Day 276

I am not a cake person. I don't really like it. I can force it down, unlike brownies (which are disgusting--and yes, I know, there's something wrong with me), but I don't enjoy it.

What I LOVE, however, is when cakes become works of art. Creativity gets me every time.

Vicky brought in cake for her birthday treat. She was going to make a shamrock, but opted instead for the state of Michigan. And it's awesome.



My favorite part is the Grand Rapids symbol. Beautifully done!

And I had a piece. A small piece, but I couldn't resist rewarding the cleverness. This is what was left at the end.



By the end of the afternoon, there wasn't much left. People had very carefully cut around the GR logo, not wanting to be the hand that destroyed it. Just a bit of the mitten was left.

And it looked like PacMan to me. So I took the logo and gave it to PacMan for an eyeball.



I have a confession to make.

I'm a dork.

Day 275

I love when my friends do me the favor of giving me things to take pictures of. It's winter, it's gray, and I'm boring right now--all of which make maintaining this picture project fairly difficult. "I'm busy hibernating!" I cry. "How about another picture of the cat? I took it from the couch." I actually took a picture of the remote control the other day...and then cried at how pathetic my pictures have become--or at least I should have.

I'm grateful for times like this past weekend. Amy M. and I went down to Chicago (well, Naperville) so that she could audition for a new Gordon Ramsay cooking show. I should know what it's called, but I didn't retain that part.

This was the line when we showed up shortly after noon (when the tasting/judging began). What you can't see is that it wraps around in front of the store and all the way from the front of the building to the back inside the very long store as well.



This was the line about two minutes after we got there.



Can you see those two things that look like tall floor lamps toward the front of the line? Those are heaters. The ONLY heaters. The day didn't start out all that chilly--high 30's or low 40's, probably. And then it started to rain. No problem, you say, you're under a roof. Ah, yes, the wind tunnel.

We slouched against cold, moist air. For about three hours. Carrying variably handled parcels. Getting muscle cramps and losing feeling in our extremities. It was cold and uncomfortable--and fun, mostly.

This is Jeff.



Jeff was playing "Production Assistant #9" for the day. As we slooooowly moved toward the front of the line, Jeff became first our entertainment and then our friend.

He passed out applications to those who needed them, wrote on the front of them, handed out tags with the official entrant numbers on them, like the one Amy's wearing below.



He stapled forms together and pictures to the back of forms. He managed to somehow look Jeremy Piven-like when photographed (below), even though they look nothing alike in person...and, now that I look again, David Arquette-like in the photo above. Way to be a chameleon, Jeff.



Jeff was a good man in a storm, a friend to the masses.

Until we reached the front of the wind tunnel.

We thought he was our pal, that he sympathized with our plight. He came for the next group to head into the store. We walked forward, eagerly straining for the warmth and shelter...and he grinned and stopped us cold. "Sorry, not you," he said, cackling maniacally. I cursed him and threatened him with the grilling pan I was toting, but he had police backup and stood firm, gleeful at our chagrin and suffering.

He wouldn't even bring us hot chocolate.

*grumble*

Fine. Maybe the grin was rueful and not merry. Maybe he apologized for being the bad guy. Maybe he said he'd already asked and wasn't allowed to bring us hot chocolate. Maybe he was a little sorry.

All right, Jeff. We can be friends again.

Day 274

Soulless baby is soul-less.

Can she have yours?



No, Ruth Amelia is very sweet and has a lovely soul. There are far better pictures of her out there (friend Melissa's come to mind), but I grabbed a few snapshots I enjoy.

See? She has pupils AND a doting father. Proof of a soul.



Awww...



Happy family!

Congratulations again, John and Heidi!

More pictures from that bit of the weekend later.

Day 273

There's a story behind this. A cooking story. A tale of bravery and of hardship.

But for now, I recommend you eat the bun. You're not likely to enjoy the consequences.

That spatula means business.

