vegane Bohnensuppe

There were quite a few small but welcome advances with one of my academic projects today. It was welcome to exercise my desktop publishing skills, and drag back print-buying (specifying sizes, bleed, paper stock, insisting on hard-copy proofs - don't get me started on off-flow digital proofs). It was also quite a relief that a meeting about this project, involving external folk - some of whom I've not met before - went well, with people supporting and approving what we've done and how we are doing it. So hopefully we've made a few tiny steps towards increasing human knowledge. And that knowledge may even turn out to be useful as well as interesting.

I don't know whether this counts as a good thing, but I also enjoyed a coffee with my über-boss and two of her direct reports. We've not all been in the same physical room simultaneously for ages.

Back home, I've just spend a bit over 3 hours working on a draft of a paper. I think I've added useful content - and I've got 3 hours without smoking. (I normally last 30 minutes tops!) Then next challenge is to tidy it - a meeting about that happens in about 9 hours!

However, I think the best thing I've achieved today is cooking vegane Bohnensuppe (vegan bean soup) following my preferred recipe. I think it's from Austria, one of my genetic homelands. I've been vegan (admittedly with very occasional minor lapses) for over 30 years, and I think it's the best thing I regularly do in terms of practical effects. That is, were I not vegan, I would have been responsible for the death and/or suffering of a lot of sentient beings. 

It's also nice to make tasty food for my wife and me, especially when she says she enjoys what I make. After all, she does so much for me/us.

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