My week in cake

[tacit]

I had plans to go to the cinema with Jim to meet R (an ex-housemate), and R's friend Steve who, incidentally, I fancy the pants off. Jim was driving my car, because I was putting on makeup in the passenger mirror for Steve's benefit. I quite often give Jim my keys - I'm not a bad driver, I'm just aware that Jim is a better driver than, possibly, everyone. He also likes to keep an eye on how my car is running. He is fully aware that I don't notice things like squishy tyres or squeaky brakes, and he's probably the only one who ever checks the oil.

Turns out that squeaky brakes are a problem. A week or so ago I got into my car after parking it on a hill and the handbrake felt stiffer than it had been. I ignored it completely, and ignored the occasional high whine, but Jim was all frowny as he drove and telling me I ought to get it checked out.

And then we approached a busy roundabout in the middle lane, with cars either side of us and cars ahead on the roundabout, and the brakes failed. Like, failed completely. They were operating at maybe 10% - which is nothing! - and made awful, awful noises. Apparently we left the brakes disks on the road behind us when they fell clean off the rear wheels. We had no option but to drive onto the roundabout. We were going a little too fast for comfort even had there been no other cars. We missed two cars by inches, and got honked at by a bunch of people, but, somehow, nobody got so much as a scratch.

We were about 500m and two more roundabouts from Jim's house. I'd have rolled to a halt somewhere awkward and obstructive, but Jim felt safe to get us home - we went along at about 15mph and he slowed us with the gears - which also sounded awful but not as awful as the brakes. This is part of why he rocks. My panic response is the hit the brakes; his evolves in nanoseconds into using the gears to slow down. I was already informing him of how much I loved and adored him by about 50 metres past the first crisis.

We switched cars, and after the cinema Jim drove me home - which is an hour round trip - and the next day he pulled a sickie to fix my car, and delivered it to my house. ♥

So, a thank you cake was in order.






Jim liked it. In fact, he came over while I was photographing it (my creative talents don't extend to photography, can you tell?!) and showed his enthusiasm by taking a big bite out of the bonnet.







Some construction photos for the curious:

First, I stuck four curly wurlys together with chocolate. I needed something long, thin and rigid to be the bonnet.



Then I made the engine out of black and white roll-out icing and strawberry shoelaces.



I made a diagonal slice in the cake  so that I could cantilever the curly wurlys under the back part of the car.



Then I shaped the car



Then I covered it with ganache (which I also used to construct the layers)



And then I iced it. Which took 2 hours. /o\

In the past few days I have also:

1) seen Eddie Izzard live. You have not lived until you've seen an intepretation of how dinosaurs might have attempted to communicate Christianity's ten commandments. Arghh roar argh argh, roar argh! Grr!

2) gone to Alton Towers, (it's a theme park) and queued up a lot to go in a halloween themed maze with actors whose job it is to scare and shock, and on rollercoasters that made my knees go wobbly. But not as wobbly as being in a car when the brakes failed.

3) applied for teacher training, although I remain unconvinced that I want to do it. But the deadline was approaching so I thought I'd cover that base and zap off an application. Pros: a honking great bursary while I train and then an actual salary. Cons: crowd control, having a boss, having to work mornings, having to go to teacher training.

4) eaten out four times. But they'd all been planned for ages and as such do not count as a spree: spending; calorific; or otherwise.

Phew. I need a lie in.

Comments

[me-maneuver.livejournal.com]

That cake is AWESOME!!! Go you!!! \o/
Sorry about your car, though. :( That sucks. I'm glad no one was hurt.

Also, EDDIE FTMFW!

Teacher training sounds awesome... wow for an actual salary. :)

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

Eddie was so excellent! I really recommend the DVD of this tour, when it comes out (next month, I think). Unless you're a devout theist, in which case it might be a bit offensive. One of our party was a Catholic and she didn't seem offended, but the show had a lot of 'I'm an atheist and here's why'. I found it utterly hilarious and Claire couldn't quite breathe at one stage for laughing so hard. Love!

The cake was fun. :)

Teacher training... I'm on the fence, still. I really love being my own boss. I'm not sure if I want a proper salary badly enough. I'm tempted to do the TT and then not teach! In 18 months time the property market should be easier to work with. *procrastinates*

[me-maneuver.livejournal.com]

Is he still on his Stripped tour? sadiane and I saw him when he came through our area. I AODRE him sooooo much! As much as I love seeing him live and all his new stuff, I don't think anything will make me I'll laugh as hard as Dress To Kill. Definite Article and Sexie are a close second, but there were times I thought I'd DIE because I was laughing so hard at DTK. :D

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

I heart DTK! Yep, it was the Stripped tour. I saw him on his Sexie tour as well, and I thought this one was funnier. Perhaps because the topic was close to my heart - 'I'm an atheist and here's why' - and he said everything so well and so hilariously. I'd be pretty surprised if he ran the same show in the US though. I really don't think the anti-theism would go down very well over there. Or am I wrong? Is that what he did when you saw him?

