WI(soaga)W… Giveaway Time!

No, I didn’t learn a new language… but it’s almost What I ate Wednesday! If you are new to WIAW, (which since it is crazy popular I bet you are not!) head on over to Jenn’s blog to find out what it’s all about!

Or in this case…

today is almost WHAT I SNACKED ON AND GAVE AWAY WEDNESDAY!

In order to celebrate my love of two things: snacking, and blog friends, I have a special treat for you! First, I must rave rave rave about how much I like a good snack. I don’t like the feeling of a big heavy meal (at least not more than once a day), so I’m a firm believer in healthy snacks all day long. Or in today’s case, snacks of dubious nutrition:

cukes, cheddar sour cream baked ruffles with Drew’s medium salsa, and lime jello…

Three quarters of a bag of m&ms (it’s not junk food if you don’t finish it, right?), Good Earth Tea, and…

What is that last item, you may ask? Why, it’s a new item I bought at the store today, a banana peanut butter chocolate Monkey Bar. It was chewy and delicious and good for digestion, apparently!

I love bars, it’s no secret. They are a lazy snack you can always have with you in case other food options don’t easily present themselves. Girls on the go gotta have a good bar! And since I like you guys SO much… I’m giving some away!

That’s right! To my loyal and lovely blog friends, I offer an up and at ’em energy pack! It includes:

-Honey Stinger energy bar (Berry Banana Buzz flavor)

-Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (Cherry Blossom Flavor)

-Cool Mint Chocolate Clif Bar (contains caffeine woo hoo!)

-Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif Bar (also with caffeine, hence the buzz)

-Monkey Bar (banana peanut chocolate flavor)

The winner of this one is going to be raring to go! I’m so excited about this one because I know not everyone always has access to all kinds of bars, or wants to try them out at their sometimes high prices! So to say thank you to my blog friends, and welcome to new readers, I’m giving them away!

Rules:

-You need not have a blog to enter, but you do need to live within the U.S. Sorry my international buddies!

-Giveaway winner will be announced next Wednesday, July 27th, chosen via random.org

-Mandatory: You must follow Meri-Goes-Round through google friend connect to enter (on this new blog), and leave a comment telling me what you like to snack on!

-For extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each so I can count more easily!)

-post about this giveaway on your blog

-tweet about the giveaway (for example, “enter a snack-attack giveaway at Meri-goes-round http://www.merigoesround.com/blog/?p=530 ”

-follow me on twitter (@merigoesround ) or click the button on the right hand side of the page to find me

That’s it, my friends! Good luck to everyone, and happy snacking!

Meri

Posted in food, giveaway | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 60 Comments

Out to lunch

Hi there! Before I start ranting all over the place, I have a fun little game for you. It’s called: Which of these restaurant meals is not Meri’s?

Papaya Salad
Pancakes
Fish tacos

 

So which one do you think it is? You can leave a guess in the comments! But just when you think you know me… you may have no idea. Muah ha ha ha.

So, now that I’ve done something lighthearted and goofy, I must rant about my feelings about “restaurant behavior.” I should preface this noting that I have worked in both restaurant and fast food situations in my day, and I know what is “expected” of restaurant staff. That said, I believe there is obnoxious and unacceptable behavior both on the part of restaurant patrons and staff. I used to think the only thing a patron could do wrong was tip poorly. I was dead wrong..So don’t do this stuff:

Begin Rant.

If you are a restaurant “guest”

1. Thou shalt not send s&%* back because you don’t like it. Learn to order what you want, and deal with it.

2. Thou shalt not snap at thy waitstaff. They are not dogs. A meaningful moment of eye contact should do the trick. In a pinch, a slightly raised hand will get their attention with half the obnoxiousness of the snap.

3. Thou shalt not assume anything about the menu/ rules of a restaurant. That means if the waiter says “no substitutions,” after you ask, let it go. He is probably  not allowed to change certain rules, and you need to be less rigid. Again, let it go.

