#dollars on a simple trip to the craft store that was suppose to be for one thing | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nancypullen · 2 months ago

Text

Good Day

Yesterday was fun...actually FUN! The mister was making some noise about starting a project that's been on the table for a while. You see, this house was born without windowsills. It's tragic. I've never lived in a home without windowsills. Where the heck are you supposed to put little herb pots or cute holiday knickknacks? Where are cats supposed to sit while they watch birds?

I'm sure the original builders saved money, but it's cramping my style. Mickey has assured me that it's easy enough to cut, paint, and install sills. SO that's what he plans to do. Personally, I think we should start in a room no one sees, like his office. He plans to start in the living room and kitchen...

If the end result is windowsills that I can enjoy, I will be forever grateful.

I think you can buy actual windowsills and just slide/glue them in place, but of course our windows are not standard sized - that would be too easy. To make a long story even longer - this post has nothing to do with our windows. Mickey told me that he was going to drive into Dover (about 40 minutes) to shop at the Lowe's there. He encouraged me to go with him and I made every excuse in the world not to go - I had chores to do at home, I needed to do a big grocery shop, I'd just spend money there that I don't need to spend, etc. Then he said the five words that had me in my shoes and out the door in a flash, "Dover has a Home Goods." He suggested dropping me at Home Goods while he did his lumber shopping. Girls, that was the golden ticket. I've been in many, many Home Goods stores. MANY. If I see one, I usually stop. I have left money in Home Goods in various states and cities without a regret. So when I say that the Home Goods in Dover, Delaware is the best I've ever seen, believe me. If there is a heaven, I'm pretty sure I just got a glimpse of what it's like. I could have spent an entire day and a thousand dollars. Because I am frugal I kept it to $35, but I'm very happy with my haul. I tried to be mindful and not get swept away in the massive and beautiful Halloween section but I did end up with one gorgeous crow and a single, glittery pumpkin in my cart. I mean...who could resist?

That wooden cake pedestal was purchased as well. It will be part of a fall centerpiece for the table - isn't it lovely?

I grabbed a pack of napkins from their endless selection and have already used them to transform a dollar store pumpkin.

Now that she's dry I'll add some burlap ribbon and lace.

September is off to a good start. I mentioned a crow. I can't resist a good crow. The one at Home Goods had been looking for me. He's perfect for a project. You see, a few weeks ago I picked up four chunky candlesticks at an auction for just $2. I knew that I'd want to turn them into something else, so this is what I'm starting with..

I'm going to chalk paint them ivory and distress them so a bit of that dark wood shows through. That dollar store stack of pumpkins will be painted in more muted colors, and maybe I'll add a wide burlap ribbon somewhere. How fun is that?? One simple trip to Home Goods has resulted in several craft projects to keep me happy. That's a win. I did buy a few practical things as well, like these adorable reusable straws. Pink with gold crowns!

I use straws every morning when I drink my protein shake. The grandgirl uses straws when she's here as well. I usually buy boxes of pretty floral straws, but these are just as cute and can be popped into the dishwasher. I love having a list of artsy things on my to-do list, and autumn is my favorite time for that, probably because the stuff is just so much fun to make. My last clay ghost is ready for paint and I'll start him today. I'm giddy over that. He's the one who will be a patchwork quilt. I thought I was being so original, and had even dreamed up a book about him. When I did a quick Google search to make sure nothing similar existed, I realized I'm a couple years too late - but doesn't this story sound delightful? Much better than mine.

"His parents are both sheets...his grandmother was a lace curtain..." I love that so much. All the more reason to enjoy painting my little ghost. Anyway, after my $35 Home Goods spree (I regret not buying the Halloween bedsheets) Mickey suggested we grab lunch. If there's one thing I enjoy almost as much as Home Goods, it's going out for lunch. Nothing fancy, we just popped into Qdoba where you can build a semi-healthy, spicy bowl. And, as if the day wasn't splendid enough, when we finally pointed the car toward home we went through a Starbucks drive-thru for a yummy drink. You guys, I felt like I'd been let out of prison after being wrongfully convicted. Home Goods, lunch, and Starbucks - what a fun day! At the moment I have laundry chugging and another load to go in after that one. I should probably dust, and clean windows...but the odds are very good that I will be painting and crafting today instead. It's a holiday, I'm allowed. Alright, time to start painting candlesticks, so this is where I'll sign off. Sending out loads of love, encouragement, and the hope that this new month brings happiness to our doorsteps. While we're waiting, we might as well create a little of our own.

Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

4 notes · View notes

lovelygishi-blog · 5 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on https://lovelygishi.com/trip-to-mexico-from-big-bend-national-park/

Trip to Mexico from Big Bend National Park

Boquillas del Carmen, known simply as Boquillas [boo-key-us], is a village in northern Mexico, west of the northern part of the Sierra del Carmen mountain range, and at the south-west end of the Rio Grande’s Boquillas Canyon on the southeastern part of Big Bend National Park.

How does this village thrive? How is it like in Boquillas? Join along our journey to this tiny village as we enjoy our visit, delight in the boat rides across the Rio, truck/burro rides to the village, meeting friendly people, good music, and especially great food!

Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico Population: ~200.

Day 1.

Our main trip of the day was to Mexico. We planned on crossing the border around noon just in time for a Mexican lunch. Link had a special request: margarita and tequila. We haven’t done this or maybe it’s the only time we get to do this, so I gave him what he wanted; no harm done.

We drove to Boquillas Crossing and went through Border Patrol/Port of Entry Building, where the ranger gave us brief instructions with some safety tips and of what items are allowed or not to bring back to the United States from Mexico, as some items are considered contraband, and you don’t want to be involved in it. To return to the United States, you need your passport. Boquillas Crossing is administered by the National Park Service.

We exited the building through the door on the left that leads to a trail along the Rio Grande river. Just outside the door, a big fan was running, which was great relief from extreme heat, especially for those who would come back from Mexico before entering the building. Have you ever positioned yourself such that fans blow cold air right on you as you stay put? Maybe it was the inner child pushed by extreme heat, but I found myself doing just that 🙂

The trail is only about 700’ from the Border Patrol Building. In no time we reached the dock where we would cross Mexico from, either by row boat ride ($5 each, round trip), or by crossing the river on foot or swim (if you dare), depending on the water level (free).

For the experience, we rode on the international ferry, a little metal rowboat, for about a minute ride to another country, on the other side of the river which was now in Mexico. On this side, a lot of Mexicans were waiting in groups. The group of donkey/burro owners under their own shed with their animals for transportation, a group of truck drivers sharing the small shed with the boat people. By this time, it was scorching hot. But we brought plenty of water with us.

Boquillas del Carmen village is about a mile away from the river and you have the option of hiking it (free), riding the burro ($5 RT), or riding on rugged and time-tested trucks ($5 each, round-trip).

Because of the extreme desert heat, we rode the truck. The driver was Carmelo, and a rep or guide accompanied us to the village. Carmelo dropped us off, and the rep led us to the town admin/customs to check in and pay $5 each. Carmelo and his friend both carried walkie-talkie to communicate with for when their passengers were ready to leave the village.

Boquillas del Carmen is a 2-restaurant town. Carmelo’s recommended restaurant was the Boquillas restaurant. The rep’s recommendation for best place to have lunch was the Jose Falcon restaurant.

We went to Falcon Restaurant since the rep was with us. The restaurant featured a live singer plucking and strumming his guitar singing Mexican music exactly the same as some Filipino songs, only in different language. Good nostalgic music. Perfect for an afternoon siesta. We were in a ‘hall’ with one side open facing the river with an overlook of the Boquillas Canyon and the Rio Grande river.

Boquillas del Carmen is in the tip of Mexico. The nearest Mexican town is about 200 miles away. It is on this far town that they get their supplies, including the restaurant supplies. Before 9/11, they could just cross the river and buy supplies at the Big Bend Park grocery store in Rio Grande Village. But after then, the entry on this corridor was closed. The village was fatally affected. The border re-opened in April 2013, and the village thrived again. Boquillas has no air conditioning amidst the desert heat, but they got ice in restaurants for the thirsty customers.

So, Link’s margarita was on the rocks, like chunks of cylindrical transparent ice. The food was good, we were full and satisfied. The waiter was fun and friendly. After our lunch, the rep/guide, who understandably works on tip, walked with us around the village to see the houses which were painted in different bright colors for contrast from their desert surroundings. It is vastly a different ‘world’ from its closest neighbor.

Little Mexican children met us to sell their handicrafts. There’s really not much to see except some ruins and the display of their crafts for sale. We saw the walking stick for $10 apiece. They lowered it to $8, but we passed. At this moment, we completely forgot about contraband things.

