Things I always forget when I come home

1.) How much energy it takes to heat a house vs my small apartment. My parents keep the house around 65 in the winter. I hate cold so i put it up to like 68. but yet it's still FREEZING b/c it takes so damn long to heat a house. Sleeping requires like 3 down blankets

2.) Chinese people don't have butter or lemons in the house... my dad wanted me to make dinner tonight. He bought chicken, artichokes, asparagus, and mushrooms. I was... struggling hard w/o butter, lemons, rosemary/thyme/spices, and cooking wine... I ended up cooking with soybean oil (no, we don't have corn or olive oil) and deglazed with rum. Yes, for some reason my parents have rum in the house but no random bottles of wine already open. Artichokes and asparagus are not as fun w/o some lemon :(

3.) Going out requires establishing a DD. Designated driver... such a foreign concept for someone who's so used to drinking around public transportation.

4.) Stairs. What? stairs? in a house? I almost fell on my ass this morning b/c i'm not used to walking down stairs after just waking up. Odd.

5.) Jersey is still so special in my heart.