Cupcake Monster!

Hillz Hillz Hillz...

2009-08-11T10:34:00.004-04:00

Hillz, honey...what's goin on?

You may have heard about this famous Tense Clinton Moment that took place at a Congolsese university in Kinshasa yesterday. A question from a male university student at a town hall meeting - (that, it turns out, may have been mistranslated) - was met with some annnnngry words by our Secretary of State.

I'm having a multi-layered response to this. On the one hand (the hand that holds a degree in psychology) I say to myself:

"Hillary," I say, confusing Hillary Clinton with myself, "you are not helping your reputation. This feeds exactly into that caricatured 'feminazi' stereotype your detractors already box you into. The Limbaugh crew is going to be all over it. Plus... you're a diplomat, and I hate to point this out but its kind of your job to keep your cool. You could have explained how you felt about that question in a constructive way here, and still made your point. A teachable moment. Or really, you could have just picked your battles and let it slide. A question about China's pending world domination is nothing to scoff at."

On the other hand (the hand that holds a degree in women's studies) (I tend to keep my degrees in separate hands, lest they quarrel) I say to myself:

"Hillz, I feel you. That was not cool. Even as I TRY to think of a comparable example of what would happen if a man were asked what his wife thought, contextually it's totally different. A man being asked in Africa for his wife's opinion on foreign policy would never even have to consider that his own opinion was being disregarded as unimportant. I see where you're going with this, and I like your huevos."

Is my first hand a tool of the patriarchy? Is my second just winning the battle but losing the war?

Deep thoughts...

Gratuitous carrot cake post!

2009-08-03T15:50:00.003-04:00

Ba-BAM!

Just getting warmed up...

2009-08-03T14:42:00.025-04:00

In my last post, on November 19th, 2008, I promised I would start posting again soon. Needless to say... I didn't.

My last post before that, September 24th, was pre-election, and I kept up a pretty good stream of posts from March 2008, when the heat was on in the Democratic presidential primary, up through the Fall...

And as I read these posts over, thinking of how I might continue this blog-line without the attendant drama of a historic presidential election to spur me along -- (it's good for your career, says CNN) -- I realize two things:

I am somewhat absurdly upset by hypocrisy and lies.
I am absolutely farcically upset by hypocrisy and lies when demonstrated by individuals selected for leadership positions.

Actually, three things:
3. When numbers 1. and 2. are true, above, I become inordinately self-righteous. But also fun to read.

Seeing as I live in Washington, DC, where vociferous public self-righteousness has always been the new black, I don't find this unusual.

But it does give me pause to consider that self-righteousness might be what motivates me to type and share my thoughts. I could easily say that my blogging was borne of a powerful desire to expose injustice, but I could also just as easily say: "LISTEN TO MEEEEE, I KNOW THE RIGHT THING ALL THE TIIIIIME." (Just picture that, in a whiny, little-girl voice.... and there you have Anne Coulter. Ba dum - ching.) But... you also have Rachel Maddow. Or Ana Marie Cox. Ana Marie Cox is freaking hilarious.

So what's a girl to do? Blog about injustice (and cupcakes)? In a fun way? Mayhaps...

IT ALL COMES FULL CIRCLE

2008-11-19T19:19:00.006-05:00

How long has it been???!!! I know, I know - but I had to come back for this article:

The day before Vice President-elect Joe Biden turns 66, President-elect Barack Obama presented his running mate with 12 candlelit cupcakes after their weekly lunch on Wednesday. “You’re 12 years old!” Obama told Biden according to a Democratic source. “Maybe in dog years!” Biden responded, laughing. Obama and the staff then sang Biden ‘Happy Birthday.’

Precious.

I'll start posting again soon. Promise.

DC neighborhood cupcake ideas

2008-09-24T17:38:00.005-04:00

This debate crap is ridic, no brain power to post on it right now.

Instead, help me with my latest cupcake idea - a dozen cupcakes, each inspired by a different DC neighborhood. I stole the idea from the Pittsburgh neighborhood cupcakes on Cupcakes Take the Cake. See?:

Pretty cool, huh? Comment with ideas - I definitely need one for my beloved Mount Pleasant. Also a NOVA cupcake would be funny... lord, I hate Virginia.

oh GOD...

2008-09-24T11:59:00.011-04:00

I don't even need to introduce this. Just read.

Worried that welfare costs are rising as the number of taxpayers declines, state Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, said Tuesday he is studying a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied.

[...] “What I’m really studying is any and all possibilities that we can reduce the number of people that are going from generational welfare to generational welfare, ” he said.

He said his program would be voluntary. It could involve tubal ligation, encouraging other forms of birth control or, to avoid charges of gender discrimination, vasectomies for men.

OH YEAH, IT'S TOTALLY VOLUNTARY to pay poor women $1,000 a pop for a tubal ligation. Never mind that it would take a woman earning the federal minimum wage just under 4 weeks of full time work to make $1,000 on her own. (I did the math.) NO OUTSIZED INCENTIVES THERE.

Oh and then this:

It also could include tax incentives for college-educated, higher-income people to have more children, he said.

Is this man familiar at all with the concept of eugenics? Has he ever even heard the word, and all the filthy, awful things it conjures up in the minds of any half-sensible American, or does he think he just came up with this genius new concept on his own?

PS. Here's the actual story from the Times-Picayune.

my head is about to explode

2008-09-17T10:36:00.004-04:00

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a former Hillary backer and member of the DNC's Platform Committee, is set to endorse John McCain for president today. Listen to this woman's reasoning, and just try to see if you can keep your head from expoding:

“This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him,” she said of Obama in an interview with CNN’s Joe Johns. “I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him.”

Forester is the CEO of EL Rothschild, a holding company with businesses around the world. She is married to international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Forester is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York.

I'm sorry... WHAT?!?!

DC Vote Go-Go Video with Paul Strauss! (D-DC) (fake)

2008-09-16T17:42:00.004-04:00

This is so DC. I absolutely love it.

a very special Sarah Palin link

2008-09-16T13:47:00.005-04:00

I've not been posting because it was my birthday this weekend. Notice I'm not apologizing, because there was nothing about this weekend that I would change if I could. Just explaining the lack o' posts. :)

Now on to awesomeness - the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. Please, as a birthday gift to me, put in your name and post what came out in the comments. This is my new favorite toy.

