It's good being back to work. That sounds like a silly thing to say but it is more calming than vacations (with their accompanied traveling) generally are. I get to sit here with my coffee and my computer and chill out. Even if I am busy with work all day, it is still something I can handle.

Last night I made dinner. I love getting cookbooks from the library and trying new things. I made pastry wrapped chicken with honey mustard sauce, and we had it with salad, bread with seasoned oil and a bottle of Riesling. Yum. Tonight I will make dinner again as Boyfriend has a late class, but nothing quite as fancy. I found a seemingly easy Tiramisu recipe and will make that as soon as I can pick up some ladyfingers and Kahlua.

I am pretty excited because I brought some more of my things back from home. I think my most prized possessions are two vintage family photographs: one is of my paternal grandmother at about six years old, taken in the late 1940s, and the other is of my maternal great grandmother and great-great-great grandmother, which must have been taken in the 1930s. I love these photos and want to scan them so as to preserve them and have many copies, not to mention to share them with the family members who would be interested.

I emailed my estranged maternal grandfather several months ago while I was researching my family. He is a magician and escape artist who has been fairly successful, but he is a touch crazy. He doesn't speak with anyone in the family anymore. The last time I saw him was when I was five years old. He was great - used to bring me magic sets as a child - so I thought that since he doesn't have any anger towards me personally, that he would answer. I was wrong. I guess I will never know much about his side of the family. Both of his parents are dead and I don't think he had any siblings.