Learning to relax again Tuesday, June 01, 2010
So during my first full day of unemployment I ran, biked, laid out in the sun, knitted while listening to NPR (outside), read some and then took another bike ride and organized some of my knitting needles (whoa boy, organizing knitting needles? That is exciting stuff right there- isn't it?)Seriously.
Kind of sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well, perhaps not the part about organizing knitting needles.
It was, but honestly- I've been running full tilt for the last 2 months that all this time off I'm not entirely sure how to handle it anymore. For example, two weeks ago I was in Florida for 4 days for work, home for one, drove to Cleveland and back in less than 24 hours, packed a bunch boxes, went to my going away party, and had a house guest. All those things in 7 days.
Now I know I should be exhausted, and I am a bit...but I had Sunday and Monday of this week to do very little and so by today I was just ready to bust on out and do stuff.
Perhaps I should recap moving? Eh, it was moving- same as it ever is...too much crap and by 6pm that night I was just throwing shit away. Every single hanger I owned, a whole bottle of bleach, random cake boards I'd never used, old duplicate photos, a storage bin I'd had since I was 18, etc. There just wasn't room for them and they are all things easily replaced. My storage until was packed to the ceiling, my dad's car was filled with my stuff and so was my car. WHY do I have so much fucking shit? WHY?
I'm hoping to get every penny of my deposit back, and my mom was a champ at the cleaning of the apartment and it looked great. I'll need every penny to fund my unemployed summer of laziness plus a deposit on an apartment in Milwaukee and then paying the rent and utilities until I get on feet. Oh and money to buy food would be nice.
I'm not so secretly hoping that with all this free time I'll really get in some good bike rides and running, by the time the summer is over I'll have really amazing calves and thigh muscles. Then of course I'll have to figure out how to deal with the slow return of my regular body once I lose a majority of my free time due to a job and classes in the fall.
But I will know that for one glorious summer when I was 30 my calves were at their most athletically awesomest.
Labels: Awesomeness, bike, cleveland, knitting, reading, running, school
Changes are coming like a freight train Monday, May 03, 2010
How does it happen that I've failed to write for so long? I can't explain it, I've started to write things countless time and then something stops me dead in my tracks (ooh, look at that shiny object over there...wanders away from the computer.)But here I am again, writing another entry- hopefully to completion.
There is news in the land of the Saucy Trollop. Big news. I handed in my resignation at work and my last day will be May 28th.
Oh. My. God.
I'm heading back to school in the fall to get my teaching license and my masters. It's absolutely terrifying. And exciting. And then terrifying again.
The reason I'm leaving so soon is because my lease on my apartment is up on June 1st, and my new school is in Milwaukee. So for the time being I'll be tossing my stuff in storage for part of the summer and then staying with my parents in Cleveland and visiting my brother in Alabama too. I'm aiming for a August 1st arrival date in Milwaukee, which gives me three weeks before school starts to get settled in and find a damn job. I need to work, my student loans won't cover my living expenses and my classes are built in such a way that I don't have to be in class all day. Plus living in a cardboard box under a bridge would be fucking hard in the middle of winter which would be the result of me not finding a job.
This whole thing is a good thing, I've been needing a change for a while and I know in my heart it is the right move but that doesn't mean that without the slightest bit of provication that I don't burst into tears. Lots and lots of tears. I go in fits and starts, I'll be fine for a while and then all of the sudden it will hit me that I'm leaving this place I've called home for so very long. It's been 6.5 years that I've lived here as a non-college adult and then another 4 for undergrad so almost 11 years in total. My friends here are awesome, the community is amazing. It's impossibly hard to say goodbye to it all.
My poor, long suffering sister has had to bear the brunt of my crying. That woman deserves a bloody medal.
