These guys are AWESOME

You've gotta check out this link. :-)

My new favorite quotation, as seen in a coffee shop

Unattended children will be given a shot of espresso . . . and a puppy.


Isn't that a terribly happy thought? :-)

I've been dreaming again...

I've had a lot of dreams about wax lately...I don't know why. Probably partially because I've been running, and every time I run, my legs feel like soft wax by the time I get back. Which reminds me...I should go running tonight...but I don't want to because I just finished a margarita, and my ability to actually run in a straight line is highly dubious because the margarita was consumed immediately after getting off of an 11 hour shift at work...so maybe it wouldn't be wise...but we shall see....
Anyway, my big dream of the week....Ryan's wedding...We've been working on Hassler's 12 voice Cantate Domino, which WILL be beautiful...once we learn it...Well, being in charge of the music for this wedding, I am also responsible for making sure everyone HAS the music for the wedding...but the Cantate has been the focal point, because nobody knows it, but they know everything else...so, in my dream, we were at the wedding, in the choir loft, when I realized that I only had one copy of the Cantate, and no copies of anything else, and for some reason, nobody could remember any of the pieces....even Sicut Cervus, which, as a rule, everyone can sing backwards, forwards and inside out...except, of course, for myself, who can only sing it backwards, forwards and inside out if I'm singing it with someone...anyway, as a result, Alaina glared at me, Christine said "This is rediculous!", Jen laughed, Draper informed me that I was incompetant (which, incidentally, I've been saying this whole time) and Anthony swore he would never speak to me again because Ryan blamed the whole thing on him and wouldn't allow any of us at the reception which Anthony was supposed to DJ, Mike P. did his silent head shake, Joe P. insisted that nobody noticed...and so on and so forth...you get the idea.
I'm going running now...

Shoo Fly Pie

I've had a couple requests/questions about shoo fly pie, so I decided to post the recipe...

Preheat oven at 325.

One 9 inch pie crust -- homemade or otherwise (I have no rolling pin, so I used the "otherwise" option)

Topping:
1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

Mix together crumb topping with a pastry cutter, if you have one, a fork works too, until it is relatively fine and crumbly. Set aside

Pie Filling:
1 Cup boiling water
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg, beaten

Mix together the molasses, corn syrup and boiling water...it will become a sort of frothy mixture. Stir in egg and baking soda. Pour into pie crust. Spoon the topping on top...most of it will be absorbed into the mixture...don't worry, that's supposed to happen.

Bake for an hour or until the pie is brown on top.
WARNING: This will almost definitely overflow the pan in the oven. Be sure to put the pie on a cookie sheet or something of the sort unless you want to have gooey molasses all over your oven smelling up your house. Better yet, wrap the pan in aluminium foil so that you don't have to deal with burnt sugar later. :-)
The pie is very yummy, but be sure that you don't cool it outside, because it is so sweet you'll have to shoo the flies away (hence the name).
Also I think that it could use a little more molasses and less corn syrup. I know you can make it with all molasses and no corn syrup if you want. Also, if you want a more custardlike filling, you can add an extra egg, although I haven't actually tried this yet. But it is very yummy and I highly recommend it. :-)

Shoo fly pie, and apple pan dowdy...

It is funny what a song can do to a person. Yesterday I went down to the piano room at the college. I haven't played much in the last 6 months so I spent a good amount of time there. I worked on wedding music for Ryan and Maria, and then I wanted to see how much my piano playing abilities had faded...so I tried playing something from pretty much every genre. My classical is still pretty good...broadway, mediocre...but I've always had a hardish time with that, and swing, well, my hands don't like moving in sink anymore and they hurt like heck after trying to play "In the Mood" but it was fun anyway. :-) I forgot how different each style is to play. It's kinda fun. :-) Oh, and Laura, I still need to get that book! I forgot it AGAIN when I was over the other night, and I MUST learn the Tocatta and Fugue before Erin does. :-D
Anyway, so, I wrapped up my little piano session playing some swing. One piece that I used to always play was "Shoo Fly Pie" but Kristy is the one that owns the music so I haven't played it in foreverbecause I no longer have the music. So as I was headin' home, this song is running through my head...it's a fun song. I've always liked it. So now what? I'm gonna make shoo fly pie! I haven't had it in 15 years and it's SO YUMMY! The last time I had it I was in Amish Country with Katy and Celka. I went to Katy's last night, and so we of course talked about the trip a little bit, even though it was so long ago. It was fun. So yeah, there was a connection here...what was it again??? I don't know what it was going to be exactly, and as I almost never proof these posts, I guess I'm not going to bother finding out. But the long and short of it is, as a result of playing the piano last night, today I'm going to make the best shoo fly pie this side of the....Blue Ridge Mountains. :-D

Silly little bird...

We have lots of birds at work. They're quite fun to watch. Today I was on the back deck for a bit and watched 2 cardinals do a good bit of flirting...they're much like humans, you know...she would fly from the fence to the shed, he'd follow her; then she'd look at him, but the second he looked back, she'd look away; then she'd fly over to the fence again...etc. etc...they carried on like this for a few minutes, and then he got smart, flew into a tree and she sat there lonely...and then followed. I guess she finally realized that he wasn't going to be putting up with just meaningless flirtation and she needed to make up her mind...it was cute...so I decided that they needed their privacy, and turned my eyes toward the pond where I saw a rabbit (not in the pond, hopping around near the pond). There was a butterfly down there too, and it looked like the rabbit was chasing the butterfly, but I know it really wasn't, because rabbits don't do that sort of thing.
Later in the day I was sitting at my desk (something I do only on very rare occaisions). I heard a funny thumping and chirping coming from the front of the building, so I went to check it out. At first I thought that a bird had gotten inside, but that wasn't the case...I looked out the front window and there was a cute little female cardinal pecking at her reflection in the purposeless bronze plate on the bottom of the door. As is always the case, she ran frantically when she saw me looking at her...but it was cute anyway....now the question remains: Who will be the lucky one that gets to clean the mat in front of the door...I'm off the next 2 days, so I'm sure it won't be me. :-)

Dreamin'...

Have you ever read the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip where Calvin is asleep and his mom calls up the stairs to wake him up and he gets ready to go to school and is waiting for the bus and then in the last frame he's back in bed and his mom is calling him again and it turns out it was all just a dream and the poor kid had to go through his normal morning routine a second time?
Yeah, well, that happened to me the other day...except in my dream, I'd gone through the entire day up until about 4 o'clock where I went to take a nap and Kelly was supposed to call me and wake me up at 4:45, but in reality, Stephen called me at 7:42 and I couldn't believe that it was only the beginning of the day and I had to go back to work....