Saturday, February 20, 2010

Weekend Appetite: Coffee, Cake, and Words

I must have a case of spring fever because all week I’ve wanted to skip work so I could go outside and play.  Since I’m a mature grown-up, I did not skip work; instead I just compared notes with everyone around me and I do believe that there’s a spring fever sweeping through town right now.  Rumor has it we may see 70-degree weather this weekend.  I can’t wait!  This is why I moved to Texas.  That, and the job that keeps me inside windowless rooms every day.

Right now thick sheets of grey clouds blanket the sky, and there’s a chorus of birds singing outside my apartment.  The temperature is mild, but the sun is nowhere to be seen.  It’s the kind of day that is filled with suspense.  Will it rain?  Will the sun break through those clouds?  Will the temperature drop precipitously into the scarf-and-mitten range?  The drama of it all makes me feel tense and clueless about what to wear today.

All I know is that this weekend needs to involve copious amounts of relaxing.  I’m not good at deliberate relaxation when I’m alone.  But the only social plan on my calendar is a phone date with a friend, so I need to cobble together a plan to make the most of this nice Saturday/Sunday pair.  If the sun comes out, I’m planning to sunbathe by the pool while I read papers.  I’m really missing the sun this morning!  Even with no sun, I’m going to make a much-needed trip to the other side of town to do some shopping at Target and HEB.  As an extra treat, I’m going to take myself to lunch at a restaurant called Soup’er Salad, a place I’ve wanted to check out for months now.  The name alone makes me think I’ll like it.  I miss my Panera.

Despite the spring fever, this past week was not a bad one at all.  New issues of Vegetarian Times and EatingWell arrived in my mailbox, along with City:Country, a book co-authored by one of my favorite bloggers.  I’m a voracious reader who needs constant infusions of new material.  The new Vegetarian Times looks especially promising, with its “Coffee Klatch” article filled with recipes to serve at a coffee tasting.  I would love a slice of their Blueberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze and a mug of coffee later today.  I could make it happen.

Speaking of coffee and cake, I wish I could invite Anne Lamott over to drink coffee and eat cake with me.  She is such an amazing writer that she blows me away with the beauty and hilarity of her words.  I want to tell her how much I have enjoyed her work.  This week I was hooting with laughter at these old Anne Lamott pieces from Salon: Reading, writing, resistance and Dear Mr. President: What are you thinking?  I may have had tears rolling down my cheeks from laughing so hard at a paragraph in that last one—it was a sneak attack of Lamott-style humor.  Today I’m excited to read this piece called How to get your man

There are moments when I think that if Anne Lamott had been my mother, she could have taught me everything I need to know to live a good life.  Love everyone.  Breathe.  Show up.  Sit outside.  Dance.  Stop sucking your stomach in.  Try not to kill anyone today.  Maybe she is teaching me those things anyway.  It’s not a bad blueprint of a plan for a weekend or any other day of the week.

I hope your weekend lives up to its promises, dear reader.  I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

and here i am excited about a weekend in the 40s :) that last article, how to get your man, made me smile! hehe, have a good one!

Laurie said...

I'm just home from an event where almost everyone was on some sort of restricted diet or cleanse. It's so refreshing to stop here and read about coffee and cake and lemon glaze. I think you may already know how to live a good life.

Rosiecat24 said...

Ooh, Shannon, I hope you got your warm Boston weekend! 40s ARE very nice when you live in the frozen north ;-) And I loved the last article too! That Anne Lamott--she is really something special.

Laurie, your comment made my morning! I've been thinking about how I feel almost confronted by people who are giving up this or that thing--coffee, sugar, desserts, whatever. I, on the other hand, am giving up nothing. I made that cake last night with a few tweaks, and it was delicious. I loved every bite of it. I'll be sharing my notes on the recipe later today.

Happy Sunday, friends!

Laurie said...

"Confronted". What a great word. That's how I felt last night, and I don't handle confrontation well at all. Yesterday's strategy was to eat fudge out of spite. Not very mature, but tasty!

Rosiecat24 said...

Ooh, Laurie, that's an inspired response! I should start carrying fudge with me in my purse...

I feel like I should clarify something here. I'm very sympathetic to someone with food allergies or other long-term health problems. I think what I find annoying are people who try diets or other food restrictions because it's trendy or they are trying to lose a quick five pounds. Please, just leave me alone while I eat my cake!

Laurie said...

Ditto.