This may be a surprise to most people, but I had never made a cupcake in my life before last night. How did this happen, you may ask? There are a few factors at play. Firstly, I'm not wild about cake. I much prefer a cookie, a pie, or a piece of candy. Secondly, it seemed like too much work. I haven't done much baking in the past few years.

But with 2010 feeling like a real fresh start (PS. I accidentally typed "shart" and cracked myself up before fixing it. Sigh.), the holiday gift of Chronicle Books' Cupcake Kit, the appearance of some cupcake pans in my kitchen, and a glorious month off, the time was finally right!

Yes, I used a boxed mix. Yes, I used pre-made frosting. But I'll be damned if my first cupcakes are not the greatest cupcakes ever! The little flowers came from Miette. So proud!

New Weekly Feature: Sunday Laptop Matinee!

Hey gang! I just wanted to clue y'all in to the fact that a very special movie is now available on Netflix Watch Instantly for your lazy Sunday matinee!

I've mentioned The Ruling Class on here before; and it's a weird and haunting and hilarious piece of art. Here's a preview, but it doesn't really offer any insight on the range of insanity that you will see if you watch the whole movie. Seriously.

No, seriously. It's got auto-erotic asphyxiation, slapstick comedy, a murder mystery, lots of dry British humor, and more Peter O'Toole than you can shake a stick at.



If you do end up watching it, and find yourself asking, "What the hell was that?" here's a helpful article about the historical/theatrical context. Then we can have a fun conversation about whether it was more influenced by the Theater of Cruelty or Theater of the Absurd! I'm ready!