the mermaid cafe

I keep thinking of things I want to post and then being too tired to post them. But today I slept in and feel slightly more capable of typing into this box so, here some things that make a post:

= I FaceTimed with Baby Miss L today! She loves FaceTime! <333 My niece is feeling better but now her husband has tested positive, as has my sister, so they are all dealing with that. But Baby Miss L was mostly happy (she did cry a little - on top of covid and an ear infection, she's teething, which is really too much for anyone, let alone a baby, to handle with complete equanimity) and I warned my niece of the various gifts that I've been ordering and shipping directly to her for the baby's birthday and Christmas. We will have to get our heads together to finalize it, but I don't have strong feelings either way. Though I did tell her that anything holiday themed should probably go in the birthday batch so the baby could wear them as seasonally appropriate. Today she had on a pumpkin-and-leaf bedecked romper that said "Happy Autumn!" because even when ill, Baby Miss L is stylin'.

= I have been trying to put together everything I need for the various rounds of cupcake baking that will occur in December: December 1 for Baby Miss L's birthday, December 10-11 for my work holiday party on December 12, and then the Christmas extravaganza on December 22-23.

• For the baby's birthday, I am waiting on a headcount, but starting with 120 chocolate and 120 vanilla as base numbers, though I'm sure it will be more in the end.
  
• For work, and also for gifts for my colleagues, I am probably going to do similar numbers of chocolate and vanilla, plus the (vegan) orange ones I'm testing out later this week - once I know how many that makes, I can figure it out, but right now we're projecting 60 people, so if they each have 4 cupcakes...yeah. Then a dozen each for 7 coworkers in specific (4 of each of the 3 kinds)...
  
• And then the usual Christmas baking - chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, mocha, apple cider, and new this year, strawberry.

There's a reason I have a spreadsheet! Each one is thankfully a separate grocery order, plus along with Christmas baking there's the fig cookies (12/19-12/21), so I will be busy.

= Speaking of cupcakes, I started rewatching series 2 of GBBO and was reminded IN THE FIRST EPISODE (CAKE) that they requested cupcakes from the bakers in the very first challenge, and then did a whole history segment on how they came into vogue for aristocratic ladies' tea parties! So I was yet again ENRAGED at Paul dismissing Miranda's cupcakes in the final of season 1. Cupcake Jail for Paul Hollywood! One million years!!!

= In other news, this is of great interest to me: Bridge and Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century by Jim Cullen, though it's expensive enough even on kindle that I will probably just put myself on a library waiting list.

(I am not reading books these days anyway - I don't know why it's so hard! There are so many I want to read! But I start and I just don't...continue, even ones I'm super excited about! Comics are easier - I recently reread Batman: Court of Owls (1 & 2) and now I have Cass's Batgirl run out from the library since I've never read the whole thing, only bits and pieces of it, and I think I mentioned earlier this summer catching up on some Nightwing, which I enjoyed. #everybody loves dick)

= In other music news, I did not think much of the "new" "Beatles" song (this is a thoughtful take on it), but I did get a very annoyed kick out of this ranking of all their songs. I mean, sure, whatever, these things are all subjective, but this guy (Bill Wyman! No, not that Bill Wyman, but it did make me do a doubletake when I saw the byline) is frequently objectively wrong about stuff, imo. *g*

I am not a super-fan by any means, but I did grow up with their music - my dad was a fan and hearing the news about John Lennon's murder is a very vivid memory for me - I was 10, we were off from school that day for a religious holiday (Immaculate Conception). Regardless, these lists are mainly a starting point for conversation/argument, so in that spirit, I guess mission accomplished!

= This week's Loki: ( spoilers ) Unfortunately, I still don't feel any real emotional investment in this show, but it's a fairly fun diversion.

I guess that's 5(+1) things, which make a post. *g*

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I managed to get a large part of an insane amount of laundry done! I didn't do sheets and towels, but those can wait till next week. I'm very happy to have all the clothes done.

I am planning to spend this weekend writing my yuletide letter, signing up for yuletide, and testing out this lemon cupcake recipe (finally!). I had planned to make these cupcakes like 3 other times and been foiled each time, so hopefully they come off this time! I also plan to make mac and cheese tomorrow, since I feel like it's been forever since I made it (over a year, actually!), and it's supposed to be rainy all day, which is good mac and cheese weather.

I also maybe volunteered to make cupcakes for the departmental holiday party, mostly because we maybe have enough money to buy enough pizza to feed everyone (my suggestion) but not enough to get dessert also. But there are a couple of vegans involved, so I think I'm going to test my orange wacky cake with orange marmalade glaze as cupcakes to see if it works. That's next weekend's project though. *g* (I am trying to decide if I should use my #adventures in cooking tag for just talking about my cooking plans? idk idk)

I was reminded that the Mary, Mel and Sue seasons of GBBO are available on the Roku channel in the US, which I have since I have a Roku tv, so there's my entertainment sorted. *g*

I enjoyed last night's episode of Loki but I still feel no strong emotional investment in anyone. *hands* I did enjoy hearing ( is the song that plays over the end credits a spoiler??? )

I guess I should fold all my laundry now.

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Ugh, why is writing so hard? Worst. hobby. ever.

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I am off today, so I watched the Loki finale. ( spoilers are mostly meh )

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This morning as I was putting together next week's grocery delivery (why yes, I work on it all week, and after last year's sudden inability to even get a slot early on in the lockdown, I do it as soon as my current delivery closes), I knew I wanted to have some kind of antipasto for when L comes over next weekend, so I typed "party cheese" into the search box and wouldn't you know, up popped a small package of assorted cheeses, already neatly cut up. Exactly what I wanted! I don't know why "cheese tray" or "cheese plate" didn't occur to me until after, but I'm so delighted that "party cheese" returned the exact result I wanted.

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The other day, I ran into the super as I was taking out my recycling, and he mentioned that they are going to be redoing the basement area where we put our garbage etc. sometime next week, and though the laundry room will remain open during the process, it will be very dusty etc. so I might want to get my laundry done before that. So I have a load of laundry in the dryer now. There's still been no signage up about it, so I might be premature, but at least this way if it does happen, I won't be caught out. I mean, after they refurbished the elevators in November and I was stuck with mountains of dirty laundry for two weeks longer than I expected, I bought enough new underwear that this will likely never be a problem but I like to be prepared when possible.

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I posted a story yesterday!

Paint a thank-you on my palm (@ AO3)
Six of Crows; Inej + others, Kaz/Inej; g; 3,205 words
Five times someone else braided Inej's hair.

I think this probably works even if you haven't read the books, but the last section definitely takes place post-Crooked Kingdom, though it's pretty vague on spoilers.

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I realized I hadn't posted about last week's episode of Loki and now I don't even remember what happened in it. I did watch this week's and ( spoilers ) Still, I was reasonably entertained.

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