The Curse of the Thanksgiving Pies

Mom arrived today, and since my cousin wants to have dinner early tomorrow, we decided we'd better make pies tonight. I conceded the fat-free half & half thing... although, I will say, the pumpkin pie doesn't seem to be quite the appropriate color that I think it should. We'll just have to see how it tastes tomorrow.

The apple pie went in first, as it needed the highest temperature to begin with (and gets turned down to the same temp as the others during baking). After the pie had been in the oven for some time, some juices began to bubble up, and Mom realized she hadn't put any flour in the mixture... which meant it was going to be extra-juicy, and gunk up the bottom the oven. Argh.

The pecan went next, and we noted that, in spite of using a standard-sized pie plate, it seemed a bit full. I should have known right there... The folks left just apple pie came out of the oven, and things seemed under control -- I just had to wait for the pies to finish baking, and take them out to cool. No biggie, right? Five minutes after they left, the pecan pie starts puffing up to the point that huge chunks of it are dripping off the plate. After seeing one whole pecan (fully coated with Karo syrup and gook, of course) slide off, I decided that done or not, the pecan pie had to come out. So, that one may be a bit gooey still in the middle.

I got it out just in time, though, because as soon as I repositioned the pumpkin pie in the center of the oven, the crap at the bottom started to catch on FIRE. Don't worry, the house is still standing... but I felt the safest thing to do was turn the oven off for a few minutes while the goo on the oven floor carbonized and burnt itself out. Good God, do I have a mess to clean up.

But, so long as the pies don't taste like my entire house smells... it should be fine.

Now, on to the cranberry sauce.

A Moment of Silence

If you please, today we take a moment to honor a dear and faithful friend, whose demise was reported thusly in "Variety:"

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953955.html?cs=1&s=h&p=0

Farewell, ye steadfast Vertical Helical Scan. You will always hold a special place in my heart... and in my closet.

Home for the Holidaze

It seemed like such a great idea at the time. And, really, I am excited that my mom is coming for Thanksgiving. It's been a crazy rollercoaster of a year, and the last time I saw her, the insanity was just beginning. It will be nice to see her, to show her my new home, to give her a tour of the hospital so she can see what it is that I do. That will be cool.

But there is still the Thanksgiving dinner to be considered... One of my cousins who lives here in Columbus is hosting the dinner, and so will take care of the turkey and stuffing. She and I discussed it, and decided that Mom and I will handle side dishes and desserts. Great, I've got some fun recipes, and it will feel good to cook for a bunch of people -- I love to do that, and don't get to nearly often enough. But, Mom has prepared a grocery list...

Splenda instead of sugar. No better way to suck all the life (and taste!) out of your holiday pie. She insists that you can't taste the difference. She's wrong.

Multi-grain bread, "for sandwiches after." I guess I should be grateful she's not in charge of making the stuffing. Bleuch.

Low-sodium mushroom soup for the green bean casserole. OK, I'll grant you, this one doesn't really taste all that different, but it IS significantly more expensive.

And fat-free half & half... which... first of all, since traditional half & half is a blend of whole milk and heavy cream, I can't even begin to figure out what a fat-free version of that IS. Skim milk and... water? And secondly, it's ThanksGIVING, for fuck's sake. Can't we just let it go for ONE day???

Yeah, and it was MY idea that they stay until Monday, instead of leaving on Saturday... somebody be sure to remind me of that next week, m'kay?

Nothing Wrong With Ohio?

Ya know, I've never been all that into football... But, when I lived in Texas, I started to gain a new appreciation for it, I guess. It's important to the people down there. Once I started at UT, I was more concerned for the quality of my education, but I did start to root for the Longhorns. Not to a level of some of my warmer-climate friends, but still.

Now I'm here in Columbus, home to THE Ohio State University. (Yeah, whatever, they call it that, I could really care less.) This week is the OSU/Michigan football game, which apparently is... uh... significant.



OK, I understand rooting for the home team and all, but... this is BEEF, people.

Seriously.

Distractions Galore

Me: So, you're supposed to write 100,000 words by the end of November?

She: No, I think it's 50,000. I'd be doing better if I would get off my ass. And if I could think of something to write. And if my laptop battery lasted longer than 5 minutes. And if I had a desk with a computer that was set up in the office, instead of sitting in the dining room where I can see the TV.

Me: Jeez, all you need is for somebody to construct a brownie bakery in your garage, and you'll never accomplish anything ever again.

She: Oooh, brownies!

Me: Yes, exactly.


Hang in there, PA. You'll make it.

