Cake ideas


sorabji.com: What are you eating?: Cake ideas
THIS IS A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE FROM THE SORABJI.COM MESSAGE BOARDS (1995-2016).

By Spider on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 02:58 pm:

    I've been making a standard yellow cake to practice baking, and I'd like to solicit ideas for jazzing it up a little.

    The basic recipe:

    2 eggs
    3/4 c. sugar
    1 c. flour
    2 tsp. baking powder
    1/3 c. milk
    2 tsp. vanilla
    1 tsp. almond extract
    1/2 stick butter, melted
    bread crumbs

    Preheat oven to 350. Butter a cake pan and coat the sides with bread crumbs.

    Beat 2 eggs and sugar together until the batter is almost white. Add milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix flour and baking powder, and then add flour mixture to batter. Stir briefly with a spoon just until blended, pour batter in pan, and bake for ~30 minutes.



    I've experimented by adding the following to the batter (not all at once):

    *coconut
    *chocolate chips
    *fresh blueberries
    *dried cranberries and orange zest

    What else could I add? (No walnuts, please.)


By platypus on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 05:21 pm:

    Buttermilk instead of regular milk could make things more interesting. Orange zest/orange extract, too, minus cranberries, for an orange cake.

    I have never in my life used bread crumbs in a cake...how does that work, exactly?


By Spider on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 06:56 pm:

    Thanks, I'll try those!

    I know, I was skeptical when I saw breadcrumbs in the recipe too, but they're a benign element in the end. They just create a thin layer (not a crust exactly) around the bottom and sides, which gives the cake some structure when you cut it (and makes it easier to spread frosting, if such is your wont).


By sarah on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 01:59 pm:


    cocoa, but you'll need more sugar, and less flour, i think. i'm rusty.




By Spider on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 06:46 pm:

    Is it a a 1:1 substitution? (So, if I add 1/2 c. cocoa powder, I'd reduce the flour by 1/2 c.?) Do I just have to go by feel? (I have no feel, Sarah! This could be dangerous!)


By sarah on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - 04:59 pm:

    try this:

    Ingredients:

    2 cups sugar
    1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    3/4 cup cocoa
    1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 eggs
    1 cup whole milk
    1/2 cup butter
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    3/4 cup boiling water


    do the usual mixing of ingredients, add the water last. bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees in a 13x9x? type of pan. you should grease the pan first and the instead of flour, dust it with cocoa.









By Spider on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - 09:47 pm:

    Ooh! I'll make that this week.


By heather on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 01:38 pm:

    so... sarah?


By sarah on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 10:45 pm:


    oh right.

    btw, i'm pregnant.




By agatha on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 03:36 am:

    WHAAAA?


By sarah on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 12:40 pm:



    ya. we're having another girl.





By Karla on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 02:32 pm:

    yay! Congratulations!


By platypus on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 02:48 pm:

    I was going to make a joke about buns since this whole thread started with baking, but I couldn't figure out how to make it work, so congratulations will have to do.


By Dougie on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 03:01 pm:

    You go girl!


By Spider on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 03:53 pm:

    Yay for la bambina!


By Danielssss on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 04:55 pm:

    Let's hear it for the rusty cake baker SaRAH!!!


By droopy on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 05:09 pm:

    egad, sarah. congrats.


By moonit on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 06:42 pm:

    yay congrats!


By wisper on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 08:59 pm:

    oh no, more Texans!


By platypus on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 09:28 pm:

    Well, you can take the girl out of Hawaii, but you can't take the Hawaii out of the girl, so really only a partial Texan, assuming that sort of thing is inherited.


By droopy on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 01:29 am:

    sarah lived in hawaii, but isn't she really a detroit girl?

    i'm a partial texan, i guess - a new england (yankee) and texas hybrid. i think it's workable.

    i read somewhere that alberta is the texas of canada - it that true? i know that calgary has a rodeo that antigone and i can only dream of.


By Dr Pepper on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 02:28 am:

    droopy, yes, I remember one time at rodeo in mesquite(south), the canadian cowboys did had a race with texan cowboy, I believed that they are from alberta,also, Some western part of canada such like manitoba ,saskacatchewan, and also, british columbia. Eh? (lol)

    BTW droopy, I am partical Illinoisan and partical Wisconsinite, and a a little(just little) texan.


By Antigone on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 02:53 am:

    I remember delivering pizzas near the Mesquite Rodeo when President Bush (the first) was there. They had missile launchers trained on the nearby highway.

    Holy shit, my cat just polished off a plate full of sour cream.

    Congrats, sarah!


By sarah on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 11:55 am:


    thanks everyone. neither of my pregnancies were planned, though we do know how these things happen. we didn't use birth control just one time, and, well, here we go again.

    it's okay. i'm glad to be getting the pregnant and infant years over with. actually, i love infants, but i hate pregnancy so much. now i can't even imagine waiting until the Turducken is like three years old and then having to start all over again. and Senor of course is totally stoked. he'd like to have enough to form a band, but the shop is closed after #2.


    tig, fess up. are you or are you not also expecting #2?




By sarah on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 12:02 pm:


    it is hard to believe that someone like me is going to be raising texans. it's a little unnerving. texas as a state is very charming and romantic in a lot of ways, but the culture of pride can be somewhat abrasive to someone not born and raised here.


    austin, though, it such a special place. i think it was Willie Nelson who called it the "Maui of Texas". and it's a great place to raise a family. there was a reason i was attracted to move here from hawaii, though sometimes those reasons are hard to remember. i know hawaii is still an important part of my life, and Senor totally gets it. and actually, he loves hawaii so much, he's the one who wants to name #2 a hawaiian name.


    i would love to move back to hawaii, and whenever senor says the word, i'll be packing my bags. but until then, i guess we're producing more texans. so, sorry about that ;)




By Antigone on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 12:30 pm:

    Not expecting yet, but planning to be soon. :)


By J on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 12:33 am:

    Don't you love it? Thank heaven for little girls:)


By Karla on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 02:42 pm:

    MOAR BABEEZ!