Day 272

It's actually been awhile since it snowed here; we've been experiencing a very welcome January thaw. It's been gone long enough that I kind of miss the enchantment of fresh snow, though. So I dug out an older picture of days gone by (i. e. a month ago).

Does anyone else want to twine garland about this fence? Maybe add some festive red touches here and there?



Of course, it's supposed to start snowing today and continue for the rest of the week, so I'll get my fill.

Day 271

This just in: I'm a posting slacker.

In other news: I love this arch of tree.



Do you think if I'd gone under it, I might have found myself in another world? Or Underhill with the fairies? I might have come out after a day of feasting and merriment only to find a hundred years had passed here.

That would be sad. Kinda cool...but sad.

Day 270

I've just realized I didn't post today. I'm getting really bad at doing this on time. I blame Iowa.

Honestly, I also blame the insanely cold weather and my inability to go places and be amongst things.

But mostly Iowa.

Here! A tiny metallic tiger going, "Bleht!" and throwing up your credit card!



Seriously, that's all I can see here. So I took a picture. Sharing is good!

Day 269

I came into work yesterday and was greeted by...



alien landing grapefruit!

Also known as...



disco grapefruit!

Someone had laid out a sheet of iridescent cellophane as a backdrop for the free fruit. The light above the island reflecting off the cellophane made it look less appetizing and more amusing/eerie. Of which I approve.

Day 268

When they installed the windows in our office building, apparently they did a poor job on this side. Last week crews came in to replace them and fix the water damage.



One crew was there solely to tape plastic on the windows. And then the glass man came.



Hello, glass man!

He came in and chatted with me for a little bit. Friendly fellow.

Bumps in the window still were what initially tipped them off to the water damage--for example, mine had one corner rather higher than the others. So after they replaced the glass and scraped out the yucky bits from the exterior wall, they had to replace the windowsills. Crew number three.

Let me show you the before windowsill. A thing of beauty, no? Despite the duct tape and plastic sheeting.



Sure, there was a bit of a bump, but it didn't actually bother me. I mean, I had a plant on the sill. Nothing was exactly in peril.

Nonetheless, who doesn't want a shiny new windowsill professionally installed? Who would mind the strong, lingering scent of an adhesive that smells made of sour breath if it meant your building was repaired correctly this time?

Behold the after:



Way to go, guys. Way to go.

Day 267

Glamour Shot!



"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille."

Day 266

About a week ago, a wonderful thing happened.

My dear friends John and Heidi had their first baby. It's been a difficult road to this point, but Ruth Amelia is healthy and beautiful. Her parents are tired and extremely happy.

I, good auntie that I am, immediately put her picture on my wall at work where I can see her every day.



She's the one in pink (the blurry ultrasound is Charlotte Fay).



Congratulations, John and Heidi! May she continue to thrive in health and happiness and always know that she is surrounded by love.

Day 265

Guess what? I only have a hundred days left before this blog project is officially over!!!!

I'm so pleased and happy. Like this guy here.




Daaawwwwww!

Day 264

Tea party!



Kristen hosted a charming little tea for a group of ladies. I wore a frock! Of which you will not get a picture.



There were four different kinds of tea; I had four cups of Nutcracker Sweet. If you've never had it, you simply must. It's heavenly.



In addition to the tea, there were scads of scrumptious savories and sweets. Chicken salad, egg salad, homemade moon pies, little nibbles of cookies with carmelized thumbprints, a modified croquembouche...



Tiny meringues...



and--my personal favorite--cardamom snaps!



A genteel (and tasty) time was had by all.

Day 263

Sometimes a game of cat and mouse can really take it out of you.



Sometimes no one wins. Except the photographer.

Day 262

There are beautiful irises all over friend Kristen's house. I took pictures of them--and this is the least blurry. Go, me! *sigh*



Is it just me or do irises never quite photograph true to life? Not the blurriness--that's my shaky issue--but the color. These were, to my eye, a gorgeous deep purple. The camera kept turning them a paler blue, though. It was very confusing and frustrating. Perhaps my eyes simply see a different color than they truly are? Like I'm picking up on the ultraviolet spectrum without realizing it or something.

