I had a bit of a crazy weekend (spent most of it catching up on class reading, grocery shopping, baking, entertaining birthday party guests, and coding the layout for the LR web site — the latter of which activities has so far been a full bunkered-down, all-consuming kind of experience), on the tail end of an even crazier week. This morning during church I decided I was going to take a partial Sabbath to just resettle myself psychologically and spiritually, but after my guests left I ended up taking a full one — I was just too zonked to do any homework. Instead I napped, did laundry, cleaned the bathroom, put away the dishes from the party, and because I suddenly found myself with a creative itch and no desire to start on any sort of involved, long-term project, making a pair of bento lunches for my roommate M and me to eat tomorrow. It ended up being a very relaxing, absorbing activity — helped me unwind and focus a bit without the stress of a deadline (I was baking scones right up until the minute my first guest arrived earlier today and let me tell you that was not relaxing!) and gave me the chance to chat with another one of my roommates K who came down to watch me cook. I’m lucky that K is familiar with bento (being Japanese American), and is not at all phased by my extreeeme geekiness, and that, having lived with me for a while, M and C are more used to my making them, too. (I think my bento tend to highlight the obsessive side of my personality – something I’m not incredibly fond of discussing in public unless it’s in relation to books – plus the cuteness factor can make me feel self conscious sometimes hence the major reason – aside from the time and nutritional balance/taste factors – that I do not make kyaraben). M’s reaction to the surprise (her voice scaled up and she went, “ooooohhh!”) was awesome. So it was a worthy effort :).
I made the bentos mirror images of one another and used different shaped eggs in them, rather than making them identical in layout — just to mix it up a little:
#1
#2
Together:
Contents of each box: 1/2 a tomato-basil cream cheese and ham sandwich on wheat bread (w/ ham heart decoration); salad with lettuce, tomato, stuffed manzanilla olives, carrots, and cannellini beans; shaped hard-boiled egg; tiny container of balsamic vinegar and olive oil; packet of fish and almonds snack; two apple gummy candies.
I hope it’ll be enough food (the volume of the salad greens can be deceiving, I realize). And that the sandwiches will not get too soggy. I tried to dry the lettuce off as well as possible and removed the tomato seeds and most of the juice, but I checked on them a bit after putting them in the fridge and there is already a fair amount of condensation. If I had been wiser I would’ve wrapped each sandwich in plastic wrap before closing the lid. 
Oh well. I think M usually brings an apple and crackers with her along with whatever sandwich she takes to eat between classes, so hopefully she will be okay.
K asked me if I could marry her and make her lunches. I told her she’d have to check with my BF. 😉 Not sure he’s interested in sharing, heh.
silverkeys.writes 