Friday Orts and a Blurb

Ooooh! I had completely forgotten tomorrow was Valentine's Day, what with Husband and I being such total romantics ALL the time that we don't even need a special day of the year in which to confine our sentimentality. But then this arrived at my desk! Woooo! A Valentine for me.

Or, not for me. Turns out that the name under the impeccably-applied heart shapes in the picture above? Not mine. Because I am an honest and forthright person, I delivered it to the correct recipient, whose desk is right down the hall. "A Friend" should be grateful that I am indeed honest and forthright because I was sorely tempted to lick the frosting before I set it on the correct desk.

(NO! I didn't. What kind of a person do you think I am?)

*****
Speaking of holidays, is February the weirdest month for holidays or what? Yesterday Boy#1 and Lovely Girl got the day off because they live in Missouri, where Abraham Lincoln apparently is esteemed more highly than he is in Kansas. As I was pfffft-ing this lack of work ethic in our neighbor state, One suggested mothers should be able to take the day off in honor of their children's birthdays, in which case it was time for me to pack up my laptop and go home.

That is a suggestion I could totally get behind, one that would give me two more days to spend in my default position.

*****

Okay, I know I watch way too much television, and consequently you-all get way too many recommendations for things you absolutely positively have to get on your DVR queue, but if you are not watching the Great British Baking Show, you are missing a chance to have your cold, hard heart expand sixteen sizes.

You know how most reality shows are equal parts skullduggery and brazen ambition? And how you pretty much hate most of the contestants before a "winner" is crowned? This is the antidote.

I stumbled on to the show while I was waiting for Downton Abbey on Sunday night, and I am beginning to believe I could live without all my television channels except PBS. This baking show is so...jolly, is the only word I can use to describe it, that it makes me smile all over. The judges are the wonderfully-named Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry and the hosts are hilarious and put meat pies in their pockets.

But my favorite part is that the contestants are just so...nice. Last week Martha (who's only 17) had a terrible time with her eclairs. They were disastrous, and even though the judges were kind, they were also clear that they were decidedly not good eclairs. Martha walked away biting her lip and trying to keep from crying. One of the other contestants, a middle-aged man named Norman, called out to her quietly and patted the bottom of his chin--"Keep yer chin up," he whispered.

People, I CRIED.

You can watch the latest four episodes online (here). Then you'll want to have a cup of tea.