Never, ever leave stuff in plain view in a car in Detroit. Mrs. Blocletters has made this point to me numerous times. I had to learn the hard way.

Yesterday, I waited in the repair shop with Baby Blocletters, who was about as patient as a 6-month-old can be in a waiting room. (I tried to impress on her the “inside voice” lesson, but she replied with increasing loud and jovial “Ya, ya, yaaAAAAHHHs,” much to the amusement of the women behind the counter and other people waiting.) A waste of sperm and eggs had smashed the back passenger-side window of my new Toyota on Saturday, and taken our overnight bags. We were ready to head out of town for Sunday’s Trail Marathon*, and I had thrown our bags in the back seat before heading downtown for an errand.

Dumb move.

I parked on Griswold downtown, a block from the Penobscot. Did I mention it was 3:30 in the afternoon? And that we were away from the vehicle a grand total of 32 minutes? Neither of those facts can substitute for shouldaknownbetter.

The repair shop made the truck whole. Mrs. Blocletters made a point after the race of taking me to Running Fit to get a new water belt for long runs, which makes me feel a bit better. I wish I could bring back the sentimental things my wife lost. I wish I could shake that fist-to-the-gut feeling of violation. I miss my good luck charm, and I’ll reach for my Leatherman for a honey-do sometime soon and whimper a little. Hard lessons suck.

And, to the person who did this: Karma will shine on you, but I don’t think you’ll like it when it does. Hard lessons suck.

* I finished 121 out of 165 entrants in a chip time of 5:22:32. Definitely not the finish I’d hoped for, but I took a bad tumble at mile 11 and hobbled through the remaining 15.2 miles with singing pain in both knees. Regardless, I finished, and I’m proud. Next race: Detroit, where I’ll make sure to stash my running kit out of site when I park.

Almond brittle. Forgive the bluriness; a steady shot I'm not.

This is a really easy recipe I made for a recent work potluck. I cribbed it from a website, and tweaked it for my own nefarious ends.

2 C. sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

1 C. honey

1 C. water

2 t. vanilla

Shot of Kahlua

1 T. butter

2 C. toasted whole almonds

Combine sugar, honey and water in a deep, heavy sauce pan over low heat. Still until sugar is dissolved, and bring to a boil. Boil until it reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer*. Remove from heat. Toss in vanilla, Kahlua, butter and almonds. Stir just enough to mix and pour out onto a pre-greased cookie sheet. Spread mixture evenly, so the nuts aren’t all bunched up, with a rubber spatula. Cool for a few hours, break up with your hands, a hammer or other blunt instrument, and enjoy.

Yield: a lot (it filled about three-quarters of a large cookie sheet).

* I admit I don’t own a candy thermometer. Here’s the cheat: Once the sugar starts coating a spoon dipped in it, check every 30 seconds or so by dropping a tiny bit in a glass of cool water. Once that drop holds tight and doesn’t dissolve, you’ve got candy. Remove from heat and proceed.