This Week In Blogs, Volume VI
Hi Friends. Thanks for coming back for another week. I can’t believe that I’ve been doing this for six weeks. I’m thinking about changing up the naming convention of this weekly post. I like the Roman Numerals, but once we get past the number of whatever Super Bowl we’re on, I’ll probably need help on the numbers.So if anyone out there is either Roman or a Papal Historian, please let me know once I get to week XLIII. More details to follow. One change that I am making is based off of reader feedback. Lee posted the following comment after last week’s post:
“Love the blog, hate the fact that you don’t include links to the specific post you’re referring to. Do you know how long it took me to find the Wendy’s post on Carrots ‘n’ Cake? (Totally worth it, by the way.) Help me out here … I’m supposed to be writing essays when I am reading your blog so the least you could do is help minimize the time I spend procrastinating!”
Well Lee, thanks for your feedback. I’m going to do my best to link to both the blog homepage and the individual post. So here’s your request, and dedication. Alright, time to get on with the blog roundup…
Tina at Carrots ‘N’ Cake started reading Bethenny Frankel’s book in this post. For those of you that don’t know, Bethenny is one of The Real Housewives of New York. Kate and I are both big fans of the Housewives franchise. New York isn’t my favorite, but I still watch. Bethenny is my favorite member of that cast, despite the fact that the title of her book (Naturally Thin) makes me flick it off when I see it at Barnes and Noble. Yes, you heard that right. I stick my middle finger up at a book when I see it at B&N. My favorite Housewives cast has to be Atlanta. Those women are just batshit crazy. I felt stressed out just watching Nene and Kim at the cast reunion. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just turn on Bravo. It’s probably on right now. I don’t recommend watching if it’s Saturday afternoon. There are usually marathons during the weekend. I have lost entire Saturdays with those damn women.
Sarah from Tales of Expansion wrote a post about a blogger meet-up in Brooklyn titled Recycled Balls. I think it’s about Bubble Tea. Bubble Tea has been stock up for about three weeks, but since I really don’t know what the hell it is, I haven’t classified it as such. I like to be educated about these various products before I write about them. And by educated, I mean I want Kate to buy them, me to complain about her buying them, and then me to sample them. That’s just how we roll. Sarah at LovIN My Tummy emailed me a couple of weeks ago about the marked increase in ball references in food blogs, and she was right out in front of this trend. So I really don’t know what Bubble Tea is. All I know so far is:
1. It seems to be a big thing in New York
2. Nobody can talk about it on a blog without making jokes about, well, man bits
And I’m okay with the second one. I’m the guy with the list of blog names that sound like porn, so your ball jokes are fine with me.
Angela at Oh She Glows has been busy this week, launching Project Glow. From what I gather, Project Glow is Angela’s 30 day program to improve your skin. There are three steps for Project Glow:
1. Skin Care - A bunch of stuff about buying new product and taking off your makeup before you go to bed. Okay, I think I can handle that. Although I’m not sure if there’s any room in our shower caddie for more product. We probably have most of it already. Kate seems to be stockpiling product for some reason. Anyway, I’ll be sure to take off my makeup before bedtime
2. Glowing from the Inside Out: FOOD - Food is in all CAPS, so I guess it’s really important. She wants everyone to eat one of those damn green smoothies everyday. I have no doubt that it would probably help me glow, but this one probably isn’t happening. My thoughts on the green monster have been well documented. I like the Green Monster at Fenway, but that’s about it. And if Angela was feeling really entrepreneurial, she would require the Project Glow devotees to consume products that she sells at the Glo Bakery. And then you could say that those same products would help in the Bikini Body Boot Camp. That would be the OSG equivalent of a triple word score.
3. Reduce Stress - This one should be easy. I don’t really have anything stressful in my life. I mean, I spend my spare time reading food blogs, how stressful can that be? I think the most stressful thing I have going is trying to keep up with OSG’s multi-national conglomerate. Between keeping up with the Glo Bakery, and my instructions for the Bikini Body Boot Camp, and now this Project Glow, my schedule is pretty booked.
In between facial scrubs, carub brownies and bikini body workouts, I checked out Matt’s post about mint juleps on Brew and Bake. It’s a pretty fantastic post. I mean, he dressed up and posed for the blog. How many of you have blogged in costume? That’s what I thought. The mint julep post was the lastest in Matt’s how-to series on Old Man drinks. I’ve enjoyed it so far because, well, I really like old man drinks. But I also think he should start a series on young man drinks. Post one could be jello shots. Post two could be how to infuse a watermelon with vodka. Post three could be whatever the kids are doing these days. I dunno, just a thought. And he could dress up in costume. Maybe a popped collar, a frayed baseball cap and some khaki cargos. We’re just brainstorming here.
