Chiggo

Winnie lives in fear that our gas cooker might one day run out in the middle of cooking dinner, and THEN WHAT? Like, she is literally (fine, not literally) petrified at the thought. She mentions often that she has a chiggo at her house, and eventually I asked how much such an item costs. The answer was the equivalent of 3 canadian dollars, so we sent matron with money on Monday, market day, to buy us one.

I guess the first thing you need to know about chiggos is that they mightn't be called chiggos at all. Maybe jiggos or jickos or any other combinations of similar phonetics. The other important details are that it's just a little charcoal stand, and that you can't use it in an enclosed room because of the carbon monoxide. Oh, okay. Wait, what? You mean dioxide, right? No? Mon? Like the kind that kills you or causes brain damage? Apparently yes. It's certainly a bit smokey, and what with breathing this in and all the high notes hiding in every song I can think to teach in music class, I've kind of got a bit of a perma-sore throat.

The other change brought about by our new kitchen appliance is that two things can be cooked at once. While this may sound like a blessing, let me assure you that it's turning out to be a bit of a curse.

My schedule is pretty regular, and not at all constricted by time. As I've mentioned, I do a tremendous amount of reading, and listening to music, and reading of the blogs. I already sleep for at least 9 hours a night. Having a second cooking method means freeing up half an hour, and I just don't know what to do with it.

Wait, I should first explain what I actually mean in the previous sentence, when I sort of imply that I do the cooking. You know when you're little and you mom lets you help bake? And mostly you job is to watch then lick the spoon, but when small tasks arise that you are capable of completing then it's like, I CAN CRACK THE EGGS! Or, HEY, I'M PRETTY GREAT AT POURING CHOCOLATE CHIPS INTO A BOWL! The same is cooking dinner with Winnie. Despite the fact that I do almost nothing, I feel like it would be rude to go read while she cooks, so I hang out in the kitchen with her, occasionally being like, OH, LET ME WASH THE TOMATOES! Also, I make pasta on nights that feature a kale/plain spaghetti menu. Only I break the long noodles because that's how Winnie likes it.
(sorry, dad). Sometimes she lets me mash the beans up until she gets so frustrated with my method that she has to take over. I swear to you that out methods are identical, and that maybe she is only a little faster, however I let it go because my arm is usually getting tired.

Anyway, like I was saying. In addition to the carbon monoxide threat, having half an hour extra in my day is most taxing. Maybe I'll start showering with hot water. I'm continually talking about starting to in running again; maybe that should finally happen. Ugh, chiggo.