We first started out with appetizers from Spain (Spanish tapas) with sangria. (Our famous sangria perfected over many lazy outings to the beach this summer.)

Next was our journey up to Germany and Austria. Amor made a ceasar salad, only he called it a "Kaiser salad" because he used mustard in the dressing, and made the croutons from rye bread. AWESOME.

Then the salmon, wild king salmon. With baby carrots cooked in brown sugar and beet rice. And leeks cooked with bacon.

And wine, wine, wine.

For dessert, I made sachertorte, which came out AMAZING. We had it with coffee and fresh whipped cream. Additional beverage: peach lambic beer, a perfect match

By that time it was nearly 11:40 and we brought up the idea of seeing the midnight movie at the River Oaks Theatre which was Amelie! What an amazing movie to see on the big screen. I love love love that film! The part when Nino yells at her from the top of Montmartre as she's in her disguise at the bottom, placing the album in his bike - his yell is so gutteral and emotionally fueled, and he takes off running after her, doesn't think about it. It gets me every time.

As people were exiting our apartment, it was such an amazing feeling to know that people were leaving absolutely happy and satisfied both physically and emotionally. Amor said it's this perfect moment in an evening, when people just let their pretentions fall away, and the real person pops out. It happened to everyone, and it was so beautiful and gave me goosebumps at one point in the evening. Amor and I really have a gift together - we work as a team in the kitchen, we are one. We have one goal: to make people happy through food. It's a universal language, the language of the palatte. Eating isn't just a physical experience, it's an emotional experience. (Why do you think so many people out there have eating disorders?) With food, Amor and I can transport other people to lovely places only we know.

Ah, food..............and alcohol.

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Still haven't heard anything back from the prof. I wrote him another email Thursday night. Next week, I'm going to come at him like a spider monkey. I'm going to visit his office every day, I'm going to camp out. I really am.

I'm starting to get really scared and paranoid that I'm not going to graduate in December. I've even thought about how we shouldn't go on our trip because things aren't wrapped up with my paper. See, when we get back from our trip, I'll have exactly SIX WEEKS to have EVERYTHING done. All the forms, my complete paper, everything, has to be turned in to the graduate school.

Six weeks!

That's it.

I'm a wreck.

That's why I'm going to camp out at his office every day next week. (Not Monday, obviously.) I'll get my paper back from him with more corrections, and then I can get something back to him before we leave for our trip.

I'm GOING to graduate in December.

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Comment from Becks: Hey, I had a dream that I killed someone last night, too! Supposedly, this person lived across the street. I left the body (which was very bloody) in the kitchen, and I kept looking out the window and waiting for someone to go over and discover the body. It was very stressful.

What the hell is up with that? That's just too funny.

Maybe liquid-mojo is right, maybe one of the bodies in my trunk was my prof. Sweet.

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