Pinterest Made Me Cry

Last night I was browsing Pinterest. It's something I do from time to time...something to calm my swirling thoughts.

I came across a post for a pasta sauce. The blogger was sharing a recipe for an authentic Italian sauce given to her by her husband's grandmother...who was from Italy. And, my friends, it sounded downright delicious.

Here's what got me all fired up: I decided to check out the comments. I was so surprised at what I found. Most people were complimentary (good). Some people decided to share how they would do it differently (odd). Then there was one lady who was utterly offensive. In a diatribe spanning more than 3 or 4 comments, she let loose a string of criticism that was insulting both to the blogger and the sweet Italian Nonna (she basically accused the old lady of not being Italian because of what she put in her sauce!)

Seriously?

No...I mean, SERIOUSLY????

Why? Why do people do this? What possible satisfaction could be gained by attacking someone else's personal likes and/or dislikes in such a public fashion? Did she really think the blogger would change her mind? "Oh, I was just kidding. I didn't actually enjoy the sauce. In fact, it was horribly tasteless!" Give me a break!

We all have our opinions. I know this...I myself am literally brimming with them! For example, I don't like fish. Strike that...I REALLY don't like fish. This doesn't mean, however, that I feel some kind of obligation to inform all fish-eaters that they are idiots! It doesn't mean that I sit at home drafting paragraphs of disparaging comments to hand to all my friends and family who eat the stuff.

No.

NO.

NOOOOO!

It was obvious, as I read on, that the blogger's feelings had been hurt. Certainly by the outright attack... but, if I was a betting gal, I'd bet her feelings were hurt by the many other comments telling her all the other things she could do to make her sauce better.

It made me so sad. I wish I knew her. I wish she were a friend of mine...someone I could put my arms around and assure that those comments, those people, just don't matter. Because they don't.

But, isn't it hard to remember that? I'll answer that: Yes! Even at our best we sometimes feel inferior. Less-than-perfect. Not quite up to snuff. Etc. Don't we?

I do.

And my guess is that you do too.

So, maybe we should just be nice to each other. Let's be honest...is there anyone out there who you sincerely and truly feel isn't making an effort to be their best? I doubt it. We are all trying. We are all imperfect people just giving it all we've got. Right?

So let's cut each other some slack. And enjoy whatever pasta sauce you want to enjoy, okay?

Jealous Much?

I don't want to brag or make anybody jealous...

but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in  high school.

The Canadians Are Melting!

Seriously?

I took this shot right before it bumped up to 101˚. Then 102˚.

Ridiculous.

Now That's a Good Question...

Now This is Getting Ridiculous

Today's fortune:

Should I be concerned? My next vacation is a cruise.

And we all know how those seem to turn out.

My Faith is Shaken

I love fortune cookies. (My purse-filling cookie heists at Pei Wei are a testament to that fact.) However, when Curtis and I opened up our cookies today and found these little nuggets of wisdom, I must admit that my faith in the "fortune" part of the cookie was severely tested:

Mine: Exercise will be an important part of your life this week.

Curtis': Take action today on that excellent thought you just had.

I didn't know that fortune-telling would involve such an incredible sense of sarcasm.

Grumble, Grumble...

In my "inbox" this morning:

ciao, my hon!

The reduction of the universe to a single being, the expansion of a single being even to God, this is love.

Hello Honey! I would like to tell you a bit about myself. I'm tall with a middle figure. I have long blond, very beautiful hair, small nice nose, perfect lips and big blue eyes.  I am a sociable easy going person, so I like meeting friends, going out, have fun and new something interesting. I'm looking for a strong relations with a caring and smart man!

I am really tired of all these temporary relations.  I would like to find a man who will be able to estimate not only my beauty, but also my brain and my soul...I want him to kind and handsome, brave and tender, romantic and honest.

sweet, bye for now

Vera

I honestly can't tell what irritates me more:

a) that someone littered my inbox with such inane drivel without my consent...

b) that there are people dumb enough out there to actually click on the link... 

OR

c) the fact that the author of the note has no apparent understanding of the english language or the rules of punctuation.

I feel violated.

Mexico: Food

An open letter of apology to my friend Emily:

Dear Emily,

I have always admired your gift of documenting life with pictures (not to mention your incredible gift of writing). Unfortunately, I do not share either talent and am hereby forced to bore you with a sparse sampling of the food items that were offered in Mexico.

In my defense: I have mentioned I'm Canadian, right? Most Mexican food down-right scares me. Apparently bad enough that I don't even take pictures! (Shiver.)

