Question of the Day #393

On my ninth Christmas morning, I woke to find a two toned, blue, Omni 10 speed bike under the tree. It was the bomb.

I was so psyched, I rolled it outside and rode it up and down the snowy driveway. Then I paraded it past the neighbors' houses shivering all the way.

It was my favorite childhood Christmas present. What was yours?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #392

I love your teacher stories! Thanks to everyone for commenting on QOTD #391.

In Kristen's response, she suggested we vent about our least favorite teachers today. I usually like to focus on the positive, but whatevs, let's let it all out.

In 6th grade, I had an amazon math teacher. I mean this woman was like 6'2'' and built like a linebacker. And she was not pretty. She used to call me up to the chalk board and yell at me. I was always nervous around numbers to begin with. (I still cringe when customers hand me two credit cards and ask me to split the bill.) And she would say, "What is wrong with you? You can't figure that out?"

I cried a couple times. That woman was made of mean. And she made a fear of math even scarier.

What teacher would you like to vent about?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #391

Lisa D. sent me this email:

I was just asked "Who was your favorite teacher?" and I thought, "A ha! Great question!"

She is sooo right. Great question!

I have two. In high school, I had a tough English teacher, Mrs. Meys. She was serious about Beowolf and The Canterbury Tales and all sorts of stuff I had no interest in reading. At the time, I was way more curious about the latest party than the oldest literature.

But then she assigned us a poem. So for once, I actually did my homework and I wrote one. And although I'd probably be horrified if read that poem now, she gave me an "A." That got my attention. I just wasn't an "A" student. So I stopped sleeping and started listening in class. She encouraged me to write and read. And at the end of the year, she gave me an award for effort and achievement. I'd never earned a reward before.

After I published my first story in Seventeen, I went back to my high school and put a copy of the magazine in her mailbox along with a thank you note. She wrote me back, stating that she was retiring that year and the thank you was a wonderful send off and that she would follow my career.

When I got to college, I'd decided to major in writing, but I had NO idea how to write or what being a writer even meant. The first day of my first writing workshop, Andre Dubus III entered the classroom. He was passionate about the craft, excited to dig in and ridiculously attractive. He taught a small group of students about plot, introduced us to some great writers like Susan Minot, showed us how to structure a story, foreshadow, describe without being cliche and ultimately complete our very first short stories. And he made it fun and exciting.

That man made me want to be a writer.

The funny thing is, years later, during an interview, Andre talked about that first workshop and revealed that he had no idea what he was doing either. He had never taught a class before and didn't really have a plan. I think the honesty of it all inspired me.

Teachers are under paid and under appreciated. But they're the most important influences, outside of family, during our formative years. I know that if Mrs. Meys hadn't encouraged me to read and write and if Andre hadn't stirred up a writing storm in that workshop, I wouldn't be who I am today.

So let's give thanks to the most important people in our lives. Who was your favorite teacher?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #390

I'm spiraling up.

Yep. I can feel it.

I have a fabulous new place to live, I just got some good work and I'm in serious like.

Am I the only one? Is anybody else coming out of the dark? (If so, please share the good!)

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #389

This question is brought to you by the letter B:

Do you use a Mac or a PC? Why?

xoxo,

Suzanne

Question of the Day #388

This morning, B and I went to a farmers' market and bought gorgeous local brussel sprouts, grapes, cherry tomatoes and beets. No pesticides were used in their farming and they were less expensive than supermarket prices.

I love farmers' markets, but I rarely go. Somehow making it to the market on the right day at the right time is always way harder than getting to my neighborhood grocery store. So I end up taking the easy route.

How accessible are farmers' markets to you? And do you take advantage of them?

xoxo,

Suzanne

Question of the Day #387

B is baking me a pie. A pie. I am one lucky girl. And to top it off, it's a pumpkin pie. And I LOVE pumpkin pie.

So what's your favorite kind of pie?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #386

Some things I'm thankful for today (in no particular order):

1. The best Thanksgiving surprise ever
2. All the people who enjoyed Suzie Foods for their Thanksgiving dinner
3. H
4. Work
5. My wacky family
6. Future plans
7. The walk in cold sand on the dark beach
8. The pie being made in the kitchen
9. The Fabulous Four
10. My assistant, for today. Until we switch roles

What are you thankful for today?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #385

My coupons are clipped. My list is complete. I'm heading to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for Suzie Foods Thanksgiving treats. I'm very thankful for all the customers who don't know how or want to cook.

