Helenka, Queen of Outer Space

I'm barely keeping my eyes open, though it's just hit 10:00. Why – it must be all the wonderful food that Brian and I had on our indoor-outdoor picnic tonight (started out in his kitchen and ended up on the balcony). And we filmed it. The menu was home-made iced tea, mixing raspberry and lemon teas with sugar syrup; also baked tiger shrimp (sprinkled with lemon'n'herb old bay seasoning) with a home-made cocktail sauce of ketchup, sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, horseradish sauce and regular old bay seasoning; and finally a caprese salad interleaving the cheese with sliced yellow, orange, red and brown tomatoes, sprinkled with olive oil, meditteranean sea salt, black pepper and fresh basil from his outdoor pot.

He'd gussied up his balcony with the addition of two woven floor mats that I said he could use to warm up his living room in the winter. After we finished filming, he fooled around with his wee tablet, playing all sorts of outdoor sounds on the connected speakers. And finally we went back to looking for a new phone plan for me. Instead of doing dinner at his place next Thursday, we're going to go and hustle me a new and gorgeous phone. I. Can't. Wait.

In earlier news, I received a phone call from my GP's office. She's received the results of the foot x-ray; so I'll have to go in ... perhaps in the next couple of weeks. And it was a titch cooler today. Still horribly hot, but not unbearable. Consequently, I even felt chilled indoors. Just weird. Was too lazy to wash my hair, so just used the dry shampoo and then crawled into the shower.

Okay, time to get me and my swollen foot into bed. I'll let the medical piggies apply their special healing powers to it.

Well, that's something new. Last year, Brian filmed our first not-quite Royal Tea Party. For it to be considered Royal, we would have had to be drinking champagne. Not that I would have objected, but....

In the olden days (like 20 years ago), Brian and I had a saying: if we do something twice, then it's a tradition. I guess we've become more efficient at things because nowadays we only need to do something once for it to be tradition. And that's how it is with the Tea Party episode, the Sequel.

As Brian keeps me around for my fabulous imagination, he wanted to know what sorts of foods we could serve this year. Last year it was very traditional, what with scones, clotted cream, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches (no crust, cut into quarters) as well as many other treats, along with steeped English breakfast tea.

Well, in my blog, I suggested that anybody could make a Tea Party, even if their roots were anything but English. So I took my own suggestion and thought up an Indian Tea Party. Starting with chai (which I drank for the first time made with milk), there were still home-made scones (blueberry-cranberry) served with both orange marmalade and raspberry preserves. But everything else had an Indian flavour: shredded rotisserie chicken mixed with mayo and curry powder and served on warm garlic naan; store-bought frozen appetizers (onion bhajis, vegetable samosas and pakoras with a tamarind dipping sauce); an unknown spicy chutney that could have been mango (that I used with both the samosas and naan); two varieties of fresh mango chunks. It's just as well that I was ravenous when I showed up, because I was certainly stuffed afterwards.

Last year, Brian had told me to wear a hat without telling me the reason for it. He expected me to wear a hat this year as well. But I thought I'd surprise him with something a little more intriguing. I wanted to wear a satin scarf draped over my hair (hey, it also meant I didn't have to fix my hair). But what to wear it with? I wanted to wear my two-piece leopard print outfit. Uh ... just one problem: as I'd slept in it, it was still in my dirty laundry bag. ::sighs:: So, instead I wore my long rayon jumper. Besides, it's not as if anybody would be able to see it as I sat behind the kitchen counter.

I played with my scarf by first tying the ends together. Then I placed it over my hair and twisted the ends loosely under my chin before pinning them near my left ear. For the pin, I'd used a citrine brooch that I haven't worn for nearly 4 years. Yes, it had taken that long for the bad vibes to dissipate as it had been a gift from M. I still felt ... weird, but was happy that I was able to rehabilitate it. I wore my fancy citrine drop earring in the right ear that I'd bought to match.

After dinner, Brian saw me downstairs around 7:35. I was expecting a minivan to pick me up, but was surprised to see the big bus pull up. I had a delightful ride home with the driver and he did some impressive manoeuvres in my driveway. And I was thrilled to be in my lobby at 7:55. Yay again.

As you know, I was in just too much of a carbohydrate stupor last night to post. But that was yesterday. I'm all back to normal today ... well, as normal as it gets for me. Now all I have to do is think up what different cuisine we should tackle for next year's Tea Party: Chinese, Japanese, or ... who knows. I'm sure it'll be a surprise – even to moi!

