Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for February, 2009

King Cake Fail

Posted in Photographs on February 26, 2009| 7 Comments »

Revenge of the King-Cake Babies

I was positively stoked my first year in Huntsville when I discovered that the local Publix carried king cakes. Having spent the last 10 years in Mobile, I expected the days leading up to Mardi Gras to involve at least a couple pieces of this delicacy, which is pretty much a giant cinnamon roll covered in colored icing and sugar.

The king cake carries with it a great responsibility: Whoever gets the tiny plastic baby hidden inside is obligated to buy the next cake.

Upon opening the box for this year’s king cake, I discovered what has to be the biggest plastic baby in the history of king cakes. It’s probably three times the size of a normal plastic baby.

Obviously, some chowhound either chipped a tooth or choked on a tiny plastic baby in the last few years, causing corporate lawyers to advise Publix to go for the big-boned, more easily discovered plastic babies. And there’s the rub: How do you hide a plastic baby that’s the size of a dessert fork in a piece of cinnamon roll?

No common sense, corporate policy run amok, blah blah blah. The best part of this post was going to be the awesome photo juxtaposing the emergency backup king-cake baby (yes, I have backup king-cake babies) and the family-size king-cake baby. Unfortunately, I had forgotten how nearly impossible it is to take a good picture of these oddities.

Several years ago, while helping co-workers plan a Mardi Gras photo shoot, we got the bright idea to spread a ton of king-cake babies out as a backdrop. Turns out a couple hundred king-cake babies make for a scene that really tests the definition of creepy. Plus, their pale pink, shiny surfaces makes them a chore to properly light.

So I have no idea that you can even see how ridiculous this humongous king-cake baby is. But at least you know where to find a few tiny king-cake babies if you need them.

Read Full Post »

25 Things I’ll Admit to in Order to Make the Tagging Stop

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2009| 2 Comments »

Fine. I gave in. Here are 25 Things About Me. If Facebook can suffer through it, so can you.

  1. I love coffee. I drink more coffee than anyone knows.
  2. I drive my dream car, a Mini Cooper S. It’s cute, fast and fun, and more affordable than most people seem to realize.
  3. I work out with free weights three times a week. A former co-worker who calls his muscle-bound arms the “pythons of death” used to call my arms the “blue runners of death.”
  4. I can’t wait for warmer weather so I can go caving again. I have never felt stronger and more dexterous than I do when scrambling over giant piles of rock.
  5. I always thought I’d have dogs, but I have two cats instead. They’re hilarious.
  6. I judge people based on how they treat animals.
  7. I’ve always had more male friends than female friends. I may be from Mars instead of Venus.
  8. My husband is the kind of guy I would be friends with. I’m pretty sure this is why we’re still married.
  9. I’ve been to England, France, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico.
  10. I have no children. This is neither an accident nor a tragedy. I’m cool with other people having kids though, and love my nieces and nephew.
  11. Hurricane Katrina flooded a third of my house. It’s barely worth mentioning compared to the damage other people had. That said, rising water and high winds still give me a little punch in the gut.
  12. I’m still pissed off about what happened to the people of New Orleans.
  13. Since childhood, I’ve had a recurring dream in which I had to walk across a yard while avoiding snakes of every type and size every few feet. That dream has been replaced by one in which water is rising in my back yard and I’m trying to move things higher in the house.
  14. I’ve never told anyone about No. 13.
  15. I had a casual smoking habit for about six years in high school and college. Nasty habit? Sure, but I miss it and wish cigarettes weren’t so bad for me.
  16. I miss clove cigarettes the most. A friend tells me it’s because I’ve always aspired to be Eurotrash.
  17. I’m really proud of my little brother for being such an awesome husband and father.
  18. I’m not sarcastic ALL the time.
  19. I decorate with objects that I love, which range from an old Royal typewriter to tea tins.
  20. The first concert I ever attended was Bon Jovi.
  21. I’ve seen Metallica in concert six times.
  22. I exhibited multiple signs of OCD when I was a kid. I remember wishing somebody would notice so that they could figure out what was wrong with me AND hoping that nobody would notice that there was something wrong with me.
  23. I think that my remaining obsessive-compulsive tendencies make me a better copy editor, writer and coder.
  24. I took Spanish in high school and French in college. When I try to speak either language I end up with a mishmash of both. Sacre gato!
  25. I’m pursuing my master’s degree in English mostly because I really enjoy the classes.

Read Full Post »