I've mentioned before when I get stressed my stomach goes haywire, I lose my appetite- sometimes I throw up. It is like it turns into a Celtic knot of discontent. I am fairly sure I thoroughly worried my parents this weekend because the sum total of my food that I consumed in their presence wouldn't keep a tit mouse alive (yes, I just said tit mouse- because I'm 13 and it's funny). For those who know me this is absolutely not my usual modus operandi. I love food. I love to eat. Granted earlier in the week I was eating everything that wasn't nailed down (thanks PMS), but on Thursday a switch flipped and poof! angry gut and no appetite.
Which is a pisser because my parents took me out to eat a totally awesome restaurant in Cleveland and I had maybe 5 bites of my amazingly delicious food. Do you live in Cleveland? Please go to Lopez on Lee and eat some of their Iron Chef Guacamole. It is absolutely to die for.
Christ the way this post is going everyone is going to have the impression that I'm not really excited about this move. But I am, I swear. Right now it's just the stress is foremost in my mind and thus taking up 90% of my computing power.
Milwaukee is awesome, the beer. The cheese. The people. A whole new world is waiting for me, and that is an amazing thing.
Just breathe.
Labels: apartment, Awesomeness, cleveland, Milwaukee, school
Celt Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Truthfully St. Patrick's Day is one of my most favorite holidays, it always has been, always will be. Today I was a bit homesick for Cleveland and it's St. Paddy's lovin' ways. The holiday here just isn't as important it seems. Growing up if the holiday fell on a school day there was no school, which was awesome. It meant everyone headed to the parade in downtown, as I got older there was the deliciousness of beer added into that equation.I was completely panicked when I couldn't find my Irish cable knit sweater this morning, my mother assures me that I left it at their house though. Crisis averted! I managed to have a couple of Guinnesses (is that the plural of Guinness?) and some corned beef (my head a touch fuzzy around the edges which might be why my writing is a bit subpar). So my Irish heart is happy and content this evening, I'm totally looking forward to homemade corned beef hash for dinner tomorrow.
And since I'm rambling on, dudes who wear kilts are hot. For real.
Hopefully everyone has had a lovely holiday.
Labels: Awesomeness, beer, cleveland, food
A deep and abiding love Sunday, February 15, 2009
When I was a girl, probably no older than 5, my mom started going to this french bakery by our house in Texas. Besides smelling absolutely heavenly and being full of warm and crusty loaves there were also cases full of french pastries. There was one case on the right side of the shop, it was very tall and entirely made of glass. It spun very slowly and within it were fat, red strawberries covered in dark chocolate.The moment I saw them I fell in love.
The French bakery is just a memory but to this day I still adore them so. Several years ago I was at a friends wedding, stuck at the singles table at which none of the other singles showed up to which was pretty much the longest meal of my life. Every other table was full and no one offered to join me at my lovely pathetic party of one table. The bright spot was when the servers brought out the tray of strawberries. You can bet your sweet bippy that I attempted to eat that entire tray myself. I failed though, because although the idea of being a complete glutton is alluring the actual carrying out of it is a whole 'nother reality.
I bring this all up because I was in Cleveland this weekend visiting my brother who was on leave. This means my very lovely father bought me a whole box of chocolate covered strawberries for Valentines Day. So now I'm camped out on my couch with the box of strawberries and momentarily very glad I don't have to share with anyone. Although I'm sure that will wear off when I realize that I can't realistically finish them before they spoil and that I actually do like to share. Damnit.
The alcohol breakup lasted all of 5 days. Restraint, I don't have it. In my defense I was at Great Lakes Brewery and could not pass up the delicious Edmund Fitzgerald porter. It's amazing. If you can at all get your hands on some please do so and then write me to tell me all about it.
I'm completely lacking in the ability to come up with transitions this evening (blame it on the chocolate-strawberry coma I'm slowly slipping into) but I also cut my hair this weekend. It's about chin length and choppy, I really wanted to hack it all off completely due to my usual winter malaise but refrained because I don't know if I have the face to pull off super short hair. I think my head might be too round and I would look ridiculous. Photo coming soon, hopefully.