4. Thou shalt keep an eye on thine children. Yes, they are adorable, but the two-top anniversary table or starving artist penning his memoir might not want to entertain them. That said, I personally adore charming other peoples’ children while at certain restaurants.

5. Thou shalt not take out random wrath, piss, and vinegar on the waitstaff. You do not go out to eat to abuse waitstaff because you feel small inside, do you? Okay, good, just checking…

If you are a waiter/hostess/food runner, etc:

1. Thou shalt not use fingers on the inside of glasses to hold four waters at a time (unless bussing). I know where those hands might have been as a busser… gross. Use a tray you neanderthal.

2. Thou shalt not ignore tables completely when swamped. Again, a meaningful smile as you hold an entire busload of dishes from another table will give your patrons the hint to relax without making them anxious that no one will ever stop by.

3. Thou shalt listen to guests. As in, if somebody seems incredibly concerned about a certain item they can’t or wish not to eat, that is probably the important part. Don’t feign listening to someone ordering no meat, and then return with a bacon covered salad. This wastes everyones time. Mistakes happen of course, but can’t we all just slow down?

4. Thou shalt not act like a snooty arsehole if your patrons don’t look expensive. Similarly, thou shalt not rush people through at warp speed if patrons don’t seem to be in a hurry. Word will spread, my friends. And I will slow down to the pixelated version of myself to spite you if you do. Consider yourself warned.

5. Thou shalt not stop back and ask the exact same questions multiple times. Where do some people learn their social skills? Great Scott!

 

So….. what kind of restaurant behavior  (waitstaff or diner) really irks you? Do you or have you worked at a restaurant? What was your experience like?

And are you psyched about my upcoming GIVEAWAY or what??

Meri

Posted in food, rant | Tagged , , , , | 54 Comments

Garage-Mahal

Greetings! Notice anything different around here? Despite my lack of understanding of web design mixed with my utter laziness about learning new things on the computer, I have (at least for the time being) adjusted my blog theme. To whom it may concern (mom) the link to leave a comment is now at the upper left hand side of the page.

I did it mainly for a new font, and to try to teach myself. If only I could go back in time and relearn all of the code I learned in high school technology class…

I sure enjoyed my previous post, and the little vent session it included. I also enjoyed everyone’s comments and insights into the evil workings of our capitalist regime! However, I’m feeling back in the consumer spirit again. We spent a little time at Target today (no, I don’t live there… yet…), and I also did a different kind of shopping this morning…

What’s more summery than a Garage Sale? (You’d better believe this one is going to be a rave!)

Furniture, clothing, dishes and appliances. Toys, gadgets, gifts and textiles. All for cheaper than those magazines and 100 calorie packs and bottled water we’re trying not to buy, right?

First, my purchases from today:

 

Fabrics and seed beads- I see crafts in my future…

 

and a few more from garage sales/ rummage sales/ bazaars past!

butcher block for under two dollars
art books- I think they were 50 cents all together
magazine rack (for my library stash)- $1, including 2 skeins of yarn

Ahhh, that’s better! I feel better about those $7 tampons already! Other non-pictured garage sale scores from the past include puzzles for the kids at work, a TV, a file organizer, hand crafted nightstand, and the tray that would eventually become a gift mentioned in this post.

Now, how about a quick list of what I love most about garage sales (or yard sales, rummage sales, whatever you call them)…

1. The prices. Um, obviously the main appeal to these sales is the price. You can often barter your way to pay pretty much anything you want, especially if the person is moving and desperate to be rid of stuff.

2. The surprise. When you stop at a sale, you never know if you’ll hit the jackpot or totally strike out. But even at sales where I get nothing, I usually at least end up seeing something interesting to talk about. And it sometimes feels like a victory when you find the diamond in the rough (and when I say rough, I’m talking about tables and tables of mangy baby clothes and chewed up infant toys. The bane of my garage sale existence…)

3. The people. Sometimes in the “big bad city,” I forget to meet my neighbors. Whoops! Garage sales make it easy to stop by, chat about common interests (as it is fairly obvious what they are into when you see their stuff strewn all over card tables) and be friendly with humanity. You might even make a new friend!

