#ft. daria rutherford

[mercedesjonesx]

Mercedes: Pure Moods?! You’ve unlocked a core memory, girl. Mercedes: I might need that playlist link, though. Sounds like the perfect vibe for a self-care night. Mercedes: And only you would think to zen out while upside down on your couch. 😂

text 📲 open

Daria: anyone else remember those pure moods cds? Daria: i may or may not have found a spotify playlist with all the songs on it and am now laying upside down on my couch all in zen mode while i listen to it

[charlierhodes]

Yeah, the whole publicizing your name thing is a double-edged sword for sure. On one hand, it's exciting to share your good fortune with the world, but on the other hand, it opens you up to all sorts of unwanted attention and potential risks. It's definitely something to consider before buying that lottery ticket. As for reaching out to Netflix, I'll have to do some research and figure out the best approach. Tagging them on social media is a good idea, maybe I'll start there and see if they notice. Who knows, maybe I'll catch their eye and become the official Netflix hype woman! I can see it now, "Charlie, the ultimate binge-watcher, sponsored by Netflix."

And sadly, we live in one of the states where you have to come forward with winning and let your name be publicized. Though, I'm sure there are some instances where some people can live in peace after winning. So long as they don't let it go to their head. Oh, it definitely couldn't hurt to try. Not sure exactly where to start in terms of reaching out to them, but I've seen where people tag the brands on their socials and then next thing I know their posts and videos are sponsored.

[gabrielcohen-chang]

Gabe chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, haha, you're funny," he said with a playful roll of his eye. He eyed the jugs of refreshers, considering his options. "Let's see," he said thoughtfully. "Peach is always a solid choice, and blackberry sounds interesting. But I'm really curious about the raspberry and the watermelon. Watermelon juice is bomb as hell, no reason it wouldn't pair with iced tea." He pointed at the watermelon-themed desserts. "And those definitely look tempting. I think I'll go with a whole watermelon theme today, why not?" After a moment, he added, "You know, why not toss in a couple cake pops too. Looks like those are a hit, as always. I'd hate to miss out."

"Lemon blueberry," Daria replied with a smirk on her face. "No, kidding. I mean, that is available in muffin or scone form back at the cafe." She took out a few small cups and opened up the cooler that had the refreshers each in their own gallon jug. "Alright, so I went with peach of course, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry - which may stick as a year-round flavor, just like the lemon-iced tea. And then, the mango I just couldn't get to turn out, so I went with watermelon. Surprisingly, it mixes well in both the lemonade and the iced tea." She gestured to the watermelon themed desserts. "Figured, it'd be good to pair up with these for the summer, too. So," she looked at him with a grin, "What'll it be?"

[charlierhodes]

Charlie: you actually nailed it on the vanilla, funny enough. call me basic or whatever, but it's just such a great scent. my favorite is the warm vanilla sugar from bath and body works. Charlie: Plus, vanilla's timeless. It's like the little black dress of scents—never goes out of style. Charlie: and thank you for the compliment! maybe i can work that sunshine comment in my bio -- though i think you might be a little biased considering i visit your cafe literally every day for my daily caffeine intake Charlie: speaking of, congrats on the rebrand! how's that going for you?

Daria: you smell like pine needles and you have a face like sunshine! Daria: okay maybe not the first part, you're probably more of a vanilla scent if I had to guess, I've never taken the time to smell you when you're in. but you do have a face like sunshine that can light up a room!

[charlierhodes]

"Oh my god, a donut sounds amazing right now... you haven't seen any have you? I don't think I saw any at the buffet," Charlie tried to see if she could see what all was still available, however she wasn't sure how safe a buffet was the longer the evening went on. Some of the food had to be getting stale tasting by this point, perhaps she was better off waiting until the next day when she could get a fresh dozen. At the posed question, Charlie did a quick glance at her makeup as best as she could in the reflection of her phone screen. "I think we're okay on the makeup front. If anything it should give me a smokey effect?" That was the hope anyway, she was just thankful that the other woman had thought to ask. It was late enough and dim enough that it would likely go unnoticed if her makeup was a little smudged either way. Tucking her phone away, Charlie took a blindfold and moved to tie it around her head. "It's been so long since I've played this kind of game. Like I think I was in second grade the last time."

"Yeah, I mean if they insist on a game where someone makes a fool of themselves trying to grasp at an object that's floating around aimlessly, using just their teeth, they could have just spent the money on plain donuts and did that string game," Daria suggested, at least that game the donuts would get changed out and it'd be more sanitary. "But hey, I'm not on the town committee, so who's gonna listen to me, right?" She shrugged, as she lead the way to the station where the werewolf game was set up. Looking at the blindfolds, her brows furrowed a bit, suddenly remembering the blindfolded part. Holding it up, she looked at Charlie. "This isn't gonna mess with your makeup being tied up over your eyes is it?"

