Here is something I had in high school, and would like to find again now: friends I can turn to and say, “Hey, you know what I want? DOUGHNUTS. Do you want to go get a dozen different doughnuts and eat a bite of each one??”—and the friends say “Oh hell yes” and nobody, NOBODY, says anything about “being so bad,” we just eat the doughnuts because they taste good and this is a fun idea. And now we are older and we like coffee, which makes the whole thing even better.
I don’t know if you saw the happy update on this post that I DID get into the pottery class after all! I’d emailed and asked if they had a waiting list (the site is a little old-school, so I thought they might have one even though there was no way to access it online), and I got an email back saying actually they had one more opening in that class if I wanted it, and I DID want it, and so now I am in! I am very excited! I haven’t yet acquired the cheap washable fake-croc-type shoes I want (Kay W. mentioned in the comments that it is nicer to rinse off one’s shoes rather than ruin them, and that sounds like a solid plan), so I’m going to wear my tall pink polka-dotted rain boots! I am going to be THE CUTEST! Also, you are all getting lumpy mugs for Christmas!
I have a peeve to report, which is that one of my favorite radio stations got rid of their perfectly good normal unnoticeable DJs and have switched to a Bratty Assh0le format: guys laughing in a hysterical high-pitched grating way about crude/mean things and thinking it’s edgy to mention dild0s and b00bs just like the grown-ups—and this is on MORNING RADIO. But I’m reluctant to change that pre-set, because I still like the music when they are playing it instead of using the toilet-flush sound effect.
Well. One cannot have everything one’s own way. One cannot expect to get into the already-full pottery class AND keep the normal DJs. Somewhere else in my broadcast area there is someone who tried to get into the pottery class and could not, and it is making them feel better that at least their favorite radio station got those hilarious new guys who crack themselves up with all those “That’s what she said!” jokes.
I love this :)
That donut idea is brilliant. My kids are going to be so mad when I come home with a dozen donuts, all pre-bitten.
I am up for this donut tasting any time. Also available for nachos at any hour of the day and pizza experimentation.
I also CANNOT WAIT to hear about your pottery class experience! It sounds like such fun! Perhaps it will be FULL of donut-taste-tester types!
When I was in high school, my family had a discussion about how we all wanted a cookie cake, but had no good reason for one.
Later that day (or the next day? I don’t remember), my dad came home with a cookie cake that said: “A Cookie For Us!”
Now, every time I want something that would be “bad” like that, I find myself thinking, “a cookie for us!”
One of the great things about my sons being adults and my not having to worry about their nutrition or dentist bills is that we do different versions of the donut tasting. We really go to town, with the advantage that they wrap up and take with them all the leftover sweets. They can pace themselves and eat their stuff for months (we are talking almost pure sugar here like fudge and turrone) whereas I would eat everything in one or two days and then hate myself. (PS they do have much better teeth than I do too.)
My city had a similar morning radio DJ switch up a few months ago. I typically listen to an alternative rock radio station in the morning and the DJ’s were two guys in their mid to late 30’s (as am I) that I found relatable and appropriate for the music genre. Now it’s a gal in her late 20’s/early 30’s and her gay BFF who talk about things better suited for a pop/Top 40 radio station. I’ve tried to listen to them a few times and I can usually only tolerate it for 10 minutes at most. I’m not sure why the radio station thinks that the average listener of alternative rock cares much about celebrity gossip.
Once every 6 weeks or so one of our local grocery stores has a dozen donuts on sale for $4.99. They have an in house bakery and make more old fashioned type donuts, by hand, and they’re pretty great. So, once every six weeks all five of us split a dozen donuts for breakfast. You have to get there early or some of the best ones are taken. We cut them into 5 more or less equal pieces (okay three equal pieces for the kids, a slightly larger one for my husband and an in-between sized one for me). It’s FANTASTIC. You get to taste the whole dozen!
I love how you tied it together in the last paragraph :)
I am your spiritual doughnut friend. I have a group of friends that my husband and I plan “taste tests” with and our first one was doughnut. Together the ten of us picked up a pre-defined set of doughnut from five area places (e.g., two old fashioneds, two boston creme, two apple fritters, two yeast, two “specialty” from each place), attempted to blind them all (the bringer would write the information on the bottom of paper plates), and then all of us tried all and take notes on a dorky spreadsheet I designed… twenty-five donuts later we revealed their identities and discovered our preferences. We have also done pizza and tacos. Next up, I believe, is chicken wings. It is so much fun if you have friends who are willing to share foods and be adventurous!
