Yum

Thanks for hanging in with me here, people. I'm getting back in the groove. It's all happening. I may not be posting every day, but I assure you, I am working to get back there.

In the meantime...

I was at the gym yesterday, waiting for my exercise class to start and chatting with a woman standing next to me. It was a very lovely conversation, friendly and jovial.

Woman: Have you been to that giant new grocery store down the street from you?

Me: No. I don't go into grocery stores.

Woman: What? Do you have any food in your house?

Me: I do!

Woman: How does it get there?

Me: My partner does all the shopping. It's great.

Woman: Do you cook?

Me: No, no. He does all the cooking. I really don't do any of that.

Woman: Oh, wow. Do you do anything?!

Me: Ha HA! I must be good for something!

I found this exchange hilarious and delightful. I am good for so many things.

Here's one thing I'm good for that you didn't even know about:

 

 Graham cracker chewy bars

BOOM! I'm baking, y'all! This is new. Super new.

This baking thing started when my Sidekick and I moved into a new house a couple of months ago. Well, that's not entirely true. I seem to recall I made a lot of chocolate mousse when I was a child, so let's just say this is not my first baked-goods rodeo. It is worth noting, though, that the last time I was at said rodeo, I was probably wearing something with Holly Hobbie on it, so I can't get all big-headed about it or anything.

Here's the point: these bars are delicious. The link to the recipe is here. You should make them. Then you should eat them. Because, as I've mentioned, they are delicious.

Also, delicious?

That little poodle sitting in the sun. I was taking pictures of my chewy bars, and there he was, just staring out the window, right under the table. So sweet.

So my Sidekick may do all the cooking, but I am on the case with the baked goods. Well, that and the bread. (More on the bread another time.) Hooray and yum!

It begins

I have a question for you. It's kind of like a story problem.

Let's say you own a store. For the sake of this question, let's say it's a yarn store. You sell yarn.

You with me? Great.

Ok, so let's say that you decide that your yarn store will be open Monday through Saturday. You need to rest one day a week, so that day will be Sunday. You further decide you'll be open from 12-6pm. You want to be able to sleep in and have some time to relax in the evenings. Very reasonable. Monday through Saturday, 12-6. These will be your business hours.

So, here's the question: If a person goes to your store on a Friday at 12:30pm planning to buy yarn, money in hand, soaked from the torrential downpour that is this week's weather in Los Angeles, what are the chances that that person will be able to enter your store and buy the yarn that you are selling?

Think about it. Show your work. Carry the 2... Don't get cocky.

The answer is:

0. Zero percent chance. Why? Because. Just because.

Here's the dialogue you might have supplied with your answer:

Me: Yeah, hi, I know you're not responsible for them or anything, but do you know if the store next door is planning on being open today? It says on the door that she's open Monday through Saturday, from 12 to 6, and it's 12:30 now.
Hip Guy at the store next door to the yarn store: Oh, yeah. They should be open. Try knocking.
Me: I did actually.
Hip Guy: Hm. Yeah. Sometimes they do that.
Me: Do that?
HG: Don't open even though there's someone there.
Me: ???
HG: There's someone there. Sometimes they just don't open. You could try knocking on the metal door around back.
Me: Really?
HG: Yeah.
Me: Ok, I'll try that. Thank you. I appreciate it. So sorry to bother you.
HG: No, no. People come in here all the time asking me that same question.
Me: ???!!!
HG: I guess she's just on her own schedule over there.

You did not have to include the fact that no one answered the back door in your answer.

Here is a follow-up question: You, with the yarn store over there. What are you, made of money?
Further: What, my money's no good with you?
And finally: Come ON, people. Really?!

Just like riding a bike

Ok. Sure. But what if I never learned to ride a bike? Then what? Then when I go back to something after a long time, it's just like... like... driving a car? Reading a book? Making macaroni? These are not helpful, able though I may be to do each and every one of those things.

Now, when I tell you it's been a long time, I mean I haven't made anything in the last year and half. Really. Though the last thing I did make was kind of glorious.

In this photo you can actually see two things I made in August of '08: (1) Loksins socks. (2) A broken toe.

Funny story.

You know how when you're really looking forward to something, like say your very favorite dance class of all time that just happens to fall exactly on your 40th birthday for example, and you get all excited about it and can't stop talking about how it's your salvation and how it signals the beginning of a wonderful turning point in life? Well, that's when you break your toe getting out of bed. No dance class on your 40th. A black boot all summer long. No salvation. Only pain.

The socks, though. Those were awesome! They were the socks in question in this spectacular incident. And they were beautiful. (Pattern: Loksins. Yarn: Lisa Souza.)

I cannot begin to imagine what it would take to make such a sock today. I am so rusty, so out of the loop. But! We're... getting back on the horse? Looking on the bright side? Gladly paying tomorrow for a hamburger today? No. No. No.

I have to tell you. I had no idea that not learning how to ride a bike would come back to bite me like this. Not like this.

Oh, hi there.

Remember when I had a blog?

That was awesome.

I would like to have a blog again. Mostly because it was great -- the making of stuff, the cracking of jokes, the loving of all things fantastic -- all great. But even more great than all of that? Being connected to other people who are making, cracking, and loving, too.

So, let's see what we might get going here. Rusty though I may be, I would really like to make, crack and love together again.

(Note to self: "Make, crack, and love" probably not the best slogan. Relies heavily on punctuation. Could very easily be misunderstood. Revise!)

Gratuitous photo of my adorable poodle who is all for doing this thing.