Generally, as I've gotten older, I've gotten a little more tolerant in many areas. But I have to admit that in some things, I've become pretty set in my ways. I do realize that there are some of my tastes that make my life a bit onerous, and try as I might, I just cannot change my ways. Here then is my list ofStuff I Wish I Liked
1. Popcorn
2. Contemporary Fiction
3. Winter
4. Musicals
5. Olive Garden restaurant
These are in no particular order, by the way, and none of them have really ruined my life. But honestly, actively disliking each one has made an impact. For example, popcorn is a healthy, low-calorie snack that is also (unless you buy it at the theater) really cheap. In college, everyone had an air-popper--then a newfangled contraption--and the dorm halls reeked of the stuff. I don't like it. And, it simply wrecks my guts. Period. Every now and again, I crave caramel corn, eat an entire bag of it, and suffer major consequences. But plain popcorn could have been a go-to snack for me when I was overweight for the first 30 years of my life and sadly, I couldn't go to it.
Those of you who read me over at the Dept. know that I cannot read much new fiction. I teach creative writing (i.e. how to write fiction) so reading it is like work for me. I am constantly seeing the formulas at work--oh, there's exposition; what a neat way to characterize; why isn't there any setting to establish mood here? etc.--and it is rare that I can stop this. I know I'm missing good work out there, but honestly, few contemporary authors can really provide the depth that many of the classical Victorian writers or American masters gave us. I seriously believe this.
Holy crap. I am able to write this post right now because I am on Snow Day Two here in NE Ohio, where I awoke to temperatures of ten below zero with Arctic wind chills. When I went outdoors yesterday to go visit an ailing aunt, I could feel my bones under my skin. I. am. not. kidding. This is brutal. When the winter months kick in here in NE Ohio (starting in November and not ending until late April and I am totally serious), I am, for all intents and purposes, housebound. The cold is painful for me. I cannot take it. Why must we have it? Other regions do just fine without it. Someone save me.
You know, I went to Toronto to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theatre--totally refurbished just for this show--and I was entranced and enthralled. But that is the only musical I can tolerate. The rest irk me. The whole idea that life stops so that someone can sing a hokey song is silly. Well, wait. I did like the movie Fiddler on the Roof and was actually in the show in high school, but even that was pushing it with the ghost wife scene. And do not get me started on the whole issue of Daniel Day-Lewis's next role being in a musical. I am in denial.
Finally, Olive Garden. One recently opened near me, and the place has been jammed at all hours every day. I'm sorry; I just don't get it. I find Olive Garden to be the Taco Bell of pseudo-Italian food. It's bland, it's boring, and it combines about eight basic ingredients in eleventy hundred different ways and calls them all a different name, but they all taste vaguely the same. It's the Taco Bell Principle. Taco Bell uses seasoned ground beef, cheese, beans, soft or hard shells, and a topping or two and yet has about thirty menu items. How? Ask Olive Garden. Most people love Olive Garden, and everyone goes there for dinner. There aren't a lot of decent choices around us anymore, and this further limits me. Why am I such a pain in the ass?
Do you like any of this Stuff? What is some Stuff You Wish You Liked?
13 comments:
1. I am not a huge fan of popcorn, but I love kettle corn.
2. Contemporary Fiction. LOVE IT.
3. Winter. I love it. It was kind of nice to have a day off school today because it was TOO COLD TO GO TO SCHOOL. Yep.
4. I love musicals of any kind. I love when they burst into song and dance. LOVE IT.
5. I love Olive Garden. I love the Fettucini Chicken and the Marsala Chicken and the Chicken Carbonara. And they are completely different, as far as my uneducated palate can tell.
I guess this means we can never be BFF. Sigh.
And? I wish I loved lip gloss. Everyone raves about lip gloss and I? Do not want something that looks like bacon grease on my lips.
Jan--BFFs do not have to be exactly alike. I'm sure we share other interests. And I, too, hate lip gloss. I prefer Revlon lip color in Rum Raisin. No frosts, btw, because that looks stupid.
I do love popcorn. I could eat it every single day and never get tired of it. We ate it as a snack often when I was a child. Probably because it was so cheap and we were so poor.
Actually, when I was around 11 or so, I set the kitchen on fire making popcorn on the stove. That was not good. It took FOREVER to clean up the mess from the fire extinguiser.
I just love to read. I even have a hard time NOT finishing a book that is complete crap becuase it just might get better! And I love series style books. I see that one of my favorites (Confessions of a Shopoholic) is a movie now. I'm seriously doubting that the movie will be even a fraction as funny as the book(s) but that's just how it goes, right? The book is awlays better. The only movies, I think, that even come close to being as entertaining as the books are the Harry Potter books/movies. But you wouldn't know about those, would you Nance :)
Winter. I do like it. I enjoy the snow. I watch the dogs frolic and its fun. I remember back to the days of my youth getting all dressed up in every warm thing I owned, moon boots included (grey with pink stripes) and playing out side for what seemeed like forever. I'm excited for Micah to get big and want to go outside to play in the snow too. My only complaint is that winter lasts too long.
