APPLIANCE MICROWAVE

wrote this back when it happened. just got the pic now.

Of course tonight had to be the craziest night, since it was the one and only time I forgot to bring my camera with me! This photo comes to you courtesy of Larry, who hails from a small-ish town just north of Sydney, Australia.

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While I've been settling into my new apartment, one of the most frustrating things for me has been not being able to set up my work space at home. We live in a ground level apartment and even though it's a great, safe neighbourhood, I am still a little weary of setting up my display screen, speakers, tablet, hard drives, etc. (especially since my window is right at the front of the place) So I'm waiting to figure out what kind of renter's insurance to get and in the meantime I work on my too-small-not-10-ft-of-kitchen-tables desk at the POP office and feel anxious. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE working at the POP office and I will miss hearing the crazy frenglish phone conversations and ppl talking to themselves, but I feel like I can't really get elbow-deep in the design for this year's festival until I can be at home in my room.

So it's Thursday night and I'm winding down for the day, about to head out to see an outdoor screening of Oldboy that this Australian Tim is putting on in his backyard. The group is called Cinquanon and every other Thursday his house screens a free movie for anyone who wants to come.

Patricia is on the phone beside me with her friend Rae who's coming in from Ann Arbour via Toronto for the amazing inspiring Ride to Conquer Cancer from Montreal to Quebec City happening this Saturday. They will be doing the ride together with a few other members on their team and 100s/1000s others. From what I can piece together of the conversation, there is another person coming into town with Rae, someone who doesn't have a place to stay (which is why Patricia's calling hostels). As soon as she's off the phone, I told her that the guy should just come stay with me at mine, OBVIOUSLY. (oops I forgot to tell my roommates about that one, but luckily they were both still in the office on my way out w/ P so I gave them the heads up "PS house, I picked up a house guest for us tonight.....")

And that's how I met Larry who is a pretty sweet guy. He came from Australia to help out with his friend's business in Ann Arbour (Australian married an American), but when he got there business was slow so he decided to go for a 4-month vacation of anywhere instead. He has ridden his bike EVERYWHERE. Last year did a ride all the way from Greece to Norway... was planning to ride from Ann Arbour to Montreal until he saw Rae's craigslist post for a ride and that's how they ended up meeting each other!

For dinner Carmen and I took Larry to Aux Vives for some yummy vegan fare and he was kind enough to treat us. After the precarious double bike ride down to the resto, we opted to walk to Tim's place for the movie. By the time we got there things had already started and let me tell you it was pretty magical. Oldboy was this crazy epic gruesome intense vivid Korean movie-- best Korean movie of all time according to Aaron. Watching it outside with a bunch of kids I didn't know, passing around tupperwares of microwaved popcorn, it was one of those moments where I can't believe I'm living my life, how did it get to be this good? We only met Tim a few days earlier at one of our listening sessions!

After the movie I finally got to meet Ruby who is responsible for the wicked kangaroo and gorilla pastel drawings decorating Lukas' place in addition to Emily who is a graphic design student and gave me pretty much the best reaction out of anyone when I told them I'm doing the graphic design for POP Montreal!

I wanted to go back up to my place to get my camera before heading to Club Soda for the Bell Orchestre show with Clara (free tix from POP!!) but Carmen was gone in a taxi with Mayana to the AMC Forum for the Fantasia film fest launch because Raf was playing a set and she needed to go see him because she missed his last gig, and for the first time ever Carmen and I decided it would be fine to lock our bikes together and then she's gone and my bike is still locked up--- with my locks, but she has the key to one b/c I've been lending it to her ever since Quinn had an extra bike for C to use. Finally I end up taking the metro down with Clara and we get there just as things are starting up.

The night's already been pretty spectacular: new friend, free dinner, free outdoor movie screening... and then Bell Orchestre do their thing for me one more time. I honestly don't understand how they manage to make such epic songs that come out of nothing... They build noise sculptures layer by layer until all of a sudden you don't know how we got to where we are but it's overwhelming and you are overcome. One of their songs actually reminds me visually of white light and I think it's fitting that they usually wear all white for performance

INGREDIENTS:

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
4 oz sweet baking chocolate, melted, cooled 10 minutes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup coconut pecan ready-to-spread frosting
2 oz sweet baking chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Using hands, stir or knead in 4 oz chocolate and the flour until well blended. Divide dough in half; cover and refrigerate one half until ready to use.

3. Shape remaining half into 18 balls. Place coconut in shallow dish; dip half of each ball in coconut to coat. On ungreased large cookie sheet, place balls coconut sides up 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are set and centers are almost set. Immediately make indentation in center of each cookie with end of wooden spoon. Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon frosting. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool until set, about 30 minutes.

5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave 2 oz chocolate and the oil uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chocolate can be stirred completely melted; drizzle over cookies.