The cookies are turning out... interestingly. I made a batch at xmas and they came out weird too, I thought it was because I cooked them in my friend's convection oven, but this batch is at home, so now I'm thinking the baking soda may be the culprit. Put less in the 2nd batch we'll see how it works out.
This was after we'd spent the entire day helping cook food for the wedding. Around 9pm we finally changed into dressy clothes after shutting down the last grill.