The Unexpected

When I started on my journey to learn how to cook fifty days ago, I chose Jamie Oliver's book because it just seemed like what life kept throwing at me. There were a number of odd coincidences over the course of a week that told me to pick it so I just went with it. I wasn't a huge fan or anything, I didn't even know very much about him and I declared my mission before I had really even opened the book. But, in the last 7 weeks the unexpected has happened. He has strangely become a big part of my life. As I've mentioned in other entries, he's become part of our whole family. We talk about him like he's a dear friend that just lives far away and we don't get to see him. My daughter will say things like, "Jamie would be so proud, I picked white milk in the cafeteria today." I carry his book around and have gone through it several times. Friends mentioned their "Jamie sightings" to me when he was on Oprah or call me to talk about his show, like I must have some sort of inside scoop. We've all watched his cooking videos on his website. Husband and Kid also leaf through the pages of "Food Revolution" to look at the recipes and pictures. I get requests for Jamie's Chicken or Jamie's Salmon Tikka, again, like a brother who's passed on a recipe. I remember this happening to Julie Powell in the movie, Julie & Julia, and I think I'm going to read her book to see how she dealt with it. So, this week I've been terribly depressed and anxious in anticipation of the season finale of my buddy's show tonight. It feels like a great friend is moving away and I won't be able to see him anymore. This is a strange feeling. My day job dictates that I do not get "star struck" because of having to work with people in the public eye. There are very few people in the "Celeb" world that could do that to me. But if Jamie Oliver were to knock on my door today I think I'd cry. And I'm not quite sure how our house will get its "Jamie Fix" next week.