By moonit on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 10:36 pm:

    I told Andrew we should consider having a baby next year.

    He told me I can no longer be trusted and its oral or anal from now on.







    I laughed so hard I cried.


By agatha on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 12:07 pm:

    Heh!


By sarah on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 01:51 pm:


    that's awesome.


    he could also get snipped. that's when you know they are serious. otherwise it's just an excuse to give it to you in the ass.





By Spider on Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 10:01 pm:

    Sarah, I made the chocolate cake recipe you posted above, but it took about 60 minutes for the cake to bake -- it was still really liquidy at 30 minutes. (I haven't tried it yet because it's still cooling, but the batter and the little smidgen that stuck to the pan tasted really good.)

    What could I have done wrong that kept it from setting?

    This is what I did: I mixed the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, I mixed the sugar, two eggs, butter, vanilla, milk, and cocoa. Then I added the flour mixture until blended. Finally I added the boiling water. The batter was really thin, but I thought that was normal(?). Oven set to 350, greased and cocoa-ed pan. After I poured the batter into the pan, I sprinkled about a cup of chocolate chips into the batter -- could this thrown a monkey wrench into the works?


By Spider on Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 10:07 pm:

    Oh, you know what. Earlier this week I had to move the oven back and forth away from the wall to shut off/turn back on the gas -- maybe something got messed up in the oven itself when I moved it.

    Aaagh, I don't have a food thermometer to know for sure.

    I'll try baking the same cake recipe I first posted here, to see if that takes longer than usual to bake, too.


By Dr PEpper on Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 10:19 pm:

    Spider, why don't you take a cooking class, this will help you prove your cooking skill....:-)


By platypus on Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 11:23 pm:

    Spider, you should totally invest in an oven thermometer. I have a very capricious and willful oven, and I've managed to get around its wily ways with the help of an oven thermometer. (I once had a cake that took 2 1/2 hours to bake, which tipped me off that maybe there was a problem with the thermostat in my oven...)


By platypus on Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 11:26 pm:

    Also, my favourite cake:

    Cream together:
    One cup butter
    Two cups sugar
    Once creamed, add four eggs, one at a time, and then three teaspoons of vanilla.

    In a separate bowl, sift together:

    Two and three quarters cup flour
    Three teaspoons baking powder
    One teaspoon salt

    Measure out one and three quarters cup of buttermilk.

    Add around half of the flour to the butter and eggs, stir thoroughly, add half the buttermilk, and repeat the process until all ingredients are combined.

    Bake at 350° Fahrenheit for around 45 minutes.

    I really like this cake with buttercream frosting, myself, but it's pretty good with chocolate ganache too.


By Dr Pepper on Monday, March 23, 2009 - 12:06 am:

    platypus, are you currently living outside of the U.S.?


By jaq on Monday, March 23, 2009 - 10:02 pm:




    dr pepper, are you currently answering specific questions as well as asking them?


By Dr Pepper on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 03:23 am:

    jack, are you currently asking me some nerdy specific questions as well as asking them?


By jaq on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 08:12 am:



    very good, dr pepper


    the next two steps in the sequence can be populated as follows:


    1. kid 'n' play

    2. let x = 88.7. apply to the hydro-paranoia motion formula in your Training Manual.





By semillama on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 03:56 pm:

    Ain't gonna hurt no body.

    On the dance floor.


By sarah on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 10:54 pm:


    i'm going to have another baby in about 10 weeks.



    CRAZY.




By sarah on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 10:55 pm:


    i've been craving pineapple upside down cake. i think i will make that this weekend, and plant veggies.



By agatha on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 12:00 am:

    10 weeks! Seriously? How did that happen so fast?


By moonit on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 01:46 am:

    Thats really fast. I made pineapple upside down cake once - Andrew realllllly liked it, I was meh about it. Right now I have a lamb and bean casserole cooking - it smells divine...


By Spider on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 11:05 am:

    If she's a week late, she could be born on my birthday (6/12). If that should happen, well, I think Spider is an adorable name for a little girl, don't you?


By Danielssss on Sunday, March 29, 2009 - 10:22 pm:

    that's my sober date (1987), the date my father ran over my german shepard named Prince with the dump truck (1963), the date my woodworking and boatbuilding business burned down (1984), the date my last cigar and last bet took place(1995), and the date my ex wife got remarried (199?).

    So 6/12 is an interesting if not special date for me. Some years I lock myself in my room. And NOW it's Spider's belly button day. Hmmm.


By agatha on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 01:01 pm:


By Danielssss on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 02:55 pm:

    my life works in mysterious ways, yes. I tried the whole wheat recipe again without any gluten, and it was pretty good although it did not rise as much as I would have hoped.


By heather on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 03:52 pm:

    do you use bulk yeast? don't use the yeast in the packets.

    so sayeth the breadmaker.


By Danielssss on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 04:32 pm:

    I use bulk yeast. Anybody in Detroit Wed Thu Fri give me a call.


By sarah on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 04:59 pm:


    i always use the yeast in the packets.




By platypus on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 05:04 pm:

    Yeah, me too. Is there something bad about packets? Have I been making bread wrong all these years?


