Damnit, Jess, you haven't watched the show yet! Stop reading the whitefont!

I remember that article, Hil. And it's so true -- if you go by restaurant menus, seared tuna is native to every cuisine on the planet. (Not that I'm complaining, because, hey, seared tuna! But it's funny.)

I used to have a major, run-screaming-from-the-room, panic attack, nausea-inducing phobia about spiders. Turns out it is a marker for clinical depression, so thanks to the drugs I don't have a phobia anymore. Still don't like them. and I used to believe that they knew when I killed one.

I've had both ladybugs and grasshoppers munch on my hand and leave a freckle that lasted a few years.

I flipped on my kitchen light early this morning and surprised a big brown spider in the middle of the wall. I used the tumbler-and-card method to catch her and was both delighted and horrified to make my first brown recluse ID. I wanted to get a picture, but she was too agitated to risk lifting the glass. The violin-shaped mark on the cephalothorax is much easier to see than I expected. I took her well outside and let her go.

Oh, and the best chocolate dessert I ever had at home was my mom's Texas Cake, so-called because it was made in a huge sheet pan. It was basically a slightly cakier brownie with an awesomely rich nutty chocolate cream frosting. If she hadn't lost her recipe box when she moved out East, we'd still have the recipe for it.

Hey, my mom used to make this all the time - exactly like that, with the nuts. She called it Texas Chocolate Cake. I didn't realize that other people called it that. Yum.

Alias: As always, but even more so tonight I have the big Dixon love. Excellent. I am not all together thrilled with the secret. btdt And once again SpyDaddy!!! Sobbing here. I want it to be next Wednesday.

I had a friend in grade school who'd mom made the BEST Texas sheet cake. Rich and gooey. I have no idea where she lives now but it would almost be worth tracking her down.

Oh, I love Texas sheet cake, and I lost the recipe I got from a previous boss. Marked Betsy's post, yes, I did.

I had an amazing Grand Marnier mousse once. Back Burner in Hockessin, Del., thankyouverymuch.

I also loved the chocolate tombstone dessert at Red Sage in DC. Hazelnutty, chocolately, rich goodness + ice cream, too. They look like two mega-Twix bars.

And a delicious pear poached (or whatever) in wine dessert in Nice.

Best dessert discovery ever was when a friend convinced me to taste the creme brulee. I thought creme brulee was the same consistency as flan. It is not. I love creme brulee. Oh, and also good was learning that bread pudding with the right sauce is amazing, not gross like the name makes it sound.

Alias: oh, Jack. Also, Lenny was his doctor! And, yeah, the big reveal was wholly unsurprising .

Dixon's scenes were eminently watchable, too. Love him.

And the other agent, the one who'd been out of communication, caused me problems because he played terrorist!dad on 24, and apparently I haven't let go of that yet .

On Alias: Does anyone else not trust Spy Daddy's doctor?

Is anybody else watching the Daily Show? I'm finding myself irked.

ETA: You know what, I'm glad the Girl Scouts has an anti-stress badge. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Creme brulee, mmm ...

Unfortunately, the only restaurant we can afford around here who does that always seems to be out of it when we go there now. I'm wondering if they decided to dump the "plain" dessert in an effort to get people to buy the more expensive "chocolate dipped in caramel rolled in fudge wrapped in whipped 'creme' striped with 'fruit' syrup" monstrosities. I like simple, rich flavors, not a sugar-sugar-sticky-sugar cancan.