Babies in a jar.

Today my parents and I went to the Mutter (sorry, no umlaut) Museum. I don't know what possessed me to think I'd want to go there, but I only lasted about 5 minutes before I started feeling queasy. If you've never heard of the Mutter Museum, it was originally designed as a training museum for medical students, but now it's open to the public, so anyone can see the brain slices, (very realistic-looking!) wax models of syphilis sores and ophthalmalogic diseases, and jars full of actual stillborn conjoined fetuses. Hmm. I know I told some people I wanted to go to the Bodies exhibit in Seattle, but I clearly must have been insane when I said that, so please ignore me.

After the morning of medical oddities, my mom and I braved the after-Christmas shopping crowds, where I got a fantastic jacket from EMS for only $25 (through a combination of sales and returns and a not-entirely-ethically-obtained discount card) and a book to fuel my new crossword puzzle obsession.

You're probably not interested after the talk of jarred conjoined fetus (or maybe you have a stronger stomach than I?), but I made some good food for Christmas. We started with the now-infamous onion tart (I've started cutting the puff pastry into individually-sized tartlets before baking, which leads to more of the all-important crispy edges). I also made cornbread stuffing (my longtime readers should remember this as the turkey/stuffing recipe I made last Christmas) and the amazing chocolate-pecan-caramel tart I made this Thanksgiving. The best part about the food? Lots of leftovers. (Only-childness does have its benefits!)

4-letter word for "something Kate doesn't update anymore."

I just finished watching Wordplay, and all I can say is that you HAVE to see this movie. It just made me so happy! (Also, it reinforced that whole "I'm a huge dork" thing, but whatever.) Everyone does crosswords! Jon Stewart! Bill Clinton! The former public editor of the New York Times! Mike Mussina! And a 20-year-old due from RPI who competed in the national championship wearing a Trogdor t-shirt!

(I loved the part about how the 1996 election day Times crossword had a clue about the "lead story tomorrow" that could either be solved with "CLINTON" and "elected" or "BOBDOLE" and "elected.")

Anyway, it was great. I clapped several times during the movie (please note, I'm watching this by myself at home). And now, I think I need to start doing crosswords. Perhaps for my bus rides?

If only.

What I'd be doing this weekend if I didn't have a ton of work to do: the Urban Craft Uprising, 826 Seattle's birthday party, seeing Little Miss Sunshine before it leaves the theater, perhaps going to the Winter Beer Fest, and volunteering at Margaret's Diva Dash.

But! I will be baking the now-famous no-knead bread (in my brand new dutch oven! [a gift from Nate! for putting up with his crazy schedule! and because I kept saying, "if you want to get me a present, I want a dutch oven!"]), going to a appetizer-and-dessert-themed dinner party (I'm making the onion tart, except I think I'll cut the puff pastry into small pieces before baking, so everyone gets a tartlet), and staying out late (too late!) to see Iceage Cobra.

Happy weekend.