The holidays are winding down, and real life is intruding –
Over the weekend, I sold the old Toyota that John’s been driving, that belonged to Mark’s Dad. It’s probably worth at least $4000, but needs work that would cost someone like me, who has to hire a mechanic to do it, at least $2000. So I put it on Craigslist on Saturday morning for $2500, and it sold in 6 hours. I’m giving John my grey Subaru wagon, and leasing a new Impreza for me. I must’ve gotten 30 calls, assorted texts, and dozens of emails about the Camry while I was at the dealership doing the deal for the Impreza.
Old Camry in the driveway – the shot that sold it
Grey Subaru at the dealer’s waiting to get its plates put on my new one
Sunday morning I got up and cleaned out the Toyota, so the buyer could come and take it away at 11:00. I’m afraid the 4 long skinny aluminum rods that I’m banging my shins on now in the basement when I go down to feed the cats & clean their litter are actually part of the Toyota’s (partially broken) trunk-opening-apparatus – but they also could be part of some kind of photographic lighting rig that John wants. Why I saved them.
We had duck fat fried potatoes for Sunday breakfast and finally ate the trifle with TV on Sunday night. It was good, but maybe a little too traditional for our American tastes – a little too much sherry. It’s from an article spread in the now defunct Waitrose Food Magazine, on designer Terence Conran’s Christmas lunch and the following tea, that includes this trifle and a game pie, among other dishes.
On Monday morning, I had to spend about an hour on the phone with the insurance guy and the car dealer. Then I used Mar’s car, on loan from Ethan, to go shop for New year’s day brunch. Then Mark & I took a cold walk over to the Credit Union, to pay off the grey Subaru.
We are supposed to be picking up the Impreza on New year’s eve day – maybe I can get it to pose then.
I made the very last cookie kind, the Lora Brody rugelach, on New year’s eve morning. Note to all you Epicurious commenters – I make this pretty much as written, following Rose Levy Berenbaum’s meticulous instructions – but removing the cookies from the parchment to cool on a rack is a bad idea. They’ll stick to the rack. Just let them cool on the cookie sheets, on the parchment.
I think I’ll be working January 2, 3, 4 & 5 – Thursday thru Sunday – to write a syllabus for a new class I’m teaching spring semester. But maybe I can mostly work at home.