On a somewhat related topic, Janet at Pretty Green Girl made wine ice cubes in this post. Now I’m generally a big fan of creative alcohol use, but this one was disappointing. See, I like to open a bottle of wine, knowing full well that Kate is only going to drink one glass. My go to excuse for drinking the rest of the bottle is “well honey, I don’t want it to go bad.” So Janet’s idea, however ingenious it is, gives us another answer to the question:
1. How do I stop this bottle of wine from going bad?
A. Drink it
B.
See. I really liked it when there wasn’t a B. Now there is. Thanks a lot, Janet.
Stock Up
Edward Cullen References - This guy just won’t die. Although I guess he is technically a vampire, so that’s sort of expected
Sample Packets of Barney Butter - These seem to be popping up everywhere. Although I havent’ seen any pictures of bloggers eating Barney’s sweet nectar right from the package. I bet it has happened off camera.
Swine Flu Threat Levels - Expect facial masks to be stock up next week
PETA College Vegan Cookbooks - My new advocacy group, PETT (People for the Ethical Treatment of Trees) is going to start protesting PETA if they keep sending out paper cookbooks. Can’t y’all create a digital cookbook instead? For instructions on how to do this, please email ZestyCook, you treekillers.
Stock Down
Running Marathons - I’ve run a few so I’m all for it, but there have been some comment pissing matches recently with some anti-marathon people. Is that really a cause? Are there lobbyists? I guess comment pissing matches should technically be stock up, but I’ve already got a decent list of stock up. And comment battles annoy me. I don’t think anyone walks away saying “yeah, I used to think this, but now that I’ve heard from some anonymous person on the internet, I’ve totally changed my opinion.”
Emoticons - Not yet on the endangered species list, but the overall population of yellow smiley faces has certainly declined.
Kombucha - Ya’ll are still drinking it in blogland, but I haven’t seen any in my fridge for awhile. So it must be stock down at my house
Alright guys. That’s all I’ve got for this week. We’ll try to do better next time.
Well done. I always look forward to these Friday posts
Things kids are drinking these days: wapatuli
a 30 rack of cheap beer
1 bottle cheap vodka a.k.a rubbing alcohol
5-10 pound bag of ice
1 can cheap lemonade powder
Mix well in a huge plastic container. Preferably one your parents bought you at Target to keep all your “extra texbooks in” in the beginning of the semester. Have 911 on speed dial.
You won’t be able to make eye contact with anyone the next day but that’s what makes it worth it.
I love bubble tea and I’m from Brooklyn. It is a NY thing, even though in my neighborhood, it’s sold exclusively in Asian eateries.
Nice job, Nate!
I think you spoke too soon on the Emoticons though - did you see Gmails’ new labs launch!?
I think Matt gets the “blog post of the week award” - I loved his mint julep post and it was just in time for Derby Day. Thanks for the blog links too.
In reference to Olga’s post… “You dial 9-1, and when I say so, dial 1 again”
I actually have juiced a watermelon up before. It was horrible. We bought 3 watermelons in college, attached funnels to them, and periodically added vodka to them for a week straight. When the big Saturday came, we cut one open, and almost threw up from taking a bite it was so mushy, pungent, alcoholic, and gaggy. But we still ate it. And threw up. There’s got to be a better way.
I love your posts! They never fail to make me laugh! There shouldn’t be a B. option to the wine question. Oh, and speaking of Housewives, I’ve got to say that I’m counting down the days until the mafia aka the Jersey wives take over - that is going be pure train wreck TV!
I look forward to these posts so much!
And just so the smilies don’t go extinct
:) 
:)
Hilarious, as always! I can’t believe I got a reference - I’m so honored!
For the record, I also advocated wine popsicles and using the cubes for sangria, which only means more drinking. 
(Doing my part to up emoticon usage)
I’m going wine tasting this weekend and will be sure to select option A whenever possible.
I’m not ashamed to admit I sucked all the Barney Butter out of the package and then blogged about how I didn’t like it. Sue me.
Bubble tea is so old news out here - I know people who have been drinking it for years! It got big when I was in high school, and let’s face it, that’s a long time ago.
And I too think the young man drink series would be stellar, if accompanied by the popper collars and upside down visors.
Olga - Thanks. I got drunk just reading your comment.
KERF - Emoticon usage will decrease when you go on vacation
Kanz - We will find a better way
K - Jersey housewives will be fantastic. I’m expecting thin, oddly shaped eyebrows and women who like to get in fights.
Sarah - Shame on you.
Marianne - Do the bubble tea veterans that you speak of still make ball jokes when they drink their bubble tea?
I’m a housewives addict too. New York is my favorite. I think the OC has gotten too cougarish… and I am way excited about New Jersey.
My excuse to open a bottle of wine, is that my husband doesn’t like it so I get to have the whole bottle…. I am all about freshness and not letting it go bad…lol
LOL - this was my favorite to date! You crack me up!
loves it. agreed that matt’s costumed post was hilarious. all of kath’s blog fans are practically foaming at the mouth over him already so suggesting more costumes is really playing with fire!
hahaha, i feel so famous!
i’m definitely a bubble tea veteran (going on 9 years!), and i can obviously vouch for the fact that we (I) STILL can’t stop making the ball jokes. it’s just too easy.
this post is hilarious, as usual. never stop!
