Even Journey Sings Journey In The Shower
The New York Times is driving me bonkers again. Today I read an article titled “One is the Quirkiest Number: The Freedom, and Perils, of Living Alone.” Here’s a summary:
People who live alone have no social checks and balances, so they become eccentric and have to be re-socialized before they’re fit to co-habitate. For example, one of them doesn’t close the bathroom door. Another forgot her skirt in her rush to get to work. A third sometimes leaves a bra on the kitchen table. Even more sing Journey songs in the shower, or stay up late, or snack. One of them cooked a sweet potato for dinner once–in some tin foil.
What the hell, New York Times. There are several things wrong with this.
1. “One” Is Not The “Quirkiest Number”
Three is the quirkiest number in a living arrangement, y’all. All the numbers above three are problematic, too. A better article would go something like this:
Living by yourself = fine.
Living with your significant other = fine.
Living with your significant other and the guy who is re-tiling your bathroom = so awkward, right?
2. Only You Can Prevent Bathroom Fires By Leaving The Door Open
Is it so terrible to leave doors open when nobody else is there?
No, friends, it’s not. In fact, 11.2% of all candle fires start in the bathroom. People who leave the door open are cutting down on the need for bathroom candles and saving lives.
3. That’s How You’re Supposed To Cook Sweet Potatoes
As for the singleton who (gasp) cooked herself a sweet potato for dinner: Guess how Martha Stewart says you should cook a sweet potato? Guess how the New York Times itself says you should cook a sweet potato?
In tin foil, folks. Tin foil.
4. I’m Pretty Sure Scott’s Motto Is “The More Bras On The Kitchen Table, The Better.”
We haven’t explicitly discussed this, but I doubt Scott would complain if I reverted to leaving lingerie on the kitchen table. Right now the table is covered in bills, dry cleaning tickets, and a slow cooker. Lace is bound to help, not hurt, that situation.
5. Even Journey Sings Journey In The Shower
I’m pretty sure 90% of the English-speaking world sings Journey in the shower at some point. There’s nothing interesting about that except that research suggests we should all switch to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. (Seriously. Researchers tested songs for reverberation, pitch, volume and tone when sung in a cubicle, and Bohemian Rhapsody won.)
Basically, the entire article should be replaced with something more interesting, like a piece about meatballs or a cute kitten video.
I’ve lived by myself a lot. I think it’s made me kind of awesome. And the quirky things about me didn’t go away when I moved in with Scott, who is wearing a fedora and drizzling strawberry icing on his evening french toast right now, officially proving my point.
I, on the other hand, will be eating left-overs because they’re to die for. First up: chicken and dumplings.
The recipe is from the February, 2012 volume of Bon Appetit. We were floored at how good it was: I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy dish, and I was surprised at how savory and satisfying–but light–the dumplings and the gravy were. It’s because these dumplings are ricotta gnocchi. They were airy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Preparing the gnocchi was fun, but not as much fun as the steamy gnocchi scene with Andy Garcia in the Godfather III, which is only available on youtube in Russian. It doesn’t matter. It’s still hot.
I didn’t change a thing, so you can just hop on over here to Bon Appetit for the recipe. My only notes are these: (1) it took a long time for the gravy to thicken after I put the roux in it, so I’d turn the heat up a little; (2) next time I’ll drop in some peas; and (3) I’ll try to snag the gnocchi with a slotted spoon from the boiling water and quickly move them to a colander that way. They got crushed in the colander when I poured them out of the pot of water, and some lost their shape.
We also had an amazing strawberry cake this week.
It was a simple, moist cake with strawberry puree in the batter, and a delicious, not-too-sweet cream cheese icing.
The recipe is Brandi’s at “I Made That!” and I love her for it.
You can head on over to her site to print it.
My only notes are these: (1) I didn’t have a vanilla bean so I substituted 1 tsp. vanilla (along with the almond extract); and (2) we didn’t feel we needed to ice the sides, so we had a lot of left-over icing. I’ll halve the icing next time. If you do ice the sides, you may need to chill the frosting a little because to get the lumps out, I had to beat it on high until it was pretty drippy. It was divine, though. We served it with strawberries and extra icing on the side.
If you feel like chocolate instead, try movita beaucoup’s hot mess chocolate cake. Have you seen that thing? Wowza.
~~~
One of my favorite things about the weekend is that Thunder sleeps in.
We’ll be up eating breakfast and she’ll still be in bed. Like she’s a teenage pop star or something.
When she finally waddles into the living room, she needs to be petted before she’s able to function.
You might call her “quirky,” but we don’t mind because quirky is awesome.
Quirky is indeed awesome!
Right? Way more interesting than NOT quirky, which bores me to tears.
What’s also awesome are those tulip muffin cups you put your bran muffins in. They’re gorgeous! They remind me of a place in Manhattan where I used to get muffins on my way to work. Have a good week!
What exactly was their issue with the sweet potato? My hubby’s gone for the weekend, so I’m basically single. I had tortilla chip crumbs with TJ’s veggie chili and melted pub cheese. In a bowl. With more queso on top. Seriously the least responsible dinner ever. How could that possibly be better than a sweet potato?!?
Here’s the thing: the author himself doesn’t poke fun of single people, but he WAS the one who chose what questions to ask people and what quotes to use. He was able to put everything in the single peoples’ words. So the article just links together single peoples’ quotes about their lives under the overarching theme of “these people are getting weirder and weirder.” Under the umbrella of “their greatest eccentricities emerge in the kitchen,” he wrote quoted someone as saying that rather than cooking a big meal for one, an unappealing prospect, (?) she fashions dinner out of “discrete objects”: “I’m often, like, here’s a sweet potato,” she said. “Let me throw this in the oven with aluminum foil and eat it.” I mean, SO WHAT.
The only time I believe sweet potato in foil is an issue is if they throw it in the microwave rather than the oven… meanwhile cook it in mixed herbs with a touch of garlic granules, butter and teeny dash of chilli… SOOO good! Try it next time with baked dinner.
Must be something in the air that demands chicken and dumplings this weekend. And I <3 Journey! xoxo
I love your latest post– so entertaining and well-written. And your chicken soup with dumplings looks great, too. Everything’s better with sweet potato, right? I like the idea of using a roast chicken. I like light meat in addition to dark meat, so I’ll either do a roast chicken next time, or mix some light meat in with the thighs that Bon Appetit calls for. I agree that there’s nothing like a cold weekend for chicken and dumplings– it’s funny, because I made this on Thursday when we had a guest over. It had been freezing on Wednesday, when I planned the meal. Then Thursday came along all bright and sunny, and approaching 60+ degrees, OUT OF NOWHERE. So I stuck to my wintery dumplings, but threw in a summery cake!
Love this whole post, but most of all that awesome strawberry concoction.
Sue, the strawberry concoction is ridiculously good. We made it for company without trying it beforehand and I was thrilled at how it turned out. Also, the batter was AMAZING (I’m one of those people who scrapes the batter bowl with a spoon despite the health hazards of consuming raw eggs.) The cake was really moist. All in all, a total win.
I really cannot wait to try baking the cake for my friend’s birthday over the weekend. It looks and sounds incredibly delicious.
The link to the article doesn’t work. I guess I could go search for it, but I prefer to belive you humilated them into deleting it.
Ha. Right. You’ll be the first person I consult when they email me to ask if I have a cute animal video to substitute for the article.
Thankfully, my mom told me about the link so I fixed it– but I’m glad you would have told me if she hadn’t! Thanks– I appreciate it. Have a great Sunday!
Ah, you fixed it. I typed this comment in last night and just hit post this morning. (It was one of those days.) It was enjoyable while it lasted.
Funny – one of my single friends was annoyed but the very same article – the only thing in that article with merit was the chick who left the house on with no skirt…. thats just plain careless!
As for the rest, sounds perfectly normal to me – hell I had pancakes for dinner last week so who am I to judge LOL
I agree. I’ve forgotten other parts of my outfit before, but my skirt? That’s never happened. But that’s kind of my point, I guess–it’s such an outlier that you shouldn’t be citing it. It’s a back-handed way to mock a whole class of people. Anyway, pancakes for dinner– horray for that!
Pancakes are a totally valid dinner choice, infact aside from Sheppard’s pie they are my hubby’s dinner of choice – there are many “healthy pancakes” you can have too banana and oat, apple cinnamon… NOM. My fav obviously are the unhealthy ones… chocolate devils etc. Let me repeat… completely VALID meal choice, there are whole restaurants devoted to pancakes
That article was obviously written by someone who has never lived alone, and who can trust their judgement?? I love the idea of ricotto gnocci in the soup! I need to make it asap.
