Freezing Time

It is time for another entry. Actually it is time for bed, but fie on that. I shall instead stay up to compose something specifically for your entertainment. What better way to procrastinate than by addressing something that has already been procrastinated.

So, I’ll put off sleep in favor of putting something down in writing. Smart? No, not really. I have to be at school a good deal earlier than usual tomorrow for work. We’re setting up an exhibition for the Common First Year class of work done by previous Common First Year students so this particular batch can get a look at what they’re in for. Set the bar, establish expectations, also maybe give them something to look forward to. Some will see the display and be frustrated by it: “You expect me to be able to do that?” Others, those less inclined towards pessimism, will hopefully be more impressed: “I’ll be able to produce that?” It’s a subtle but important distinction.

So, yes, school has started. Last week was the first week of the new year. New classes, new teachers, a newly revised studio, some cool new people… It’s going to be a good year. It is also, as was the last, going to be a very full year. I have been preparing. Not unlike some small mammals and certain species of insect, I have been storing food for the coming winter. While the principle is the same, my process is somewhat more sophisticated than the smaller mammals and the insects. For example I am using a freezer, something most of them do not have access to.

By using my time to cook now and freezing some of the leftovers, I am essentially storing time for later use. Technically, yes, I’m storing the food, but symbolically that food represents time. Unlike the small mammals and the insects I do not expect a shortage of materials as the cold weather moves in, I expect an abundance of assignments, which will in turn eat into that other resource: time. My girlfriend was exceptionally good to me last year and in several instances substituted her time for mine, going so far as to package individual leftover meals for me to reheat at school. I appreciate this immensely, but at the same time, recognize that it is something of an imposition. So now, before the school season has quite ramped up (and it’s ramping up quickly), I am packaging some of my own time so I do not have to depend quite as much on hers.

So far I have managed to set aside shrimp creole, honey-mustard pork chops, mashed potatoes, and quite a quantity of tomato sauce (perhaps the most important, or at least prevalent, staple of my diet). This is all something of an experiment. I’ll be curious to learn the answers to the following questions: How much longer can I find the time to cook enough to put away? How much longer after that will it be before I find myself starting to rely upon the stored foods? How long then will those foods last? Perhaps most importantly: which of the foods that I choose to store will actually emerge from the freezing process in a palatable state? And yes, I will know they at least start that way. My cooking is not that daring, but it is effective and usually enjoyable.

Great, now I’m hungry. And tired. For now I’ll focus on addressing the tired, and procrastinate the hungry until tomorrow morning. Here's hoping my winter-storage efforts mean I don't have to trade food for sleep later in the year.