Labels: cleveland, family, food
Of course you are. Saturday, December 06, 2008
I heard that phrase repeatedly last weekend at my high school reunion in regards to what I do for a living. It came from people who didn't know me very well as well as the people who did. Guess I was pretty ubiquitous with the camera even back in high school. 15+ year love affair one could say.To be completely honest I had a good time in high school, it was fun and I floated about somewhere in the middle of everyone. Friends with all with only a couple nemesises. It was not the time of my life and there are things I wished I done differently (like why was I hung up on my high school sweetheart and not dating all the wickedly cute boys that went to my school), but unlike (ahem) someone who declared if she could go back and re-live any school year it would be senior year. Me, no fucking thanks. I'll take college any day. Beer, friends and living without the watchful gaze of parents beats out the crap of SATs, curfews and general stupidity.
10 years later it was surprising how much everyone still looked for the most part like what they did in high school. There were only a few people I didn't recognized off the bat, and of course those bastards weren't wearing name tags. Douches.
There were two people who ended up marrying each other and that pretty much floored me. I guess I never expected two people to meet in high school and marry post-college, it feels entirely too much like something out of the 1960's. Then again perhaps I should be seeing the sweetness about meeting your love so early on, but really then I think about all those great experiences that come with drunkenly kissing someone who is totally wrong for you but so.freaking.hot that I don't think I would want to have met someone when I was 14.
Of course later in the evening I was standing next to a friend of mine snarking heavily about the door prizes which included a t-shirt with our mascot printed massively on the back (it seriously covers the whole back of the damn shirt). Just as I was ramping up for another snark filled rant they called my name. That's right, I'd won the hilarious t-shirt that LOUDLY proclaimed my awesomeness as an alumni. You bet your sweet ass I wore it to the gym this week, if only because it cracked me up. I'm absolutely positive no one else in my gym got that I was trying to be funny but I did, they probably just assumed I was a wanker. Which considering I wear the old style of headphones and not the cool earbuds (they hurt my ears) probably only reinforces their opinion of me as probably a dork.
Labels: beer, cleveland, drinking
Forget your self control and Rock and Roll!* Sunday, September 14, 2008
This last week I was shooting on location in a warehouse and to add some levity to the image they wanted someone in the background rocking out on a guitar. In an unusual twist, because I'm always behind the camera, I got to stand in while we were testing lights. Now, this is a blurry blowup (since they wanted the dude to be out of focus) but I rocked it none the lesS.Today, before the evil winds of hell starting ripping crap apart in backyard (also known as the remnants of Hurricane Ike) I took a solo drive in Bernard. It was hot and sunny and perfect, that perfection was added to by the lunch of pulled pork, cole slaw and sweet potato fries (passable by my high Texas BBQ standards).
*This was the saying this evening on the underside of the bottle cap of my Magic Hat #9, which- if you've not had you need to go out and find. NOW. Awesome with popcorn and a football game (Go Browns! Kick Pittsburg ass!). Equally awesome any other time.
Labels: Awesomeness, beer, cleveland, midget, photos
Greater Cleveland Triathlon Saturday, August 16, 2008
Race Report #2: Awesome. (Ok, I promise I'll try not to use that word so damn much)Saturday afternoon my mom and I went out to the race site to pick up my packet, I'd already checked the bike course and knew what to expect there (a couple good sized hills) and the run course was nice a flat- the water, now there was the variable. Seriously, I nearly fell over dead when I saw the water and course markers. Nothing like waves and swimming against a current that seemed to be moving horizontally to the shore. A couple of the other racers were in the water giving a try and seemed to be doing ok -then again these were like the super swimmers. The top notch of the notches. Me, I'm in the upper 1/2 of the notches but not top, honestly.
That night I eagerly watched the weather and nothing calms a triathlete's racing heart and head like the words "Small craft advisory". Crap. Dreams involving drowning and sucking in great lung fulls of water followed by a tragic picture in the paper featuring myself in a wetsuit which makes me resemble a lame seal.