4. The treats. A lot of times people give out refreshments at their sales (especially the bigger sales or estate sales)- lemonade, cookies, brownies… It’s not something you can count on, but it’s a nice surprise!

5. The earth. Yes, there is nothing better than getting something for super cheap, that would otherwise probably end up in the garbage. Recycling, friends! Everyone wins!

What’s the best thing you ever scored at a garage sale? Do you bargain with people or just pay the asking price? Where else do you get your bargain goods?

Meri

 

Posted in summer | Tagged , , , , | 45 Comments

The price is wrong…

Happy Friday everyone! What are you all doing this weekend? I hope something fun! It’s supposed to be about 200 degrees here, so I’m ready to turn on the AC and drink some iced tea!

Tonight, however, I feel the need for a rant post. As some or many of you may know, I have my period this week. Sorry if you think this is an overshare, or if you are a guy who thinks women shouldn’t bring this up. I’m not one of those chicks who hides it, I think that’s neolithic at best.

I do, however, bring it up for a reason. A few days earlier we were at Target and I needed to restock on tampons, etc. About six months to a year ago I had a tremendous coupon and bought about 10 boxes, enough to last me until… well, now. However, in this time period the price of tampons seems to have gotten EVEN HIGHER. I stood, mouth agape, in the “feminine products” aisle, eyes darting back and forth in frantic price comparisons. I think I started muttering out loud to a random woman next to me as well. She was not so aghast at the skyrocketing prices. So, I give you a rant I think we can all relate to:

Things that cost way more than they should:

1. Tampons They are scraps of cotton, for crying out loud! and I do want to cry, sometimes, when I have to pay for them…

is it a bomb? no, its a tampon... brace yourself for my novice paintbrush skills...

2. 100 calorie packs Seriously- does anyone look at the markup and packaging on this crap? Because I’m pretty sure we are all incapable of buying a large bag of Rold Gold pretzels and grabbing a handful to throw in a tupperware, right? Totally impossible.

3. Magazines I recently ranted and raved about my favorite and “least favorite” magazines. I only pay for one magazine though, and it was almost pathetically cheap on Amazon. Many women’s magazines cost $4-5 dollars. More technical magazines are triple the price of that. Get ’em at the library, or look them up online.

This took me longer to make than I'd like to admit, but I had fun doing it

4. Name brand medications Correct me and my doctors if I’m wrong, but the name brand painkiller/ antiseptic/ cold medicine is not, in fact, better than its generic counterpart. So why on earth do people pay for it? Look at the ingredients, period.

5. Everything at gas stations/ convenience stores

6. Totally unspecial food at restaurant prices I’m not talking about filet de pate or local heirloom tomatoes here, I’m talking scrambled eggs, PB and J sandwiches, hash browns, bland minestrone,  pancakes, etc. for 8-10 dollars. If its not special, I sure won’t be paying that much money for something that looks like I made it with my eyes still shut. I’m talking to you, Denny’s. Only on a road trip. Otherwise I order sides and put them together for something that is usually at least a bit closer to what it should cost.

7. Bottled water I’m not immune to this- sometimes thirst and convenience wins out. But that does NOT mean that I like paying a dollar for WATER. Argh. I wish there were water fountains everywhere.

...and at this point I stopped caring about the integrity of the graphics altogether. Sorry.

8. Cocktails Sure, I like a blueberry ginger infused vodka-tini once in a blue moon. But most of the time I can’t believe how unbelievably expensive a simple Cosmo or glorified rum punch is (and probably using rail quality booze) just because it has a frou-frou name. I can get on board if there is something really special about it, but most of the time I don’t really buy into the whole mixology craze. Plus, I prefer a good beer or whiskey rocks anyway.