By the river where the Mexican men make transportation business, there was a curious cute dog covered in dry mud. Life here was so simple but somehow it was heart-wrenching.

The truck driver offered to drive us, for free, to a hot spring on the Mexico side which was supposed to be bigger than the one on the USA side. We accepted the offer, but later we decided against it and crossed back over to USA.

Including the tip to the guitar man, we spent about $60 in Mexico for this trip. Boquillas del Carmen is a town that is totally dependent on tourism to support its less than 300 people. Though Mexican Peso is the currency of the country, Boquillas accept US Dollars no problem, and cash is king.

Upon returning, we scanned our passports on the machine. On my screen, I was instructed to pick up the handset and was told by the immigration officer to face the camera so he could see my face clearly. So apparently, even though the check in kiosk is computerized, an immigration officer over at El Paso, TX is monitoring the border crossing very closely, yet remotely. They are doing a great job!

The Port of Entry building closes early. Should you miss the ‘last call’, there is also a hotel in Boquillas del Carmen to spend the night in.

Couple crossing the river on foot from US to Mexico. Saved $5

Despite the heat, we had a great time, were feeling accomplished, full, and happy! I would recommend this short trip. Overall, it was a great experience meeting friendly people and setting foot in a place that is vastly different from its neighbor that was just across the river, a stone’s throw away.

#Big Bend National Park #Boquillas #Mexico #National Parks #restaurants #Rio Grande #rivers #Texas

2 notes · View notes

korinsu-t-blog · 5 years ago

Text

May 28 // Ueno Park & Museum + Akihabara

Got to sleep in today, and it was overcast so the awful heat got toned down for a much-needed day. It’s supposed to be typhoon levels of rain tomorrow though, so I guess good things don’t last forever. Overall, today was pretty mellow- nothing crazy explosive, but it wasn’t boring, either.

Today we visited Ueno Park and the national treasure museum (I know) deep inside. Ueno Park is a really big green space with plenty of paths, some shrines/temples, a starbucks, lots of koi ponds, and a big craft sale area with homemade tools and whatnot. Not a ton going on there, but it was another example of how municipal Tokyo goes to great lengths to incorporate greenery in forms both big and small to make sure that the city isn’t an urban hell. We visited a shrine to the goddess Benten (the shrine was called Bentendo), who is of the luck domain. We also visited an extremely opulent shrine that was visited by emperors and the shogunate in the distant past if they couldn’t make the trip to the main temple of opulence about 100 miles north. This temple was extremely different from most that you visit, for reasons detailed below.

There’s two trending ideas in contemporary Japanese design: wabi and sabi. Wabi is the idea of spurning the gaudy, moving away from the China-heavy designs that involved grandiose displays of gold and jewelry in favor of a simplistic, yet evocative design. Sabi is the beauty of imperfection, of a fallen blossom or a stone that the river parts around. Put together, they create a philosophy of design that cherishes the simple things, imperfections, and a natural order that is left to determine its own beauty without the interference of a guiding hand. The Tokugawa temple that we visited was one of the few shrines that does not follow the ideals of wabi-sabi, but it was done so for the purposes of an emperor or warlord showing off their wealth. Rarely done, but sometimes a necessary measure.

The Ueno national treasure museum was also pretty neat. Lots of katanas, samurai armor, paintings, scrolls of Buddhism, and more. The katana were especially notable in that they were almost always mounted without their hilts or crossguards- typically only the craftsmanship of the blade is prized, unless the weapon is exclusively for decorative purposes.

Next up was Akihabara, which is basically weeb central. Stores all over the place, anime and manga merch everywhere, it’s pretty crazy. Anime honestly hasn’t been that widely advertised where I’ve been in Japan, it sorta just congregates into specific spots which is unusual considering most kids even through college keep up with at least a few shows. Besides the SAO advertising you see literally everywhere (ice caves and trains were some of the most out-there), anime honestly isn’t very popular on the public level. It’s weird, like the people enjoy it but don’t really acknowledge it outside the hubs like Akihabara. We live like five minutes from one of the biggest anime-specific stores in the Akihabara district so I’ll probably visit later to pick up something for Ryan.

