Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Well Begun is Half Done

We Westerners tend to live about, what, 70 years? Well tomorrow I am officially half done. I am thirty-five, folks, and All That.

I spent this afternoon making myself a cake. It's lovely, my favourite cake recipe. You make a more-or-less standard white, butter-based cake, only without the eggs and with a teaspoon of almond extract. Then you beat four egg whites to soft peaks and then beat them into the cake batter. It makes a deliciously smooth and tender cake, delicately scented and so very moreish.


Meringue

In addition to the cake, I'm giving myself a present. It's a good one - I have decided on one internet-free week. The week starts tomorrow night, the night of my birthday. I'll wait until the experiment is over before I explain the thought behind it - although I'm sure you know exactly what it is, because you are probably also telling yourself, "I spend way too much time on the damned Internet".

And one more bit of business before I bid you farewell - I am having a birthday bash on Saturday night at my house. Women only. You're invited - I will be providing the drink but I don't want to have to cook so bring appetizers if you can, girls, unless you are also stressed and busy, in which case skip it and just show up. Mr Half Soled and the little Half Soleds (Quarter-Soleds?) will be out of the house all night, too, so if you find yourself a little more well-to-go than you expected, you can crash here.

And for all of you who will be sadly unable to get flights in time to come to my birthday party, I'll see YOU next Friday.

Ta ta!

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Edit: By request of my knitting group, I am posting the rules for my upcoming unplug. I won't be using a web browser at all for a week. No blog posting, no blog reading, no Facebook, no Google, no Yahoo. (So don't write to that sidebar address unless it's profoundly non-urgent.) I will be checking my regular email, though, because people LEGITIMATELY communicate with me that way, and if I didn't open Outlook I would have no idea when my library books are due.

At the end of the week I hope to have a deep, thoughtful post full of inner peace and tranquillity, and observations about abundance of spare time. This peace and tranquillity will have come out of my hermit-like separation from the outer world. A hermit with email, that is.

21 comments:

Jenny said...

I wish I could attend your birthday bash...sigh...I'll have myself a drink or two on Saturday...(that's my birthday as well...and I'm 2 years older than you!)
Have a wonderful birthday!!!

Stace' said...

You're coming to my house next Friday?

Kris said...

I so wish I could join you for your birthday and have a drink or two. Enjoy your time alone!

Ames said...

Darn it. I want to come.

Annalea said...

Many happy returns of the day to you, Shan! Well-begun, indeed. You are one of the more enjoyable people I know. :o) Intelligent, articulate, well-read (a drastic understatement), interesting, thoughtful, and knitterly.

Hope your party is wonderful (maybe I'll make it to another one, eh?), and you've got a great family to vacate while you play. :o)

Have a wonderful week, and we'll "see" you then.

(I'm thinking I should try this sometime . . . once I'm not so horribly dependent on Google to find things . . .)

Rachel said...

Happy Birthday Shan...I reached 'mid-thirties' this year too! Sigh.
I hope you have a blast on your husband-less, childless night with girlfriends. Sounds wonderful!

Enjoy your week offline...when I go into the woods, even though I miss catching up with everybody, it's so refreshing to get away from it all.

stephanie said...

Nnnnoooooooooooo! I'm gonna miss you too much.

I love cake...what kind of frosting are you putting on that baby?

Anonymous said...

Oh how I wish I could come along...

Happy Birthday! And enjoy your "quiet time."

Shan said...

Stephanie, that would be your BUTTER ICING with BUTTER, sugar, vanilla, BUTTER, milk and BUTTER.

Hoo Yeah!

Annalea.....aw, go on with your flattery.

Stace, if only 'twere possible.

Sonya said...

Raise a glass for me - Happy Birthday and have a nice internet-free week. I've had a few unplanned ones. One less thing to do.

Anonymous said...

Happy, Happy Birthday and may your week be peaceful!

And I thought you were coming to MY house next friday - hrumph!

knititch said...

i will drink a drink on you spending the night with your fellow canadian mr.leonard cohen. well i don't suppose i will get close, but what the heck. happy birthday,shan. and good luck with the experiment. i know what you mean.

Jo said...

Happy Birthday!

We will be the same age for about 4 weeks and then I slide into 36 on 11/13.

Stace' said...

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

First: Happy Birthday!
Second: Wish I could come. Although we have never met, I'm feel instinctively we would have a riotous time. And you could show off your classless American blog friend. When people would ask, "Who is that (amazingly attractive) girl who keeps saying 'ass'?" you could say, "Oh, she's American."
Third: I am jealous of your internet-less week and looking forward to the result.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!! The cake was delicious.

I will be curious to see if your week results in as much deep, contemplative time as one might think. Because it is a deliberate break perhaps it will, but I think without internet we would simply fill our time with something else. Sometimes the something else is 'better', sometimes it is just something else.

See ya on the flip-side (you know, internet-wise and all).

Kristine said...

Happy birthday!

Cake recipe?

And enjoy your unplug; I wish I could get there for your birthday, but alas, flights are expensive! :)

Take care, and enjoy yourself!

Tabatha said...

Happy Birthday Shannon! I hope you have a wonderful party on Saturday.

Enjoy your unplug...I am looking forward to you imparting some wisdom when you get back.

XOXOXo

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Shannon! Enjoy your quiet peaceful week.

Thanksf or sharing the cake with us last night, it was FABULOUS!

KB said...

Happy Happy Happy Birthday...
enjoyed last nite a lot, good company and great cake!! Looking forward to Saturday.. this is the birthday that just keeps on giving!!

mel said...

Happy belated birthday! I wish you were not so far away (and that I were not so belated), I would have loved to join you. I hope it was wonderful, you deserve a celebration!!