This Week in Blogs, Volume XV
Hi Friends,
Welcome back. Seems like we just talked. Now I’m back on track, so hopefully I can stick to my rigorous 1 post/week schedule. We’ll see how that goes. Hmm…trying to think of interesting things that have happened since my last post. Oh, here’s one…
Kelsey of Bites and Bowls fame is moving to a new place. She’s out of town and needed someone to help move some possessions (couch, bed, etc). This is right in my wheelhouse, as two of my greatest skills are lifting heavy things and reaching tall things, so I was more than happy to help her out. Problem is that her possessions > Size of my SUV. So this meant renting a truck. No big deal…figured I’d get the little truck and it would be fine. Turns out that they don’t rent the little trucks for in-town moves. I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out how that could make any sense at all. Still working on it. Anyway, I got to drive the big 16 foot yellow truck through Uptown Charlotte. During the lunch hour. When most of the roads that I needed to drive on were under construction. Or closed. Or were one way streets with the cars going in the opposite direction. Now I consider myself a pretty good driver. No accidents or speeding tickets in 13 years of driving. But I never did figure out if there’s a way to make a right turn in the big yellow truck without taking out the curb or the people that are standing on it. So I have a new-found respect for real truck drivers, and I’ll probably stop pumping my fist when I pass them (trying to get them to honk) as they have more important things to focus on, and most people grow out of that when they turn 10. Oh, and the moving was totally worth it, as Kelsey had left beer and barney butter for met at her new place. And she gave me some Great Harvest blondies that Matt made. I must say that they were every bit as good as a VeggieGirl blondie. Actually, I can’t say that, because I still haven’t tried these VG Blondies (hint) that everyone else speaks of, but these were good blondies.
In other news, Kate picked up this new shampoo at the store. She wanted me to mention that it was free with a rebate.
Sorry for the poor photo quality. If you can’t read that, it says it includes coconut milk and egg white proteins. It just so happens that I was making brinner last night and was short 1 egg from making the ideal omelette. The thought crossed my mind to supplement my eggs with some of this shampoo. I mean, it says it includes egg whites and milk, which is what I was looking for. I decided that the shampoo might include other ingredients as well, so I did not make a shampoo omelette. I’ll keep you posted if I change my mind at a future brinner.
Hmm…trying to think if anything else exciting happened this week. I think I only left the house by car one other time since the last time I blogged, so I got nothin. Guess I’ll get going with the blog review.
Jenn from Eating Bender is in Maui with Ma Bender and she’s even blogging from vacationland. This shows true dedication to the blog, something that I clearly don’t have. Now I’ve actually been pretty anti-Hawaii when people suggest it as a potential vacation spot. That’s probably an understatement. I react to the Hawaii suggestion the same way that Kate reacts when someone mentions Angelina Jolie. I don’t know what it is, but I have no urge to go to Hawaii. It’s mostly because when I hear my coworkers or friends talk about their trips to Hawaii, it seems like there’s some kind of vacation checklist - like a list of 5-7 touristy things that every mainland tourist does when they go to Hawaii. It usually goes something like “volcano, blah blah blah, luau, blah blah pig and hula dancers and fire, blah blah seven sacred somethings, blah blah oh and the pineapple at the hotel blah blah.” I’m sure there are thousands of fun things to do in Hawaii, but it seems like everyone does the same five things. So my anti-Hawaii feelings are driven by either this tourist checklist theory, or some fear that I’ll end up like one of the Real World Hawaii cast members. Either a trainwreck like Ruthie or a completely unwatchable assbag like Colin/Amaya. But then Bender did her first vacation post and I thought “hmm, Hawaii looks nice” so maybe I’m getting over it. I think it was the pizza. Anyway, thanks for changing my thoughts on this Bender.
Mark Hangry (from Hangry and Hangry, LLC) is giving away a cookbook in this post. I’m not a really big cookbook reader. For me, it’s sort of like the owner’s manual in my car. I can read through it and look at the pictures, but at the end of the day, I’ll probably just outsource the actual work. I read enough to know that I’m not capable of doing what needs to be done. But this looks like an interesting cookbook. Mr. Hangry mentions that there is a toilet paper icon next to recipes that make you go. I think restaurant menus should offer the same thing. Mark Hangry also came up with a creative entry process for joining his contest. None of this add me to your blogroll nonsense for the Hangrys. No, you have to come up with a poem about the blogger to enter. I’m a big fan of creative contest requirements like this. Links and tweets are not the only currency that we can use for contests, blogland. So please take Mr. Hangry’s lead and come up with creative rules and regs for your free shiz giveaways.