OMG(aga)

[I just woke up, ahead of schedule (and a few times), but that didn't prevent me from sinking back into the same dream (or non-cohesive continuation) of it.

The facts first: at 7:11, I set the alarm for 9:15, then realized it should have been 10:15 (you know me and my 3-hour requirement). Fixed. But I'm feeling weird because my feet are bare. Still, I do fall asleep.]

In the dream, Brian and I have some unusual plans for the day. I'm cooking pasta and end up with a wide broad bowl of linguine; I believe there are strands of carrots and tiny squares of cheese on top. [Why this is supposed to be special, I do not know.]

Brian's supposed to drive over and pick me up. He does, but somehow I'm walking up a set of concrete ramps (imagine those old-fashioned metal fire escapes, but solid, at a less acute angle), with each landing being someone's terrace. Some of the terraces appear to be almost maze-like, with intricate interconnections.

I see someone over on the terrace that is opposite Brian's, lying on a chaise longue. It's either someone I have had a relationship with, or wish I'd had. [After I woke up, I couldn't even remember if it was a man or woman. Irate Note To Brain: Hey, you, why you keep secrets from me? Brain's Response: Nyahaha!]

Brian's hurrying after me (Ha! In my dream, I'm the fast one); now it seems as if the dish he's carrying has morphed into a take-out oblong container. He's been followed by several people who suddenly are interested in our cooking show and MY blog in particular. They're all sliding folded money into the space between the lid and bottom. I remember a five dollar bill escaping and falling onto the floor (that's no longer concrete but wooden slats). I grab it, because every five dollars is important (Ha! That's real life talking).

One person, an important man, says to give him a call about the blog and slips in his card as well as a twenty.

Now it's back to the food and the pasta is in a smaller deeper bowl. Brian's been complaining at the lack of heat. [This is one of his peeves, that hot food should be served hot! It's no wonder I got myself the heated serving tray.]

[At this point, I'd already woken up a couple of times, the first at 8:24. I'd also heard something like a badly-creaking floorboard when someone steps on it. And finally, when I checked the cellphone again, it was 9:24 so I gave up and struggled out of bed.

The moral of the story is that, if you're going to eat a hard-boiled egg and a muffin and not wear socks to bed, you'll have a weird dream. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Now I'm going to have a tomato-on-rye (it was the fresh package of bread falling onto the floor that must have caused the very loud creaking sound).]

Ah, how to go from the absurd (and nearly inedible) to the sublime in only a few hours, without even having lunch in between.

Well, I endured Sweet'n'sour chicken on rice with yellow beans for brekkie. It was ... tolerable. Then I had my usual gastric displeasure. ::sighs:: Is it any wonder I didn't even feel like having ANY lunch? And yet I ordered 4 new meals for next week (along with my 3 faves as a reward).

I entertained myself by prewatching tomorrow's rewatch of Misbegotten. Considering the subject matter, perhaps entertained isn't accurate. Then I watched the Audio Commentary where I managed to glean very few insider bits (from talking heads only).

I delayed getting ready so wasn't even dressed and hadn't done my hair when Brian called. There was additional pressure when he said traffic's been light during spring break, so a normal 30-minute journey was taking him only 20 minutes. Eeeeek. I scurried to put on my ivory black slashed top with opal jewellery and wore real shoes (instead of clodhopper boots).

As I hadn't eaten, I was obviously feeling more than a little wobbly. Lucky for me that Brian decided to try a different filming technique, where he did all the prep work by himself, while I sat off-camera and simply commented. Oh, good. I avoided sitting in the torture chair!

So, what did he make that was so sublime? It was supposed to be baked chicken breast covered with grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, pine nuts, capers, green olives. What did we have: oh, chicken thighs with the first three ingredients, but gherkins and black olives standing in. We also added our trademark chopped garlic, but I managed to keep it down to only two cloves. Along with the baked chicken, Brian also prepared a tray of broccoli, green zucchini, red onion, carrots and tomatoes, set to roast at the same time. When everything was ready, he chopped lots of fresh basil (I made him) and sprinkled it on the chicken. OMG OMG OMG. Seriously. I don't remember another time when we ate as quickly as we did. Well, mind you, I had a reasonable excuse. But he was doing his share of wolfing down, too.

