Das Pancake
2003-12-26
6:26 p.m.

Christmas is over. I finally, for the first time in my life, waited until Christmas to give my husband his gift. Usually I badger him until he gives in and opens it about a week early. This time, though, it was just us (ruled) and so I had to wait. There was no traveling that he had to open it for, no privacy that we wouldn't have, etc. And so we waited. But I did make him get up at 8 a.m. because I couldn't wait longer than that. (Plus, I was madly hungover and needed distraction from my happy birthday to baby Jesus medley, which involved a lot of covert puking.) And, yay, he liked it. And, ironically, it was a brew your own beer and wine set. So, the cycle will continue.

I got all kinds of happy things. A watch (yay! I haven't owned an everyday watch in years.), a hummingbird feeder (we have hummingbirds!), a backpack, learn to speak French CDs, and my husband is taking me to have fancy tea at a hotel in town. Plus, right now, he's brewing beer. Sweet. The gift that keeps on giving. Except watch the beer really, really suck. Hmm.

I just went to Home Depot and got odds and ends (new bolt lock, shelf hangers, picture hangers, carpet protectors for under the couch feet, etc.) and it adds up so quickly. Now I actually have to DO some of the stuff, as opposed to the old house, where I would spend 80 dollars at Home Depot and then consider the job mostly done. So what if I didn't actually paint the basement floor? I selected a color. I bought the paint. I bought brushes. I put it all in the basement. Check.

I left a pile of unused fix-it things when we moved out. Dear New Owner: Here is approximately three hundred dollars worth of stuff that you can use to do all sorts of random crap to the house. Seal the floor! Seal the walls! Scrape the backstep kickplate and repaint it! Or, leave it all in this pile and consider it all completed!

Now, though, I don't have a job. I have UNLIMITED TIME. Plus, this house is a complete blank slate and I can do fun crap to it. Like, maybe this room should be Puce. Paris in Puce. Or maybe not. If I mess it up, it's easy enough to paint over it. The last house was Classic and Gorgeous, with the exception of the terrifying plaid and floral bathroom (lacking only an angry clown motif) but this one is a Giant White Box. And it is mine.

New topic: Pancakes.

I love pancakes. I talk about them all the time and plot as to when and where I will consume my next pancake. We discovered a restaurant here called Millie's Pancake Haus (a.k.a. Das Pancake), which has a bazillion (okay, maybe 20) different breeds of pancakes. I love this. I stalk this place. I wanted to go there today but our errands took too long and it was closed. I wanted to throw myself on the funeral pyre but decided to just go tomorrow instead and maybe have pizza tonight. It is round like a pancake. Except with cheese. But for now it will do.