rice pudding...maybe not

Do you ever have one of those days? You get a brilliant idea (or perhaps just a good idea in your head, but you're pretty fond of it) and it just seems as though God is telling you it just shouldn't be happening today? Well, I had one of those the other night.
I got the great idea to make rice pudding in the morning. Had been craving it for some reason, and there are no vegan versions at the store, nor are there any non-vegan versions that are very tasty at all. So, seems I was going to have to make it myself. Well, I needed to go to Wal-Mart, but I rarely have the energy to brave that place myself, so I was going to wait for Rob to get done sleeping and we could go in the afternoon. Of course, as the day goes on and the hours pass, the idea just starts sounding better and better. So even if I wasn't completely convinced when the idea first came into my head, by the afternoon, I was obsessing over it. (I know, my cravings, they're a bit consuming and odd)
Rob gets to my house and I try to convince him that rice pudding sounds really good and that he should share my same level of enthusiasm for the idea of making it. This, however, never really works out (but I try it anyway) and he's a good sport about it, but I can just tell it's not real convinced passion, it's just a front of attempted enthusiasm (but, like I said, I can't complain, he tries). We go to Wal-Mart and get everything we need, normal stuff on the list that I needed as well as a few things for rice pudding. Get all the way home, and realize, I forgot the Soy Milk. Oh man, of all freakin' things to forget, that was pretty much it. Well, now I'm pissed (as pissed as I get) and have my twenty minute annoyance phase. During this time, of course, Rob has offered to go get some, or we can get some later, etc. But, ya know, I just want to be annoyed for a while, and nothing is going to fix the situation.
The twenty minutes pass and I'm over it, and even more determined to make it happen. So, we go and get the milk. Return home and begin to make it. Get all the ingredients stirred in and the rice is still hard (yes, I've been stirring it for like ten minutes already and this just now has registered). Well, that's wierd, I wonder why it's not softening at all. At which point I say to Rob, "and the wierd thing is that all the other recipes say to cook the rice first, but this one didn't." At which point, he looks at me like he knows something I don't and perhaps I'm a bit slow, which was a totally fair look at the time. So, without speaking, I quietly turn around, look at the website again and realize that, no, it doesn't have specific instructions to cook the rice first, but in the ingredients it says, "2 Cups Rice - cooked according to packaging directions." Wow, I'm a moron.
Rob tries to tell me that I should just finish cooking it, and maybe the rice will soften a bit, but I'm completely over it and abandon the pot. Well, he continues stirring it, and it does have a great flavor, but still incredibly crunchy rice.
Okay, round #2: I decide that I'm doing this, I'm going to freakin' make this stuff, no matter what. So, I cook the rice (although now all I have left is brown rice which has a much different and stronger flavor) and begin to add the rest of the ingredients while it's cooking. Add the sugar, the vanilla, mix the cornstarch and begin to pour in the milk. Oh ya, 8 cups of milk doesn't really work when you've already used 4 out of a maybe 64oz. container to begin with. AHHHHHHH, I've had it and I want to quit....No I don't, I really want the pudding, Yes I do, this is clearly not supposed to happen today, No rice pudding for me.
Okay, so now I figure, well, I'll just have the recipe. Pull out 1 cup of sugar and chuck it. Add 1/2 the vanilla. Going to only add 1/2 the cornstarch and begin to pour the milk. Get to 4 cups and there is still some left in the container. What the heck? Have I lost my mind? Was I a moron in my math skills as I was in the recipe reading? CLEARLY, I was, this was not my day.
Well, if there is more in there, just use it, so end up getting 6 cups out of it. That's good, now what to use for the last two? Go digging and find some rice milk. Rice pudding, rice milk, sounds like a good idea, right? NO. Clearly the recipe is not made for that, and the pudding (although it at least now has cooked rice) is very runny and doesn't really set-up as it should. Decent flavor, but awful texture. Needless to say, I accomplished it...I had made two full batches of rice pudding that were completely undesirable. One had crunchy rice (but great flavor), and the other had soft rice (but not so great texture or flavor). Good thing Rob is so supportive and unpicky in his tastes, as he won't let me throw out either batch, and will probably be crunching or drinking his way through rice pudding for a few weeks. At any rate, I'm fully prepared for round #3 that should be taking place in a few days. That is, I am ready to get enough soy milk, white rice that I have pre-cooked in my trusty rice-cooker, and I think it should be a success!! (at least it better be, or I may never eat rice pudding again!)