"I'm guided by a signal in the heavens / I'm guided by the birthmark on my skin"

So. I'm on my own, again (obviously), but am far more cheerful. I've already written over 1,000 words on a new short story, read nearly half of The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories.

What, then, do you imagine I did with myself this fine, foggy evening?

If you said "meet some cool people," you are, of course, wrong.

No. I fried steaks and made a fancy pan sauce, which involved brandy, mushrooms, and brown sugar. Then I ate same while watching re-runs of Good Eats. It was good, but a little too sweet. I can't make it with my parents around -- at least, and expect it to be consumed -- my dad hates sweetness with meat. Even ham, apparently. Anyway, I made too much of the sauce, as the recipe was for twice as much meat. Oops. Anyway, here's a picture of what I ended up with.

Now, I'm probably going to go for a drive, make a really dry martini (after the drive, dummy), and maybe write more. I'll probably post some of said writing once I think I'm done for the day.