I'm going to ramble now because I feel like it.

I watched Hannibal the other day (the film, not the tv show, but if you haven't watched the show GO DO IT NOW). I totally forgot that I had never seen the full ending of the film.

****spoiler alert if you haven't read the books (and you should; they're brilliant)****

WTF RIDLEY SCOTT?!?! YOU FAIL. Clarice Starling DOES NOT keep trying to injure and/or capture Hannibal to arrest him when she wakes up in the mansion, they RUN AWAY TOGETHER AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER, DAMMIT.

****okay, I'm done***

It has been a somewhat hectic 2 weeks. After the Christmas hols, I spent only a few days home last week--bloated and cranky and swinging back and forth between depression and Numbness. I spent New Year's Eve home alone and was in bed by 10.00. Mum actually came to visit me on New Year's Day (::GASP::), which was nice.

Last Thursday morning, I packed up the kitties and an overnight bag and left home early, to drop my stuff off at Mum's before work so I wouldn't get stuck in an epic snowstorm again.

I am still at Mum's house.

(It's Monday.)

So some random drama--Anorexic Auntie sent me a new pair of shoes for Christmas (Irregular Choice, my fav). They still hadn't arrived as of last week, so she was getting worried they were lost in the mail. She had the package tracked and according to the tracking history, it was delivered to my address on Christmas Eve.

So I texted superhot neighbour and asked if any packages for me been delivered that they maybe forgot about. (Usually they leave stuff like that outside my door.) He said he didn't remember getting anything.

Anorexic Auntie (who is terrifying and relentless when she wants something) further investigated the delivery of my shoes and according to the Florida, NY post office, my package was indeed delivered to the upstairs, and signed for by superhot neighbour. They sent her a scanned copy of the mail receipt with his signature on it.

It's probably a good thing that the combined forces of the weather (3 degrees F/-16 C tonight, after a feckton of snow, which melted today in the spinglike warmth, and rain, which will turn to a feckton of ice as soon as the temperature drops), my car (epic flat tire Saturday and no one could fix it until today), and plumbing issues (no water in my apartment until maybe tomorrow, landlord is not sure) are forcing me to stay at Mum's, because in my precarious mental state I probably shouldn't be allowed to retrieve my shoes by force.

In happier news, my cats are loving their little holiday. They have a big house to tear around, and two extra people to make a fuss of them, plus all the visitors making a fuss of them. Mum's cleaning ladies spent half an hour this morning chasing them around the house to make a fuss of them and teach them to speak Polish

In general well-being, I'm not sure how I am. I feel weird. Sort of suspended somewhere above caring, like I'm watching everything the way you'd watch a movie you're not that interested in. I have no motivation for anything.

Stay warm, my pretties. 

It's too late. It was already in the glass, not in the jar.

All the apple pie recipes (the beverage, not the dessert)  found on the internet involve cider, apple juice, and a ton of brown sugar. This is a disgrace. So before apple cider season comes to an end in the supermarket, I have decided to share my apple pie recipe. 

BECAUSE IT IS GLORIOUS. 

The following is the recipe for ~2 mason jars' worth of apple pie.

You will need:
- 4 cups apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ground spices, specifically cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- moonshine, or if you do not know anyone who makes moonshine, a bottle of Everclear will do (grain alcohol, 190 proof). Depending on your tolerance, you'll need 1/4 cup to 1 cup. I shall elaborate on this below. 

To make it:

- In a saucepan, heat the apple cider with the cinnamon sticks, vanilla, and the spices. I don't measure anything; I just eyeball it. You'll find your own preferences with trial and error. I use about 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and allspice, and then a pinch of nutmeg, pinch of clove, and slightly larger pinch of ginger.

- DO NOT let the cider/spices come to a boil. Heat it at a medium or just above medium temperature until it's just barely starting to simmer and/or steam. Turn the heat down to low and let it heat up for about 20 minutes, stirring with a whisk about every 5 minutes.

- Turn the heat off and take it off the stove. Let it sit for about 10 - 15 minutes. 

- Before you even think about opening the bottle of Everclear, make sure all sources of flames and heat have been blown out or cooled down. Seriously. Unless you want a crater where your kitchen used to be, NO OPEN FLAMES. 

- Add the moonshine or Everclear to the cider in the pan and stir it with the whisk. If you're making this to share with other people at a family gathering, party, etc., I would suggest using 1/4 - 1/2 cup of alcohol, so no one gets alcohol poisoning. If it's just for you and you know your limits/tolerance, you can go up to 1 cup for every 4 cups of cider. 

- Once the apple pie has cooled enough that you can put your hand on the saucepan without getting burned, pour the apple pie into mason jars. Keep the cinnamon sticks, placing one in each jar. If you like, you can use a strainer to strain out the gloop that the spices leave on the bottom. Personally I like leaving the gloop, as I feel that it strengthens the flavour of all the spices while the apple pie sits in the jars.

- Let the mason jars cool completely before putting them in the fridge. 

- Occasionally, your apple pie may take on a jello-ish consistency once it's been the fridge for a while. I have no idea why this happens. To avoid it, give the jar a good shake before you open it to pour a drink. 

- Enjoy!