Who cooks your Thanksgiving dinner?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #384

After the sunset last night, we leaned back in deck chairs and stared up at the sky.

"I just saw a shooting star," said J.

"Make a wish," H said.

"Did I ever tell you how to wish?" J asked.

"Huh? What do you mean how to wish?" I asked.

J leaned in like she was ready to share a serious secret.

"When I was a little kid, my friends and I went to this magical little store, up a cobblestone alley, above a restaurant in Chatham. It was filled with angel figurines and crazy candles and the lady who ran the place gave us wishing stones and taught us how to wish," said J.

"Sounds very Eastwick," I said.

"Very," she nodded.

"So what's the proper wishing process?" H asked.

"She told us to take the wishing stones home and before we went to sleep, she instructed us to hold the stones and always wish in the present tense. Like, 'I wish I have a million dollars.'"

"Interesting. If I were to wish that, I'd probably say, "I wish I had a million dollars," I said.

"Exactly. That's past. Over. Done with," J said. "And then you have to end with 'for the greater good.'"

"'For the greater good?'" H repeated.

"Yes. For example, you can't just say, 'I wish I'm married,' because you could be married to an idiot. So you'd say, 'I wish I'm married for the greater good.'"

"Who knew wishing was so complicated," I said.

"But think about it. Imagine you wish for a million dollars, get it and then become an evil, greedy person. You have to add for the 'greater good.'"

"And that's it?" H asked.

"No, then we were told to put our wishing stones under our pillows and sleep on our wishes."

"That's pretty cool," I said.

"Yeah. I wish I have a wishing stone. For the greater good," H said.

What are you wishing for? Or are we not supposed to tell? ; )

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #383

Sunday has always been my favorite day of the week.

Yesterday, we had Sunday Funday and enjoyed grilled steak, sausages and veggies and of course, the sunset. H says I'm obsessed with sunsets. I think she's right. When I lived in Hollywood, I'd grab a buddy and drive out to the beach for the sunset quite often. There's nothing like pink sky over Pacific blue.

So, clearly, I go crazy for sunsets. What part of nature do you go ga-ga for?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #382

Okay, it's time for Excerpts From the Purse! As my shift melded into a meeting with "Team Chaosomeness," a few pitchers, a bit of blackmail and a whole lot of karaoke, H took notes on register feed and shoved them in my purse. Here's what I found this morning:

Verbal Gold
Verbal Explosives
Auditory Gold

(Clearly they were enjoying their synonyms for genius expressions.)

Joygasm. (I don't think I need to explain this one.)

Brings the thunder and the rain. (I think they were referring to P, Bartender/DJ.)

Hand fans. (Evan's wacky version of jazz hands.)

Don't steal someone else's unintellectual property. (Now that's a quote.)

Is that the thing you smoke out your neck? (I don't even want to know what that was about.)

Here's to denial. (I concur.)

I'm not hating. I'm celebrating. (The most solid of plans.)

Swimming in mine. Drowning in yours. (?????)

Kicks are important. (Evan and I were comparing his blue suede sneakers to my brown ones.)

Negative Nancy. Happy Hannah. (Who?)

Breathe through the nose. (Okay.)

Are we really drunk this early? Yeah, we are. (Sad, but true.)

We're not really ladies. (I did not say that.)

Everyone needs pizza. (I did say that.)

Any port in the storm. It's not El Nino. (Not yet, anyway.)

Socially acceptable slippers. (I'd like a pair.)

He said boomage. (Hmmm.)


Do you take notes on your life?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #381

It's like this
Cheers ring out and hands rise around you
Regular hands
from old-school faces
that have surfaced only for this send-off
Playoffs, secrets, long winded diatribes and 4:00 AM dance parties flash by
Your Van Halen "Jump" off the pool table
Roque Versus Conners
And H's birthday requests for Zeoli Versus Roque
Thanks to you, I was "Curse free in 2003"
And every birthday after that
Started a jeans fund
A cancer fund
A growth of friends
Or is it family?
Together, we've jotted out questions, pondered the meaning of life
And fallen in love over late night darts
Sang good songs
bad songs
You know we've had our share
We've poured a sea of beer for an unending flow of Massholes
(A term so shiny with love)
We've gone hoarse from chanting, "Excuse me please"
Plates held high
Shorts worn short
All of it has undulated
morphed
changed with the lack of seasons
Customers have cracked the code
Gone from patrons to regulars
From regulars to staff
Flexed the inner circle
And now
The Scheduler
The Glue
Crumples behind me
As you pull me in for a hug
"All right, see you later."
Your regular exit phrase I've come to expect
And Girl Friday (Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and most other days) falls into you
You hug her
And back out fast
They cheer again
hands raised
and our eyes burn as you bound the stairs
towards the car
Towards the airport

"Can I still order food?" A tall woman I've never seen before asks
And like that,
I take a deep breath
swallow the softball in my throat and reply
"Sure. What would you like?"