The only redeeming quality to the author of the above article is that he also wrote (in a positive light, I might add) about a woman who built herself a treehouse in Brooklyn. Now I want one!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/garden/a-treehouse-grows-in-brooklyn.html?ref=stevenkurutz
I think deep down Mr. Kurutz is jealous. And could probably use a treehouse to cheer himself up.
Wow, you’re right. He wins back some major cool points with this one. And he even used the word “funky” without delving into how the woman is a quirky singleton. I love the pink wallpaper she’s got going on in the tree-house, and those french doors.
Yes, maybe Mr. Kurutz has like 6 roommates who take long showers and burn eggs and popcorn, and he and can’t stand it anymore. That’s probably what’s going on.
Eggton for President. I concur on all accounts! Not the least of which being Journey, because I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that the phenom we now know as Glee did not happen upon such success *without* utilizing the single-most fun song to sing along to right there in its infancy, e.g. Don’t Stop Believing (Don’t Stop Believin’?). And aside from your car, where else do you sing out loud? The shower.
Though Freddie Mercury (the dog, not the singer) thanks you for the nod to his anthem.
I am a strawberry cake connoisseur (in that, I make it a point to eat A LOT of strawberry cake), so I’m going to *have* to try that one! And probably the chicken pot pie too, who am I fooling?
Hee, hee.
This reminds me that the entryway of my apartment in New York had the best acoustics I’ve ever heard. Before I left to move here, I sang an entire Indigo Girls song in there, in the middle of the day, even though people on the street could see me (and Thunder, who sat there patiently like “can we get out of here now, please?”)
Do you like strawberry slices in between the layers, since you are a strawberry cake connoisseur? I thought about doing that, and might try it next time.
I’ve never had strawberry slices! Strawberry puree, yes, plenty, but not slices. But the puree is delish, so I’d say slices would be as well. And so Fancy! (speaking of songs totally worth singing loudly in spaces of excellent acoustic quality)
Ha! What a crazy article! None of that sounds all that quirky, or necessarily the product of one living alone. Weird.
Your creations look FABULOUS!
Thanks, Family Snodgrass! I know, I bet your life has gotten a lot quirkier now that you have little ones, right? I mean, the way I see it, the quirky just keeps on coming, and we’re lucky for it, no matter what our living situation.
I am addicted to raw oats in yogurt with fruit and a drizzle of honey, now that you mentioned raw oats. I’ve had it every day for breakfast for the past week or so (except for the times that I’ve had strawberry cake in the morning.
Exactly. I wonder if the NYT would be interested to know I often go to the bathroom with two small children in the room AND the door open.
Glad you’re enjoying the raw oats!
That article is so stupid. So, so stupid.
Hear, hear, Carly. Well said.
I haven’t read the article, but I almost always leave the bathroom door open. Because it’s in my bedroom, at the opposite corner of the room from the entrance door, and no one who doesn’t live here should be in there anyway! However, the people that do live here seem to have a strange attraction to the bathroom, whenever I am in there. Which makes me irritable when I’m trying to warm the room up with steam when I’m taking a shower! And who hasn’t had a baked potato for a meal? It’s not a discrete object…it’s a food item.
We have the most amazing thing in the bathroom of the house we’re renting– it’s a heatilator. When we first moved in we were like “what? Yeah…. we’re not going to use that.” But in winter, it’s a great way to make life not suck when you step out of a hot shower into the room. The thing makes the air nice and toasty. I’m a convert. Plus, “heatilator” is just fun to say.
Agreed. Makes no sense. I seldom wear skirts anyway, but sometimes go commando by mistake. The rest seem like the norm and I live with husband and daughter. I also think Lara at the top here made a very responsible dinner. If they really want some material for this article, my 81yr old single dad would be a good subject… god love em!
I’m printing out that chicken n dumplings. Looks so good. Strawberry cake too.
Wendy, I was at a dinner party recently and half way through, I was like “oh. I am. . . just. . . not wearing all the items of clothing that I . . . thought. . . I was wearing. Huh.”
In other words, I hear you.
I’ve made that very same cake two times. I love it so much. I make it in a bundt pan though because i can never get my layers to look pretty. And next time I make it, I’m leaving out the almond extract. I feel like it takes away from the strawberry-ness a little bit.
Also, re: the article about living alone. I am just as weird now as I was when I lived alone. Possibly more so because I have someone to be weird with and that seems to exacerbate my weirdness.
Amy, I agree that living with someone hardly mitigates the weirdness. For example, this Wedesday is leap day. Scott and I decided we’re throwing a field day competition in our back yard– egg on a spoon, sprints, bocce, etc. Just us. This is both quirky and not something I would do by myself.
It’s great to hear that you love the cake too! And it’s good to know that it works in a bundt. I found working with three layers to be so much easier than 2. They looked prettier because they were thinner and so they sat on each other so much better. My cakes are always messy when they’re two layers– they’re high in the middle and they slope down. I was so happy about the 3 layer situation.
We do something similar (backyard obstacle course) and we give it a name: Beerlympics. You better believe beer is involved.
That sounds like an *excellent* time. We have at least 2 spare tires we could put out there, plus a natural mud pit when it rains. Add beer and this could really go somewhere.
I had concluded that the article wasn’t really about anything, but was created by a small child to fill space. The only things I can think of that people living alone do only become a problem when living with more than two – the underpants dance is only awkward when you have an audience larger than one.
There was a lovely book that came out a couple of years ago, though “Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant” about food eccentricities various authors went through while living alone. It was an interesting read – again, some were not so strange, but all the essays were good reads.
Alexis, I’m so glad you left this book recommendation. I love personal essays and will see if I can find it. Dancing around in your underwear is indeed something best done alone. I can’t believe the author didn’t lead with that.
The “freedom and perils” of living alone??? There are no perils to living alone. I still look back at my living alone time as some of the best. And I stayed out late, I snacked, I hung my bras to dry in the living room, and I knew that the best way to cook a sweet potato was in tin foil. And I didnt shut my bathroom door. Ever. Because if I shut it while I was in the shower, when I opened the door the steam rushed out and set off the fire alarm.
I think the writer is forgetting that we are all weird, and it’s weird that makes us all unique, and fun. And social convention should never have to apply to the day-to-day quirk of life behind closed doors. Because no one can tell me that I have to wear a bra on Sunday afternoons. Or what songs to sing in the shower.
I love two types of dumplings, ones that are like clouds if it is a lighter broth, and ones that are heavy and a little doughy in the middle if it is a very heavy liquid. I have always wanted to try matzo ball soup. When I see it on TV or magazines, I always think it looks like it would be the best kind of dumpling.
I like to save my extra frosting to dip fruit and graham crackers in, so I wouldnt halve the recipe, I would just pretend I didn’t know I was going to have so much left! Or make a batch of cupcakes to frost.
Sarah, I wish I could hit a ton of “like” buttons on this comment.
Living by myself for years will always be one of the most important things I ever did. I am self-sufficient. I know what my own company is like now, and it’s a lot better than some of the company I kept before, just for the sake of not doing things by myself.
I was scared to eat by myself in restaurants when I was in college. I felt embarrassed not because I actually felt bad about myself, but because I felt awkward for the other people who I imagined were looking at me and pitying me. Then I waited tables in New York when I was a junior and this hip-looking woman in her late 20s came in and had a three-course lunch by herself. I was in awe of her, and after that, I started doing all sorts of things by myself and loving them.
I love the little chicken meatball dumpling things in Progresso’s chickarina soup. I’ll keep my eye out for a good matzo ball soup recipe. The dumplings in the recipe above are very light and airy, so perhaps you’d like them in a beef or chicken consomme? Experimenting with that would be fun.
1. Sweet potatoes are stupid. They are just real potato wannabes. I won’t wrap them in foil. Because I’m working to eliminate them from the planet.
2. On occasion, I arrive at work with my pants on backwards. I have yet to forget a skirt, but I feel it’s a distinct possibility.
3. I can’t close my bathroom door in the summer, because it swells. But even in the winter, I can’t close the door because the cats will pound on the door with their paws and yowl. It makes… relaxing… very difficult.
4. niles the cat likes to shower with me. Just another reason to leave the door open. Because wet cats are awesome.
5. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this. I’m just listing stuff now.
6. I’d like some chicken & dumplings for supper, but 2.0 says he’s making me grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. Whether I want it or not.
7. I’d like that cake for dessert, but 2.0 says he’s making popcorn instead.
8. This seems like a good place to stop.
Work it, girl. Work it.
1. I love you, but sweet potatoes are awesome. They are so much better than regular potatoes, which can be mealy and have been known to royally screw over entire populations of my ancestors. Also, you can’t put marshmallows on regular potatoes. Dealbreaker.
2. The cats are pounding on the door with their paws because they want you to tweet pictures of them from the can. Cats are a “pictures or it didn’t happen” kind of species.
3.Thunder does not like getting in the shower because it means I pour doggie shampoo on her, and then I put it on my own head because, really, it’s probably L’Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Shampoo, just with a label that has less french and more dog drawings on it.
4. You should probably give Niles a treat for getting in the shower, because that just doesn’t seem right.
5. Good luck with dinner tonight. Sounds like it’s going to start strong and get weird near the end.
3: The first time I had a baked sweet potato it was in foil, and rubbed with Crisco. Yum. But, the foil would be verrrrry bad if you are nuking the tater. Some people are that silly… The rest of it? Yeah, three would be a lot more complicated.
That sounds like one yummy potato.
And you’re quite right. The foil in the nuking situation would result in a supernova in your microwave, eh? Might look kind of pretty until the whole thing exploded.
Hear, hear! Wait until all those poor unfortunate single people get married and have kids! You can’t close the bathroom door because toddlers are banging on it! So not only are you not alone with the door open, you have a rapt audience who aren’t afraid to make comments! And also meal requests. That cake looks awesome! (And the gnocchi, I loves me some gnocchi…mmm…)
Seriously! I don’t have young ones but from what I hear, they cause you to be quite quirky. Like you don’t get any sleep so you accidentally walk around with popsicles stuck in your hair and all your clothes on backward. That’s been a typical day for me for, like, the past 15 years, so I don’t know what the big deal with being single is all about.
Well, the weirdest thing about kids is that the popsicles and backward clothes thing, while you may claim it’s from lack of sleep, it’s actually something you’ve done on purpose in an effort to entertain them. And then you forgot…
“In a sense, living alone represents the self let loose. In the absence of what Mr. Klinenberg calls “surveilling eyes,” the solo dweller is free to indulge his or her odder habits — what is sometimes referred to as Secret Single Behavior. Feel like standing naked in your kitchen at 2 a.m., eating peanut butter from the jar? Who’s to know?”
Umm…and this is a BAD thing? It’s a shame we feel we have to hide so much! I’ve lived alone for years (with a small 6 month unemployment jig where I slept at my friends house. Yikes to 3 person awkwardness) and love it! I feel I am more my genuine self. If people accept and love me as I am – peanut butter nakedness and all – then I know they’re my kind of people.
In fact, in my last relationship, I had to specifically request more “ME” time. I needed time alone. To center myself.
I can listen to what I want, walk around the house as dressed or undressed as I like, leave the bathroom door open, belt out disney songs, talk to my cats, and eat broccoli for dinner. This is awesome! Why would I want to change?!
YES yes yes!
I would never have known that croutons are good in eggs (later to be named an “eggton”) if I hadn’t lived by myself. I would never have learned to play the ukelele on a whim. I probably wouldn’t know what it’s like to sit on a fire escape, drinking a beer, looking at the Hudson River and feeling a deep sense of connection to the universe. Traveling by myself has also made me powerful in a way that traveling with a companion would not have. Sure, once I locked myself inside my apartment by accident, by leaving the keys in the outside door, and I had to order Thai delivery so another human being could get me out, but I survived. And knowing you can survive–broccoli for dinner and all–is awesome, right?
Thanks for commenting on my blog. What the hell is wrong with being eccentric, anyway? And why would a sane person bother shutting the door if no one’s around to see? I eat baked sweet potato fries for dinner all the time. No apologies. The writer seems to imply that we should live like someone’s watching, even when no one is around, and THAT is nuts! I will not accept that kind of paranoia into my single life.
Also, your beautiful cake looks outrageously delicious. I could go for some of that for a post-breakfast dessert.
Kate, it’s so good to hear from you!
That’s such a good way to put it– that we shouldn’t be pressured to live like someone’s watching. We get watched all the time, and everything now-a-days is so exposed, down to our littlest, one-off tweeted thoughts, our exact locations at any given time and our instagramed documentation! It doesn’t make sense to suggest that we’re being “eccentric” or “odd” when we reserve some space for ourselves at the end of the day where we relax and stop worrying about being judged or affirmed.
Yeesh. Maybe he’ll do a 180 and write about a commune next. I really can’t wait to see what’s coming.
I’m gonna just come right out and say it: I found your blog via Joy the Baker’s posting this morning, and I had myself a good giggle. While I don’t live alone anymore, I remember quite vividly my quirky, single livin’ that used to go down in my various apartments. Let’s just say there were a lot of odd things I consumed during those years.
Love your blog. Adding it to my roll. Word.
-Kasey
Woah. I am so into your blog right now.
First of all, congratulations to you and Cori! That is so exciting! Yay!!!
Second of all, I love your writing style. And your photos are great. I’m going to spend the rest of the day cracking out on your material.
Katherine
HEY! Thunder is clearly sleeping in on the reversible comforter that Scott’s mother got for him in high school. That is one durable comforter….XOXO
Awww. . . nice purchase, Cindy! That comforter is awesome. You must have gotten that with a long-term plan in mind. We’re doing the best we can to protect it from her urge to chomp. So far, it’s holding up great!
Love the cake, love the pup, love your blog. Dyn-0-mite!
val
http:valentinedefrancis.wordpress.com
Thank you, Val! The pup is indeed dynamite–as in, she rockets around the house like a granade, chomping and playing as she goes. Thanks for the kind words– I look forward to checking out your site.
If being married means losing one’s individuality in the name of “fitting in” — where singing music to oneself and eating *gasp!* a sweet potato threatens to undermine Western civilization — then I’ll keep my singlehood, thanks.
Jesus, what joyless farts married people must be. o_O
Besides, anyone who thinks single women leave their underwear in inappropriate places has obviously never had to clean up after a married man.
Your comment made me realize that I should go back to Manhattan and organize a Sweet Potatoes For Singletons fundraiser. It could be a big party in the streets where everyone eats sweet potatoes or whatever weird stuff they eat at home, and mingles. Or something like that. Details are still up in the air.
Don’t worry, I do all those things and I don’t live alone. I think those are just habits of being comfortable in your environment. Also, that cake looks amazing!
Hear, hear. Being comfortable in your own environment is the best–whether you’re wearing footie pajamas or not. Footie pajamas are preferable, in my view, but I’ll take my comfort where I can get it.
Let’s see..
Cool dog!
Cool creation!
Cool title!
Many thanks to you for the kind words! I’m having so much fun.
Now I have a nagging question….if Journey sings Journey, do you think Cyndi Lauper has a fav shower tune? & what about broadway divas like kristen Chenoweth…
Mmm, I sing Kristin Chenoweth on a regular basis. Shower or not.
Oh Amanda, nice choice. That she sang in Glee last season when she was making the bed on Will’s couch– the time she spent the night– floored me. It was gorgeous. I can’t believe that I can’t remember it right now, because I walked around singing it for days.
A House is Not a Home, One Last Bell to Answer….It’s a combination of those two songs – And I fell in love with her then. I often sing that in the shower, in the living room, anywhere I darn well please. That song and the way she sings it just pulls my heartstrings!
Question: Do you think Cyndi Lauper has time to sing in the shower? I’m just saying that it’d be hard to dye your hair 9 different colors every morning, tease it, AND sing at the same time. I, for one, could not pull of this look without complete and utter focus:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rad80sfashion.com/80s-womens-fashion/Cyndi_Lauper.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rad80sfashion.com/cyndi-lauper.htm&h=521&w=358&sz=54&tbnid=GTLBQ-9-TjV4OM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=62&zoom=1&docid=qZnst7sCpWlaRM&sa=X&ei=Cc9PT4yEFJOEtgfqwKnNDQ&ved=0CFAQ9QEwBA&dur=4549
Thoughts?
I think Journey is the only band that CAN sing Journey in the shower — how many men on Earth can actually HIT those high notes?