Here's me:

Lee Paczulla, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be: Tarp Lazer Palin

Who knows, Tarp Lazer Palin you just might be president one day!

it's time for cupcakes.

2008-09-11T12:48:00.005-04:00

In fact, it is PAST time for cupcakes. :D

Here's a batch I made for a 5 year old girl's birthday party, approximately one million years ago. These were simple, dutch chocolate and vanilla, with yellow and white swirled buttercream and dotted with the occasional red raspberry. (The colors fit the theme of the party, which was "yellow" and "race cars." Totally awesome 5 year old girl.)

I've gotta hunt down some more pictures... I've been doing a lot of baking these past few months, but have been falling down on cataloguing!

Pennsylvania does it again!

2008-09-11T12:41:00.005-04:00

Haaaaaaaaaaaaa John McCain's first public solo event since selecting Sarah Palin got drowned out by chants of "Obama." Guess where it waaaas...

"PHILADELPHIA - Republican presidential candidate John McCain cut short his first public appearance without running-mate Sarah Palin after chanting supporters of Democratic rival Barack Obama interrupted his speech.

After lunching with a roundtable of women at Philadelphia’s Down Home Diner, McCain shook hands with supporters and strode up to a podium to deliver a statement. But as he spoke, chants of “Obama, Obama, Obama” filled the room...

“It’s time to leave the talk behind and start shaking up Washington and fixing our economy, taking care of the problems facing our families. We’re going to give a tax cut to every family with a child,” he said.

His words were barely audible."

why is Matt Damon smarter than Sarah Palin?

2008-09-10T20:46:00.001-04:00

I. Hate. The McCain Campaign.

2008-09-10T13:17:00.005-04:00

Apparently Obama used the phrase "lipstick on a pig" (as in, "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig") in a speech, and now he is horrifically sexist and offensive to Sarah Palin and her followers.

People who have used the same phrase, as cited in just this one CNN.com article:

In Iowa last October, McCain drew comparisons between Hillary Clinton's current health care plan and the one she championed in 1993: "I think they put some lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig." McCain used roughly the same line in May, after claiming the Republican nomination.
"I think that both Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker are capable people who have been given an impossible assignment. George Bush has given a mission to Gen. Petraeus, and he has done his best to try to figure out how to put lipstick on a pig." - Obama
Torie Clarke, a former McCain adviser, wrote a book called, "Lipstick on a Pig: Winning In the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game."
Other politicians who have used the phrase in recent years: Dick Cheney, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rep. John Mica of Florida and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado.
John McCain's daughter Meghan ... point[ed] out Wednesday morning that the GOP presidential nominee has been known to use the phrase. "I've heard my dad say that, the term 'lipstick on a pig,'" McCain said during an appearance on Fox promoting her new children's book about her father.

The McCain campaign is demanding an apology for Gov. Palin. How chivalrous.

...Weak. So weak.

Alice Kryzan is amazing.

2008-09-10T10:55:00.006-04:00

Sam's mom won the Democratic primary in NY-26!! There are stories everywhere, including here, here, here, here, here, and here:

The nice gal finished first.

Despite having the lowest profile and raising and spending the least of all the contestants, Alice Kryzan took the Democratic line in the three-way party primary for U.S. House 26th district Tuesday night. Kryzan, an environmental attorney from Eggertsville, sailed past party boss-backed candidate Jonathan Powers — and fairly crushed wealthy industrialist Jack Davis — in the primary crossing seven Western New York counties.

I don't know who came up with that ad, but they need to be retained and paid well in the future.

Coverage from last night on "News 8 Now" - the hairy guy on the left is Sam!

wtf is wrong with these people...

2008-09-05T10:57:00.004-04:00

Didn't Republicans learn anything from George Allen and the "macaca" scandal?

“Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist class [of] individual that thinks that they’re uppity.” - US Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), yesterday

And now this:

“I’ve never heard that term used in a racially derogatory sense. It is important to note that the dictionary definition of ‘uppity’ is ‘affecting an air of inflated self-esteem —- snobbish.’” - US Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), today

If you say something that can be intepreted as racist, don't try to defend it to the news media. Just apologize. I don't care if you think you're right, if you've never heard that in a racist context before, that's great, good for you. But trust me, everything will be easier if you just say "I'm sorry." (Actually, don't trust me, trust George Allen...)

great moments in Wonkette liveblogging:

2008-09-05T10:36:00.003-04:00

on McCain's speech last night:

10:01 — He just told us to “teach an illiterate adult to read.” No silly, that’s the Welfare State’s job! And then he mentions a few other ways in which you can put Country Above Self. Basically, they read like a job description for a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago.

on the McCain tribute video:

9:11 PM — More black people are present in this video than in this entire convention hall.

the saddest article ever:

2008-09-03T10:32:00.004-04:00

'Up until midweek last week, some 48 to 72 hours before Mr. McCain introduced Ms. Palin at a Friday rally in Dayton, Ohio, Mr. McCain was still holding out the hope that he could choose a good friend, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, a Republican close to the campaign said. Mr. McCain had also been interested in another favorite, former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.

But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that Mr. McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates. Perhaps more important, several Republicans said, Mr. McCain was getting advice that if he did not do something to shake up the race, his campaign would be stuck on a potentially losing trajectory.

With time running out ... he turned to Ms. Palin. He had his first face-to-face interview with her on Thursday and offered her the job moments later. Advisers to Mr. Pawlenty and another of the finalists on Mr. McCain’s list described an intensive vetting process for those candidates that lasted one to two months.

“They didn’t seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before,” said a Republican close to the campaign. “This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn’t get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe or Ridge.”'

John McCain is a sad, sad man who can't even get his way in his own campaign...

ps. Campbell Brown rocks

2008-09-01T23:57:00.001-04:00

key evangelical leaders "over the moon" about teen pregnancy...

