Nerds in the Kitchen

I love this time of the year. Some people get all excited because it means an approaching holiday season but for me it is something more. It is the time of year to bake! Unfortunately, because my kitchen is roughly the size of a shoe box and cannot accommodate my frenzy, I lugged half of my kitchen on a city bus across town to a friend's house, an endeavor I can assure you that was not easy. Let the fun begin. Let's see on the menu that afternoon: a pound cake, 2 cheesecakes, and 2 pies. Piece of cake, we said! We have it planned. We are organized. We are nerds, we are smarter than the kitchen! Let's get to work! Hours later, the two of us stood dumbfounded by the oven's door watching a black cloud rise toward her ceiling and billow outward. Mouths agape, we saw little flames dancing in the oven on the burners, and black covered dishes that we assumed were our cakes. "Hmmm, " she said musingly. "Smoke really does billow." Coughing vigorously, I nodded. "I have a plan. Let's take a knife and cut out the burnt parts, no one will ever know the difference! Especially if we cover it in tons of frosting!!!" Time will only tell.