The last part of today and probably my favorite was going thrift shopping at a clothes store. Thrift stores in Japan actually have good clothes and they have a huge selection of stuff (most of it bland or terrible, but there are some gems) that you’ll never see in a department store like Uniqlo. I was able to pick up like 5 t-shirts here for fifteen dollars, some of which were on the 100 yen rack (shirts for $1, so good). I also picked up a yukata (traditional men’s summer wear) in Ueno, so I’m loaded on all the cool stuff. I’ll have to take a picture of the yukata and some of the hilarious shirts we found.

[A lilypad pond in Ueno Park.]

[Koi pond, they were t h i c c.]

[Need I say more?]

[The ornate shrine. As you can see by the amount of gold plating and decor, it’s very nontraditional and not very wabi.]

[Some gates at a shrine in Ueno park. Typically, this particular arch design signifies that one is entering a sacred site.]

[I had this type of chicken, karaage, for lunch. It’s so so good.]

[Stone pic of the day, but I think we found the source of the bad luck...]

[...though in my defense, the other sign didn’t have a shrine like this.]

[A katana at the museum. Note the elegant carvings close to the hilt.]

[A part of the park behind the museum. So many of these old-style gardens are extremely beautiful.]

[Akihabara street. Surprisingly enough, it’s not the busiest place I’ve been (that honor goes to Shibuya at night)]

[Today’s candid: Seth! He’s 19 and heading into graduate school next year. Super super smart guy, he’s a linguistsics major and knows pretty much everything about anything history related. I didn’t get a picture with his hat off, but if I did you could see that he’s 100% Adam Driver’s twin. Same voice, same face, same everything- it’s scary accurate.]

=======

Reading review:

Today’s reading was on otaku culture, and it was honestly pretty awfully written. Otaku aren’t exactly shut-ins, but the two groups often overlap. Most commonly otaku is referred to as being analogous to a “superfan”, but in the field of psychology, the problem runs much deeper. Otaku are consumers of media and fiction who define themselves by said fiction; to the point of often being unable to sustain relationships with other people (though that is ultimately their end goal). They are obsessed, and their self/culture worth is so often tied into media that they are defined by their ability to recreate and reflect that culture, most commonly through outlets like cosplay, fan fiction, etc. In some small way, these acts are a means for an otaku to “own” the media that dominates their life- but unlike a collector of model trains or legos, there is no way for an otaku to own everything that they let define themselves.

It’s a bit of a sad state. The otaku have been consumed by the things they enjoyed- and in doing so, they have become unable to move on and grow as a person. They are obsessed for something they can never attain, and the dream of living a fiction more appealing than the real world merely spurns them into a continual downwards spiral.

