On Saturday, I baked.
And on Tuesday, I came home from work to a kitchen that looked as though baking was still in progress. Flour dust, chocolate-trimmed utensils, a hastily twist-tied bag of walnuts. Oven slightly ajar. Baking had been the fun part, but even that required effort. Getting up early while it’s still cool enough to use the oven. Sifting. Stirring. Napping while it does its cooking thing. After all that, shouldn’t cleaning up really be someone else’s gig? But three days later, that someone had yet to get to it.
Home after a long day yesterday, I eyed the mess on the counter, dropped my work bag to the floor and sighed. Not moving from the hallway, I hung my dry-cleaning on a hook, pushed up the sleeves of my cardigan and, spinning on my heel, went right back out of the apartment.
How’s that for not dealing?
I did manage to grab a bag of laundry on the way out, so it wasn’t a total loss. And at the Laundromat, I did manage to meet a nice man named Dennis who lent me quarters and later bought me a drink at the sushi joint next door. So really? Kitchen be damned.
Until this morning anyway. My love for aesthetics and my fear of ants got me up at 6:30 and into a pair of yellow rubber gloves. All that early-morning-preparedness also got me into a skirt and some previously-absent undies. I am well pleased.
Sometimes being an adult has its perks. Not often…but sometimes. Can’t beat finding missing underwear…
So now I want a cookie? Who got all the cookies?
You wear rubber gloves when cleaning? What are you using, pure ammonia?
Nope. But a girl’s gotta protect her manicure! What do you think I am, made of money?!
Dishwashers, especially those of the tall and handsome variety, rock.
I’m the same way… excellent at making messes–then I tend to ignore it, hoping someone else will take care of it…then I go on a crazy anal cleaning binge and before you know it…
I need a drink
Ooohh Yum – what did you bake?
oh me too. about the anal cleaning binges, i mean. i always need a drink afterwards. and a hug.
I finally got wise on waiting for Mr. Clean to arrive. Now I clean as I go, so that when I am finished cooking there is almost no sign of it. I can’t bear to clean up after and this is my solution to getting angry and resentful. *sigh*
Hi, This will likely be the first of a flood of new contacts for you. The result of listening to your stories on CBC Radio One.
Good choice actually. There are few if any ball cap types who listen to the better content of Radio One. The arts, [mostly music that is], and political in depth or news junkie stuff are the main qualities of CBC Radio.
There is a thinking gal who You may enjoy who has a very lively blogsite at smalldeadanimals. Kate lives in a healthier place than you do and enjoys motorcycle, but is a dynamo of elegance and intellect.
I lived in Montreal and miss the Music, theatre, Arts and atmosphere you can slice and enjoy with lunch at a St Catherine street cafe.
Also lived in Corpus Christi Texas and later in Ventura California. My findings are that people are great everywhere, only governments stink form time to time.
Canadians who hate Americans or vice versa, simply have not lived among the *enemy*. There is no enemy.
This blogging is great. It’s like meeting at a park bench and spouting off to a complete stranger and without baggage, it can be quite refreshing. 73s TonyGuitar at BendGovernment.blogspot.com
Must compliment your taste in jewelry. The necklace is delicate and very attractive. 73s TG
I don’t want to start a fight (really) but this Tony character is scaring me.
But how were the cookies….?
If I ever don’t cook, it’s because I HATE cleaning up afterward. I dated a guy for awhile who would automatically get up and clean after we ate…it was marvelous. I’d cook any day of the week for him.
Amy & Brandon, I’m with you. I try to clean as I go, but… yeah, it’s all about the anal cleaning binges.
nice fish with bycycle, good idea
Sometime around the age of 30, I was lucky enough to have an increase in income to rationalize a bi-weekly house/apt. cleaner. For me so worth the 40 bucks. I will pass up on a new pair of shoes, if it means that I can keep my, now weekly, house cleaner. It puts the fun back into cooking with abandon!
Doing dishes sucks.
Thank God I have a dishwasher.
Do you ever get to the point sometimes where you want to throw the dirty dishes out and start fresh?
I do.
You were featured on CBS Radio One? What is that? Anyways, that Tony guy sounds like a creep. I also hate cleaning, but I hate having a dirty kitchen even more. Especailly when I have such a nice kitchen. Then I always think “What if someone stops by unexpectidly?” I would surely not let them in, but that doesn’t always work and I hate to make excuses for my house looking completely neglected. Does that make me anal? I’ve never been like this until I hit 30, or just got a fabulous kitchen in which I completely appreciate.
Hi Fish,
I heard you/your site featured on a wicked little documentary this morning on the CBC during my daily commute. Being an incurable blogaholic, I just had to check out your site. Needless to say, it’s already added to the Favourites! Cheers from middle-of-nowhere small-town Canada!
The best part about baking is sampling the dough of what you’ve just made. The worst part is cleaning up the mess. I’ve always believed that if you leave out one beater for the house elves, they’ll come clean up for you, but my house elves always seem to be on vacation whenever I have a mess to deal with. Fear of ants is a healthy thing. Once they show up in your kitchen it is a real pain to get rid of them.
And by the way, she made chocolate chip cookies, for those of you who didn’t figure that out yet. what else do you use semi-sweet morsels for? Do you use the recipe on the back of the bag or do you have a different one?
semi sweet morsels can be melted in a double boiler to add to brownie batter.
which is what i made.
Having segue-ed my own style into an ongoing “anal retentive chef” routine and never leaving a batter or chocolate covered spoon to die a peaceful if overly hardened death, am having trouble relating to some of this one. Unless of course, you don’t count those day after the day after the tequila (the really good, can’t afford it at the bar kind), and red wine don’t mix dinner parties!
And please, say “yellow rubber gloves” again. Am enjoying the tingling sensation! But I digress… Thanks once again Fish.