The bills from the surgeries are starting to come in. This is exactly what I saved a bunch of money for, and so far I'm going to cover 90% of it, but damn, I hate spending that saved money. Either way, I'm either going to spend that money or be paying in installments for a very long time, so I don't know what's so hard about it. I just love seeing that balance in the savings account. I guess I'm more like my father than I thought.

Connie, ask them if it accrues interest, if so, at what rate and is it per month or per annum. If it's no interest, or very low interest, make the payment plan.

I think a financial cushion will ease your mind. Put it in the highest-interest saving account you can find, and it will make money, and you might MAKE money.

(OMG, I'm talking Adult. I am learning...finances. Jesus wept.)

I asked for extensions a very few times getting all three degrees.I always got, because I was a very good student. I did have 2 Incompletes, because I had to turn in the final research paper for the Shakespeare when I was studying in London in 1993. No computers, not even good access to typewriters.

And once I got really, really sick for the research paper and final the very end of the quarter.

But I did the work, and the grade was changed.

I pointed out mathematical errors on assignments and test, but he was an incompetent idiot. "Accused me of plagiarism because "no sophomore student could have written this paragraph or this one. I NEVER ONCE EVER plagiarized. I was PISSED.

And he mispronounced words all the time, "taunt" for "taut"; and he told me I was wrong when I finally, after enduring his asshattery, corrected him in class.

The amount of interest I will make on a liquid savings account is 0.06. I don't know if that's 6% or .06%, but I know that I made $5 after a year of having $5,000 in the account. I am not making money that way. I'm just going to pay the bills.

Jesus, the spelling bee is still going on. I think they're down to three kids.

Color commentary on a spelling bee is a little weird.

So I'm going to a party tonight and I made a lemon pudding pie (sort of a lemon meringue pie except you fold the meringue into the lemon pudding and bake it like that). And it looks like it will be great -- except I was experimenting with using vodka in my pie crust so it would roll out more neatly.

And I tasted the raw pastry, and a bit of cooked pastry, and there's definitely a vague bitter aftertaste. I suspect I used waaaay too much vodka.

So. The pie's in the oven. What do I do? Bring it to the party and put a sign on it that says it's a Vodka Lemon Pie? Or set it aside and feed it to my nieces tomorrow?

I would bring it to the party and assume that you are the only person who is actually going to critique the pie crust because everyone else will be all NOM NOM NOM.

You just tasted the pastry on its own? If so, anyone who eats it along with the filling won't even notice.

Hah! well, the issue is temporarily moot. I am chastened for not reading the entire recipe in advance, because when you take it out of the oven it has to cool completely, and then spend six hours in the refrigerator.

So it's Sunday dinner dessert after all. Well, Dad will love it, and won't notice the faint flavor of vodka...

I guess I'll just bring a nice bottle of wine to the party. Damn it.

I would think six hours of cooling just means thoroughly cooled, so there could be a way around that, if you want one.

I'm on my way home from the conference, so tired. But it was good I went.

I would think six hours of cooling just means thoroughly cooled, so there could be a way around that, if you want one.

Tempting, but I suspect it has to do with keeping the pudding from weeping, which it could do if chilled too fast and incurring a temperature variation between the interior & exterior.

OTOH, it doesn't look like the crust slumped, so yay for that.

I can wait 24 hours to see how it came out. And probably better to experiment on family, anyway...

And now off to the partay.