Everyone’s favorite Homegirl had a nice post about babysitting. It was one of those posts that makes you want to be a little kid again. I want to sit in a wagon and eat ice cream while someone pulls me to the park. Although that would be pretty strange at my current age and size. She mentioned that one of the kids was going to Circus Camp, which sent me into flashback mode. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it here or not, but I spent the majority of my childhood as a circus performer. You can get all of the details of my circus life in this post. I have hung up my sequins and spandex (to the delight of anyone who has their sight), but I will occasionally still juggle. Like after a few drinks at Universal Studios CityWalk when I want to show up a clown with my skills. I never miss an opportunity to show up a clown. That’s not slang…I mean a guy wearing face paint and making animal balloons. I hate clowns.
Rose from On a Lobster Placemat (my favorite blog name ever) did something interesting at the end of this post. She asked for male readers to de-lurk and introduce themselves. I proudly followed her orders and identified myself. I think men are an underrepresented group in food blog land. My working theory is that readership skews about 90/10 female. I have absolutely nothing to base this on. The only guys that comment on my blog are related to me, friends of mine, or other bloggers that I write about. So I’ll steal Rose’s idea. Male blogstalker readers, please identify yourself. Female readers, do the same thing. This way I’ll end up with lots of comments, and it’ll make this blog look popular.
In other news, I have grown increasingly jealous of Jenna from Eat, Live, Run for landing an interview for the coolest job in the world. You can read about it in this post. From what I gather, a winery in Napa is interviewing Jenna and some other people (who I’m also jealous of) for a job where they use their social media influence to promote the winery. It involves hanging out in Napa and getting paid good money to blog/tweet/post about wine. Um, yes please. At first I thought this would be the perfect job for me. I mean, I like drinking wine, I love Napa, and I sort of work in social/interactive/online stuff with my real job. Then I thought about it, and figured that it would lead to increased drogging, and that all of my tweets would probably just be quotes from Sideways - quotes that out of context could be viewed as vulgar and offensive. So I’d probably get fired. Best of luck to Jenna in landing the job, as it would be an awesome opportunity and may lead to some wine giveaways on ELR. I usually don’t enter contests, but if wine is involved, I’ll make an exception.
Stock Up
Protein Powder - Blogland is bulking up with muscles like Major League Baseball in the 1990s. This could lead to a new foodbuzz steroid policy. Let’s hope that Barney Butter doesn’t end up on the banned substances list.
Spinoff Blogs - Like Operation Beautiful and Green Monster Movement - which seem to be successful spinoffs (like Frasier). I’m having trouble keeping up one blog, so don’t expect a blogstalker spinoff anytime soon.
Blogger Meet-ups - Well, not really a trend, but we’re going to dinner with KERF, Pinky, and the C&C Blogging Factory tonight, so that counts, right?
Biking - I think it has something to do with the Tour de France.
Apple(s) - Both the technological and edible kinds. Most bloggers are getting their recommended apple a day. And those who aren’t eating their apples are playing with their iPhones or trying to win a MacBook Pro.
Stock Down
Television viewing options - I’m done with Summer re-runs. I need my housewives to return. And Jon and Kate. And 30 Rock. I could go on, but you get the idea.
The Today Show - I love my Matt and Meredith time (and Hoda and Kathie Lee) but this has been a bad week. Al is on vacation, and I don’t think Willard even did his smuckers birthday list this week.
Juicing - Our juicer is collecting dust, and Fitnessestenista had a near juicing disaster. I expect juicing to make a strong comeback in the upcoming weeks.
The Sun - I haven’t seen it yet this week. Maybe because it has been really cloudy. Or maybe because I haven’t left the house much.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. See you next Friday, and we’ll try to do better next time.
I wanted to BE Amaya when that show was on. And before that, I wanted (still kinda do) to be Lindsay from the Seattle cast. I even bought the Real World Seattle behind the scenes book. That show is just not the same anymore… That said, I plan on going to Hawaii in November!
Dori - With the exception of Irene, Seattle was the best cast ever. I wanted to be Nathan. I consider Vegas to be The Real World tipping point. Everything went to hell after that sinful season.
