Let it Dough

A seasonal blog post. I love it.

Lunch?

Spotted during our champagne-swilling session yesterday afternoon.

Also there was a two-story gingerbread house. MAGICAL.

2010

It is a weakness of my character that I love year-end roundups, and this one is pretty snazzy.

Le suck

And in today's news, f*** me.

Missed connection

Today, once again, I received an email that was not intended for me. It was clearly meant for someone the author is interested in dating, and even though I have not been on the market for five years, I think I can safely say that the chick really lucked out in sending it to the wrong address.

Hi Gavin,

Sorry that I am only just getting back to you now after your message yesterday – I am not normally so unreliable – it has just been a ridiculously hectic week. On Wednesday afternoon we had a staff meeting and the principal announced the class allocations for next year. There were quite a few surprises and a lot of unhappy people so that ended up going on for hours and I got home quite late. I then had my grade presentation day yesterday and I had to give a speech – but I only started writing it at 10:30 on Wednesday night! I had another really late day at work yesterday and a late night because I had to do more work when I got home. Next week is not looking much better because I have to do a presentation for the staff that I need to work on. So basically I have had about four hours sleep every night this week and I am struggling to even stay awake. So, although I would love to catch up with you tonight, I really don’t think I will be in any state to. I look and feel exhausted and I would be terrible company at the moment. I would really prefer that you see me when I am at my best so we can just relax and get to know each other better. My life isn’t always this hectic – we just met at a very busy time for me.

I hope that when you get back from your holiday you will still want to meet up? How long are you going for?

I apologise if any parts of this e-mail are incoherent due to lack of sleep. I have to leave for work now so I hope you have a great trip and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Amber

Yikes.

Word, Someecards

Word.

The creepiest lady in the world

You have to watch all the way to the end to soak up the maximum amount of creepiness.

Also

Here's hoping it's not necessary, but: Whale Fail.

WHAT. IS. UP.

Our ebookstore launched! I am so happy and proud.

In brief

Since I got home from India on Tuesday morning, I have spent most of my time doing four things: sleeping, working, going through my photos, and blowing my nose. My cold is starting to ease off, clearing my head a bit so I can begin to process my trip.

First things first: it was incredible. It was delicious and loud and relaxing and stressful and smelly. I saw more new things in two weeks than I had in the previous year combined. I ate my face off. I shopped more than I ever thought I would. I learned that I can, in fact, enjoy myself just sitting on the beach with nothing to do.

There were some things I didn't do. I didn't deal well with feeling foreign, with standing out and being photographed everywhere I went. I didn't allow myself any empathy for the horrible conditions that many of the people I saw live in. I didn't like it when a child grabbed my leg and asked for change, but I also didn't break down and cry, and I didn't give them money. I don't know what that means.

I made some wonderful new friends, and I also spent some time feeling weird that I was attending an intimate event essentially as an outsider. The bride and groom (who couldn't have been more loving and welcoming) had dozens of wedding activities to attend to, which meant Mike and I spent our days with all their Austin friends. This meant quick affinities, real connections, and occasional hanger-on status.

I took a ton of photos. I photographed nature and palaces and people. Some of my photos could just as easily been taken at a bar in the US, and some I am very proud of, not because they're compositionally elegant or creative, but just because I thought about where I was and focused on how I best knew to present it. I got lucky a lot. Seriously, the NEX-5 is an incredible camera.

So there you go: I'm obviously still working through stuff. But I'm well-fed, exhausted but inspired, and appreciate both my home and the big wide world more than when I left three weeks ago.

More to come.

Back in the USA

Missing India, happy to be home. So much to tell! Too much, really. Better to focus on someone else's anecdote: last week Ke$ha asked my Australian coworker out on a date. You'll be surprised to hear that they went to a club.

Things organized neatly

We're ready to go now, just waiting for our cab. Bags packed, cats fed, house (semi-) cleaned. And I've chilled out in my demands for the excellence of our vacation. We're going to India, so it will be excellent. And it will probably blow, at times. I'm ready.

So I leave you with this: Things Organized Neatly. Wonderful.

Turkey cake!

I'm going to be out of the country for Thanksgiving, so I'm requesting that someone I know make this turkey cake, complete with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. And don't forget to photograph it. Thank you.

I need a vacation

I am losing it just a leetle bit. We leave tomorrow for India, and the normal things you're supposed to stress about at the last minute - packing, getting the house ready, whether the cats will go apeshit while you're gone and shred all the upholstery - is of no concern. Instead, I am completely unable to book a hotel for the trip, a hotel that we will need beginning Monday night. I have spent HOURS on Trip Advisor, combing through all the recommendations. I have sent dozens of emails to inquire about reservations. And it's getting down to the wire. I tend to be a seat-of-my-pants traveler, but life has been so crazy these last few months that I feel like I need a totally relaxing, totally planned vacation.

And that is where I am screwing myself. The area that we are heading to - Goa, on the Arabian Sea - is supposed to be heavenly. The beach where we are aiming to stay is stunning. But my brain is telling me that I have to pick the perfect place to stay. What the hell does that mean? There are thatched huts, there are fancy resorts, there are beach hotels. And because this is India, we can afford them all. So I'm frozen with indecision and anxiety, and the worse it gets, the more I pity myself, because this is supposed to be fun! But what if we show up and the place I picked is a shithole, and the one next door is gorgeous, and I screwed everything up?

Clearly this is going to get resolved soon, and I'm not going to be torturing myself forever. But seriously, I need to get a grip. And take a vacation.

Slide

I just realized I never uploaded this video - it's from when I was in Berlin, and Cait and I went for a run in the rain. The slide was calling to me! I got very wet and sandy, but it was entirely worth it.