[dodificus.livejournal.com]

It took TWO HOURS to ice the cake? Make sure he knows that when you give it to him:)

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

Well, it had to have door handles! And number plates! It was all rather fiddly. And there was the dying of the icing, and the occasional wander out to my car to remind myself what they're supposed to look like. Also, snack breaks.

Uh, the saving up isn't going so well... But, if I hadn't spent £80 on car parts, £30 on Eddie, £20 on Alton Towers and £50 on restaurants, it would be going marvellously. And I don't do those things that often...? /o\

[dodificus.livejournal.com]

*eyes my $2400 savings and then eyes you judgementally*

And I just got my bond back from the house I moved out of in August so once that's deposited you can add another $400. \o/ Don't worry, at the rate I'm going you can be my little sherpa and I'll pay your way:P

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

♥

$1000 is £565, so I am lagging about... *adds the four, carries the one*... $2800 behind.

But! If I do do teacher training they will basically pay for it. So you are unlikely to get out of carrying your own bags. :p

[raisintorte.livejournal.com]

That cake is AWESOME.

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

Thanks!! Sometimes you just feel like modelling with icing, you know? O_o

[naye]

YAY FOR JIM! Yay for averted disasters! And SUPER YAY for that scrumptious, brilliant cake! You are a cake-making genius~! \o/

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

I'm still very much in 'yay for Jim' mode. I heart him, and so does my car.

The cake was fun! I was icing it right up til the last minute and I'd have put more dumb details on if I'd had time. But I quite like the bonnet staying open on its own, that was satisfying after the subsiding house cake.

[naye]

YAY JIM!

It cannot be said enough.

And then, in the breathtaking (mis)adventures of breaks and cakes and cars, I totally forgot that YOU GOT TO SEE EDDIE IZZARD!! OMG!! SO AWESOME!!

I would be croaking with jealousy, except I HAVE seen him live that one time. So I can definitely say that OH I AM SO JEALOUS. Because I know how brilliant he is...!

TELL ME EVERYTHING! :D

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

Oh, he was fantastic! I heartily recommend the DVD when it comes out next month. Although, I'm not sure how similar it'll be to what I saw on Friday - I just asked me_maneuver above if he did the same show, because I really wouldn't think it'd go over as well in the states.

He was hysterical. There was a long running joke about how he didn't believe in Christianity's god because if he created the world in 6 days and the 7th was for praying, then he had a very very dull 450 million years waiting for the algae to develop sentience. And then he had to endure the dinosaurs going 'Rawr!' at each other a lot, and eating and pooing and killing. He had a thing about them trying to have an organised religion, but it being hard without language. :) There was a thing about a raptor and a cow being caught speeding on a motorway that went through the whole show. ♥ Eddie's randomness.

I am so behind the times with you! Anything exciting going down with you? I have been lame with my flist for a while. DO TELL.

[deltacephei.livejournal.com]

Wow! That is one really cool cake! (And one horrifying story. The brakes couldn't have chosen to fall off, like, in your driveway? On your street? The universe is a cruel place.)

Also: not dead here! Much. I've been sick since Friday, but I can't afford to be. I have to be at school this entire week. The course started today! It was okay, but I'm totally beat, and I fear I'll be worse off tomorrow. I'm thinking of going to bed now, and that probably tells you everything you need to know. It's only 8pm, for god's sake.

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm pretty glad the brakes failed when they did - I wasn't driving, for one, and we were near Jim's house, and it was on a day he'd had off sick so he could easily take the following day off as well... But yes, further away from the thousands of speeding cars would've been nice :) It's actually the second time I've been a passenger while Jim's driving and brakes have failed, the first time being 5 or 6 years ago. He's practically a pro.

How was your first week at school?!! I want to know the details! What do you have to do? Are you taught in groups? What're your co-students like? Is it fun so far?

I have been largely offline lately - I watched 2 seasons of Farscape last week while knitting, and have been pretty busy in my - *gasps* - social life. I don't know what's happened. I think it's because I'm going to the gym with Tam two or three times a week now, which feels like a social engagement although it's only a bit about that. But a couple more evenings a week out of the house is big jump from my usual solitary lazyness, and it's kinda nice!