Pickle Update: See If I Care

For those interested, I didn't experience any nightmares as a result of eating pickles before bedtime the other night. I did, however, receive an email from my mother the next day that said: "Eat all the pickles you want. See if I care!"

Eating Pickles Before Bed Gives You Nightmares: Myth or Mom?

I've been sick for over a week now and haven't had much of an appetite, except for pickles (okay, and Cheez-It Party Mix). Pickles are an all-time favorite of mine and when I have them in the house, they don't last long. So while eating my third spear tonight at about 9:00, I had a mini panic attack. I remembered that when I was little, my mom told me that eating too many pickles before bedtime causes nightmares. But this can't be true, can it? Certainly it's one of those things parents make up to keep their kids in line.

In this case, my mom was probably trying to extend the shelf life of her groceries. Scaring me off the pickles with the nightmare line makes sense. But I find myself in bed, 29 years old and a little afraid to fall asleep. So myth or just mom? We'll find out in the morning.

Nick and Nora's Infinite Baby Collection

During my lunch hour yesterday, I stopped by the local Target to pick up a baby shower gift for a party this weekend. Registry in hand, I walked up and down the baby department aisles looking at all the wares. Adorable items like blankets, booties and hats. Necessities like baby first aid kits, diapers and wipes. And not-yet-a-mother terrifying items like nursing bra pads, breastmilk ice packs and contact nipple shields (what? what? WHAT?).

I made my selection (not the nipple shields) and walked over to the baby clothes to find a cute onesie. While browsing, I spotted a sign all the way across the department that read: Nick and Nora's Baby Collection - 30% Off! I actually stopped in my tracks and thought: they've made baby clothes for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist? Immediately, I was pissed. I get the whole marketing to kids in fast food meals, on diapers and with toys--but for cartoons or age appropriate movies. This, this was ridiculous! Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist isn't even a kids movie! What is the world coming to? How low will studio execs go to sell movies? Why, Target, why?

I made a beeline for the display, expecting to see little outfits with cassette tapes, yellow cars and floating heads of Nick and Norah.

That is NOT what I found.

Instead, I found the sweetest, most innocent collection of baby wear I've ever seen. Puppies and ribbons and rainbows. Nick and Nora do have a baby collection, but it's Nick and Nora without an "h" or the Infinite Playlist. I guess I need to do a little more research before becoming a mother someday. The nipple shields will be on a need to know basis though.

Deep Fried Cheesecake? Check!

The third weekend of October brings a special treat to Pickaway County every year: the Circleville Pumpkin Show. For those of you who have never been, it's dubbed the Greatest Free Show on Earth and takes place in downtown Circleville, a small town south of Columbus with a population of around 12,000. Over 300 food and game vendors line the streets, and attendance each day reaches 100,000. My favorite Pumpkin Show activities are the Thursday night Marching Band Parade, playing the cane game and, of course, eating.

As you can imagine, most of the offerings are pumpkin flavored--pumpkin chili, pumpkin hamburgers and pumpkin taffy. I tend to stay away from any pumpkin flavored foods that aren't desserts, and fortunately (or unfortunately, I guess), that leaves A LOT. Here's a list of all the items I sampled this week (at least a bite):

- Chicken and Noodles
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Italian Sausage Sandwich
- Cannoli
- Crab Corn Chowder
- Cream Puff
- Pumpkin Pie
- Steak-on-a-Stick
- French Fries
- Pizza
- Lemon Shake-up
- Deep Fried Cheesecake
- Bee Sting Pastry
- Cheese-on-a-Stick

Who needs vegetables?

P Gets a New Job; SN Readers Get a Lazy Post

P started a new job this week, and while it's an incredibly awesome move, it's caused a tiny bit of chaos in our household. We've been swapping computers, moving furniture and fighting with Time Warner. So without easy access, I give you another video post. It isn't political and has nothing to do with the economy--it's just a commercial from a few years ago that I always found amusing and clever. Who knew Martin Scorsese, director of some of the most violent and depressing movies of our time, had a sharp sense of humor?



Got any favorites of your own?

The World According to P

P's take on the Presidential debate tonight?

"Both of these guys are shady. I'd vote for Tom Brokaw though."

I think he was joking, but I'm not sure. He's not above a write-in.

Two Bare Feet On The Dashboard

With crisp mornings and cool nights settling in, I thought it would be appropriate to post some of my favorite summertime videos. Most of them are goofy, but that's how we roll in this household. Oh, and I haven't mastered the editing software, so I just didn't edit anything. Enjoy:



My favorite thing about this video is listening to the people talking in the background. Listen carefully and you'll hear something like "My goodness. You still bathing?" Again, that's how we roll--there's nothing like a good shampoo in the lake.




This is P's younger brother's girlfriend jumping off the cliff in Tennessee for the first time. Lewis' commentary, a random boater blasting music to coax her to jump and her terrifying scream might make this the best video of the summer. Way to go, Heather!




A little action from our zipline tour in Hocking Hills. P holds the camera on one of the longer lines--as close to the real thing as you can get!




This video serves two purposes. 1. It proves that I actually did the zipline. 2. It proves that P can actually use our camera.




These last two are from last year, but I thought I'd include them anyway. This is P barefooting off the top of the pontoon boat--it definitely wins the best story award: P's aunt was flipping out that he was going to try this. She tried pleading with me to stop him. Like he's going to listen to me. So she moved on to P's mom, but found her in the water, positioning the boat so P would have a better angle. I love it! I guess raising five kids makes you less nervous about potential injuries.




I really don't know why, but this video just cracks me up. All four were supposed to swan dive, but the middle two either chickened out or forgot. I just like listening to P's laugh--it reminds me of summer. (See what I did there? Brought this post full circle.)

One Thing Is Not Like The Other

A Little Fun and the American People, You Know

Instead of debating the debate, I thought I'd send some willing readers to a rather fun article my dad, an English teacher, passed along to me. It's from Slate.com, so while it's biased, it's also deliciously entertaining (at least for English majors).

Click here to check it out.