But the morning of the race they called off the swim portion, because the water looked like this:
Holy hell, the water was rough and choppy and the sky looked crazy.
It was unseasonably cool as well, mid-50's in the morning and maybe warming up to be in the upper 50's low 60's by the time the race was over. Because the swim was out, they added in a 1.2 mile run to start the race- so the tri because a dual-athon. Which is minorly disappointing since triathlete and triathlon sounds so much more impressive, no?
Anyways, the bike was good, sections of it were pretty windy though but I felt relaxed and just enjoyed myself. I was pretty stoked when one of the international distance guys came up behind me and said "Kudos to you for hauling on that bike!" This made me so freaking giddy I peddled just a bit harder after that. (I ride a big clunky hybrid while everyone else in the race, except two other riders, were on sleek road bikes).
The run was decent, I did have a few rough spots where the water I consumed on the bike sloshed about so much that I felt a little sick. So I walked when I felt that it, and ran the rest.
I LOVED the people on course, both the volunteers, the crowds and the racers. HUGELY different than the group last week, lots of encouragement which really means a lot to me. Besides the 'kudos' comment, a lot of people exchanged "good job!" with each other, from the announcer as I came back in from the ride portion "Look at her riding that huge bike!", I also got a "Keep it up Athens!" and a "I LOVE your jersey!"
Plus, kick ass goody bags with SWEET shirts, hair ties, carb gels, lotion, Triathlete magazine, several Gatorade products, Cliff Shot Bloks (salty goodness), and a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. As you came across the finish you got a medal, which is my first medal ever. I LOVE it. I didn't place but I want to wear that medal around my neck for a long while. I may be wearing it right now. Shhh.
And even though it's not a one to one ratio race wise I did it in 1 hour 53 minutes which about 11 minutes faster than my race time last year for a sort of equal distance (although this course was harder).
Starting the 5k:
And DONE!
I think this will be my last race of the season. I'm really fighting with myself since I'd like to do another one but I'd also like to enjoy the rest of the summer and not have to keep training so hard. Plus I can put the race fees towards a road bike so that I can knock some time off my cycling portion. But part of me is sad that this is it for the year, but it's good to end on a high note- right?
Labels: cleveland, photos, running, triathlon
I will never call it Progessive Field, it will always and forever be "The Jake" Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I'll get to the triathlon race report in the next post (it's a good one, no little children punks making me feel like crap!)Last night I conned my parents into taking me to the Tribe game (vs. Baltimore Orioles) and thank god I did, it was great. We ended up having good seats (upper deck but the lower section right between third and home) and it was an exciting game. I'm not a sports writer so I won't even bother to try to blather on because you would all flee in horror from the over-use of "awesome" and "dude, it was great!" while really gleaning very little understanding of what happened at the game. I can't help it, I suck at that sort of thing.
I am, however, awesome at taking pictures. Ok, as awesome as one could be with a tiny little point and shoot camera with a fixed lens and shooting around other spectators heads. I probably over-state my awesome-ness but suck it up. My blog, my prerogative to pontificate on my awesomeness.
If you'd like to do some reading about the actual game (the tribe won) I suggest that you head over to Orioles Insider , unlike myself Michael has actual talent when it comes to sports writing. Although, of course, his recap of last night will have a decidedly Orioles bend to it but if anyone happens to know of a good Indians blog I'd really appreciate it since all the ones I've tried I've failed to like or don't post enough.
Cleveland at bat:
Baltimore at bat:
Labels: cleveland
Cleveland Triathlon Race Report Wednesday, August 06, 2008
So the truth of the matter is that I am probably entirely too hard on myself. In my head I fixate on the way I think I should be performing during triathlons and then when I realize I just can't do what I imagined I get down. Way down. Crying-in-the-corner, clutching-a-bottle-of-gin-muttering "dumb, slow-wanker" over-and-over-again down.It doesn't help matters that I got fucking schooled by an 8 year old. Yeah, that's right- an 8 year old finished before I did. WTF? EIGHT. MOTHER-FUCKING-EIGHT.