After we'd eaten, Brian played our first-ever blooper episode. More OMG. I laughed so hard, I was crying. And, even if people don't understand WHY we're cracking up, I'm really thrilled to have it as a memento of our wackier times (as if such a thing were even possible).

Anyway, I'm just trying to find my equilibrium. I'm going to read for a wee bit, then find comfort in my cozy cocoon with those ever-so-helpful sleep piggies.

Good evening, class. Tonight we are going to add a new word to the culinary lexicon, namely "porkgasm". Helenka, whom you all know as "The Chef's Sidekick", will demonstrate.

Ah, well, perhaps not. But you'll get to read all about it when the episode on the luscious strawberry salad and tender pork tenderloin, first marinated in chipotle mustard and glazed with honey mustard during grilling, airs.

So, that was my evening. Yummylicious to the max. Brian picked me up at 5:15 and we were off like a flying rocket. Obviously, you can tell that the main course was a smashing overachiever! We spent the rest of the time stuffing ourselves (thankfully off camera as I gobbled the meat with my fingers) while Brian showed off his voice-activated entertainment system components. ::rolls eyes:: I swear ... boys and their toys.

Last night, I behaved myself, as I went to bed at 1. I woke up at 9 and ventured into the kitchen tentatively. My choice for brekkie was Mediterranean Tilapia on Rice. What an unexpected surprise. The dish was exquisite, flavoured with lemon juice, graced with zucchini, black olives, red and yellow peppers, etc. But it boggles the mind: how can the same company wreck Meatloaf and Salisbury Steak while doing a splendid job with this dish (and the Sweet Curry Chicken I had last week). ::sighs:: Well, I won't know what the ratio of inedible to spectacular is until I've gone through the entire list. ::sighs again::

It's a good thing I'm feeling better, because I'm going to have to resume drinking my one cup of coffee tomorrow. Why? Because, even though I did it immediately upon waking, let's just say I put my liquid eyeliner on strictly by instinct. By the time I got to putting on all my makeup late afternoon, I was guessing where my eyebrows were. So not lol.

At least I could find my pearls and ivory black slashed top easily. Yay for instant elegance.

Anyway, I'm going back to taking it easy. I loved getting home at 8:03 and am seriously thinking of postponing laundry again. Thank goodness for endless supplies (so far) of clothing, etc. Mind you, going out only twice a week does reduce the volume.

Until tomorrow, have a restful night until we can all get together for a virtual bumper-car romp tomorrow. Or something else that's fun and frivolous.
;-D

The good:
- sleeping almost 8 hours again, woken only by a phone call telling me my return ride time
- having a delicate entrée for brekkie, namely Asian Glazed Salmon with white rice and Chinese veggies
- deciding to just be a hedonist today (well, after doing the dishes, that is); sounds far better than "sloth", right?
- getting dressed up as we were filming tonight (mmm, my ivory black slashed top, my art-deco earrings with matching opal brooch which I put on a gold chain for a change)
- being all little girly, returning to wearing my long, curly wig

The bad:
- cutting my bangs way too short (I got the shape okay, but was a little too eager, which just goes to reinforce the fact that sharp implements and I are "unmixy things")
- looking at the menu of my delivered meals prior to placing my order and realizing they've just switched most of the dishes as of next week (after I'd eaten every single entrée and rated it); what's even worse is that they eliminated French onion soup
- this is not necessarily bad, just bad right now: Brian will take a look at my printer to see if he can fix it ... but it'll be at his convenience (which is fair, all things considered, and better than me figuring automatically that I'll have to buy a new printer)

The ridiculous (though highly entertaining, I'm sure):
- filming a labour-intensive, time-consuming show on an evening when my ride home was scheduled to come very early and Brian was late in picking me up
- cooking with tons of fresh garlic that we could smell as soon as we walked through Brian's door
- imitating a dish made by one of Brian's Italian friends, but changing lots of stuff about it. BTW, it was delish. It was Pappardelle pasta with a home-made red (vegetarian sauce). Just about everything except for the kitchen sink was added, ( better tasting than any kitchen sink I know ) OMMMMG, it was divine. He served it with garlic bread to which I added basil paste, also more to the pasta. Well, I guess I don't have to mention how mellow I'm feeling right now. The wonderful thing is that I got to bring a kitty bag home with me (and a chocolate chip cookie, yay).

The unexpected:
- getting an IM from someone I've known for years and reconnected via FB (even though we have little in common nowadays) and responding
- watching this week's episode of Glee again (see "hedonist" above)
- ::giggles:: Me saying nighty-night.

