Is someone kidding?

It appears that J is now sick, I have a cold and sound kinda like a man again, T is gone, and I am in the midst of mis en place'ing in anticipation of putting together 300 tea sandwiches tomorrow morning. Let me tell y'all that I am SICK of people (myself included) being sick, and I need a big honking break. If I don't sleep through the night tonight, I might go nuts. Send me good vibes, please!!!

Unfortunate voice, chicken!, scathing restaurant review

Jill Abramson, executive editor of the NYTimes, is such an impressive woman, but man does she have an unfortunate speech pattern/voice. Holy moly! Did anyone hear Diane Rehm interviewing her on NPR? Interesting discussion, but it was battle of the voices over there (and yes, I do know about Diane's voice condition and am sympathetic). I'm in the midst of deboning multiple chickens- it's a messy, slimy job, but I find it rather meditative. They're cooked which makes all the difference; I find raw chicken to be an entirely different beast and not particularly pleasurable to deal with.

Did y'all read this article by Frank Bruni in yesterday's NYT Opinion section? Scathing! I was surprised to find it not in the Dining section but instead full on in the opinion page. Wow! The kind of pretension Bruni describes just makes me nuts; I never enjoy that kind of dining environment or experience. Blech!

Ok, off for lunch as I'm starved.

Vegetable tagine with preserved lemon, T leaving again?

People, T is going back to CA next week for three more nights. Really? Say it ain't so, but I know it's true. In the meantime, I am tired of rain and am pretty much snacking on Vitamin D gummies as if those will replace the sun. Hmm.

This week has been distressingly full of tough news from several of my dearest loved ones. I am thinking of you all and sending love and good health in spades. One pal is having surgery so I'm soon embarking on making her a root vegetable and preserved lemon tagine. This is a really (!) good dish served atop couscous; it just fills you with a sense of health, satiation and goodness. I will share the recipe post-haste.

OK, I've got 1.25 hours alone so am going to hit the couch with the paper and Percy.