So today was a "Level Three Snow Emergency" here in Cincinnati. This means you're not allowed to drive on the streets, and you can be arrested if you do, unless you have clearance. Bert only decided at the last minute to cancel rehearsal. There was no way I was going to make it up that hill to Mount Adams, I had told him the only way I could come would be if someone could come get me. I think 5 of 6 of us said that, so he finally caved. The whole city is shut down, Goldstein, do you really think that Little Medea takes priority?So I finally got out of bed this morning (OK, afternoon...technically I got up and got back into my bed several times but I was awake for good since 8:30, there was just a lot of time sitting in my bed watching news and movies with my laptop in my lap), and decided I was going to make a cake. Hadn't done it in a while, it was time. I found what looked like a great recipe...committed the ingredients to memory, wrapped myself up and headed out into the great white drifts.
There is something truly delightful about walking in really deep snow in waterproof boots. I felt like I was abo
ut to fall down the entire mile up the street, and I couldn't help but laugh the whole time. It reminded me of middle school ski trips and those couple of blizzards we had in Greensboro when Angie and I were little. Loved it.I must say, my friends who hang out on the streets surrounding the Sketchy Kroger 24 hours a day made an impressive showing for the severity of the weather today. They're even more reliable than the US Postal Service; nothing stops them. In fact, they were even friendlier than usual. Several more than ever before took it upon themselves to speak to me...one even asked if I wanted a ride in his truck (I politely declined). Then I was walking behind one dude when I had almost reached Kroger, and I think he heard me directly behind him, thought I was someone else, and he turned around really quickly, thrusted his head at me with a menacing look. Then he saw that the person following him was not another tough guy on the street but, rather, a tiny red abominable snow-white-woman. He laughed and apologized.
I got back to the apartment, and made the cake. I admit it was not what I expected. I always like to try making new things...it was a pretty basic chocolate cake with pudding in it, but the recipe asked for two 3.5 oz packages of pudding mix, I used 1 and 2/3 3 oz. packages b/c that was what I had the milk for, and in the end, there was WAY too much pudding. The end result was sort of a baked pudding...spongy texture, kind of like the cake part of the Lava Cake at Swe
et Tomatoes, but not even as good as that. And it's really dark brown, and just not pretty...how can I put it? Now I understand the confusion at Lauren's roommate Melissa's school: that smear on the boys' bathroom wall...it could be something truly terrible, or it might just be chocolate. (No one will get close enough to conduct the necessary inspection.)Ah well, only about $5.00 of my Kroger gift card spent, and the adventure was worth it. Oh--TJ and I took a couple of pictures of the snow (see aforementioned reference to red abominable snow-woman).
At least the roads are clearing up; hopefully I can venture out in a vehicle tonight (there have been whisperings of cheese fries and Blue Moon at TGI Fridays in Hyde Park) or at least tomorrow morning. They're gonna be in trouble if I can't get t
o Knox for the 9:15 service tomorrow; the song I'm singing 3/4 of as a solo may sound a little spare. Maybe I'll just leave at 7AM and walk.It's actually been kind of nice sitting around in my PJ pants all day, and the snow is really beautiful to watch out the windows. I thought earlier about making a Snow-bama with the dark snow outside the front of our building, but I was afraid of offending several neighbors.