2008-09-01T23:24:00.005-04:00

I'm dead tired and don't really feel like blogging, but I just can't let this go:

Key evangelical leaders rallied to Sarah Palin's support Monday amid news that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, was having a child. "Before, they were excited about her, with the Down syndrome baby," conservative, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist said. "But now with this, they are over the moon. It reinforces the fact that this family lives its pro-life values."

What? What?? Where are your God damn principles, evangelicals? An unmarried teenager is pregnant out of wedlock!! Isn't this the kind of thing you usually get pissed about? Where's THAT reaction now? Over the fucking MOON? Give me a break.

ps. I assume you all already heard the news about young Bristol's (second? ;) pregnancy. I was enjoying a lovely afternoon in the park at the time.

pps. also, we're already using the woman as a political prop. Can we stop using "the Down syndrome baby" too?

oh the Fun Facts, they just keep a'comin

2008-08-30T15:14:00.017-04:00

And now, your holiday weekend edition of Fun Facts! with Sarah Palin:

Walt Monegan, the Public Safety Commissioner in Alaska whose firing prompted an investigation on Gov. Palin, says he was never contacted by the McCain campaign for vetting puproses - and now claims to have e-mail messages directly from Gov. Palin showing the political pressure she applied encourage Monegan to fire her ex-brother-in-law... Jesus, they're not even checking these people...
"Ms. Palin appears to have traveled very little outside the United States. In July 2007, she had to get a passport before she visited members of the Alaska National Guard stationed in Kuwait."
Palin got booed for mentioning Hillary at a Saturday PA campaign event. Haha! Rock on PA.
Geraldine Ferraro officially sucks.
McCain, in People Magazine, admires her skills taking on "special interests" in the PTA (oh yes, we can't forget about Big Field Hockey...).
She lied to her kids about why the family was going to Ohio on Friday (four paragraphs from the bottom).
18 months ago, Gov. Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, where her top two "powers and duties" according to the municipal code were:

1. Preside at council meetings. The mayor may take part in the discussion of matters before the council, but may not vote, except that the mayor may vote in the case of a tie; 2. Act as ceremonial head of the city;

Alaska has a population of 683,000 people. If the state of Alaska were a city, it would rank 17th in population, just ahead of Ft. Worth, TX.

all guts no glory?

2008-08-30T12:54:00.007-04:00

I was glad to see CNNMoney investigate some of the accomplishments Gov. Palin and her army of pundits have been pushing in the last 24 hours, mostly because I'm getting tired of talking about the token-woman pandering, the lack of experience, the fact that McCain met her only once, the very real possibility that a 72-year-old president might not make it through the next four years... that's all pretty depressing at this point. And it's all I've been talking about for the past 24 hours.

This is something I can wrap my head around a bit more dispassionately - breaking down Palin's efforts to take on the Big Three in her home state. I will give her this: she does sound like a badass. And I like badasses.

Here's the short version: Alaska's got a shitload of untapped natural gas. Getting it to the lower 48, for years, has been deemed unprofitable. Former Gov. Frank Murkowski tried to talk the Big Three into financing a natural gas pipeline with a sweetheart deal for the oil companies. It got voted down by the legislature becuase it didn't do enough to make money for the state. When Palin took office, she tried to get the Big Three to build the pipeline without the sweetheart deal. They were like "eff no," so she put it up for open bid, and now some other company, TransCanada, is building it. That leaves us here:

"[M]any in the bureaucracy feel that without the oil companies' cooperation, the pipeline will never get built, since oil companies still own the gas under their lease of the North Slope. And now that TransCanada has bid for the pipeline, Alaska is committed to covering up to $500 million of its costs regardless of whether the pipe gets built."

So basically, she played hardball, but we haven't yet seen the results, and there's no gaurantee that this won't just go down in history as a tremendous waste of state funds. Well, that is, unless she becomes VP and can make connecting Alaska's natural gas to the lower 48 a national priority as a component of McCain's solution to the energy crisis. Yay Sarah?....

comments are back

2008-08-30T11:36:00.003-04:00

I've re-enabled comments, but I'm going to moderate for a bit until the racists get bored. Sorry for the delay if you're interested in posting, it might take me a while to approve.

I only removed 4 comments from the thread last night, so you can still get a broad sense of most people's thoughts. Some of you will probably think that a few of the comments still up are pretty bad - just imagine that the 4 comments I removed that were *worse.*

Stupid racists, ruining my blog. :-P

link from CNN.com = worst thing ever

2008-08-30T02:03:00.003-04:00

So my last post, which linked to the CNN pundit report card on the Palin nod, was reciprocally linked to from CNN.com, prompting dozens of commenters to hop on over to my site for "dialogue."

Exciting, right? It was great to see insane numbers of people reading, compared to what I'm used to, and once I sorted out the CNN thing and figured out why there were McCain folks posting (which really, I was mostly just confused about... no one I know of who reads my blog is pro-McCain), I enjoyed watching the back and forth, taking it all with a heavy grain of salt.

Until about 90 minutes ago. Apparently the racists only come out at night, and they post anonymously. It makes sense - a coward always wants to hide. But boy, can they post. I decided to disable comments, which is a shame, because a lot of people had interesting things to say. I suppose I could have moderated, but just reading this stuff was giving me a stomachache.

I was a little upset early on when people started attacking me for no reason, but deep down I knew that didn't matter. A lot of stereotypes were thrown around, in ways that I felt were inappropriate. Really the line was crossed when the "N" word came out. Then a commenter made racist remarks about Obama's children.

Really? His children?

I'm not sure what to say right now. I think all I can offer is the knowledge that people who traffic in hate are doing nothing more than living in fear.

Sarah Palin is my new favorite thing to blog about

2008-08-29T16:39:00.021-04:00

Leslie Sanchez is apparently the only person on CNN's payroll who thinks this selection by McCain was a good idea. I love how Gloria Borger was too dumbfounded to even assign a rating:

Now, a photo of Gov. Palin looking nakey in her beauty pageant days, and More Fun Facts!!! (all true)!

