Catch Up

August 17: Drove into NYC to catch the bus for MD, saw the Empire State Building from my sunroof

August 19: Found this in a bookstore. Just when I thought the vampire craze couldn't possibly get any worse...

August 21: The singing waiter at Ellen's Stardust Cafe in NYC who looks a lot like one of my friends

August 22: CUTE SHOES that my extremely generous and wonderful mother bought for me (THANK YOUUUUU!!!!!)

August 22: The second pair of adorable cute shoes (THANK YOU AGAIN!!!)

August 23: My friend's hair, as styled by another one of my friends

Today: Cleopatra's Daughter, which I started and finished today. I'll probably do a review of this one in a few days or so.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore...

Today, the boy and I visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It's a really nice museum with some really amazing things in it, but the best part about it is that you can see the whole thing in one day. It's only three stories high - four if you count the lower level, which I don't, because it's only an overpriced cafeteria and some flight simulators - with a couple of exhibits per level. My favorite exhibits were the one with the gowns of the first ladies, Julia Child's kitchen, and the little pop culture niche where I took the picture with Dorothy's ruby slippers.

The Mighty and Most Collegiate River

Right up there is the stream that runs behind my apartment building in Maryland. I say "stream" because, on most days, it really is barely more than a trickle of ugly brown water. On my way to a meeting in the building, however, I noticed that this once puny creek had swelled into a quickly-flowing river of Mississippian proportions.

I exaggerate.

It was, however, quite impressive to see the water level so high. This is due to the massive amounts of rain Maryland has been getting recently, as opposed to the almost zero amount of rain we've gotten up in New Jersey. The river was so high, and the water was flowing so quickly, that honest-to-goodness rapids were forming!

Pictured: Honest-to-goodness rapids. Or...rapid, singular.

I apologize for no post yesterday; I did take a picture, but it was with my cell phone, and I left my memory card adapter at home (foolishly thinking I would only use my camera to take pictures).

Bis morgen!

Early Presents

So because I will be in England for my and the boy's two year anniversary, I had to get and wrap presents early. Also, because I didn't have wrapping paper, I used scrapbook paper. Note the naked box edges on the bottom present.

Going to Maryland tomorrow!

My Puppy

This is my puppy, whom I've only just realized is the exact same shade as the floor and the furniture.

But there she is, ostensibly lying there in a sleepy puddle of dog, but really protecting her new, most precious bone.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Because I have some for you right here. Gouda, cheddar, and dill havarti, to be specific. Plus, a singular cherry tomato in the center just to balance it all out.

Bis morgen!

Lesson Learned

See this bag? It's filled with a loose brown powder. Do you know what that powder is? Or should I say, do you know what it is NOT. It is NOT whole wheat flour, like I thought it was.

It is pre-made muffin mix. It contains flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder, among other things. Pre-made muffin mix is a fantastic idea - it means you can make muffins whenever you want to, just add one or two ingredients and boom! muffins! Unfortunately, muffin mix is only good when the user KNOWS it is muffin mix. It is not so useful when the user assumes it is whole wheat flour, and adds it to a recipe (that already contains baking powder, by the way) in quintupled proportions.

Some of you (Mum) may see where I am headed with this.

I am referring to the Zucchini Muffins o' Explodingness that I made the other night, the ones that erupted in my stove and left mounds of carbon on the oven door. It was in this recipe that the pre-made muffin mix was mistakenly assumed to be whole wheat flour. This (awful, stupid, ridiculous) error was discovered by my mother shortly after dinner last night (I had made potato pancakes, which also called for a few tablespoons of flour - thus, the bag of "whole wheat flour" was sitting out on the island).

Mum: Why is this out?

Me: Oh, I used it for the potato pancakes because we're out of white flour.

Mum: ...But...but this is pre-made muffin mix.

Me: ...What?

Mum: Did you....use this for the muffins the other night?

Me: Yes!

Mum: *silence*

Me: *silence*

Mum: Well, that explains it! *imitates batter exploding in the oven to illustrate her point*