whine whine whine

I have no idea how well the typing will work as there are fingers out of commision. (Diagnosis: slow and badly.. don't think I'll be writing too much tonight, except to whine about said fingers because I am attempting to de-grumpify myself and whining often helps.

I should start by saying that I have had an extraordinarily nice day. I didn't have to work, God bless my state job, and so I planned a day of Christmas preparations and baking. Well, technically, not baking as I don't necessarily like baking stuff in my crappy oven or worrying over exact measurements as I am wont to do when attempting to bake something nummy. So I made peanut brittle from scratch and it was so so good. Actually I should also say that I did this after I spent an hour cleaning the kitchen, as I was cooking for sheer enjoyment today and I don't enjoy being in a dirty kitchen at all. Anyway, then I made... well, I'm going to call them candied walnuts. The recipe called them Swedish nuts (and used pecans instead of walnuts, if it matters, but I wasn't paying $6 for pecans, and I had walnuts at home already) which is probably what caught my attention, and I was sure M would like them as he loves nuts. He did, but he wasn't exactly sure how they would be called Swedish, much as I suspected. Anyway, then I did dishes again (see! I was so responible!) And then I made a batch of peanut butter balls to chill (they still need chocolate coatings.) Then I wrapped presents for a while and thought about what a nice day I was having. The TV was off because I was listening for the UPS guy, so it was just quiet and peaceful and I was making candy and having such a nice time all by myself. (Fellow introverts will probably recognize exactly what I mean.. it was just such a nice prelude to a couple of days of noise and people.) And then M came home and we made our big fancy garlic chicken meal and we're going to be opening presents to each other tonight due to the busy weekend schedule, so I was expecting only good things from the day. Then M went off to the living room to wrap my presents and I did more dishes. And that's when my day started going oh so wrong. Cause after a long day of cooking, with sharp objects all around, I managed to slash my right thumb open--deeply--on my freaking salt cellar. It's not like it's a sharp object! Or, well, I guess it is. Hmph. Anyway, I wrapped it up with a waterproof bandaid and continued on my merry way.. the next project was to make a second batch of peanut brittle just because it turned out so well. Bad, bad idea. See, if you're unfamiliar with candy making.. you make this stuff by bringing sugar (and a little liquid, but mainly sugar) to 300 degrees (F). Then (in this recipe, anyway) you add in a bit of butter and some baking soda and pour it all into a pan fast as crap before it hardens. Except, when I did that, it splattered, and I ended up with 300 sugar adhered to my left index finger and thumb. AAAAGGGH. It hurts like, pardon my language, bloody fucking hell. Or, it did, rather.. it still hurts but not as bad as it did. There's just a bit under the thumbnail but a rapidly-developing blister half an inch long and (sorry for switching measurement systems here) half a centimeter wide.

And, basically.. I am sooo over the cooking now. Except somehow I'm going to have to find the energy and inclination to return to the kitchrn to dip the balls in chocolate and one crack about balls and I'm putting you in time out. :p I'm thinking that M is going to help me more than he expected with that. ;)

But dinner was excellent and I am actually feeling less grumpy from writing this and so now it is time to go OPEN PRESENTS, YAY!

Today's M: "I'm against it. I'm against the Badness. And Bill O'Reilly." .... "Oh, wait, that was redundant."