Yay!

No bites today. But I have a new theory. Here it is:

Callie is Iain's bodyguard.

Think about it. Callie is a powerful woman-person. Granted, she's 2. But still - people know not to mess with Callie. And she has taken Iain as her BFF. So as long as Callie's around, nobody is going to bite him. The moment she goes out of town, what happens? Two bites in two days!

When I was in high school, I was very, very close friends with a girl who had the potential to become President, or perhaps Dictator-for-Life. She was gorgeous, for one thing. She was also smart as a tack, hard as nails, and capable of doing whatever it took to get what she wanted. People actively feared her, and at the same time they wanted her to like them.

She adopted me, and one day as we walked along a back alley behind the school some girl mouthed off at me. I was the new kid - it was totally normal. But she walked over, grabbed that girl by the neck (did I mention that she had long, manicured nails?) and explained carefully that I was to be treated with respect.

Not only was there no repeat of the insult, but no one ever looked at me funny. In fact, I learned later (just before departing for the boarding school where I met Charles) that boys hesitated to ask me out because if she did not approve they thought it might be trouble.

I should make clear that I loved this situation. It was great for a geeky girl to be completely safe in a school which had a near-riot while I was there (they locked us in using iron gates!). And she was fascinating, brave, and adventurous.

But it makes me wonder whether Callie and Iain are like a little gang. She's the leader, and he's the faithful sidekick.

In other news, the cookie list is evolving. Today, it's:

Toasted pine nut and dark chocolate meringue cookies
Chocolate-orange espresso thins
Some kind of brittle
2 kinds of shortbread (Lemon-chamomile and regular)
Iced cookies (for color - possibly the ones on the cover of Sunset that look like little packages)
French macarons
Hamantashen (because I like to make a cookie with jam)
Biscotti (because they'll last and they're lowfat and you can eat them with coffee)

If this is the final list (and I'm not saying it is), then I need to start thinking about what to make first. Probably biscotti, brittle, and shortbread, since they keep well and shortbread are better after a few days. Can't make anything with meringue until Sunday or Monday, since these will go out next week.

My shopping list for tomorrow? Flour, sugar, eggs, butter, food coloring, and honey. I think they're going to know what I'm up to.