The Thursday Dispatch - 8 January 2026
It’s one of those fun mornings here in the Omaha area. Freezing rain might occur, which if it did, it would shut a lot of things outside of home for me for the day. I really want to get a haircut and I’m out of coffee beans. If I’m stuck at home, I’m cleaning house.
I’m prepped to cook all three meals here at home. This has me thinking about my cooking journey a little. I didn’t leave home until my late 20s, so when I finally got dropped into the world, learning to cook was survival. Admittedly, when I moved to Nevada, I ate out a little too much, especially when it came to my pockets. Having three roommates out there helped a little. But, I became a regular at Jack in the Box and Del Taco, with occasional visits to In & Out. Side note: of all the regional taco joints, I’m still loyal to Taco Time. If you’d know, you know.
Anyway, in the 15 years since my Nevada experience, I’ve been on my own all but maybe four of those years. That’s a lot of trying recipes and getting to know my palette. Right after I did the thing in Nevada, I moved back to hometown #2, Pensacola, Florida. Here’s the thing about me (and this is probably a casual essay in itself for another time), if you hit me with anything that reminds me of the south, I’m going to want southern things.
That said, understand while this is a general umbrella for what is “southern food”, the south is big, which means there’s some more localized things for the particular spot you’re in. Pensacola is a costal town. So, seafood is prevalent there. But, it’s also a short day trip to New Orleans, so there’s some influences that have trickled down the coast culinarily. You can find a decent gumbo or jambalaya at the restaurants there. Pensacola even does Mardi Gras.
Fire up those southern signals in me and I’m bound to want gumbo, beans & rice, dirty rice, shrimp & grits, or just a good basic low country boil. I’ll make one of these things and curl up in the couch with a classic Florida Gators game and feel like a kid again.
That’s the thing about food. Just like music, it can transport you to a time and place. If my Seattle signals are firing, there’s a good chance I’m making teriyaki or something similar. I’ve made my take on Hawaiian food because you can find that in Seattle. There’s a little spot that’s really good in West Seattle right where the water taxi drops you off, FYI.
Sometimes I’m just trying to be healthy and have a complete meal. Sometimes I’m trying to be somewhere I’m not. And sometimes I’m just being lazy and it’s chicken strips and fries in the air fryer. The act of cooking is good for me. It allows me to feel creative, which will boost my mood. If I’m feeling down, I need to make sure I’m cooking. I feel proud of myself when I’ve made something I like. I’m still nervous about cooking for others though.
Weekly Photo
Buy all the cat toys you want. Sometimes all you need is scraps of wrapping paper.
This Past Week
I was busy this week!
- More in 2026
- On Shared Energy
- A Couple Changes
- Same Old Stuff: Jimi Hendrix’s Journal
- My Mourning Automation
Weekly Links
- Simplifying things by Pedro Cora
- The Case for Blogging in the Ruins by Joan Westenberg
Songs in the Chaos
This is my weekly list of songs that either caught my attention or came to mind this past week. I post these throughout the week on a site called Crucial Tracks, where they’re also added to a playlist on Apple Music. Feel free to follow me on either space.