I’m late posting this week’s edition - blame it on a rainy, cold-ish day that was made for reading and snuggling up with my cats. It’s the last B&B for April, so if you’re a subscriber, be on the lookout for a thread where it’s your turn to bitch and brag. If you’re new to my Substack, the back story is here. Time to circle up, kids!
Bitch: I have all this produce I bought last week and no desire to eat any of it, except for the little bits of lettuce and tomato I put on a sandwich, or the baby carrots and radishes I dip into hummus because I’m hungry and feel guilty for not eating enough veggies.
Brag: Last night I finally got to Church Bar in Baltimore, a place I’d been wanting to visit since I first read about them. Great little spot with warm, inviting décor, old church pews for seating and repurposed worship books for menus, tasty beverages, and a delicious curried chickpea salad under the heading of “An Interesting Salad” on their menu. I love a bar with a clever, innocuous name, like My Father’s Office in Santa Monica. “Where were you last night?” “I was at Church.” “I was at My Father’s Office.” I mean, where is the lie?
Bitch: I took all my fall and winter clothes to storage…only to have the weather shift back to cooler temperatures that require more layers of clothing. I may go back over there and grab a sweatshirt.
Brag: Kudos to the brands who have wisely offered their email lists the ability to opt out of Mother’s Day emails. Looking at you, Ancestry.com and Papa & Barkley - I appreciate the sensitivity that your marketing teams are demonstrating. The rest of you need to reassess your email marketing campaigns and lists and set up ways for subscribers to opt out of holiday-specific email blasts.
Bitch: A little over a year ago, I found Sir Kensington’s ketchup via Amazon Fresh and I’ve searched in vain to find it locally. I don’t know why it took me so long to find this article that said the company stopped making it. This ketchup was so good: not too sweet, with a hint of kick that’s reminiscent of cocktail sauce. I don’t use ketchup often but when I do, I don’t want syrupy-sweet, watered-down tomato paste. Don’t you dare mess with the Special Sauce next, Sir Kensington! We need nice things!
Brag: Just about every year for the past 6 years, Pops and I go to a Baltimore Orioles game when his favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, come to town to play the O’s. Every time we go, the Tigers win1, which makes Pops happy, but is a bummer for me as an O’s fan. On Sunday, we went to an afternoon game and it was a pitching battle, with some great defense as well on the field for both teams. No one even scored until the 8th inning. At the bottom of the 10th inning, the Orioles won in a walk-off, 2 to 1. The crowd went wild as Orioles second baseman Adam Frazier slid into home plate. The streak has broken with these father-daughter baseball outings and I hope it’s a positive omen, because there are several other streaks I’d like to break in my life.
I still haven’t confirmed whether or not the Tigers have won in every Tigers v. Orioles game we’ve attended together, as that involves a good deal of research and I am too distracted with other crap to be bothered.
Great photo!