Other than Bon Iver? You’re right–probably no one. Did you see Justin Timberlake spoofing Bon Iver on Saturday Night Live two weeks ago? It was HILARIOUS– it’s at the end of the clip, which is here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/19/justin-timberlake-snl-bon-iver-jay-z-beyonce-baby_n_1287466.html
MMmMMmmm strawberry cake. Hello.
Cute post. Cute dog!
I’ve lived on my own for years. I dunno if I’m quirky. But I ain’t perilous. I’m .. kinda .. free .. until the rent is due =P
If you had not posted this, we might have forgotten to pay our rent today. I owe you one, sister.
Lol! I always forget when it’s rent day. I live by Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc nowadays.
Alright you said it, send over a piece of that cake and we’ll call it even
Adore your intro to this post – way to stick to the Times. Such a strong writing voice. And great photos too!
Why thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without the Times, but it makes me flippin’ mad sometimes. Once I wrote John Tierney about a piece I thought he did unfairly, and he wrote me back (I couldn’t believe it) with the most thoughtful response. We corresponded for a little while, and it made me love the Times all over again. Anyway, thank you for the kind thoughts!
Hmm. I do or have done all those things (except forgetting my skirt) and I have never lived alone….I wonder what that makes me?
Andrea,
Awesome, I think, is the word you’re looking for. It makes you awesome AND fully clothed. Win win!
Katherine
HA! Well said!
Thank you for pointing out the ludicrous in that article. Plus, your photographs are wonderful!
Thanks, Rae. It bothered me for a couple of days as I thought about how wonderful (and difficult) it is to live alone. I’m so glad you enjoyed it– cheers!
You tell ‘em! I would have to agree with you. Three leaves the odd man/woman out well I guess I can’t speak for everyone…Hahaha!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
You may want to add a “Like” button so you can see the shy crowd that is stopping by your site by the hundreds!
Hi there! Funny that you mention the like button because I only just took it off a few days ago, before this happened. I have mixed feelings about that little button. Anyhoo, thank you so much for the kind words, Susie. I’m lucky that you stopped by. Take care!
Loving your post:) Thanks for sharing & Congrats on being FP!
Why thank you so much– your recent post about traveling the California coast got me really excited to go there this summer. We’re headed to see some family and poke around and your photos are getting me in the spirit.
Just because you do what you like when you are on your own doesn’t mean you need rehab before you move in with someone. When I have stayed in a hotel for work, I have a bath with the bathroom door open and turn the TV so I can watch it in the bath! I don’t watch much TV at home and definitely not in the bath! I love being with my husband but being on your own can be fun as well.
I will check out the cake recipes too!
Ah, hotel bathrooms are the best. I always take baths in them, too! I went to Miami once with a friend for a girls’ weekend and our room had a cut-out in the wall between the bath tub and the rest of the room, and I took a bath while watching Dream Girls. It was one of the more relaxing days of my life!
Can’t get off this page without leaving a comment? OK…. fair cuz I read it all and it was terrific. (first time reader.) How about a column about driving traffic to your blog. I know everyone writes about that subject, but it needs to be done by someone who can hold my attention. (Terminal A.D.D.) Can you figure out some recipes to match up?
Hi there– thanks so much for visiting. Alas, I wish I knew more how to drive traffic– all I know is that the people who are on top of it have installed google keyword search data. I have so much to learn on that score, and apparently Google’s made changes to how recipes are searched that I can’t begin to comprehend. I have to say that it would be fun to match the recipe to that topic, as you suggested. It should be something addictive, right? Something that you just have to keep going back to (right now, I’m thinking of the box of Girl Scout cookies we just got.) Might have to be some kind of cookie. . .or Swedish meatballs!
Thanks for the reply. I’ll keep reading and enjoying!
I totally love quirky, and your dog is darling!
Kathy
Thanks, Kathy. I still can’t get over how cute she is. She turned 1 recently, and has been one of the best things I’ve ever done!
My 7 year old sings Journey in the shower. You can thank the cast of Glee for that bit of awesomeness.
That is hilarious. So I take it that the Glee CDs are also involved in your life in a major way? Courage, my friend. Courage.
Glee and PVR are my mortal enemies.
Lovely to find you on the Freshly Pressed page.
Thank you for sticking up for us singles. I prefer to be considered wildly interesting, not eccentric. And I will keep coming back, if only to get more news on Thunder.
Thunder is a HUGE attention hog, and would probably love it if you came back to see her. Seriously–sometimes she just barks at us if we’re not petting her, and as soon as we let her crawl up on one of our laps so she can sit there facing outward at the room, she is satiated. It’s the most ridiculous thing.
Your recipe sounds great, but the commentary on that NY Times article is hilarious! I am a quirky ‘one’ and I don’t think I’m so bad! Yes, I do most of the things on that list, but ironically my cats (yes, she’s single with more than one cat) keep me balanced. At least they give me someone to talk to, so hopefully my re-socializing won’t take too long when the time comes. And I always, ALWAYS remove my bras from the dining room table for company.
I WISH I could find this study–and in fact, it might have been reported in the NY Times, because it’s point was to debunk the myth of the “crazy cat lady.” It was something about how women who have cats are actually very well-adjusted socially. Horray!
I agree on always removing the bras from the dining room table before you have company over. Unless there’s some seduction going on and it’s a strategically-placed, suggestive bra that’s supposed to set the mood. Or something. Not that I’ve tried that.
I should probably stop typing now.
I am going to heed your word as law. Will work on my strategically suggestive seduction-bra placement. Hahaha!
Great. Then we can go back to the New York Times and pitch an article about THIS subject. It’ll all come full circle, and the “eccentric” people will win in the end. BWHAHAHA.
Eggcentric? Ha. Also, I feel like we just became best friends.
Dear BFF,
Eggcentric–I love it. It sounds like a claymation cartoon involving cute little egg creatures–one that teaches kids that “being different is okay.”
xo,
Katherine
I am getting myself a piece of cake right after work. I knew I was needing something and seeing your photo set off a “ding!” in my head. And I saw that article in the NY Times but was already at my limit that day with what I could endure reading from that publication so, thanks for an excellent synopsis of it. Congrats on FP.
Mad Queen Linda, as I just said on your most recent post, I love your writing. I, too, had a bout of nostalgia recently when going through a box of old dresses looking for something to wear to a formal wedding. I thought of all the places I’d worn various things, and thought about how I often had more fun being excited beforehand than I did at the event itself. Then I thought about my life recently, and concluded that I’m much more satisfied with my life now, even though I have fewer new dresses.
Anyway, thank you for the kind words, and I hope whatever slice of cake you wind up with is delicious!
Thanks for visiting the Bus Stop. And that is one cute dog you’ve got there. (20 minutes and counting till cake run.)
BAH!! Stupid New York Times…what do they know? I could not agree with your points any more than I already do!!
Just because someone lives on their own doesn’t mean that they’re about ready to purchse 17 cats. I just feel that needs to be said. Haha.
Great post and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!!
I know, right? I lived by myself for 8 years and bought zero cats! I found one once because it climbed through the window to my apartment, but that doesn’t count. Also, I did get a dog. Whatever–that’s not the point.
Thanks for the kind words!
Aww! Is Thunder a bulldog or a mix? Gorgeous either way! We have a Boston Terrier named Pepper, my 3rd child. This post was better than the title hinted, well done and congrats on FP! Now I have to make that cake, but with raspberries…mmmm
Wow, this cake would be awesome with raspberries– plus, raspberries would look so pretty on top.
Thunder is half English bulldog and half French bulldog. So far, it’s been a really healthy combination. She’s very athletic and not fat like an English one. We’ve been reading up about Boston Terriers, actually–they sound like a wonderful breed, and there’s one in our neighborhood. (Pepper is such a great name, by the way.) Thanks for the kind words– I’m looking forward to heading over to your site shortly to poke around.
Oh a half Frenchie! She looks so cuddly
Cheers!
I’ll admit, my favorite part of this post is of your teenage pop star. So friggin’ cute. In a quirky way.
Thanks Corrie–She is hilarious and she photographs crazy well, right? I post pics to Eggton’s facebook page, or you can check out the flickr icon above–there’s a whole bunch of her there. Thanks for the kind words!
I love the way you put together life’s little ironies with the absolute and most important need to eat. A most interesting kind of recipe book for life!
Hi Kim, why thanks for the generous words. I suppose that my mother is responsible for the combination– she’s Italian and her family is very much the eat-while-you-deal-with-life kind– like in Moonstruck (which I need to watch again. Such a good movie.)
