oops. you're a jerk.

This afternoon I received an e-mail that was clearly not meant for me. Our company e-mail system has an address book that allows you to type in the first few letters of someone's last name and it will autofill if you're close to the actual spelling. This can be a convenience if you're careful, and it can get you in trouble if you are not careful. Underling Dude the message was meant for has the same first three letters in his last name as me. Dude who sent the message is clearly a d-bag. Neither of these individuals even works anywhere near here - completely different party of the country - so I have no actual knowledge of either of their characters, just a few lines of text.

message 2 @ 2:21 p.m.
Did I stutter???????

message 1 sent @ 2:18 p.m.
Get your A - - in here!!!! Where are you !!

The original message (which I did not include here) was sent by Underling Dude to Mr. D-bag telling him news he perhaps did not want to hear. I don't think it warranted such a tone, however. Who talks like that so someone they work with? Especially if its a direct report? I sent Mr. D-bag a reply that merely said:

You did not stutter, but you DID send your message to the wrong person.

Best of luck.

And if e-mail had an "under the breath" feature it would have said, "Best of luck... learning how to speak to people, treat them with respect and not suck."

Life is too short to be deliberately rude to people. Mr. D-bag must be awesome to work for! I thought about saying more to him in my reply e-mail, but I'd rather do something that could be considered a random act of kindness for the Underling Dude.

Let's all do our best to be nice to others, shall we?

Cookie Fail

I can't tell you how many times I've made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. More than I can count, probably. I always use the same recipe - it's the one off the Quaker Oats box. The dough came together without a problem. That's the good news. The bad news, when I put them in the oven I set the timer for making cookie bars, 30 minutes, without even thinking about it. They normally bake for 10-12 minutes! I think I invented a new cookie, they're called chocolate chip snaps. They're ridiculously over baked. I'm bummed about the mishaps and that Quality Control won't let these cookies out of the house. I've always said there's no such thing as a bad cookie. These might be close.

Note to self, pay attention to details even when you're doing something you've done a million times!

Favorite Movie

I had the chance to see Amelie last night on the big screen! YAY! I love this movie for so many reasons, namely how cute and imaginitive the story is, how beautiful the art direction and cinematography are and the exquisite attention to detail throughout. It's such a lovely film. Every time I watch it, I appreciate it even more and wish I had that hair cut. If I could live in a film for a while, I think I'd have to pick Amelie! I'd brush up on my French, skip stones, ride around with Nino on his moped, help random strangers and generally just be super cute.

If you could live in any movie, what would it be and why?

Mind Field

...braces are about a month away.

...cats are cute and fuzzy, but sooo frustrating!

...I want Bon Iver to sing me a song. I'm in love with his voice.

...I have an extreme case of wanderlust. Not an uncommon thing for me.

...I'm dressed like an adult today, but don't feel like acting like one.

...mild sore throat has been bugging for a couple days. I'm hoping the vitamin C and zinc I've been taking will chase it away.

...Patrick Swayze died yesterday. He will always be Johnny Castle to me. RIP, Johnny.

...Saw a clip of Pink sharing her opinion about Kanye West on the Today show. I admire her for saying exactly what she thinks about someone who has acted like a complete douche. I read somewhere that it may have been a scripted moment at the VMAs, but why would anyone sign up voluntarily to act like that? They say there's no such thing as bad press, but in a case where everyone agrees you're out of line, you're sort of in a tight spot. Congrats Kanye.

...I really like Pink's hair too. I'd love to go short and that blond.

Eight Years

Eight years ago this morning, we all know what happened. The world changed forever.

I was working downtown. My then business partner was the first to announce the news. We tried to keep working, not knowing the news would continue to worsen throughout the day. I actually was able to talk to my brother D, who was working in Soho that morning, after the first plane. That was before things got super chaotic. He said he the air was smoky and that it was glistening with shards of glass. He and his roommate ended up walking home to Brooklyn out of fear of what might happen next.

We closed the office around 10:30 or 11:00 a.m.

I wasn't sure what to do next. It didn't seem right to be alone or to not be watching the drama unfold on TV. I didn't have cable at the time and wanted to know what was going on. The ex and I shuffled over to my dear friend A's aparment. I think we sat with her into the early evening watching the televised hell that was lower Manhattan eight years ago.

I remember the disbelief that something so horrible could have happened. I still have trouble believing. Conspiracy theories abound. Whatever really happened and no matter who was actually behind the horrors of that day eight years ago, they are truly evil.

