It occured to me it has been quite some time since my last blog. This is clearly not because I have nothing to complain about- quite the contrary. I've had this flu that turned into *the cough* and I'm too busy violently heaving and cursings the flimsy sandwich bags I have instead of functioning lungs. But, I digress...

Needless to say, after first being sick, and now sounding sick, I've fallen behind beyond the usual half-assed studying to full-blown textbooks-unopened for days behind. Thus, that Wilton cake decorating course I signed up for a month ago at Michaels was already seeming to be a poor choice. I missed last thursday's class to stay in bed, but told my instructor I'd come in early this week to make up the lesson and learn how to do the frosting rose. I had only the best of intentions.

Well, Scalia was giving a speech on campus today (I couldn't miss Nino, could I?) so...I was not 30 minutes early. I was instead 10 minutes late, with no cake to decorate but some cupcakes I made the past weekend. I tried to make the rose...just like in the book. Using green frosting was a mistake, because after the flower came out all wilty and floppy looking, I realized I had made a fantastic cabbage but a really crappy rose. Meanwhile, my classmates were making fantastic cakes, that coudl have come straight out of that glass case in Kroger's, decorated with rose sprays, tied with neat litte frosting bows. I tried again. and again. Proving that practice doesnt' ALWAYS make perfect, I couldnt' even replicate my succesful cabbage again. I did, however, manage to drop at least two attempts on the floor and rip an icing bag so the swirls of frosting were coming out the sides and not the tip. I was about to fold a new wax paper bag and try, try again, but then I had a thought.

I would rather have been studying. Seriously.

At that point, it was all over. Never mind that I had yet to master the lesson, while the rest of the students were almost done decorating their entire cakes. Never mind that I was now smeared in confectioners sugar with only 45 minutes separating me and successful completion of course one. I realized that, a) I sucked at cake decorating, and b) I didn't really care if I did. I could have tried, and I'd like to think that eventually, I might have gotten the hang of it. Or, I could pack my bag, tell Ms. Janet Worrell (Certified "Wilton Method" cake decorating instructor for the Charlottesville location of Michael's craft store) that I was terribly sorry to leave early but I had an 8pm appointment that I was running late to. Within 5 minutes I was in the minivan, driving home. And I haven't looked back.

Incidentally, the only result of this failed class was one frosted cupcake with a warped looking multiculored rose on top. I accidentally set my purse on top of it while getting into the van, but not until after I had preserved its memory with a cellphone photo. I"ll probably paste it to facebook... Now to try and get the red icing off of white leather...