Summer Solstice Weekend

If you tried to use the words "babe" "baby" "honey" or "dear" this weekend and found that your mouth simply couldn't form the words, it was because the quota for all the English speakers in the land to use these were met by all the couples in my cooking class over the weekend.

Turns out, cooking classes is a very couple-y thing to do, but it wouldn't have been enough even if I had paid someone to be my boyfriend for the night. No, I was with the real dregs of couple society. Holding each other during demonstrations, kissing before they handed over the measuring cups, and insisting "Babe! Will you share yours with me? It looks so good" "Oh babe you know I always share with you!" I just felt bad i didn't warn everyone as we sat down to eat together at the end that all the dishes were sprinkled with a light dusting of my vomit, because I was throwing up a little in my mouth just tooooo often during that 4-hour class to not let some of it slip.

It wasn't all bad news though. After cutting my finger right on the tip so a bandaid was useless, I made pretty good friends with all the chef helpers, who were graduate students at the culinary school there and they were way better company than Schmoopies 1-300. Aside from making the American regional cuisine spreads, I learned how to humanely kill a live lobster before boiling them (like seriously, we did it), skinned cod, deep fried beignets and I even took a beer to go. I put it in a paper cup and wasn't convinced it was entirely legal, but my God, after four hours of couples retreat, there was no suitable alternative.

Deep-fried cod fish tacos (San Diego)

Five-way chili (Cincinnati), Lobster Rolls (Maine), Philly Cheesesteaks (Philadelphia), Buffalo Wings (Buffalo, NY)

My battle wound. Who knew knives were so sharp?

I also visited the New York Transit Museum this weekend in Brooklyn, which was pretty cool! They have real subway cars and trolleys that were used back from turn of the century up until now. Original advertisements were kept on for their decade, so lots of buying war bonds and cigarettes and Campbell's soup.

Thennnn I went to the Brooklyn Bridge Park (these waterfront promenades are my new favorite thing) and I got to talk a lot to my German friend Anja, currently in London getting her PhD, because she got an iPhone and WhatsApp and now we can be friends againnnnn! (Emails just aren't instantaneous enough)

Aaaaand then yesterday was a Pride Kick-Off brunch in Chelsea with Nick. It was a really fun time and I got a huge gift bag before leaving, which included a Betty Crocker cakemix. Well I ain't gunna say no to that!

That cake was good too, only so annoying  because each layer was a different flavor and they didn't get to red velvet until the base, so there I was just eating every piece in sight then passing it off once the next one came around.

Thanks to Summer Solstice, at least it is officially summer and the sun is officially out and I can start in on that mythical tan I was once told I had.