I’m not entirely sure that these pancakes are any better than the Bisquick of my youth, but they were tasty and easy to make. They didn’t make any more of a mess than using Bisquick.

D&D tonight.

No baby yet. Poor li’l Bruno. If only he’d known how disappointing a birthstone aquamarine is. In my opinion, the only one worse is August with peridot. Both of those stones are just so wishy-washy about their color. Be blue! Be green! Don’t be pale and washed out, it’s just sad. Take a stand, gemstones!

Oy, I really have to start cooking again! I’ve been going out to dinner too damn much. Or skipping dinner in favor of some popcorn. I’m lacking inspiration, sadly.

The family got together on Saturday night to go to Nora’s Cafe for some French bistro fare. Their steak frites is excellent. J, Barbara May, and I got it with the pepper sauce, while Mom opted for a bernaise sauce (which she said was good but only room temperature). Dad got mussels, which he and I thought were a little overdone. Oh, and the fries weren’t hot enough, which was sad, because they had a really nice flavor. Although the pate on the charcuterie plate was good, I wasn’t terribly impressed by the rest of the meats. However, the green salads that accompanied everything were really good. Very flavorful arugula and the like. Barbara May got some French onion soup (over there, I hear they just call it “onion soup”), but I didn’t try it. I hope it was good.

The desserts were kind of a mixed bag, too. I got the very disappointing Fraise, which didn’t actually have any strawberries at all, just an overly sweet gel.  J and Barbara May got profiteroles, which were tough. Mom got Rhum, which was rum raisin ice cream (her favorite) with whipped cream and what seemed like a fifth of rum in it. Seriously, this was über-boozy. If I were to get dessert there again, I’d get the Norvegienne, which is vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and Grand Marnier. I was debating between that and the Fraise, and I totally made the wrong choice.

However, the excellent steaks and yummy salads really helped to make up for the shortcomings in the rest of the meal. I would go there again, but I’d just order more carefully.

I went over to Jer’s yesterday to watch the Super Bowl. And by “watch the Super Bowl,” I mean “sit on the couch and play Dawn of Sorrow on Jer’s DS while he watches the game.” A couple hours after it was over, I had to ask Jer who won. I really was not paying attention at all. We got takeout phô. It was decent.

I’ve been freaking out a little bit over the last few days. I got a letter from my new landlord (our building was sold earlier this month) that said, “We will be entering your apartment on January 30 to exhibit the rental unit to prospective mortgagees.” So I spent the entire weekend cleaning and making my place look nice. I hope they are not going to pull an Ellis Act on the building and evict everyone. I’m really worried about that. I’ve only lived here for a half year, and I really like my place. I don’t want to have to find another one.

I am guessing I’ll find out tomorrow what’s happening.

Good times.

In lighter news, I’ve been trying out a new tea. Stash Fusion Green and White Tea. It was two dollars at Trader Joe’s. I have been pleased with my (small) investment. I like having teas at work that don’t need milk and sugar.

I’m mostly better. Hurray!

Okay, so we’re not getting that table, but R☆ and Jer are constructing a new gaming surface. When finished it will be awesome. I spent way too much time at Home Depot yesterday with them (and Rosy).

One good thing about getting sick: I eat the stuff I’ve frozen.

I need to make stock. I have chicken bits. I will need to stop by a grocery store on the way home to get an onion.

NPR does a report on Katamari Damacy.

I’m still coughing. Now, as a bonus, my nose is leaking all over the place. Huzzah! (Don’t worry, Mom, I’m being careful not to get nosebleeds.)

I had to cancel our D&D session tonight. That makes me sad.

I went to Trader Joe’s this morning to pick up another bottle of Dynamo. It’s got a lot of vitamins in it or something. Its main feature (to me) is that it doesn’t really taste like orange juice. It unfortunately tastes a little too pineapple-y, but it’s reasonable enough in taste for me to make it through 64 ounces.

I hope I can go to work tomorrow.

Dang it, I think I might be getting sick. I’ve started coughing rather frequently. Good thing I’ve already got the soup made.

ETA: Ooh, Martha, if you’ve given me what you had last week at work when you damn well should have been at home getting better, I am sooooo sitting on your next reimbursment request for two weeks.