martinimade

I was watching Ace of Cakes the other night with the Diva. It's one of the few shows we both enjoy, although I'm growing fond of both iCarly and Drake and Josh.

Anyhoo, during Ace of Cakes one of the decorators was carving a cake into a manatee shape. "It's easy," she said, "I just cut away the bits that don't  look like a manatee." Which is one of those things sculptors always say. Still.

Right now I'm in the phase of book writing where I'm cutting the way the bits that don't look like a manatee. Sadly, I'm trying to do this while having no idea what a manatee actually looks like, which is one advantage cake sculptors have over writers.

The other advantage, of course, is access to cake. I have no cake.

I do have a nearly completed cross-stitch item:

I now have to decide if the screwed-up spacing in the f-g-h row will make me nuts. I suspect it will, which means I'll have to rip back to the "l," which is where I apparently lost my ability to count. Stupid counting.

Two things to make the day better, tho:

- A Slate series on Japanese craftsmen (there may be some women later in the week. Right now, tho, just men.) Today's installment is about indigo dying. Fascinating.

- Fantasia sings "Lady Marmalade." I dare you to not crack a smile when she goes over to Patti LaBelle.