I got up and wlaked the dog and then did Pilates. DH has already made the vegetable dish we are bringing to dinner, so my next exciting task is to dye my hair and then try to style it in some way so that my hideous new haircut does not look a. matronly or b. insane. This, sadly, may not be possible.

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then try to style it in some way so that my hideous new haircut does not look a. matronly or b. insane. This, sadly, may not be possible.

You can always do lots of twists and barrettes or clippy things. If your bangs are feeling too short, you might try spiking them with gel (down not up), or sleeking them to the side.

Worst case scenario? Sleek the whole thing back and you're a red hot Scrappy anyway.

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Go with insane, Robin.

This morning was a krav flag football thing they do every T-day. Not that I went. Just mentioning it because it's cute. All I have on my plate today is kettlebell, if my headache subsides enough and my partner can get away, and then checking out the new Denzel Washington movie.

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Thanks for the consult, Hec! I think I will go the barrette route.

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Short bangs can be very fetching!

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I think I will go the barrette route.

That will look freakin' adorable on you.

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Mo Rocca being all cute and Mo Rocca

Oh my god it's like I don't even know who you are any more.

Mo Rocca makes me want to stab him with a fork many many many times. He's just. not. funny.

(But I did enjoy the cranberry battle.)

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Cindy, how and why did you botch THREE pies?? And still have the energy to make a fourth? I'm impressed.

My First Mistake:
I botched the first two at the same time. My oven is old (not a euphemism), possibly older than I am (certainly my approximate contemporary). And it is small. And electric. These are probably the three features I hate most, in any oven. I was making the pumpkin pies first (one to bring, one to leave home, because we all like it). I decided to bake them together. Dumb.

My Second Mistake
My (analogue) timer on my stove won't work if you set it for longer than 30ish minutes at a pop. My pumpkin pie recipe calls for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then 50 minutes at 350. I checked after the first ten minutes, and the crusts were already too dark. I turned the heat down to 350 then, but you can't really take already hot pie plates out of the oven, if they're filled with still liquidy custard mixture (if you have my coordination) without making a mess.

I did my best to tent some foil around the crusts, while the pies were still in the oven, but when I pushed the rack back in, the tenting moved. So then I had bake my (already dry and sensitive) hands, trying to put the foil on (which you really can't do with oven mitts on, because they hamper the dexterity), when the racks were back in place.

My Third Mistake
I set the timer for 30 minutes (because I couldn't do the whole 50 in one pop). I started on the pudding for the chocolate cream pie. Dh came home for supper. Everyone started eating while I finished up the pudding. I joined them, and ate. The timer sounded. I could not, for the life of me, remember if the 30 minutes had already expired and we'd just finished the last 20 of 50, or if the pies still needed another 20. Julia and Chris, who had helped me, couldn't remember, either. So I spent the next half hour opening the oven ever five minutes or so, and sticking a knife in the pies. They look like they've been over-Mineared.

They were done, just as Scott was going to get the kids their dessert. Our kitchen is tiny, and the only spot for the pies to cool was on the counter, near where he'd have to be, so I shut off the oven (thank G*D) and got out of his way. I then forgot about the pies until approximately a half hour later, when Chris and I were heating the oven to make the apple pie. I can't decide if they look worse for the wear or not. The custard is still moist, so whatever.

My Fourth Mistake
Chris and I got the crusts ready. I set the timer for 10 minutes, while the oven preheated at 400. The recipe calls for 425 degrees, but since the pumpkin pie crusts over-browned oh so quickly after just 10 minutes, I decided my oven was off, and I'd start out at a little lower temperature. I cut up the apples, and Chris helped me mixed them with the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. We filled the pie, and it didn't look full enough to my eyes. Apples reduce in size, when they're baked.

Our apples were between small and medium sized and I'm not the world's most precise corer and peeler, so I decided to cut up three more smallish apples. We eyeballed the sugars and spice, etc., and added them to the pie, and put the pie in the oven. I decided to set the timer for a half hour, and had myself a glass of wine, because I was feeling sorry for my scorched hands and bruised ego. I'm usually a pretty competent pie maker. The timer sounded, we went out to check, and the pie wasn't even brown. It was then I realized that when I'd shut off the timer after the preheating period, that I must have also shut off the stove. It's a habit I've adopted, to make sure I don't leave the stove on. But duh.

My Fifth Mistake
So, I set the oven for 425 (deciding against my original decision to use a lower heat). I set the timer for 30 minutes. I meant to check on the pie at 10 or 15 minutes, but didn't, because I was tired. The pie should take 40 to 50 minutes. At 30, the crust rim was pretty well and burned, and the (continued...)

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( continues...) top, where the pie was over stuffed has burnt spots, too. The rest of the crust looks under done and tough.

Christopher made his heartbreaking face he makes when he is going to cry. Then he made the more heartbreaking face he makes when he's trying to be brave and not cry.

So I cried.

Scott went to the supermarket and got us apple and blueberry pies from the store bakery. And the chocolate cream pie looks great, probably because I was too busy botching the others to screw it up. Thank goodness we're going to my mother's for dinner, speaking of which, I'm off now. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

I want a new oven.

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Oh dear, Cindy.

Although I know elephants can recognize their reflection as a reflection not another elephant. Some primates and maybe dolphins can do the same, IIRC.

I swear we just talked about this like three days ago. Try searching on dolphins and you should find more.

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