[gabrielcohen-chang]

Smooth? Who, me? I'm just offering my invaluable expertise in the field of taste testing, you know, for the greater good of your cafe's summer menu. But sure, I'll gladly accept the role of the official summer flavor consultant. As for other fruit flavors, I'm all for strawberry and peach. They scream summer vibes and would pair perfectly with your refreshing beverages. Maybe some raspberry or mango could also add a nice twist. But honestly, whatever you come up with, I'm sure it'll be a hit.

It's cute how you think you're being smooth with this, but of course Gabe, I can arrange a taste test for you. That being said, before I even dive into any recipe testing first, any other summer-y fruit flavors that you'd like me to do the same with? Strawberry, any of the berries really, pineapple, peach? I figure it'll be good to offer with my fruit infused iced teas and lemonades.

[jacksonrose]

Oh yeah, he knows the difference between food and most inedible objects. To be honest, we're still working on the whole "paper is not food" thing, but he doesn't seem to get it and rips up any roll of paper products he can get his teeth on. I've lost many rolls of paper towels that way. Plastic is a different story though, he did leave that behind for me to clean up. And a little bit of pizza too, one tiny slobber covered corner. Thankfully I had sandwich stuff too. Grilled cheese makes a good backup plan.

Well that's a relief, sorry I can't always be too sure with your bigfoot hunting ways. Oh yikes, did he end up eating it plastic wrap and all? I hope that's digestible. Although I've seen some videos of dogs who were pretty smart and got into treats without managing to eat wrappers or anything dangerous to them. Guess you've learned your lesson for next time, though, right? I mean, I've never seen the whole set up of the inside of your van, but maybe keep the wrapped, unthawing pizza stored in a cupboard of some sort where hungry, hungry puppies can't get to it.

[gabrielcohen-chang]

Oh, no, I'm with you on that front. I'm glad we haven't gotten hit with any snow, and I hope it's a long time before we are. I hate driving in snow, it's actually the worst. And yeah, working in a bakery when it starts getting cold sounds amazing, honestly. You get to stay all warm and toasty, surrounded by delicious smelling baked goods. I'm actually a little jealous now. All I have is the smells of the food court. And let me tell you, that's not always pleasant.

I know so many people are going to disagree, but I've gotta say I'm thankful the weather has not been all that freezing cold yet. Granted, I know the worst winter months are yet to come, and it is sad when we don't exactly have a pretty and snowy, white Christmas. But I'm a summer girl and I just do not fair well in the freezing temps, so I will take these few days that we have where the highs are in the 50s. Probably a good thing that I'm a baker and work primarily in the kitchen of my own cafe, right?

[jakepuckrman]

Jake: tell me about it. it really throws me off how quickly time goes by sometimes. like i swear it was just the beginning of summer, like, yesterday.

Jake: okay, so we're just gonna pretend that was the plan all along? got it, i can roll with that lol so how did that practice go? make perfect yet?

Daria: alright so I may have blinked and suddenly august is almost over, I thought it was still the beginning of the month 😳

Daria: but hey still better for me to practice with them first and give the first batch out to friends for free, right? And then I'll have them in the cafe and for special orders by next weekend, hey perfect timing since that Friday is sept. 1st! See I'm a genius. 💁��‍♀️

[gabrielcohen-chang]

Gabe: um, i can share the video i'm watching for it? because no way in hell am i trying this lol i'm not a baker, that's what you're for 😝 Gabe: if it's half baked already though, does it really count as a batter? i'm really just asking because i have no idea. you can absolutely ignore the question, i was just curious! also between you and youtube i'm extremely hungry. i might just have to brave the kitchen and try to make something

Daria: nice try with the rhyming on that first one there though 😜

Daria: basically I'm gonna smash the muffins all back up together and chill the mixture to reuse basically as a new batter....it's a shot in the dark but I think it'll work. It's kind of like how I make cake pops in a sense but not since it's muffins. Very much a trust the process situation. Let me know how that steaming thing goes though, maybe I'll try that on a future recipe sometime.

[charlierhodes]

Thankfully she wasn't the only person that shared the opinion on apple bobbing being a poor choice in group activity, a fact that brought the brightest of smiles to the blonde's features. "Right? Like first of all, I worked way too hard on my makeup to dunk it in a bucket full of liquid, second, just ew? Beer is probably the worst drink ever, I so agree with you there. Also, I can't remember really doing it as a kid either, how weird is that? I just know it's pretty much at every fall festival ever, and I don't know why." Charlie said with a roll of her eyes before trying to spot the game in question. She hadn't gotten around to that one yet, and while it might have been a childish concept it at least was an option that wouldn't result in her contracting some sort of illness. "Why not? That sounds like a good time right now. And it's been a while since I've played a game like that."

Though Daria usually leaned more towards wine as her drink of choice, she was leery on if what they were serving would be palatable given they were only chargine a dollar per glass. She opted for a fruity cocktail after making sure she'd had enough to eat, in no way was she going to allow herself to get too drunk tonight. Making her way towards the games, she surveyed each one, a familiar voice chiming in nearby. Shaking her head, she turned to the other girl, "Oh no, there's definitely no way I'd be sticking my mouth in a tub of potential mono." She took a sip of her own drink. "I don't think I even ever played that game as a kid, who ever invented that game was clearly not health conscious. And I've never been much of a beer drinker, myself. Might seem kind of childish, but wanna try your hand at pin the tail on the werewolf?"