I love me, I love me, I looooove me. Uh ... so what's the reason for all this self-love? Well, yesterday, I was in a bit of a bind. Brian and I were pre-celebrating his birthday which is on Sunday, but my primary prezzie (namely a honkin' big fic) wasn't finished. As the fic had taken on a life of its own (no surprise there), I wasn't about to curtail its evolutionary explorations. [P.S. I love my brainz and imaginooshun, too!] So, after an unsatisfactory brekkie (I'm rescinding my prior approval of Liver'n'onions), I had to scramble for ... something. And then I remembered how Brian had created a "Coming soon" teaser for each of our Christmas specials. ::snaps fingers:: Aha! I can do the same. So I created a pretend movie poster with a con-piccie of (you should SO not be surprised) the Flan with his arm around the Hewlett (for realz) along with an intruder (whom I'm not identifying now, but I'll reveal all when I'm ready to post the finished story).

So, yay, imagination engaged. Now to print the poster. Uh ... why is the printer telling me to slide this thingy that I can't even see and to close the scanner. The scanner's open? Really??? It seems as if all those piles of paper on top created uneven pressure. Okay, scanner opened, then closed. 'Puter restarted, just to give the printer a fresh start. I printed off the poster but the McSheppy piccie didn't come out in colour. ::sighs:: Oh, well, at least he'll be able to see it on screen. I wrapped the poster in red paper and added some curling ribbons.

I found a bag to put his prezzies in, along with a ::giggles:: stellar b-day card, had a quickie lunch of cereal and milk, then began to get ready. In the middle of it, I rewatched half of this week's Glee episode. I really enjoyed watching the morphing portion (plus, as peeps have pointed out, Mike's character in heavy eyeliner is fab). Then back to hair, majorly product-sprayed and floofed-up. Then putting on my polka-dot float, white blouse with starburst pin through my blouse ties.

Traffic was behaving, so Brian was here at 5:15. That's a good thing because there was a lot of cooking time involved. He'd reused our Christmas epi dining table setting (white tablecloth, blue glass plates, silver cutlery, a sparkly table deccie, confetti and wine glasses).

So, what was the culinary surprise (for me) of his birthday episode? It was steak'n'frites. He'd cut up two honkin' huge long 'taters into slabs, then into long, thin fries and soaked them in cold water. After draining, he mixed them with grindings of a special mix (sea salt and roasted garlic), also pepper and olive oil before spreading them on a tray and baking for an awfully long time. But we both wanted the frites to be crispy and cooked on the inside, too. He'd brought out my indoor grill on which he prepared a huge steak, an inch thick. Yummm. Then he sliced up the steak and served it with the frites. With mayo. Mine was mixed with Old Bay seasoning, his with Old Bay as well as sweet/hot chili sauce. He ended up copying me as we ate with our fingers. [It's a good thing he'd turned the camera off after the first bite with fork and knife.] The meal was accompanied by a sparkling apple/pomegranate juice. Very lovely. Okay, I'm stuffed now (well, we polished off the 'taters).

I'd already given him the gifties and didn't want him revealing the poster on air (as our fannish lives are distinct from our cooking personas); but he could open his card and read everything I wrote in it on camera! About how annoying he really is!!! [Well, we annoy each other constantly. It's ... tradition.] He brought out the highlight of the evening, a multi-layered chocolate mousse cake (enhanced by the inclusion of coffee) he'd made himself and topped with a dollar-store battery-powered musical HAPPY BIRTHDAY marquee! Then we dug in, but I was so stuffed I could only handle another bite. Okay, kitty-bag time. Of course he had to pretend to put naked cake into my designer purse!!!!! See. I told you ... annoying! At that point, I was also laughing SO much I began to choke. It was the scary kind of choking, so I made him cut his antics short. In any case, we'd had just enough time for dinner before my ride was expected (at 8:05). We went downstairs just before 8. My minivan was already there. As we have a TV monitor in my lobby, I noted my arrival home as 8:11. Very happy to be home quickly as usual. I stowed away my cake in the fridge and then vegged until I succombed to the not-unexpected sugar and good-food lethargy. And lovely sleep.

Just one thing hanging over my head. Must. Finish. Fic-of-epic-proportions!

This is all a very strange feeling. It all started this morning. I'd gone to sleep at 1 after setting the alarm for 8. I felt that 4 hours would be plenty of time to have a leisurely brekkie and to play with my hair and clothing.

