Sunday, September 2, 2001

It’s been an interesting weekend.

My parents left for North Carolina on Thursday morning. Our English Setter got sick Thursday evening. I’ve been spending a fair amount of time listening to a dog throw up, and cleaning bile and partially-digested dog food off of carpets. At least she’s been having the diarrhea outside.

It’s not too bad, really. She was back to normal as of yesterday morning, so I’ve been able to spend most of the weekend completing chores and just keeping the house in good working order. I’m always amazed at the amount of work that’s required to maintain a house.

It’s beautifully cool outside as I type this. I’ve thrown wide the French doors in my room, so a fresh breeze occasionally caresses my cheek as I type this. The 69-degree weather reminds me that Old Man Autumn will be arriving soon, an event which usually triggers in me a zest for cooking.

I don’t know why I like to cook. I certainly do enjoy cooking, as futile as it seems. All that effort, for a creation that’s gone within an hour. Still, there’s something to be said for a hobby that’s so immediately satisfying to an audience.

So, sure enough, I’ve been in the mood to bake for the past few weeks. I tried to make basic chocolate chip cookies last night, but the dough was a bit off, so that the outside of each cookie is a bit too crispy while the inside is a bit too soft. Despite that, I plan to make a welcome-home dinner for my parents tonight: Honey mustard chicken savory pie and sweet corn muffins, complemented with a peach chardonnay.

You will undoubtedly have noticed the new calendar widget at the top of the page. I’ll post major events on this calendar, particularly events which have a high probability of pulling my attention away from this diary. Stuff like vacations and holidays. The current day is highlighted in blue.

You’ll also have noticed that I moved the poll over to the left-hand column. I think it fits in better over there.