Sarah Palin has only served as governor one month longer than Barack Obama has been running for president.
She opposes abortion even in the cases of rape and incest.
John McCain has met her in person literally once, before he informed her of his selection yesterday morning, this past Februrary.
Her son Track will be deployed to Iraq on September 11th, 2008. What are the odds.
Her husband is known in Alaska as "First Dude."
She owns a piddly three houses, one for living, two for "recreation."
Today is her 20th wedding anniversary. (Hmm, this means she got married when she was my age - eek, quarter life crisis!)
Today is also John McCain's 72nd birthday.
Her selection has led everyone alive, including Pat Buchanan, to speculate about John McCain's imminent death.
According to Dana Perino, the White House is "energized" by the Palin pick. Yeah, you get pretty energized running around screaming "WTF."

Naked photo:

UPDATE: This is probably totally untrue, but a rumor out there on the internets says Palin's youngest son Trig, born in mid-April, is actually the child of her teenage daughter Bristol, and that Palin's "pregnancy" was a cover-up. I know, I know, I know - BUT when you look at the timing laid out in this story, it's pretty sketchy. Apparently Palin announced to the world that she was pregnant in early March and said the baby was due in mid-May. That means she announced her pregnancy at 7 months. 7 months? And no one could tell?

I know, I know, I know. I'm just saying... this guy said it too, at the time...

I'm JUST saying...

hot new political prop: the Woman!

2008-08-29T12:38:00.019-04:00

My first reaction when I heard about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin being picked as McCain's VP was "shit, we can say goodbye to disaffected Hillary supporters." Well with every new fact I read about her I am less and less concerned about our new VP-nomiated GILF.

My Favorite Point being made about Palin so far comes from this guy:

Dennis Goldford, professor of politics at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, said: "She brings an excitement on the part of the Republican base... He is also clearly trying to attract Clinton supporters who want to see a female in the VP’s office." But he added: "On the down side there is no way in the world she passes the commander-in-chief test. Obama looks like the grand old man of American politics compared to Palin ... And she makes it look like McCain and his daughter are running."

My Second Favorite Point comes from Chuck Schumer:

In an issued statement, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Palin is significantly mismatched to Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden and said the prospect of her becoming president is "troubling." "It is a real role of the dice and shows how John McCain, Karl Rove et al realize what a strong position the Obama-Biden team and Democrats in general are in in this election," Schumer said. "Certainly the choice of Palin puts to rest any argument about inexperience on the Democratic team and while Palin is a fine person, her lack of experience makes the thought of her assuming the presidency troubling. I particularly look forward to the Biden-Palin debate in Missouri.”

Obama's campaign seconds the point: "Experience is being taken off the table considering you're putting someone within a heartbeat of the presidency with the thinnest foreign policy experience in history," spokesman Bill Burton said.

More Fun Facts!!!!!

Her husband is Eskimo.
She scored second place in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant (she and Cindy can battle it out for Miss Buffalo Chip!).
She has 5 children, two of whom are named "Track" and "Trig"... named after two things I hated in high school?
She's a creationist.
She's a proud member of Feminists for Life.
She appears to wear an up-do every day... personal stylist? Or clip-in hairpiece?
Oh yeah, and did we mention she's a woman.

PS. Wonkette is having a shitshow field day with this one. Seriously, it feels like April Fools' Day.

the scene tonight:

2008-08-29T00:29:00.006-04:00

At Busboys and Poets, watching the nomination speech. I watched Barack Obama accept the Democratic party nomination, on the anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream Speech," with a huge crowd of people from all walks of life, in a bar across the street from where the first window was smashed in the DC riots 40 years ago. I love the feeling of sitting with history for a while.

O BA MA

2008-08-28T18:50:00.010-04:00

Busy night, have choir rehearsal and then heading out to grab a drink with friends and watch the Obama speech. So I will leave you with a photo of the Obama Iowa caucus cookies (I know, not cupcakes!) I baked back in January and a link to the Flickr Obama Cupcake Photo Pool.

patriotic cupcakes will follow Bin Laden to the gates of hell

2008-08-27T13:05:00.017-04:00

Okay so my "blogging lunch break" has gone on for a little more than an hour - time for me to get back to work. But I couldn't end the day without some cupcake love. Say hello to my "Red, White, and Blue" cupcakes from this summer's two-house-extravaganza 5th of July BBQ:

Clockwise from bottom, "Black & Blueberry Fudge" cupcakes; fudgy blueberry-chocolate cake with a fresh blackberry jam center, topped with blueberry liqueur buttercream, locally-grown blueberries and a piece of dark lavender chocolate.
At the top, "Coco FroYo" cupcakes; dense coconut cake topped with old-fashioned vanilla buttercream and sprinkles, set in a sugar cone that you can eat or (if you're like me) throw away because those things taste like styrofoam.
Finally, at right, "Red Forest" tallcakes; Southern red velvet cake, filled with cherry/kirsch brandy sauce, topped with more cake, rich cream cheese frosting, and a fresh black cherry.

Dang, that was a party.

plug for Sam's mom in NY-26

2008-08-27T12:53:00.010-04:00

My most bestest friend Sam's mother, who has been running an uphill battle in the NY-26 Democratic primary (Repuplican Tom Reynolds' old seat), just came out with one of the most on-the-mark, entertaining political ads I've ever seen. And that's not just because when Alice comes on the screen I get all excited because I know her. ;-)

You have to know a bit about the background on her challengers, Powers and Davis, to really understand the video. But fortunately, you can find that background here, in the Buffalo News article about the piece, which played in local markets during coverage of Hillary Clinton's convention speech last night.

I so wanna be at the convention right now

2008-08-27T11:41:00.003-04:00

so jealous.

"...just cold eatin' pretzel mix..."

believe it or not...

2008-08-27T01:10:00.007-04:00

I am blogging again. I haven't posted since May. I have baked a million cupcakes since then, and Barack Obama is two days away from officially accepting the Democratic nomination for president. As a result, news coverage of the election has become considerably more boring in my opinion (except for Sunday when Joe Biden called his wife a hot piece of ass while accepting the VP nod... maybe I'm paraphrasing that a bit).

But while I firmly believed that after more than 3 months with no posts, there couldn't possibly be anyone out there still checking and reading my blog, I have been proven wrong by a few recent commentors. Not to mention friends who like to waste time at work, who've been bitching at me about this for months now.