It's a tiny bit hard not to beat oneself up when someone who is 20 years your junior totally kicks your ass and that person hasn't even hit puberty yet. Although in the end I win, because I'm an adult and can eat ice cream for breakfast and a candy bar for lunch while jumping up and down on my bed legally swilling gin and he can't. So suck on that Mr. 8 year old.*
Today someone told me that some races are for learning and not for rocking. I guess that is the way I can sum up Sunday's race, it was all about learning. Swimming in the Lake Erie harbor was actually pretty cool- the fear of water where I can't see the bottom is getting better. The course was surrounded by the cool Science Center and the Rock Hall and the William G. Mather, so there was plenty of interesting things to look at. And they closed down the innerbelt of the shoreway for the race- which if you are familiar at all with Cleveland is one of the main arties out of the city. I wish I had enjoyed the view more but I was battling hellish wind off the lake and some wicked hills. And depending on which distance you were doing you got to hit them a repeatedly. So maybe they weren't such a big deal to the pros but for me those long, slow climbs were a tiny challenge. But I did it and I didn't stop- I just kept peddling.
The swim though, the part I usually feel like I rock, was hard for me this go. I got kicked hard in the stomach twice, which caused me to inhale the lovely water of Lake Erie. In turn causing me choke and then have a hard time catching my breath. After I exited the water I was still coughing up some of the water and spent about 45 seconds bent over at the waist trying to catch my breath. For someone who prides herself on being a strong swimmer I was hella disappointed in my performance. 7:04 for a 300 meter swim.
Sometimes I get pissy with myself because I feel like I'm using the fact that I got kicked twice as a crutch for being so winded and craptastic in the swim portion. And then part of me is really glad I came out of that water and wanted to quit so badly but I sucked it up and got on that damn bike and went, dare I say I'm proud of myself? Conflicting emotions, it's awesome.
Swim: 7:08 (300m)
T1: 4:45
Bike: 44:40 (8 miles)
T2: :57
Run: 21:41 (1.5 miles)
Total: 1hr 19 min.
So this weekend, at race #2 (a longer and harder race) I'm just going to have some fun. I don't care how long it takes me, or how many times I get passed, I'm just going to do it. Fuck yeah.
My number:
In Lake Erie (Science Center in the background):
*Ok, I'm not really trying to knock the 8 year old triathlete around. I think it is quite awesome that he did but that doesn't mean I'm above a little shit talking in order to sooth my wounded ego. I never said I wasn't a minorly petty person under particular circumstances.
Labels: bike, cleveland, photos, running, triathlon
No thank you. Tuesday, December 18, 2007
I honestly never want to see another cookie ever again.I took a day off work last week to make cookies and had a blast. It was so nice to be home in the middle of the week surrounded by the smells of cookies and holiday joy. By by the 3rd day of baking I'd decided that the smell of cookies is entirely overwhelming and awful. I cannot wait to get them out of my house, they will be delivered to their recipients tomorrow and then I will be free of the cookies for now. Although I do still owe my brother in law a batch for his birthday. But I think that for at least a couple of weeks there will be a cookie moratorium.
Of course I spoke with my grandmother on the phone on Sunday and she wanted to make me cookies. I begged her not too simply because I just couldn't possibly want to eat any after having been around so many.
Yesterday was a particularly hard day for me, I had such a perfect weekend that the crushing disappointment of a Monday was just too much to bear. But still I forced myself to go to spinning and eat a little bit of dinner (a lone baked potato with yogurt and hot sauce) before falling into bed at 9pm. I honestly could have gone to bed at 8 but was trying to refrain from acting entirely too geriatric.
Tonight will probably not be much better, I plan on doing the massive piles of laundry that have stacked up around my house and cleaning the disaster that is my kitchen (from all the cookie making). All this in preparation for leaving for the Cleveland for the Christmas holiday. I just don't want to arrive home after Christmas to a disaster and then feel I must clean and put away presents.
