March, 2004

Funny Bugs

cart.jpgThere are these old bugs–the volkswagon kind
that drive around St. Helena trying to find
misplaced shopping carts.

Hilarious! They attach the carts to their rear bumper
and bring them back to the store. I can’t figure out if Safeway
pays these guys to do this, or they’re just in it for fun. Does anyone know?

In other news, I’m in search of the perfect brownie recipe and need testers. brownie.jpg
Here’s how it works: I’ll send you samples of brownies and you send me back a postcard (included in aforementioned brownie package) with your thoughts on the brownie–improvements, likes, dislikes, etc. If you’d like to be a tester, submit a comment to this blog with your address if I don’t have it, and I’ll send you some treats.

My Life Is Changing Every Single Day

Things that make me happy this week:

-I’ve been eating a lot of grape nuts. The crunch is so satisfying.
-IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) Sour Cherries
-Tapioca Pearls–though I haven’t eaten any yet this week, I’ve been thinking about them almost constantly, dreaming up exciting ways to use them in desserts.
-Re-uniting with old friends
-Fantasies about what the rest of my life will be like.
Current favorites include:

Option 1: I move to Hammondsport and help Dad build The Rock while working at Three Birds (redesigning their website and taking over as Pasty Chef), creating a fabulous new dessert menu that Food Arts comes to review) and start a family-run bakery.
I’ll plant a big huge garden and start writing a book of poetry, make friends with the witch who lives on the other side of the mountain and swim across the lake every morning.
I think I’ll renovate the little back house into an Ideation Studio. Or maybe I’ll just build a new one farther up on the property.
This plan is perfect for me because it satisfies all my needs: I get to be with the fam, doing creative, passionate things with people I love and become even more successful (even though I unfortunately won’t be training with a famous European Chef)…although, now that you mention it, I could probably convince Jacques Pepin, Daniel Boulud or Paul Bocuse to come visit for a few months, don’t you think?

Imaginary Future #2: Me. Switzerland. Master Chocolatier. (HEAVEN).

Yet a Third: Hot Side/Cold Side in the Carribbean, Mexico or Hawaii. The heat. The sand. The year-round tan. Need I elaborate?

Numero Cuatro:Canada. I love Canada. And I’ve only explored a tiny, tiny part of the country as yet. Elusive, sexy, foreign. And home to everyone’s favorite orphan (Anne of Green Gables).

How About New York City? Even though I’ve lived in New York State for my entire life up until the past seven months, I’ve only been to the city three times (and they were only day trips!). Perhaps it’s time to explore the big apple…

There’s always San Francisco. Big City life could be very exciting–especially with the Ocean so near by and the hot SF nightlife and cultural activities.

Do you have an imaginary future that involves me (or not)? Let’s hear it!! What’s your fantasy future??! Share your fantasy and win a tasty confection from moltenchocolate.com!!

Exotic disease?

tissue.jpgOh, my pooooor nose! I have officially gone through over 150 tissues in the past three days. Heellow. Can we say “not fun”. Yes. Yes, we can. Friends and co-workers alike have willingly provided me with their amateur diagnoseeees. Most are convinced I have allergies–apparently everyone not from the area magically acquires allergies in March after living here for a while. Some think my recent illness is a reaction to the major sunburn I got last weekend–a sort of sun poison cold paradox, if you will.

Which reminds me, the funniest thing happened the other day. I was walking down the steps on my way home from school when I ran into Concierge Chris and New Media Computer Guru Chris. I stopped to chat and Concierge Chris noticed that I was peeling a tiny bit on my forehead. He immediately rushed to my rescue, saying “Oh, let me get that dry skin for you” and started peeling the skin off my forehead!!!!! EWWWWWWWWW!!! 🙂 HAHHAAHAH. At which point Computer Guru Chris replied “OH, let me get in on that action!”. It was really quite hilarious–an impromptu skin-peeling party at the front entrance of CIA Greystone. Thank goodness I didn’t show them my arms or stomache (which are peeling in huge sheets now, isn’t that nice?), or we might have had to break open a bottle of Continuum and settled in for a real hoe-down.

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