In the wake of that day, I also remember savoring every minute I spent with the people I love. I did not want to take any interaction for granted. It had become all too clear that it could be the very last time.

We only have today, the moment we're in. I want to remember that. I want to savor today and every day for my own sake and in memory of everyone who died eight years ago.

Long Weekend

Ah, just back from a long Labor Day weekend! Would have loved for it to last a LOT longer, but I'll take what I can get at this point. Highlights of the weekend included:

Talking remodeling project possibilities with my mom.

Brunch/lunch with M & B at Electric Cheetah on Sunday. We began with dessert first, a lovely peach raspberry pie. Everything else after that was delish. We followed with an epic journey to Costco and Target. I managed to not buy every single "good deal" I wanted. (KitchenAid Stand mixer! Hello! 24-pack Diet Coke, which I'm technically not drinking, but just seeing what a good deal it was - $.24 a can made me want to full on relapse!) Costco is not really an ideal shopping situation for the singleton. You have to really know that you like something to buy in the LARGE quantities they offer. I considered a multi-pack of Clifbars, but decided not to because it was a multi-pack of just okay flavors. Same thing with Vitamin Water. Got both at Target instead. I did get a giant bottle of vanilla though for a good deal. I've been going through vanilla like it's water lately.

Dog park with Mom and her pup. Then dinner with Mom @ XO.

I finished my August Book Club book - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I can totally see this book being made into a movie and with a little help from youtube, I found it out was recently made into a movie in Sweden. The book was a little slow to start out, but once it got going, I couldn't put it down.

Spent an amazing, lazy day at Reeds Lake yesterday. Started out sipping on a smoothie from Starbucks chatting and watching the GRYC sailboats with M. M's friend D joined us after a while. We sat some more just soaking up the amazing weather. We eventually moved camp over to the deck at Rose's for snacks. They probably could have charged us rent. We were there forever!

Had a great long run on Sunday with A. We think we're getting faster. It was probably my best long run since the Lowell Half Marathon. Had some extra steam at the end to kick the last couple blocks just a little harder. There's something to be said for speed work. I'm doing what I can and enjoy seeing the results.

Sleeping!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

How to...

I'm a big proponent of Lifetime learning.

By that, I mean never giving up on learning new things, whether in a structured school environment or on your own as you go through life. I realize those of you fond of Lifetime Television for Women may have read that an entirely different way. No Lifetime movies here. Here's a list of things I'd like to learn:

How to ride a motorcycle. The Vespa is fun and easy, but I still want to learn how to ride a motorcycle with a clutch. This will be helpful because I know at some point in my life I'll find the perfect vintage BMW and have to buy it. This way I will be able to ride it immediately.

Another language. I know enough French to be dangerous. Would like to add another language though.

How to swim well enough to compete in another triathlon. This just involves practice, practice, practice on my part. And maybe a few sessions with a swim coach.

Photo via NYTimes.com

Graphic Design.

DJ skills. Mixing, sampling, playing chronic beats.

Fashion illustration and how to create what I sketch. I can sew, but would love to be properly trained. I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was in 6th & 7th grade and probably still have sketches from back then. Project Runway brings up this desire with every new season!

When I had TV, I used to get sucked into MTV's Made and wish they had a show like that for adults, where you would have the opportunity to immerse yourself completely in whatever it was you wanted to learn until you got the basics down and could go off on your own and keep using the skills you've used. I guess schools/classes fit the bill, but it's not quite the same.

What do you want to learn?

Plan in Place

Inspired by the big lotto game on Friday and conversation at Book Club, last night over dinner R and I crafted our own plans for when we win the big lotto prize. Here's mine:

• I would not publicize my win. In fact, you may not even know that I've won.
• For the immediate future I would not quit my job, although I may go to part time, so I could continue to hang out with my co-workers.
• I would find a small, successful bakery that I could buy. I would spend chunks of time apprenticing, so I could learn more than I currently know.
• I would organize a trip for my family and a few friends. We'd go somewhere warm and beautiful. First class everything.
• I'd retain the best financial advisor. And call up an old attorney friend and put him on retainer.
• I'd hire a personal trainer who could help me run faster, build more muscle and of course swim better. Hello, triathlon!
• I would find ways to spend "apprentice" time with people I admire, either for the kind of person they are or because of the kind of work they do. Aveda colorist David Adams is one. Designer Isaac Mizrahi is another. I'm still coming up with the rest of the list, but the key is that I'd be learning a ton from amazingly talented people.
• I would not sell my house. I would, however, re-do the kitchen and bathroom. I'd also have the yard completely re-landscaped and the driveway done. I'd look into purchasing a place in New York.
• Since I only have a one car garage, I don't even think I'd buy a new car at this point. I like my car. Plus, a new car so soon after an anonymous lottery winner from Grand Rapids is announced might be a dead giveaway.
• I would also set up some sort of charitable foundation with the help of my financial advisor and my attorney.

