- Normal Is A Setting On Your Dryer (Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe)

So, I'm back to normal today, although as one author says, "Normal is just a setting on your dryer." What is "normal", anyways? Who knows? One of my mother's favorite sayings was "Everyone's strange except me and thee, and sometimes I wonder about thee." Actually, she used to say, "Everyone's queer except me and thee..." but I convinced her that she couldn't use that word anymore in her favorite saying or else people would get different ideas.

I ran around too much on Thursday and Friday....to my doctor's appointment, then another errand, a get-together on Friday morning, visiting a dear friend in the afternoon, and a quick trip to Fairview Shopping Centre for a much-needed pair of Fall shoes. And then Saturday, I was wasted. For some reason, anesthetic plays a real number on me and it takes me like, three months to recuperate from that stuff...I'm just so sleepy.

Just to recap: I received the news this past week that I'll need more surgery - one of the two lymph nodes they previously thought was negative is actually positive, so they'll have to operate this Tuesday and remove more lymph nodes; see if the cancer has spread. I felt really down for the past 3 days, but I woke up this morning feeling....um, well, exactly the same. Bleccchhhh.  So I lay there in bed feeling isolated and alone, and then I decided that I had two choices: to lie there all day and feel sorry for myself, or get up and get out with people.

So I went and hung out with "my peeps" at Westview, which lately has been my favorite church in the whole world. I love the people there and they kinda love me, too, and it just feels good to walk in the doors and have all this overwhelming support coming my way....it cheers me up and I walk outta there feeling like I can face the upcoming week.

I have to tell you a funny story: the Jewish General Hospital is a teaching hospital, meaning that whenever you have a procedure, a surgery, an examination, or whatever, there are bound to be young-looking guys and girls who are very interested in looking at your body. If you should ever find yourself in a teaching hospital and this happens to you, you must remind yourself that these people are not voyeurs (hopefully); they are merely eager students looking for unhealthy guinea pigs like you and me to practice on. Oh! Did I just say that with my out-loud voice? Yes, I did. Oh, well....

So there I am lying on the operating table with my arms stretched out, and about a dozen people rushing around me doing their thing and performing their respective tasks. I look over at my left arm to see a young man who looks like he's around, oh, I don't know - fifteen years old - inserting a needle in my arm. I'm sure he was older, or else they wouldn't have let him touch me, right? Right? Oh, Lord, please, let me be right.

Anyways, I look at his little black name tag, and sure enough, he's a Vanier College Respiratory Student. Groovy. He's old enough to be in college. He wasn't looking very nervous, which is always reassuring, but then I noticed a woman who looked much older....maybe nineteen....(just kidding) observing his technique.

I say to him, "Dude," (I like calling young guys dude cuz it makes me feel cool and hip) "are you being graded on this?" and he replies in kind of a resigned tone of voice, "Oh, yeah." I said, "You realize that if I die, you'll fail, right?" So we all had a good laugh. He laughed. His teacher laughed. The anesthesiologist laughed. I laughed. Well, I sort of laughed. Yep, it's downright hysterical what goes on in operating rooms. Fond memories. And now I get to relive them all again this Tuesday. Are you jealous yet? Enh, it could always be worse. I could be in some fourth rate hospital being operated on by someone who graduated from the Acme International Online School of Medicine.

So, to celebrate this happy Sunday, I am GIVING AWAY ABSOLUTELY FREE this wonderful chocolate cake recipe that you can nuke in your microwave in just a few minutes!!! Yep, you can now enjoy decadence and delight in a mere few minutes! Will you thank me or will you wish you'd never seen this? I sincerely hope you have more self-control than I do!  ;)

Well, enough of hanging out at Second Cup, using up their internet waves. I'm off to the store to buy chocolate, er, I mean, granola and flax seed, and then home for a four-hour nap. Stay tuned for more of my adventures.....coming soon to a blog and a computer near you.....

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5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug.

Mix well.

Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil.
Mix well..

Add the chocolate chips (if using) 
     and vanilla extract.
Mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave.
Cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, 
     but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little.
Tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! 
This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.

And why is this the most 
dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Disclaimer: um, I have never actually made this cake...I'm just forwarding it to you. If you make it, please let me know how it turns out, eh?