[charlierhodes]

You know, winning the lottery sounds like a dream come true, but I've read stories about people whose lives got turned upside down after hitting the jackpot. Suddenly everyone they've ever known comes out of the woodwork asking for a piece of the pie. And yeah, hiring professionals to handle the tax stuff sounds like a smart move. As for being a brand ambassador for Netflix, that's actually not a bad idea. I mean, I practically do it for free already with how much I talk about their shows. Maybe I should send them an email pitching myself as their biggest fan and see if they're interested. Couldn't hurt to try, right?

Or if you can get lucky enough, hit the jackpot on one of the big lottery drawings, become insta-rich. Now that'd be ideal right there. I'd still keep my business running, but hire on some professionals to help me with all that tax mumbo jumbo. And hey, you could always look into if they have a brand ambassador type of job? Maybe they'd be interested in hiring someone to just hype up their shows on social media, which is what I'm pretty sure a brand ambassador does, hype up the product to get it out there and boost up sales. Which, in this case it would be boosting up Netflix accounts and ratings.

[gabrielcohen-chang]

Yeah, see, this is where you lose me. I have no clue which option would be better. At least not without a taste test. How about you make a mini batch of each and I could, you know, offer my services as a professional snacker. Only sure way we'll know you're making the right decision, I see no other way around it here.

Agree to disagree, Gabe. Just accept that I will not let lemon go. And hey, you don't have to be super skilled in the kitchen to offer suggestions, I mean you have taste buds and know what you like. Hence our annual argument over my lemon-blueberry foods, but that's why I like to know what else I can offer. And I have been looking at summer-y flavored cupcakes. I just wasn't sure if I'd want to make the cupcake itself watermelon flavor or do vanilla and then have the frosting with the flavoring. Also was contemplating sugar cookies with flavored icing, shaped like the individual fruits themselves.

[charlierhodes]

I personally would love to be paid to do nothing, but so far it seems the only answer to that is to do something icky like sell pictures of your feet online or something and, um, just no. And wow, Netflix should start paying me for promoting their show! Seriously though, you should check it out. It's seriously one of my favorite shows on Netflix right now, that and Too Hot to Handle so if you're ever looking for something to watch, you got both of those as recs. Ugh, taxes as a person is hard enough, I can't even imagine how hard it is when you're in charge of everything.

Honestly, I don't blame you. I mean, I don't watch the show so I can't speak much on it. But even being a working woman, who loves her job and owns her own cafe... yeah I also can see where just not having to work would be fantastic. I mean, that's the dream, isn't it? To just not have to work? Or at least even if you are working, have it be something that you love so much and enjoy doing, that it doesn't really feel like you're working. Which is how I feel about my job, honestly the whole business owner part of it is where I get a little more stressed, but that's mostly just during tax season.

[gabrielcohen-chang]

Gabe had been wandering aimlessly for a while, honestly feeling a bit off that he wasn't spending the entire day with Julia as he normally did. He kept finding himself turning to show her something, then he was brutally reminded that they didn't actually arrive together; although thankfully they did make plans to meet up at some point. He hoped that meant they actually were on their way back to normalcy, though he'd have to wait to find out for now. Forcing his mind from whatever was going on with him and his best friend, he turned his attention to a nearby booth, returning Daria's smile with one of his own. "Hey, Daria. Everything looks amazing, as always. I think I'll take you up on those samples. What flavors did you go with for the summer refreshers?"

Daria had stepped out of her booth for the second time now, this time it was for a restock on cake pops and her special 'treat yourself' cookies that she handed out with every purchase. After quickly placing the items in their respective slots on her table, she took a seat behind it and marking off the new number count in her notepad to keep track of what was sold, what they had available, and how much money they'd made so far. Feeling the eyes of someone on her, she glanced her, a wide smile on her face as she greeted them. "Hey there, can I help you decide on a delicious treat or I can offer some samples of our summer refreshers that were just added to the menu last week."

[jacksonrose]

I'm not a caveman, you know. I do actually behave in a somewhat civilized manner I'd say 75% of the time and civilized people don't leave day old pizza out in a camping van. That's rude and the smell would never leave. It was a frozen pizza I was leaving out for a bit so I could use the hotplate to cook it. I kinda fold it in half like a quesadilla and cook it in a pan since I don't really have like a toaster oven or anything in the van. Eventually I'll get something like that, but the hotplate is all I really need for now. It gets the job done. But the pizza wasn't even out of the wrapper yet, so it wasn't attracting anything other than hungry, impatient retrievers.

Okay, so first I've gotta know how old was this pizza that you just left hanging out on the counter. Like, was it a frozen pizza that was fresh out of the oven? Day old, leftover pizza? I mean, I'm glad you and Taco are both okay, blankets can be replaced, but you and Taco cannot. But really, why are you just leaving pizza to hang out in the open air, vulnerable not only to Taco, but to the bugs that very much inhabit areas where fishing is prominent.