I guess I might have to actually start playing these big lotto games if I'm going to be able to put this plan into action. I'll be on the look out for the next big jackpot! Do you have a plan for when you win big? It's good to be prepared!

I really want to bake.

There's that age old cliche you read in every interview with a model or actor. "Yeah, this modeling gig is great, but what I really want to do is act." For the actors, it goes like this, "Yeah, acting is awesome, but what I really want to do is direct." I can see the logical progression from each gig to the next wannabe profession. Each allows the person to contribute on a more personal and creative level.

Lately, mine goes like this, "I'm a writer, but what I really want to do is bake." No logical progression from my current profession, but definitely something that I love to do. I've probably been baking since I could write. I say that because I don't really remember when the baking started. It seems like it was always there. I never had the Easy Bake Oven so many of my contemporaries had. I had the real oven. I helped my mom mostly when I was really young. I can remember the easy stuff like box brownies and muffins, but also trying out a few advanced recipes in my teens. Let's be real about this, I worked at bakery in high school and into college. While I didn't actually bake, I spent my time among racks and racks of cakes, pastries and breads. I so enjoyed watching the cake decorators do their thing and dreamt of having my own buckets of butter cream frosting!

I read cookbooks like novels. I check them out by the bagful at the library each week. There's something so amazing about turning raw ingredients into something lovely and delicious. I relish the zen of losing myself for a few hours in baking a pie, cake or cookies. I also REALLY have a sweet tooth. So I mostly bake so I can have a taste and then share with friends and family. I think one of the best parts of baking is seeing how happy my sweets make people. It's pretty cool.

This weekend I built a beautiful blueberry pie with fresh blueberries from Farmers Market and a crust from scratch just like my mom taught me. The baking happened on Saturday afternoon. I brought the pie to last night's cookout with R's friends. That meant there was a span of about 24 hours where all I could think about was how badly I wanted to cut into that pie and have a taste. Unfortunately, bringing a pie to a social function with a slice or two already cut out of it would be a social faux pas. I'm glad I waited. My in tact blueberry pie was well-received at the cookout on Cherry Street.

I wonder if I'd get tired of being up to my elbows in frosting and flour on a daily basis? Would I lose my sweet tooth? Would I gain 100+ pounds? Today, I bake because I love it. For now, with no actual plan to go full time, I'll just keep it at that. I am, however, already thinking about my next pie. The peaches looked pretty good at Farmers Market.

this is my brain on tuesday

i say i like to travel, but when it comes down to it, i'm not into all the details that it takes to actually travel for fun and leisure. i guess that's why they have travel agents. i can't tell you the number of trips i'd like to take. need to get passport updated. need to commit and just flippin' go somewhere.

*****

just so we're all clear, i'm not going to not go somewhere just because someone (who may or may not happen to be my ex) might be there. it's MY neighborhood and i can go to the blockbuster whenever i want. i'm waiting for the day when we will all just run into each other and have that awkward "we used to know each other, but we're going to pretend not to know each other" moment. i have a feeling it's going to happen sooner rather than later, this town is REALLY small.

*****

i would like to start eating like a true athlete, not someone who runs/works out so i can eat whatever i want. my metabolism is fast, but it's not that fast. with that being said, i'd like a personal chef/nutritionist who can prepare me tasty meals and keep me on track.

*****

i've learned to be more at peace with peace, but every now and there's still a part of me that wants things stirred up a bit. i'm resisting the urge to stir the pot myself.

*****

i'm looking forward to ArtPrize. art has already started appearing around town. this event is going to be huge! have you heard about nessie?

*****

have i told you lately how much i like butter? i'm eating a toasted cinnamon raison bagel right now, with butter on it. it is delicious in all of its toasted buttery cinnamon goodness.

*****

my office is slightly illogically heated and cooled for whatever season we happen to be in. this weekend was blistering hot with humidity. for that kind of weather i can understand turning the air down to keep the workers cool. as best i can tell, it's not near the 90s today. i've been wearing fleece all morning in my cube. fleece, people. in august. that's just not right!

