Monday is Tarot Day. And I barely have the ability to focus on one, solid sentence...

You see, last night was our bi-monthly Chef's Table, wherein a small group of us friends get together and bring a course each, set around a theme for the evening - and we eat copious amounts of food.  And we also tend to drink copious amounts of liquor.  That amount of liquor is made even more copious due to the fact that two of the "courses" are aperitif and after-dinner drinks.

And then there's the wine.  Our lovely friend, Steve, always has a variety of wines at the ready; he is ever the consummate host.  And this is all well and good, but those of us with sensitive constitutions need to pace ourselves.

But, it's so very hard to pace one's self when the drinks are the likes of my friend Joy's own version of The Aviacion (gin, creme de violette, limoncello -- and repeat.  Often.) and my friend Jennifer's offering, post-meal, of the classic amaretto stone sour.  Yep, the same drink that made me tipsy and chatty back in college.  Because it's sweet and sunny, a friendly little drinkipoo that wouldn't hurt a flea.

And then there was all that wine...

Yes, the food was most excellent, with everything from oysters on the half-shell to blueberry crisp with blueberry honey ice cream.

I recall an egg in aspic and a chicken skewer somewhere in the middle of the evening..

Okay, so, the tarot.  Somewhere in between courses, The Devil card must've sauntered in, filled up a plate and several glasses, and threw its head back and laughed raucously.

Now, I could've posted one of the more classic images of The Devil card, with the Horned One inflicting all sorts of uncomfortable trepidation.  But, due to last night's bacchanalia, I decided to go with this one, from one of my favorite decks, The Housewives Tarot, by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum: a clever little mid-century-style deck, full of humor and winks.  Look at all that blessed temptation surrounding the sassy Devil's Food cake (wearing high heels and horns and smoking a cigarette)!  Because The Devil, you see, is all about vices and addictions, throwing one's self full-tilt into worldly pleasures -- and getting lost there.

So plod very carefully through those temptations; you know which one is your particular downfall.

Pardon me now -- it's time for another Gas-X.  And an aspirin.  And a nap.