four funnies

Ready, set, GO!

• First, this is the best, best, best homemade playdough in the universe and I have been enjoying it for ages and shan't keep it from you any longer.  The texture!  The ease of both creation and clean up!  Take a little pot and warm up half a cup of salt and 1 cup of water on the stove (just on low is fine).  Add in a tablespoon of vegetable oil, a tablespoon of cream of tarter, and whatever food coloring you want.  Stir it for like 20 seconds, just til it's mixed up and warm, then stir in a cup or two of flour, smoosh it up, and as soon as it cools down, behold the joy of your child(ren).

• Second, are you watching America's Next Great Restaurant?  We are and I'm loving it. The behind-the-scenes (design a logo!  figure out a menu!  pick your furniture!  present your brains out!) reminds me of how much I would LOVE to run a restaurant one day.  Is this one of those things everyone wants to do?  I don't mean be a big deal chef.  I mean, own a delicious sammich place like Palmers Deli.  I think this interest stems from how much fun I had being the drive thru chick at a certain taco place in the 90s and later waiting tables; there's a unique rush that comes from a busy restaurant.  Also, I like being in charge of things, and shouting, and that's what restaurant owners do, right?  Combining that rush with my natural bossy streak sounds ideal.  Soooo, add this to the long list of things I want to do that I start thinking about because of reality television.  The next time I have a hundred thousand dollars laying around, I'm totally doing it.  (Starting a restaurant, not going on reality tv.)  Maybe you can be my chef!  Or advisor!  Or shift manager!  Whatever you want. 

• Third, I think congratulations-fatigue is a real phenomenon.  If you're having a kid, that is a big deal, but you don't get five hundred separate congratulations.  I think law school congratulations should max out earlier too.  Instead, we beg for perpetual congrats.  "I can't believe I'm PREGNANT!"  "CAN YOU BELIEVE I'M 8 WEEKS!"  "Its.....a.....GUESS THE GENDER!" "IT'S MY BABY SHOWER!" "LOOK AT MEEE!  HALFWAY!!!  "I FINISHED MY BIRTHING CLASS!"  "GOING INTO LABOR!" "FULLY DILATED!"  "BABY EMERGING!"  "BABY'S HERE!"  WE FINALLY PICKED A NAME!"  "WE BLESSED OUR BABY!"  Reproduction is great, but one big "Way to go!" is enough of a congratulations for one thing.  Agree or disagree?  Similarly, I think us lawyers need to relax.  We want congratulations for getting in, congratulations for starting, congratulations for finishing finals, congratulations on grades, congratulations on being halfway through, congratulations on finishing, congratulations on ACTUAL graduation, congrats on studying for the bar, congrats on taking the bar, and then congrats on passing the bar, and nine hundred thousand mini-milestones in between.  THAT IS FAR TOO MANY TIMES TO EXPECT CONGRATULATIONS.  The only people who still care are your spouse and maybe your mom but trust me, even they have their limits.  Do other fields do that too?  YIKES.  I propose that we cap social congratulations at one.  As in, you get one large and hearty pat on the back per thing.  You graduated?  CONGRATULATIONS.  You have now reached your congratulatory quota.  You reproduced?  CONGRATULATIONS.  You have now reached your congratulatory quota.  Who's with me?

• Finally, I'm NOT a runner but I ran a 10K for the first time this past weekend.  (No congratulations needed, although if you choose to give me one, you don't have to again for anything running related, because, ONE CONGRATULATIONS PER THING.)  Who knew it was possible for me??  It was surprisingly fun, and it's making me wonder what else I've always considered "not my thing" so never tried, but if I tried, maybe I'd like it.  Got any suggestions?