Bloggin' Around

Recently I've taken to reading the blogs of strangers. Not outright strangers, necessarily, but like people connected to me by maybe two or three or four of what I'll call "friendster degrees." I will be reading the blog of a friend/acquaintance, and then click the name of a commenter I don't know, and then that will spiral into some neverending series of clicks until I arrive in a strange blogiverse without knowing where I am or how I got there. Like I'm John Crichton and went through a wormhole. (Ew, I did not just make a Farscape reference. Yes I did. Ew.) I am really digging this one guy's blog:
Stranger's Blog That I Dig

So I wonder if random blogreading is a common pastime? I mean, I kind of took it for granted that only people I actually know would bother reading my blog. And I took steps to kind of swing things in that direction, like not listing it in the blogger directory and making it virtually ungoogle-able. Reading strangers' blogs is kind of akin to watching reality shows because you do it to see how you stack up next to the rest of humanity. Like, is this person a better writer than moi? Does this person have some of the same thoughts I do? Does this person use the same slang I do? etc. Speaking of reality shows, The Bachelor in Paris is on fire. How awesome was that the-women-tell-all special last night? Moana just better be getting that final rose next week. And all those other skanky bitches can eat crow. Whatever that means. Did crow stand in for "shit" back in the day? I might have to log onto The Idiom Connection and find out.

Kids have demented taste buds

As you may know, I need to eat at regular intervals throughout the day. Like every two hours, otherwise I metamorphisize into a hideous, teeth-gnashing bitch. Lately at work-- instead of hitting the vending machine downstairs when my home-packed items run out-- I've been hitting up the campus bookstore for New Mid-afternoon Snack Ideas. I decided to try string cheese today, something I ate in adundance in my toddler years but that I didn't even realize was still made. I ate it, and it was pretty whack, I gotta say: flavorless and way too small. Which led me to ponder, what other foods did I like 15-20 years ago that I can't stand any longer?

1. Liverwurst - was I the only 5-year-old who ate this crap spread on white bread? White bread, there's another one!
2. Green olives in a jar - I sucked the pimentos out and gave them to my mom, but I ate the rest.
3. Grape juice - I gag just thinking about this stuff. But maybe that's because I barfed it up one time when I had the flu.
4. Cheez-its - Those little orange crackers that give you stink breath.
5. Slim Jims - Here's a more recent lapse. I proclaimed these skinny beef?sticks "my favorite food" when I was 15. Yeah, gotta love that teenaged metabolism.

I'd say my taste buds (and internal organs) have it much better these days, given I didn't eat fish or mushrooms or spinach or anything close to tofu back then.

Punxsatawney

I never knew how to spell "Punxsatawney" until just now. The town's most famous resident saw his shadow, which I guess means six more weeks of winter, which I guess means six more weeks of cold, gray drizzly rain for me. I guess. Is it really winter when it's 50 degrees, or should I call it something else... like limbo? At any rate, feels like it's time for a countdown until spring. Here are the last few things about winter to look forward to:

Feb 4 - A dear friend of mine turns 30! Enjoy, you old hag!

Feb 10 - The Pink Panther remake with Steve Martin opens! I am excited to see this film tank worse than any crapola Steve Martin movie before it. Stevie, time to hibernate.

Feb 14 - Valentine's Day. Normally I would not give two shits, but after two years in Japan (where only MEN receive candy/flowers/cards on Valentine's Day), I am ready for my just desserts.

March 5 - Oscar, Oscar! Time to bring out the Velveeta Cheese Dip and pray that Jon Stewart can resurrect this tired old ritual. Maybe Viggo will be invited?

I can't think of anything else. I'm not looking forward to war in Iran or going through oil detox, so maybe we can put them off til summer.