Good News & Bad News: Baseball & a Hurricane Named Sandy

November 1, 2012
Other Musings, Travels

It’s been quite a wild week on both coasts! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been a faithful Giants fan since I was ten years old. The elation of winning the World Series in 2010 for the first time since the team moved to SF in 1958 was such an amazing feeling; to experience this unbelievable season just two years later has been downright surreal. The Giants are a scrappy bunch who truly work as a team; these guys have a genuine bromance going on! There are no self-absorbed egos to overshadow the other players; they have weathered many a storm together, and their resilience makes them stronger; and they just don’t give up. The team possesses a unique spirit and character that makes us love them. And so, after being on the brink of play-off elimination TWICE and roaring back to beat their opponents, I am bursting with pride for my team! Naturally, I wish to express my joy and gratitude for the season that they have given us in baked form, so I have been on the hunt for Giants-themed cupcake inspiration at local bakeries. I’ve seen a few cool ideas, and one of my favorite places, Sprinkles Cupcakes in Palo Alto, came up with a simple, elegant design that I just adore. I had to buy a pair of these beautiful gems. In fact, I have to admit that I planned to offer Sprinkles a significant sum of money to sell me the tiny fondant cutter so I could make these to my heart’s content, but alas, they get them pre-made. *sigh*

Therefore, I shall embark upon a personal mission to create some really awesome toppers for my upcoming Giants-themed cupcakes…

All the San Francisco excitement has been so much fun, and I am extremely grateful for our good fortune (and amazing October weather) in light of the Hurricane Sandy devastation on the East Coast. I have a special affinity for the cities of Boston and New York, and I am so saddened by the reports of damage in NYC this week. In addition to my concern for loved ones in the affected areas, I was so upset to hear that my all-time favorite bakery, BAKED (in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn), sustained a good amount of damage. My heart hurt when Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito (the bakery founders) posted this information on Facebook. I had to ask myself if this sort of response was reasonable; it’s a bakery after all, not a person. However, this particular bakery has been highly influential in the development of my baking skills and interest in the past few years, and I feel a certain connection or kinship to their awesome shop. Matt and Renato frequently post blogs and Facebook statuses (and they are rather hilarious, for that matter), and I guess that makes it feel even more personal. At any rate, I realized that this news made me very sad, and I hope BAKED gets back on its feet as soon as possible so they can resume baking their magnificent treats. I wish I could go help clean up!