On my way home from a friend’s house today, I was frantically searching my purse for a piece of gum.  No luck.  I unsuccessfully checked every hiding place in the car.  Oh noes!  The whole world seemed out of balance.  I managed to calm myself through the withdrawal fits… then I suddenly smelled fresh gum.  Is it a mirage?  Is there a piece of gum hiding somewhere, taunting me?  Oh wait… I’m passing a Wrigley’s factory!  *Takes a big whiff*  Mmmmm… Juicy Fruit.

I drive by this factory 40-50 times a year and I have NEVER smelled gum.  Maybe the other gum flavors aren’t as aromatic.  Maybe I haven’t been going by at the right time.  Maybe my Spidey senses were tingling in my weakened state.  Regardless, I couldn’t believe how fragrant it was… and fresh… and delicious.  It was just enough of a buzz to get me home with a big smile on my face.  I love it when something so small can make my day.

Daria has been released as a full series DVD set!  I’ve been waiting for this day to come for years.  Daria is one of my favorite shows of all time… and very rare to find on tv anymore.  My friends do not appreciate Daria at all, but they absolutely love how hooked I am… it’s a part of my lovable charm.

I’ve always loved Daria because I can totally relate to her… although we’re not exactly alike, we have much in common. Daria is smart and sarcastic.  She’s got a sister who is absolutely exhausting (mine isn’t anything like Quinn, but exhausting in her very own special way).  Daria is constantly confused/annoyed/entertained by the stupidity of those around her… and usually has a caustic remark to sum things up nicely.  Sooooooooo me.

While I don’t dress in unfortunately drab clothing, speak in a monotone, or have to be coerced into every activity… I certainly share her disdain for the world and her love of snark.

Every day we spent some time writing stories.  We’d write quietly, then stop to brainstorm ideas together or read the latest addition.  When we finished our books, we gathered the family together after dinner and read our stories… followed by a question and compliment session (they wanted compliments, not comments lol).

Even though we’re all too old for it, we played with Play-Doh every day, too.  We made all sorts of tiny doh desserts for our imaginary bakeries… cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, croissants, fortune cookies, etc.  Then we’d email each other every day with bakery promotions and reviews from the critics.  How cute is that?

Another big part of each day was the dog hotel we set up in my mom’s built-in closet.  We used all my old Barbie furniture and the girls’ stuffed dogs to create a posh canine vacation spot.  Each dog got a special therapeutic bed made from Lincoln Logs in their penthouse suite.  We even put the dogs on ribbon leashes and took them out for a drag walk outside.

Then, of course, there was the dress up day when we dragged out my old dance costumes. We also made charm bracelets with beads and tiny scanned photos of the pets in the family.  AND they spent many days trying to beat me at Pac-Man and Mappy, too… emphasis on tried.

I can’t imagine any boys wanting to do these types of things.  Well, maybe the video games… but the old school ones probably wouldn’t be stimulating enough to hold their interest long.  There probably would have been less bickering in the house with boys, but how many days can you really spend aimlessly running around the yard?

We had a turkey dinner yesterday for Dad’s birthday… which always means leftovers. I actually love turkey leftovers because it allows me to make my favorite (and the most unhealthy) sandwich ever. I call it… the bread sandwich. Basically, it’s a whole lot of carbs with a little turkey thrown in as garnish… two slices of soft bread, a layer of dressing/stuffing (about a half inch), and a layer of turkey (about a quarter inch). It is SO good. My mom and sis add some cranberry sauce for more flavor. My dad and other sister heat it up with gravy. I prefer mine simple and cold and delicious…

They sometimes come from the grocery store or a wholesale club… last year was even a really expensive super-fancy bakery cake. All awful. I’m not sure how he does it, but if there’s a bad cake in New England… he will track it down.

Today, a few hours before his birthday dinner, he ran out to Walmart (of all places) and grabbed a “variety pack” of cake. A fourth each of german chocolate, double chocolate, carrot, and red velvet cakes. This is ALWAYS a bad sign… he loves the variety pack desserts… and the variety packs are usually the worst.

Tonight… in a very bold move… I opted for half a slice of carrot and half a slice of red velvet. I was prepared for the worst. I took a big gulp of water and then dove in. OMG they were SO good!

As we discussed how good everyone’s choices were and debated why it was called red velvet cake (Dad is color blind, so this was a tough argument to win), I declared red velvet the winner for tonight. Then I announced to my family that tomorrow I would sample both of the chocolate cakes… and the next day I would then have a face-off between the winners from tonight and tomorrow night to determine the ultimate cake winner. Of course they chuckled and rolled their eyes at me (I get this reaction from them to most anything I say).

But to me… this is way more exciting than the Olympics…

MILLER HAS STOPPED PRODUCING ZIMA!   *Collapses*

OK… I know you’re thinking, “Wait… they were still making it?” And yes they were.  I haven’t had it in years, but it was always there on the beer shelf like an old favorite blanket.  It was comforting to know that my all time favorite beverage would always be there for me (even though it hasn’t been socially acceptable in a long time).  Sometimes I would stare at it longingly as I passed by… too embarrassed to buy it.  I was waiting for its comeback.

I have so many fond memories of Zima.  Road trips, nights out, nights in, smuggling 40 oz. Zima’s into the movies.  (ROFL… yes, they made 40′s.)  When it was new, everybody drank it… even boys!  It really was a great drink.., not as bitter and filling as beer… not as sweet and thick as other girly drinks.  “Zomething Different” the ads would affirm.  *Sigh*

This morning, an email was instantly circulated among my closest friends with the subject “OMG BAD NEWS”.  We will be buying every 6- pack of Zima we can get our hands on so that we can have a bon voyage party for Zima… to lay our dear friend to rest.  *Hears Taps playing in the background*