Out of Sync

M  y friends, I feel a little stuck. I am suffering from what I can best describe as a chronological mismatch. That is, WHAT I want to do never occurs WHEN I am     able to do it. To wit:

When I woke up on Friday, I had all sorts of ideas about how to approach a work project. Then I got to work and couldn't remember a single one.

While at work, I was struck with the urge to go running. Like, hard, sweaty, panting running.

After work, when I could go running, it was dark. So I went to the gym instead, where I daydreamed about cooking a great dinner. When I got home, I could barely muster the energy to throw dinner together.

And the knitting? Let's not even get started on the knitting. Ravelry--while being the greatest thing to hit the knitting world since the spit-splice--means that every time I get a free 30 seconds, I'm daydreaming about knitting projects. And then I get home, and I pull out the stockinette sleeve. And knit 10 rows. And fall asleep.

So, in short, I had hoped to finish JT's sweater by now. Instead, I have just finished the first sleeve.

It does not help AT ALL that my gauge somehow changed along the way, necessitating about 30 extra rows of knitting. I can't seem to muster the energy to cast on for the second sleeve, so send me strength, willya?

This weekend I did try to bake some bread, since Rosemary generously shared her sourdough starter. I clearly didn't deserve it. Here's what happened:

Although this may appear to be bread, don't be confused. I missed the part of the directions that called for a second rise. So the loaves looked great coming out of the oven, but when I sliced into them.... it was not good. That blob in the middle? Still. Dough. Gummy, glutenous, chewy dough.

I'll try again... maybe next weekend. At least the house smelled fantastic!

And finally, a gratuitous Sam picture. Here he is presenting his current favorite toy: a Nemo that he ripped all the stuffing out of. He curls up with the carcass all the time.

Whee

A flurry of activity, that's what I've been. Something has invaded my brain and has decided that this week! I will do all sorts of things instead of sleeping! It started Tuesday night, when I finally finished writing my Christmas thank-yous (ugh, embarrassingly slow) and packing up some parcels to different places. I applaud myself for remembering that I have library books due Monday, so they had to get sent back. (Because I'm on VT's extended campus, I check out books and they send them to me. It works really well, and they even send little postage-paid labels to send them back. But I have to remember to get them back 12 weeks after borrowing them.)

Last night I had a rare canceled class. (We're making up for it with a field trip next Saturday.) I trotted down to the happy place, where I was able to see Maeve and Baby A, who is already way bigger than just a couple of weeks ago. And still SO cute. Also many of the irregulars were there, so it was nice to hang out. Then home to dinner, and around 10 p.m. I decided I wanted to make cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes: the Car Bomb cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen.

(I seriously should stop reading her web site. These recipes, they lodge themselves in my brain and won't come out until I make them.)

They were very straightforward to make (though they did dirty every large bowl I own). I even successfully made the whiskey ganache to fill them. Because I didn't have a tiny cookie cutter to remove some of the cupcake tops, I used a melon-baller. Very handy. The Bailey's buttercream is the weakest part of these, for me -- I think I put too much sugar in, even though I was under the 3 cups called for. So I added more Bailey's. (Can't hurt, right?) End result is that it tasted okay but I suspect it will harden more than I want it to. It was harder than it should have been to pipe out, but at that point it was 1 a.m. and I was ready to be off my feet.

I haven't eaten a cupcake yet, though I have sampled each part individually and the parts are DELICIOUS, if not slightly dangerous. My tastes of the frosting (and ganache, if I'm being honest, and cake) were so sugary that even though my body was ready to go to bed, my mind was on a total sugar high. So, I pulled out some knitting and watched some TV while I waited for the sugar high to pass.

JT's sweater hit a milestone thanks to all that sugar. The body is now complete! Time to put it on a holder and give it some sleeves. I had thought originally that finishing the body might be cause for a cowl-ish interruption, but now I'm feeling the mojo and am ready to just power through. Maybe by next weekend, depending on what tempting diversions come my way.