this seemed like a good time to make pancakes. [they are made from oat flour (totally wheat-free), so i did not have to follow up this meal with a handful of antihistamines.]
i can say with zero exaggeration that i have been dreaming about eating pancakes for the past week or so. those dreams were mostly the fevered kind that tend to accompany mid-Winter ailments... which brings me to the point of this thing.
there seems to be a disturbing trend developing around here where our ringing in of the New Year is concerned. as i have probably noted in the past, i really could not care less about Christmas. but New Year's...? that is our most-anticipated mid-Winter celebration.
for as long as we have known each other—even during the years when we were separated by an international border—we always made a point of spending every New Year's Eve together. and we made it our tradition to share a special meal as midnight approached. whether we decided to splurge and go out, or to stay at home and make something wholly ridiculous, the point was that we were always together.
that part has not changed, but what has is the new tradition that has ruined our second New Year's Eve in a row. you guessed it... the common cold/flu. this time around was nothing compared to the utter nightmare of the previous year's flu season, which left most of the people we know absolutely drained until Winter was finally done. however, it still sucks to have your plans cancelled on account of saboteur germs.
worst part was that i did not technically get sick until after New Year. what i did manage to do before that point was to pull a muscle in my back, which left me in excruciating pain for a few days, while he—who was already sick—had to tend to us both.
it was equal parts hilarious and sad.
the best bit was probably when we decided on the day before New Year's Eve to drive to the big Asian grocery store on the other side of town... in the middle of a snowstorm and what the weather person on the radio was describing as brutal, hazardous conditions... to pick up any last minute fixings we may need for our special meal.
luckily, Canadians tend to be good at driving in terrible Winter conditions—plus there were very few other idiots who were stupid enough to venture out unnecessarily—so we managed to get back in one piece. i have a vague recollection of us putting away the 'refrigeration necessary' items, and the rest of it remained on the floor in the grocery bags for the next several days.
my back was starting to feel less-painful around this point... which is when the germs decided to kick in. we made a beeline for the blankets, and i have little-to-no recollection of anything that happened over the next few days. i am fairly certain that he tapped me on the shoulder at some point to wish me a happy New Year... then we both fell right back into the feverish embrace of cold-and-flu germs. our tradition was once again foiled!
we had planned to cook a duck, which—interestingly enough— was the same thing we planned to cook last time around. that first duck ended up sitting in the back of the freezer until mid-February, when we stopped hacking and coughing long enough to be able to enjoy the thing.
we had a completely different treatment planned for this year's duck, but it too will have to wait until the germs have fully run their course. he is mostly better, and judging by my having enough appetite and energy to manage pancakes, i seem to be on the mend. we should be able to celebrate New Year's Eve... any day now.
me: maybe this could be our new tradition. every year we can buy a duck... then we get sick and stick it in the freezer.
him: i thought traditions were supposed to be fun.
me: not around here.
happy New Year, folks!
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