I don't even want to write a question. This post is all about a statement. But it's a game of questions, so here goes.

Last night marked the end of an era. J is sellng the pub and our hearts are heavy. How have you experienced the end of an era and how did it change you?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #380

I'm getting my stitches out this morning. I didn't blog about getting them because it was far too gross, but I had a lump on my arm and the doctor cut it open, scooped goo out and then stitched it up.

I know, super gross.

Anyway, the stitches are nylon. Kinda like fishing wire and she stitched them in with something that kinda looked like a fishing hook. I'd never seen anything like it. And it was really cool to watch her stick that thing in my arm and not feel a thing. (Yay anesthetics!)

Have you ever had stitches? Why?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #379

On Tuesday night, I went to the little market down the street to get this amazing Haagen Daz White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream. I am in lust with it.

Seriously. I crave it in the morning before cereal, after I eat chicken for lunch, lamb ribs for dinner and before I go to bed. I am obsessed with this ice cream.

That night, I sat with a pint of it, watching the news with my roommate.

"I may eat this whole thing," I mumured.

"You're incredible. Everything you eat is cream," he said, probably referring to the beef and sausage ravioli with spinach in cream sauce I'd shared with him the day before. "I just don't understand how you don't get fat."

I put another scoop in my mouth and savored the tang of raspberry and a chunk of dark chocolate.

"Me neither," I said.

A few minutes later, I dropped the empty container in the garbage. He looked up at me and shook his head.

"And don't think that's the last thing I'm going to eat tonight," I said.

"Oh believe me, I don't."

So I'm eating a lot. I guess it's my new way of dealing with uncertainty. It started in early October. But as long as I'm not gaining weight, is there a problem with it? Do I need to give up my Haagen Daz? (Say "no." Please?)

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #378

A friend of mine is planning a surprise for another friend who I'm pretty sure is not a big fan of surprises. Now, I don't know for sure. Maybe he'll like it. But he's one of those people who doesn't like to draw attention to himself.

My friend, B, doesn't like to draw attention to herself either. No loud "Happy Birthday" singing or cakes with candles in public. She's glad to celebrate her fabulousness - just quietly.

I, on the other hand, enjoy a good party. The planning, cooking and set-up is art to me. Which is maybe why no one has ever tried to surprise me. But I think I'd like a surprise. I've swooned over surprise flowers. I've instantaneously dashed off upon hearing suggestions for surprise getaways. I think a suprise party would be a good surprise.

How do you feel about surprises?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the day #377

Yesterday, I went to the supermarket to stock up on chicken because they were having a sale. Fifty percent off Foster Farms chicken. Now I'd love to be eating organic, but right now, that's just not possible, so Foster Farms is as low hormone, antibiotic-less chicken as I'm going to get.

So, I was all psyched and bought a small ton of bone in, skin on chicken breasts. When I got home, I popped them into separate food saver bags and began to vacuum seal them.

It sucked the air out, but then it's supposed to heat the plastic to make a seal. And it didn't. I was so bummed. My food saver is my all time favorite kitchen gadget. It makes it possible to buy a zillion chicken breasts on sale, seal 'em up and freeze them for a hungry day.

And it's dead.

So I'm mourning my food saver today, planning how I'm going to eat six chicken breasts in the next 72 hours and wondering, what kitchen gadget can you not do without?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #376

Have you always known what you're supposed to do with your life?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #375

This month is flying. I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. It's like I was watching scary movies on Halloween yesterday and then BOOM! I'm taking orders for Thanksgiving Suzie Foods.

Is time passing quickly for you too?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #374

When someone asks, "What's your favorite number?" do you actually have a favorite? Numbers and I have never been BFFs, so I don't have a favorite. But do you? Why?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #373

A few weeks ago, T, P, H and I had a Monday Funday on a gorgeous afternoon. As we sat on the deck enjoying the sunset (T took this picture that day), P mused about odd things - as usual.

