Running With Scissors
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
The flight to Brisbane was fine. Relatively nervous breakdowon-free. The flight home, however, was a completely different story. The prospect of flying through a rainstorm in a 737-400(one of those small jets that looks and feels really flimsy...) was too much for me and I started crying uncontrollably about 5 minutes before takeoff. The tears and general shuddering and panic attacks lasted for approximately all of our ascent, exacerbated by pockets of quite nasty turbulence. Damned pissweak 737, shaking around like one of those little metal balls in an aerosol can. I just kept thinking of how much I didn't want to be on that plane, about how I'd rather be anywhere else but in that seat, and the pathetic tears kept flowing. My meal was dodgy too...antipasto salad. all the non-vegetarians got chocolate for dessert, Ben and I got a banana. We're vegetarians, not anorexic fruitarian health nuts. Glued my eyes to the TV screen and wriggled about uncomfortably. As we descended I managed to look out the window. Still exciting after many domestic plane trips...cars like little glow-in-the-dark ants, whole city a giant dot-to-dot of lights, etc etc.After we landed, felt sick with relief and dissipating fear.

I board planes expecting to die, so it always comes as a bit of a surprise when I land intact.
Fiona expressed these musings at 2:24 AM
Synopsis
The life and times of a girl who likes cake.

The Cast And Crew
Fiona: A genius musicologist with a giant brain, who loves cake, pies and aeroplanes. Captain of Skybed 2.
Rob: Fiona's gentleman caller, also owner of a giant brain, and captain of Skybed 1.
Vanessa: Sister of Fiona, recently returned from a jaunt around the Continent.
Timothy: Friend of Fiona and gentleman caller of Vanessa, currently swanning around in Paris.
Nicholas: Friend of all of the above.
Helen: Platonic wife of Fiona, artist, and senior lecturer.
Mother: Self-explanatory.

Links to Alleviate Your Boredom
www.engrish.com
home.iprimus.com.au/ncarvan/
Other Blogs
News, Rants, Soliloquies and Reveries
Seventeenth

Recipe Of The Week: Orange and Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
125g margarine
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
2 eggs, or egg replacer equivalent
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice
3/4 cup raspberries. If you use frozen ones, don't thaw them, please.

1.Grease deep 20cm round cake pan, line base with baking paper, sprinkle with sugar.This helps your cakey to rise, as the mixture clings tenaciously to the sugar as it climbs up the sides of the pan.

2.Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl til all light and fluffy.

3.Beat in eggs one at a time, beating til just combined between additions. Or, if you are using egg replacer, divide it in half, pretend it's eggs and do the same.

4.Fold in flour and juice, in 2 alternate batches, ending with a flour batch.

5.Fold in 1/4 cup raspberries, gently now..

6.Now, assemble your cakey. Spread 3/4 of cake mixture into your pan, sprinkle with remaining raspberries. Spread with remaining cake mixture.

7. Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees) about 1 hour. Stand cake in pan 5 min,then cool on a wire rack.

8. Ice your creation. Orange or passionfruit icing would be nice with this one, I think. I usually just sift some icing sugar until I get sick of it, then add enough orange juice or passionfruit pulp to make a nice consistency.

9. Share with your friends and bask in praise (it'd be nice if you mentioned me, but if you don't, I'll forgive you). Or,
consume alone.