Try, try again

Definitely not a resolution...and "goal" sounds too structured. Aim? Maybe. For awhile now, I've made an ongoing effort to try new things. Not crazy things like bungee jumping or body piercing, but just to be on the lookout for opportunities to expand my horizons.

For example, not too long ago, I tried parsnips. I'd never eaten them before; I don't know if I could have even told you what they looked like. But I found them at the grocery store and decided to give them a try. They look like a big, white carrot, and, as it turns out, they have a sweet flavor similar to carrots. Don't know if I feel the need to eat them again, but they were fine.

Next up on the culinary list were blood oranges. When I was in Italy, the hotel offered blood orange juice every day as part of its breakfast buffet. It was so sweet and delicious, so when I saw blood oranges on sale recently, I decided to try a few:



The juice looked beautiful, but the taste was disappointing. Just ordinary orange juice, with some of that bitter pith taste mixed in there. Definitely not as good as the Italian kind.

The most recent experiment subject was pork chops. I grew up eating pork chops (as part of a balanced meal), but somewhere in adulthood, I decided I didn't like the taste of pork. I can't point to a particular incident, but somehow, the idea of eating pork made me a little queasy, although I should point out that this did not apply to sausage or bacon. Well, after many years of avoiding most chops and roasts, it was time to revisit my reluctance. The verdict? Okay, I guess. I didn't feel queasy, but it wasn't really my thing.

To recap:

Parsnips: YES

Blood oranges: FAIL

Pork chops: MEH**

**Edited to update pork chops to FAIL status. Enough said.

Stay tuned for continuing adventures in newness--

A Sure Sign

One of the surest signs of spring each year is the migration of the Bouncy Balls back to Target. Take heart, winter-haters, it won't be long now. Alice is counting the days!

Party in the USA

Apparently, there was a party in my closet the other day. And I wasn't even invited!

Previously on...

Yeah, yeah, I know. I haven't blogged lately. Lots of stuff has been going on, but none of it has been anything I wanted to write about. Lately, less drama = good.

We had our first snowstorm of 2010 today, and I wrestled with the snowblower tonight to clear the driveway. I really have a love/hate relationship with that thing. I love not having to shovel, and I get a little thrill from being able to run a powerful machine.

But I hate the stinky gas engine smell that clings to my clothes afterwards. And I'm just a little bit afraid of the engine--sparks, flammable gas, and all that. When I was a banker, one of our vice-presidents was in a horrible accident when he tried to light a gas range (different kind of gas, I know, but still...flammable), and one of my customers lost her house to a fire when her lawn mower blew up on starting. I always think of them as I stand as far away as possible and reach over to press the starter.

Really, I suppose it's a baseless fear, because I'm not afraid of my car, which is the same kind of gas engine, basically. Maybe it's because the car engine is neatly tucked away under the hood, and I'm not so close to it.

Call me a worrywart, but as the saying goes, feel the fear and do it anyway. Because that driveway isn't going to shovel itself.

But in the Things to Look Forward to Department, just 27 more days until the Season 6 premiere of Lost! (That is, if the State of the Union doesn't preempt it.)