Congrats on being fresh pressed! I love your blog – it’s so funny and relate-able!
Thank you so much for the kind note–the fresh pressed was a surprise and is quite a bit of fun!
By the way, I love your taste in cultural references– Mad Men, Arrested Development, etc. Good luck studying!
Thanks so much!
You’re counter points are hilarious.
I travel five days a week and am essentially single. I am always alone. You know what people do when they are alone? The things they like to do and nothing else! It also gives you time to figure out your own quirks! ( with out all that embarrassment )
Id say one is the number with the most self discovery. How can you add more people to your mix if you don’t even know what kind of ingredient you are? If this was science you might end up with an explosion! Or in you’re case, with recipes and all, something that just tastes awful!
I totally agree. I don’t mean to sound like I have everything figured out (because, um, I think it’s obvious from this blog that I *do not*) but I think living alone caused me to value my own company, and now I know what’s worth spending my time on (and who it’s worth spending my time with). It also taught me initiative– I realized that nobody’s going to make things happen except for me.
Thanks for leaving your point of view here– I’m glad you visited.
Yay for leaving the bathroom door open, and eating sweet potato for dinner. Sometimes I just eat rice pudding for dinner. And I’m not single. And yay for the strawberry cake which looks amazing. The drippy icing makes it look even more appetising!
I LOVE rice pudding. Do you have a source for a good recipe that you’d recommend? Man, I love it. I even eat Jello-brand rice puddings out of the little cup. Thanks for the kind words.
Your rosemary shepherd’s pie sounds amazing. I love shepherd’s pie. The last time I had it was over a year ago, and it was a lobster one.
Lobster? Wow, sounds good. But surely that’s stretching the name shepherd’s pie a bit far?
I often eat ready-made rice pudding. But for a simple recipe that works, I use http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ricepudding_2241
lovely lovely post
really enjoyed the explanation about living as a single person… i don’t think that there is anything wrong with all of those things which you said! i mean you have to make the most of living on your own sometimes just to keep you a bit cheery!
also the pictures and the advice is really good
keep it up
hope you are smiling x
Thank you so much, Emma. I am, indeed, smiling right now. Promise.
If you’re not quirky, then you’re just boring! Quirky definitely wins.
Well said, lady. Well said. Also, at the end of the day, is the author likely to kick a naked lady who is eating peanut butter out of his kitchen? Probably not, right? Probably not.
Three things:
1. Your dog is SO adorable… just look at that FACE!?!
2. I am pleased to say that I actually laughed out loud at this post. Well done. And tisk-tisk at New York Times, for not embracing the quirky. Life would stink without personality.
3. I am so looking forward to try that cake! (If only I had a kitchen
darn dorm rooms.)
4. Congrats on making Freshly Pressed!
5. I’m definitely subscribing to your posts
(That was actually 5 things, but who’s counting.?)
Hello, hello! Darn dorm rooms, yes. But on the upside, I trust you have access to a salad bar at the cafeteria? And maybe a waffle maker? Salad bars are like my favorite thing in the world. At my cafeteria there were also a few waffle makers and you could make your own in the morning. So good.
I’m so glad you found your way here, and thanks so much for the kind words– stuff like this makes my day. Cheers!
Love your post! I guess the times wants people more to share apartments
It’s funny you say that because a few days ago, I was imagining all these agendas that could be behind the article. Real estate is a good one.That they’re sponsored by a dating site is one of the more benign possibilities, and there are a bunch of political ones that come to mind. Thanks for the kind words!
Hi, great article, yummy looking cake pics and what a gorgeous Thunder!
Hi! Oh my goodness– I can’t wait to tell my other half about your website. He’s obsessed with fish. He’s had some serious tanks in his day, but right now while we’re in Alabama, he hasn’t built one. I feel like you would appreciate this– I wrote about the time I got him a pygmy frog fish and it ate all the others in his tank! http://eggton.com/2012/02/08/survival-of-the-fishiest/
Hey, I’ve just read it and liked it, you were right! It must be funny looking back at it but I’m sure it was a bit alarming at the time! Poor you, what a thoughtful gift, ending in a fish massacre.
Haha this is a great post!
I’ve lived alone this year and I guess I’m kind of quirky… or just odd. But I don’t think they have anything to do with each other, I’m pretty sure I was the same before living by myself.
Besides, I adore quirky and eccentric anyway!!
Lily, I feel like I struggled through my entire childhood trying to fit in and then all of a sudden it was awesome to be different. You know? So we win in the end.
So happy that I stumbled upon your post and that you linked me to that article in the NYT – it has been the entertainment high of my day! This journalist is silly and ignorant. Living alone allows and makes one become more the person they actually are. The so call eccentricities and quirks are what make each of us normal. When you live with more than one person our personalities are rendered fake and wooden as people do all this “socailly correct” crap for roomates to appear proper.
I also find it interesting the examples that he used. Livining in a large city on your own in your mid twenties – to early thirties is entirely different than living in a small town i.e. the 28 yr old female he references in NC. The only other late 20′s individual he mentions has never had the experience of living on their own so his opinion shouldn’t even matter. Anyone else the “journalist” mentions embracing city life is in their late 30′s or somewhere in their 40s. It’s Apples to Oranges in my viewpoint.
For two years I have now been living on my own in a studio apartment. It is AWESOME! It will only change when my boyfriend and I decide to move in together or we get married whichever arrives first!
Thanks again for the post!
I loved your comment so much– I hadn’t noticed that the people he was interviewing didn’t really have the qualifications to have a meaningful viewpoint, like you’re saying. Very interesting. I loved living in a studio apartment by myself. I did it for years, in many studio apartments, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I worry that people who can’t entertain themselves, who can’t be quiet with their own thoughts, are missing some of the richness of life, I think, that people who’ve lived alone have earned, in a way.
Thanks! I completely agree with you. It’s sad to think that so many of these people are missing out on life. I really love following your blog!
How the bleeping hell did I not notice your reference to my hot mess chocolate cake? How? Good thing I like to re-read your posts and all of the comments people leave here.
Wait.
Is it possible that Bakery Story is making me… dumb?
No, no! I just added the reference. This post is blowing up now because it was freshly pressed, and I figured– what a shame to keep all the love in one place without sending some to Canada, right? I mean, you’ve been sending me hot chocolate and croissants and brownies and stuff all week. And I need that because I baked chocolate tarts that take 24 hours GAH!
I live alone andf the only thing quirky about me is that I let my dog Sunny pee on the New York Times. Just Sayin’
Mr, Bricks
Hilarious. I should find this article in paper form and let Thunder at least rip it up.
Haha!! That’s what I call something creative and straight to the point!! Gr8 post
And please check out my latest post on LOVE – http://raajtram.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/let-the-time-decide/ and even my new PhotoBlog – http://raajclicks.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/oh-i-love-my-laptop/
Thanks, Raaj! Your sites look great–good luck with the newer one. It must be so exciting to start another–they’re so much fun! Thanks for visiting.
Thunder has stolen my heart! Did she like the cake? Or are you sensible about what you feed her?
Hi Sarah! Thunder didn’t get any cake (I just feel like I’m constantly learning about new things that dogs are allergic too, so I abstained) but I didn’t have to feel guilty about it because she is obsessed with these peanut butter treat things that my mom gets in Virginia. I HAVE TO learn to make dog treats on my own, because these treats are not going to last until the next time I go see my family!
P.S. A favorite dinner is sweet potato with applesauce. Incredibly good, and it doesn’t feel like eating junk.
Wow, that actually sounds freakin’ delicious to me, too. I have some apple butter lying around so I bet I’d like that even more than cinnamon apple sauce. Thanks for the suggestion!
I’ve actually been sending that NYT article to everyone I know, as a way of justifying my own eccentricities. I thought it was pretty positive in its view of the quirky folk it highlighted, but maybe I was too busy reading it to my cat to notice the undertones.
Love your writing style and pictures! Thunder is too cute.
Heidi, hey! I’m glad for a refreshing different angle on it. I agree that the article wasn’t mean, and I think it can even be read as benign. Something about it bothered me as being negative– I think what got me was that by putting all of the “eccentricities” and “oddities” in the words of the single people, instead of outright poking fun of them, it got away with a lot of subtext in my view. For example, when at the end the single person says she needs to be re-socialized, at first it came across to me as okay, ha ha– because it’s her saying it in kind of a self-deprecating fashion. But when I sat back and thought of the sum total of the article, and the take-away, it bothered me.