One of my all time favorite movies is the Sound of Music. Watching that and singing along makes me so happy! I fell in love with that musical when my sister was in the high school production. Oh how I wished I could have been little Brigitta! Speaking of musicals, I watched Annie this morning!
I love the Olive Garden for the $6.95 lunch. Good stuff.
I don't really know that I wish I liked anything. I can be pretty stubborn, you know. I'm going to need some time and get back to you on that one.
Finally, you give us a picture of yourself, Nance! I can definitely see you're going through that "hair growing out" phase. I didn't know you wear glasses. And, I sure thought you'd give us a full-length pic so we could see your shoes. ;-)
1. Popcorn--I'm not a big fan either. My hubby loves the stuff. I will eat some at a movie, but will pass any other time it's offered to me. It makes my lips chapped and it sticks in my teeth (TMI, I know). But, I am with Jan on the kettle corn. That stuff is fantastic. When it's cooked fresh at events, I can never resist it. Still, I can't remember the last time I had any.
2. Contemporary Fiction--I'm mixed on that one. There are some very good authors and novels, but there are so many horrid ones that people consume like junk food (e.g., James Patterson and his formulaic writing). Usually I get frustrated trying to weed through the bad ones (sadly, often recommended to me) to find the good ones and find better ways to spend my time.
3. Winter--I actually like winter, but, and big BUT, I live in Virginia between D.C. and Richmond, so not like the North or even southwest VA where they get lots of bad weather. When it occasionally snows here, things slow down considerably. I love it. It's quiet and relaxing. VDOT does not have the capabilities to instantly remove the snow in VA, so schools close (which I used to love as a teacher!!), events and meetings get cancelled, etc. Other than snow, I like my home in the winter, when I can bake without sweating like a pig, can be cozy with our woodstove going, don't have every weekend planned with activities (like in summer), etc.
4. Musicals--Hate them! Absolutely hate them. If you accidentally come across one on television, you'll be watching a dramatic scene and all of a sudden, someone bursts into song. WTF? (Not unlike when DH is watching a show and I get suckered into it and suddenly the man turns into a lizard or an alien comes out of his chest and I realize he's on the Sci Fi channel. Jesus.)
5. Olive Garden--Never liked it, even before I went GF. Probably the best part when I did go (for group luncheons and such) was the warm breadsticks, ironically. I think Olive Garden is like so many other chains; e.g., Cracker Barrel. My mom and dad love it. My BIL loves it. It's packed all the time with customers. I just don't see the appeal.
My own list ... stuff I wish I liked:
1. Super Healthy Foods (straight from God's green earth) ... you know be like Euell Gibbons and think chewing on an acorn or even a carrot stick was nirvana.
2. Cleaning ... oh, I do it, but I wish I could breeeze through the house with a smile on my face and have it done in an hour and be done for the week and always be ready for guests without the sofa beside me (my main hangout spot) looking like a messy desk.
3. Exercise ... if it's got a purpose like unloading/stacking firewood or playing a game like volleyball, even walking (I love to check out stuff all along the way), I will do it; otherwise, fuggedaboutit.
4. Dress pants ... they are so practical and great for work, but I hate wearing pants other than casual pants, like jeans. Dress pants are thin material, often funky synthetic material, and they never look good. So I continue to wear dresses and skirts to work even in winter and about freeze to death.
5. Indian food and curry, specifically ... people rave over it and much of it is naturally gluten free, but I don't like it.
Okay, I am blogging on your blog again!! LOL
Shirley
When I was in Ghana, there was a woman who sold popcorn outside of the local bar. Your options were "butter" (popcorn) and "sugar" (kettle corn), and I always had some of the latter with my dinner. They sold bags that were just the right size for one person, and they cost twenty cents each. It was absolutely perfect. Now whenever I see kettle corn for five times the cost, I sigh and think about how wonderful it was in Ghana.
You need to visit me in California. It's been in the 60's all week. Sadly, I am in 7 degree weather in Boston right now (at the MIT Mystery Hunt). But seriously - warm weather and wine country. How can you possibly pass that up?
I actually enjoy the Olive Garden. They have a soup I really like (with sausage and potatoes and some sort of green healthy stuff that I can't identify), and it's not really that bad for fake Italian. I lived in a co-op - I've had worse.
You really should call me soon.
The musical that DD-L is starring in is something that I wish I was into. The movie from which the musical is based off of, 8 1/2, is one of my Absolute Fovorite Movies, but even my love for musicals isn't enough to convince myself that there is no way I am going to enjoy it. It just seems so . . . wrong.
