The Real Thing...

...was wonderful. I'm so happy that I was able to have been a part of that production. Honestly, they did Tom Stoppard's words justice--and even found some moments that even Stoppard couldn't have done better.

I made my Buck's Fizz cupcakes as an opening night present for the cast and crew, and I spent several hours putting together a really nice display, writing the actors' names across the tops of the cupcakes in royal icing, and embellishing the cupcakes with orange sugar and orange-dyed white chocolates shaped like champagne bottles.

I'm not going to lie; I''m kinda proud of the end result:







But, with the good, always comes the bad:
I left for the theatre at 6:50 pm. Curtain was at 7:30, and I wanted to be able to get there early enough to wish the cast and crew luck before I took my seat, so I had plenty of time. No stress. Etc.
There's a cross street between my house and the main road, where, normally, people are smart enough to judge when to pull out and when to yield to the cars already on the road.
Obviously, the jerk in the accord (hereafter known as the JitA) wasn't smart enough to know how to yield. So she pulled out of the cross street and I almost rear-ended her. Fortunately, I managed to put on the brakes...and hold my cupcakes down. But the JitA didn't think that one gaffe was enough to secure her a spot in the section of hell reserved for awful drivers who enjoy putting other people in danger. So she proceeded down the road at 35 mph, although the speed limit assured her that 40 was perfectly legal, and then she decided to speed up as she approached the traffic light. All she had to do was make a right turn. It wasn't such a difficult thing to ask.

It wasn't as if we had a protected right on red; the light was green. GREEN. As in, you keep moving. But the JitA decided that, because she had sped up, she should probably slam on the breaks before she decided to make the turn. Unfortunately I couldn't read her mind. I managed to slam on my breaks and avoid an accident, but there was another matter I hadn't managed to catch as it went flying all over the front seat of my car: the cupcakes.

I spent hours on that platter. And there it was, smushed all over the front seat of my car. Sugar everywhere. Royal icing names turned into bright green smudges.
I nearly had a breakdown.

I know that everyone enjoyed the cupcakes despite the awful mess, but it was the principle of the thing. I worked for hours. I just wanted it to be special.
I really hope that girl gets her license revoked until she learns how to drive.
(PS she continued her slow crawl-speed up-slam on the breaks thing all the way to the school.)

Anyway, I have to go and get some stuff together for the first reading of my play, but I will probably have some updates tomorrow, as I attempt to add some culinary class to my friends' superbowl party! :)

Kay