10.07.08 Lunch - La Cucaracha (A Story in Two Parts)

Count Down to New Job - 9 Days to Go

Today's bento lunch commemorating the job I am about to leave is a 2for1.

Part I - The Cockroach Lair
A small number of my co-workers have an office in the basement of a building near the department's main base. Unfortunately urban area+super old building+basement = the occasional cockroach making an appearance in their area. (Despite regular visits from the exterminator) But woe be the roach who dares set foot in their lair. Upon sighting one of the dirty bugs, this awesome group of folks springs into action, spray bottles of rubbing alcohol in hand to mist the offending cockroach into a pile of unmoving cockroach goo.

Part II - There's a Meeting in the Ladies' Room
One morning my friend and co-worker Kristen appeared at my desk with a look on her face that was equal parts amused and grossed out. Seems she had just discovered a cockroach in the women's restroom of our department.

Figuring that my experiences in the cockroach lair had prepared me for just such an occasion, Kristen and I headed back to the ladies' room armed with spray bottles of rubbing alcohol. Unfortunately for us, the variety of roach we were about to encounter was resistant to the shower of rubbing alcohol. Instead of dissolving, the beast (It was huge - the body was easily 3 inches long) seemed enraged and charged Kristen. Things culminated with my squashing the monster with my Dansko clog-clad foot. Thank goodness for those thick-soled Danish shoes. We unceremoniously disposed of the crushed bug with a flush and set forth to wipe down the area (And my shoe) with the rubbing alcohol.

10.06.08 Lunch - The Toilet Paper Story

As some of you already know, I gave my two week notice at work on Friday. (Don't worry, I have a new position lined up!) A friend suggested that I make some bento boxes portraying significant people or events from my tenure at the old job. I think it's a great idea!

Today we ease into this theme with a mild allusion to an event that occured at work a few years ago. I was in the midst of a very difficult and frustrating project with one of my colleagues. Another co-worker of similar title/position busted into my office and reported breathlessly that there was a big problem in the men's room. ("Finally!" I thought to myself, "Those extra advanced courses in men's room maintenance issues would finally pay off!" :P)

The big emergency? Someone had been leaving piles of (unused) toilet paper in the corners of the men's room. And ohmygod what was I going to do about it?!

The colleague with whom I had been working could see that smoke was slowly wafting out of my ears and stepped in to instruct the toilet paper worrier to contact Maintenance and also ask Security to make more rounds after hours. (Ours is not a secure building/floor)

All that buildup to tell you that the coconut in the corners of the bottom tier is meant to represent toilet paper. Geesh!

10.02.08 Lunch

My rice cooker died last weekend. This explains why I'm eating slightly goopy rice in my lunch today. Cooking rice properly is a skill I've never quite mastered. Unless I'm trying to make brown rice onigiri. In that case it cooks up perfectly - each grain separate and pretty with no sticking together no matter how I try.

10.01.08 Lunch

One of the benefits of having chronic insomnia is that I have time to fuss around making stripey beet/goat cheese assemblages for my lunch.

Despite the support of my Twins Fan Lunch yesterday, Minnesota lost to the White Sox and are not going to the playoffs. Sigh. Guess it's time to dust off the Milwaukee Brewers paraphernalia from my Wisconsin youth. Seems wrong to root for the National League, but what can I say? You can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but you can't take the Wisconsin out of the girl.