Anyhoo– thanks for the kind words, Heidi!
What a fun blog! From the “re-socializing” to the Bohemian Rhapsody – my favorite, to the recipes I can’t wait to try, to the puppy’s tongue! I’m a new-found follower!
Hi Sarah, thank you thank you! I feel lucky that you stopped by.
I saw this fun little response to the NYT article and thought you might enjoy it as well. The comments are equally entertaining.
http://jezebel.com/5887713/living-alone-does-not-make-you-a-weirdo-or-does-it
Amanda, this is so awesome! Thank you! I didn’t even think to read the comments on the NYT article (and really need to start reading Jezebel– it’s supposed to be hilarious, right?)
Jezebel is an interesting mix of news, gossip, women’s lib, etc. It has funny, cute, serious, and all the above. I greatly enjoy it!
Ha! In my experience, the main thing that changes when you live with someone is then you are no longer singing in the shower, you are serenading in the shower.
Man, Liz, I hadn’t thought of it that way. But you’re right! I need to get my head in the game. (Your comment made me laugh–thanks for stopping by.)
Absolutely–I enjoyed your post immensely (and not just because I love Journey!) I’ll definitely stick around.
I say the quirkier the better! I am a bit quirky myself, and if I wasn’t, I don’t know who I’d be…well for starters I wouldn’t come into PE class with rainbow leggings singing broadway show tunes! Well done, and congrats on being freshly pressed!
Oh my gosh, you just reminded me that I have rainbow tights. Winter is almost OVER and I FORGOT to wear them! Blerg. I’ll have to run around in them the next cold day we get. Anyway, thank you for the kind words!
I loved this post from the headline.
Headlines are hard to come up with, right? And they’re so important. I mean, the headline of the New York Times article made me click on it in the first place!
Cake? Did someone say cake?
I absolutely LOVE the eggs and the peeling wall behind them!
Thank you so much. That’s the shed in our back yard, and a bowl I got a long time ago– I can’t even remember where it’s from!
I loved this post! Congrats on being freshly pressed! The food looks amazing and that article was totally wrong, I have lived with my husband for 3 years and I still do a lot of the stuff from that article, if that makes me eccentric I am cool with it!
Aw. . . I like that I can see you two at your wedding in your gravatar picture– it makes your comment so perfect!
Holy crap. I love this. I love living alone (though I don’t anymore) and I love the hell out of singing some Journey in the shower, and you’re right- the quirky things definitely don’t go away when you stop living alone. In my opinion, the best relationships are when people love and encourage that kind of quirkiness in each other.
My favorite thing to do when living alone was coming home from work and eating salt and vinegar potato chips with white wine. OH I BET THAT’S NOT AN APPROPRIATE DINNER EITHER, IS IT NY TIMES?! IS IT!!!!!!
Yeah, I haven’t grown out of anything.
AAAAAH! I love salt and vinegar potato chips. I bet they’re phenomenal with white wine. I know I often say to people “I’m going to try that,” but seriously– that’s gold.
I lived in the U.K. for a few months when I was in 8th grade and was addicted to salt and vinegar Hoola Hoops. I’ve never met a potato chip I liked better.
I’m so glad you found your way here–thank you for the kind words!
Haha, I read that article too (and found myself thinking, “Is that what you get to do when you live alone?! Sign me up!”). However, I found the best part came in the comments, when one outspoken commenter piped up with all the perks of living alone, particularly that there’s no one to criticize his use of the “Eatin’ Sheet”– a sheet laid over the comforter of the bed to collect crumbs when one eats in bed. Brilliant!
Oh my God, Angela– I used a towel.
And then when I got a boyfriend, eventually we spent one evening eating take-out in bed because we were watching Groundhog Day and I pulled out a towel and he was like “nice call.” HA.
This is a very insightful post, eggton! Thanks for sharing!
If I look at one more picture of food, I don’t know what I’ll do. :p
Living alone is just a matter of preference. Some people would rather have people around them, and others enjoy being alone.
Well said. I think even when you live with someone, having occasional time apart can be magical. My other half was out of town this past weekend and I felt like my old self. Not in a good way or a bad way, just. . . I don’t know. I just felt like I had traveled back in time.
Unless if they’re the Cleavers, a family life can be a lot stranger, messier, and more out-of-control than a single person’s private personal habits! The latter is often downright tame in comparison. Btw, I love the photo of Thunder curled up in the blankets
Hee hee. INDEED. I spent the day with a family of 5 kids and two parents and wow was that messier and weirder. The bizarrest things came out of everyone’s mouths–young and old– and it made a quiet night cooking for one seem very, very boring in comparison!
Haha, that’s a very detailed retort but I agree with your points. I guess even the NYT sometimes gets pressed for relevant, worthwhile content.
Especially in the lifestyle/magazine/style sections, don’t you think? Sometimes their articles are about nothing important at all. Lately there was one about designer dog foods. Seriously? With everything going on in the world?!
howdy there ,
i somehow stumbled across your page. I like your layout and your topics. I have a buzz for salt but a real sweet tooth too
Thank you! The page is just straight up wordpress. My sweet tooth is growing—I am so into cakes! It’s like I don’t even care about cookies anymore!
Two things:
1. Your style is perfecto. I love you. lol.
2. Your dog is probably the cutest dog I have ever seen. What kind is it?
Thank you for this refreshing bit of blog!
Aw. Thanks! Thunder is half English and half French bulldog–the perfect mix!
Congratulations on getting Freshly Pressed! Your post is really funny and good. I’m going to follow and keep checking in on what else you have to write about.
Thank you, Patty! I hope you’re doing well.
Quirky is awesome! Sounds awesome good to me!
Loved the post! Just what other quirky-awesome-people like me would have liked to point out! 
Three things:
1) What is with that article? You’re totally right; I’d rather be “quirky” than boring.
2) That food looks so good. When I saw the strawberry sauce mixture picture I was literally drooling. I don’t eat chicken and dumplings because it seems like it would be thick and heavy, but that picture you posted looks light. I will definitely try that.
3) Cutest. Dog. Ever. Where did the name Thunder came from? It’s really cute. I’m assuming she is a frenchie? I’ve always wanted one.
Great post!
Wow I leave in a family house full of people, we are between 3 to 6, up to 8 or 9 somedays and guess what : we live the bathrooms and toilets’ door open, we leave our clothes sometimes in places they shouldn’t be and pretty much do everything in the article… and we are all very happy together !
LOL !
and i made a huge spelling mistake on top of it… live… not leave…
Mmmm…. that strawberry cake looks amazing, and I agree- quirky is awesome
Thanks for sharing!
Not sure which I liked more the part about single life or the food… I lived alone many years and I love it. Very entertaining post. And I missed that recipe in Bon Appetit so thanks for making me realize I need to look again. I think I was too distracted by the Chocolate-Oatmeal Moon Pies…
Love your cooking and your sense of humour! As to quirks, they are what set people apart from the crowd – a type of beauty marks, only much more interesting!
Trouble with Bohemian Rhapsody is that it kinda needs multiple people to sing the best bits (“Let me go!” “BIS-MILL-AHH No! Will not let you go!” “Let me go!”). And most showers are only designed for one person at a time. Hence I’ll stick with Journey.
As someone who really enoys living alone (and finds flatmates really hard to cope with) I agree that quirky people will remain quirky regardless…and it’s awesome.
Mouth watering pictures!
This post had me rolling with laughter. Very well done, and thanks for the giggle
Love your humor and agree with everything you said plus some. As Martha would say if she thought about it, “Eccentric is a good thing.” I prefer the eccentric people I meet to the boring, culture conforming robots I encounter. Plus I guess some would consider me eccentric. The term I have heard most often applied to myself is “character” As in “She’s quite a character.” or “She has a lot of character.” I certainly hope so. It would be awful if I didn’t have character.
Thunder is wonderful! I bet he’s eccentric too!
Write on, Eggton!
Quirky is always best! LC
Hmm… looks delicious!
Well, quirky relates to unique, right? And as everybody is unique, we must all be quirky.
Given that line of reasoning, snowflakes would be quirky too.
I want to eat cake now.
Great post!
Just stumbled across your blog and it is Laugh Out Loud funny! And I like to think I know funny! Also, you’re making me seriously hungry!
Great work. Consider me a new fan
Lovely pictures!
I am laughing as I roll on the floor. OMGosh! TOO FUNNY
Quirky & eccentric I dig. But an overload sensory not dso much.