Your description of Olive Garden dishes fits, unfortunately, most chain restaurants in this country: it looks like plastic, doesn't taste much better, and yes, they serve it in eleventy hundred different ways. My main problem with them is how the cheapest glass of wine is $5 a glass, and they fill the glass 1/3 full.
And moi? I really wish I liked bagels because they are the ubiquitous breakfast guest: every breakfast gathering I have gone to since returning to the U.S. has them on the table. When I left the U.S., only Jewish people knew what bagels were. They came in one color and tasted like sawdust. They still taste like sawdust IMHO. People tell me I need to put those cream cheese toppings on them. What for? I can lick the spoon if I want to eat that crap. I want something to be inherently tasty; if it needs to be slathered in walnut berry cream cheese, what does it really have to offer?
E.O.B.R. (End of Bagel Rant).
O'tizz--I'm a bagel fan, esp. of Panera's cinnamon crunch and for commercial/grocery store bagels, Thomason's Everything bagel. I can't eat an entire one, just a half, but I love the chewiness of bagels. Yum. Yet, I rarely eat them because I don't eat breakfast. Sigh. I know. I'm a piece of work.
Steve M--I know, dear heart, I know. I will go and see Nine for one reason and one reason alone: DD-L. My heart will break but I am always a DD-L Devotee. Rick will go with me because Nicole is in it. And he likes musicals, as a rule. He liked Chicago! I hated it. HATED IT. Erg.
Mikey--I will visit you as soon as I can. Right now, it's impossible! I WORK, YOU KNOW! (and so do you). I know the soup you're talking about at OG. I've had it and it's okay. I will actually do the lunch thing at OG and not bitch--soup, salad, bread. It's hard to screw up those.
Shirley--The couch is my hangout spot as well, and the table next to my end is usually cluttered with my detritus. And, do you remember the short-lived tv musical about cops? it was hilarious. finally, dress pants make up a significant segment of my professional wardrobe; none of them are poor material. but i get what you mean--some of them can feel odd if you just don't like the fabric against your legs. it takes relentless shopping sometimes, but once you pin down A STORE, you can depend on it. Mine, of course, is Express.
Nina--I think you and Jared are destined to be BFFs. His fave movie is Sound of Music! He continues to have a MAJOR CRUSH on Julie Andrews. That movie drives me nuts. I like the non-singing parts, but the singing parts, especially the kids, are majorly hokey. I know you are quite the reader, and I don't fault anyone for being a Harry Potter loyalist UNLESS that's all they read, which is not the case with you. HOWEVER, if you only read JUNK, then we have to have a chat. HAVE YOU READ THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE YET, or are you simply poking holes in your brain with shopaholic stuff? ;-)
I have not read Edgar Sawtelle yet but it is on my list of things to do. I don't have much time for reading these days. I think I've said before, I have not been able to read a complete book since Micah was born becase, mostly, I treasure my reading time. I want it to be COMPLETELY mine. NO INTURRUPTIONS!!! And that just isn't possible these days. Hell when I do get an hour or two of non-baby time, I have a husband to deal with. Sigh. But no, I do not read just junk. :)
And I think you may be right about Jared and I, we seem to have a ton in common!
i believe that popcorn is VASTLY overrated. it's ok for a handful or two but then..."anyone want some popcorn?".
winter is crap.
contemporary fiction is ok but i do agree. the renaissance writers knew how to do it best. cannot touch it. also, the canterbury tales may be the finest piece of literature ever written.
stop it with musicals. julie andrews is wonderful, beautiful, and amazing and i will not have you indirectly bashing her. maybe the problem wiht life is that it doesnt stop so we can sing. how very disney of me.
for what it is, i like the olive garden. now, having said that, ive been to two in my life and left at least relatively satisfied if nothing else. but i do agree. what killed me was when it was 3 degrees outside and people were waiting in line...OUTSIDE THE OG. really?
JPD--holy crap, that quote: maybe the problem with life is that it doesn't stop so that we can sing...
you could seriously put that on a plaque or a card and middle-aged women in craft shows or walmart would stop and weep at it, then buy it. OMG.
nina--probably you're right. you should save Edgar Sawtelle for much later when you can devote real brain time to it. read the lighter stuff now.
Clearly I'm behind on this post :-)
I've been to Olive Garden once that I can recall, and it was just too darn pricey for stuff I can make at home! I'm becoming a cooking snob--when I'm out to eat I try to order something I can't make at home with ease.
Things I wish I liked: Wine (though to be fair I haven't had much of a chance with wine yet), Kraft Mac and Cheese (cheaper than the stuff that I like!), engineering (so that I could have an "adult" job right now, though I'm more than okay with where I'm at), chocolate (I only like some chocolate sometimes), and exercising (some muscle definition would be nice).
jenomena--i am the same way about eating out: I only order stuff i can't make at home or don't make at home. what's the point of eating out if you only get stuff that you can make yourself and probably better?
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