Oscar Party!

This is a few days late, as I've been very busy. I had to give a lecture to about 50 undergrads today, on "Western Blotting and Microarray Technology," so I've spent the last few days getting ready for that. Giving two class lectures is one of our graduate school requirements, so I'm one down, one to go. It went really well, I had the students laughing and I only caught one of them snoozing away, so I consider it a success.

On Sunday I threw a little party for the Oscars, which was also a success despite some early concerns that no one but Anne-Marie was going to show up! However, by the end we had quite a group for a place the size of mine:Alex, Rosalind, Anne-Marie (who I think was the most serious about actually seeing/hearing the Oscars), Kristen, and Joel's head. Note new lamp, behind the sofa.Kristen, Vivian, and Deidre (on the floor). Plus Joel's head (again). Of course I was also there, and Dave as well, but he was hiding in the den when the camera came out. Note actual knitting activity! I wasn't knitting, because I was too busy eating. There was a lot of food...

I need to share some of that food with you, for humor. I decided to make baklava, which I had heard was difficult due to the inherent nature of phyllo dough. However, because I am naive ambitious, I figured I'd have a go. I only lost a couple sheets of dough, which was fine because you really don't need the whole package, and all was good. I greased the cookie sheet as instructed, and stuck it in the oven. It cooked much faster than anticipated, which was okay since I was keeping a quite watchful eye on it. I should've taken a photo of the whole pan because it was really pretty when it came out of the oven and got its honey glaze. Here's a lovely plateful:

Now, I know these look a little sloppy, but it was honestly the best I could do. THIS is what I was working with:I honestly don't know what happened here. I greased the pan. It was downright slippery when I started. I think the honey glaze was SO sticky that it coated the pan and seeped into the layers of dough, such that when I tried to remove the pieces they fell apart and stuck to the pan and the fork, and the spatula that I also tried. It was a mess. I lost probably half the baklava to crumbles. However, they are damn tasty crumbles. I hid them at the party but they were dipped into as it got late, and Rembrandt, Dave, and I made short work of them whilst playing Trivial Pursuit Monday. I will definitely try making this again - it was really easy and if I could find a way to dig it out of the pan all would be good. Any suggestions?

Oh, I have to admit I hadn't knit a stitch for days until last night, when I attacked my cabled vest with gusto. Obviously this is not mine, but this is what I'm making:It's almost done. I'm thinking this weekend at the latest if I get anywhere with it tonight. I was able to try it on and it should fit, although it's very bulky yarn so it may not be the most flattering garment. We'll see. Sorry there haven't been photos. I've tried, but it's light blue yarn and it keeps getting washed out in the bad apartment lighting...