Lets not talk about the hat I'm supposed to have finished for my brother's fiance to match the scarf I made her.
Hot Dirty Bird Monday, October 29, 2007
This weekend Bernard slapped me around a bit, well, more like mother nature slapped me around and then Bernard had to go get all cankterious on my ass. Friday's weather sucked it, the constant drizzling rain turn heavy once I hit Akron and I had to pull over because I couldn't see. Why couldn't I see? Oh, because Bernard's windshield wipers don't work. Most likely due to the short in the dash. And it was supposed to rain all weekend and this was the only weekend I had free to bring it to the mechanic (who is in Cleveland).It didn't help that my dad was being a bit of an ass about the whole thing. But eventually the weather cleared and I was able to get back on the road. Only to be stuck in THREE traffic jams. THREE. WTF? Never in my life have I been stuck in so much traffic on the east side of Cleveland. It turned what should have been a 4.5 hour drive into a 6 hour odyssey.
The best part of the drive was the car full of awesome dudes who pulled up next to me on the freeway and rode along side of me giving me the thumbs up and admiring my car. They did that for about 2 miles which really cracked me up, clearly they love Bernard. I love him too, even when he's mean to me. Is that the definition of an abusive relationship?
After dinner with my dad I managed to upend the entire box of takeaway wings onto the passenger side of the midget. And since it was dark and there is no interior light I had to feel around in the dark for sticky little wings. Just a perfect sort of topper to a craptastic day. Poor Bernard probably still has wing sauce smeared all over his seats (which are thankfully black leather).
Saturday we headed out to downtown Cleveland to Hot Sauce Williams, which lived up to it's previous reviews and it was awesome. Unfortunately I must now hate myself because they didn't have any banana pudding. I was pretty damn sad about that, but I consoled myself with the pork shoulder sandwich and fried okra. I think fried okra can pretty much right any wrong and make any day better.
Since we were downtown we headed over to Gallucci's for some fun ethnic shopping. Hello prosciutto stuffed olives, you are delicious in my belly.
Then the West Side Market, were we bought some ridiculously cheap produce and I stared at one of the cute butchers wishing like hell I had a cooler for the drive back so I would have a reason to talk to him.
Saturday night was all about Lolita. Yumi and I along with Carrie and Bill headed down to Tremont for dinner. If you live in Cleveland you must go, and go now. Make reservations. And take me with you.
First off the decor and stuff was great, the light was low but not too dim. You could see everything clearly but it was just a nice warm cozy feel. It was small and the waitstaff was awesome. Our waitress was a really cute pixish girl that awesomely could tell you about everything on the menu. She even knew where the chickens came from, which to me is one of the marks of knowledgeable waitstaff.
Yumi started off with a Loupe Loupe which was Champagne, Chambord, vodka and cherry juice. It was sweet and delicious. I had a Hot Dirty Bird which was a dirty martini that had Grey Goose, olive juice and Tabasco in it. I would actually like to have a t-shirt that said "Hot Dirty Bird", I am also going to attempt to re-create this drink at home. I suspect lots of drunkeness will follow while I attempt to get the recipe right. The presentation of the drinks was great, they brought the shakers to the table and poured them right there. Same with the wine my friend Carrie ordered.
For starters we had tomatoes with balsamic and oil, which were just ok in my book. I thought the tomato was a bit under ripe and out of season. But that was honestly my only complaint about the whole meal. We also ordered the crispy chicken livers which were soft and velvety. They weren't overly minerally or anything to me, and I ate nearly the whole serving myself since the others were huge fans of liver.
Carrie and Yumi ordered the braised pork cheeks with roasted onions and chilies. It was in some sort of reduction that had balsamic vinegar and they were very tender from the braising. Bill ordered their Soprassata pizza that was spicy sauce, fresh mozzarella and their own cured sopressata. It was very good, the crust had a great crunch and chew to it. And the sopressata melted in your mouth, it was amazing.
