29 September 2010

Assorted Flotsam


  • Not long ago, we tried a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant near home. It had zero atmosphere, unless you count the Chinese TV channel that was blaring some teen dance contest or the woman shucking peas at one of the 10 simple tables. In the front window they had a poster asking people to vote for this restaurant as the top Chinese restaurant in the country. Seriously. Wonder why they stopped at country. Why not go for "top Chinese restaurant in the universe"? Well, I may not know my mu-shu from Uranus but I found the website and voted for them. I did! Not because I'm an authority on Chinese restaurants in the U.S. but because the meal they provided was surprisingly tasty and... they asked. There was something wonderful about simply asking to be voted #1. Like us? Vote for us! Beautiful. Takes me back to fifth grade elections when all you needed was a few poster-boards and a magic marker to be elected class president. This is how all elections should be run. Okay, maybe I'm being a little simplistic. They can use glitter and glue, too.
  • Things I've tried and thought I wouldn't ever do again: sift, iron, bake bread. Well, I still hold by the first two. I don't sift flour. I don't iron clothes. And I don't care if you think less of me for it. I no longer say that I don't bake bread thanks to the amazing:
combined with the glorious:
People, it's unreal. I make the most gorgeous, delicious, professional-looking, artisinal boules now! And it's a NO KNEAD recipe! Crazy, but true! We will never buy bread again! Bonus: I get to say boule!

Me: Allow me to present Robert.

Sister: Robert?

Me, unveiling bread: Robert Boule!
  • And still more things I thought I'd never do... You know how you drive down the road and see some idiot running in the pouring rain? And you mutter to yourself, smugly, "Idiot!"? Yeah, that was me, running in the rain last week. I was training for a 5K which I completed, by golly! I finished. Without the need of a stretcher. So, you know, that's something.
Never say "never", people.*


Question du jour: Ever do something you thought you'd never, ever do? Share.**



* Unless it's sifting or ironing.

**Especially the naughty bits.***

*** It's just between us. Scouts honor.****

**** I was never a scout. I heard they make you iron.

22 comments:

Titania said...

Racing bikes again! Never thought i'd do it. I still don't iron - whenever I've tried, I've left the clothes more wrinkled than they originally were, and that takes me an hour. Not baking bread either (I've tried, it ain't pretty). Or running. LA: you are my hero. Besos!

Anonymous said...

I drove to the Outter Banks by myself a few weeks ago while visiting in-laws. I'd visited NC for years and years without seeing a single lighthouse. I never thought I'd go by myself because I'm scared of bridges with water underneath. Driving myself was the lesser of two evils of arriving by ferry boat. I took a different route returning home from Hatteras and nearly died via panic attack because I had to stop on a draw bridge in the dark (pitch black) for 10 minutes. Luckily traffice in the other direction went first, so I knew I wouldn't fall through a gap. Fear conquered or worsened? I'm not sure, but I have great photos of the coast.

Reya Mellicker said...

Yeah, never say never. You could get into sifting. You could even get into ironing, you never know.

I've done many things I thought I never would. Probably shouldn't share my list here.

smsrls24 said...

well, since it's just between us...

im wearing those stupid silly bandz...after I gave a guy at work a hard time about it too!
but in my defense, it was my niece's fault cuz she gave me an angel (how could you NOT wear that?) and my young male cousin gave me 2 Pink Phillies bandz(he's not into pink, lol) and my little 3 yr old godson gave me a dress, which he insists is a shirt!
Im a sucker! ;)

Barbara said...

Yeah, I learned to drive a stick-shift car. It was necessary -- I had a 2-year-old and the only remaining car option had a clutch.

I love kneading bread. I make all our bread, or I should say all our partly-whole-wheat challah, because that's all we now eat. I do vary it by putting poppy seeds on one loaf and sesame seeds on the other. It's really good, even if I do say so!

Gilahi said...

Well, heading into it, I didn't think I'd ever comment on this post.

Pauline said...

Yay! I need to get a boule too!

I never thought that I would make ice cream and still haven't yet, but we bought an ice cream maker months ago. Baby steps...;)

Liebchen said...

Congrats on your 5k! Does it make you want to do another race? I know my first one did. And on that note, I never thought I'd run a marathon, and now I'm training for my second. I've also been saying that I'll never do a tri, but we've seen how the marathon thing worked out.

The Bug said...

WTG on the 5K! That's something I'm pretty sure I'll never do - but we'll see. It could happen.

I answered that question on my blog today, but it's kind of boring :)

suicide_blond said...

i fell asleep at his place..in the suburbs.. and didnt wake up til morning....aaarrrrggggh
;-)
xoxo

Kate said...

You ran a 5K! It's like we're TWINS! WAHHHOOOOOO, LADY!

spleeness said...

Congratulations on the 5K! That's something I think I will never do. Also, I hate running.

Something else I thought I'd never do, but eventually did? I sucked at math all throughout my life, even in grade school. After I graduated college, when the pressure was off, I decided to learn. Took class after class, as many times as I had to until it sunk in. And eventually I got an "A" in calculus. I still can't believe that's my name on the report card.

MA said...

so... was it dynasty?

Jason W said...

You have a talent selling things to lazy people. I'm going to get the bread book.

Cyndy said...

I'm fairly certain I won't be running a 5K, but I'm impressed by anyone who can.

I never thought I would go skydiving, but I gave in to peer pressure and did it. It was pretty damn exciting. Unfortunately I probably won't ever get to do it again because it's so expensive.

Alice said...

skinny jeans. sigh. i look and feel like a dumbass in them, AND YET I HAVE CAVED.

P said...

A few weeks ago, there was a night when I didn't drink alcohol.

Does that count?

Felisa said...

Yay for running a 5K! And I wanna bake my own bread too but sometimes, it's just so easy to buy the par-baked ones from Trader Joe's :P

Hmmm I do go by the saying never say never so anything I do that is out-of-the-ordinary for me is just something to check off my life list.

lacochran's evil twin said...

Titania: Besos back atcha.

HKW: Congrats on your success!

Reya Mellicker: Chicken.

Shawna: It's good to have kids to blame. :)

Barbara: I learned to drive a stick shift when I had a 280Z that had one. I also burned out a clutch. ;)

Gilahi: Ha! Well played, sir. Well played.

Pauline: Ooooo, ice cream! Yum!

Liebchen: Thanks! Maybe. I like being able to run. It makes me feel strong and capable.

The Bug: Thanks! And indeed it could!

suicide_blond: I hope he offered you a ride home or at least breakfast.

Kate: Woot! Twinsies! I'm guessing you actually ran the whole thing, though, rather than most of it! So, kudos!

spleeness: Thanks! Wow, you took calculus by choice? I doff my chapeau to you.

Vittoria: Shanghai Peking in Alexandria. Yummy!

Jason W: You'll love it!

Cyndy: Wow! Knowing someone who died that way and someone else who was paralyzed that way, I'm pass.

Alice: I'm sure you rock them!

P: Wow!!! So brave.

Felisa: Thanks. And Trader Joe's does good work, for sure! I just love having the smell of baking bread in the house. Heaven!

Toe said...

Congrats on the 5k! I'm going to check that bread book out, it sounds delish.

Bowie Mike said...

One thing that I never thought I would ever do would be writing a comment on your blog to tell you about a scene from the Movie "Elf." But here I am doing it. Your Chinese restaurant story reminded me of this video clip.

Congrats on the 5K!

Maya said...

Live in France! I never even wanted to visit it. Had no desire. I love to travel and wanted to go many places, just not here. And, now look at me! Never say never is right.