Your vs. You're. R U kidding?

I write/edit for a living, so it should come as no surprise that the use of proper grammar scores points with me.

This article on grammar was a featured article on the MSN homepage yesterday. I clicked on it out of curiosity. I was a little flummoxed to read an article that dished out all the simple grammar goodies everyone should have learned in school, but clearly did not. I know darn well that in an age of text messages ("ill brb. txt me when u get there"), instant messaging and every other form of electronic communication that seems to wag its tongue in the face of proper grammar that knowledge of English grammar is floundering.

I came across this tweet from a local public relations firm today while looking at Grand Rapids Social Diary's Twitter "following" list.

[Redacted] co-founder, [Redacted], congratulated us on the @[redacted] merger with a giant cake: http://yfrog.com/cb16nj11:59 AM Aug 7th from Tweetie

In case cake link doesn't work, (because it wasn't earlier) it says, "Congratulations Heard your eating for two now." Please also note the random quotation marks at the end of the sentence. Here's the amusing part, this firm is now considered one of the largest public relations firms in Michigan and they can't even get the copy on a cake right. "Your" vs. "you're"? Really?! Folks, it's not rocket science and it's kind of your JOB to get things right. And if a vendor is doing work for you, it's your job to make sure they get it right! Or if someone messes up, notice the error, eat the cake and don't post it on your Twitter account for the entire world to see! Duh!

We all make mistakes, but this is one that did not need to be paraded around on the interwebs. Who exactly manages the public image of this firm? They clearly need some help on getting the simple things right. Just saying.

Shopping the Closet

A coworker of mine just asked me if I’d been shopping alot recently because of what I'm wearing. No, I wish. I’ve been saving the dolla dolla bills y’all, by shopping my closet instead of the stores.

I’m wearing a skirt I bought probably over three years ago and have never worn with a rarely worn dressy t-shirt that matches it. I had to do a little creative pinning for a proper fit on the skirt, but so far it’s working and it’s almost as fun as having purchased something new! Maybe even more, since I know I didn’t spend any money (recently) on the new look.

I tend to get stuck wearing the same outfits to work over and over again, so the whole shopping my closet thing every now and then helps out with that. Another idea I’ve had for breathing new life into a wardrobe, but have never made happen, is having a couple trusted fashion friends over to play stylist. You look at your own closet every day and may be overlooking fashion gold. Your fashion friends, on the other hand, may spot a few things you’ve never thought to put together or have long since given up on. You could take turns over a few weeks visiting each gal’s closet – everyone gets a chance to catch up on each other’s lives and may get a few new outfit combinations out of it. Simple. Goodness. Savings!

Latest Running Recap

Rain played a major part of shaping my weekend. Saturday morning's long run was pre-empted by a torrential downpour, thunder and more importantly lightening. I would have been fine to run in the rain, but I was not so keen on getting sizzled by lightening! A & I hung out in Sbux with a bunch of other rained out runners waiting/hoping the storm would pass quickly so we could still get in our run.

We went Sunday morning instead and probably got as soaked (in sweat) as we would have gotten had we ran in the rain on Saturday. If you're in Michigan, you know of this opressive heat/humidity combo of which I type! Make one move and you're instantly sweaty. We struggled through nearly 8 miles. I don't use the word struggle lightly. It was gross.

I have a 1/2 marathon coming up on Saturday and I'm a little bit nervous about how it's going to play out. I haven't been as gung ho about my training for this race as others. Perhaps I've hit a summer training slump?! As best as I can tell, Saturday's course has hills and a bit of trail running. Oi vey! I just hope it's a cool morning, so I can actually breath while I make my way through the course. Just looking to finish injury free and hope to actually enjoy the race.

This week's schedule looks pretty light, just to keep things from siezing up. The taper week before a long race always mystifies me. I know I can run the distance, but always think I should do more. The tapering actually helps the body prepare for what's ahead...it's really all beyond my control now! I'll just keep eating carbs and hope for the best.

i have green eyes.

envy.



it's one of those feelings that just comes up unexpectedly. i don't think anyone sets out to wish they had what someone else has, be it be possessions, status, abilities, or to experience what someone else gets to experience. it comes from a feeling that you're somehow getting shortchanged, that your abilities are going unnoticed or unappreciated, that the spotlight is not shining on you.



something recently has made my natural green eyes greener and i was not happy with the feeling. that's not who i want to be. my way of working through it was joking around, making fun and taking playful jabs, but afterward i felt like my true feelings were too thinly veiled and i was being a complete bitch.