1 note · View note

arplis · 5 years ago

Text

Arplis - News: My 14 Goals for 2020

Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7 The HH pulled Manny out of his winter hibernation, fired him up and tilled up the {soon to be} raspberry and asparagus beds. We are still waiting for our plants to arrive in the mail, they were supposed to be here a few days ago but I think pretty much every seed company is swamped right now, so they’ll be here when they get here I guess. The good news is the weather next week is looking pretty nice {with only 1 day of rain} so I’m excited. Some days I miss having a giant garden, and other days I’m like, you know, living on a 1/3 of an acre isn’t so bad after all. What more do two people need than a few garden boxes, some pots and a few rows of berries? Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself. I made an apple pie. In my pj’s. And the over the course of 3 days ate the entire pie by myself. Fruit. It’s really good for you. Especially when it’s in pie. Goal #3 – Get Organized Guess who was a total no show this week because they spent waaaaaaaay to much time online and wasting a ridiculous amount of time staring at a screen? The plan: March 22 – 28 Paint Kitchen Walls, Trim Doors and Office Door March 29 – April 4th – Finish Garden Beds {Raspberry & Asparagus Beds, 3 New Flower Beds Along the Back of the House} April 5th – 11th – Paint Master Bedroom Walls, Trim and Doors April 12th – 18th – Make Window Treatments for Master Bedroom April 19th – May 2nd Make Window Treatments for Sunroom Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows. Working on it. Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over Decided to go with white curtains and rods. Enough of that Roman shade bit {although I still need to make 6 more for the sun room}. Goal #6 – Kitchen Update The walls are still yellow. Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden The garden boxes are in place! Raspberry and asparagus beds are dug {we’re just waiting for the plants to be delivered}. And I might plant a row of lettuce this week. But we still need to: Figure out what to do with the old pavers. Create 2 more brick edged flower borders. Till up area for raspberry and asparagus beds. Plant hydrangeas along the back of the house Create a seating area {a super simple one} Figure out where to put all the extra pea gravel A few from the drone. If you look closely you can see the brick garden edge coming into shape along the back of the house. Today I’ll be extending the border along the right side and prepping that weird outlet of dirt for grass seed. The HH will {hopefully} be shoveling up the last of the fire pit pea gravel and wheeling it over to the neighbors {they are thrilled to take all our castoffs, and we are thrilled they want them}. Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine Looking forward to my next day trip with the HH! Harpswell, Maine is on the list next, but it will have to wait a bit. For now, the only exploring we are doing is called Will it Grow in Maine? Sugar snap peas? Yes! On the radar for exploring Maine this month: Bar Harbor, Maine Lincolnville Center General Store in Lincolnville, Maine Wallace’s Market in Friendship, Maine Alewives Fabric Store in Nobleboro, Maine Harpswell, Maine and Bailey Island Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together Patio lights are going up this week! I listened to the The Aviator’s Wife {again} on audiobook this week while I worked in the basement. I need another story! Perfectible historical fiction or a biography. Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books Olive Kitteridge Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites Natural Color: Vibrant Plant Dye Projects for Your Home and Wardrobe The New Bungalow Kitchen Container Gardening by Stephanie Donaldson A Piece of the World The War I Finally Won Vertical Gardening Front Yard Gardens The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook Beach House Style Goal #11 – Learn A New Skill or Craft Hopefully this fall? Right now I’m on a mission to get the garden in place. Goal #12 – Visit 12 Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!} Currently on hold. Lucy doesn’t seem to mind though. January Maine Maritime Museum Maine Mineral and Gem Museum The Island Market Cafe DiCocoa Hungry Hollow Country Store February Two Fat Cats Bakery Portland Museum of Art Speckled Ax Atlantic Baking Company Rockland, St. George, Cushing and Port Clyde Maine March Bar Harbor and Desert Island Adventures Day One, Day Two and the Summer Cottage Rental Tour. Tinder Hearth Bakery in Brooksville, Maine Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The Year As of this morning, I have made 3389 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st. I dyed wool last week and updated my Etsy shop with a few new wool bundles. As far as rug hooking goes, I wasn’t able to stay focused and only hooked a few flower stems. This was supposed to be a new rug hooking pattern I was going to release on April 3rd. But after 5 weeks of distraction, I have decided to set it aside to work on this winter. I made a promise to the local historical society that I would hook a Maine themed rug for their bicentennial celebration later this summer, it’s a big one, and I am supposed to have it completed in 5 weeks. But at this rate…. at the rate I’m going, I might have to have a internet / social media free week so I can get it done. Mrs. HB sent me a text saying she needed a few more garden markers… so I figured while I was at it, I might as well make a few more. And now I think I’m good on garden markers for my Etsy shop for the foreseeable future. I find it interesting that some things hold my attention these days… and others, well they seem like a lost cause. Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2} I re-arranged the freezer this week and now have room to hold a few freezer meals. Yipee! Next on the list… Chicken Chili. We are going to make it today, I’ll let you know how it goes. Have YOU made any goals for this year? If so, DO TELL! We all want to hear about them. Have a great Sunday everyone, enjoy the sunshine. ~Mavis Mrs. Hillbilly’s Update Mrs. HB has thrown in the towel. Said she’s done with updates and doesn’t want to do posts anymore. Poor Mrs. HB. I wish I was there to go walking with her. I think she misses me. The post Week 14 of 52 appeared first on One Hundred Dollars a Month. This content was original published at One Hundred Dollars a Month and is copyrighted material. If you are reading this on another website it is being published without consent. Related Stories Week 15 of 52 Week 13 of 52 Week 12 of 52 #12GoalsForTheNewYear

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/kTnGBigtHnA/my-14-goals-for-2021

0 notes

wineanddinosaur · 6 years ago

Text

Applebee’s $1 Cocktails and the Exquisite Joy of Good-Bad Taste

Applebee’s knows us better than we know ourselves. In 2018, the fast-casual company successfully reinvigorated its brand by ditching menu items customers “can’t pronounce,” and doubling down on “comfort.”

It worked. As Chipotle shuttered 65 chain locations, and vegan darling byChloe splintered, Applebee’s emerged victorious. Weekly same-stores sales were up 7.7 percent toward the end of 2018, according to a brand executive’s estimate.

