2020 Thanksgiving Eve Poem

It was the best six months.

It was the worst six months.

Is it the same six months,

as the first six months?

 

March through September?

Certainly not stellar.

October? November?

Not any better.

After Easter and summer,

and then the election,

The virus still spreads  

like some kind of infection.

 

Covid-19 has a seat at the table,

But that doesn’t mean we can’t still be grateful.

Think of the politics that won’t be discussed,

Think of the relatives you won’t have to cuss.

Then think of the possibility of successful vaccines,

and enjoy your socially-distanced Thanksgiving Day feast.

 

 

Take Eight of These and Call Me in the Morning

Once again, in the wee hours of the morning, I find myself compelled to write. Lucky for me, this is where a random and noncommittal blog comes in handy.

The fact that I’ve routinely had an odd relationship with sleep does not make me unique. Sleep issues have become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon: not only do we have them, openly discuss them, and buy things for them, but issues with sleep seem to be regarded as both common and mysterious.

It’s difficult for me to pinpoint the general culprit of my sleep issues. My knee-jerk response is that my own insomnia, through the years, has been linked to my professional life. For instance, nowadays I often fall asleep after dinner, between 7:30 – 8:00 PM, wake around midnight or 1:00, finish up a few tasks for the evening, sometimes hop online, then sleep for a few hours before the work alarm sounds.

Four hours of sleep, three hours awake, then two or three hours of sleep is not good. I’m fairly well-acquainted with the “wellness” industry… a solid eight is the gold standard.

When I was young – very young – I used to sleep walk. I never did anything crazy, but I do recall a few nights of waking up, standing in the hallway or the kitchen, wondering how I got there. Otherwise I don’t recall having major sleep issues until I was in Columbus. Sometimes it feels like I slept all of 24 hours the three years I was at Ohio State. That was a very unsettling time.

 I often try to figure out whether I’m a Morning Person or a Night Owl. I vacillate. My subsequent inability to decide leads me to wonder whether I’m just one of those people who don’t need a lot of sleep. You know, like a surgeon or a genius.

Turns out I’m neither.

I’m sure at the end of the day, my sleep issues are inextricably linked to a greater, more personal, existential crisis – what am I going to do with my life? – for which I have no answers. Maybe something will come to me in the morning.

 

Pippin taunts me with her sleep.

 

 

SFBE

The other day my partner in crime sent me several links to various desserts such as lemon Bundt cake, red berry charlottes, chocolate hazelnut cake, petite molten lava cakes… you get the idea.

He, like me, is a fan of dessert. However, unlike me, he’s about a thousand times more judicious about things like sugar, fat, salt… you know, the All Stars. And not that I would ever say I’m a “fan” of sugar, fat, and salt because on most days, I can do without the salt. But sugar and butter? Oh yeah. All day. Every day. Groupie status.

Nonetheless, I do attempt to bake healthy: I often cut the sugar and when I can, I use whole wheat – or usually white whole wheat – flour. But I never compromise on butter.

While I don’t consider myself a baker, per se, I do enjoy baking and think the effort should be worth the reward; thus I’m not always watching every step I take with every cake I bake. Ironic because the one thing I have never baked from scratch is a cake. And when I say “from scratch” I’m not talking Duncan Hines cake mix from a box scratch. I’m talking 1970’s, apron-wearing, Betty Crocker cookbook scratch. That, my friends, is about to change. 

Back to the links: petite molten lava cake. Indeed high on the Yum-scale.

It occurred to me that while I like chocolate molten lava cake, I've never actually made one. Hence, a midnight recipe search ensued. 

Aside from the cake itself -- and because I knew I'd get the: how much this or can you make it with less that questions -- I wondered: is there such a thing as healthy molten lava cake? 

I know, I know, who thought this blog would be so suspenseful? After about thirty-minutes of searching it was clear: No. No matter what your Google search tells you, there is no such thing as a "healthy molten lava cake."

Sure, there are keto, gluten-free, sugar-free options. Coconut oil, almond flour, collagen peptides, soy milk. But look people: Next year I'll turn 50. I just want cake. Good cake. Sugar, flour, butter, eggs.

Not surprising, the SFBE recipes look relatively easy. Easier than the healthy recipes. And most recipes only make four cakes, six if you use muffin tins rather than ramekins. So even with the SFBE, I should be fine. Everything in moderation.