Stress-Baking- It's Not What You Think

[saucydiva]

The best way to make friends with someone is to get them to do you a favor.

Not a big favor. But not too small, either. Just enough to get them to question why they’re doing this thing for you when not doing that thing would be easier.

I must like this person, they’ll rationalize. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing this. I’m doing this, therefore I must

Comments

[stillscape]

You must like them a lot, because those cinnamon rolls take for-fucking-ever, and also they are the number-one baked good I know for making people freak out.

[saucydiva]

To be fair, it was so humid in my kitchen when I made them that they rose at four times the speed they were supposed to.

[stillscape]

I'm in the wrong climate for that to happen, sadly.

[lizinstereo]

My department never does anything together. We went out to lunch for my boss's birthday and it was the most awkward thing ever.

Maybe it was pity!baking? Your coworker seems kind of miserable.

[saucydiva]

Oh, we don't, like, hang out, just work together. Though actually, I am sort of friends with the BSB fan, as in we hang out occasionally but she's really bad at following through on plans so mostly we just make plans and then I made alternative plans for when she bails on me. I went to her birthday party and wore a Madonna costume, so there's that.

[rikyl]

I'm taking your offer to make me cinnamon rolls someday completely differently now.

[saucydiva]

I also bake for people I actually enjoy. That's how they found out about the cinnamon rolls; I made them in... November, I think, and brought them in because D requested them.

[whimsical_irony]

I think all this proves is that you are a nice person.

Also, are you me? I'm not sure how I come off to people, but I seriously put so much effort into staying happy.

[saucydiva]

We might be the same person. I tend to view happiness as within our control (up to a certain point, at which I think depression is a chemical state, mostly) and that by focusing on happy things, happy songs, happy thoughts, happy clothes, and by smiling as much as I can, I can change any natural disposition I have, which I think is less happy than I am at any given moment. Does that make sense? Today I had to buy a swimsuit and I'm less happy than usual, so it might not make sense. But I like the idea we control our own happiness, and I try to live that as much as possible.

[craponaspatula]

Can you please write a whole book of "Life Lessons from Jen"? Or even "Life Lessons Involving Baked Goods".

I've been baking all week for my classes during finals week. It makes them pleasant and smiley and I hope they are remembering those instead of the horrific final project that I inflicted on them when they do their course evaluations.

[saucydiva]

Most of the life lessons are "be nice" and "smile," honestly. But I bet I could get on Oprah with at that as my hook