Sunday, November 26, 2006
Hot Flush
Yesterday's Feast began a while back with giddy anticipation.The menu.
The Philly Italian Market shopping.
The stove time management spreadsheet.
I even got to dust off some Operations Research calculation models I hadn't seen since the previous century's MBA days.
It's as if all of my professional and life training was comng together for this day.
Then, on top of all that, I got to do one of my favorite things. Drive long distances. If I'd been born a few decades earlier, I could have had my dream job.
A chauffeur to the rich. On my long distnace trips, it's quite easy imagining doing my best John Williams (II) to my daughter's Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina. Well, she is my Ms. Hepburn, so I'll just fake the Brit accent for self-delusional reasons.
Seriously. Since I was a kid I thought that chauffeurs had the life (and the uniform). I'm not referring to the prom chauffeurs. No, those other guys driving foreign-made limoes, not extended Hummers, SUV's, or half-block long Caddies. A semblance of riches without the assemblance of wealth so taxing on one's spirit. Some would say that being someone's servant was offputting, but let me prick that balloon of snobbery right there. Aren't most of us, to some extent, involved in servitude? Being a chauffeur, to me, was a position where you admitted, right off the bat, that you were a servant and then moved on with the enjoyment of your life.
These are some of the goofball ideas that would roll in as I rolled on down the PA Tpke. Music was plentiful and it was "I'm so alone" loud. Or, as the ever-loving wife puts it, at Bachelor Volume. The weather was crisp and clear. What a better way to spend your day than bringing your daughter home for the holidays?
Meal preparations went exceedingly well with no dust-ups. Our guests were all that one can hope for. Funny, engaging, and hungry. Hopefully, next year, same cast same venue. Candles were lit for the dishwashing machine as it seemed to be on the the Möbius strip of continual loads. The dish brigade fed the sudsing machine as it cleaned up course after course.
The celebration ended the next day with the traditional Boiling of the Sink Drain. Large pots of steaming water were poured down the kitchen drain, cleansing the pipe-clogging remnants of butter-infused meats, pies, and side-dishes. We stewed around like fat ticks wishing a tasty purge were available for us as well. Well, I hear carols being sung and bells being rung so I know Christmas tolls for us in a short month.
Labels: Holidays
Comments:
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My husband's first tour of duty in the States was as a servant for the stars, chauffeuring and all that this entails (details too inane to go into here). Although it makes for great cocktail conversation now, he ultimately found it all very taxing on the spirit.
"stewed around like fat ticks..."
Heh. ;-)
"stewed around like fat ticks..."
Heh. ;-)
This is both poetic and disgusting:
"We stewed around like fat ticks wishing a tasty purge were available for us as well."
I am terribly impressed.
"We stewed around like fat ticks wishing a tasty purge were available for us as well."
I am terribly impressed.
# opined by 
: 7:52 AM, November 27, 2006
: 7:52 AM, November 27, 2006
Gwynne,
Just another case of daydreams (mine) coming to contact with the realities (your husband's) of imagining one's life. For his sake, I hope he remembers the bits that make up the cocktail conversations than the spirit-taxing experience of dealing with sub-human behaviour. I wonder if the differnec had to do with dealing with the nouveau rich as opposed to the "old rich". Style and grace takes generations of upbringing.
Jagosaurus,
"Terribly impressed" is a kind (and funny) way of describing this entry...and not exactly what I had in mind. The temptation of hitting the "Enter" key overwhelmed the judgement of the writing.
Just another case of daydreams (mine) coming to contact with the realities (your husband's) of imagining one's life. For his sake, I hope he remembers the bits that make up the cocktail conversations than the spirit-taxing experience of dealing with sub-human behaviour. I wonder if the differnec had to do with dealing with the nouveau rich as opposed to the "old rich". Style and grace takes generations of upbringing.
Jagosaurus,
"Terribly impressed" is a kind (and funny) way of describing this entry...and not exactly what I had in mind. The temptation of hitting the "Enter" key overwhelmed the judgement of the writing.
Style and grace...
...does not exactly describe the likes of Zsa Zsa, does it? I think you've hit the nail on the head. ;-)
...does not exactly describe the likes of Zsa Zsa, does it? I think you've hit the nail on the head. ;-)
WP, an excellent request. I didn't want to be overly boring about the tunes details, but since you, as the representative of the great nation of Canada, is asking for detials, how can I refuse without causing an international incident?
Besides, a new post idea was in desperate need by yours truly.
Besides, a new post idea was in desperate need by yours truly.
The boiling of the drain...oh brother.
Kman knows I get in a tizz over holiday cooking. I am such a control freak, everything is made my way or no way. If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, sort of mantra.
So, trying to stay out of my way, Kman plops down in front of his computer thinking about finding some new music files. I recently had found some html language that accessed a gazillion music files and all free for the taking. Ahem.
Kman wanted me to help him find that html code I had emailed to him once; he could never get it to work for him.
Short story - I left a Texas-sized skillet filled to the brim with the veggies for the broccoli casserole simmering on the burner. Got distracted by trying to get the darn code to work on Kman's machine. Returned to find the pan full of scorched food.
Pissed off, frazzled, and a wee bit bitchy, I dumped the whole mess into the sink and fed it to the disposal.
Except it was way too much food at once, and fibrous vegetable matter at that... you can guess the outcome. Gurgle gurgle.
Friday, Kman rented a "snake" to the tune of $40.00 and wrangled the clog to submission.
Bless his big 'ol heart, he never once raised an eyebrow...come to think of it, he didn't look me straight in the eye, either.
Oh well. The dogs will get over their undeserved cussin' faster than me. They are great surrogates when you wanna yell at your wife but know she reigns supreme in the culinary department.
True story.
Kman knows I get in a tizz over holiday cooking. I am such a control freak, everything is made my way or no way. If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, sort of mantra.
So, trying to stay out of my way, Kman plops down in front of his computer thinking about finding some new music files. I recently had found some html language that accessed a gazillion music files and all free for the taking. Ahem.
Kman wanted me to help him find that html code I had emailed to him once; he could never get it to work for him.
Short story - I left a Texas-sized skillet filled to the brim with the veggies for the broccoli casserole simmering on the burner. Got distracted by trying to get the darn code to work on Kman's machine. Returned to find the pan full of scorched food.
Pissed off, frazzled, and a wee bit bitchy, I dumped the whole mess into the sink and fed it to the disposal.
Except it was way too much food at once, and fibrous vegetable matter at that... you can guess the outcome. Gurgle gurgle.
Friday, Kman rented a "snake" to the tune of $40.00 and wrangled the clog to submission.
Bless his big 'ol heart, he never once raised an eyebrow...come to think of it, he didn't look me straight in the eye, either.
Oh well. The dogs will get over their undeserved cussin' faster than me. They are great surrogates when you wanna yell at your wife but know she reigns supreme in the culinary department.
True story.
CP,
Am I too intently reading between the lines here, but has the K-Man been k.o-ed for the clogging of the drain because you weren't tending the familt hearth because you were helping him find free music?
Sounds like that "free" cost $40.00 and a herd of glowering looks.
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Am I too intently reading between the lines here, but has the K-Man been k.o-ed for the clogging of the drain because you weren't tending the familt hearth because you were helping him find free music?
Sounds like that "free" cost $40.00 and a herd of glowering looks.
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