Forgive me, dear friend. I shall try to do better on my next trip out of the country.

Sincerely,

Amy

So, I'm afraid this will have to do:

This is the table where my waiter-friend, Mario, mixed a "Mayan Coffee" which basically was coffee, with a bunch of liquor which he started on fire, poured from container to container and let blaze while sugar on the rim caramelized. Entertaining, if not appetizing.

Festive mexican-colored Jello:

Jello art. (Who knew?):

And I don't even know what this is. See?...scary:

And, possibly the most frightening thing I saw? This:

Nope. Not even the least bit tempting for me. I may have vomited a little in my mouth then. I do remember thinking I don't think I like pork anymore. What's up, Mexico? Sheesh.

My (very boring) plate consisted of:

White roll, steamed cauliflower, steamed potatoes with rosemary and parmesan, roasted pineapple, mexican rice, and a tostada. And, believe me, 3 of those items are a stretch for my Canadian heritage. I'll let you guess which.

And here ends my post on the food in Mexico. I hope it will suffice.

To Boo, or Not to Boo

That's the question of the day. Each year, as I watch the days slowly meander through the month of September, I ask myself the same question, "Is it too soon to pull out the Halloween decorations?"

(Ian typically answers with an emphatic, "Yes!")

But...I just want to. Somehow, over the years, Halloween has replaced Christmas as my favorite holiday. Before you brand me a heathen, please let me explain. While the "idea" of Christmas is still tops, the season has simply been invaded with more stress than I care to deal with. In all my attempts to simplify (it has been my battle-cry each year) I have yet to manage it.

Thanksgiving, with all it's talk of gratitude and blessings, is fantastic, of course. Fantastic until you're responsible for cooking the necessary Thanksgiving dinner for your family. (And, before you tell me that turkey is not necessary, I'll warn you that it would sound blasphemous to my turkey-dinner-loving heart.) Oh...and it's only really worth the effort if your family exists of more than three children who don't really care for what you cook.

That leaves me with Halloween. My kids are back in school...and will remain there for this particular holiday (awesome). The oppressive summer heat is finally retreating (also awesome). And, all I'm really expected to do is dress my children up in something and send them out in the world to collect candy (seriously awesome). In short, it's perfection.

So, I'll ask again, "Is it too soon to pull out the Halloween decorations?"

Miracle

As I deftly matched the last 2 socks from the last load of laundry tonight...I suddenly noticed that I ended up with an even amount of socks. I had no leftovers!

It's a miracle.

Confession

I've been spending an absurd amount of time lately with these fellows:

(I don't know how they got me...but they got me. Grrr.)

To Whom It May Concern:

Please excuse Amy from her responsibilities as a blogger over the next week or so. While we know her extended family eagerly looks forward to updates on the antics of her slightly crazy family, she is currently fulfilling other obligations (much to her profound dismay).

Sincerely,

Me

I Like Chocolate

It just had to be said.

The Glass is Half Full

We are not ridiculously late in taking down our Christmas lights...we are brilliantly early with our holiday preparations.

In case you've been wondering.

Is It Just Me?

After receiving numerous (so many, multiple, countless, frequent, oodles, an innumerable amount) of this specific fund-raising mailer...

I'm beginning to think they probably should have just kept their nickels.

Cause apparently every nickel counts.

August

Today I peeked outside at my blackberry bushes. Right now most of the berries look like this:

But some of them are starting to look like this:

It looks like we're going to have a great harvest this August. Yummy!

Got Swagger?

Thanks Emily, I needed a laugh!

Note To Self

Don't spin yourself around in the office chair. No matter how much your kids beg.

You're not a 5 year old anymore.

You'll get sick.

(On the plus side, however, it will remind you how much you NEVER want to be pregnant again...)

Word of the Day

I just used this word.

bed·lam

   [bed-luhm]

–noun

1.

a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.

2.

Archaic. an insane asylum or madhouse.

And it was perfect for today. Frighteningly, nightmarishly perfect.

Oddity

I went to the grocery store today and bought 3 potatoes.

It's an odd number. And when I say "odd" I mean that it's not "even"....and I don't typically purchase produce in uneven numbers. Wait, I should say that I never buy produce in uneven numbers. It's a fact.

But I was feeling a little daring today and decided to go with it. Apparently it's a big enough deal that I'm blogging about it.

That's odd.

(As I re-read this post I realized that I will most likely need to devote some blogging time to explain my odd (as in strange) OCD-like obsession with even numbers. Stay tuned.)