Ahhh, once again I feel much better post rant! Do these things drive you guys crazy? What do you think is horribly overpriced for being, essentially, a cheap item?

and as always, thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

Meri

Posted in rant | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 55 Comments

Summer days off… Some are not

Hey y’all! I’m refreshed and recharged and amped up after a gorgeous day off of work! About a month ago I requested off for a random Wednesday so man-go-round and I could go on a random weekday date. What did we do?

Well, we started out at a tiny farmer’s market in town that I’ve been meaning to go to, but usually… I am at work. I picked up some cute zucchini and pickling cukes:

Which would be “rave” number one for today: buying local poduce from local farmers, at Wal-mart style prices. Holla. I just tried the veggies out and they are sooo crisp and delicious!

Next up, we took a little road trip to Hopkins, where I’ve never really been and is in the midst of their annual Raspberry Festival. We started out walking around Shady Oak Beach laughing at teenagers on the diving board, gazing at lily pads, and taking cheesy self-timer pictures.

We were starting to get a bit oversunned, so we headed to Mainstreet Hopkins, where I was informed by tour guide man-go-round that muscle cars used to cruise in the ’60s. I imagined myself in a blue Chevelle or GTO with the wind in my hair. Then I was jerked back to reality when we parked to do a bit of antiquing/ thrifting/ boutiquing.

Which brings me to rave number 2! (or three, if you count discovering new lakes or beaches)… discovering new crafters/ antique finds!

This first shop we stopped at, Designs by RED, had both antique finds and crafts by contemporary designers. I bought this adorable button magnet. Sure, I could make this by myself (and would quite enjoy it!) but if I can spend under a dollar and buy something supper pretty to support another crafter? I will usually do that. And this is how collections are born! Here it is:

We then stopped by some more antique malls, dreaming of things to put in future homes or just trying to get out without breaking things (ahem, man-go-roune!)

Finally, we were getting pretty tired but we had a few stops left: Rave #s 4 and 5. What do I like to do more than almost anything when exploring a new town? Yep, sampling local supermarkets (Driskill’s), and visiting branches of libraries I’ve never been to! Since technically we were still in Hennepin County, I was able to check out lots of fantastic materials from the Hopkins library branch, including season 2 of Nurse Jackie which I’ve yet to see. Bonus!

The day off of work continues… we hit Goodwill, hit some heavy traffic, and intend to watch Tangled this evening. But I’m already calling it in a win for the day from hitting so many favorite activities!

What do you all do on your days off? Do you like to browse craft markets and antique stores? Do you look for anything in new places the way I do with libraries? Have you ever been to Hopkins?

Tomorrow I have a fun guest post so I’ll link you all on over when its up!

Meri

Posted in food, library, nature, summer | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Like Mother like (Estee) Lauder Daughter

I’ve never been much into makeup. I used to dress up with friends on occasion, or don some blush and eyeshadow for an odd dance recital, or sometimes try a lipstick on before going out with friends. Until adulthood, however, I never consistently owned or wore much.

When I hit college I began to wear a bit more, mostly on days when I was procrastinating writing papers and wanted to kill time.

But it wasn’t until I got my first “real” job and wanted to look a bit more professional than the 12 year old boy I appeared to be that I invested in a few more purposeful pieces. But where was a girl to start?

The most obvious solution? Copy my momma. She’s the classiest woman I think I’ve ever met. She is graceful, poised, and warm. In high school all of the boys had crushes on her and she turns more heads than a lot of chicks half her age. When I spend the night and see her with no makeup on and her incredible skin and beauty, I think quietly to myself that I hope this is one of the characteristics I inherit, before I tell her how pretty she is to try to make her giggle.

My mom wears pretty simple makeup and uses pretty simple products. I picked up some of my facial/ skincare routine from my mom:

toner, night moisturizer, day moisturizer

Pretty simple since we have similar skin tone- I barely even had to ask the Clinique salesperson what type my skin was, I knew I was a 2!