I think you should ahve gone for it with the shampoo/egg combo. You never know, it could start a whole new trend. Then you would have to start another blog called Bubbly Eggs to keep track of all the bloggers who are adding shampoo to their food. : )
Hopefully this new, most excellent season of Weeds and new fave Nurse Jackie can bring your summer tube time stock up. Showtime has definitely stepped up to the plate!
We can arrange something about those blondies!
ruthie is like totes a goody two shoes now - a far cry from the hawaii days. however, so you think you can dance is NEW and is the best show EVA, so maybe that could provide you with some summer viewing fun?
Female reader identified!
Can we please get a pic of that sequins and spandex attire before you retire it for good? How can you mention something like that without a follow-up photo?! That’s just cruel…cruel
love it all
I guessed right about the dinner guests tonight!
you’ve got one more female reader identified, which equals one more comment.
have a great weekend!
I haven’t tried the VG blondies either!
Female reader here! Nothing witty to say.
You’re right about Vegas. After that I wasn’t able to watch a full season anymore. Have you caught any episodes from the one on now? It is disgusting. The show completely sold out. It used to be such a great concept and now it mirrors MTV spring break. Sad.
Oh yes, the juicing will make a comeback. I am getting a juicer this week, if it’s the last thing I do!!
Seattle was the best, I had a girl-crush on the red haired one! The newest season is just painful; what is with the recent RW trend of boys-vs-girls?
http://eatventures.wordpress.com
i love this blog, its so orignial and creative
I feel like everyone is eating their apples too!
Stacy - I’ve considered blogging about some ridiculous thing that I didn’t eat, and then monitoring to see if someone copies it. Would probably work better if a more popular blogger did it.
Olivia - I’m not a premium cable subscriber…by not getting Showtime and HBO at home, it adds an additional perk to work travel, as I have new channels to watch. Will have to watch those on my next trip.
VG - You let me know what I have to do. I have a spare kidney if that’s what it takes to get my hands on some blondie goodness.
Holly - I see your ‘So you think you can dance’ and raise you one ‘Dance Your Ass Off’ on Oxygen. The unintentional comedy factor is an 11 on that show.
Shannon - Posting a picture would be cruel.
Brandy, Holly, Kailey - Thanks!
Lara - Good luck with the juicer, say goodbye to your counter and dishwasher space.
Emily - The chick who sang with Sir Mix-A-Lot? I dug her too. “Innocent of All these things/all these things.” Why do I remember shit like that?
hmm too bad it isn’t made with coconut oil, which provides all of the health benefits… i need to find a coconut oil for hair product!
-muffy
Jessica/Muffy - You’re in luck! It also says “includes weightless coconut oil to add hydration and balance” whatever the hell that means. It’s made by Organix. Keep in mind that you’ll smell like Hawaiian Tropic, SPF 4 if you use the stuff.
Oh wow, retro real world reference. Nice. I rarely say I am too old for things, but I am too damn old to understand that show anymore.
Also, I’ve thought about using hair/skin products in cooking. If you do it, please photo.
Hi Nate!
Thanks for another fun update…and no kidding about the stock down on the sun! I live in the SUNshine State for Christ’s sake and it feels more like Forks here than one of the best vacation beaches in the South Eastern Seaboard (and yes, I included the Twilight reference just for you, cause I know what a big “fan” you are. ha.)
Have a great weekend!
You’ve never been in an accident or had a speeding ticket? Is that even possible?
Aren’t all tropical vacations pretty much the same thing? I went to Hawaii, completed your checklist, and had a damn good time. You should try it. Then you should have some Coconut Shampoo Omelets to celebrate.
Mr or Ms Hangry - There are four stages to Real World Watching. 1. Wishing you were old enough to hanging out with them (high school). 2. Thinking it’s a documentary of your life (college). 3. Wishing you still behaved like them (2-3 years after college). 4. Not understanding what the hell those crazy kids are doing (25+). I’m in stage 4.
Jess - Was that you I saw on TMZ stalking Robert Pattinson’s trailer?
Kacy - As Rain Man said, I’m an excellent driver. And yes, after Cabo, I’m starting to think that all tropical vacations are pretty much the same. And I don’t hate them one bit.