The ever-elusive “millennial” market was especially supportive of Applebee’s rebrand and its series of $1 and $2 cocktail specials. Despite our supposed fixation on high-end artisanal products, millennials couldn’t resist the siren song of kitschy drinks like $1 Strawberry Margaritas or Dollar Jollys, a holiday special made with vodka and either cherry or green apple Jolly Ranchers.

While it would be easy to write off the depressed economy as the primary driver of these cheap drinks’ popularity, is there something else going on here? What if people actually like this booze because it’s, well, bad?

The subtleties of ironic consumption, decried by “new sincerity” writers like David Foster Wallace, are nuanced. Self-serious beer, wine, and cocktail enthusiasts might scoff at certain trends, but their taste is just as subjective as anyone else’s. Besides, who gets to decide who is a “tastemaker” and who’s just tacky?

The revaluation of “bad” aesthetics is deeply tied to the concept of “camp,” which existed long before cultural critic Susan Sontag defined it in a seminal 1964 essay. Sontag describes a certain sensibility, primarily but not exclusively belonging to homosexuals, in which a work of art could be appreciated outside the realm of perceptions of goodness or badness. Camp celebrates the artificial, the overdone, the spectacular failures of culture.

“[Camp] doesn’t argue that the good is bad, or the bad is good. What it does is to offer for art (and life) a different — a supplementary — set of standards,” writes Sontag.

Or, put more succinctly: “It’s camp: the tragically ludicrous or the ludicrously tragic!” explains a character played by legendary filmmaker John Waters in an episode of “The Simpsons.”

You can spot the impact of camp everywhere from horror movies to the Met Gala. Is it possible our national esteem for trashy drinks is part of this same, tragically ludicrous sensibility?

Credit: Facebook.com/Applebees

The decor of the Applebee’s in Astoria, New York suggests otherwise. Almost utilitarian in its plainness, the Queens restaurant did not list the headline-driving cocktail special (a $2 Rum and Coke), on its menu the night I visited. When I asked a perfectly affable waitress about it, she excitedly confirmed the drink’s existence. What arrived was a decidedly watered down Rum and Coke that contained about 80 percent ice and, confusingly, Pepsi. It tasted more like nothing than anything at all.

My second drink there, an $11 Long Island Iced Tea (easily the location’s most popular cocktail, said the same waitress) arrived in an oversized glass goblet. And although it tasted like cleaning solution, I can confirm that I was sufficiently sloshed by the time I’d finished.

The feeling I got from this visit to Applebee’s was far from the exquisite pleasures in Sontag’s camp canon, such as “stag movies seen without lust” or the ballet “Swan Lake.” The restaurant was filled with a diverse array of families and couples having a totally pleasant evening meal, but there was something deeply banal, almost dystopian about the scene. There were touchscreens on every table, through which you could order Disney movies and video games to watch and play while you ate.

On the other hand, there was also something freeing about the experience. Its unapologetic banality gave us, the participants, license to abandon our expectations of “quality.” We didn’t need to worry about the caliber of our cocktails or implications of family meals beset with screens. We could simply embrace the absurdity (and, perhaps, tragedy?) of the endeavor.

Jay McInnes, an independent critic who runs The Scrappy Progressive, a beer blog that self-deprecatingly identifies as “really pompous,” had trouble conceptualizing Applebee’s as “camp.” Applebee’s does appeal to people, McInnes says, but on two other tracts.

On the one hand, McInnes says, “It’s a place where people go to drink … It has mass appeal. There are a lot of 40-, 50-, 60-year-old parents who want a simple drink and have low expectations. That’s a good night out! People want cheap, sweet, liquor. It’s there.”

For a smaller subset of economically advantaged or intellectually-minded millennials, a trip to Applebee’s offers potable irony, and a snobby disdain for mainstream culture. For these patrons, drinking at Applebee’s is devoid of the “tender feeling” described by Sontag and essential to camp.

“There’s a kind of rejection of normcore as a culture but a simultaneous celebration of how transgressive it is. I don’t understand it, but it’s there — and it makes money,” McInnes says. “If you cloak it in irony, you can get away with going to one of these places because you just know what a chain delivers to you: a consistent product presented with a clean and friendly face.”

