Shh…It’s Krantz Cake.

Tags

breakfast, chocolate, chocolate babka, chocolate krantz cake, dessert, DPchallenge, krantz cake

Shh…

Shh…

How long was that? 2 seconds? Okay, I failed this silence challenge. Like I knew I would. I can never stay silent long enough if it saves my life. The only time I’m able to stay silent is when:

a) I’m in the presence of someone I don’t like.
b) I’m in the presence of someone who is grieving

That is not to say, however, that I dislike someone who is grieving. I stay silent in those two occasions for two entirely different reasons. 

a) I’m too afraid to say too much in the presence of someone I dislike because I don’t want to say something mean or disrespectful that reveals my feeling. Being an impulsive person who often speaks before thinking, I’ve learned to say as little as possible in this kind of situation, so I don’t end up saying something I’ll regret. Besides, my parents taught me to be polite and respectful of any person, regardless of how I feel about them. Staying silent is my way of being polite.

b) I don’t think I should say too much when I’m with someone who is grieving. First, I think of it as a way to show my respect and sympathy. Second, my parents taught me that the best thing to do to show support and sympathy to a grieving person is by listening, and not by talking. Listening does a lot more in a situation such as this.

Other than in those two situations, I can’t think of any other moments when I can stay silent. I’m just too talkative. I’ve been known to try to elicit conversations even from people who are reluctant to talk to me. Sometimes to my own detriment. It’s a flaw in my character. I was born this way. 

I’m that person who talks over you and when I pose a question to you, I would not wait for an answer from you. I would answer it for you. It’s a flaw in my character. I was born this way. I also tend to repeat myself again and again.

So annoying! I even annoy myself! I think the only way to shut me up is by giving me something to eat. Well, what d’ya know, I’ve found a third way of staying silent. And it’s probably the best way. So,

c) Feed me, and I’ll shut up.

Feed me this Krantz Cake, and I’ll shut up for hours. Besides, my parents taught me to never talk with my mouth full. And with Krantz Cake in front of me, oh boy, my mouth will be full for hours.

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Happy Valentine’s Day! (also Fiesta Friday #3)

Tags

blog event, DPchallenge, Fiesta Friday #3, humor, link party, Valentine's day

Valentine’s Day can be the most exciting day of the year for you, or the most miserable, depending on your situation. But Valentine’s Day that happens to also be a Fiesta Friday day should never be a miserable day for anyone. Whether you receive a valentine or not today, you should see to it that you celebrate the day with us.

Look what I made for you:

If neither of them makes you happy, how about a story? That’s what I’m bringing to the party. I hope you’ll like it.

***

This happened when I was in college. Remember those happy, carefree days, when you didn’t have to do anything? No waking up early to go to school, no homework to turn in the next day, and no studying required? Sigh… college was heaven.

On Valentine’s day one year, my roommate and I decided to have a contest on who would receive the most roses. The winner got to wear a tiara for a week. It was her idea. Trust me, I was not into that sort of thing.

Well, she won. She received more roses than I did. I think she sent some of them to herself. Really, how many secret admirers can you have? Besides, while I received less roses, I had a poem written for me. So, in my mind, I won.

Okay, it was a lame poem. Short four-liner that went kinda like this:

I see you!
Hi!
It’s me!
Surprise!

With all those exclamation points! But it came from this really sweet guy. He enjoyed making my day by giving me surprises like showing up in front of my apartment door unannounced and uninvited. I had no idea how he gained access. He didn’t live there so he didn’t have a key and I never buzzed him in.

But still, it was so nice of him to go through the trouble of waiting for someone to let him in.

Sometimes he even showed up with flowers. Flowers that he stole for me. Yes, how sweet was that? He went on his bicycle in the middle of the night and cut tulips from campus gardens to present to me. So considerate.

And one time, he took a picture of me while I was throwing away my trash. I found out about it when the photo showed up in my mailbox. Accompanied with a four-liner poem, of course.

He must have used his tele lens to take the photo. That I could figure out. What I couldn’t figure out was how he was able to be in position to take my picture exactly when I was there. It must have been such a coincidence or he must have been waiting all day. Wasn’t that so sweet?

See, with an admirer like that, who wouldn’t feel like a winner? So, I didn’t feel jealous at all that my roommate bested me in the most roses received (some of which she sent to herself, I’m certain of it) and ended up with the tiara. Pfft…who cares about a tiara? I bought myself one and wore it whenever she wasn’t around, anyway.

Still have it, and still wear it (when no one is around). So there, Cherie!

Did I do the right thing?

Tags

DPchallenge, lunch post

The man waded through the knee-high snow, through the driveway, through the walkway, up the steps, and now the man was at the door.

He rang once.

I should open the door. He could be in trouble and needing help.

I should not open the door. He could be out to do mischief. Though it would not have made sense for him to ring if he was.

I stood breathless and undecided, just a few feet away from him, separated by the door.

Then he turned around.

And trudging through the snow tunnel he had created, he went down the steps, through the walkway, through the driveway, and now he was on the street.

Away from my house, letting me off the hook.

Who was that man, and what did he want? I hope he wasn’t in any trouble. On a day like this.

Photo courtesy of NOAA Photo Library

Weekly Writing Challenge: Lunch Posts

“Island Dreaming”

Tags

Bruno Mars, DPchallenge, food art, Frank O'Hara, poem, zerotohero

BY THE NOVICE GARDENER

It’s another snowy day
Keeping the sun at bay
Seems that dreary gray
Is long here to stay
Chasing my blues away
Island dreaming all day

Zero to Hero lucky day 21 for me. The challenge has us drafting a post, expanding on the new-to-you format post published for #19, where I talked about Bruno Mars in an aside.

Well, Bruno is from Hawaii, and Hawaii is an island. And I’ve been island dreaming all day long. I’d say I’d fulfilled the assignment, don’t you think?

The lucky part comes from the Weekly Writing Challenge that asks that we write a short post a la Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems. So, I’m killing two birds with one stone. One post for 2 challenges. Sometimes, you just get lucky.