I LOVE THIS. My parents/siblings/siblings-in-law did this with fruit-cream chocolates from three different chocolate places. It was so fun (and enlightening!) to compare!
If you are in or near the “Second City/Third Coast” and can see my email by virtue of my commenting on your blog… you are hereby invited to join us. We are not weird! We have two sons with interesting middle name stories (one has a first name that is the same as your youngest pseudonym-ed child, I feel very covert in writing these details like this). I have considered writing to your blog for a hypothetical third named child to go along with our current names even though we are unlikely to have a third child :-D
Wait, you mean Swistle’s kids aren’t named the names she uses here? Is Paul not really a Paul?!?!
Pseudonyms for everyone! (Paul wanted to be “Max.” Yeah, right, Paul. And I’ll be Isabella.)
your favorite donuts were Do-Rite, weren’t they? They totally had to be Do-Rite.
Also: WHAT THE HECK, Swistle gives name advice! I fully assumed those were the real names!!!!! Like, I was way more invested in those names than any other bloggers’ kids’ names, which I don’t especially pay attention to or even care about.
The main blog pre-dates the baby-name blog: when I chose the pseudonyms, I didn’t yet know it would be nice for them to represent my actual style. I’ve always been up-front about the pseudonyms on both blogs, and mention it regularly on both but especially on the name blog: it comes up a lot when I want to make a point about one of my kids’ names, but the point wouldn’t make sense with the pseudonym name.
I’m so happy you got into the pottery class! That sounds like so much fun. As I’ve done so many times previously, I wish that time and distance and money and responsibilities were no object when it comes to bringing the Ladies’ Internet to IRL expereiences
As for the DJs, I always think of this:
Since we’re doing this, here’s my favorite idiot DJ sketch…sorry about the ad at the beginning…
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/z-105/n11810?snl=1
We did the blind taste tests worth root beer over three weekends, the last being the “finals.” So fun, plus yay for root beer floats, but we kind of ruined the taste of root beer for ourselves.
I saw apple cider donuts this weekend! It is such a great time of year with pumpkin flavored everything and apple cider, yet there’s still time if you didn’t get your fill of zucchini bread.
Swistle-inspired donut tasting meet ups sound inspired.
The same thing happened to a local station here, and EVERYBODY called and/or emailed and/or tweeted and complained and LO! We got our old DJs back! YAY!
In short, complaining works. Practice on the radio station, then move on to your local Congressional Representative.
I’m doing it the other way around: I’m using my representative/senator template to send a letter to the radio station! It’s okay to use the words “Bratty Assh0le” in a formal business letter, right?
Absolutely!!!
I want to be your donut friend because honestly, I DO just want a single bite of twelve different donuts. But if I buy a dozen I will quickly eat two, then one later in the day, then one before bed, probably. Then one for breakfast, and then wonder why I feel so ill, ugh, poor me, am sad, probably deserve a donut.
Also, variety! If I go get ice cream with my friend I make her order first and then get two different flavors from her so I can try bites of FOUR FLAVORS. She…well, she doesn’t love it but we’ve been friends for almost twenty years so she has resigned herself.
My family is on a mission to find the best doughnut shop in our state. We choose a different shop every couple of weeks or every month or so and grab at least a dozen to share. It has been remarkably fun and enjoyable. Also, now all of my friends know about our quest through social media and keep offering places for us to try. We have a doughnut leaderboard.
Anyway, doughnuts are delicious and it is such a great way to spend time together as a family.
This post made me laugh and feel happy.
New Donut place in town. All donuts are vanilla and you pick your icing and topping and they custom build it for you. Toppings include Reese’s pieces, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Bacon. Like huge bacon chunks. I have a desire to try them all.
My favorite radio station added a guy to their morning show whom I can’t stand. There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s not terribly obnoxious or rude or anything, just a strong personality. It’s more one of those cases where you just get a vibe from someone that is totally incompatible with your own vibe.
Right after the change I met one of the other original guys from the morning show. I think he’s really funny, so I told him so. He asked what I thought about the new guy. I didn’t want to say “I hate him,” because how rude, but I was all, “uuuuhhh, he takes some getting used to….” He totally got what I wasn’t saying, though. I felt awful. Now when I turn on that station before 9am and hear either one of them, I cringe and turn it off.
I would happily receive a lumpy handmade mug for Christmas, and then we can drink coffee and sample doughnuts together. This sounds like an excellent Swistle gathering.
I love doughnuts but what I would like is an evening sampling different kinds of dip. Hot dip, cold dip, veggie dip. And wine to go with.
I used to have dip parties before I had kids. My love for dip knows no bounds.
I love this post!