By jove, this is the first time in about 21 days that I've felt like a human being instead of a germ factory. I'm still coughing but all other cold symptoms are gone. Just in time, too, because I suddenly realized I needed to feed everyone who's coming over for this birthday bash on Saturday. One more day of being fuzzy-brained from illness and it would have been too late to order the specialty foods I particularly wanted.
I mean, you can't just order up 100 pieces of sushi at a moment's notice. I phoned around a couple of places but settled on the deli at Mollie Stone's grocery store which does rather decent sushi. After much puzzling over the nigiri-to-maki percentages of the various combos I chose two Starlight Happiness Trays. Isn't that a pretty name? "Please look forward to this tasty extravagance," as they used to say on Iron Chef. I'm fairly sure we'll end up with boring old tuna, salmon, shrimp, and mackeral, but it'll be yummy and they use real crab for the rolls. I don't know what I'll do for those who don't eat sushi (I'm disinclined to think I know anyone like that but there will be some midwesterners present) and must come up with something creative by tomorrow. Meanwhile, I've indulged myself by ordering a cake from the Prolific Oven, a marvelous small bakery in Palo Alto which does the best cakes I've ever had. Mine's going to be chocolate and almond-orange pound cake with dark chocolate frosting. Don't you wish you were coming over? I've also ordered a cherry pie from J.T. Bull's, a bakery with British flags incorporated in the logo and staffed entirely by Mexicans. I don't know why their store is done up in Jolly Olde Englande style but their pies are enormous and delicious so I simply accept the mystery.
The rest of it is easy: buy skids of good beer, sodas, bottled water, and juices, clean entire house, don party frock, receive guests. No problem. I love giving parties. This won't rival the "14 kinds of cheesecake" party, or the "25 pounds of carrots and gummi worms" party or even the "eat more fruit salad I've got several kilos of it left and it's beginning to ferment" party but I revel in offering something more than chips and dip now that my income matches my imagination once more.
Whoops, spoke too soon. I've just had a fit of sneezing which scared the cats and motivated my dog to find out what that horking noise was. I'd better retire to my bed and get some extra beauty sleep in preparation for tomorrow's Assault on Common Sense aka work to be followed by an evening of stealth cleaning.