“It’s something rich college kids would do,” McInnes says. “‘Hey, look at these poor people, let’s go to Applebees like they do.’ It’s saying, ‘How can I min/max my consumption while at the same time getting a story about it.’ Later, with your friends, at the $15 cocktail place, you can say, ‘We were at Applebees having this really normie drink, but this re-conceptualization of a Margarita is really much better.’”

Daniel Ng, a sommelier at O Ya in New York City, has a different, and less cynical read on Applebee’s success.

“I think what people enjoy about fine wine or craft beers is that they’re usually really complex and have a lot of different nuances. And that’s great,” Ng says. “But I think there’s a time and place for everything. Sometimes you don’t want a really hoppy beer to pair with your food, sometimes you want something that’s really crushable, that you don’t have to think about.

“What is enjoyable about Applebee’s drinks is that people don’t really have to ruminate about them. It’s simple. They have a lot of sugar, and people love sugar. And there’s nothing wrong with liking sweet things.”

Ng believes nostalgia is the primary motivator for those ironically drinking good in the neighborhood.

“For some of my friends who grew up in the suburbs, Applebee’s was a big part of their childhood,” Ng says. “It was a place you would go to with your friends in high school. It was maybe the first restaurant you went to without your parents.”

If Applebee’s owes its success to nostalgics, value-seekers, and ironical snobs, where does that leave camp? Is there no place for camp in the bar world?

Behold, the colorful exuberance of tiki.

Rob Nitschke, a DJ at tropical New York City institution Otto’s Shrunken Head, says bright decor and sweet, boozy drinks are essential to tiki’s allure. “The culture is great too: When it’s actually being done right, it’s some level of over-the-top,” Nitschke says. “If you’re calling yourself a tiki bar, you’re not going to look like some average pub. There should be a water feature, blowfish lights, pictures of hula girls, color. It should be fun to sit in the room.”

“Everything was pose and performance,” Vogue’s Hamish Bowles wrote of camp culture in Louis XIV-era Versailles. He could just as well have been describing tiki bars.

Tiki has been the subject of well-deserved cultural criticism, but a thoughtfully conceived tiki bar provides much-needed escapism. “Historically, tiki was an outlet for people that didn’t let loose otherwise,” Nitschke says. In the buttoned-up 1950s, being served a drink by “a girl in a coconut bikini” felt racy and subversive.

Today, some critics regard the resurgence of tiki culture as a reaction to socioeconomic anxiety and neo-conservatism in the Trump era. Of course, that hardly qualifies as camp, either.

In his book “Shock Value,” Waters reminds readers that “there is such a thing as good bad taste and bad bad taste.” Watered-down Applebee’s cocktails would likely qualify as the latter; but, then again, like all things, good Pepsi is in the eye of the beholder.

The article Applebee’s $1 Cocktails and the Exquisite Joy of Good-Bad Taste appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/applebees-cocktail-specials-culture/

0 notes

arplis · 5 years ago

Text

Arplis - News: My 14 Goals for 2020

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/my-14-goals-for-2021

0 notes

arplis · 5 years ago

Text

Arplis - News: My 14 Goals for 2020 Week 14 of 52

My 14 Goals for 2020

Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7

The HH pulled Manny out of his winter hibernation, fired him up and tilled up the {soon to be} raspberry and asparagus beds. We are still waiting for our plants to arrive in the mail, they were supposed to be here a few days ago but I think pretty much every seed company is swamped right now, so they’ll be here when they get here I guess.

The good news is the weather next week is looking pretty nice {with only 1 day of rain} so I’m excited. Some days I miss having a giant garden, and other days I’m like, you know, living on a 1/3 of an acre isn’t so bad after all. What more do two people need than a few garden boxes, some pots and a few rows of berries?

Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself.

I made an apple pie. In my pj’s. And the over the course of 3 days ate the entire pie by myself. Fruit. It’s really good for you. Especially when it’s in pie.

Goal #3 – Get Organized

Guess who was a total no show this week because they spent waaaaaaaay to much time online and wasting a ridiculous amount of time staring at a screen?

The plan:

March 22 – 28 Paint Kitchen Walls, Trim Doors and Office Door

March 29 – April 4th – Finish Garden Beds {Raspberry & Asparagus Beds, 3 New Flower Beds Along the Back of the House}

April 5th – 11th – Paint Master Bedroom Walls, Trim and Doors

April 12th – 18th – Make Window Treatments for Master Bedroom

April 19th – May 2nd Make Window Treatments for Sunroom

Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows.