By heather on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 07:00 pm:

    nothing bad, just not as feisty

    try a little extra


By platypus on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 08:03 pm:

    I'm not even sure anyone in this backwater sells bulk yeast.


By Spider on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 08:10 pm:

    Daniel...I feel strangely honored. Not that, ummm, your business burning down is an honor....but...huh. Very strange. It's like the Bermuda Triangle of spacetime.

    On my birthday, I will toast all of your landmark occasions.


By Danielssss on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - 01:52 am:

    space time fabric is a tricky place and or time, or no time? (name of a familiar canoe?)

    Hey, I'll write from Sunny boarded up downtown detroit tomorrow!!!

    May you Spider always be strangely honored!!!


By Danielindetroitssss on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - 10:31 pm:

    If you can read this, thank a teacher.
    If you’re reading this in English, thank those selfish emmer-effers that sailed to and overtook your homeland and killed off the younger of the country’s males, degrading your forebears’ language and culture, till there was nothing left.


By droopy on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - 11:58 pm:

    the teachers who taught me english are probably dead. if i wanted to thank anybody, it would be my grandmother anne. she was the one who read to me when i was young and taught me the beauty of language.

    "If you're reading this in English[...]"

    you wrote it in english. you're clearly an emmer-effer.

    ***************************

    today i brought home a chayote squash. i'd been meaning to try one. they said you could eat them raw, so i thought it would be easy enough. i cut mine open and immediately there was a cool, fresh smell reminiscent of cucumbers; there were no seeds, and the flesh was like a crisp apple. sprinkled with salt, it was really good. i definitely like it better than (i do) jicama.


By Dr Pepper on Thursday, April 2, 2009 - 01:36 am:

    droopy, you know,we at sorabji loved your story and your grandmother would be proud of you!


By sarah on Thursday, April 2, 2009 - 12:00 pm:


    is it all boarded up there?




By Danielssss on Thursday, April 2, 2009 - 04:45 pm:

    Yes, but they still speak English here. Economy is horrid: locals say the unemployment rate published at 8- 10% is half of what it is, as more than half of those unemployed are no longer tracked by the statistic as they are out of theirunemployment benefits... makes you wonder.


By Dr Pepper on Friday, April 3, 2009 - 12:12 am:

    It will takes time for economy improve over time. Hopefully; I looks forward to a sunny weekend.....


By heather on Friday, April 3, 2009 - 01:55 pm:

    but you get angry when the weather is nice, are you looking forward to getting angry?


By jaq on Friday, April 3, 2009 - 11:31 pm:



    weather tantrum! activate!




By Dr Pepper on Saturday, April 4, 2009 - 05:54 pm:

    jack, weather tantrum activate? maybe you forgot to pay your bill?


By jaq on Saturday, April 4, 2009 - 10:58 pm:



    you're correct! i owe the weather company money!
    and i forgot to pay my tantrum bill too! oh no!


By Dr Pepper on Saturday, April 4, 2009 - 11:59 pm:

    jack, too bad ...... :-)


By jaq on Sunday, April 5, 2009 - 02:38 pm:



    this sucks! they are threatening to disconnect my weather!



By Dr Pepper on Sunday, April 5, 2009 - 03:11 pm:

    Jack, don't worry, some days it will be fine for you :-) All for now.


By Spider on Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 06:56 pm:

    Here's the weird thing:

    Since posting the above concerning my freaky oven, I baked the original recipe posted in this thread and the oven worked fine and the yellow cake was finished baking in the appropriate 30 minutes.

    Today I bake a chocolate cake from a box mix (I know, but that's what my mom wanted), and at 30 minutes the cake is still liquid.

    My oven is a chocolate bigot.


By sarah on Monday, April 13, 2009 - 05:05 pm:


    your mom really is crazy.




By Spider on Monday, April 13, 2009 - 06:11 pm:

    I think she learned her lesson -- after eating it, she remarked to me that the cake didn't taste like anything.

    I was like, well, yeah.

    It didn't even have a texture...it was like dark brown fluff.


By Spider on Monday, April 13, 2009 - 06:12 pm:

    Platy, if I can find buttermilk (which is a rare commodity around here, for some reason), I'll give your cake a shot next.


By platypus on Monday, April 13, 2009 - 06:18 pm:

    You can make it with regular milk too, Spider, if buttermilk is elusive in your neck of the woods. Supposedly, you can make a buttermilk substitute by putting a tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup measure, filling the measure with milk, and letting it stand five minutes. If you try that, let me know how it works out...


By sarah on Monday, April 13, 2009 - 09:02 pm:


    when necessary i use plain white vinegar (instead of lemon juice) to turn milk into buttermilk.




By sarah on Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 05:19 pm:


    baby #2 is transverse. head tucked under my right ribs and butt/feet under my left ribs.

    they gave me an ultrasound today because the fundus, though growing, is measuring 2 inches less than it should be. now we know why. i'm getting pregnant sideways as baby grows sideways, instead of growing outward. so now it's a race to get her head down south.


    and yes, it's uncomfortable. but whatever.



By sarah on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 09:17 pm:


    speaking of baking, baby #2 is cooked and out of the oven.

    Natalie Ruth was born 6/9/09 at 7:53 p.m., 6 lbs 13 oz, 19 inches long.

    man am i glad that's over.






By platypus on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 09:41 pm:

    Hooray! I thought the radio silence might be baking-related.


By Spider on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 09:48 pm:

    Yay yay! But, aw. (But, no joke, I too was 6 lb 13 oz. So we *are* cosmically linked after all!)

    That's a sweet name.


By agatha on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 11:27 pm:

    BABIES GALORE! I adore the name Ruth. Natalie's okay, but Ruth- now there's a name. How are you feeling, Sarah? What do Ms. Turducken and Senor Balls think of new sister/daughter?


By platypus on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 11:31 pm:

    Anyone who shares a name with Natalie Wood is ok in my book.


By J on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 01:31 pm:

    I love the name Natalie,congrats Sarah:)Can't wait to see her pictures!


By semillama on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 02:54 pm:

    Been a good crop of Sorabji babies this year...


By Dougie on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 04:52 pm:

    That's for sure, Sem! Congratulations Sarah! That's a beautiful name! (Also, the name Senor Ballz still cracks me up!)


By moonit on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 05:48 am:

    Yay Sarah. Congrats!

    Yesterday Andrew told me that he wanted to name a baby (if we had one) Cletus. His last name is Ross.

    I was drunk at the time, six shots of tequila, plus vodka plus bubbles, and apparently couldn't stop shouting CLITI-ROSS and laughing manically in front of my religious co-workers.

    whoops.


By patrick on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 03:34 pm:

    weeeeeeee



    best of health to everyone.




By sarah on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 05:13 pm:


    wow, that's a lot of alcohol. how long did it take you to recover from that? cletus is a great name, the male version of cleo kind of.


    here's a dirty little secret that now, after the second time around, i'm ready to admit:

    i rather loathe breastfeeding and would much prefer to bottle feed.

    here are the reasons i hate it.

    1. obvious reason: incredibly painful. of course, not as painful as labor and delivery, but still excruciating. and i get pissed every time a lactation consultant tells me that if the baby is latched correctly it shouldn't hurt. that's crap.


    2. ridiculously large and unweildy breasts. boobs so big they've acquired their own gravitational force.


    3. the burden is all mine. nobody else can help me feed her.


    4. feeling excessively stoned. don't get me wrong, i like to get high as much as the next person, but breastfeeding makes me feel as if i've taken 2 percosets, smoked a joint, and downed a shot or two of bourbon. i have super low blood pressure anyway (even at the 18 hour mark of labor, my blood pressure peaked at 97/70) so the breastfeeding high makes me feel like i'm going to pass out. this is troublesome and a little scary in the middle of the night when i'm already so tired and trying to care for a newborn. not exactly a job you can sleep through.


    5. sitting around. it requires a lot of sitting around, which i'm not very good at and don't enjoy.


    6. too much gear. nipple cream, breast pads, pump, boppy pillow, fenugreek.


    why i keep doing it anyway:

    1. pressure from senor.


    2. peer pressure.


    3. that unfightable genetic programming that makes you want to do the best for your offspring.


    4. stigma of bottle feeding.


    5. formula is retarded expensive.


    6. who wants to wash all those bottles all the time?





By Danielssss on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 05:41 pm:

    congrats to all the baby makers.


By kazu on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 08:02 pm:

    The first two weeks of breastfeeding were far, FAR worse than labor. I fucking hated it with every inch of my being. Two lactation consultants later, I got him latched properly and it was golden. The first one was a witch doctor who gave me a homeopathic remedy for my aching boobs and tried to massage his skull to fix his "suck." Bitch. The second one was just awesome. She also fitted me for new bras.

    I am quite lucky. It only takes Ian about 5-10 minutes to feed. And I can pump 6-8ox in 5-10 minutes. Usually in my car while Ian is at daycare and I'm writing at a coffee shop nearby.

    And I really don't get the peer pressure thing at all. Most people I know either don't breastfeed or switch to formula after a while. And my friends were amazed that I am waiting to start him on rice cereal. My family (aunts and cousins) are big into breastfeeding but not in the "Breast is Best" way, more in the "You can eat more and still lose the baby weight" way.


By patrick on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:17 am:

    sarah is pumping an option? this would free up some of your time to let dad deliver, might ease all the other discomforts while not sacrificing guilt.


By Spider on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 05:56 pm:

    Uh. How big is big? I ask because yesterday my best friend told me she was pregnant again and dreading the increase in chest size, which took her all the way to an H cup when she was nursing her son.

    AN H CUP Y'ALL.

    Is this common? She was big to begin with, but holy shit.


By kazu on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 06:08 pm:

    I was up to a 38H right after Ian was born.

    Now I'm a 38DD


By Spider on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 07:24 pm:

    You too?!

    H

    I will never not be amazed by this.


    (She was a DD to begin with, as well. Interesting.)


By kazu on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 08:17 pm:

    I was a 36D/C before pregnancy.


By sarah on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 12:36 am:

    36 C before pregnancy

    38 F during first pregnancy

    40 FF while nursing the turducken

    40 G now

    UUUGGHHHHHHHHH i hate them.


    i never made H, but still from C to G, it's feels to me like aliens replaced my breasts with watermelons.

    i will once again be a 36 C, it just might take a year or more.



By droopy on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 02:26 am:

    my condolences to all sorabji-mom breasts. but i have to admit i like they way i can click on this thread and have cake ingredients flash in front of my eyes followed immediately by a list (rather impressive) breast sizes.

    eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla, almond extract, butter, bread crumbs: mammaries are made of this.


By patrick on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 09:35 am:

    the burdens of baby boobs withstanding.......i, and im sure others, find it terribly attractive. and not necessarily from the the obvious POV.

    Example....just two weeks ago, getting gas on my way to work. an attractive woman at the pump in front of me. mid 30s, probably 5-6 mos preg, belly a perfect round, and her breasts were almost perfect miniatures of her belly, obviously enlarged. she was absolutely radiant. of course the morning light reflecting off the stainless steel of the gas pump helped light her right.


By kazu on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 09:48 am:

    Yeah, I never got to that radiant stage.

    I do like that my boobs are useful now.


By patrick on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 11:25 am:

    you mean they weren't useful before? they must have been, in part, to get you in this position to begin with right :-)


By kazu on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 11:37 am:

    No. They really weren't.


By droopy on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 12:22 pm:

    i remember reading an article by a woman which began with the same "are mostly useless" lines, and then went on to talk about a new bra that could utilize the jiggle factor of boobs to generate electricity - charge an ipod, say.

    we males can look back on all the women who knew how their breasts were and all of the dumb things we would never have done if it weren't for breasts.

    last night i managed to dream of a restaurant - more like a dive diner, really - but there were no breast cakes.


By kazu on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 01:44 pm:

    I lied up there.

    I'm a 38 G right now.


    Also, Ian likes to show off his food source. I stick him on, and he lifts my shirt higher than is really needed to get the job done.


By platypus on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 09:52 pm:

    Sarah? Everything going ok?


By kazu on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 10:17 pm:

    She posted pictures on Facebook.

    Beautiful baby.


By sarah on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 03:24 pm:


    thank you, and yes, sorry, i'm fine, everyone is fine.

    i'd like to amend my statement above regarding breastfeeding to add that, there is very little about motherhood that makes you feel like you do anything right, but breastfeeding, at least, is one of those things. so there's that.


    Natalie is a good little sleeper so far, never cries at all except when i've delayed her boobie, but grown men have cried because of that too, so who can blame her.


    currently just trying to do my job of keeping everyone happy. today my goal is some personal grooming, including a little hair removal, and filing of bills and other paperwork.


    grandpa arrives tomorrow, hopefully this time he'll leave his flask at home. at the very least he's a great cook and we'll have dinners made for us every night, which will be a treat. the neighbors have been very gracious with their pastas and casseroles and even (ugh) sloppy joes on wonder bread buns, but still, my dad makes a mean seared ahi on the grill.


    OH OH OH and i have to tell you it was so exciting. one day last week i visited the liquor store and the very next day i visited a different liquor store and BOTH times i got carded. how's that people??? the first time, sure, you think, it's a fluke. especially because the woman taking my money was about my age. but the second time?! i know it's just the glow of those early weeks after delivery - it's the "oh my god i'm SO FUCKING HAPPY NOT TO BE PREGNANT ANYMORE glow". but still, it make me perk up a bit.


    senor the breastfeeding nazi sought out and purchased test strips that you dunk your breastmilk in to see how much alcohol is in it. i was perplexed by this a bit, why i needed those as opposed to just some good old common sense and moderation. i think senor thinks i possess neither of those things.


    well anyway, so that's what's up. everything is fine, just free time is VERY limited and when i have some i'm usually not in front of the computer.

    i'll send some photos to people not on fb when i get a chance.




By kazu on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 05:57 pm:

    oh dear lord if Sem gave me those I would kick him out of the house.


By platypus on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 06:06 pm:

    They have alcohol content test strips for breast milk? Man, I learn something new every day.


By droopy on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 06:18 pm:

    first breasts as pastries, now boobs for booze. this thread just keeps getting better. my grandfather used to drink whiskey and milk.


By droopy on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 07:11 pm:

    hey - alcoholic breasts got me to thinking, eventually, about the movie "clockwork orange": the milk bar where it begins. i still have a video of that movie and a vcr player i think i can still get to work. i think i'll have a movie screening tonight.


By semillama on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 09:13 pm:

    This thread would not be complete now, without this phrase:

    "whiskey tits"


By agatha on Friday, July 3, 2009 - 10:33 pm:

    I helped a woman yesterday looking for prenatal and childbirth videos. She was quite pregnant, and I could smell the alcohol oozing from her pores. Depressing.

    And yes, I would have kicked Dave's ass if he tried that shit as well. It just made me think of that woman- no comparison intended.


By heather on Saturday, July 4, 2009 - 02:26 am:

    "senor the breastfeeding nazi" gave me a bit of a start.

    hey, i don't have a job, how's about i come visit you?


By Sarah on Saturday, July 4, 2009 - 11:12 am:

    heather, yes you can come if you like to.


By sarah on Sunday, July 5, 2009 - 02:35 pm:


    obviously i did not write the above, since the name starts with a capital "S" and i was in bed asleep when it was posted.

    however, the sentiment is the same. i'd love it if you came to visit, are you kidding me?! Austin is a whole lotta fun, though staying with me may not be given the current infantile state of my life and household.




By on Monday, July 6, 2009 - 01:06 am:

    heather, to tell you the truth, i think i had a amnesia. i think i did posted at that times, sorry for any inconvenience.


By patrick on Monday, July 6, 2009 - 11:00 am:

    i've heard moderate amounts of guiness beer are good for breastfeeding. something about enzymes or yeast strains or something.

    i work in a biz that propels ideas like that but i hear this years ago.



By kazugoesmoo on Monday, July 6, 2009 - 11:36 am:

    Beer, in general, is very good for lactation.

    Ask me how I know.


By agatha on Monday, July 6, 2009 - 12:20 pm:

    Pepper poses as sarah. Classic.


By patrick on Monday, July 6, 2009 - 03:39 pm:

    asking you how know kazu?


By kazu on Monday, July 6, 2009 - 05:42 pm:

    I make too much milk as it is (although it's evened out somewhat) and beer brings back memories of engorgement. I can drink it now, but initially it was unpleasant.


By Dr Pepper on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 12:47 am:

    agatha, what do you mean," Pepper poses as sarah, Classic"? I don't know what you are talking about!?


By sarah on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 11:04 pm:


    goddammit droopy. CUT IT OUT.




By Dr Pepper on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 11:57 pm:

    ?


By droopy on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 01:05 am:

    i haven't done anything.


By sarah on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 01:25 am:

    everything so weird.


By Danielssss on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 01:33 pm:

    I walk in the gulf of mexico for a week and look what happens. I totally have lost track of everything.


By Dougie on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 01:53 pm:

    I had a really nice experience last night. The doorbell rang about 7:00 and I answered, and at the door was a lovely young high school girl, probably about 16 or 17, dressed in a school uniform, and wearing a badge with her name on it. At first, I figured she was a Jehovah's Witness, as I get those visits about once every other month.

    She told me her name was Clarese, and that she was from Cameroon. I could tell right away from the way she pronounced her "R"s and from her accent that she spoke French. I jump at any opportunity to speak it, so we switched to French. She told me that she lived in Brooklyn, and was visiting different towns in Long Island to sell books to help pay for her to go to college. She had some books about Plants That Heal, Foods That Heal, etc., and a few other titles I don't remember. The books she carried were a tiny bit disheveled, probably from her carrying them around and knocking on so many doors and being rejected, but they were still relatively new.

    I asked her where she wanted to go to school, and she said she was accepted to Michigan. I joked that I was originally from Ohio, and that I couldn't fund somebody wanting to go to U of M. I don't think she really got the meaning, as she's probably not up on college football rivalries, but she laughed anyways. At any rate, she told me she had stayed in Cleveland once for two months, and although I couldn't get her to disparage Cleveland, she did admit that it wasn't the nicest city in the world, although she said she did like the Lake.

    So, I ended up buying two of her books for $30, and I wished her "bonne chance" and she was very gracious, and off she went. Sometimes, you make a random connection that really touches you for some reason. And although they're not going to win any James Beard awards, I'll keep these books to remember this experience. I hope she has a beautiful life.


By patrick on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 03:33 pm:

    oh good. im glad she showed up dougie. we here at the collective society of good souls of sorabji sent her.











    seriously though....











    its events like this that reaffirm that we are all connected in one manner or another. that there is some form of god, be it a collective unconsciousness or some sort of energy or something, but someone shopping up on your doorstep, a kid trying to get money to go to college selling books plants and food that heal.....at this particular time of your life.....you just cant make that shit up.



By Dougie on Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 11:31 am:

    Your collective did a great job, patrick, for which I'm very grateful! (Holy shit -- I just had to look up the spelling of grateful -- couldn't remember if it was greatful or grateful. I was like, "Did the Grateful Dead mispell their band name on purpose, or is that actually the correct spelling?")

    And you're right about there being something that binds us all too. My wife though, a sometime catholic, said she never prayed as hard as she did when she got to the hospital. She's getting pretty disillusioned with G-d at this point. I went through all the platitudes and truisms that I could come up with with her, but they rang hollow. The only thing that I know is that this happened for a reason -- one which we're not allowed to know at this point.


By J on Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 01:13 pm:

    You are a good man Dougie and sweet.


By platypus on Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 03:06 pm:

    Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes G-d can be a real asshole.


By Danielssss on Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 04:47 pm:

    Anna Maria 2002, on g-d's sometime skee-ball-like reasoning.................

    Water wades over the rims of my boots
    Salt tumbles tween teeth

    What rumbles in the back of such sun swollen mind
    Leaves tracks in wet sand by the walking westward

    Tempt me, oh why don’t you tempt me to live one more sunrise?
    But, pulled by the waves and sun drowning one more day,

    Let me walk into the calm quiet blue green of such afternoon
    The sun near setting, the day most over, crowd gone, no longer floating
    This life awash in the sand and timeless repetition

    Water wades over the tops of my boots and beckons hair and head to follow
    And time turns heavenward just when the last sights of clouds bear down

    Afternoon glows dim and darkened water spreads
    Its wings to hold me jellylike suspended

    ##


By Dougie on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 07:43 am:

    Love this: "Afternoon glows dim and darkened water spreads
    Its wings to hold me jellylike suspended "


By Dougie on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 07:44 am:

    Thank you J!


By semillama on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 06:22 pm:

    l cxl b bbbbbbbbbbyt hn




    Sorry, my son wanted to contribute.


By Dougie on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 10:23 am:

    That's awesome sem!


By sarah on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 03:52 pm:


    okay, so the morning of monday june 8th i went into labor. i got up early and went to costco and target to stock up. at that point i just wanted to keep myself busy, instead of waiting around to have a baby.

    contractions started as i was finishing up lunch with my aunt and uncle, around 2:30 pm. the contractions were very light, but consistent, about every 15 minutes or so, for the rest of the day. at the time i wasn't sure if it was the real thing or not, because i had been having contractions on and off for about 3 weeks. i should have rested, but i didn't.

    this continued into the evening and through dinner. senor ballz and i settled onto the couch to watch a movie (Quantum of Solace) and the contractions got a little stronger, then stronger still. about half way through the movie i had a contraction made me leap off the couch, and i said, "okay! that one really hurt!" that was about 9:00 p.m.


    so between contractions i bustled around getting the turducken packed up (clothes, lunch for preschool... it was a lot to think about) because i knew either that night or the next she would spend the night at my friend's house. senor finished packing his bags and making phone calls.

    by 10:30 p.m. i was in a lot of pain and laying in bed. my friend came to pick up the turducken. this made me sad for some reason.

    after a while i couldn't lay in bed any more, so i got on the exercise ball and draped myself over the back of the couch. i labored like this until 5:00 am, at which point i was not handling the pain very well at all. i told senor, it's time to go to the birthing center. so he called and let the midwife on call know we were on our way.

    we arrived around 5:20. i had two contractions in the car, and two in the front hallway of the birthing center, and i felt like i wanted to die.

    first thing she did was a pelvic exam. i was dilated to 3. fucking hell.

    so we went into one of the rooms, where at first i simply did more of the same. on the exercise ball, leaning onto the side of the bed. i was already begging to be taken to the hospital, so the midwife gave me a shot of something that really worked to ease the pain, but which also made me throw up instantly.

    she suggested i get into the shower, which i was reluctant to do, but once i did, i was glad, the hot water helped, and i kept the water scalding hot because i felt like i was freezing to death.

    four hours later, another exam, still dilated to 3 centimeters. fucking fuck shit cock balls.

    shift change, new midwife.

    i continued to labor and couldn't stop thinking that this was the STUPIDEST decision i had ever made in my whole life.

    four more hours later, another exam, STILL dilated to 3 centimeters.

    at this point i had been in the painful active part of labor about 16 hours. 16 hours of labor, dilated to the 3.

    the midwife said to me, "i can tell you're having a really hard time managing now. here are your options..."

    i interrupted her and said, "take me the hospital please."

    off to the hospital we went, just across the street. from the time i walked in the door, to the time that i got an epidural, three and a half more hours had gone by. there was literally a line-up of laboring women and two anesthesiologists on staff at the time. this part probably sucked the most, because mentally i had checked out, but physically my body was still trying to export a baby.


    i finally got the epidural, labored for 3 more hours. the OB checked me... YOU GUESSED IT! 3 centimeters!


    they prepped me for surgery, and about 45 minutes later i gave birth via repeat c-section to Natalie Ruth, who looked at birth *exactly* like the turducken when she was born, only much smaller.


    the very worst part of all of this was that it was then another 3 hours before those fucking idiotic assholes brought her to me in recovery. those were the longest 3 hours of my life. i was furious and if i wasn't numb from the waist down i would have taken her out of the nursery myself.


    all in all i have to say i'm glad it happened this way, where i called the shots for the most part, and a healthy baby arrived.


    after this experience though it is my opinion that the natural childbirth movement or whatever you want to call it is not all it's cracked up to be. unless of course you're one of those people who can birth babies in 8 hours or less, good for you, go for it. but aside from the ridiculous hospital policies about this that and the other, having an epidural is the way to go. and honestly, the idea of something that big coming out of a hole that small never seemed like a good idea.





By sarah on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 03:58 pm:


    for the record, that's 22 hour total of labor. 3 of those hours with an epidural, 19 hours without.


    yes, that makes me feel downright heroic.







By J on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 04:10 pm:

    Wow Sarah,may we call you senora ballz?


By kazu on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 09:45 pm:

    Right, because if something doesn't work for you, it can't possibly work for other people. I really see how your two experiences invalidate the premise of an entire movement (although I'll be the first to admit its adherents are some of the most infuriating I've ever met).

    You know what, I didn't think labor was all that bad. It certainly wasn't the worst part of the entire experience. And I was bored out of my mind with the epidural. But I would never say, "Golly, I don't know what the big deal about labor is. Medicated birth is not all it's cracked up to be."




By sarah on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 11:25 pm:


    okay, sorry kazu, to have upset you. you are always getting so pissed off at anything i have to say that resembles a strong opinion about any subject (starting i think way back with the petty subject of wipes warmers). besides, it is just my opinion, and i don't think my opinion is enough to invalidate anything.

    i guess my point was only after all this reading... Ina May books, birthing from within, Platy what was that one by Naomi Wolf again? anyway, all of them are so **extremely** anti-hospital/medication, and i don't buy into that at all anymore. again, the hospital experience, all in all is not as evil as the books make it out to be, especially given how shockingly painful labor is.

    i mean, i was shocked both times. first time with pitocin, second time without. so very very painful. i wouldn't do it like that again,not like my first labor, and not like my second.


    in fact, if i were to get pregnant again, WHICH I'M NOT, i would still try to have a vaginal birth, but just with the aide of an epidural.


    anyway, i like my birth story. i'm proud of it. i'm not sure many women who have cesareans dare to say that these days.





By kazu on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 12:28 am:

    Except that you take your opinion and generalize it to everyone except a small subset of women who you believe are capable of an unmedicated birth. What's the point of that? I hated the epidural. It made birthing utterly boring and I felt like a complete failure. But if I went around saying, "Medicated birth really sucks. I mean, if you're one of those people who labors for 24+ hours, good for you--you'll probably need it but otherwise, hit the birthing tub and you'll be fine."

    That's completely fucked up. I don't know why it's okay for anyone to say the opposite.


    And I have to say, my homebirth midwife turned doula--the most radically pro "natural" birth individual I've ever met (except some of the douchebags on the mothering.com) was supportive of EVERY decision I mad. It was all the original naysayers who were like, "HA! I knew you'd get the epidural."





By agatha on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 01:38 am:

    Oh my. It's all okay. The babies are okay, and you fine ladies are okay, and whatever it takes to get through it all is the answer.


By Dougie on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 08:17 am:

    Pardon my ignorance, but I thought that when one child was caesarean, all future births had to be caesarean? I was caesarean and the first, and my mom had my brother and sister that way as well. I vaguely remember somebody (maybe it was my mother) telling me that.


By kazu on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 09:05 am:

    There are some places that do not offer a vaginal birth after cesarean due to the risk of uterine rupture. Back when you and your siblings were born, that was almost always true. However, the risk is actually very, very small so more places are offering them. This is due, in part (I think) to new techniques (different location of the incision and stitching).

    Lots of women have VBAC. My friend Jodi just had one last week.


By Dougie on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 11:16 am:

    Wow, there's an acronym for it?


By kazu on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 11:22 am:

    Isn't there one for everything these days?


By patrick on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 02:08 pm:

    kazu, i think what sarah might be addressing is the oft militant, uppity perch many natural childbirth folk take to those who chose not to.

    a bit of irony, some hipster/bohemian types whom I partied with quite a bit in LA had no problems taking alll kinds of drugs for fun, but when it came time to have a kid were obnoxiously adamant about having a drug free birth.

    nico had a similar experience as you sarah. she tried the natural route. she wasnt progressing after 18 hours. the epidural was brought on which was highly dramatic given so late in the game. it wasnt like she was so completely numb that she was not a partner in the process as many make it out to be. it just helped move things along.

    it was the only stray from the birth plan that a was made. and ultimately whats important is that you are calling the shots. we hope to desperately avoid a c-section for the simple fact that many insurance companies use it as a "pre-existing condition" for coverage, which is utter shit.


By kazu on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 04:34 pm:

    If she wanted to address that then she should have instead of asserting that the only people capable of unmedicated birth are those who labor in a particular way.

    There is no way to win. The natural birthers feel they are morally superior to those who use drugs. And the people who use drugs are nothing but hostile to people who choose to birth without them. I can't even tell you how many times I heard, "Don't be a hero. Just get the epidural." or "There is no medal for going without drugs."

    I had DOCTORS tell me I was crazy for wanting a drug-free birth. That is a far more hostile sentiment than the occasional militant hippie running her mouth of. It's fucking impossible to find people willing to admit the truth, which is that the experience differs from individual to individual. Some people can handle it without drugs. Others cannot.

    And in the end it was the natural birth "community" (locally anyway, and a select few online individuals) who were supportive of me. Everyone else just said smugly, "I told you so."


By patrick on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 05:31 pm:

    i got into it with my mom who was a bit frantic and unsupportive when I said we are looking at a midwife/birthing center. "what if something goes wrong????" she pleaded. I reminded her that we are within 5 miles of two of the best hospitals on the east coast in Duke and UNC. its the 21st century. short of rosemarys baby, its all good.


    She was extremely black and white about the matter which was infuriating. When I asked point blank if she had no faith that in the end we would do the absolute best for our child and she replied no. Thats when the conversation ended.

    what it took my therapist to point out was, that even though my mom was being an insensitive jackass about it, ultimately her concern was the baby.


    I hear what youre saying Kazu. I also understand how sara feels because when the naturals take to the ivory tower it can make anyone else feel defensive. Whats baffling is that anyone takes any position of moral superiority muchless opts to pass judgement on any others. its a private, personal decision and no place for anyone else.

    im just waiting once the 2nd and 3rd trimester begin and some busy body trys to give her shit about having a glass of champagne or wine in a restaurant. let me at em.






By platypus on Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 12:23 am:

    "we hope to desperately avoid a c-section for the simple fact that many insurance companies use it as a "pre-existing condition" for coverage, which is utter shit."

    I find this to be an immensely depressing statement which manages to sum up everything that is wrong with the American health care system; no one should have to make choices about medical care based on cost/insurability, yet we do it every day. Sigh.

    I think the whole debate over natural/medicated childbirth is a little too polarized, myself, but I do find it interesting that the feminist movement seems to be largely ignoring pregnancy and childbirth issues. Like Patrick, I think it's pretty much a personal choice, and as long as you're making a choice, not having something thrust upon you or done without your consent, it's not my place to comment, really. I do wish that more balanced and less strident information was out there. It's always either "oh my God you can't go to a hospital because the horrible doctors will jack you full of drugs and then do a C-section anyway" or "oh my God you can't labor at home because what if something goes wrong and childbirth is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY." Surely there's a middle ground somewhere.

    Given that bodies are pretty different, it doesn't surprise me to learn that the experience of labor is different for everyone, too, and as long as the experience ends with a happy mother and a healthy baby, I don't really care if it took place in a tub in the living room or a hospital OR.


By kazu on Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 11:27 am:

    Penny Simkin is the middle ground. She's fucking amazing.


By agatha on Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 12:06 pm:

    She was my birthing teacher!!! She is the best woman ever. She really saved my ass when I had major postpartum depression.

    I would like to echo what Platy said on all counts.


By Danielssss on Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 01:24 pm:

    what Platy said. we each need to get out and push on health care, adequate preventive care, for everyone.

    I can get 100% covereage of medical vision and dental in either Panama, Brazil, Argentina, or my favorite Ecuador at approx $50 usd per month, no deductible, no copays, and even free ambulance and helicopter rides in ecuador, with no issue with preexisting.

    I cannot get insurance in American; I am uninsurable, 58, and see the doc twice yearly now, have four generic $4 monthly scripts, and two ungodly expensive proprietary drugs. even AARP won't take me.

    But Ecuador, with its fine hospitals, local clinics, and many many expat American docs will, even as a pensionado, just like in Panama or Brazil.

    I have a friend who lives in Colorado but who has a (inexpensive wonderful beachy) property in Brazil, makes one trip a year for all her care new glasses and dental work. $50 monthly.

    I am thinking about taking up with the local witch doctor here.


By patrick on Friday, July 17, 2009 - 09:25 am:


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