Almost Stuck and My Wife the Cupcake

I work with computers for a living and, thus, have a natural aversion to the things when I'm at anyone else's house - I fear the days people ask me to take a look at their machine because it's not working. I always take a look because I know that I'm at least moderately more literate than your average human being and I feel it's my duty to save the people I know a trip to someone more expensive if at all possible, particularly as it's often just a virus or a port or memory issues. My friend Dan'l works with furnaces. He has no such concerns about the tools of his trade and approaches it with an enthusiasm that in me would be equivalent to bursting in the front door, running to someone's computer room without even shaking their hand, and picking apart their hardware and software setup. So, the other day, I took him and his wife (my other friend), Katie, to check out my neighbor Steve's house. I took them because Steve has a cool house, particularly for my neighborhood (though he's doing his best to destroy various parts of it by dropping them 20-30 feet onto the pool table), but Dan'l was entranced by the fact that Steve has two furnaces and at least one was premeasured before it was even put in place...sweeeeeet! But hey, a picture of Dan'l in action is worth a thousand words. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't catch him fully wedged into that space behind the water heater and furnace - he was back there, pretty much just his face sticking out, picking Steve's furnace apart, showing him humidifier bits that needed replacing, and complaining about the munchkin who installed everything so close to the wall. I was struck by how creepy it would be to walk into your furnace room and see him there, peering out at you, just like in the Shining..."Here's Dan'l!"

On an entirely different note, I signed my wife up to receive mailings about Nestle' baking chips because I thought it might lead to some coupons for chocolate or swirled chips (she bought them, she gets enrolled, it has nothing to do with women doing baking - I actually made the last batch of cookies). Doing so involved this whole process of enrolling her in an online baking club with reward points. Part of the site also involved taking a quick survey. I figured this was the best way to ensure coupons, and filled it out as I felt it applied to Pooteewheet. The end result was like one of those blog/web surveys that pigeonholes you as a particular president, country or type of food - but this one was just funny. Presenting my wife, the cupcake...

Very Best Baker Personality Survey

What's your cookie personality? You're a...Frosted Cupcake

You're something of a showoff, aren’t you? (But in a deliciously good way!) For you, good taste is only part of the story. Your fresh-baked creations look like they were torn from the pages of a magazine, reflecting your winning sense of style. No wonder your treats get so many "oohs and ahhhs."