"The pub is like the Island of Misfit Toys," he said.

"Nice," I said.

"The Island of Misfit Toys?" T looked confused.

"You know, from Rudolph," H explained.

"Huh?" T said.

"He's too young," I mumbled.

P sipped his beer, cleared his throat and began, "When we were little kids, the best Christmas movie was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

"Definitely the best," I said.

"And in the movie, there was an Island of Misfit Toys. And that's where all the defective toys went, kinda like us, hanging out at the pub. There was a Jack in the Box that didn't pop out right. And a little elf who wanted to be a dentist."

"But somebody told him, 'A dentist? You can't be a dentist. You're an elf!''' I chimed in using my best animated voice.

"But he leaves the island to try an open his own dentist's office," P continued.

"Does he actually do it?" T asked.

"He does," said P.

"So perhaps there's hope for us yet," I said.

We looked sideways at each other and exploded into giggles.

What's your favorite Christmas movie?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #372

We've mused about the Law of Attraction before. About envisioning something you want and actually manifesting it. It's clear that people can achieve positive results via positive thinking and hard work.

But what about the Law of Attraction that you don't realize you're attracting? Subconscious stuff. Like subconsciously sending out negative vibes so all you get back are negative events. Or consciously attempting to create relationships with seemingly healthy, happy people but then ending up in the same ol' situation.

Most of us are probably pretty self aware. We're smart enough to recognize our faults and try to break unhealthy patterns. But what if those patterns are unavoidable? What if we keep trying different strategies and consistently end up with the same results due to some crazy vibes we don't even know we're sending out?

Do you think that's even possible? What do you make of this crazy post?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #371

When I was a kid, my mom used to take make our favorite meals on our birthdays. My brother always asked for Shrimp Scampi. In fact, he still begs her for it when we go to Vermont every Christmas.

I always requested beef stroganoff. Now, at the time, my mom worked 60 hour weeks and was yet to become the gourmet chef she is now due to retirement and lots of blizzards that keep her stuck inside (the kitchen). So that beef stroganoff was made with ground chuck and cream of mushroom soup and whole bunch of other canned, unhealthy ingredients. I'm not sure if I'd love it or hate if I were to try it now, but I can tell you, processed and disgusto as it was, I loved it then.

What was your favorite meal as a kid?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #370

Big Tom entered the pub last night and H and I jumped up for big hugs. Noticing the bluesy song the guitarist played, he spun me out in a dance move then pulled me in.

"Where've you been tonight?" I asked.

"I went to see Men Who Stare at Goats." He twirled me around the bar. That man can make anyone look like she can dance.

"How was it?" H asked.

"Save yourself the cash and just watch the trailer a couple times." He dipped me. I almost fell over and decided to sit down.

"What was wrong with it?" H asked.

"Nothing. I just want to be entertained. There are so many great movies I'd rather see sequels to."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like Howard the Duck." Tom sipped his beer.

"Huh?" I eyed Big Tom.

"Howard the Duck II. That would be a great movie. Or Short Circuit IIII."

I looked at H. She looked like she was following Big Tom. Had she seen the originals? And Short Circuit IIII? Should there be any film with a "IIII" after it?

"Or Earth Girls Are Easy," said Tom.

"That was hilarious. Remember how they shaved down the fur?" H giggled.

"These are your picks? These are the movies you want to see sequels to?" I asked.

"Yes!" Tom exclaimed and stared at me like I was a nutty person for asking.

Am I nutty? I put it out to you. What movies would you like to sequels to?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #369

When I flipped through the mail this morning, I spotted an envelope with my friend Patty's return address on it. It had been forwarded from my old address, which shows you how often we talk.

That's not a bad thing, just the truth.

Inside was an article she cut out of The New Yorker about teen fiction, along with a note, saying she thought I might find it interesting.

How cool is that? I probably haven't seen her since last winter, even though she lives in Burbank. We rarely email and never chat on the phone, yet after the reading the article, and thinking of me, she cut it out, put it in an envelope and mailed it to me.

Sure, we often think of things we should do, like calling someone when something reminds you of them, or sending thank you cards or a thinking of you card, but how often do we actually do it?

And when was the last time someone surprised you with a random kind gesture like that? How did it make you feel?

xoxo,
Suzanne