Next up? The fun stuff. I have a few qualifications for “face paint.”

makeup stick, lipstick, lipgloss, eyeliner1. Eyeliner must be the type that rolls up and refills, not the sharpener kind. I’m a lazy gal. Brown, black, purple or blue- I don’t care. I’m not even brand loyal, it just needs to refill by twisting!

2. I recently discovered Covergirl Outlast lipstick. At 26, I started consistently wearing lipstick because it ACTUALLY STAYS ON. I don’t work for Covergirl, and I think there are competitors with similar products, but I don’t care. I borrowed my mom’s favorite lipstick color- coral. The one I buy is called “mi papaya,” and its lovely!

3. The Shiseido makeup stick is a ripoff of one I used to get from Estee Lauder which was sadly discontinued. I use it only for undereye circles and the odd pimple here or there, so it lasts me about 7 years. Buy one.

There you have it! My makeup raves. I have my momma to thank for doing the work of choosing the right toner and color lipstick for our skin/ coloring. I have my laziness to thank for my love of outlast and self-advancing eyeliner.

Do you wear makeup? What kind of makeup/ beauty products do you use? Who taught you how to wear makeup and when did you start? Do you switch it up or wear the same look for years?

and if you’re a dude… do you ever notice makeup? Or wear it yourself? Meri is cool with that!

Meri


Posted in family | Tagged , , , , , | 44 Comments

A room with a (river)view

Tonight we went over to a friends house for dinner. After bocce ball by the lake, vegetarian lasagna, chilled white wine and good company, we were graced with this sunset over Lake Hiawatha.

This cotton candy sunset inspired me to take a scenic route, which inadvertently drove by this place:

mtpmcg.wordpress.com

The Riverview Theater! It’s time a gave a little rave about a Minneapolis landmark I hold in high esteem. It is a neighborhood theater that plays slightly older movies as well as classics late night. It’s cheap, its clean, its cute, its classic. What’s great about the Riverview?

1. The price: $3 or $2 Tuesdays and matinees.

2. The popcorn: I don’t eat a lot of butter, but when I do I’m happy to know its at least real butter, and not orange smudge from a vat. The theater also apparently sells their real-buttered popcorn to-go (good to know!)

3. The swank: The decor inside is retro, fun, and chic at the same time (hard to do!)

4. The shows: Beyond showing popular films that recently left theaters, the Riverview also has showings of classic or cult films, late night series, sporting events (The women’s World Cup coming up), political events, and movie marathons (such as Harry Potter next weekend!) I’ll take that variety any day!

5. The ‘hood: The Riverview is in a charming south Minneapolis neighborhood. There is Mother Earth, a flower shop/garden across the street, and a cafe/wine bar/ restaurant kitty corner named the Riverview Cafe. Its a neighborhood destination which draws more than just neighbors. It’s a fun place to meet friends, go on a date, take your nieces out, or just maybe even attend solo!

What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Are there any charming movie houses near you? Do you like to go to a more quaint old fashioned movie house like this or do you like the big multiplexes? What do you do on a beautiful summer evening like tonight?

Meri

Posted in nature, photography, summer | Tagged , , , , , | 34 Comments

Chick Lit Chick

*Disclaimer: Before you read further, please note that there are books out there filed under “chick lit” which are atrociously bad and not worth reading. When I discover these books, I stop reading and return them to the library. These are not the books I intend to discuss below. Okay, proceed:

I alluded a few days ago to different types of snobs. At the top of my S$%# list list was literature snobs. What makes them drive me crazy? Well, for starters, I don’t believe that  there is only one purpose for reading. Beyond the mind elevating “literature” that is considered acceptable for said snobs to read, I find the following categories of reading to be pleasurable and time worthy:

http://www.cam.k12.il.us/ms/6th/gillettc/ReadingManiacs.gif

Travel books, cookbooks, cultural observations (a la Freakonomics or Nickel and Dimed), Photography/ art books, craft how-tos, biographies, “fine literature,” poetry, comic books/ graphic novels, children’s books, and more.