Working on it.

Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over

Decided to go with white curtains and rods. Enough of that Roman shade bit {although I still need to make 6 more for the sun room}.

Goal #6 – Kitchen Update

The walls are still yellow.

Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden

The garden boxes are in place! Raspberry and asparagus beds are dug {we’re just waiting for the plants to be delivered}. And I might plant a row of lettuce this week. But we still need to:

Figure out what to do with the old pavers.

Create 2 more brick edged flower borders.

Till up area for raspberry and asparagus beds.

Plant hydrangeas along the back of the house

Create a seating area {a super simple one}

Figure out where to put all the extra pea gravel

A few from the drone. If you look closely you can see the brick garden edge coming into shape along the back of the house. Today I’ll be extending the border along the right side and prepping that weird outlet of dirt for grass seed. The HH will {hopefully} be shoveling up the last of the fire pit pea gravel and wheeling it over to the neighbors {they are thrilled to take all our castoffs, and we are thrilled they want them}.

Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine

Looking forward to my next day trip with the HH! Harpswell, Maine is on the list next, but it will have to wait a bit. For now, the only exploring we are doing is called Will it Grow in Maine? Sugar snap peas? Yes!

On the radar for exploring Maine this month:

Bar Harbor, Maine

Lincolnville Center General Store in Lincolnville, Maine

Wallace’s Market in Friendship, Maine

Alewives Fabric Store in Nobleboro, Maine

Harpswell, Maine and Bailey Island

Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together

Patio lights are going up this week!

I listened to the The Aviator’s Wife {again} on audiobook this week while I worked in the basement. I need another story! Perfectible historical fiction or a biography.

Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books

Olive Kitteridge

Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites

Natural Color: Vibrant Plant Dye Projects for Your Home and Wardrobe

The New Bungalow Kitchen

Container Gardening by Stephanie Donaldson

A Piece of the World

The War I Finally Won

Vertical Gardening

Front Yard Gardens

The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

Beach House Style

Goal #11 – Learn A New Skill or Craft

Hopefully this fall? Right now I’m on a mission to get the garden in place.

Goal #12 – Visit 12 Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!}

Currently on hold. Lucy doesn’t seem to mind though.

January

Maine Maritime Museum

Maine Mineral and Gem Museum

The Island Market

Cafe DiCocoa

Hungry Hollow Country Store

February

Two Fat Cats Bakery

Portland Museum of Art

Speckled Ax

Atlantic Baking Company

Rockland, St. George, Cushing and Port Clyde Maine

March

Bar Harbor and Desert Island Adventures Day One, Day Two and the Summer Cottage Rental Tour.

Tinder Hearth Bakery in Brooksville, Maine

Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The Year

As of this morning, I have made 3389 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st. I dyed wool last week and updated my Etsy shop with a few new wool bundles. As far as rug hooking goes, I wasn’t able to stay focused and only hooked a few flower stems. This was supposed to be a new rug hooking pattern I was going to release on April 3rd. But after 5 weeks of distraction, I have decided to set it aside to work on this winter.

I made a promise to the local historical society that I would hook a Maine themed rug for their bicentennial celebration later this summer, it’s a big one, and I am supposed to have it completed in 5 weeks. But at this rate…. at the rate I’m going, I might have to have a internet / social media free week so I can get it done.

Mrs. HB sent me a text saying she needed a few more garden markers… so I figured while I was at it, I might as well make a few more. And now I think I’m good on garden markers for my Etsy shop for the foreseeable future. I find it interesting that some things hold my attention these days… and others, well they seem like a lost cause.

Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2}

I re-arranged the freezer this week and now have room to hold a few freezer meals. Yipee! Next on the list… Chicken Chili. We are going to make it today, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Have YOU made any goals for this year? If so, DO TELL! We all want to hear about them.

Have a great Sunday everyone, enjoy the sunshine.

~Mavis

Mrs. Hillbilly’s Update

Mrs. HB has thrown in the towel. Said she’s done with updates and doesn’t want to do posts anymore. Poor Mrs. HB. I wish I was there to go walking with her. I think she misses me.

The post My 14 Goals for 2020 Week 14 of 52 appeared first on One Hundred Dollars a Month.

This content was original published at One Hundred Dollars a Month and is copyrighted material. If you are reading this on another website it is being published without consent.