Always the first star that I find

If you've never surfed over to SomethingSwanky.com and drooled over the sweets that they showcase every day....well, I don't know what you're waiting for. You need to get on that. Last week I saw this red velvet cake batter dip on Pinterest and followed the link back to SomethingSwanky and nearly lost my mind at the awesomeness of everything I saw. But, this red velvet cake batter dip + funfetti sugar cookies was what blew my mind the most. I can't think of anything that would taste better than this. This even beats out chocolate for me...which I thought would be an impossible feat.

Although, on the topic of chocolate, I've had the brownies with the Symphony chocolate bar in the middle and I can vouch for the amazingness of that, as well. You won't ever want to bake anything without checking out this website first for ideas. It's so awesome.

This weekend went by so fast, but it was such fun. I went to another going-away party, and that was fun. It was with the same group who had to say goodbye to someone last month, as well. I feel like there's been a lot of leaving in the last few years. Lots of going-aways, very few welcome-backs. But, that's the way it is, I guess? It was fun. This was for someone I used to work with who got herself a job back closer to where she grew up. She's pretty excited to go back and who can blame her? I think she'll be happier there, even though she will be missed here. The party was cowboy-themed and included fuzzy mustaches for everyone, sheriff and sheriff's deputy badges, and cowboy hats. Good time. Then I went to a baby shower and it was really fun, too. Lots of cute things and activities. Sometimes baby showers can be a little too cutesy for me. I get kind of overdosed on the 'aww'. But, this was really cleverly done because it was done as a battle of the sexes sort of baby shower and the culmination was for the grandmother to cut the cake that my friend had baked and the inside of the cake would be either blue or pink and that would tell the gender of the baby. Her mother started to cry a little when she cut the cake and found out the baby was a boy. It was really cute. I liked how that was done. Nobody but the parents knew the gender of the baby, so it was exciting for everyone to find out at once. Hunter Amos will make his debut in April. It was a really well-done shower. I had a good time. It was fun too, because it was with some ladies that I don't get to see very often. I went to high school with them and I only see them now and again, so it was really great. Two acted as hostesses for the baby shower and they did such a great job at the planning of it all. Not to mention the soon-to-be mom, who is such a good chef that the cake and everything was delicious. Mmm.

It occurs to me, thinking back over the weekend, that I know some damn good party planners. I myself loathe planning parties or having to act as hostess to anything. I'm always super impressed by people who plan activities that are actually fun to do or clever or creative. I don't mind participating in activities, I just hate being the one having to make preparations and explain rules and things to a bunch of people. I'm a bit of a wallflower when it comes to social situations, especially parties. I prefer to be led or left alone...usually to eat cookies or cake if there is such a thing at the party. There were both at the parties this weekend. Nom, nom, nom.

I really am going to go back to the health plex this week. Tomorrow, I think if all goes well. I'm feeling better and slowly sounding better.

Beatrix usually sleeps with me all night and tends to be a pretty easy-going cat. She usually just sleeps the whole night. Or used to. Since I got back from Peru, she seems to be off-kilter a bit. Or maybe she's pissed off that I left. She's very clearly off routine, whatever the reason. She woke me up at 3:30 this morning by sitting next to my head and then slapping my face with her paws. I was not amused. She does that when she gets bored and wants attention. The slapping part is less dangerous now than it used to be when she still had claws, but it's still an unhappy way to be woken up, especially 3 hours before the alarm has to go off. After she wouldn't stop, she was kicked out of the room. She's starting to recognize when I'm mad at her. She gets her full name used and it only takes once and she's usually got the idea that she's in trouble. Progress in the Hartke house! She's a very good cat and rarely gets in trouble, except in cases like last night where she gets ornery about wanting attention when I'm asleep. I'm hoping we leave this phase behind us shortly.

I'm becoming more of a tea drinker lately. It isn't just because I'm sick, either. I think it has more to do with the fact that at work we have an automatic hot water dispenser (I don't mean the faucet). It takes the hassle out of making tea because you don't have to mess with the  microwave or anything. It's piping hot filtered water! It's great for oatmeal, too. I love it. Here's to hoping that (if you don't have an automatic hot water dispenser) you someday get to experience the awesomeness of this development as well.

Work is once again pretty lonely. Pandora is keeping me company today. Guster is singing about how you are his satellite. Happy Monday!

We've come a long long way together.

Happy December 19th. It's National Oatmeal Muffin Day.