Besides, I need an outlet. Work has gotten crazy this summer (wasn't I supposed to have the summer "off" from the youth program?) and I have stories. Oh so many stories to tell. And so many pornographic cupcake photos to post. (No not that kind of porn. Food porn.) I shall begin tomorrow, and continue henceforth. :D

cupcake BLITZKREIG...

2008-05-15T14:29:00.000-04:00

"Blitzkreig" was the only appropriate word to describe the mad rush of cupcake photos that I am about to post. This is due to a combination of me being too busy to upload photos to my computer and having a bazillion cupcake orders in the past few weeks. AND I have another for Saturday AND I have another for next week. Business is goooood.

(Also, let it be known that my blitzkreigs are much more fun and adorable than Hitler's.

...MUCH more.)

Cupcake 1: Gluten-Free Mint Chocolate AKA "Luftwaffe"

These were for a friend of my co-worker Lauren - they were also the first "stop" on his birthday scavenger hunt... I was honored to hand over cupcakes to this confused young man early on a Sunday morning.

Cupcake 2: "The Elvis" AKA "Kesselschlacht"

These are banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (because Elvis loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and also that's what my cookbook calls them.)

Cupcakes 3 and 4: Fluffernutter! and Chocolate Banana AKA "Schwerpunkt!"

These were for a middle school graduation ceremony held by the Higher Acheivement Program - where my friends Avi and Katherine work. Chocolate, peanut butter, and banana all seem to be favorite flavors this season...

Cupcake 5: Peanut Butter Chocolate AKA "Machismo"

A co-worker of my roommate wanted to do a little appreciation gift for the maintenance men at her office. Chocolate/peanut butter cupcakes with a big manly roasted peanut on top where about the most masculine cupcake idea I could come up with... it's hard to bake masculine cupcakes.

THE END.

just when I thought I couldn't love Barack Obama any more Part DUEX...

2008-05-15T12:30:00.007-04:00

I was actually pretty pissed about "sweetiegate" yesterday (it's a pet peeve of mine, which probably has something to do with the fact that my father always used to do it to waitresses) - but once again, Obama has managed to make me feel okay about the whole thing.

"Hi Peggy. This is Barack Obama. I'm calling to apologize on two fronts. One was you didn't get your question answered and I apologize. I thought that we had set up interviews with all the local stations. I guess we got it with your station but you weren't the reporter that got the interview. And so, I broke my word. I apologize for that and I will make up for it. Second apology is for using the word 'sweetie.' That's a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front. Feel free to call me back. I expect that my press team will be happy to try to make it up to you whenever we are in Detroit next."

Oh Barack, I can't stay mad at youuuuuuuu.

just when I thought I couldn't love Barack Obama any more...

2008-05-09T14:52:00.002-04:00

... he plays Taboo.

"What's the best way to kill time on a five-hour flight? If you ask Barack Obama, he might suggest you play the game 'Taboo.' The popular word game has recently become a staple among the traveling press corps as a way to pass time, and Thursday night's cross-country flight proved to be too much for the Illinois senator, as well—he came back for press vs. campaign staff match-up just a short while after takeoff."

cashew-buttah cardamom cupcakes...

2008-04-28T15:51:00.003-04:00

These were for my fabulous friend Kerry's weekend-long birthday celebration (happy hour Friday, dinner out Saturday, picnic in Rock Creek Park Sunday). Unfortunately, it was cloudy and cold on Sunday, and I stayed home Saturday to bake the darn cupcakes, but that didn't stop us from having a grand ol time eating Kerry's fave cupcake flavor: Cashew Butter Cardamom. They went perfectly with Elizabeth's contraband rum punch.

Glamour shots of the cupcakes before they left the house:

primary live blog: el chapter dos

2008-04-22T15:33:00.008-04:00

So at least two people in Pennsylvania voted for Obama today: my mom and my stepdad. That means the current tally is Obama 100%, Clinton 0%. Here's a picture of them at the polls:

I also got to stop by the Caln Township Democrats' electioneering table at this particular polling place, deep in Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District (the fightin' 6th!!). My favorite piece of swag was a full-color brochure with the title "BARACK OBAMA: COMMITTED CHRISTIAN." I took one, of course. Hillary had something out about how much she loves truck drivers and Crown Royal, and it occurred to me that overweight, aging white men need to start signing up with talent agents around election season - they were all OVER these mailers.

Pennsylvania primary live-blogging!!!

2008-04-22T01:10:00.012-04:00

See? I didn't post anything on my blog for three weeks because I was training, in arduous preparation for a live blogging extravaganza of the primary elections from my home state of Pennsylvania.

That's right, here in the Cupcake Monster HQ, on location in my stepdad's home office in Coatesville, PA, I will update you on the minute-by-minute on-the-ground happenings as I see them, LIVE in the great Keystone State of Pennsylvania, home of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly crunch.

What do I have for you today? Well, for one thing, there are ads EVERYWHERE. Oh my God just flipping channels you see like 3 ads at a time. I saw three back-to-back ads, Obama, then Clinton, then Obama, during OLBERMAN. OLBERMAN already IS a freaking political ad. Also a quick unscientific poll of yard signs in this region shows Hillary at 50%, Obama at 10% and Ron Paul, sadly, at 40%.

Also today, I went shopping at the Wilbur Chocolate Company in Lititz, which you may remember as the site of a mini-scandalette involving Obama, suggestive hugs, and some old-lady chocolate makers who were most definitely blushing at the time. For the record, I followed up with one of the old-lady chocolate makers, and when all was said and done her husband was not jealous. "Not much makes him jealous," in fact. You heard it here first folks. I'm following up on the stories the people want to hear about, and also the stories that involve buying chocolate. (In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the infamous photo:)

Tomorrow I'll have exciting updates re: going to the polls to watch my mom vote (like I used to when I was 6), and watching the returns with her on the living room sofa while I sew a patch in my jeans (you can get fabric out here very cheap.) Maybe if I have time I'll also explain why I haven't had any cupcake pictures up for almost a month. Toodles.

Hillary Clinton: bowling alone

2008-04-08T13:10:00.004-04:00

So sad. Ellen kicked her ass. And she tried to cheat!

Hazelnut Liqueur cupcakes

2008-03-31T17:39:00.004-04:00

Mmmm...

