeballs) and with an expression that suggested that if it were thrown into water it would carry on swimming.

now *that's* presentation.

i'm hitting the shower now, then it's back into uniform and back down south... i'm so excited for tomorrow it's silly...