Well, my mind and body had different ideas. Such as not hearing two phone calls AND the cellphone alarm. So ... what time did I open my eyes? Oh, after 9:30. Eeeeeeek. My pickup time was 12:25. I'm thinking that, instead of keeping me awake, my two plain ibuprophen just knocked me right out. No kidding.

So ... quick cup of coffee, juice, vegetable curry for brekkie (which I regretted as soon as I took a bite because of its strong flavour). Then eye drops, brushing my teeth and putting moisturizer on, all the while staring at my unflattering hair and wondering what I'm going to do. I added a sparkling powder finish to my regular makeup.

( In and out of the closet with pretty stuff! )

Now all I had to face was my hair. Is that all? Oh, dear. Well, I used a different curl-boosting spray that seemed to be more effective. After shellacking everything with hairspray, I felt almost decent. Still not thrilled, but at least not too disappointed. Though I won't know what it all looks like until the episode is released.

When I went downstairs, my minivan was already waiting. Ahhhh. One worry erased. I arrived at Brian's around 12:40, but made a stop in the powder room in the entrance to arrange and pin my sparkling shawl properly.

He'd decorated the fireplace mantle with a sparkly (note all the sparkle everywhere) layer under which were soft green lights. There was a wee decorated live plant tree, along with candles on either side and more tiny Christmas trees. My special card was propped against a big pillar candle.

His small oval table was covered with a white tablecloth on which were several dishes. Silly me, I thought they were cookies. But, no. They were our lunch - all appetizers (or should I say appeteasers?).

We filmed both the intro and ending to our show at the same time (so we'd still look "fresh"). We toasted each other with sparkling fruit juice, something we really love to drink. I gave Brian the card during the ending, as it was a special card for our baby toddler show that is growing and making many new friends. [Why, yes, I give cards to inanimate objects and even ... concepts!]

( So, what's for lunch, Brian? )

( Why don't we make dessert next? )

We'd been listening to music all afternoon. Brian had been alternating between (at least) BoneyM, Josh Groban, and Il Divo, but he put some neat jazz on. It was the right kind of afternoon for it.

( Time for dinner, already? )

( Dessert? Just how full am I? )

Brian escorted me downstairs but left me there, as he had cleaning up and collapsing on his immediate schedule. I can quite understand. My bus was a wee bit late, but I wasn't complaining. I got home at 8:35, cleaned off my makeup and have temporarily decided what I'm going to wear to church tomorrow. But that's another day. So, until domani, I'll wish everyone a sated but not too-stuffed good night!

Of course, the opposite corollary of "I overslept through the alarm" would indicate a very bad day. But, no, I slept. ::emits a relieved sigh:: I didn't wake up until around 8:40. Seriously. Gorgeous, delectable sleep. Mmmmmm. I added to the feel-good sensations by having comfort food for brekkie. My entrée was Mac'n'cheese, with sides of tomato/onion and mixed veggies.

What with waking up so late, my day went by quickly. I e-mailed my friend BD if he was attending the church conference on Saturday. He is, but he shared some upsetting news. He's just been diagnosed with diabetes. Poor man, as it's not his only health condition. Life is just so unfair - well, especially when it comes to failing body parts. Then John called at lunchtime asking if I'd spotted the avocado he'd left me, presumably ON the toaster. No, but I found it BEHIND the toaster. So that was my lunch together with two apples. Woo-hoo, I'm being so healthy. I managed to call in my food order in the afternoon (smart move, as they're closed for Remembrance Day tomorrow), then cooked two portions of eggs for the weekend. So ... how quick was my shower, considering I'd kept all the windows open letting in the damp, cold air? Yup, very quick. Brrr. As I was having a shaggy (it's been too long without a haircut) day, I decided I needed to wear a hat for the filming tonight. I tried several styles, but ended up wearing one I'd already debuted on the show. It was a stiff black taffeta petal hat. With it, I wore my sparkly black top over which I layered my black-slashed ivory top. I adorned the top with an Egyptian-inspired brooch (a central crystal with staggered lengths of gold pipes beneath).