And with delicious brand-name ingredients!

who on earth is running things over there??!?

2008-03-31T12:58:00.007-04:00

Sorry for the recent lapse in posts. I decided to have an intentionally relaxing weekend. But now this: Hillary Clinton didn't pay health insurance premiums for her own staff, for two months.

Really, Hillary? Really?? ...really???!?!?!?!

ps. Hazelnut Liqueur cupcake pics to come...

when I grow up, I want to be Wonkette

2008-03-26T17:15:00.003-04:00

Not really.

But how they found this video, I will never know.
Follow the link for fascinating social commentary on homelessness and civic participation...

sneakers cost same as 4 dozen fancy cupcakes...

2008-03-25T17:23:00.019-04:00

While waiting for a lil' package of finely-ground hazelnut meal to arrive at my doorstep last week, I baked a batch of cuppycakes for my co-worker Cathie to pass the time. :) It was my first batch of plain Dutch Chocolate cupcakes in a long time, along with the ever-popular Caramel Apple pie and Vanilla/Almond Marble with Bourbon Buttercream.

See if you can guess which is which:

the Dutch Chocolate in the spotlight:

Finally, because spring is coming and I feel guilty from eating so much cupcake batter, I went to the gym yesterday for the first time in 200,000 billion years. (I used to jog in Pangea... I am hilaaaaaarious.) And then I bought these kickass crazy-face sneakers to congratulate myself:

as Al Franken once said...

2008-03-25T11:56:00.002-04:00

"lies, and the lying liars who tell them."

UPDATE: Clinton admits her mistake amid pressure from the cupcake/Politico blogosphere ;)

Hillary Clinton said there was sniper fire when she landed in Bosnia in 1996. And by sniper fire, she meant ever-so-gentle 8-year-old girl kisses:

"'I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.'-Hillary Clinton, speech at George Washington University, March 17, 2008.

Hillary Clinton has been regaling supporters on the campaign trail with hair-raising tales of a trip she made to Bosnia in March 1996. In her retelling, she was sent to places that her husband, President Clinton, could not go because they were "too dangerous." When her account was challenged by one of her traveling companions, the comedian Sinbad, she
upped the ante and injected even more drama into the story. In a speech earlier this week, she talked about "landing under sniper fire" and running for safety with 'our heads down.'... Contrary to the claims of Hillary Clinton and former Army secretary Togo West, Bosnia was not "too dangerous" a place for President Clinton to visit in early 1996. In fact, the first Clinton to visit the Tuzla Air Force base was not Hillary, but Bill, on January 13, 1996.

Had Hillary Clinton's plane come 'under sniper fire' in March 1996, we would certainly have heard about it long before now. Numerous reporters, including the Washington Post's John Pomfret, covered her trip. A review of nearly 100 news accounts of her visit shows that not a single newspaper or television station reported any security threat to the First Lady... According to Pomfret, the Tuzla airport was 'one of the safest places in Bosnia' in March 1996, and 'firmly under the control of Big Red One,' the 1st Infantry Division.

Far from running to an airport building with their heads down, Clinton and her party were greeted on the tarmac by smiling U.S. and Bosnian officials. An eight-year-old Moslem girl, Emina Bicakcic, read a poem in English. An Associated Press photograph of the greeting ceremony, above, shows a smiling Clinton bending down to receive a kiss. 'There is peace now," Emina told Clinton, according to Pomfret's report in the Washington Post the following day, "because Mr. Clinton signed it. All this peace. I love it.'

The First Lady's schedule, released on Wednesday and available here, confirms that she arrived in Tuzla at 8.45 a.m. and was greeted by various dignitaries, including Emina Bicakcic, (whose name has mysteriously been redacted from the document.)"

Richardson plaigarizes Jon Stewart ;-)

2008-03-21T13:21:00.004-04:00

From Ben Smith's Politico coverage of the Richardson-Obama endorsement:

"It's an interesting move: He says he's endorsing Obama specifically because of his speech. It's certainly a useful validation of it.

'He could have awaited for the controversy over the deplorable remarks of Reverend Wright to subside, as it surely would have,' Richardson says. 'Instead, Senator Obama showed us what kind of leader he truly is.'

'He spoke to us as adults,' he says."

roundup - the most ridiculous things I've seen on the internets today...

2008-03-20T15:43:00.005-04:00

First of all, has Geraldine Ferarro lost her freakin mind? From another interview with the Daily Breeze:

"To equate what I said with what this racist bigot has said from the pulpit is unbelievable," Ferraro said today. "[Obama] gave a very good speech on race relations, but he did not address the fact that this man is up there spewing hatred."

Was she this off the handle when she ran for VP? I was too young to remember... actually I don't think I was born yet.

Anyhoo, then there's this, from an ABC News story on Sen. Clinton's reaction to all the Rev. Wright furor:

"When Clinton was then asked specifically if her campaign was pushing the Wright story — she shrugged and took the next question, ignoring the reporter."

She shrugged?!? Can she do that?

I'm too frustrated for words today. More cupcakes tomorrow. I'll leave you with this video of my hero, Jon Stewart, who also feels like everyone's acting like children today:

I knew I liked him... sort of...

2008-03-19T12:38:00.004-04:00

even though he's kind of a crazy maniac.

Huckabee defends Obama and Rev. Wright on MSNBC:

Highlight:

"As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say 'That's a terrible statement!' ... I grew up in a very segregated South. And I think that you have to cut some slack — and I'm gonna be probably the only conservative in America who's gonna say something like this, but I'm just tellin' you — we've gotta cut some slack to people
who grew up being called names..."

Barack Obama and a million American flags talk about race...

2008-03-18T12:55:00.013-04:00

This morning's speech was a response to the Rev. Wright controversy, but also a more nuanced commentary on race in America than we've seen from a politician in my lifetime, as far as I know... I have to say I am so impressed by Sen. Obama's willingness to not reduce something so complex to sloganeering and pandering to one side or the other. He is willing to stick his neck out for the things that may not be so good for him politically in order to say what he really believes is right - the kinds of awkward, politically inconvenient things no politician really wants to say if he or she has presidential aspirations. My favorite part is quoted below; you can read the whole speech here, and I'll embed the YouTube as soon as a full video is posted.