I am commenting so you look really popular but I honestly dont think you need it :). Now come return the favor!! haha
~Justine
Justine - Done and done. Notice that I’m also responding to all comments. Maybe that’s cheating…what do you think? See, I just asked a question in comments too…which will also artificially increase my number of comments. That’s cheating for sure. Loved the Kim Jong Il reference in your post. Not enough of those in food blogs. And you get to hang out with Heat the Salmon Butt. I’m jealous. I think Kate and I need to take a road trip to Nashville and have a blogger meet up at The Stage or Second Fiddle (or pretty much anywhere else on Broadway).
hmm i never realize operation beautiful was a spin off blog! sweet
You are hysterical! You got me busting up (almost) every week! I feel like you often talk about the same…oh… 5-10 blogs all the time though. Granted, they are the most popular ones out there and you happen to be friends with some of them so I understand the bias, but I think it would be cool if you talked about 1 “new” blog a week that people may not have heard of or visited much.
Just sayin’.
KThxBye!
I agree about Hawaii.. it’s one of those things everyone does the same way and I’ve seen thousands of pictures of the same crap. I feel like if I went and did the same things it would just feel like a rerun …
speaking of which I can’t WAIT for 30 rock to come back!!! I’ve been watching the reruns online over and over. I loved the Oprah episode.
End of the month - Bravo, crazy ass Kim, Miss Fabulous herself Nene! Be there or be square, Nate!
First of all, just wanted to say that I love this Blog! H-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s!
and I totally agree with you about the cookbooks! Love reading and looking at them-not so great at the follow-through!!
until next week!!
Caitlin Pancake - Um yeah…technically, so is healthy tipping point…it all started w/ See Bride Run, right? You’re all grown up now, you Central Florida Woman.
Leah - You’re absolutely right…I need to add some new blogs, and like your idea of one new one per week. We’ll start that next week.
Meg C - Please welcome LIZ LEMONNN!
K-Dizzle - I’m so there. I’m still waiting for Kim’s CD to come out. And maybe the reveal of Big Poppa’s identity.
Elizabeth - Thanks. Glad I’m not alone.
Hey Nate! Just de-lurking to say that I used to feel the same way you do about Hawaii…the whole thing just seemed really touristy and vacuous. But then last year one of my friends talked me into going, and we had a lot of fun. We stayed away from the really touristy stuff…rented a condo in a more residential section of Maui, did lots of hiking, checked out a local farmer’s market/swap meet, and found some secluded beaches for swimming. My personal goal for the trip was to see a mongoose (I had only seen the animated Rikki Tikki Tavi version of the animal), and Hawaii is one of the few places to spot the creature. On the second to last day of our trip, I saw TWO of them, and it was glorious.
Does it count if I read your blog aloud to my boyfriend Bill? He laughs throughout it all, so I’m assuming this is his way of delurking without him knowing it.
Totally missed Al on the Today Show this week, and yes, it was definitely a Smuckers-less few days.
Just because you requested
I thought I would say
I think you outbested
your friends today
Yellow Trucks are up
Hawaii is not for you
I’m jealous of your meet up
And now I must bid you adieu
Love the recap! Thanks for providing me with the week’s highlights. I’m so much more efficient at blog reading now
So jealous of the dinner tonight. I wish I was going!! Have fun!!!
Nate, I look forward to your weekly roundups and then some. How about you try washing your hair with BEER and report how that worked out for you. DO IT, DO IT!!! I hear it is great for hair and think you should be the first to do it.
I am a female reader and I want to make you look popular, so I’m leaving a comment with no real point to make…
You should add banana soft serve to the “stock up” category, as it appears all the cool kids are doing it again. (I have no food processor, so I’m going to try a ghetto version using nothing but frozen bananas and the raw power of my toothpick arms.) Peer pressure.
Love the blog.
I’m Rebeca, I’m a girl… and I’m jealous of your apparent driving skills!
Looks like your 90/10 rule is holding up…I guess I’m man #1. I don’t agree though about Seattle being the best cast, Real World 1 all the way…I still have a little crush on Julie the dancer…plus Eric Nies, can you say the grind?…guess that means I’m in stage 4 too.
p.s. you should update your other blog more often too…that s*&t cracks me up
Hi, I’m female, and de-lurking myself! I found your blog on Jaime’s blogroll (Embracing Balance) and I think you’re freakin hilarious. I read it out loud to my boyfriend, and we both crack up. More posts please!