Brian arrived around 5:30 and we were off. Tonight we made Potato Bacon soup. Oh, yummmm. Of course, I couldn't read the instructions, so we switched stuff up and changed directions, but it was all superbly fabulous. The soup had added hot sauce (in the recipe), but I also added Worcestershire sauce. I had at least two bowls of it. Then there were chocolate treats (which I believe Brian may have handmade himself). We watched the latest video he uploaded. It was of our wee trip to Ward's Island this summer. We had such a hilarious time. And I really needed to see it, considering how cold and yucky dark it is these days. Anyway, too soon it was time for me to pack myself up. Brian sat in the lobby with me for a few minutes and - yaaaay - my driver was on time, around 7:55. I was home at 8:05. That also made me radiantly happy.

I've had a glass of gingerroot tea, two more apples and a couple of peanut butter cups. And now my face is close to falling into the monitor (not recommended for either face or monitor). So I'm actually going to ... ::gasps:: Go. To. Bed. As I need to wake up early to book my ride home for Saturday, I think it's a very wise plan. ::pats self on the back and toddles off::

With delusions to match, natch. But I did SO much today. Besides, I have the pretty red super-hero coat, too.

So, to bed at 11:30 and up ahead of the alarm at 6:30. But, still, solid uninterrupted sleep. Priceless. Brekkie was the chicken pot pie, slightly less tasty than the steak'n'mushroom pie. It was served with green beans and baby carrots. After brekkie I had to start getting ready amid a background of beautiful music again. As we were also filming, I decided on the tunic with sparkly top, ivory black-slashed top, both strands of pearls (woo-hoo) with matching earrings. Then came the yucky layers: boots for the first time this year and my thick Irish cape which unfortunately left my bare forearms exposed to the extreme chill. Mind you, when I left, I opened my bedroom window for lots and lots of fresh air.

I was picked up at noon and we sped up to the centre. I asked the driver to let me out at the bank on the corner, but I first went to the drugstore where I treated myself to new liploss (I love NYC clear stuff and it was on major sale), a 3-pack of barettes, cough stuff and acidophilus, along with a fancy chocolate bar (for lunch) and butter toffee peanuts (hey, how'd those get in my basket?). After that I had to rush to the bank, withdraw monies and get $20 in quarters. But, sadness, it was already 5 to 1, so I couldn't go across the street to the nice greengrocer's.

I made it to the meeting of my vision support group just in time. It wasn't really that informative, as we had a rep from a supply company talk and demonstrate some products. But she gave me a brochure of their scooter lineup (for when I really do need one). The group agreed to having some music during the Christmas party and I said I'd sing, as long as my voice co-operated. The rep had also brought pastry treats for our break which we had along with the customary tea/coffee and cheese/crackers. A few people supplied some groaners/screamers of jokes, but they were lots of fun to sit through until the punchlines. Oh, my. I shrieked a few times.

As we broke off early, I had time to rush out across the street. Yay. The owner was very pleased to see me (and her name is Helen). I picked up 4 vine tomatoes, an English cuke, a three-pack of romaine hearts and a huge bag of seedless green grapes. Then she asked me for the name of the cooking show, so it'll be nice to have someone new watching it.

My ride finally showed up and I was glad to get home at 3:50. As soon as I dropped off my purchases, I turned right around and went around the fence to pick up my winter coat from the cleaner's. The lady was funny. She said it looked "just like new". Um ... isn't that how it's supposed to look? Then, home and a wee bit of relaxing until Brian called - eek - late at 5. He said he'd be here in 30. So, it was 35.

When we got to his place, I saw how he'd re-arranged his furniture to make his living room more of a cozy den. It was nice, though unexpected. Tonight we made home-made shrimp cocktail with baked shrimpies along with a mixed sauce of ketchup, lemon juice, hot sauce and horseradish sauce. It was served on a side salad of weird mixed greens, chunky chopped fuji apples, baby carrots and pyramid chopped English cuke, with a mango-chipotle dressing. Everything was absolutely yummmmmmmmmy. He also surprised me with a chocolate fudge cake afterwards. We talked about all sorts of stuff (I mentioned the disaster of an audition and the aftermath) but - too soon - it was time for me to go. Unfortunately, the bus was late but - when it got there - the driver was extremely gracious and introduced himself by name. It was a lovely though quick ride home. And, when I got in, John was making an organic vegetarian chili and ladled out a portion for me to eat tomorrow. I've been slowly losing speed and am about to slide into bed. But, not to worry. I'll be up at dawn again, with many things to do and places to go. [Um ... do the post office and supermarket count???] Yep, Super Helenka is On. The. Job. ::giggles and scampers away::