In vaguely related food news: I made popcorn with chili oil (sesame oil with quite a bit of kick) and it turned out delicious but way spicier than expected. I topped it with nutritional yeast (as usual) so the cats are all over it. Each cat has managed to sneak a couple of kernels. When I caught Nico nomming a kernel I figured he would reap some instant karma....but....I keep waiting for them to react to the spiciness but so far it doesn't seem to faze either of them in the least.

I have a little paperback cookbook of nothing but brownies. Some are good, most I haven't tried. I have made the Raspberry Truffle Brownies - brownies (chocolate, of course) flavored with coffee, a fluffy topping of cream cheese whipped with chocolate, raspberry jam and confectioner's sugar, and a drizzle of chocolate with butter. Uses 12 ounces of chocolate for an 8" x 8" pan.

And last night, in my usually quiet apartment, I heard someone singing/chanting. When I heard children's voices coming in, I realized what night it was, and sent them a mental Happy Hanukkah wish.

I have a Goodhousekeeping book of brownie and bars that has the absolutely best brownie recipes in it.

I just ordered my Buffista holiday cards, and they are the dumbest and dorkiest thing ever and I am cackling over them. They should all go out Monday.

ION, I watched the first trailer for the new Bob Odenkirk white-guy-on-a-vengeance-rampage movie and it hit me hard, sideways, in a way I couldn't possibly have predicted: at about 25 seconds in, he's talking with a friend or neighbor in the friend/neighbor's driveway, and they're standing in front of what looks like a white 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that's a near-perfect twin to the car my dad loved more than any other car he'd ever owned, which my brothers and I sold to a collector in Colorado a couple of months ago.

We'd all neglected that poor car for ages; it was infinitely too high maintenance and too powerful for any of us; there was no conceivable reason to keep it when there was someone else out there who wanted it and would love it and put it to good use; but still, just seeing a couple of seconds of its twin in the background of the trailer for three seconds gutted me. I spent so many drowsy nights in the deep bucket backseats, coming home from one family gathering or another, while my parents murmured in the front seat and the car grumbled all around us, and suddenly out of absolutely nowhere it feels like I betrayed the car and I want to curl up and cry because of a stupid white-dude-vengeance movie trailer.

Grief is unpredictable and DUMB, y'all. Do not recommend.

{{{JZ}}}

Aw, I just got notified that my recent blood donation (which doesn't seem that recent, but time is funny like that right now) was sent to a hospital for someone who needs a transfusion. I love this new feature!

So many hugs to you JZ. Grief is so hard and can clobber you when you least expect it. I've been knocked over by it many times regarding both of my parents. We are here for you.

Grief is unpredictable and DUMB, y'all. Do not recommend.

AGREED.

Timelies all!

{{{JZ}}}

My honorary aunt and uncle both have Covid. My Aunt J is my mother’s oldest friend in the world who she has known since kindergarten. She’s known my Uncle P since high school. Aunt J seems to be doing okay, but Uncle P was already in the hospital about a month ago with heart problems and he is back in the hospital now because his oxygen got so low that he had a heart attack. They are truly two of the kindest people I know. Any ~ma you can spare.

Oh no -- best wishes to them.