After work I went to Crate & Barrel to look for a small nonstick 8″ skillet, since making a single egg in a 12″ pan seems kind of silly. I wanted to get one that matches the rest of our cookware, but they of course did not have it in stock.

I wandered around the store, listening to the most recent Spoon album on my iPod, loving it more and more every minute. Which other release of theirs would you recommend? The way the songs sounded different from each other was particularly striking.

So I was also looking for a spatula — the “turner” kind. You see, back in 1994 or 1995, when I was much younger and much punker, I went to Smart & Final to get kitchen supplies. One of the things I bought was an off-white Rubbermaid hard plastic turner. It was so plain and so simple; no holes, no frills, and a very straightforward and squared-off shape to it.

But it lasted. It was unbelievably durable, tough, and useful. I used that thing for over a decade and it still looked almost as good as new, with no stains in spite of many times being left overnight in tomato sauce or whatever. It never melted, it never cracked. It was also Brian’s favorite kitchen tool.

So it was only fitting that recently Brian accidentally broke it in half. I guess it had finally had enough. I actually saved one half of it–the handle–out of retarded sentiment.

Needless to say, Crate & Barrel had nothing like it, and neither does anyone on the web. Oh well. I settled for new dishtowels and a bamboo turner of a similar shape.

Then I went home in the continuing rain, listening to Spoon and Neko Case and Rufus Wainwright.