Pumpkin Ginger Vanilla Pudding

The cat-pudding has repaired to the room with The Dragon (a heater), freeing up my Aran pullover upon which she snoozes quite often (see grainy photograph). One more holiday do-gooder event in which I have admin duties.

I did make a pumpkin ginger vanilla pudding & it went over well. More of a custard but the word 'pudding' is much more fun to say. It's a combination of three recipes, so a codified version is forthcoming. If the power stays on. (Hiss)

A few notes: Angie has a Romanian childhood holiday memory & chocolate recipe, here. Also, Vanessa's very helpful & delicious index of recipes. Carina in Copenhagen's "I want to" series is fun.

Week's End - Down the Highway

Well, I’m walkin’ down the highway/ With my suitcase in my hand...Dylan

OK, well, I'm not walking down the highway but expecting a ride down one tomorrow. (Though you should have seen me tromping down a highway last night, soaking wet, with a flashlight & fueled by indignation & a bit of fear.) And I'm trying to pack what I'll need/want. We've been without power AGAIN for the last few days. To say enough already is not adequate. Finally finally finally our Governor has had it, our County Executive has had it & who knows who else. I've been on a Campaign of Fury the past few days on the phone & radio stations. It will continue--not here--but at a place where the power rarely goes off & then for really good reasons. Like a hurricane. For Instance.

I've lost the contents of the fridge yet again. Not enough ice in the neighborhood. Until late last night, it was pitch dark, over 100 degrees in my apartment, & nearly as humid. Julie was about to sprout mushrooms from her little red head (for the uninitiated, that's the cat). Meanwhile, thank goodness for a fully-charged iPod (lent indefinitely) filled with hilarious & thought provoking podcasts by Stephen Fry. That darling devil.

Ciao for now. I'll visit everyone on the weekend/early next week as I take little breaks from off-line writing & trouble-making.
PS: As Julie's blog is on break, I cannot emphasize enough - somewhere - that millions of people are literally treading water in Pakistan. More than were affected in the tsunami. If you are so inclined--man, I hope you are--please go to Giulia Geranium for a list of places to help. Thanks. [photograph by Tim Walker]

Update: after posting this, the power went out again for 1.45 hours. (This is for record-keeping).

Sunday Shopping - Sleep in a Persian Garden

It is no secret that I suffer from sleeplessness.

I just removed 700 words of fairly amusing drivel but it needs to be edited. As the tree near my desk is being whipped to a froth, the silvery undersides of the leaves showing, & the prospect of another power outage looms, I shall simply go straight to the shopping bit. The edited drivel will magically show up (in Parts I & II) next week.

In early June I finally tired of washing out a navy silk made-by-enslaved-masses sleep mask & needing it before it dried. So I went looking for another one & did so much better by visiting Bonnie, mask-maker extraordinaire, of BibBon on etsy. Bonnie has over 100 hundred masks to choose from, including a plain black one (which is important, I think, not just for men but for minimalist moods). I chose the one above, Persian Garden.

The two adjustable straps idea is wonderful & the sewing is sturdy & tightly done. I will never ever ever buy a mass-made sleep mask again. Not only that--it was less expensive than buying that popular navy silk deal in Whole Foods, ULTA, or wherever you found yours. Yes, really. The version I chose was $12.00 (yes, you read that correctly) + shipping = $US 13.30.

Bonnie will ask your choice of inner linings & guide you to what you want/need. That's it. It arrived quickly, washes beautifully, & I feel more glamorous than I should. If I am able to begin working (for money) again soon (please), I'll climb BibBon's luxury ladder for one of the silks.

Oh & a major side benefit about these masks from my perspective: Julie the Cat cannot budge the thing off my face as she can the other. While she seems to feel this has diminished her quality of morning mischief, I could not be happier (about that, at any rate). Go visit Bonnie at BibBon.

Have a great Sunday/Monday & I'll be back soon (if the power is on). Cheers & here's to a good night's sleep.

PS: Un grand bisou, Phoenix Olivier. Bon anniversaire!