Channeling My Inner Flirt

This evening, I was at work, training new volunteers and having the freedom to go into a fair amount of detail, because there were no kids in the Clubhouse. Since we still had no kids when I finished the orientation, I decided to take my two healthy teenage assistants up to our main office to help me get one of the larger pieces of equipment that we had planned to move into the Clubhouse. (If I told you we were putting in a train table and taking out the magnet table, would it make any more sense to you? I thought not.)

I had paged the evening supervisor, just to let her know what we were doing, and check if she wanted to be involved, not realizing she was occupied with the guest Etch-A-Sketch artist just a few yards away in the main lobby. She came over to the playroom to see what I needed, and a few steps behind her was one of the Thursday night volunteers who I've met a couple of times. He pressed his face and hands up against the glass of the front door, and without even thinking, there I am, blowing this rather cute guy a kiss...

Where the hell did THAT come from????

Damn

I realized at about 12:30 last night (which, of course, would have actually been 12:30 this morning) that I hadn't posted at all yesterday... so much for my attempt at posting every day this month. I got home late, then my mom was online and we were discussing Thanksgiving foods, and then I was foraging through my piles and piles of recipes. I swear I used to have one for a totally awesome cranberry-pear relish, but I can't find it.

So, maybe I'll try to post twice today in penance. And if anybody out there has an awesome cranberry-pear relish recipe, pass it along, there, wouldja?

Telephone Disconnect

Last month, I decided that I needed to make a definitive move towards really settling in here in Columbus, so I talked with the good folks at Sprint about changing my cell phone to a local number. The woman was very helpful, but noted for me that A) if they reprogram my phone with a new number, then I'd lose everything that is currently programmed into my phone book, and 2) I was only two days into my billing cycle, and it would be easier to do at the start of a cycle. So, we agreed that we'd do it at the start of the next cycle, which is tomorrow.

It seemed like such a reasonable idea -- the people who need to call me the most these days are here in Columbus, and the numbers I'm calling most are here as well. Of course, when I mentioned it to my dad last week, his response was, "WHY? It doesn't matter anymore, just leave it..." Which made me rethink the whole thing, and to be honest, I'm still wavering.

Thanks, Dad...

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!

This guy obviously has no idea of the imminent danger he has placed himself in... although, I suppose the AADL (the Amphibious Anti-Defamation League) might feel that the Maryland Terrapin has been cast in an unjust light, here.

A Fond Farewell

Last night, I said goodbye to the internship-graduation bottle of Becherovka.... But weep not, my friends, for I acquired another bottle on the last trip to Chicago. I am, however, trying to think of something cool and crafty to do with the pretty empty bottle!

Hey, and it took six months to finish it, that at least gives me some concrete proof that I don't have a drinking problem!!

Home Again, Home Again

OK, yes. I blogged that I had not much of anything to say on Thursday so that I could do the "off to Baltimore" thing on Friday, knowing that I'd have all of about 8 available seconds in which to post... Trying to spread it all out, since I'm only 1/3 of the way through the month, you understand.

But now I've gone and come back, and there's lots to tell you about!! It's been a hell of a 36 hours, so I'm not sure I'll get to it all tonight, but... I'll try and hit the high points, and perhaps some of the rest will be fodder for another day. Mental exhaustion, or clever manipulation? You'll never know, now, will you...

The trip east was fairly unremarkable, except for the stop over in Newark, NJ for a couple of hours where I had lunch with my dad. I can now truthfully say that I have seen my father more recently than Pirate Alice has. It was wonderful to see him, although a bit disconcerting to realize he genuinely looks older in person now than the mental image of him in my mind. I think this is the first time he's seen me with visible gray in my hair too, though, so maybe it felt that way for him as well.

Since I had to lay out the cash for this trip (to be reimbursed later), I was striving for not much past "clean & comfortable" in the search for a motel near the test site in Baltimore. Certainly, I knew I wouldn't be getting a place of Shag Bag caliber. Well... I tried. It wasn't horrible, but I'm certainly not sorry that I only opted to stay the one night the boss would pay for. Fortunately, the best thing about the place was the restaurant, and I did, indeed, order the seafood platter, complete with crab cake. It wasn't quite as ultra-fabulous as the last one I had from a restaurant in Ocean City, but it was still pretty damn good.

The taxi ride to the test site this morning was... I think the words we used after stepping out of the car were "moderately harrowing." I could see the speedometer, dude was pushing 80 most of the way, and took every single cloverleaf going at least 65, easy. I'll give Homie the Cab Driver his props, though, he was a damn sight better than the fuckup who was supposed to pick us up to go back to the airport... but, that's another story for another day. Hee.

