2002-12-15 - 6:34 p.m. cookies!!! My sugar cookies for this week's potluck have been rolled out, cut out, baked and decorated. They are now drying placidly upon my flour sack dish towel-covered coffee table. After the buttercream hardens up a bit, they can be packaged to go to work, and to be sent to the friend returning to the States this week. The friend who was planning to come over yesterday to help decorate my twelve dozen or so cookie canvasses called mid-afternoon complaining of a hangover and bowed out of helping. She called this afternoon and was bummed that I had finished baking the cookies without her and had moved on to the decorating. She thus decided to bake some cookies of her own. After backing out on our plans for today, she hung up. Fifteen minutes later, I heard her voice coming over the speaker phone, so I picked up. Her recipe called for a few teaspoons of brandy. She didn't have any brandy -- what should she do? I advised her to substitute vanilla extract and hung up. Half an hour later, she called with a new problem. She didn't have a rolling pin. Could she just drop the cookies by the spoon-full? I advised her to use a pint glass (after chilling it in the freezer for 5 minutes) or a soda can to roll out the dough. Two hours later, she called to let me know she has finished with baking the cookies, but is going to wait 'till tomorrow to decorate them. This means that as I make my fantasy fudge tomorrow night, I can expect a call for my frosting recipe... In a sick way, it's nice to be the person my friends and coworkers call upon with their random cooking and baking questions. Perhaps I've missed me calling? I have a feeling this week will speed by, and next week will crawl... my first holiday in SF by myself. Though, at last week's holiday party, I sensed the option for an intriguing invite if I were so inclined. I must admit to being very tempted. But I have a feeling that's an attractive can of worms I'd best not open. I'll restrict such dangerous doings to my dreamlife, safely behind closed eyelids in the dark... P.S. Which Edward Gorey Book Are You? You are The Curious Sofa - You are quite sensual and love a good romp in every sense of the word! People are drawn to you and always want you to sit in their laps! brought to you by Quizilla any comments? (2 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09