I read to learn and understand new things. And sometimes I read for enjoyment. There are other categories out there for “pure enjoyment,” such as mystery, romance, sci-fi, and crime novels. Are readers of these fluffy genres debased for their mere gender? Not generally, in my opinion. They generally are relegated to their own niche. But heaven forbid a book be written for women to enjoy. No, these books clearly are worthless. They are even WRITTEN by women! Bah.

I counter that these books have just as much merit as any other for-enjoyment genre. I love to read them just as much as I enjoy reading a psychology textbook, Spanish literature, Shakespeare, or Hemingway.

Some of the most popular chick-lit categories are: Historical Fiction (The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Birth of Venus, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Other Boleyn Girl), Working Girl Struggles (Nanny Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Julia and Julia), Travel/ Self Discovery (Eat Pray Love, Under the Tuscan Sun), Humor/ self deprecating (Bridget Jones’ Diary), Shoes/Clothes (Shopaholic series), Family (The Glass Castle, Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood), and more. Clearly, the genre is expansive and covers a wide variety of interests.

Some of my favorite “chick lit” authors:

firth.com

Helen Fielding: An obvious favorite. Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, Cause Celeb. All of these are laugh out loud funny, even after multiple reads.

Kristin Harmel: file under “until my next vacation” reads. I’ve read Italian for Beginners and The Art of French Kissing.

Jenny Colgan: Nearly as funny as Helen Fielding, and similar characters at times. Amanda’s Wedding, Talking to Addison.

smh.com.au

Madeleine Wickham/ Sophie Kinsella: Despite my utter confusion as to why she publishes under two names…I’ve read a considerable amount of her work and it is stuff you plow right through, with very well written characters I have to insist! Shopaholic series, Twenties Girl, The Tennis Party, The Gatecrasher, Undomestic Goddess, A Desirable Residence.

Julia Alvarez: How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents

I’ve read more than this, and way more books than names I remember. I wish I could go back in my library account online to look up all of the books I’ve ever checked out- I’d have some great recommendations!

Do you see the value in “chick lit”? Does it madden you that its expected that something written by women for women does not have merit? Do you think its just crap? Any recommendations to add to my list?

Meri

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 62 Comments

chick”plea”s

We went on an adventure to South Minneapolis today:

We walked around the falls, down to the river, saw that crane-type bird, and then ended up at Sea Salt, a fun seafood place served picnic style in the park. However, between my still novice-pescarian status and my slight nausea from the heat and humidity, I didn’t get anything. Man-go-round’s fish tacos (Haddock, I’m told) looked pretty good though.

However, by the time we got home I was more than ready for a protein packed snack. Enter: Chickpeas.

I love chickpeas. I love them roasted (I have the Caspian Bistro to thank for introducing me to these!), I love them in salads and stir fry meals, I like them in cookie dough (you heard me), and I especially love hummus.

Trader Joe’s three color hummus, homemade hummus, Holy land or from the co-op. I love the little tub of roasted garlic hummus my mom always buys to go with veggies at our family gatherings.

I’ve made hummus with tomato, spinach, plain garlic, roasted red peppers, and even peanut flour. One hummus I’ve never made, though, is dessert hummus. Today I decided to give it a whirl. It turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself! I wasn’t really following a recipe, but below is an approximation of what went in to the mini-food processor.

Yummus yummus yummus I’ve got love in my tummus hummus

-1 cup chickpeas (I used canned cause I’m lazy)

-2 dark chocolate Hershey’s kisses

-2 packets sugar in the raw

-1/2 dropper of cocoa bean stevia

-cinnamon

That’s it, blend it up and go baby go. I thought if I had had any greek yogurt a spoonful of that would have been pretty good in here. I couldn’t think of what to put it on so I mixed in a little bit of cheerios and ate it out of here… but maybe some cinnamon chips or animal crackers?

Do you like hummus? What’s your favorite kind? What do you add to it?

Cheerio!

Meri

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Posted in nature, photography, recipes, summer | Tagged , , , , , , | 33 Comments