I’ve joined the A to Z April Challenge 2016. I’m in the mid-1500s on the list, should you care to find me. There’s still time for any of you, my gentle readers, to join in. Never let it be said that I didn’t invite you.
I’ve never tried to do this challenge before. When it comes to The Spectacled Bean, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, so following a schedule, which this challenge requires, looks suspiciously like work to me. But I’ll do my best to keep on track.
My theme for this challenge will be FOOD: Talking The Talk. I plan on sharing sayings, such as proverbs, idioms, or slang phrases, and a few quotes or product names as examples of how we talk about food, even when we’re not necessarily talking about food.
I promise, as I go through the alphabet, that I will not be pedantic. In fact, I imagine that this sort of challenge will allow me to flaunt my natural tendency toward flapdoodle and twaddle. With a little snark thrown in for good measure. And occasionally, a few facts.
I’ve decided to answer them this week because I like to keep things fresh and vibrant around here. No same old, same old for me.
Variety rocks.
# # #
# # #
Q1:Have you done something you truly want to do today?
A1: Yes, I have. I started sorting through my clothes, accessories, shoes, focusing on getting rid of things I don’t like and/or things that don’t fit properly.
I’m not a clothes horse and would enjoy having less stuff to deal with every time I need to get dressed. Which is to say, every day. So this is a step in the right direction for me.
Q2:What can you help the world with?
A2: I’m better than the average bear at figuring out solutions to problems involving, but not limited to: understanding family dynamics; planning for any event; and decorating your home in a way that reflects your personality.
Yep, that’s what I can do for the world. Facilitate understanding about what makes people tick; get things done in an organized way; and support you as you make things pretty.
Q3: If life was “just a bowl of cherries”… which fruit other than a cherry would you be…?
A3: Difficult question. I’m torn between being a blueberry which would snuggle up smoothly against the cherries, OR a slice of kiwi which would contrast in color, shape and texture with the cherries.
Probably going with kiwi, but here’s an idea: we could kick the fruit salad up a notch by putting it in a carafe and pouring white wine sangria on top of it. Then it wouldn’t matter what kind of fruit any of us were.
Happy fruit is the best fruit, you know.
Q4:Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?
A4: Thinking about funny movies I like…
ONE
“The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self-awareness.” ~ Annie [Susan Sarandon], Bull Durham
We’d be sitting in my kitchen at the table, staying warm, glancing outside at the bleak leafless trees that make you wonder if you’ll survive this time of year with your sanity intact.
We’d be drinking basic brewed coffee, with cream, and eating donuts because carbs are where it’s at when the world is this dull and gray.
We’d be listening to the local university rock radio station because on Saturdays they play hits from the 60s & 70s & 80s– and it’s fun, once in a while, to groove on tunes from the past.
THE CONVERSATION:
√ We’d be sharing… our latest reading obsessions, which in my case would be 3 different books that I seem to read depending on which room I’m in. My father did this and I realize I’m doing it now, too. So, when I’m in the tv room I’m reading The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin. In the living room I’m reading 1215, The Year of the Magna Carta by Danny Danziger & John Gillingham. And in our bedroom I’m halfway through The Key by James N. Frey. You’d assure me that this book-reading behavior isn’t as weird as it sounds.
√ We’d be discussing… how I find Cheryl Tiegs’s out-of-touch criticism of Ashley Graham’s size and look to be sad and spiteful. I’d mention that I never thought CT had much on the ball, so I suppose she hasn’t noticed that the ideal body image of models has evolved and diversified since her days as a model. I’d realize that I was being snarky, but conclude that sometimes it’s the only response to stupid.
√ We’d be laughing… about how this week, after months of effort, I got to Level 445 in Candy Crush Soda Saga, and how I believe I just might make it to the end of this game, which is Level 565. You’d roll your eyes at me because whatever, but I’d still be proud of this achievement considering I’ve never come this close to finishing one of these silly games before.
√ We’d be talking… about how when Zen-Den went to buy paint for one of our bedrooms, he made me the happiest girl on the block when he bought me a brand-new slick and wonderful Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Fan Deck that has in it, according to the SW sales clerk, 200 new shades of paint. My little amateur interior designer heart is racing with the possibilities.
THE CONCLUSION:
We’d have to part after an hour or so of chit-chat because we each had obligations in the afternoon to get ready for.
We’d hug and promise to get together sometime in the Spring, which for both of us is busy, then realize that maybe it’d be Summer before we do this again.
And we’d thank each other for listening to & laughing about our small victories and wacky ways. Like friends do everywhere. Often over a mug of coffee.
While I’ve no doubt my readers know what a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin looks like, I present this image for future Historians who 200 years hence will need a visual to understand this post. Historians, you may thank me in the footnotes of your doctoral theses.
I had my first afternoon Egg McMuffin last week.
It was late Thursday afternoon, and Z-D & I were on our way to Habitat for Humanity to drop off our old, but still usable, outdoor light fixtures that have been in my way in the garage for months.
[We replaced them last autumn with new black ones that use LED bulbs, with clear beveled glass– and the value of our home doubled. Really. The improvement is amazing.]
I was feeling peckish as we drove along, and in a moment of inspiration I directed Zen-Den to stop at the next McDonald’s so that I could feast on the one item I like at McDonald’s.
[Also I wanted a cup of black coffee. They have good coffee, which I needed to wash down my formerly unavailable after 10:30 a.m. sandwich delight.]
Hello again future Historians. This logo, which we saw all over the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, was easy to recognize as we followed the signs on the streets through a working part of town. Once at the store a friendly employee helped us unload our donations to the store.
So he did.
And I got an Egg McMuffin, which might have been the best one I’ve ever eaten. A bit of an exaggeration, but it was good.
Especially at the “wrong” time of day.
Eaten in rush hour traffic while someone else chauffeured me around the city on our way to doing good.
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 