blogging

Jealousy.

~ thedailydish ~ Leave a comment

SO.  I’m standing in the kitchen this morning, enjoying a nice banana scone, when in walks my blog.  He looks awful and he smells even worse, like he’s been up half the night drinking.  He looks at me and announces in a wounded voice that we’re 2 weeks into the new year and – he says – I’ve done just one post.

YES!  I retort, but Interview with a Roller Girl wasn’t some slapdash diatribe regaling the world w/my favorite choice of deodorant (cucumber green tea); it was THOUGHT PROVOKING STUFF.  With formatting, photos and everything.

He scoffs, and proceeds to tell me that my friend Kim did most of the work.  Then he helps himself to the last scone.

I am stunned.  THE LAST SCONE?!  Now that’s going a bit too far.  I grab him by the arm of his dirty shirt and toss him out into the snow.  Deaf to his screams of LET ME BACK IN YOU SELF-ABSORBED MORON! I lean against the counter and think…

Hmmm..  I have been spending a lot of time lately with his brother.  Why, just this morning, when I wrote that banana scone recipe, I did find myself lingering..

BUT. can you blame me?  I mean, seriously.  I’m only human.

And then all at once – it dawns on me.  He’s jealous!  My blog! after all these years..  He’s feeling NEEDY.  While whiling away the hours with his brother, whipping up intoxicating creations for the salt deprived, my poor blog is.. Lonely.  Oh, the poor guy.

It’s not that I never think of him – I DO!  It’s just that I’ve been SO BUSY!  Cooking it up every day with his brother takes a lot out of a girl.  Yes that sounds bad, I admit, but.. I assure you it’s innocent.  Plus, there’s been the new puppy. Taking care of her has been totally absorbing, and  – What do you mean, what do I mean? Roxy.  The puppy.  The NEW PUPPY.  Oh?  I didn’t tell you?  (awkward)

(sound of crickets chirping)

Sooo, here’s Roxy!

No, not last week.  It’s been um.. more like a month.  Sorry about that.  I did post it on the OTHER Daily Dish.  So.  Yep…..

Okay.  I get it.  I understand.  My blog is tired of feeling sloughed off like an unwanted heel callous.  You know what?  I love my blog.  Even though I’ve been distracted, and haven’t been as attentive as in the past, that doesn’t mean I’ve forsaken him.  Like most marriages, this relationship between me & the blog is.. well, it’s special.  So I am resolving that this new year we start fresh.  I may have temporarily forgotten what it’s like to woo, but that doesn’t mean I can’t court with the best of them.  I can!  I CAN!  Blog baby, it’s gonna be different this year.  More daily contact — REALLY!  I’ll even take my socks off before touching your keyboard — b/c 2011, it’s all about YOU.

Dear friends & loyal readers,

~ thedailydish

I’ve spent today painting, and while I am painting my mind has a tendency to wander.  I think about all sorts of things.  What I can make for dinner that will not lead my children to complain.  Whether the *YOU KNOW WHAT* I am getting *YOU KNOW WHO* for Christmas will arrive in time.  Whether that one freak hair on my upper lip has grown so long it needs plucking.  Not my very deepest thoughts, but the tedium does inspire in its own way.  And so this morning it occurred to me, that although you know about my moving from Philly to Portland, and about my buying a house a couple months ago, I have disclosed very little – if anything – about the house I now call home.  This thought was so striking to me I actually stopped what I was doing and sat there pondering for a moment.  How ironic, I thought to myself.  Especially in light of the fact that this house is so all-consuming I do very little else other than tend to it.  Especially in light of the fact that I was PAINTING THE WOODWORK of said house at that exact moment.  Something I have been doing for the past – oh, six weeks.

I have therefore decided to do a few things.  First, I am going to start talking about my house and the work my husband & I are doing to restore it.  I am going to start documenting projects, in hope of assisting other people interested in the same things.  And I am going to re-energize myself, my writing and this blog by trying to post something every day.  This is The Daily Dish, after all.  Whether I can accomplish all this in an entertaining manner remains to be seen.  But I vow to try my best.

Red Vines = Worst Candy EVER.

~ thedailydish ~ 76 Comments

In typical teacher fashion, my pal Curly has assigned her readers a June Theme Post.  Next time, I’m getting a Hall Pass..

Today I would like to talk about a subject most normal people enjoy.  CANDY!  Specifically, Red Licorice.  I love red licorice (even if it’s not *technically* licorice).  I also love black licorice (the real stuff) but we are not talking about that here.

redvine_closeup

I took the above photo of a red licorice twist this morning.  PLEASE NOTE:

  1. there are no visible bite marks on the candy.
  2. there is a lot of UNEATEN CANDY in this photo.

Coincidence?  I think not.  Two Words: RED VINES.

You wouldn’t think red licorice would be such a divisive topic, but it is.  Much along the lines of the great Coke v. Pepsi debate, red licorice lovers tend to fall into one of 2 camps depending upon which brand they prefer: Red Vines or Twizzlers.  No need to tell you, I’m a Twizzlers girl.

redvines_vs_twizzlers

  • Twizzlers: red “licorice” style candy that looks great and tastes even better.  They are soft and pliable.  Twizzlers are deliciousness itself.
  • Red Vines: red “licorice” style candy that looks pretty good but tastes awful.  Red Vines are rigid and bite like plastic.  Red Vines are just plain GROSS.

I have eaten Twizzlers my whole life long.  I’ve never cared for other red licorice, but had no strict opinion on Red Vines until just 2 months ago, when I encountered them for the very first time.  I was at the Target in South Portland, looking to score some candy for the movies.  YOU DO IT TOO, so pipe down.  I had a jumbo pack of Twizzlers in my cart when suddenly I spied a snazzy blue package on a lower shelf.

redvines

WOW.  ATTRACTIVE!!  I’d heard of Red Vines before, but when I read that they’re VERY LOW SODIUM, WELL.  I booted those Twizzlers faster than you can say LICK-OR-RISH.  Me & the Red Vines proceeded to the checkout and the Vines rode up front on the way home.  I was SO EXCITED TO TRY THEM!!!!  I had a Vine in my mouth before I’d even hit the kitchen.  Luckily for me I was near a trash can when I started to chew.. because [gag] First time in my life I had to SPIT OUT CANDY.  That Red Vine chewed like plastic and tasted worse.  It was hardly sweet, and there was this sort of wheaty flavor going on, uggggghhhhh.  Not good.  I ran to brush my teeth, but the vileness remained.

Afterward, I went to put them in the trash, but.. Wait. I thought twice.  Were they really that bad?  Like any good mother, I wanted to test them out. ON MY KIDS.  BWAHAHAHH!!!

SO. When they got home, I tried pawning the Red Vines off on them.  Did they pass muster?

redvines2

WHHHHYYY MOMMMY_WHYYYY?????  The taste – it’s stuck in my teeth.  It’s worse than a cough drop!

Now, you might think I am truly horrible for doing that to my kids.  HECK NO!  Any good mother will tell you.  Delicious Candy = FAT KIDS w/ ROTTEN TEETH & DIABETES.  I knew that candy tasted like crap – they weren’t going to eat it.  BUT I looked GOOD for giving it to them.  Mommy gave us candy = Nice Mommy.  Those Red Vines. They’re still sitting here, 2 months later.  No one’ll touch em w/ a stick.  I really should be calling up those Red Vines folks and thanking them for doing their service to America’s children.  But – between you & me, I’m afraid they’ll send me some as a Thank You.