Seattle Welcomes Centrist Joe

Over the last few weeks, I have been doing so much cooking and baking I've had to re-think whether it's taking over my whole life (I could be doing more important things, such as writing), or if I should drop that dream and open a bakery. I already know what I would name it, too: The Lucky Puffin Bakery, after my much-worn and much-loved nickname. I do enjoy baking so much. I can kick baker's butt too: from carrot cake so moist that a couple notches moister and you could almost drink it with a straw (those are Phil's words, not mine), topped with a perfect cream cheese frosting; to zucchini bread and gluten-free scones made with coconut flour. If I'd started getting fat I would have stopped long ago, but instead of gaining weight I've dropped some. I badly need this to come to a screeching halt, and I'm at a loss as to what will stop me. At the moment though, I can think of one thing that just might.

Centrist Joe jetted into town this evening. Joe C. Smith came hauling books, political magazines, and enough DVDs for a multi-day movie marathon. He also arrived with enough intention to will mighty Mt. Rainier to uproot and plant itself in Oregon. That is, he came to get ME -- WHAT? -- to go in with HIM on a book about how political gamemanship is leading this country in the wrong direction, and how the place we need to be is in the center.

His area of expertise is American political systems, campaigns and elections. My "area," but certainly by no stretch my strength, is political philosophy and psychology. At 12:30 AM while whisking a steaming saucepan of key lime curd (I tell you, I need to stop), he told me we need to stop waffling, pick a subject we can both put our weight behind and simply begin writing about it.

What, oh what, have I gone and done? I thought I had married a sweet engineer and convinced myself that, within certain limits, I was in for an easy and steady married life. But that sweet engineer happens to be bestest of friends with a young and ambitious and frighteningly clever political scientist who won't leave me alone. I'm flattered. I'm utterly fucked.