[photographs via BibBon with permission, all rights reserved; Shell Cure for Insomnia via LIFE Archives]

Storm Warnings

I draw the curtains as the sky goes black
And set a match to candles sheathed in glass
Against the keyhole draught, the insistent whine
Of weather through the unsealed aperture.
This is our sole defense against the season;
These are the things we have learned to do
Who live in troubled regions. -Adrienne Rich

Not Again. Yes. Again.

(lovely photograph by Virginia Gálvez)

NB--Power didn't go out during a storm; oh no. It went out at 12.03am when all was as quiet as a mouse. I intend to mount a public campaign to force Potomac Electric Power Company to reduce bills, issue reimbursement vouchers for perishables, especially for those of us on fixed incomes. Also to reimburse diabetics, & others who must use refrigerated medicines. I shall think of my opening gambit tomorrow afternoon. I shall spend all of August on it, if need be.

Fifteen+ years of unreliable service is enough. Hurricanes, etc. yes. I understand; but if the basic integrity of the structure is not maintained, this is what we get. Unacceptable. This is war. Power companies should not make profits; they cannot be responsible to shareholders & public safety simultaneously. I have finally convinced a few former colleagues of this FACT. The fact that I live in liberal Maryland might help. Watch out PEPCO--you finally snapped my last nerve. Just now.

Leave the Light On, Please

Well, I'm going to keep the light on if I have to plug myself in. Haven't worked out just how yet.

The power went out (again!) on Sunday early afternoon & returned today at 4am EDT. If not for 18-20 unexplained outages in 40 hours the previous week, I might have been sanguine about the wretched business. I checked--when I was a kid, the power rarely went out. In fact, I don't remember it ever going out. I have an excellent memory. Even with wind gales off Lake Erie (or later in Pittsburgh, with similar hideous weather--hot or cold). That's because the infrastructure was maintained. [photograph by great Tim Walker]

Off to collapse. Until the next outage.

PS: Here's the great Chris Smither singing his "Leave the Light On."

Week's End - Capucine in Black & White

NPR just referred to the snowstorm on its way to Washington as "maybe apocalyptic." OK, a news person said it. That's weird (& I hope, incorrect) on so many levels. So, why Capucine? I was thinking about Cortina d'Ampezzo (the reason is too dumb to go into here) & how pretty it is there. The original Pink Panther (Capucine plays Simone Clouseau) has some winter ski scenes & I think they were filmed in Cortina. So maybe it's just that I wish I looked that chic in snow wear. Not sure. Too rattled to think what with an impending snowpocalypse, & so forth. Eek.

Friday afternoon update: OK, here's why I don't watch TV during the day. It's scaring the bleep out of me (thinking power outages, truly would be a disaster). If no week's end by midnight, someone send out a search party of DC bloggers 'cause Julie the Cat & self will be popsicles.

Friday early evening: Power is flickering already & the major blizzard hasn't begun yet. Very bad news. No post tonight. I wish I had Capucine's skis on & I was in Cortina. Click the link & it takes you to a NYTimes article about skiing to restaurants. It was not like that when I was there, I assure you.

Saturday morning update: No power.

Monday update: Julie & I have been in 40 F (or below?) since Friday. No heat for another week. Trying to go somewhere else. Thanks to Julie at Being Ruby & Penney at Just Penney's for msging me. Piggybacking wireless & using a few moments of battery power. I'll have more to say about how angry & upset I am soon. Meanwhile, check on your neighbors, OK? It's not all snowball fights at Dupont Circle. It's a true disaster for many people.

Tuesday update: For those who have messaged me. We were rescued by an urbane Arlingtonienne. Julie the Cat & I are in a lovely home, with heat. Upon our arrival, the power went off-- no doubt because I am a jinx. However this house is fully equipped with electric lanterns, enough flashlights for a battalion, & cheerful folks & a darling cat, Hermione, of whom I have written previously. The power came back on a bit ago & we're madly making market lists, charging cell phones, laptops, etc. & will be cooking up a storm before the next one arrives. Later today. With ice & high winds. Yippee. Ciao, mes amis.

[photographer names soon; found on two Blogger blogs: Loose Leaf Tigers & Sanity Fair. Both rather nice names.]