I am glad there is someone out there who willingly admits they watch Real Housewives. Bethenney is my favorite NYC member, but Atlanta? INSANE! Kim and her weave! Oh goodness.
Also, I ate my Barney Butter straight from the packet. I think that’s how it was intended to be consumed.
batshit crazy…I like it.
Did the NJ housewives start yet? That should be excellent!
Alli - Thanks!
Meg - Foaming at the mouth over Matt? I should capitalize on that. Maybe I could auction off a lock of his hair or something.
Sarah - That’s just how it works. Take my dog for a walk, and I write about your blog. Seems like a fair trade.
HTSB - Fun to watch batshit crazy on TV. I try to avoid it in real life.
Hangry - Not yet. May 12. Should I know that off the top of my head?
You can personalize this banner by having a graphic with the dimensions of the banner. Concentrated Nectar
your wife must have killer abs from laughing so much. hella hysterical.
Great recap of all the awesome posts!
Sweet mother of pearl, when were you in Switzerland? Did you love it or did you love it? Montreux is loverly. I live in Zug, just south of Zurich. It’s boss. Fortunately Kom-puke-a garbage water can’t find me here.
yeah didn’t you see the comments when he was guest posting while she was away in kenya? chicks love that dude!
i just wanted to let you know that i am drunk and for some reason im blogging, so im drogging
yayyyy
Adrianna - Yeah, she’s totally ripped.
Ansley - Switzerland is the bee’s knees. We were there last year for a week or so. We went to Zurich, Lucern, Montreaux and some places in between (gruyere, interlocken, etc). Not sure how you can live there…I’d be broke and probably dead from cheese and chocolate.
Meg - I stayed away from comments that week. It was all human rights and environmentalist comment pissing matches. Not the nice, calm food blog that I love.
HTP - I’m honored. Thanks for taking a break from the apple blossom festival to stop by. Hopefully this blog didn’t sober you up.
Wow! A shout-out and a direct quote! I laughed out loud when I saw that. By the way, I’m glad to see the reduction in emoticons … they annoy me. [As does text speak, e.g. LOL, IMHO, etc., but that rant will be saved for another day.] But, at the same time, I understand their necessity because how else would you know when I am being ironic and not just an asshole without the “:)” at the end of my comment?
Hi, interesting post. I have been thinking about this issue,so thanks for posting. I will definitely be subscribing to your blog.
great blog! i’ve noticed stock up of bubble tea as well! in taiwan, they call the bubbles “boba” which can also mean boobs! thought i’d just share that tidbit
Nate, I fall a bit more in love with every single one of these posts. As a journalism student, I am sad to say that I sit back, read and think “well hell, he summed up my thoughts about these blogs much better than I ever could!” Why can’t I be as witty?
What are the college “men” drinking these days? Nothing thrilling. The usual bud light/nati light (gag). However, SoCo and lime was oddly popular at the bar for brototypes around here (Athens, Ohio, home of a top party school, OU).
SO FUNNY. I will admit that I squeezed my barney butter into half a date and the leftover might have just gone directly into my mouth. I am not ashamed.
That How I Lost Thirty Pounds comment a little above this is a spammer, so you might want to delete! She visits me every day to tell me that she has been thinking about topics such as Italian Wedding Casserole and the Kentucky Derby.
I’m with Dori, I think that “Losing 30 Pounds this week” should be stock up - “she” comments on my blog everyday!
Hi, good post. I have been thinking about this issue,so thanks for blogging. I’ll probably be coming back to your posts. Keep up great writing
Dori and Emily - Thanks. I know I could delete the spam comments, but it makes the blog look more popular, so I think I’ll just respond to them like they are actual people, and not some sketchy company trying to sell weigh loss products. That’ll be my plan for all of the Viagra comments too. Should be fun.
30 Pounds - Thanks for your very insightful comments. I really like your blog. It’s super good and insightful. Are you really trying sell a product called ColoFlush? I mean, y’all are smart enough to create a fake blog and drive comments via traffic, but then named your product Coloflush? Good work on the SEO traffic strategy…not such good work on the product naming. Might want to work on that.
COLOFLUSH CHANGED MY LIFE!
I missed this last week! LOVE IT! too funny
Hi! Have been silently lurking in the background for about a year now, obsessively reading food blogs (usually when I should be working). Just found yours via Katheats and love it - great concept! I also have a total ulterior motive - self promotion of course! My bf and I have a travel blog (which is also fairly food oriented) and I though you might be interested in checking it out. I’m also adding you to my blogroll!
I totally agree about running down- cross training UP
Also, Tofu UP
conglomerate…me likey
Hi Nate! I have a quick non-blog question. What kind of dog is Gilbert? He’s totally adorable and I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own to no avail. Thanks for the help!
ps. blog stalker is spot-on and hilarious.