Oops... all berries :)

Food has taken on another value in the last 8 months. 

Not only is it my one outlet, it has made me so much more appreciative, nostalgic and ridiculous.

I love sweets, and it's no secret. But now that my indulgence is food, it has sort of taken on a new life. 

In college I used to have Twizzlers and Peanut M&M's almost all the time. 

(My rationale was - Twizzlers were a fat free food, and Peanut M&M's had peanuts in them!)

However, in order to keep consumption in check I would hide them from myself. 

(Most of you are probably laughing to yourself thinking... how can you hide them from yourself you idiot - that's your problem... while those of you who know me pretty well are probably aware of my terrible memory and can see how this worked)

I'll continue. 

So, for me, it actually worked pretty well. Out of sight out of mind. Then every once in awhile when I'd have a hankering for something sweet, it usually came to mind I already had some, and if I gave it a few minutes I 

A. Forgot where they were and the urge passed....

or

2. I'd remember and be pleasantly surprised. 

Well a few of my latest guilty pleasures have ventured past the usual Peanut M&M's and Twizzlers and now... thanks to all the research assuring me Dark Chocolate is good for me - I have found Dark Chocolate Mint M&M's.... I keep in the freezer. Achieving the "out of sight out of mind" principle as well as making them rather hard to chew so - I usually only have a few. Plus the mint makes a nice after dinner send off.

But the other day at the grocery store I came across something I have a real soft spot for. Normally I can cruise past the candy aisle - I honestly have a hard time actually picking up and then downing an entire snickers (although fun size sure are fun) but if I'm looking for a nice little treat - Fig Newtons are always a favorite of mine... and they're figs! 

Sorry back to the mental break down moment in the grocery store - it was the cereal aisle. This aisle always causes a bit of a mental battle for me. As a kid my mom didn't allow sugary cereals in the house. It was Raisin Bran, All Bran, Total, etc. NEVER Frankenberry, Trix, Lucky Charms or heaven forbid... Cookie Crisp. I know it's not good for you... all that sugar in the morning, afternoon or as a dessert but I do have a weakness for some Cartoon leading, sugar filled, brightly colored, marshmallow laden cereals...

So Imagine my surprise when I came across this...

Yes, that is the Cap'n himself... with all the berries, and no crunch... isn't that what we always dreamt of...???

I didn't let my reason get the best of me this time. That box went in the basket, up to the register, out the door and I've been slowly enjoying a small bowl on a very stringent schedule to make it last as long as possible. 

This is one of those times when it's not necessarily 

"Good for you..."

But I like to think when I see myself in the mirror I say... 

Good.... for you :)

Seriously... what if it was an Ooops.... and they never make that cereal again? At least I can say I was a part of history. Kind of like being a Goonies kid. Because down here in sugared cereal land... "it's our time"

woe is me... a trip to the DMV

If there might be something worth paying a lot for... for me it would be a stand-in at the DMV.

The state of California made a mistake. Shocking. My new drivers license comes in the mail... a month after I spent 4 hours sitting in that waiting room and it's wrong. Yes they asked if the information was correct before I left - but it was the form I filled out correctly - not the way you typed it in... incorrectly. 

My birthday is in September (9) not April (4) which is what my ID says. I can see how easily that can be confused... And since I wasn't all that worried about it being right... I never changed it. 

Until... the guy at the airport gave me a hard time. 

With a lot of travel in the upcoming year I thought I might try to nip this problem in the bud before it became too much of an issue at a very inopportune time. 

Headed back to the DMV to try and make things right. In my possession I have the incorrect ID and my passport. Because your passport is the ultimate identification right?

Wrong. 

The lady says I have to bring in my birth certificate (even though the birth certificate is what verified my date of birth for my passport...) I mostly see her eyelids, since she doesn't make a lot of eye contact. They're colored a nice "calming" lavender clear up to her eyebrows. I try and take a hint and calmly do as she asks. 

I know I'm an impatient person and so instead of arguing with her I agree to go home, get my birth certificate and come back... Yes, that means, pull another number and wait... again. Like I said, a good lesson on the importance of patience.

When I return, birth certificate in hand, I take a number and wait patiently. My number is called and I make my way up to the woman with the very familiar purple eyeshadow... again. 

I explain my situation - because she doesn't really seem to recall our conversation just a few hours ago (again, she sees a lot of people, and I'm working on my patience... right)

Again she explains to me that I will need to verify my birth date with my birth certificate. Armed with the correct documents this time I hand over my birth certificate. The only birth certificate I've ever seen, I've ever had. She looks at me and says... 

 "we don't accept miniatures."

 I kindly offer my passport as a secondary reference for my date of birth and she nods her head no. My brain is saying a lot of things at this point but I try and maintain my composure and ask, 

"out of curiosity - what does the "size" of the paper have anything to do with the information that it contains?"

"We don't accept miniatures" She replies

"But this is the only birth certificate I have... that I've ever had. This is the birth certificate I brought in with my a few months ago that this office accepted as a legal form and... this is the birth certificate I sent out with my other legal documents to get my passport renewed just a few months ago... and the federal government seemed to be ok with it?"

"We don't accept miniatures. You'll have to call the state of Iowa and ask for a new one" she responds

"But this is the one they issued my parents when I was born, so how do I go about asking for one that isn't a "Miniature" - what if this is the only sized birth certificate the state of Iowa offers?"

"Well we don't accept miniatures" she again responds. 

She then hands me a sheet of paper where she has scribbled down the number in Iowa that I should call to get a new birth certificate. I step aside and make the call right then and there. 

"I'm sorry the number you have dialed has been disconnected or changed"

Of course it has... 

Anyone want to stand in for me at the DMV - or attempt to contact the state of Iowa with a request for a "non miniature" birth certificate? 

They way I see it, I've already been there twice, so it's certainly not something new!!!

:) 

                                          

                      Patience, n. A minor form of dispair, disguised as a virtue.

 -Ambrose Bierce

The Devil's Dictionary, 1911 

5 people 1 guitar = 37 million hits

So a band wants to cover a song. 

There are 5 people in the band... but only one guitar.

What do they do?

All 5 members, play one guitar... Resourceful creativity at it's finest. 

And now... They're innovation has paid off. 

They've performed on the Ellen Show, and they have almost 37 million hits on YouTube. 

This is great news for the cover band Walk off the Earth - and it's allowed the original artist Aussie Gotye to hit #18 on iTunes!

And then it paid off again on the Ellen show... see what she gives them at the end of their performance :)

Walk off the Earth - "Somebody that I used to know" Gotye feat. Kimbra