Chanukah day 7

On the seventh day of Chanukah, my true love gave to me...

7 flames-a-burning
6 kids-a-playing
5 flasks of oil
4 chocolate bars
3 greeting cards
2 spinning tops
And a latke.

All the presents are posted except Sharyn's, which may end up being a Chanukah-and-everything-else gift and arriving around New Year. All the latkes are eaten. Only one more night to go. Mind you, this last night has lots of candles (and they're all blue!) so Chanukah goes out in style.

(no subject)

I had something terribly intelligent to say today, but I found a recording of a 1984 Canadian comedy team doing an SF spoof and my thinking went very much astray. I found myself contemplating how to use the tape alongside "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Mars Attacks" and...It's a great pity* I don't have a class that needs any of this, alas, so it doesn't matter what films Canadian comedy turns upside down and what politics come into it and how the skit reveals the underlying narratives that a lot of writers used in the 1980s for these subjects, I can't use it just now. Maybe one day...

Tonight is my dance end of year party and I have rustled a skirt out of hiding, for my group has its party piece and it's Russian and I need a skirt. The skirt is too long, but I can't find one that's shorter and still easy to dance in and not winter-weight. I used to have one, and a nice embroidered blouse, but they were part of the burgulation.

Now I'm listening to the Royal Canadian Air Farce, also vintage 1984. This tape will be going out, alas, but it's a lot of fun and good to hear again.

My kitchen drain is still causing problems. I wonder if there's a cosmic link between my kitchen drain and my fibro?


*This phrase no longer has the force it had in the nineteenth century. I'm not certain that this is a loss.

(no subject)

In lieu of intelligence you can have pictures. My menorah in creative mode, and 1/4 of the food I'm taking to the party tonight (in preparation).








The baby puddings were my aunt's approach to religious confusion. When she was asked to bring something Christmassy she made these and was applauded for the vast effort she went to. The recipe is straightforward. Buy one very cheap dark Christmas cake. Crumble it. Moisten it with a mixture of orange juice and rum (although I used port this year). Shape into bite-size miniature puddings. Decorate with almonds and glacé cherries. Make a fake brandy sauce with alcohol and icing sugar (warm it to get the right texture). Dollop bits on top. And that's it. Total cost, about $6 for 40. Although I used too much port this year and my puddings are a little damp. Auntie Joan's were better than mine.