My apologies

Dear Tuesdays With Dorie bakers - this is two weeks in a row without something from the book and I am extending my deepest apologies. I will be back next week, I promise.

This past week's schedule was a bit of a mess and scrunched up because I AM ATTENDING MY FIRST CONVENTION EVER!!!!!

I am posting this from my lovely, by-the-eight-lane-highway-so-you'll-get-a-restful-sleep--not hotel. It is FABULOUS!
This is my pretty view at night.

WARNING: This post has a bit of cussin' 'cause, I WAS PISSSSSED - but now I'm good....

It was a nightmare of a drive - and the weather was good - so it was just the assholes on the road (oh yeah, and the completely incorrect instructions from the hotel) that screwed it up for me.

I was cut off not once, not twice, but three times by transport trailers!!!! Our next car is going to be a Hummer, I swear to God! (But seriously, I do love my Echo to bits and would never, ever trade her for another car...unless...they make a hybrid Hummer for $15,000 that gets 100k to the litre, there, I said it and I mean it)

By the way my trip was supposed to take approx. 2 1/2 - 3 hours from my place to St. Catharines - near Niagara Falls in Ontario Canada.

SOOOO - anywhooo- 4 1/2 hours and two stops for directions later, I get here, it's dark outside and as I turn onto the road where my hotel is supposed to be, I pull into a completely blacked out Comfort Inn. 'Cause I'm not stressed out enough - WTF????? I'm staying in the haunted Comfort Inn of St. Catharines???? Sweet Jesus, could this day get any worse? Yes my friends, it does....

The woman at the spooky check-in with a flashlight tells me because I booked my room over the net - there's no real correlation between what I booked and what I get. I had asked for a room with a fridge and microwave, so I could just grab a couple of frozen dinners and eat in the room. Ummm, sorry, no.

Fine.

Here are your keys (cards really, but we still call them keys - how charming), more directions and off I go. But guess what - there's no fuckin' electricity - so you can't really get into your room! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Directly across the 8-lane highway- I spy a CHAPTERS!!! I love Chapters and nothing bad ever happens there...so off I go.

Call the husband, who isn't home from work yet, use the facilities, call the husband, who isn't home from work yet and start some angry and upset browsing. Can't...... find...... anything.....why....are.....all.....Chapters........set......up.....differently????????

Then when I finally find MY SECTION (baking, surprise, surprise)....there's a freakin' party going on. Two chicks camping out on the floor with their mondo grande no whip haf calf chocolate sprinkled energy drinks, and one other woman in MMMMYYYYYYY SSSSEEEEECCCCCTTTTIIIIOOOONNNNN!!!!!!! Now I'm going to cry. I just want the familiar, the comfort of my baking books and I can't get near them. All right, I tell myself, no one has to get hurt. If I can just get to one book - I'll be fine...So I excuse myself, stepping over the younguns, grab a book, pass the next woman and make it to the end of the row. I did it.

Ahhhh, comfort as I open to gaze upon pure chocolate Obsessions - my porn, at last. Now I can breathe.

Then I start evesdropping on the younguns - they're pastry students....and I love them.

Because they seem to love baking as much as I do, I have to butt in.

We talk for over an hour and I am soooo happy. Having worked in this industry for most of my adult life, it's so wonderful when you meet passionate people who care about what they do - and when they're so young, it just makes me that much happier. We talked industry stuff, what they want to do and where they want to go - it was just awesome. We exchanged email addresses and they offered to give me good directions for the city while I'm here - lovely, lovely girls. My whole day changed thanks to them. We said our good-byes, I finally get in touch with Doug, drive back to my now lit hotel and life is truly good again.

So what is my convention for you might ask? Why, it's the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention! Huzzah and hurrah!! Actually it's the Ontario Farmer's Market Fruit and Vegetable Convention. I am pretty excited, let me tell you! Really I am! It's like I'm all grown up - and yet not so much.....

I should really get to bed -I just want to show you the essentials I brought, to make my stay complete...

That's right, my espresso machine and grinder and since I don't have a fridge (like I'm supposed to), I've taken all the ice from the machine opposite my door, and am chilling my vanilla soy milk, for my morning latte, bitches....cause that's how I roll!!!
I'll report on the day one activities tomorrow.

Good night!