I had their roasted chicken on the recommendation of the waitress and she did not steer me wrong. It was entirely de-boned and so unbelievably crispy I can't even imagine how they got it that way. Not only that but the chicken was moist and not the least bit dry, plus you could really taste the under notes of lemon and rosemary. It had a small sprinkling of white beans on top with a few micro greens. I ate the whole damn thing. Half a chicken!
For sides, Yumi and I both got the escarole with lemon and salt. It was perfectly bitter but the lemon brightened the whole thing up. Carrie got their roasted cauliflower and said it was excellent.
Carrie and Bill got the chocolate pot du creme for dessert (chocolate, sea salt, candied pecans, Carmel and Chantilly creme), and it was very good. Bill wolfed it down, it was comical how fast he ate it. If someone could have injected it right into his veins he probably would have taken them up on it. Yumi and I had no room for dessert.
I am so going back there again because I just have to have the chicken livers again. Plus I want to try all the other things on their menu.
I've heard their Big Board for Two, which is their own cured meats and cheeses is amazing. You have to love a restaurant that cures their own meats.
We were supposed to head over to The Velvet Tango Lounge afterwards but we were completely full and tired (I had half a chicken in my stomach) so we headed home.
If you can possibly believe it my mother made us a huge Sunday breakfast, sweet rolls, swiss scramble, homemade corned beef hash, etc. And I ate a little bit of everything.
And in a fit of bravery I went traipsing off to the salon with Holly's photo in hand and had them lop off my hair. I'm hoping the change in hair with change my chi or mojo or whatever you want to call it and bring me all sorts of new, fantastic things. New love, new job, new home. Anything, I just feel the need for change and my hair seemed like a good place to start.
Labels: Awesomeness, cleveland, food, midget, photos
Festival of Maple Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Ah, The Maple Festival- that glorious time of year when it a-ok to gorge yourself on delicious maple goodness.I really wish I could express to the legions of non-locals how wonderful the Maple Festival is. But really it should be self explanatory, because people- it is a Festival. Of. Maple.
Maple candy, maple syrup, maple cocktails, maple stirs, pancakes, maple cotton candy, etc.
Maple stirs are heated maple syrup that you stir until it becomes a smooth and creamy consistency. So delicious:
And of course Maple cotton candy is pretty self explanatory. This is Chet, my best friend's son. I usually hate messy kid (really, really hate them) pictures but this one is hilarious to me because he looks like he could kick someone's ass for touching his cotton candy.
I totally bought three bags of the maple cotton candy and have been slowly feasting on it for the last couple of days. Yesterday I convinced my coworker to join me in the maple cotton candy eating at 9am since technically maple is a breakfast food.
Labels: Chardon, cleveland, Maple
Whiny and weekend plans Wednesday, April 18, 2007
I feel like a big fucking baby because I'm all whiny and pouty.I've thrown up twice this week, for no apparent reason. And because of said retching I've seemed to pulled a muscle in my neck. So now it hurts to move my head in any direction.
Oh, and I may be getting a UTI.
See, I'm a medical fucking disaster. I should be taken over by FEMA but they would only serve to screw me up more since we all know they still have their heads in the asses.
I'm totally and completely wiped out by all of it. I'm exhausted and yet I'm supposed to drive home to Cleveland tomorrow and do all sorts of busy stuff with family this weekend.
The main reason I'm not canceling is because this weekend is the Maple Festival.
A festival of maple!
I know that may sound odd to outsiders but really it is fantastic. There are these things called maple stirs, which is hot maple syrup that you stir with a tongue depressor until it becomes a creamy candy. In the past I've subsisted entirely on these for the duration of the festival.
But lets not forget the maple cotton candy. Really cotton candy doesn't need improvement but the maple version of it is pure spun sugar heaven.
Plus there will be all sorts of other delicious "fair food" goodies- elephant ears, gyros, sausage sandwiches, caramel apples, etc.
I do believe I might be feeling a wee bit better just thinking about all of it. The power of Maple, don't underestimate it.