in order to work through it and move beyond feeling envy, i focused on gratitude. focusing on all the things i do have. all the ways in which i've been blessed. as with most feelings, i knew the envy would fade. it was my ego saying "i want mine...", to which i said, you've got yours beyond what anyone can even see. if you still want more, work harder for it. make your own spotlight. create your own opportunity.



another thing i've thought about...whenever you actually do end up getting that thing you've coveted, it's often not as amazing as you built it up to be. i remember wanting white leather tennis shoes when i was in 6th or 7th grade because a couple of the more popular girls had them. i finally got them and the inevitable happened. i slipped my middle school feet into them and somehow they no longer seemed as cool. they weren't me. today, i think, "what were you thinking? white tennis shoes? nikes? really?! " recently, i've seen boys pull this look off successfully, but its white adidas with fitted jeans. boys. not girls. i guess that's a fashion post for another time!


crazy feelings. sometimes it would be nice if we could just shake them off, but feel them we must until we've worked out whatever it is we need to discover about ourselves. big or small, the discovery usually helps the next time an uncomfortable feeling appears out of nowhere.

bullets

this week i:

• had a dream i was in a triathalon with my new bike. i was going soo fast. it was awesome.

• actually was riding so fast on the wednesday night bike ride and it was awesome to be flying down butterworth with a bunch of bikers behind me.

• saw a tiny baby bunny on one of my runs. i wanted to scoop it up and carry it home and feed it carrots.

• took one day off of running since i'm experiencing what i can only imagine is training burn out. i just didn't want to go. was feeling fine. i honored my not wanting to go and got back at it the next day. still feeling a little "meh" about training, but i'm just going with the flow. next race is a 1/2 marathon on August 15.

• saw a man mowing his lawn wearing only a speedo and a straw hat.

• made two actual dinners! delish pizza with garlic/olive oil for sauce, red pepper, artichokes and black olives last night. tuesday night was burrito night, complete with guacamole!

• have been looking forward to the grand rapids electronic music festival tomorrow night on Rosa Parks Circle.

• thought of a fun book idea earlier in the week. the fact that i'm still thinking about it so many days later is a sign i should flesh it out and see how the story materializes.

on friends and gratitude

Late last night R & I picked up my friend A from the airport. Her flights got all screwy, which meant she was coming in a lot later than she thought she would. I was the back up plan and was happy to be able to act as airport shuttle, even though it was about my bed time. These are the things we do for friends.

There are other little and quite monumental things we do for friends. I must say I've got two pretty awesome friends in A & R.

The two people I shared the car with last night witnessed one of my all-time embarrassing moments. While I've had conversations with both of them in which I've painfully relived the moment, this was the first time we were all in the same place and it was briefly discussed. Laughter ensued. It's a lot less cringe worthy now, although I doubt it will ever be a cringe-free memory. The three of us are bonded for life in this really odd way. I'm grateful that they're both so cool and made me feel like I wasn't the biggest reject ever for what happened. Oh, and don't even ask what it was. Now that I've had my own in real life postsecret moment, there's absolutely no need to say more.

True friends. We witness each other's lives, reflecting back the goodness. Hoping for the best, there for each other if it's the worst. We can laugh. We can cry. We can be ourselves with the people we call true friends. I am blessed to have such amazing friends in my life, I am thankful for each and every one of you.

hot/not

since it's been a while...

hot: getting flowers for no particular reason.

not: seeing two exes in a span of 24 hours.

hot: knowing that i'm far happier today without either of them. and managing to not talk to or make eye contact with either of them.

hot: having a whole world of bikes to choose from as i shop for a new one.

not: having a whole world of bikes to choose from. i'm a little overwhelmed and just want my bike back!

hot: homemade chocolate cake and buttercream frosting.

hot: talking about something earlier in the day and then having someone or something come across your path that directly relates to what you were talking about. happened on saturday. had been talking about wanting to learn how to remix music, sequence beats, etc and later on that evening someone i met does just what i want to learn and is willing to show me a few things.

hot: being "taken", not single, in a relationship, someone's girlfriend. wow!

not: feeling like i have ADD sometimes.

hot: having great friends that fill my life and social calendar with fun things to do.

not: having so much fun that some of the "getting my life in order" stuff falls by the wayside requiring me to play catch up on all that stuff.

hot: having vegetarian burritos at two different local authentic mexican places over the weekend. maggie's kitchen on saturday. sunday was a place on burton that gives maggie's a very close run for the burrito money.

