How I spent my summer vacation. Err, New Year's Eve.

I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. I've made no secret of this, but many people don't understand the ramifications.

When the days are shortest my body wants to hibernate. If I am able to order my life in such a way that I face no demands I manage fairly well. I can be an amiable guest, remaining mellow as long as I get enough sleep. Which is a lot.

When I am not able to so order my life I get cranky and irritable, because I'm really not up to meeting other people's expectations.

I managed professionally by never starting a new job or project in the fall. As long as I could keep applying skills I had already mastered, and going straight home to eat comfort food and sleep, I could get through the shortest days. Whenever possible I arranged time off.

This year has not been a good one. Circumstances beyond my control have prevented the use of my preferred strategy. I am facing massive upheaval in my life in the next four to six weeks, two really awful situations in my life that I prefer to ignore can no longer be ignored, I believe the leukemia is getting worse.

I'm tired. And cold. And cranky.

And so I just sent the following letter to a nationally known pastry chef who frequents one of my online forums:

I ran into trouble today. I was unable to find what I needed online.

Would you please either explain, or tell me where I can find, how to sliver almonds?

I was asked to take a bag of slivered almonds to a cooperative dinner. I never buy slivered (or sliced) almonds. I figure, I don't know how long they've been sitting in that little bag, and the oil starts going rancid as soon as the nut is cut.

So I decided to make my own. I had 1+ pound of raw almonds vacuum-sealed in a FoodSaver container on the counter.

I have a little (1"x1.5"x2.5") box grater that I bought for garlic. I tried the slicing side. Wrong! The almond crumbled, it did not make neat slices.

I tried a knife. At the rate I was going, the little bag would cost more than gold. I did not get even slices. I did not get even slivers. I could not figure out how to just halve the almond, without doing bodily harm. I had just sharpened the knife before I started.

And about blanching them. I've blanched almonds in the past for a recipe. Worked like a charm. Skins came right off. This time I looked it up online and found directions on RecipeZaar. They were very specific...no longer than one minute in the boiling water. I now have most of 4 oz. of semi-blanched almonds on a towel on the counter. They are not peeling easily.

It took so long and I was so frustrated that I ended up staying home! So I'm sitting
here in my bathrobe, hungry, cold, cranky....

Anyway. I decided to learn, once and for all, how to prepare almonds. Then, next
time I need them, I will have a more accurate idea of the time involved, and the
skill necessary to allow the process to go smoothly.

As a pastry chef, I'm assuming you've halved, slivered and sliced more than your share of almonds in your life.