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Feb. 15, 2004: Adventures in Cooking
OK,
so I guess my depressing, existential malaise in last
month's entry was temporary and due only to the vestiges
of that debilitating flu virus I had. Because this month, I
feel fine! My sister has commented that I am back to my normal
frenzied state, and Kenny
said to me, "I think you secretly like constantly teetering
on the brink between taking on a challenge and biting off more
than you could chew." He may be on to something, there.
But
the point is, things are happening! Exciting things! I got to
play at Eddie's
Attic on Friday as part of the pre-Valentine's Day GeekFest
show. That was a party, I can tell you. I played, I MC'd, and
I hosted Geek Trivia. I even did a stint in the kissing booth
for charity, pimped out by my boyfriend, actually. That was
among my weirder recent adventures. Oh, and check me out in
Creative
Loafing! I always knew that someday, somehow, being a big
dork would be my ticket to stardom.
My
friend Lee Flier of the band What
The...? set up a cool radio station on Live365.com. (If
you haven't been to Live365.com, then you have not yet discovered
my latest addiction. You know how much I love mix tapes, right?
Well, this is like having millions of mix tapes at your fintertips,
from people you don't even know! You can search by artist or
song and find people creating "broadcasts" - which are much
more like mix tapes, just playlists that repeat over and over
- who like the same music you do or who can turn you on to something
new. Downloading the player is free and easy, and then you're
all set for hours of fun.) Our radio station is Called Radio
KIRA, in honor, again, of Lee's beloved, departed Siberian husky.
The station features the music of cool Atlanta musicians, a
lot of us who know each other and play shows together and hang
out. It's mostly the power pop crowd - Kenny Howes, Paul Melancon,
What The...?, Casper & the Cookies, Pizzaland, Orange Hat, Charm
School - but there's also me and The Indicators and other cool
bands. Plus, each artist pitching in also picked five songs
we like by other people and added those to the playlist, too.
So it's a cool mix of our music and the music of the bands we
admire. I strongly encourage you to check
it out.
Then,
of course, there's my CD release party, which is set for Saturday,
March 13th at the 10
High. I'm gonna have a band, I'm gonna have t-shirts, and
it's the fourth annual Lindsay and Kelley birthday party, so
I'm also gonna have cake and silly party hats! I'm so excited
about this show that I'm just beside myself. I'm actually motivated
to hang posters all over town (as soon as they come in), which
is something I usually drag my feet about and put off because
I hate hanging posters. But this time, it's different! Anything
I can do to encourage the whole city to come out for this, I
will do.
So,
I'm staying busy. Quite busy. Which, of course, pushes all my
other little projects to the background.
But
I am continuing my quest to become a good cook. So far, so good.
Although, since Derik
is often my helper and knows less about cooking even than I
do, we have had our share of slapstick moments. Here, let me
set the scene: it's my week to bring treats for the External
Affairs meeting at work, and I've decided to try a new recipe
for brownies with peppermint patties baked into them. Derik
is helping by asking me what to do and then doing what I tell
him. (My kind of guy.)
Lindsay:
Ah, crap. I thought I had baking powder, but I don't.
Derik:
It's right here.
Lindsay:
No, that's baking soda. I thought that was what we needed, but
it's not. Baking powder is totally different.
Derik:
Do you need me to run to the store and get some?
Lindsay:
Would you mind? That would be great. I'll just go ahead and
mix the eggs and stuff while you're gone.
(Ten
minutes later, the phone rings. Lindsay is up to her elbows
in butter and sugar.)
Lindsay:
Hello?
Derik:
Well, they didn't have it at the QT, and they didn't have it
-
Lindsay:
You thought they would have it at the gas station?
Derik:
Yeah, why not? They have a lot of stuff there!
Lindsay:
OK...
Derik:
Anyway, they didn't have it at the QT, and they didn't have
it at the drug store, so I'm on my way to the grocery store
now. But I'll be back as soon as I can.
Lindsay:
OK, I'll see you in a bit.
(Twenty
minutes later, Derik appears. He pulls a can of baking powder
out of the bag and puts it on the table with a thwack.)
Lindsay:
Oh, thank you so much, Derik! Thanks for going out to get this
for me.
(Lindsay
turns around to add the baking powder to the dry ingredients.
Behind her, she hears thwack, thwack, thwack.)
Lindsay:
You got four cans??? I need one teaspoon!
So
next time I need baking powder, I'll definitely be prepared....
For
Valentine's Day, I made mustard chicken (those are for real
the only ingredients: mustard and chicken. Plus some bread crumbs)
and spinach casserole, which Derik says is his favorite recipe
that I've made so far. It fills my heart with pride that he
has a favorite of the things I cook. How domestic and weird.
Incidentally,
I'm a little ashamed of myself for how much I love Valentine's
Day now. I spent so many years hating it with a fiery passion
and telling anyone who would listen how horrible it was, this
day that exists only to sell cards and make single people feel
like losers. And, you know, I still think that. I still think
that it sucks way too much to be single on Valentine's Day and
that no one should have to go through it. But, you know, being
not single on Valentine's Day is pretty awesome. Especially
when you have a nice boyfriend who gives you pretty flowers
and a heart full of chocolate. I just don't know that there's
anything better. So, I'm torn. I am enjoying being part of a
mushy couple that celebrates Valentine's Day, but I also feel
a twinge of guilt for abandoning my single friends and becoming
part of the oppressive couples brigade. I wish there were a
way for couples to be happy and in love and married and all
that without the single people having to feel so lame by comparison.
Why do we do that? Why do we feel so bad when we're single,
and what can we do to change our society so that people feel
OK being not part of a couple? Because, you know, there are
really good things about being single. As happy as I am to be
part of a couple right now, there are definitely sacrifices.
Compromises. I spend way too much time with him, time that could
be spent on my music career. As a single person, I actually
went out more and had more fun and more adventures than I do
now that I have a boyfriend. Now, I'm much more likely to just
decide to stay in, get a movie, and snuggle on the couch, and
that kind of sucks, actually. I don't want to be one of those
old people who never goes out to see bands anymore. I don't
want to be part of the problem of bars not hiring bands because
nobody comes out to see them. I want to be a scenester! I want
to support my fellow musicians! But the temptation of snuggling
on the couch - especially when it's February and Atlanta is
all rainy and gross - is very strong.
So,
for those of you who celebrate it, Happy Valentine's Day! And
for those of you who rail against it for being the cheesy, exploitative
holiday it is, you go! Celebrate your place in the world, and
buy yourself a heart-shaped box of chocolates on sale. And if
it feels depressing to have to buy it for yourself, know that
the person who would love to buy you chocolates is out there,
waiting to surprise you when you've completely given up. Typing
this, I realize that, when I was single, happily coupled people
would always say shit like that to me, and it would never make
me feel better. It would just piss me off. Because how could
they know anything about what was in my future? But, listen,
I was the queen of the post-Valentine's Day chocolate sale for
about 20 years, and you know what? It just makes the receiving
of chocolates that much sweeter. And I can't help but feel that
if it can happen to me, it can happen to you. 'Cause you're
cute! And you're really cool! And that's all I'm trying to say.
What’s
in my stereo at home:
What’s
in my car:
What's
in my CD player at work:
What
I'm reading:
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