not: having to play "don't ask don't tell" about whether or not the beans in these tasty burritos contained lard.

hot: having someone to do the NYC Century Ride with in September.

not: not knowing if i'll find a bike in time. and not wanting to settle just so i have a bike.

hot: vacation time.

not: having to hope that the weather will be hot enough to properly enjoy the beach.

delish dish

I've made eggrolls before. See:

I was over at my friend M's house last night while our other friend was finishing up making her own eggrolls. I didn't get to have any because they were meat containers - but what I did get to have was oh so delicious.  We took snickers and wrapped it up in the egg roll wrapper and threw the package into the deep fryer! OMG! Sinfully delicious.

My take away from last night's experience: a yen to make my own egg rolls again AND to try frying them! The last time I made mine, I baked them, which was probably more healthy, but I somehow don't think a candy bar baked in an eggroll wrapper will come out the same as if it were fried, so I might as well fry up the egg rolls too!

What's for dinner? I wish I had that plate of egg rolls right now!

Full Moon?

When shit has gone all sideways and out of control, I often ask, "is it a full moon or something?" Well, kittens, today has already had all kinds of sideways, crazy, heart-attacky-ness AND it is a full moon. Or it was as of 9:23 p.m. GMT last night. The full moon is no joke and I believe it's power to invoke a crazy situation or two has just been proven, at least in my life. Judging by my friend K's recent blog post, she may agree!

First thing this morning: brought the VW into my dealer to have them tighten up a rattly something or other that they've fixed with ease before. That same exact noise this morning turned out to be a serious need for a power steering pump! And apparently I'm rather lucky I brought it in when I did because the power steering pump could have exploded (not really, but really bad things could have happened resulting in some sort of automotive disaster!). Feeling really lucky about the prospect of handing over my check book when I get my car back sometime in the next 24-36 hours. They also will do my front brakes, something they've been reminding me of the last few times I've been in.

Does the full moon have the power for good, say to help me win tonight's Lotto?

So then...I get into work via the dealer's shuttle driver to find out that the ad I've been working on has a certain similarity to something within another company's current ad campaign. I don't watch TV. I had never even seen the ad in question. Spent rest of morning and afternoon tweaking the ad with our designer. Ad has been finalized, but not without severe anxiety! My heart literally felt like there was an invisible hand clutching it VERY tightly. I don't like that invisible hand, it has quite a grip. I don't want it to return or ever have to shake hands with it!

The calm has returned. I'm hoping it stays. I don't need any more Full Moon Maddness!

How's your day so far? Anything out of the ordinary you'd like to blame on the full moon?

food confessions

This might not be pretty...

I bought a small tub of Cool Whip for strawberry shortcake over the weekend. It was actually Friday, which may help lessen the pointy-ness of judgement fingers. I made two actual shortcakes for desserts and somehow the tub is almost gone. I've been dipping pretzels in it. Chunks of fruit may have been dipped in. And, yeah, I've eaten a spoonful or two. As an aside, I'm not particularly fond of the fact that the English language uses the word "tub" in reference or proximity to any food item.

Guacamole. I've been eating it like it's my job. I make a little batch using only 1/2 an avocado at a time so as to not completely go overboard. But that tend to mean I'm eating it two nights in a row. Avocado is a vegetable and they're actually considered to be good for you, but I still feel like I'm somehow doing something wrong - like just realizing that an actual "serving" is 1/5 the avocado, not 1/2! Oops, my bad. But it's soo good!

I'm getting better about eating the fresh produce I buy. It didn't use to be such a good thing. Every now and then I have to put myself on produce restriction though. I find having an actual plan for what I'm going to do with what I'm buying and when this event will take place. Without the what and when - produce goes bad at my house.

Am I the only one that can eat the same thing for breakfast or dinner repetitively? I'll get on kicks and eat the same thing (English muffin egg & cheese sandwiches, cereal, nachos, quesadillas are a few that come to mind) a few times a week for a while. Maybe that's something that happens to those of us who live alone?! I wouldn't subject a guest or family to the same thing a few times a week.

Butter not margarine

Silk not milk

Heinz is the only company that can make ketchup. I'm serious. I believe I'd be able to taste the difference in a blind ketchup taste test. Take the Ketchup Challenge.

It's been over six months since I quit Diet Coke and I still miss it.

If I ever ate meat again, as many of you already know, I'd be angling for a rack of bbq ribs.

Anyone else have any food confessions they want to make?