A Wreck of My Own

I had the worst cupcake-making day of my life yesterday. I was making cupcakes for 2 Election Day parties, and as I pulled the first batch out of the oven, I realized that something had gone horribly wrong. The cupcakes were caved in, raw in the middle, and when touched, would crumble apart in your hands. There was absolutely no way of saving them. 24 cupcakes and half of a bowl of unused batter went straight into the garbage.

Now I had an hour and a half before I was supposed to be at my first event, and nothing to bring. I decided to forgo my tried and true Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcake recipe, and do the Ina Garten Chocolate Cupcake one. I had to run to the store for more ingredients, and rush through the whole process with my fingers crossed. Thankfully they came out fine.

I love decorating cupcakes, but not when I am in a rush. I did these at lighting speed. My kitchen was covered in powdered sugar, blue sanding sugar, and little red balls. The end result was not at all what I envisioned - it turned out to be some abstract weirdness that sort of reminded me of a map that you mark with red push pins to show where you have been, or constellations.

Anyway, they tasted fine and were well received. The Democrats on the receiving end remarked how they were mostly blue, which they liked. They weren't exactly Cake Wrecks, but not my best effort to be sure!

Bittersweet

The sweet: victory for Obama supporters and a new sense of optimism for the nation. The world's view of us has gone from embarassing to hopeful. Let's hope that Yes We Can holds up. The post-election mood in the air here in San Francisco is great, but the problem of our challenging economy still looms overhead like a storm cloud. Nevertheless, this is a huge step forward and a day to be remembered.


The bitter: No on Prop 8 has almost surely passed. What this means is that gay marriage will no longer be legal in California. The rainbow flag in the Castro is at half-mast, to reflect the sadness felt all over our city. Our mayor Gavin Newsom continues to fight hard in this campaign until the end. It remains to be seen whether gay marriages that have already taken place will be honored or annulled.