Before the weather goes completely to hell

The sea was gorgeous this morning. The photo doesn't do it justice. All before noon, I have

• Washed, dried, and folded a load of laundry.
• Fixed some killer French toast -- oops! -- liberty toast for Karen. Recipe below.
• Fixed ham and eggs for my son.
• Macerated four cups of dried fruit in dark rum to make Alton Brown's fruitcake recipe. I'll let you know if it's worth the effort.
• Done my grocery shopping for the weekend.
• Mailed off the mortgage check.
• Brined a few pork chops.
• Marinated chicken in onions, yogurt, salt, black pepper, cayenne, cumin, turmeric, and fenugreek.
• While she was showering, I watched my wife in a sweet, yet somehow creepy, stalkerish way.

Why do most restaurants screw up French toast? It's not that tough. Slice French bread into four slices, each 3/4 inch to one inch thick. Put the slices into a one gallon ziplock bag in one layer. Beat two to three eggs, 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup milk, a slosh of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a shake of cinnamon. Pour this into your ziplock bag and roll it around to evenly distribute the liquid. Throw it into the fridge until you are ready to use it. (It will keep overnight. On weekends, I always make two days worth.) Fry the bread in butter over medium heat. When the toast is crispy on both sides, slosh some maple syrup into the frying pan. The syrup will get very hot, will partially caramelize, and will coat the down-side of the toast. Pour everything out onto a plate. As my son used to say when he was three, "Wallah!" Now, if only I can

• Get some editing done.

D.