This weekend was busy + fun. It was bun. I graduated (on National Underdog Day) and it was good times. The commencement speech was over before I even realized I was listening to the commencement speech. And then I didn't fall down or anything! I competently put the hood thingy on the gown. My cap only fell off a couple of times and I didn't fall asleep during the eons of doctoral candidates getting hooded and handshaked and hugged and whatnot. I was amused throughout the ceremony by a handful of supporters of a new doctor named Saif Somethinorother, whose friends took it upon themselves to bring posterboard and write out different words and spell them out in the audience. They had a little rubber horn that they honked when they had the words spelled out so that Saif would see them. They first spelled "Saif". Then they spelled "Egypt" (where I assume Saif is from). They were doing well up to that point. Then they tried to do "We (heart) Saif" except the fella who was put in charge of the (heart) and the S got them turned around so when they honked and everyone looked it said "Wes (heart) Aif" until the guy sheepishly switched it. It kept me awake through the ceremony watching to see what they would come up with next. Thanks, Saif, for graduating in December and having such awesomely amusing and supportive family and friends.

Look at that happy girl with her empty diploma case. Aw.

So, there were also some parties, at which I played some games. It was fun. "Scattergories" was played. I like Scattergories. It always creates some laughs. One of the best ones from the weekend was when one person read the category wrong and instead of listing 'things that grow' that began with an M, she read it as 'things that glow', and she went through then entire round of people saying things like 'Monkeys' and 'Marigolds" and never blinked an eye. Someone became skeptical when she shouted out 'Moon rocks' and then when she realized what she'd done the game kind of fell apart for a while with laughing and mocking, because wouldn't you question someone else's answer when they shout out 'Monkey' and you are under the assumption that the category was glowing things? I arrived late due to dealing with another part of the weekend: Beatrix had to have a little surgery and she's not a patient that handles healing very well. At least not when she's left alone. She's getting better, I think. She's just not any good at resting and not jumping around when she's wounded. I also saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie. I liked the first one and I think the second one is better. But what I really like about it is that it's artistically done with the special effects and things. I love the way they tell the story with the fast motion and then the slow motion mixed. The first one was like that too, and I just really enjoy going to the movies more when the film is actually awesomely shot like that rather than just watching a long tv-show type movie that's got nothing all that interesting about the way its filmed. Nice job, Guy Ritchie. 

Then, I attempted baking. Today was my first day of being a full-time worker bee rather than a student worker at my job. And it was also the holiday party. And snack day. And I wanted to bring lots of stuff. So I made a cake, sugar cookies, and attempted peppermint bark. I am more Julia Child than Martha Stewart. I am more of the gang who believes that if you drop something and you're alone in the kitchen, you can just pick it up and continue on as if nothing happened. It's sort of a 'if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it' kind of philosophy on cooking, I know. But it seems to work okay. Except the cake overflowed the pan it was in and dumped out all over my oven. I accidentally put too much peppermint flavoring into the peppermint bark and it turned out more like peppermint leather. After adding more chocolate though, it finally became more like bark. The sugar cookies turned out great, but the chocolate chip ones I also made are really sticky and have kind of molded into one giant cookie that holds the form of the glass bowl I was trying to keep them in...

But looks are somewhat deceiving! The cake tastes really really good. Half it was eaten today. I put a sign on it that said what it was (Chocolate Pear Spice Cake) and also that it 'tastes better than it looks'. I also kind of guilted a couple of people into trying it. (They all liked it.) The sugar cookies were a huge hit. They taste really good. Even a guy who's mother is a baker told me the cookies were really good. How 'bout THEM apples?! And the peppermint bark...well. One person tried it and said it was 'fresh'. Hardly anybody ate it. I don't blame them. It's a little strong. I won't eat it if I bring it back home.

Oh, holiday baking, you and I are not always compatible. But in a blindfolded taste test, that overflowed cake could be a real contender for winning. Really. It's pretty good. Here's a closeup of the cake, but not the overflowing part.

Nom nom nom.

Also, I was watching "Love and Other Drugs" earlier (not a bad movie, especially being able to watch Jake Gyllenhaal be all adorable and stuff for a couple of hours. It's a pleasant way to spend some time.) and Fatboy Slim's song "Praise You" came on during a scene and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. "We've come a long long way together...through the hard times and the good...I have to celebrate you baby. I have to praise you like I shou-ou-ou-ould-d-d-d-d-d-d-d."

The best brownies ever.

Once you go Ghirardelli, you'll never go back to whatever boxed brownie mix you tend to buy. You'll also probably find yourself critiquing brownies from actual local bakers in actual bakeries. This is okay because you have, in fact, seen the light and they apparently have not. So, see the light and share it, please! This is why I'm sharing this morsel of m(mmm!)umbling with you. I pinky swear to you that these are the best brownies in the world, and I don't joke around with pinky swears.