Yesterday afternoon and last night, I started along a path in my life upon which I had hoped not to start. I began a quest that may indeed prove to be my undoing. The entirety of my adult existence has been spent in a driving, continued effort to avoid just such an eventuality as this.

I spent the day pondering my options.
I prepared myself mentally and emotionally.
I checked and re-checked my resources and made plans accordingly.

Was I ready? No. Did I have a choice? Perhaps...but did I allow myself to seriously consider those possible choices. In truth, no. I was resolute. Unable to avoid this fate and this future any longer, I bit the bullet.

I entered...

The click-clack of shoes on the hard tile and squeak of poorly oiled wheels broken by the rhythmic thump of them bouncing on tile lines was a telling sign that I had stepped into a world new to me. Behind all of the other sounds the soft, steady 60Hz hum of fluorescent lights could be heard, hard at work casting their pallid, austere yet shadowless luminance upon the scene splayed out before me.

Along one wall, broken by labels, dotted with placards rested a virtual garden of green, punctuated with other, sharper, bright colors. The damp, cool air of the misting system drifted along the currents of processed, dehumidified air to lend a cool, wet texture to the artificial breeze.

I was in the produce section.
I was shopping for myself.
I would soon be cooking for myself.

KKKKHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

Treading water in the deep end of this new pool, I carted my groceries upstairs...alone. I put them away, each item in its respective place. I set about deciding what I would make first.

Slicing a 10oz. Filet into bite size pieces, I dusted that with salt, pepper and cumin. Chopped a half of a bell pepper and a quarter of a large yellow onion.

Adding Canola Oil to a skillet, I set it on max heat and let it heat until smoke rose off of the skillet. Adding my mixture, I tossed it gently while spreading tortilla chips on a tin foil covered baking tin.

Spooning my mixture of green pepper, onion and spiced tenderloin (cooked with a bit of Worcestershire throw in for good measure) onto my chips. I topped them with shredded Mexican four cheese blend and threw that under the preheated broiler.

I actually had the rack set one notch too high and over cooked the edges of my nachos, but they turned out great. And my cooking adventure was underway.

What shall I make tomorrow? Who knows, but I'll be cooking, I didn't leave myself enough money to eat out.