What a great post! And that cake looks wonderful. Also, I totally agree with your comment on lingerie — only good things can come of leaving bras on the kitchen table
Great post. Nice site.
Superb photography
and congrats on hitting Freshly Pressed!
Oh wow. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed and on being hilariously funny and on having beautiful pictures and fabulous taste (buds) and loving Andy Garcia and especially on having your very own lover who wants your bras on the table while wearing a fedora and doing something with strawberry icing. I practically feel ravished just reading about it. I’m adding you to my blogroll.
I don’t feel guilty for NOT reading the NY Times anymore. Thank you.
You surprisingly make us hate the new york times. A lot. Those 3 weirdoes they wrote aren’t weird at all. And yeah they save lives. Haha! Great post!
I cannot believe this article! I have never lived alone in my life and I’m one of the most eccentric people I know – even with all of the “social checks and balances” that I’ve been so fortunate to have, I guess. Sheesh. How do people like that get hired to write for the NYT? Basically, if I start writing a bunch of random hurtful, completely untrue things based loosely on sociology 101 I can have a job writing for one of the biggest newspapers in the world. Neat.
Oh, and your doggie is ADORABLE!
I completely agree with you on the NYTimes article- I read it and all the “secret single behavior” they found so repulsive and I immediately thought… “is leaving the door open really weird? Or have I become so weird by living in my studio that I don’t notice? Or would it actually be weirder for someone to not use their brain and think “ah yes, closing the door is appropriate when you have company but turns into a strange obsessive compulsive act if you still close the door when no one is there?” I’ll continue being “weird.”
I’ve been married with children for a few years now, and I’m decidedly quirky. Not only that, but there’s nothing wrong with quirky. It’s more fun.
Great post
Congrats on the FP! =)
This is fantastic. All of these thoughts ran through my head when I read that article and you just so happened to put them into words. Laughed out loud!
Anyway you want it, that’s the way you need it, anyway you want it.
Beautiful article. Well written and the photo choices are amazing!
I’ve never lived alone. I do fantasize about it from time to time though and how it would or wouldn’t affect me. The only thing I could see changing is there would be no one to fuss at me from time to time about not getting more sleep. I agree with your comment about the lingerie on the kitchen table…it would be preferred to the piles of bills and other items one wishes didn’t exist (at least for a while anyway) but, there is a little issue that keeps my own lingerie from resting there…um…well…my kids just wouldn’t understand. “Really, Mom? I mean, reeeally?”.
Nothing says, “mmmmm….home” like chicken and dumplin’s. It was a once a week, at least, meal growing up.
I’ll have to pay more attention to what I sing in the shower. I never gave it much thought but it’s usually something that got stuck in my head earlier that day…the one that gets stuck most often is Blister in the Sun. Greeeeeeeat! I know what tune I’ll be singing the rest of the day!
I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing it.
I would like to add that although I’ve never been in such a hurry to get anywhere that I forgot to put on anything other than lipstick maybe while heading out for the night but that only happened once and was quickly corrected with a quick stop by the drug store for a new tube. I have made it out of the house without a bra (purposely…I wasn’t going in anywhere) but, was redirected back into the house by my mother who believed that bad boy should be worn 24 hours a day. I re-entered the vehicle to accompany her on her errands trip complete with bra—on the outside of my shirt. It was on. So, quirkiness/weirdness/whateverness isn’t something gained or enhanced by living alone. Just sayin’…oh, and for the door being shut…what is the point? Close the door, the phone rings (need to hear the message to know whether or not to put the magazine down or to cut the reading short), or like a PP stated, it’s like a magnet…as soon as the bathroom is occupied, someone wants in, someone needs to ask a question…all, of which, couldn’t possibly wait until your time in the bathroom was over and one can hear so much better when the door isn’t in the way…
Four and five are so obvious that it pains me to think anyone would even think otherwise… I don’t even want to meet this person to yell at them. I also concur with the other three (obviously) and am shocked that someone thinks otherwise. But congratulations on being freshly pressed. Cheers.
I loved your whole article (first time visitor, and for the record I sing all sorts of things in the shower, bras are wherever they land and husband doesn’t seem to mind) However – how exactly did you get lucky enough to a have a pop star diva dog? Feeding time around here during the week is 0530 – we don’t use alarm clocks, we use puppy tummy time around here. Unfortunately it is very reliable even on weekends, holidays, and vacations.
AMAZING. Im just a first visitor but I believe I’ll be visiting again! I admired the way you write for you really know how to express. You ought to know how to show identity. hehe. Keep writing
I would argue that *not* singing Journey in the shower is quirky. As a single dweller I love your commentary on this article!
Jen
gingerandjam.com
Thank you , Jen– I can’t wait to visit your site, and I agree that if you’re not singing in the shower every now and then, you need to take a few deep breaths and get on it.
These comments are SO MUCH FUN to read, y’all. I am going to reply to each and every one of them and I apologize for the delay.
Happy weekend to you all, and thank you for all the love!
Your blog deserves the attention – clever writing and photos that are delicious/adorable. Congrats!
Thanks for writing a concise rebuttal to the NYTimes on behalf of all us past and present singletons. 3 is definitely the most awkward living situation in my experience, which is why triples in college dorms should be abolished.
Looking forward to more of your blog, and I’m totally going to try out Bohemian Rhapsody sometime.
Quirky is very awesome! Happy Weekend!
very funny! and thank you for pointing out that a sweet potato is supposed to be cooked in tin foil. that’s how i’ve always cooked it. that’s how i saw my dad cook it when i was a kid.
What a cute post! I can’t believe that NYT article by the way, so dumb! I live alone and I absolutely LOVE it! Living with two other roommates is way more awkward!!
Your doggie is so adorable
and i love your pictures! that cake looks delicious!
I really enjoyed reading your post
I love when silly people (who apparently are hired by the NYT) offer such great material. Have a great weekend
Such a cute dog! And, in my opinion,there’s never a wrong time or place to sing Journey.
Saw this post on “Freshly Pressed” and I clicked on it simply out of love and respect for Journey (obviously). But, I was thrilled when I saw that it was a response to the New York Times article! You vocalized exactly how I felt after reading it and I have shared your post with solitary dwelling friends who stressed out after reading the article. Great stuff!
Loved the whole post – what if the dumplings were made with sweet potato? Combining the whole post into one seamless and tasty serve!
I’ve lived alone for well over a year and wouldn’t have it any other way. No man has ever stayed over and complained about me roaming about the house whilst nude, flinging my lingerie willy-nilly, or eating cereal for dinner. If they stayed longer than a day or two, these things might irk them, but truly… Where is the mystery in that?
Quirky is the new cool. Although we quirky ones know that it’s always been that way.
Seriously … I read the NY Times list and thought maybe I needed to be committed. Like in an institution, not necessarily to a significant other. I almost lost it on the sweet potato thing. I’d like to know how the author of that article prepares sweet potatoes, if not in foil. And damn, a sweet potato? For dinner? Maybe if they had it for breakfast it would be quirky, but dinner? Really? And what’s wrong with being quirky anyway? Great article and commentary!
Good stuff
RIght on!
The good thing about the article was it made for an amusing bit by you
hilarious post! your witty insights crack me up! and its true..living alone just increases your awesomeness quotient!
congrats on being freshly pressed!
Nice call out on the author of the NYT article!
love it… thanks for the laugh. as good as you cook, however, I wouldn’t mind being the 3rd, albeit awkward, person in your home…
Has Thunder learned to read? I’m just hoping she hasn’t seen “Three is the quirkiest number in a living arrangement, y’all.” If so, you can send her our way: I think our two monster cats would love Thunder and – as they climb over me while I type – they seem quite excited to see how much quirkier five could be than four.
Either that or they really want the strawberry cake. Maybe you should send both.
(*Love* your blog BTW!)
That cake sounds absolutely magical! And I love the NYT but sometimes they just really put their foot in it…
Too many things to relate to in your post and in all the readers comments * lived alone with my three small children so bathroom door always open (safety and curiosity), now married with one twenty something daughter and a 19 year old cousin in the house and still leave door open (much to their amused disgust) * baked sweet potato in foil with a garnish of sour cream to serve = special treat food * dont sing in the shower * love quirky outdoor games/event including mad hatters tea party with egg & spoon, croquet played with kids golf sets etc * underwear has always been optional as is nightwear * single living makes you self reliant and boosts confidence like nothing else …… and quirky is just another word for doing it MY way.
