ZippyLand

Meats-morial Day

The real question of this long, lovely, relaxing holiday weekend is: What traditional Memorial Day foods were not created in our house? I don't know what happened, I guess I was swept away by Shawn's DJ'ing prowess on Friday night and decided to reward him with copious amounts of Wisconsin provisions.

For five hours, starting at 9pm on Sat. night (sound familiar, Mom?) I made a big tray of lasagna, 5 lbs. of potato salad & 3 lbs. of three-bean salad w/ pasta. Enjoyed it on a beach picnic the next day w/ the ladies' additions of pigs-in-a-blanket, hummus, jello shots, Chicken McNuggets and the endangered Tiger-something beetle. Okay, we just accidentally sat on that last one.

Then, yesterday brought on Shawn's thank-you back of shrimp-wrapped-in-bacon/mushroom/red-onion kabobs, brats & grilled tuna; and my fruit salad and baked bean combo. Seriously, I don't know what happened. That new stove has some sort of mind trap.

That makes three of our four holidays complete, although the names may still be messed with: Meatsgiving (Thanksgiving); SpringsGrogging (formerly Springsgiving); Meats-morial Day...still need a fourth.

I must purchase this shirt.

Ad dollars at work

Just to make all advertisers fears come true, I must say that I'm completely in love with Bud Light's Real Men of Genius ad campaign, especially 'Mr. Garden Gnome Maker'; however I do not plan on ever choosing to drink Bud Light. Then again, I'm giving them free advertising by word of mouth. But not to anyone who I've ever seen order a Bud Light.

Miller in Milwaukee 4Ever.

Haha, and here is a list of popular beers' alcohol content.

It's Official!

The party starts next Friday - DJ Greene in the house. Woo-hoo!

Afterlight

Cravings

Today in the car as I was about 10 minutes out from work, I was suddenly taken over with a huge craving for Lucky Charms. I've probably had Lucky Charms about 15-20 times in my life. Maybe a little more because of the cereal bar in college, but 40 times max. And post-college would only make up one or two of those times.

But now, I'm dreaming of hot air balloon marshmallows.

Spring

"

In my absence from this domain something fantastic has happened - violent spring thunderstorms have arrived. Fantastic until any T-words pop up, that is. Until then, I will enjoy this Saturday's memory of standing inside a wide screened-in porch, wisps of rain chilling my skin and a good nine jello shots in my stomach, listening to the terrible cracks and rumbles and breathing in the wet, grassy smell.

Funny how the arrival of the new sometimes makes dreamy old memories & aches surface.

Or perhaps it is the end of a little DC fairytale in which the power of three headstrong women will be reduced to two with Georgetown Law graduation on Sunday, and we will be forced to extend a triangle point back to Chicago. Which would force Maryland, West Virginia, etc. into our Bermuda Triangle. Which is a satisfying thought.

I am dreaming of the beach and the hot sun and the outdoor showers and another trip down a river in tubes, maybe without a bladder of wine this time. I am thinking of all the great intellectual conversations I've had recently, and the WashPost article Monty told me about this afternoon over Pho. Humans are changing and yet our basic desires stay the same.

I'm thinking about how badly I want my new Golden Girls t-shirt to arrive, and how I'd still like to do the John Donne and take off five years to read a handful of the books I obsessively record the titles of or purchase. Patience, though...waiting for the Lily of the Valley to appear in the front yard.