-Tarilyn
I’ve never had the desire to go to Hawaii either - glad I’m not alone…but I’m still quite jealous of Bender.
Love On A Lobster Placemat too. Rose is so creative, and she has awesome taste in music!
I could not live without my protein powder - trust me, I’m stocked up.
I think I might be adding to the ‘artificial’ comment quota by commenting on one of your comments, but I just saw part of that Dance Your Ass Off show, and I see what you mean about the unintentional humor. That girl who had the junk food meltdown and started screaming was tooooo much. I also can’t wait for Real Housewives of Atlanta to start, especially since the previews feature NeNe and that new housewife talking about who is more ‘hood.’
Haaaaay homie! Thanks for the cute little babysittin’ shoutout. I was going to comment this post yesterday as I laid on Kailey’s bathroom floor, I mean, floor all day while reading blogs in my iPhone (Apple, holla!) … but decided I should be more conscious to write you a good comment (on my Apple laptop, holla!). Anyways, I sort of knew you were a man of the circus but I am so happy that post hit you in the heart to feel nostalgic about juggling, midgets, and cotton candy. And as I read this post aloud to Kailey (who was unconscious on the couch), we both agreed that the blog world indeed needs more males for reasons like showing what a man eats in a day and show up all the raw eaters who consume 1000 calories in zucchini and broccoli slaw. Nasto. Hope you and Kate are having a fabulous Sunday full of non-shampooed eggs and fun!
Martha - Mongoose viewing seems like a good life goal
Lobster Rose - That totally counts. I’ll take my male readers however I can get ‘em.
Caroline - It’s sad when I go a week without an offensive comment from Willard
Debbie - That was amazing. You could out-freestyle Eminem in 8 Mile
Elina - Thanks
Emily - You should be jealous. It was pretty fun. Tina and Mal are the coolest. Totally felt like I was sitting at the cool kids table at high school lunch. Just call me Regina George in Mean Girls
D - I often take beer into the shower, but it rarely makes it into my hair
Abby - Yeah, this banana ice cream…still haven’t tried it. Waiting for someone to soft serve it to me, because it seems like more work than putting the spoon in the carton of ice cream
Rebeca - Thank you.
Ian - Thanks for representing for the men. Although I have to disagree on your Real World thoughts. Eric Nies was the shit back in the day, but should’ve hung up his reality show mic long ago….lost points for trying to keep up with Alton and the gang in all of the RW/RR challenges. How about RW II with drunk ass Dominic and Hillbilly Jon Brenan? And yeah…I should bring the other blog back from the dead
Tarilyn - I’m on someone’s blogroll? That’s amazing. Can I list that on my resume?
HTSB - If you ever visit, we’ll have protein powder for you. We’ve had some in our house for years.
Amy - I just hope Kim keeps up with her singing career on this season. That one was off the charts on the unintentional comedy scale.
Homegirl - Whilst cool tubbing with Kelsey and Kate, my wife had a brilliant idea. Road trip to Vermont for big sibs weekend. Or really any other weekend during the academic year. Need to coordinate with Snackface, and mayhaps the ever-present Britty-Boo (sp?). Discuss. Oh, and we’re not coming up there when it’s balls-cold, which is like 9 months out of the year.
I can’t remember if I’ve commented before, but if not, then this is me de-lurking and saying you are a delight!
Sorry, just a female reader here - not one of those minority male readers. There should definitely be a bigger testosterone presence in the food blog world though.
Stock up on blogger meet ups - so true! In fact, I may have had one myself with your friend over at B+B.
Female reader, identified.
Also, the comment above mine from viosemitrix is in Russian. I’ll translate it for you:
You have an interesting blog!
Here are mine, you see:
Entertainment
Games
Tourism
Humor
Anti-virus
I have no idea what the first word means
Games
In contact
I know you were dying to know what this spam said so you can check out some of those websites.
Another female reader delurking. Love your blog, you have a great sense of humor. Sarcasm gets you everywhere.
Bahahaha!!! I just found out about this blog. This is awesome
Looks like you got a few new buzz words to block. Our your really popular with the Swine & Bird Flu set!
Ha, so I just discovered your blog … don’t know how it took me so long to discover it but none the less, I just wanted to say you do an excellent food blogging summary, lol.