tofu

I finally got tofu JUST RIGHT. Woo hoo. I like it firm and chewy but not greasy.

So, I got extra firm tofu, pressed the water out, sliced in 1/2" slices (or thinner) then sprayed a large skillet lightly with cooking spray and fried it up, probably 5 minutes on each side until brown. Excellent! Then I baked it in a cacciatore sauce (I was going to make from scratch, but found a local one in a jar that I tried - it was ok) and ate it up with brown rice. Yum. I really was craving some of the tofu Lara used to make - with brewers' yeast & soy sauce ... but I need to find some brewers' yeast.

I need three more days to get everything done that I need to, but of course as I look at my schedule, there's no free time for days to come. Sigh. I got about three hours tonight and then I'm officially screwed. And I skipped the gym all weekend and didn't make it to the grocery store - so I'm eating crap and feeling undermotivated and oh-so-behind.

My biggest quandary now is do I take civil law classes (practiced only in Louisiana and the most of the rest of the world) or common law classes (practiced in the U.S., England, Liberia, a few other places). I want to get a job here in New Orleans this summer, so I toy with civil law, and then I'll catch up with the common law classes later. It's just cool to be different, which law schools in Louisiana are - I get to choose civil law here and can't anywhere else. Seems like I should take advantage, even if it really means twice the work.

Speaking of which, back to work now.

Oh, and I probably won't get to see Dayton in December. Damn his pragmatism. He was like, "Look, you told me to go back to Liberia then, so I am - but I don't know the exact date - as soon as we can when Cece's out of school. And why not take things one step at a time - let's get me there with you. Because if you fly all the way to see me in Ghana or Liberia, you get to see me, what, two days? Why don't we save that money for when you see me every day and every night."

So, he would choke if he knew that phone conversation was costing $30. It's just SO HARD to get through, so using a phone card never works anymore - so I'm paying $1.50/minute, which is BRUTAL.

I got to talk to our friend Fred yesterday (phones are working in Liberia but not Ghana!?), and he had just flown last week to Senegal and it cost about $480. Which is what I found on-line, but Fred's awesome with deals so thought he might have an inside scoop. There is no inside scoop. Which means from Senegal to Ghana is more like $600.

Now, we all know that I've done booty call for twice that cost for a weekend. But I was gainfully employed then.

He's right. I protested and said we'd talk about it later, and he was probably agreeable because he knew I'd agree if I thought about it. Dammit. I didn't *really* want to go back to Ghana anyway - I mean, I'm over the romantic allure of public latrines and sweltering heat with no ventilation. But I *did* want to take Christmas presents to him and Cece ... and I really wanted to see him. Sigh. Now it's waiting FOREVER.

I guess, worst case scenario, if there's no progress on his visa by my spring break I'll go over there then. Of course to Liberia will cost me over $2K, and I'd rather he be here.

But first, we have to find a functioning fax machine in Ghana. Easier said than done. ARGH!