"For we have a choice in this country. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time."

UPDATE: Here's the whole thing on video:

monday o'cupcakes!

2008-03-17T12:10:00.013-04:00

Yesterday I finished up a batch of St. Patty's Day cupcakes for my lovely friend Kerry O'Connnor (can you tell she's Irish? ;-) - one dozen Fresh Mint Chocolate, one dozen Chocolate Stout, which I think I'm going to call "GuinnessCakes." (Everything about me selling cupcakes is already illegal. Why not add copyright infringement to the list?)

Mint Chocolate:

GuinnessCakes!:

And now, in honor of the fact that my roommates and I spent all weekend watching the season 1 DVD of Flight of the Conchords...

adventures in cupcake!

2008-03-14T13:30:00.014-04:00

I tried to post some interesting political stuff yesterday, but I thought Blogger was having technical issues... turns out I was just stupid and I had my posting editor turned to Html... oops. Anyway you've probably read enough about Geraldine Ferarro soooooo

BACK TO THE CUPCAKES.

Yes, it's true, the cupcakes have returned - and will be returning in full force, since I'm scheduled to bake 6 more batches next week. Should be an adventure.

But I got a mini-fridgy-fridge (courtesy Craigslist)! And my pink bakery boxes are here. A good week.
Delicious cupcakes:

The fridgy-fridge!

um... who knew Geraldine Ferraro was racist?

2008-03-11T20:12:00.007-04:00

I didn't.

White people sure do have it rough.

UPDATE: I do want to post a link as well to Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Sen. Clinton and the Ferarro flap, because it sort of does sum up how I feel. Also, here's a glamour shot of Keith Olbermann (did you know he's Unitarian?! I'M Unitarian!!)

ps. there will be cupcakes again soon. promise. ;-)

any of our beeswax?

2008-03-10T16:29:00.011-04:00

My friend Katie brought up an interesting question on the Spitzer thing, that's been raised before: should we care what politicians do in their private lives? Obviously he's wronged his family, but is it our business to judge, as long as the affair/prostitution ring in question has nothing to do with his public responsibilities as an elected official?

I said yes, and my answer is below. Let me know if you agree/disagree.

I mostly think it's just sad and disappointing that so many people we elect to positions of power appear to have effed up views on women (or, in Craig's case, on sexuality.) I mean, I'm pretty upset by prostitution in general. I know there's a feminist argument to be made for "sex work," but I am pretty firm in my own opinion that prosititution is much more of a crappy thing than it is a positive thing. I'd be pretty upset if any man I knew admitted he'd paid for a prostitute, so I'm relatively annoyed by public people doing it, especially when they get away with it, get to keep their job, public respect etc., because it just degrades women more and implies it's not all that bad to do so.

Meanwhile, it appears that after some consideration, I will not be sharing the web address for this blog with my mother, since it looks like cursing and discussions of prostitution will be par for the course... along with the cupcakes. ;)

It's 3 AM in America. Do you know where Elliot Spitzer is?

2008-03-10T14:37:00.009-04:00

After Clinton won Ohio and Texas, I have to admit, I was pretty bored with the political news coverage (or lack thereof). "Can she win it all? Did it matter? Should Obama go negative? Are SNL skits creating lead political stories in the absence of either campaign doing freaking anything to make headlines for themselves?"

But FINALLY, someone did something awesome like get involved in a prostitution ring (and he supports Ms. Clinton, I do believe): http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/nyregion/10cnd-spitzer.html?em&ex=1205294400&en=d0917c3b73427b6a&ei=5087%0A.

Awesome.

ps. He's married with three little girls. Way to set an example, Spitzy.

who loves blogging about work?

2008-03-08T16:35:00.003-05:00

nobody! but as the "About Me" section of this blog clearly states, I work with teenagers (and grown folks) at a nonprofit by day. and interesting things do often happen with the teens, trust me.

today was a great day - the teen group I work with had a "youth meetup" with another mentoring/empowerment group. (FYI, "youth meetups" are something I completely made up and created a strategic rationale for, basically because I think it's good for our teens to go out, meet new people, and learn from diverse perspectives, etc. etc. and it's fun to be social.) we had an amazing discussion about teen pregnancy, with kids who had ALL (and I mean all) kinds of opinions and experiences with the subject -- and my girl Jashawn got us talking about the patriarchy. BAM! I love that shit.

and, for the record, cupcakes did come up. (don't they always?)

Jashawn writes really good poetry. if she lets me, maybe I'll post a few of her poems here. with cupcakes to illustrate.

gettin started in the biz!

2008-03-07T14:09:00.001-05:00

I have started selling my cupcakes... not that I'm "licensed" to do so in the "District of Columbia" or anything... but you know, just to friends, colleagues, friends of friends, friends of colleauges, readers of my blog... It's like babysitting. Think of the prices as a "reimbursement" for my ingredient and overhead costs.

But yeah, it's actually really exciting. I plan to go for an MBA sometime in the next few years and this is definitely a good entrepreneurial experience. Already, a few overhead costs have popped up that I really didn't think about until they hit me over the head:

bakery boxes (I can't really deliver all the orders in my 2-tier carrier... unless I'm willing to trust the customer to return it)
a good-sized mini-fridge (with three roommates and one fridge, I can't fit more than a dozen decorated cupcakes in there at a time)

some office materials to help me organize all my paperwork and receipts (so I can track when I first turn a profit!)

And I'm sure there will be so, so much more... yaaaay... ;-) But things are going well, I've had two orders and a bunch more in the pipeline.

So yeah, I don't want to post all the prices and such online, but if you're interested in some cupcakes, drop me a line at cupcakemonster.lee at gmail dot com and I'll send you a menu.

And if you know of anyone selling a mini-fridge let me know!