And, brief as the trip was, I arrived back home with a few very nice mementoes. Dad was kind enough to provide me with a CD of photos of the Denmark crew, complete with a few snaps of the new baby, born just a week and a half ago. As I was walking through BWI, I happened upon one of those fabulous little tech-gadget stores, so treated myself to a charger for my iPod, so's I don't have to lug my big ole tabletop clock/radio thingy with me on trips in order to recharge the damn thing. (Not that I WOULD lug it, but it's nice to not have to!) Since the only reading material I'd brought along was study books for last-minute exam cramming, I also got myself one of Jennifer Weiner's paperbacks to enjoy on the trip home... And, last but not least, for the price of getting home about an hour later than I originally would have, I now have in my possession a $350 voucher for future travel with the good folks at Continental Airlines, and tales of an interesting cab ride from Cleveland to Columbus. Not a bad haul for a one-day trip, eh?

Off and Running

Just a quick one here, as I am walking out the door to head to the airport. Only one night in Baltimore, so don't anybody expect me to be bringin' home a case of crabs or anything...

Nothin' To See Here, Folks...

So, in my effort to post once a day for the month of November, does it count if I post to say that I don't really have much to say today??

Let's Not Get Cocky...

Dems win! Dems win!

When I went to bed last night, the Democratic majority in the House was a reality, and there was reason to hope that perhaps the Senate would go that way as well.

I didn't get to surf the 'net all that much today (10 kids in the Clubhouse tonight, it was CRAY-ZEE!), but returned home to find that not only had we also regained the Senate, but Rummy had decided to throw in the towel as well. It's like my birthday, Christmas, Cinco de Mayo and winning the lottery all on the same day. (AND K-Fed is about to dissolve into obscurity, too?? Somebody pinch me!)

But I'm remembering an evening at my church in Austin a couple of years ago, when a state Congresswoman came to speak with us. She talked about how at one time, even when their policies and beliefs differed, there was still a level of civility and respect between the two parties, and how in recent years that has all but vanished.

We've scored some major victories. We are hopeful for real change that will make a difference in the lives of real people. But with victory comes responsibility. Let us not be smug, and fall into these same traps.

Just sayin'.

I Love Baseball...

...but I'm sorta glad it's over, and now House is back on Fox.

That crotchety bastard in his motorcycle jacket is one of the hottest things on two feet. Yum.

Brush with Greatness

Have I mentioned that there's a guy who's doing writing for "The Colbert Report" who I used to work with at Starbucks way back when?? I haven't a clue as to whether he would even remember me or not, but he was always a funny and talented guy, has worked his butt off for quite some time, and I'm thrilled to know he's affiliated with one of my fave shows. Go, Peter!

Off-Color Commentary

I'm an ice skating fan... enjoy watching it whenever I can, or at least whenever I remember.

Just after his remark about how female skaters today "point with their fannies," it seemed that, ever so briefly, commentator Dick Button (yes, he of the filthiest name in broadcasting) got his microphone turned off.

Proof positive that the US Figure Skating Association is anxious for Dick Button to die, so he can shut the hell up. Good to know I'm not the only one.

Today...

...we wake up in a world where Doogie Howser is gay, and Walter Cronkite is 90.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit tenuous about it all...

Day 2

In looking over a few recent posts, it seems I managed to post on three consecutive days in October, so Day 2 of NaBloPoMo for me is not, as yet, so impressive. But it's all about the building blocks...

Just wanted to recap Halloween for you briefly. The night terrors over the midget scarecrow prison worker are pretty much a thing of the past, but I did dress up for Halloween this week for the first time in many years. I'm not one of those people who decorates the Halloween tree and sends out Halloween greeting cards and sits in a field awaiting the Great Pumpkin all night, but I'm not a "we don't celebrate these pagan holidays" party pooper, either. I can see, and even enjoy the sense of fun in Halloween, but my previous life wasn't necessarily conducive to walking around dripping with fake blood or sporting a red rubber nose. Now, it's actually part of my job, and we did, in fact, have fun with it.

But for the record, even in a children's hospital, it's difficult to walk around with anything remotely suggesting dignity or professionalism when one is dressed as a Dalmatian.

Commitment-phobic no more!

OK, so right now is just not a good time to take on the NaNoWriMo, although I have every respect for Zes, PA and The Turtle Herder, and plan to cheer them on tirelessly. I've got my big, career-dependent exam in 10 days, though, so I just don't have the brain space to dedicate to the Great American Novel.

However, I have just discovered NaBloPoMo... and since I DO want to devote just a wee bit more attention to this here little space o'mine, and there are no word limits or other high expectations to be strived for and disappointed by... yeah, OK. I'll give it a try.

Even though I'm already a day late and a dollar short...