As your #221 comment, ah-hem, that’s AMAZing that others join in on celebrating how wonderful it is to be single or not single, is that I LOVE your blog. I like to throw things at random together too, so it was really nice that you blend a whole bunch of stuff together (as my style is the same), and I really appreciate that you give VOICE to being single makes you awesome.
Mainly because, well, in my religious community, many voice the complete opposite, and it’s really defeating to face that everyday. Or when people say to me, “they will find me a husband,” like this is my mission in life. Nothing else. Nope. It only further makes me feel bad for waiting for what is right, instead of what is wrong, which would pretty much sum up my last marriage for the first time ever.
Your post has also made me super hungry. So. Um…. thanks a lot….
I am looking forward to diving into the rest of your posts and reading more of your insightful thoughts.
I’ve never lived alone before but I’d like to. Currently trying to save up to move out of my parents’ house.
Your pup is so sweet and cute! I am in love!
Loneliest number?… No matter how much you love your family and love your friends, you could never accomplish everything that you would like to accomplish if you didn’t get some alone time at least once in a while-right?
Door open, door closed… it doesn’t matter with kids. My four year old will just fling open the bathroom door and walk right in. (Yet, she’s also the first person to tell her sister “I need pry-vuh-ceee!”).
We often eat baked potatoes for dinner [I hollow them out and mix in some cheese, meat, and veggie (ie, ham, cheddar, and corn) with the scooped out potato...I put the mixture back in, top it off with more cheese and bake long enough to heat through and melt the cheese.]. I would definitely substitute sweet potato… maybe even with turkey and some sort of cranberry concoction! Why wouldn’t a sweet potato be a good dinner? And why wouldn’t you cook it in foil?
Bras on the kitchen table…Well, that’s often the first thing (aside from shoes) taken off after a long day! Sometimes the girls just need to breathe and can’t wait until the so called ‘appropriate’ time or place! lol
I don’t tend to sing in the shower… but I do sing in my kitchen (and my car). I would certainly sing me some Journey! I would probably even sing me some Bohemian Rhapsody… if I could figure out what Queen was actually saying. lol.
Love the sounds of the strawberry cake, by the way. I’ll have to head on over to Brandi’s site and try that recipe one of these days. Until then I’m dreaming up a cake for a local school’s production of ‘Once Upon a Mattress’! (Stay tuned for pictures on my site after next weekend).
Hello Katherine,
I wanted you to know I am pulling the re blogged post. I am so sorry again that I had not given it a second thought. M hope is that we can get this message out that re blogging is not doing anyone an favors.
You can see the post I penned in regards to me pulling the re-blogged post, and my feelings about r-blogging.
Thanks agin for your tolerance and patience.
http://tonij.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/reblogged-post-pulled/
Living alone IS the awesome, preach!
i’m a person who scans at blog posts. i’ll just get their idea and say, “okay, it’s just a simple thing, why make it too long?”
i actually read this post – word per word. it’s such a cute thing being quirky. not being quirky is kind of boring and, well not so fun.
Great post and I have to say I love your pup! She is so sweet.
I would argue social checks and balances are lost more when married. My husband has embraced my oddness and I his which has only allowed them to multiply.
This made my day/night. Just sayin’. Kudos!
Live, Love, Learn,
The Write Teacher
If this guy is horrified by the idea of not making a gourmet feast when you are “cooking for one,” he would probably be traumatized by my favorite living alone habit: drinking wine in my underwear.
great, again! Intense and deeply dark and honest. BFFs are so love-hate. It’s the only ones we can be raw and ugly with. Nothing is perfect, well, except your posts..
The correct comment is: Great post!! I have been single for so many years, and I love it more than then living with someone else. Glad I found you! Funny, and with great food ideas?! Awesome..
Puppy is adorable.
(Sunday morning confusion had me mixed up…thanks for posting only this one..)
Oh, Eggy. I do love your blog. It’s light and bubbly and I imagine if I could really gulp it down, it would make my nose fizz. I like noze fizzy blogs.
The post was great, but the pics of all those delish desserts was awesome! And being odd and quirky is something my husband fell in love with and people who know me say makes me special…so I say embrace the quirkiness!
Aloha!i loved this post. I don’t live alone but still think that article is bullshit. i say HURRAY to leaving the bathroom doors open when no one is around, heck yeah! Your pictures made me so hungry i had to go for a midnight snack, by the way.
while i’m here, may i recommend my blog to you? I’m new to this whole blogging thing and don’t quite know how advertising works but hey i’m giving it a shot…
looking forward to more cool posts from you!
whatcouldiblogabout.wordpress.com
Mmmm that strawberry cake looks absolutely delicious! Thunder is adorable! Sleeping in is my favorite part of the weekend to…Thunder and I would get a long perfectly
Living on your own is like living with no one else. I don’t think I could ever live with another human person again. Also, Separate Ways has to be one of my favourite songs ever. The video makes me happy to be alive so that I can watch it and show it to anyone who will let me near their computer. Also, I recently made a chicken soup with dumplings. It was amazing. But it wasn’t as beautiful as yours.
This post made me laugh out loud. Living by yourself is the best way to learn the importance of skills that are essential for cohabitation! If you don’t do your laundry or tidy up when you live alone no one does it for you. No one else is going to wipe the toothpaste off the faucet! The NYT is sorely misinformed.
Brilliant! Love, love, LOVE this post.
You are so right! I live with two roommate and spend half my time at my boyfriend’s house. I don’t think I’d be quirkier if I lived alone. Anyone who’s comfortable with who they are is going to be a little quirky and we’ll love them more for it. Who cares if you pee with the door open
I agree that the article was senseless. I have lived alone form about 6 years and I do everything that was mentioned in the article. All of it is completely normal behavior besides leaving the house without all clothing on. The writer made the singletons sound like freaks or mutant people whose behaviors have evolved into anti-social, shameful habits. It’s just not that serious!
Great great post! I’m living alone right now and while I wouldn’t want to do it forever, I am relishing the experience of not having to put up with SOMEONE ELSE’S quirks! Which if you have ever lived with others, you will know is not always fun.
p/s: Love the gnocchi! Going to try them soon!
Super awesome!
LOL to the living alone rebuttal
Nice job on the recipes.
The dogs are darling also
Ha, this is an awesome post! I’ve JUST moved in with my significant other having lived the past two years alone. He’s spent his time adapting to life with me, my two turtles, my hordes of random clothes I never wear but refuse to throw out and the three shelves of cooking / baking supplies that moved in with me. I, meanwhile, have learned guitars are heavy (and I’m not to attempt to move them to another location as SOMEONE will forget where they are and trip over them in the middle of the night) and I’m not that bad at Mario Kart. I feel it’s going well so far but reading your post made my lunch break reading far far more enjoyable. Laughing out loud at my computer while eating a sandwich caused my grade one students to stare at me like I’m a crazy person! I told them they’ll understand when they’re older.
Maybe NY Times is trying to shame people into cohabitation, or maybe it was an inside joke of some type. But if we grow quirky living alone, than believe me we should all live alone at some point…quirky as the paper calls it, the spice of life as I call it.
Haha…great answers to the NY times article!
Yes, you’re right; one is a great number! So’s two. Three’s difficult. Four? Four’s a crowd.
http://www.nataliasarkissian.wordpress.com
wow very nice
Funny! I read that NYT article and it bothered me too. Your receipe for chicken and dumplings (AKA ricotta gnocci sounds delish). I will definitely have to try it!
Sara
Your dog is absolutely adorable! Being quirky is great and living alone shouldn’t be portrayed by the media in a negative light. No wonder people enter panic and try to all jump into living with someone else before they really think about all the . factors you should consider before you move in with someone else.
I often feel unique like the quirkey personalities you spoke of and I am a married mother of 4. Sometimes by choice!!! It keeps them guessing. Loved reading!
Peach State
Can I come over next time you make chicken and dumplings since you’ve mentioned putting peas in it? My husband had declared our house a pea-free zone because “Biting into one is like an explosion of disgusting nasty” and I can no longer use them. I love peas. I miss peas. I suppose I could just add a handful to my own bowl and that would A) Save me a really long trip to AL just for peas B) Save the awkwardness of me coming to your house just for peas.
I’ve seen mention that using freeze dried strawberries that have been blitzed into a powder is really great in strawberry cake. I’m seriously craving that cake up there. Help.