Friday morning cupcake :D

2008-03-07T11:34:00.005-05:00

These Mocha Coconut cupcakes of mine seem to be incredibly popular - I made a batch for a co-worker this morning, and now our HR director wants some too. Took a few more cupcake glamour shots, even though they look pretty similar to the last batch. Here's the best one:

Thanks to quirky cupcake for a tip on another great cupcake blog, All Things Cupcake. Time to add to my Google Reader...

good morning, and by good morning I mean good 2 pm

2008-03-06T14:29:00.004-05:00

I had a Board of Directors meeting to attend today and it's been muy busy in the 'ol workplace. But I should have some new cupcake pics to post tomorrow, in the AM. :D

So I did include a link to that Charlotte Allen article in yesterday's post on Clinton and the delegate math. Much has already been said about the piece - you can see a transcript of her online Q&A with readers here. People have been talking about this a lot in DC circles - you should read it if you haven't yet, cause it's mcflippin crazyness. (I especially love her answer to why she wrote the piece: "totally for fun"!)

This was my response to my friend Sam, who sent out the article to friends Monday morning:

I read this in print yesterday - aside from the article itself being poorly organized, non-serious tripe, I was annoyed that this column is placed next to a corresponding column about how Clinton is splitting the women's vote along socio-economic lines - a well-researched, thoughtful, organized, all-together sensical kind of article. Why did the Post choose to juxtapose these two? Is this supposed to be an article about why women support Obama - because we're stupid?

I was really surprised the Post would print this. It's crap - think about the evidence she lines up:

Oprah Winfrey
Celine Dion
Hillary Clinton's mismanaged campaign (which most people are blaming on Mark Penn)
"Eat, Pray, Love"
"Grey's Anatomy"
John Hopkins study on driving abilities by gender

Ergo, women are stupid.

Here, I'll write my own article then:
Maxim
Monster Truck Rallies
George Bush's mismanaged war in Iraq
"Into the Wild" (or, "The World is Flat" or, "Freakanomics")
"Jackass"
Stanford study on videogame addiction by gender
(http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/07/1433243)

Ergo, men are stupid. It's easy!

PS. shout out to Sam's mom who's running for Congress in NY (http://www.kryzanforcongress.com/) - she's great, and she needs help defeating a Republican incumbent who hasn't done much to turn around what's largely an economically depressed part of upstate. ... okay back to work.

so Barbie was right...

2008-03-05T11:42:00.005-05:00

From Drudge: NYT: 'Simple math is still her enemy'...

Ah math, the enemy of every woman!
Maybe she should focus on her driving skills...

Clinton wins, despite herself

2008-03-05T10:57:00.010-05:00

(This is not a non-partisan blog...though I am eventually able to tie everything back to cupcakes.)

My boy Barack didn't do so hot last night in the TX, OH, and RI primaries. It irritates me that Clinton is pushing on despite the highly questionable strength of her candidacy from any realistic perspective, and it's hard for me to see how this won't hurt the party in Nov. for either of them... From the Post:

"Her organization, though, is drained of money and energy. Outgunned by Obama in the fundraising department, the Clinton campaign is carrying millions of dollars in debt, although officials would not say how much, and it threw everything it had into Texas and Ohio. Campaign aides expressed optimism that she will draw a new infusion of money after these primaries and have enough to go forward, although that remains unclear.

Perhaps just as significant, many on her team appear exhausted and dispirited. Advisers have not waited for Ohio and Texas to launch into a furious debate about whom to blame for her problems. Senior advisers described the infighting as debilitating and destructive, with some members of her inner circle barely speaking to one another. Many fault Mark Penn, the campaign's chief strategist, for crafting a message they said did not match the mood of the year. Penn's allies blame other advisers for mismanaging campaign finances and not putting organizations on the ground in many caucus states.

As recently as last week, there were divisions among top advisers over which advertisement to use against Obama -- one attacking his Iraq war position, or one featuring a "3 a.m. call" to the White House that describes Clinton as better prepared to be president. The latter advertisement won out. But Clinton advisers were infuriated about the original debate, blaming Penn for encouraging her to cling to an unsuccessful argument -- that Obama's deeds have not matched his stated opposition to the Iraq war.
And even though Penn claimed credit for the phone-call ad, senior Clinton advisers expressed confusion over whether Penn or Austin ad guru Roy Spence had made it. Penn's allies said he made the ad -- and insisted on airing it over the objections of other senior advisers, including Mandy Grunwald, who is technically in charge of ad making. Penn wrote the ad, his allies said, and Grunwald reluctantly made it, but then tried to get it spiked.

The sniping over the ad was the latest expression of divisions within a team that has never been cohesive. Advisers complained bitterly about one other, and stories in the media delineated their differences. Several people inside the campaign said earlier that if Clinton won last night, it would be despite her campaign, not because of it."

Read the whole article here. And another piece on how rough things could get for Obama here.

And some cupcakes:
(from Flickr user slackrat)

what is the cupcake monster?

2008-03-04T16:41:00.003-05:00

Parting thought for today: a few possible definitions, courtesy of YouTube:

Illy and her annoying sister, who will both be angry at their mother someday for posting this on the internet.

The bilingual version, with Gabi.

the initiate...

2008-03-04T12:34:00.017-05:00

SO! To the cupcakes!

Most of my recipes are either straight out of or modified from VCTOTW, with a few inspired by the cupcake blogosphere. Since I'm new to blogging, I've yet to figure out exactly how to "link in" with all the other great blogs I've been reading (Cupcakes Take the Cake, Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit, quirky cupcake), but I'll work it out. (I guess i just "linked" a few of them right there... but I'm still hoping to unlock some magical key to the secret cupcake cabal...)

Anyway, in a moment of cupcake craziness, considering I was totally overwhelmed at work last week, I volunteered to bake three dozen cupcakes for our monthly staff meeting. Not a great idea in hindsight, since I caught a cold halfway through the week, but they were pretty damn popular - already one request for a dozen of the mocha coconut from a co-worker for Friday. All three were first-time recipes for me and came out quite nice:

Caramel Apple Pie, with home-baked pie crust...

Vanilla/Almond Marble, with bourbon buttercream and candied almonds...

and Mocha Coconut (which rhymes)!

Pics are from my camera phone, so they can be a little fuzzy. I need to get my tech gear in shape...

my first blog post...

2008-03-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

Cupcake Monster! will be mostly about cupcakes, partially about green/sustainable things, politics, lady-type issues, and any other interesting stuff I come across....

but yes, mostly cupcakes.