It’s interesting what items on this website generate email. The top one is rules for two-player Euchre, from which I get an average of a message every couple weeks. The second, I think, is the cake page. Since the run-up to the wedding, I haven’t been baking a lot of cakes. I cook all the time, and make various desserts, but I haven’t been making layer cake on a regular basis.
That may change. We were at a party last week, and I met someone there who, I was told, made a carrot cake to die for. I talked to him about it, and he was not only really nice, but he gave me the recipe. Last night, I made the cake. It’s fabulous. It is, I must admit, not as amazing as the one served at Lula (made by Maude’s, a local organic bakery), which is one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted. But it is excellent. I’m going to try, over time, to figure out how to make a cake as good as Maude’s. I suspect I’m probably not careful enough in my cooking to really get it, but now that I have a really good carrot cake recipe, I stand a chance. And if I don’t figure it out, this recipe is still wonderful, so who cares?
Valentine’s Day this year was really fun. I had a rehearsal with a group of people I don’t usually play with, playing music I don’t usually play, and it went well. Then I boarded the train for parts unknown. Our activities were planned by herself, so I only knew I was supposed to meet her at the train at an appointed time.
It turned out she had bought tickets for us to Second City. Being the improvisation fans that we are, it’s kind of ridiculous to think that we hadn’t been yet. We’ve seen IO and ComedySportz[3], but never Second City. SC’s shows aren’t improvised, they’re sketch comedy that’s written using improv as a tool. They incorporate some improv into their shows, but generally speaking, they perform pre-written material.
It was really great. The show was called Iraqtile Disfunction; almost all their shows incorporate some degree of political content, but despite the title, it’s not the exclusive focus. There were six in the cast, all of whom were excellent. I highly recommend it. What surprised me is the price — during the week it’s only $18 a ticket ($24 on weekends). Considering the reputation that Second City has, I expected it was going to be a lot more expensive. The show went from 8 PM until about 11 PM with two intermissions. So it’s a solid evening’s theater entertainment for not much money. Chicago’s comedy scene is of very high quality; I’ve been very impressed with everything we’ve seen so far.
One side note: one of the performers we saw, who was fabulous, is featured in this very weird alcohol website called TheBar. Check it out if you have a fast internet connection — it’s amusing.