who rang that bell?

Mumsywawa left a tin of mango-cranberry muffins to cool on the kitchen counter; we descended upon them like a plague of sneaky locusts.

That's the thing about moms (and the thing I fear I lack): the desire - and, it seems, innate ability - to feed their loved ones till they pop. I have the desire, but no innate ability. I also lack the patience (and respect) to follow a tried-and-true recipe with precision, and so wind up with things that are edible but just a tad too soupy, a smidge too bland, incomprehensibly thick, etc. I inevitably think, "Wouldn't a little more garlic liven this up?" or "What's the harm in substituting eggplant for zucchini?" and presto, dinner is now officially Weird. In matters of baking, especially, failure to follow directions with accuracy is a recipe for disaster (I always think back to the Rocklike Brownie Calamity of '02 and thus refuse to bake anything that does not contain all necessary ingredients in a single box. Well, plus eggs and oil, maybe.)

If I had another two weeks to the summer, I might add baking something delicious to my list of things to do. As it stands, though, all I have time for is The Boring Household Project List and the task of slowly tailoring my summer fitness regimen to meet the needs of my fall schedule. No more thrice-weekly hikes; leisurely 11 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. swims will be replaced with evening power laps; more runs. Still not where I need to be to develop a wralkathon training schedule, but getting there. I wanted to make an all-in-all statement about my summer activities, but being that I'm still gearing up for the last week and a half, I'll wait ...

Off to see DHT's season closer, The Wizard of Oz. I've been looking forward to Jitterbuggy goodness for months. It's been an awesome season on the whole, though I'd have to say my favorites so far have been Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The Producers. Season DHT tickets were a great treat from my parents this year - with wedding planning and other exciting new upcoming projects coinciding with the 2008-09 season, we probably won't have the same luxury for awhile. But we will definitely carve out time (and scramble for change) for Les Miserables and The Wedding Singer (and hopefully Puccini's Manon Lescaut @ HOT, although this might be wishful thinking at six thousand pennies a decent seat).

Off to see the Wizard!