This afternoon, I went off to Framingham's Barnes & Noble to buy the new book by Jen Yates, the woman who created the hysterical blog Cake Wrecks. Jen and her husband John are on their national book tour, and they finally got to the greater Boston area (where we *do* have cakes).

A friend and I met there, and we hung for a bit while sitting and waiting for the program to start. Many people brought "wreck" cupcakes -- decorated just for the occasion. My friend and I had agreed weeks earlier that we weren't going to even be in the running, so we'd just enjoy everyone else's work, rather than making entries of our own. The winner of today's best-cupcake was seated immediately behind us. Her entry was a miniature cupcake cake [a cupcake made up of miniature cupcakes], and it held a picture frame with a ham in the middle. I told her it was a horrible pun (which is a compliment, since puns should be judged on the stinkiness scale).

Two local bakeries made amazing cakes. One brought a cake in the shape of Fenway Park (it was very, very nicely done); the other bakers were only vaguely "local" -- they brought their amazing purple "Cake Rex" T-rex cake down from Vermont! Both bakers also brought eating cakes (large, beautifully decorated sheet cakes) for the event.

I bought a copy of Jen's book and sat paging through it while chatting with my friend. But I finally got to look through the whole thing when I got home. For those who like Cake Wrecks (or who are looking for *wicked* good holiday gifts), this book is

1. very well made and nicely produced,
2. quite like the blog we all love, only more so,
3. the best belly-laughs you'll have all week.

At $12.95 for a *very* nice hard-cover, it is a bargain.

Jen and her husband were completely delightful. Their presentation was witty, charming, and mindful of their audience. Since the audience included a bunch of kids, they were cautious and engaged in inuendo about one or two of the cakes they showed. And this one, they had to be really careful about. But it was worth it. They charmed the audience who wanted (as I did) to see the folks behind the blog that makes us chuckle with wry amusement or goggle with astonishment (on Sundays, she features *phenomenal* cakes) every day.

Since I'm not much of one for autographs, I called it a day after they served cake. :-) Of course there was cake.

Christian Science prayer sessions are not the kind of medical care I as a taxpayer wish to pay for.

First Amendment. Separation clause. Let's try for real medicine, 'kay?

Kerry, you idiot.

Bits & Pieces posted this photo series of the real story behind the balloon boy:






( And here is the ugly aftermath. Brace yourself. )

In my search for good yoghurt, I took to heart some of the suggestions people made. Fage, which is a Greek yoghurt now produced in the U.S., is still at the top of my list. It's completely brilliant, and they make a cherry that absolutely rocks. (Greeks and cherries go together well.) The honey is a bit tough to stir, but worth the work.

Chobani, also a Greek yoghurt, makes a fat-free yoghurt that worked unbelievably well as part of some Green Goddess dressing/dip Mike wanted to make. It was tasty (the yoghurt, I mean), creamy, and had good body...and it was fat free. Not bad. But their yoghurt with honey, which I've tried before, is not as good as Fage's. And they make a pomegranate, rather than cherry. Not nearly as spiffy.

Someone suggested Wallaby Yoghurt's Down Under brand, but I'm finding it underwhelimg. There's lots of fruit, but the actual yoghurt part is limp and bland. (And the peach passion tastes nothing like peaches *or* passion fruit, no matter what the label claims is inside.) It's a California brand, owing nothing to Australia (except that the couple who started it visited there once).

The Wallaby also triggers one of my great bugaboos: it claims to be "organic yoghurt." Maybe that's why it doesn't taste like anything. (Hint: it's food; it's not salt. Therefore, it's organic. Just like all of the other yoghurts.)

Gonna keep searching, but thanks for the suggestions!