Gretch-a-sketch (old)

BTW, I'm guest posting over at Squeaky Books today. The site is run by Enna Isilee, who's the biggest Shannon Hale fan I know. I'm talking about my favorite Kid Lit books, so please give it a read!

If there were a country that stood for forgetfulness, procrastination and eeking out deadlines, I would be their Queen.

You see Gretch sent me a super-in-advance email about Guest Posting, and I mentally noted, "awesome she asked me, yep, I'll do that this weekend." But then you see, there was this little thing about Batman and stifling heat in a house with no air conditioning. You tend to pass out and forget things, and then when you close your eyes you only see terrifying images of the Joker trying to put you in an oven.

Then, while catching up on blog posts, I read about Gretch's graduation and ensuing vacation to middle Earth. And I was all, "ya! That's semi-near my town! Maybe I'll run into Gretch and it will be super awkward cause it will be like I was stalking her but I wasn't because it would've been by complete coincidence!" And after that, I thought no more about ensuing implications of her vacation, like say, a guest post by moi.

And then finally today, (or whatever day you're reading this), I noticed a string of guest blogs on her website. And I was all, "Hey! Why didn't she ask me to guest blog! I would've loved to take over her.... Blerg!"

And that brings us to now. Hi, I'm allthewine. And I put the PRO in procrastinator.

Of course, I've got nothing prepared. I had thought of a few ideas, like:

-how I never win random contests (I think random.org has it out for me)
how Tina Fey needs to start a reality show about how to become like her (kind of like From G to Gents but awesome because it would star Ms. Fey)
-about what future lies ahead for Gretch post-college (Now I don't want to go on a rant here...)
-how I tried to order a Tracy Jordan meat machine (but they only ship outside of the United States) (possibly untrue)
-how much fun etsy window shopping is. (I know, right!)
-how unfair and totally not cool it is that the media is jumping all over this Christian Bale beat his mother story, when a) so not true, b) he "allegedly" verbally abused her, c) how can you even yell at someone in a welsh accent? d) he's perfect. I rest my case.
-how perhaps I should become a lawyer with such succinct reasoning as the above.

But you know, these topics are pretty much um... covered now.

I do have one thing though. One small thing that I'm not sure if you're ready for, but you better get ready because it's coming and it's going to be legend...wait for it.....

Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls. (click for recipe)

....dairy.

Get it? Mac and Cheese? Dairy? Sheesh. But seriously, have you heard of these? Because I spent an entire afternoon googling recipes and pictures and oh ...my. I think they are heaven. And when you take a bite, It's a brand new day, and the sun is high. All the angels sing because you're gonna die. (Watch this if you have no clue where my brain is.)

So what do you think? Do Fried Mac and Cheese Balls get admittance to the Evil League of Evil or will they fight the good yummy crispy gooey good fight along side Captain Hammer, corporate tool?**

*And I know, No one has said 'whoops a daisies' for fifty years and even then it was only little girls with blonde ringlets.

Hello! My name is Elisabeth and I blog here where you can win a free copy of When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris.

I am getting a masters degree in Texas, but this summer I am an intern working in the great state of Minnesota, home of Garrison Keiller, Greyhound Bus, and Gratia Countryman, a pioneering and nationally famous librarian.

When I first came to Minnesota, I wanted learn more about my new home. Always a fan of history, my first stop was at the Minnesota History Center, which is currently holding an exhibit of 150 things that make Minnesota what it is, in honor of the state’s Sesquicentennial celebration. There I learned more about the people and company that I mentioned (I will never forget, thanks to the five+ people that told me, that Greyhound was invented by the Swedes).

What’s interesting about this exhibit is that the 150 things were made up of suggestions from around Minnesota. In this exhibit 38th vice president Hubert Humphrey stood side by side with the inventor of the paper bag with handles, whose famed creation I now appreciatively use to hold my recycling. I was fascinated by the history of WCAL, the nation's first listener supported public radio station, as I am now a devotee of both its replacement 89.3 The Current and its spiritual offspring, Minnesota Public Radio. Thanks to the internet, I can listen to two new favorite radio stations even when I go back to Texas.

I especially loved the features of the 150 exhibit that celebrated the women of Minnesota's history; the women who were pioneering and prominent librarians, like Countryman, or teachers (like Harriet Bishop, of Harriet Island fame) and writers. I was so intrigued by the life of Ignatius Donnelly, a politician who claimed that Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays, that I got a copy of his biography. And whenever I walk across the Skyway to avoid the rain, I thank Edward Baker, "father of the skyways," for his 1962 creation.

