Mild Amusement

Let's start today's post with a fact: I don't wear make up. That may be a strange opening line, but I mention it so that it's clear that I have zero first-hand experience with the stuff. The little knowledge that I do have comes from overhearing some video that the Mild Fiancée is watching. So take everything that comes after this with a grain of salt. Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, I have actually learned a few things about make up over the course of this relationship. Some of it is really easy to remember, because it's led to some interesting discussions. Guys, if I asked you whether primer or foundation goes on first, would you know? My female cousins and friends immediately know that it's primer, but the really amusing part is that half the time, they scoff at the fact that a guy wouldn't know. I mean, it's called "primer," for crying out loud. Whenever you paint something, you put the primer on first. Of course, after the gu...

I've mentioned it before, but my family and I play fantasy football . The first season we did this, we had hilarity at the draft, and people were demanding that we start the whole thing over. We also had people who had never once cared about football rooting for individual players. All in all, it was a good time. Heck, I even joked that we should institute a fantasy league for a reality TV show and I wasn't laughed out of the room. Well, that was last year. Now that it's a year later, that means it's time for another round of fantasy football. This time, we've got some one-year veterans who are chomping at the bit to go, and the Mild Fiancée is also in on the fun. As you can imagine, this has led to all sorts of fun. Now, I'm hardly an expert in any of this (as the performance of my fantasy football teams can attest to), but it's been fun imparting some knowledge to the Mild Fiancée. There are terms that I have taken for granted for so long that I've...

So, the Mild Fiancée and I have a history with Mac and Cheese . The last time we decided to bring it to a family meal, there were all sorts of shenanigans. As it turns out, though, this was not an isolated incident. In that particular case, we decided to bring a very healthy version of mac and cheese. This time around, however, we decided to go the exact opposite route. There was no Greek yogurt this time around. No, instead, we put bacon and chorizo into it this time. We also put in something like five cheeses. I say "something like" because I'm not even sure how many ended up in the mac and cheese. In fact, that was part of the hilarity. We started with a very vegetable-heavy base (onions and celery), as we are wont to do. Then we added the cheeses. I had personally grated 3 different kinds of cheeses, and the Mild Fiancée had grated a different one, so let me tell you: there was a lot of cheese. However, the sauce still didn't have that gooey, yellow color th...

(I'm glad I managed to get this done in time. Car troubles caused some issues, so this week's blog post is a bit late.) Breakfast was a mandatory meal at my house for most of my formative years. I more or less grew up having a solid breakfast every single day. I never realized that other families did not do so until later in life, since I didn't exactly have other families to compare with. Sure, I hung out with friends and what not, but it was usually after breakfast time. Regardless, I pretty much always try to eat breakfast in the morning. These days, that's usually a glass of milk and a slice of bread. What goes on the bread changes from day to day, but there's almost always milk and bread. Sometimes, I have avocados . Other times, I just have a slice of cheese on top. The actual "topping" for the bread doesn't matter too much, just that I have a fairly nutritious breakfast. In fact, this habit is so ingrained in me, that I have even made bre...

A little while back, the Mild Fiancée and I went to a friend's baby shower (as it turns out, we know quite a few people having babies soon). It was a good time overall, but the most interesting bit was talking to the other guests. I met a few folks that went to the same high school I did (though a different year), and some of the couple's relatives. And that, friends, is where the hilarity ensued. I've known the mommy-to-be for a while, so I've met her parents before. It's not like they know every last detail of my life, but they recognize me and they always say hello when they see me. And vice versa, honestly. They're nice people, and I always chat with them for a bit. I wouldn't say I'm super close with them, though. Still, they were there, so I said hello. More interestingly, I introduced them to the Mild Fiancée, and they were happy for us. I guess she must've made a good first impression with them (it certainly didn't hurt that the Mild ...

The Mild Fiancée and I like to listen to music. We don't have a TV in the house , so it's not uncommon for us to fire up a laptop to play some background music. The particular music changes from time to time, but we both appreciate having something playing while we cook, for example. It just makes the house a little more lively while we're going about our day. Now, we don't like the exact same music all the time, but our tastes do overlap quite a bit. We both grew up with R&B, hip hop, and rap from the same time (we're only about a year apart in age), so it's not uncommon for both of us to recognize a song or an artist from that period. We're no strangers to Tupac . Or Elvis Crespo , for that matter (as an aside, we had some friends over, and we all unanimously decided that the video I linked to was one of the worst we've ever seen). However, there are places where our music tastes diverge. It's never a problem, since variations on things we ...

Most everyone I know enjoys Chinese food of some sort. Sure, you may not like every single dish, but there's usually something that you enjoy. Maybe it's as simple as broccoli with beef, or maybe you like something like  Mapo tofu  (one of my personal favorites). Either way, there's usually something on the menu for everyone. Heck, I even know folks who like the highly Americanized, fake-Chinese food. Now, if you don't quite know the difference, maybe an analogy with Mexican food will help: If you don't already know what "chingaderas" mean, don't look it up at work Basically, the stuff that is often sold commercially has been drastically, drastically altered in order to sell. In the example above, real tacos don't have nearly as much seasoning as the commercial versions. Similarly, the tortillas are a vessel for eating your food, not an invitation for 3-D food sculptures. Chinese food suffers from the very same alteration. There is no su...