I signed up for a baking exchange at my work. The concept is that you make a dozen "somethings" for each person who signed up, and then you go home with a dozen other "somethings" from each person. It means you get a bunch of holiday baking, but you only have to work with one recipe! When one of the girls ran around asking everyone if they wanted to sign up, I was conflicted. I love baking, you know that! The idea of making a whole bunch of baking and sharing it sounded splendid! But there was no way I would be able to eat any of the other stuff... Oh well! I signed up anyways. I figure I'll take some home for M to enjoy, I'll share some with my family during the holidays, and I'll leave some up on my desk for everyone at work (who didn't want to bake) to enjoy.
I picked banana bread. I figure one loaf of banana bread is equivalent to a dozen cookies, and I saw these adorable loaf pans at the grocery store. They're cardboard and silicon oven-safe loaf pans that are cute enough to gift the baking in. They're reusable, and come with a bag and a red ribbon for each pan. Easy-peasy giving and presenting. Plus, I won't have to wash my loaf pan a bazillion times.
Twelve people signed up, which means I need to make twelve loaves of banana bread for Friday. That's not too hard, right?
Except that the only evening I have off this week is Friday.
So I work from 8am - 9:30pm with two hours for meal breaks on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That leaves approximately (add the two, carry the four...) zero time to bake! Uh-oh!
I figured if I made two loaves each night after work (two batches fit in my KitchenAid at once), that means I can still get to bed by midnight, and that only leaves another four loaves to squeeze in somewhere else.
Right. So no time for my own activities until Friday (which is pretty par for the course) and very little time for sleeping.
And then... I got glutened on Monday.
It wasn't bad, and it happened in the morning. That means I felt like crap all day at my sitting-down job, which I can handle, and I would probably be sick until I slept. I knew there was no way I could make it through the second job that night, which involves a lot of walking, talking, moving, thinking, and so many motor functions that just cease. I called in right after lunch, and my manager said there was no one to cover my shift, and it was too busy for one person to close alone. So I had to go to work.
So, it was then almost ten o'clock on Monday night. I had to make two loaves of banana bread, and sleep. I knew I would be dead tired if I didn't get about 12 hours of sleep that night (what it takes for my body to recuperate after a glutening), but it was already about 9 hours from when I needed to wake up. Ugh...
I managed. I made banana bread, I went to bed. I got up on time on Tuesday, and I made it through my day (very tiredly, I might add), and both jobs. I even managed to make four loaves of banana bread afterwards! Mind you, I went to bed close to 1am, but I managed!
Now it's Wednesday morning. Between today and tomorrow, I have to work 23 hours, and make another four loaves. I'm beginning to feel a bit like Gob from Arrested Development.
I don't know how I'm going to make it to Friday, but I am. Stay tuned for Banana bread loveliness!
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