Though found in the same habitat, these below are not irises. But you knew that.

Day 261

In which I have icicles.



Serious icicles.




And--oh, happy day--lots of sunshine. Most of which did not come across in my shots. The camera kept filtering out the most gorgeous, colorful glinty bits. But this perspective from my prone position on floor in mid-sunbeam, I managed to get at least the bright directness. (And the streaky door, but let's not talk about that).

Day 260

Was wandering through Meijer when I saw this.




Is it just me, or does that saying strike you as a little ominous?

(It's probably also just me that there's a fairly complicated little story involving the Marilyn piece, idyllic times for her on a beach, a traumatic death, and the flowers planted at her grave going on in my head to make it make sense as a caption--and a moral).

Day 259

What? Your gas station doesn't have giant animals on the roof?

Huh.

You must not be from Lansing.

Day 258

Steph got me a rental car so that I could come home from Iowa. I love rental cars. They're so...new!

It was supposed to be a Ford Focus "or equivalent." The counter attendant started flipping through her pile (literally) of keys and said, "Well, I've got an HHR or an HHR." I chose the HHR. Which does not feel equivalent to a Focus. Bigger! Though for some reason they made it with kind of tiny windows and there is a seriously awful blind spot on the driver's side. The mirrors compensate for it, but it's still a bit nervewracking.



It drove me through sun and snow, day and night, and got me safely home--despite the fact that the driver's side nozzle on the wiper fluid didn't work at all. Which I found out during lake effect snow. On the tollway. I had to get off every twenty miles at the oases and wash the windshield again. A mile and a half later I'd be leaning over trying to see out the passenger's side. Goooood times.

Still, not bad for a car from Georgia. He's so not used to this kind of weather, I'm sure.

Day 257

I decided to stop at Cindy and Jason's for the night on my way home. I needed to sleep and I wasn't going to reach the rental car place before they closed anyway. Plus I did not want to try navigating lake effect snow in the dark.

Lake effect snow was exactly what I hit on the way to their house. Lots of it. And there weren't a lot of people out braving the roads. In fact, at one point I was utterly alone on the highway--no one else as far as the eye could see on either side, behind or before. It was both unnerving and fairly cool.

So I took a picture.



Obsessions have no filter for safety.

Day 256

Roadtrip shot. Solely because it makes me giggle.



Double meat!

Day 255

Saturday after New Year's, I started my trip home. And you can't go to Michigan from Iowa without stopping at the Iowa 80 truckstop. It would be utterly wrong.



After all, it's the world's largest truckstop! It's even been featured on a Travel Channel special.



I mean, I didn't even need to get anything there. But I couldn't NOT stop. So I drove in, took some pictures, and got back on the road.

It just wouldn't have felt right to drive on by.



Somewhere in Illinois I looked up and my jaw dropped. The moon! Was huge! That unnervingly close, takes your breath away, dwarfs the buildings nearby kind of big.

I was trying to take a picture. While driving. You can see just how successful I was (and this was the best shot). The size of it also doesn't really come across. But you believe me, right?



Right?

Day 254

I had me a rip-roaring time on New Year's Eve! Yessirree, I went alllll out. I got...



ROOM SERVICE!!!!!!


Seriously, look at the ratio of whipped cream to ice cream here. It's ridiculous! Eventually I just scooped what was left off the top and finally made it to the hot fudge.



Let's not forget the friends I spent time with. I think that's Jennifer Lopez there on screen. 21 minutes till midnight! (New York time, anyway...it was still an hour and 21 minutes for me). Plus simultaneous web surfing. I'm a wild woman!!



Two hours later and I was back at the hospital to sleep in the chair.

All things considered, though? Not actually a bad night.