Yesterday

A coworker of mine was writing the date on something yesterday.  He turns and looks at me and says "What's today's date?" 


 I responded, "3/14.  It's Pi day." 


 He looked at me like I'm crazy and I said, "You know, like in geometry?  3.14...."  


He and my boss both look at me with blank stares. 


 As I walked away I said, 'And thus concludes the mystery of why Amanda was dateless in high school."

Problems With Song Titles

I was having a bad day (well, days to be honest) a couple days back.  And not the kind that could be fixed with a pint of ice cream.  No, my friends, the solution probably lay in a shot of whiskey.  Or 12.

But (don't worry Mom) I wisely chose not to go that route.  Instead, I decided to turn on my iPod on the way home and sing along.  Loudly.  To this song.  It happens to be one of my favorites.

I contemplated posting a status update claiming there was nothing it couldn't fix.  I even almost titled the blog this.  Until I realized that it may be misunderstood.

Why?  The title of the song is "Gunpowder and Lead."

Somehow I thought posting a status update that said, "There's nothing Gunpowder and Lead can't fix" may not go over so well.

Maybe it's just me.

But probably not.

A Year Ago...

...I had finished shoveling out my car and was dealing with the aftermath of 20+ inches of snow.

As was the entire Chicagoland area.  Which I talked about here.

Today it was in the 40's.  Earlier this week it was almost 60.  I left my apartment before 10 in the morning without a coat.  In January.

This winter we have had days that look like this:

What you can't see is that it's about 60 degrees here.  In the middle of January.

Last winter:

Yes.  This was taken at about the same location.

It's astonishing how different these two winters have been.  And, in an odd way, there was something kind of cool about going through a winter that felt like winters you always hear about.  I could kind of appreciate how much some people love winter.




Okay.


I'm kidding.



You can stop looking at me like that.

Cooking And Baking

Today was one of my days off this week.  Which means it's my one day to cook for the rest of the week.  I would like to say that this involves meticulous planning on my part.

It doesn't.

Usually it involves me sitting on the couch, suddenly sitting bolt upright shouting, "Crap!  What do I have in the kitchen?"

So I rush in, putter around, and throw something together.

At the moment I have chicken thighs marinating in some concoction that I pray tastes good.  Why?  I can't remember what the hell I put in it.  Unfortunately, if it tastes good, I won't be able to recreate it.

This is the way it always goes in my kitchen.  There's a flurry of bottles and jars.  And the end result, usually, is pretty tasty.  But I can't recreate it.  Ever.  You'd think I'd learn.

Now baking...that's an entirely different story.  I plan it out like a general going into war.  I always know how much butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda I have on hand.  As well as chocolate chips, eggs, cocoa powder and extracts.  I measure everything to a T and take notes if I tweak it.  I can always recreate what I bake.

I'm sure there's some psychological reason to it.  And, if I had time I'd try to figure it out.  Frankly I don't care.  I'm much more concerned if my dinner is going to taste good or not...

New Year's Eve

The clock had just struck midnight and "Auld Lang Syne" was playing on my laptop.  Amy has mentioned each year that she always wanted to know the words.  So I pulled up a YouTube video that displayed the words.  As we clinked glasses and sang along, fireworks sounded outside.

In a flurry we threw on our shoes and coats.  Halfway outside Amy turned, "Are you coming?"

"One second!" My hand wrapped around the Maker's Mark bottle and we headed down the stairs.

"Ooooh...I like your thinking!"

I smiled and took a sip as we ran down the stairs desperate to catch the last of the fireworks.  Narrowly we dodged the firecrackers being thrown out a downstairs window from some new neighbors.  We walked a few more feet and hopped up on a park bench overlooking the river.

To the southeast there was a large fireworks display.  And houses all along the river shot off their own.  The colors bounced off the water.  Behind us the firecrackers continued.  It was beautiful.  And odd to be sitting outside without any snow.

I handed the bottle to Amy, "I think this will be a good year."

"Why?"  She took a sip and handed it back to me.

"Because we're starting the year off doing something different.  We've never done this before. "

"So you're saying my house is cursed?"  She laughed.

I gently slapped her shoulder, "No, you goof.  Just this isn't our usual rut.  It's different."  I took a sip and craned my neck to look at the stars.  One last firework went off as I handed Amy the bottle.

This year would be different because it already started out beautifully.

 I was at home.
With my best friend.
Drinking whiskey.
Watching fireworks.

Hiatus

So....that was a longer hiatus than I was planning.

Okay.

I didn't plan it.

It just sort of happened.

But...I'M BACK!