This exhibit was not only my introduction to Minnesota, but Minnesota’s introduction to me. Musicians from Minnesota had their own listening stations, where one could hear Dylan sing “Like a Rolling Stone” or listen to a performance of the Minnesota Orchestra. Along with a plaque that described him a devout Christian, and held one of his Purple Rain suits, the exhibit about Prince plays eight of his hits. I listened to “1999” and after a brief resistance, danced like anyone listening to a classic song should dance. This is what I explained to people who passed by.

After I go back to Texas, the nation will be focused on Minnesota, as the Republican party takes over the Twin Cities. But when I think of the land of 10,000 lakes, I'll remember fondly what I learned as an intern, and what I learned as an eager history nerd and eighties hit dancing museum goer.

Hey, this is Michael from It's 3 o'clock in the morning! For some reason that I have yet to figure out, Gretchen has deemed me worthy to post on her blog. ("That blog has wohds on it..") (20 points if you get that quote) One thing that I am always afraid of when I guest post is the regular readers being all, "OMGWTFBBG? Who is this guy, and why did Gretch-a-sketch let him post? That was pointless!" Think about it. None of you guys reading this post subscribed to her blog so that you could hear about my life. Who the heck am I anyway?

Let's play a game I like to call Pretend.

Ok, so you open up your reader in the morning and you see... *GASP* A new post from Gretch-a-sketch!! Holy Blog Post Batman! I love that girl! You open up the post, get cozy with your cup of *insert favorite morning beverage*, and begin to read.

What.

This is not my favorite blogger!

This is some nasty old GUY!!

I'm sorry.

If I could make it up to you I would.

HOWEVER, I have an idea. Since dear sweet Gretch-a-sketch is gone for a while, let's all gossip about her!

Everybody say one (or more) nice (true!) things about Gretch-a-sketch, and I will personally reward the nicest comment with a gift. I don't know what's gonna be in the gift, but expect a treasure trove of random useful and useless stuff, including, but not limited to: A starbucks gift card, some French Vanilla Coffee Scrub, your very own cd with a lot of what I like to call cool music, and some other random stuff.

So while Gretchen is out of town (Hi, Gretch! Hope you're havin' fun!), I get to step in here and talk to all y'all for a few minutes. [Editor's note: This is brought to you by the fabulous Brooke from Oh My Seven.] I've only

A guest blog by Q

I asked her for a topic to write about for my guest blog, and she graciously responded with a list of awesome, intelligent, and thought provoking ideas. (I think I may have proved String Theory with just that list.) The topic of her awesomeness was on her list. Therefore, without any further ado--

Oh, wait. She said, "Kidding! Seriously!" after that particular item. Those parentheses always throw me off.

Well, in that case... Hmm...

Oh! I have it: Various Snack Foods and Their Merits. [insert evil laughter here]

Triscuits: Salty, crunchy, great texture, and with lots of whole grain! Wonderful for road trips. The recipes on the back of the box look fantastic.

Wheat Thins: Sweet, light, guilt-free snacking. I recommend Honey flavored.

Goldfish: Mildly cheesy with a pleasant texture, and not too salty into the bargain. Besides, what other snack smiles back?

Cheez-Its: Big flavor, small cracker. Very cheesy, very good. (Note to self: Try with apple)

Cheese Nips: A pale imitation of Cheez-Its.

Breakfast Cereal: And don't tell me you've never had a bowl of cereal in the afternoon.

Apples: Yum. And Apples to Apples is a pretty fun game, too.

Apples and Cheese: Go ahead. Be European.

Ritz: Buttery and far too good for your own health.

Ritz with peanut butter and marshmallows baked until the marshmallows are golden and warm and wonderful: 'Nuff said.

Popcorn: It's a whole grain, which means it must be good for you, right?

I'm crashing over at All The Wine's place today geeking out about webcomics. You can read my guest post titled "Hey Pete, you want to see a comic book with pregnant zombie nuns?" here and if that's not enough to get you interested, I don't know what else to do. Come say hi!

Hey you guys! I'm over at Megan's today with a fancy guest post!
It's a sobering (read: insanely hilarious) tale of first kisses and attacking racism. Don't miss it.