Monday, November 20, 2006

I'm in one those very rare interregnums where I finish an issue before Brian has the next script ready to start. These are times I can be a complete guilt-free slug or go into a hyperactive do-everything-I've-been-putting-off phase, relishing my freedom like a kid who just got the Snow Day call from school. So far it's been a bit of both.

Saturday was slug day, sitting in the lounger, surfing online, contemplating loud projects like sanding the dollhouse some more but not quite getting the energy up. When Vic called to go see Borat I was reluctant, wanting instead to just sit and stare at the TV. When we got to the theater I was grumpy and wanted nothing more than to go out into the lobby and play Area 51. Fortunately a bear hung out of an ice cream truck window scaring little kids and that kept me in there long enough to see an unforgetable scene involving two naked men fighting in a hotel room.

Sunday I thought was going to be a repeat of Saturday. Ian, Riel and I were scheduled for a cooking class at FigMint (that fabulous restaurant we ate at last week) and I didn't get enough sleep but when Riel called seeking motivation for her own inability to get out of bed I got a second wind and we all agreed to get our butts in gear.

And I'm glad we did. Chef Humphries and Anderson were there to teach preparation techniques including how to properly filet a trout, cut fruits and vegetables, prepare pasta, and make ganache topped banana and peanut butter torts.


My trout was a disaster but I had a great time slicing wedges out of a pink grapefruit and whipping pasta through a hand cranker. Ian had been wanting to learn cutting techniques for ages and he got to try his hand on a mass of eggplant. It was so cool seeing his eyes light up at the results.

When we were finished the staff went off with all the prepped foods, taking them to the kitchen to finish cooking and plating while we had cocktails.


The restaurant was busy with the brunch crowd so it would have been too busy in the kitchen to have us in there (not to mention the liability issues involved, especially with the boil water advisory still going on). Instead we watched a video on the bar TV detailing the final process.

And then we got to eat our goatcheese stuffed tortellini...


Followed by dessert


Afterwards we walked back to the office where I worked on the stack of sketch requests that had been piling up. I was quite satisfied with the outcome, an armful of envelopes ready to hit the post office in the morning.

A good day. Here's hoping Brian will take his time proofing issue 53 *wink*.

No comments: