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I'm looking at the rest of my March and trying to breathe.

My kernel is thrashing. I have that distinct too much too much feeling, and I'm trying to figure out how to mitigate that and remove some of the pressure. One thing I can do is take today off from writing (even though I cannot really spare the day) and just do all of the small tasks, just barrel through.

But I've overcommitted the hell out of myself this month, and I need to be thinking about what I can do to fix that.

I'm also having moneyflails, and I know that that'll sort itself out within a few months - we had awful expenditures last month, and we need to dig up ~600 for taxes, and the month after that, we'll level out.

So today, all the small errands just so they're off my plate. Hopefully later, the list of names that are not the new cat's name and the recipe for our spicy chocolate chip cookies.

The cat's name is not...

The cat's name, at the shelter, was Bunz.

The cat was not a Bunz.

We now know that his name is Count Ampersand Vorcattigan Engineer the 3rd, but in the beginning hours of my birthday party, we still didn't know what his name was... so we compiled a list of things his name was not. Some of you may have caught the hashtag on Twitter, but oh, there was more. I've compiled the full list below - from Twitter, Elayna's secret Tumblr, and the notebook we kept on the table.

( The cat's name is not... )

So that happened.

Spicy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Every year sunspiral hosts a Hot Foods Party, and everyone brings out marvelously spicy things! This was our largely improvised contribution.

1 cup plus 3 tbsp Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips


1. Preheat the oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne pepper.

3. In a large bowl, using a fork, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour mixture; stir in the chips.

4. Using a rounded tablespoon, drop the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer to a brown paper bag-lined surface or wire rack to cool.