Nervous Tics
Restoring an old house is kind of like having a baby for the first time.
You read up on it, you know people who've had kids, you babysat some for extra cash, you've seen movies, and, hell, maybe you even ask your parents about what it was like for them. You think you know what to expect, but the truth of it is you have absolutely no idea what you're getting into. There is no substitute for the actual experience. You hope for the best, but you really have no guarantee how it'll turn out. And, you'll find that your life is changed in ways you never expected.
For instance, buying the Devil Queen has made me a pretty good amateur chef. Not what you'd expect, is it?
It hasn't been a burden for me. Really, I like cooking. My mom's side of the family is peppered with a number of professional chefs, so it's in the blood. I was a passable cook to begin with, however, the Queen has given me great incentive to learn a lot more. In part, my noticeable improvement has been driven by a desire to eat well while on a tight budget. You can only eat chicken so many times before you start looking for new ways to prepare it.
The Queen has also burdened us with an immense amount of stress. My wife handles this in normal ways: irritability, a short temper, and an occasional, old fashioned cry. Not me. The stress has accentuated all of my neurotic tendencies in some unflattering ways. The oddest behavior I've come to exhibit is that I bake when I'm stressed. Some people count cracks in the ceiling or wash their hands compulsively. Not me. I make bread.
I didn't notice it myself, but my wife did. She thinks its funny, so much so that it's a bit embarrassing. My wife was in really bad shape after she had our son. She nearly died twice over a month and a half. In the first week we were home from the hospital, I baked two loafs of bread, a tequila cake, a Key Lime pie, and ton of Russian Tea Cookies. My mother-in-law stayed with us for a while to take care of my wife and son while I was at work, and she thought I was nuts. I couldn't figure out what they were staring at.
If my wife wants to know how tight money is, she watches how much time I spend in the kitchen.
"Is money that tight?"
"What?"
My wife smiles, "I asked if money is tight."
"Yeah, it is. Why do you ask?"
"You're baking bread. Again."
"Oh."
Sometimes I think that I'm the craziest person without papers I know. Well, maybe I'm in the top ten?
You read up on it, you know people who've had kids, you babysat some for extra cash, you've seen movies, and, hell, maybe you even ask your parents about what it was like for them. You think you know what to expect, but the truth of it is you have absolutely no idea what you're getting into. There is no substitute for the actual experience. You hope for the best, but you really have no guarantee how it'll turn out. And, you'll find that your life is changed in ways you never expected.
For instance, buying the Devil Queen has made me a pretty good amateur chef. Not what you'd expect, is it?
It hasn't been a burden for me. Really, I like cooking. My mom's side of the family is peppered with a number of professional chefs, so it's in the blood. I was a passable cook to begin with, however, the Queen has given me great incentive to learn a lot more. In part, my noticeable improvement has been driven by a desire to eat well while on a tight budget. You can only eat chicken so many times before you start looking for new ways to prepare it.
The Queen has also burdened us with an immense amount of stress. My wife handles this in normal ways: irritability, a short temper, and an occasional, old fashioned cry. Not me. The stress has accentuated all of my neurotic tendencies in some unflattering ways. The oddest behavior I've come to exhibit is that I bake when I'm stressed. Some people count cracks in the ceiling or wash their hands compulsively. Not me. I make bread.
I didn't notice it myself, but my wife did. She thinks its funny, so much so that it's a bit embarrassing. My wife was in really bad shape after she had our son. She nearly died twice over a month and a half. In the first week we were home from the hospital, I baked two loafs of bread, a tequila cake, a Key Lime pie, and ton of Russian Tea Cookies. My mother-in-law stayed with us for a while to take care of my wife and son while I was at work, and she thought I was nuts. I couldn't figure out what they were staring at.
If my wife wants to know how tight money is, she watches how much time I spend in the kitchen.
"Is money that tight?"
"What?"
My wife smiles, "I asked if money is tight."
"Yeah, it is. Why do you ask?"
"You're baking bread. Again."
"Oh."
Sometimes I think that I'm the craziest person without papers I know. Well, maybe I'm in the top ten?
posted by John | 3:46 AM
1 Comments:
I love baking, too. I don't enjoy any other form of cooking, but baking is awesome! I guess I just like the end results more ... long live baked goods!
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