Yes, we ARE number 9! But moving on now...

‘Tis the day before Thanksgiving and all through the office, not a creature was working, well, not really working at least. There are shells of people in the office today, but I don’t think I’m alone in the fact that I’ve already mentally checked out for the holiday weekend. I simply cannot accommodate a full workload AND mentally debate about what non-jello/marshmallow/raisin/date containing side salad I will make to replace our traditional Waldorf Salad for tomorrow’s dinner. After much ado, it has been decided: we’ve vote Waldorf Salad off the island (or table as it were). We usually have it at Thanksgiving dinner, because every red-blooded American family needs to have some sort of fruit/raisin/nut-containing cold side dish at Thanksgiving. I’m speculating that this dish for most families contains either jello of some sort, marshmallows, cool-whip and or shredded coconut. There is also a high likelihood of canned fruit cocktail lurking within this beast. It might go by names such as “Heavenly Salad” or “Seafoam,” “Sunshine Salad” or “Raspberry Fluff.”

But does anyone actually enjoy these items for anything other than sentimental value?

I don’t. And I speak for my family in saying, “We don’t.” So we’ve always done Waldorf Salad instead. Similarly, we always do rutabagas in lieu of or in addition to sweet potatoes/yams. However, rutabagas will never be in danger of being expelled from the table. I’m sure Lisaopolis will expand on this at some point, so I’ll let her take the reins on explaining the virtues of this humble root vegetable.


But then the issue was brought up on Monday night at dinner: Do we even really like Waldorf Salad, or do we just make it because Nanny used to make it?

Crack of Whip! Roar of Thunder!! What is this?!? A family revelation!

No one really likes Waldorf Salad either. But we all agree that there needs to be something to replace its cold, crunchy slightly sweet sensations.

I’m thinking of a simple fresh fruit salad. And I’m thinking that a fresh fruit salad would be a good excuse to go down to Pike Place Market this afternoon for some pre-holiday shopping and pre-home-sickness release. I’m envisioning myself going down to the market and chatting with the produce vendors and pretending that I do this every week to buy my fresh produce. Which ideally I would. So what if all I ever do is go to Safeway to buy bags of pre-washed lettuce and the occasional bag of granny smith apples (purchased only for their delicious-to-dip-in-caramel qualities)??

Today I will be the kind of girl who strolls through the market and buys whatever is fresh and catches my eye. Maybe some delicious red seedless grapes are in order? Heck- I don’t even KNOW what kind of fruit-tastic delights are waiting for me….

Here’s what I’m envisioning…


But I’ll probably shop with a wicker basket, and maybe have some birds chirping on my shoulder in manner of Sleeping Beauty!

So in other news: Want to hear something kind of ironic? I need to come up with a writing sample. Details to follow. Something ideally related to child nutrition. Shucks. I’ve probably written more in the last year than I ever have in my life, and I love it. But I have no professional writing samples from the last two years, as the regulations on my current industry esentially prohibit any sort of original thought- especially in writing. We’re… strongly encouraged… to use existing written materials that have been approved my the corporate big brothers and associated legal big wigs. God forbid we put anything in writing that doesn’t have at least 400% of the original word count in associated disclaimers. I’ve essentially learned that whenever I make a statement or a point in writing, I have to spend twice the amount of time, effort and energy then disclaiming what I have just communicated. It’s super neat. No it’s not. Unless you want it to be. But I make no guarantees of its neatness or lack thereof said neatness.

See? I’m gooooood. But what translates well as a CYA method in one industry probably just translates into “Huh!?!” in any other.

So I have no writing to show. I know I’ve HAD writing samples of yesteryear. But when you change jobs, move across states and countries, spill glasses of water on your laptop and THEN have that same laptop stolen, these things have a tendency to vanish, as if they’ve never existed.

I’m in a pickle.



It is very cold and salty in this pickle.
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