Category Archives: Uncategorized

a watched pop-tart never toasts …

February 16, 2007UncategorizedLauren @ mostly i run

But an unwatched Pop-Tart comes out a bit singed around the corners.

Yep, I learned an important lesson today. Never trust the office toaster oven.

It usually takes forever, so this morning I took my tea back to my office, read ONE very short e-mail, and returned to the kitchen to find my over-cooked (but still partially salvageable) breakfast. I had only turned the dial to medium!

Now I know.

At least it didn’t catch on fire. According to my co-worker (who discovered the ruins of my breakfast), Pop-Tarts are quite flammable. Apparently because of all the sugar, they can cause flames to shoot out of the toaster. (I’m not sure if he’s witnessed this first-hand or just heard about it.)

So of course I had to do some research.

According to Wikipedia, there was a lawsuit in 1992 when a guy’s Pop-Tart failed to eject from his toaster and caught fire. The case was popularized by a Dave Barry column, and proven with an experiment.

After the resulting lawsuits, they added a warning.

“Do not leave toasting appliances unattended due to possible risk of fire.”

Hmm … guess I don’t think I need to read instructions for heading up a Pop-Tart. I’ll check the box for that!

Though, I do recall it saying “Do not microwave” on the foil package.

I wonder if they mean the foil wrapper itself (duh), or if there is also some sort of explosion or reaction if you microwave the pastry itself …

why does this have a lock?

February 15, 2007UncategorizedLauren @ mostly i run

It’s in the bathroom at my office.

We moved to a new office around the holidays, and it’s sorta been bothering me ever since I noticed the key hole.

It makes sense that the toilet paper holder also has a lock, to prevent folks from stealing it.

But a) there is nothing in there that anyone would want to steal, and b) the opening is wide enough, anyway, to remove whatever can be placed inside.

Why?

my first love letter

February 14, 2007UncategorizedflashbackLauren @ mostly i run

It was a card with a picture of two dogs on the front. It came from a kid at summer camp, expressing his feelings for me. I was fifteen, and this was the first time a boy had even paid any attention to me.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the type of boy I wanted to pay attention to me. He was kind of quiet, kind of chubby. Work khaki pants and a blue button down shirt a lot. TO SUMMER CAMP.

He was kind of like Milhouse, actually.

Still, I was flattered. I didn’t save the card, though. I wish I had, because now, almost seventeen years later, whatever it said would be extremely amusing!

ice

February 14, 2007UncategorizedLauren @ mostly i run

So we’ve decided to work from home today. Freezing rain is still falling, and they haven’t treated our street so it is really slick. I’m sure the main roads are better, but why chance it?

From time to time, there is a strong gust of wind that knocks chunks of ice off the trees. Quite noisy when they crash on the roof or deck.

We also feel much better being home, in case a branch or tree falls on our house!

silly me!

February 13, 2007UncategorizedflashbackLauren @ mostly i run

I guess I was a touch shy as a child, but I was also a bit goofy.

Little me, at pre-kindergarten graduation with my diploma on my nose.

At a young age (maybe 6 or 7) I remember goofing around with friends, laughing and making silly noises.

I also clearly remember doing something similar around a neighbor who was the same age as me. She looked at me funny, and said, “why are you doing that?”

There wasn’t a reason, just to have fun! But that was probably the first time, at least that I can remember, of being self-conscious.

As I moved from childhood into adolescence, the goofiness waned. I became more self-conscious. I was cautious when expressing opinions; careful to go along with the crowd.

I wore (usually ugly) glasses from when I was in fifth grade until I was finally allowed to get contacts at 16. I had braces for two years; those were taken off prior to the start of my sophomore year of high school.

Even though I was no longer in that “awkward” stage for most of high school, I still felt like I was. All the people at school knew the old me, most of them treated me like I was still her.

Going away to college was the best thing for me. I got a fresh start, made new friends, and began to interact and open up more freely. It’s also where I met my husband.

On the drive home from my freshman year, my father told me that college turned me weird.

It didn’t.

Contrary to popular belief, my husband didn’t turn me weird, either.

He just helped me recover my lost goofiness!