Wednesday Whine: G~Free Idiots

June 30th, 2010 § 1 comment

There are a plethora of websites and blogs on Celiac Disease and eating G-Free; I know, because I check out my competition (also, I borrow their neat recipes). With the popularity of avoiding carbs and the increase in autoimmune disorder awareness, why is “gluten” still such a foreign word?

I started a new job a few months ago and right away, I was bracing myself for the moment I would have to tell co-workers that I can’t have wheat. I hate the incessant questions, “Can you have this?”, “Can you have that?,” “Does this have wheat in it?” Previous experience has taught me that people don’t even understand the words “gluten” and “Celiac,” even after I describe them. These new co-workers were no exception.

Maybe it’s just the handful of people I’ve encountered who aren’t bright enough to comprehend “gluten-free”. You know, the kind of people who say, “I says” and “Eye-talian” – can’t expect a whole lot of smarts there.

Two particularly ridiculous moments come to mind. (1) A lady came over to me, “I like to bring in a baked good for my birthday – you wont be able to have that – but I also bring in a fruit salad. Can you have fruit?” Really? Is the fruit covered in flour? Because last time I checked, fruit didn’t have wheat in it. (2) One day pizza was being ordered for lunch. I was seriously asked, and this is an exact quote, “I know you can’t order pizza with us, but what about something else from the restaurant? Like pasta.” PASTA?! Since when is pasta the g-free alternative to pizza? I’m not sure people think very hard about the things they say. And sadly, these were separate people who said these things.

Even something as seemingly simple as dairy vs. non-dairy can’t be mastered by some people. I remember when my sister was younger and couldn’t have dairy, we had to request everything without it. And people actually asked if she could have eggs. Are eggs squeezed from a milk-giving animals teats? No? Oh ok, then it looks like eggs are NON-DAIRY.

Are people that stupid? Or do they just not think? I was hoping that when Celiac Disease became mainstream, people would be less retarded about it. So far it seems the dumb people will always ruin it for everyone else.

No Wheat!

No Wheat!

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G-Free Review: Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery

June 28th, 2010 § no comments

Hidden in Pewaukee, WI is the home of the best g-free baked goods I’ve ever had, Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery. They have an extensive menu from brownies to pita bread to sheet cakes. I’ve only tried a few things so far, but everything I’ve tried hasn’t disappointed.

The most recent purchases were rolls and  a cake for my dad’s 50th birthday. Vanilla cake / vanilla frosting (he’s a boring guy, what can I say?) – but it was AMAZING. You couldn’t tell it was g-free. Usually g-free baked goods leave a weird feeling in my mouth. Not Molly’s cake! And those rolls… wow. Plain, they were delicious. Warmed up, they were delicious x500. It’s not easy to bake soft and moist g-free foods, but Molly’s has mastered it.

Previously I’ve had their raspberry dream cakes, which are small cake sandwiches with raspberry cream filling. The cake part tasted like a Twinkie but felt a bit heavier. It was so delicious. I should learn some more adjectives, but really, there are no words for something this yummy.

Dad holding his beautiful cake. Says, "Buon Compleanno, Maurizio"

Dad holding his beautiful cake. Says, "Buon Compleanno, Maurizio". Please note his "Italian" expression.

I can’t wait to try everything on their menu! Has anyone else been to Molly’s? Was it as fabulous as my experience?

Molly’s G-Free Grade = A+

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G-Free Review: Red Robin

January 25th, 2010 § 1 comment

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. used to be a favorite place of ours to eat before I knew I was a Celiac. They make huge, specialty burgers and have delicious onion rings. Not that I *can’t* have burgers, but they’re no fun to eat without the bun and onion rings…

We haven’t gone there in a while, but we got a massive gift card from my dad (hi, Dad!) who knew we liked it a lot, so we decided to see what they had besides plain meat patties.

Turns out… a lot!

  • They post a g-free menu online. It looks sadder than it is. I found other things on the regular restaurant menu I could have if some things are just substituted.
  • The staff was accommodating and knowledgeable. I didn’t see the menu before we went in, so I guessed at the safest thing on the menu. I asked the waitress about their nacho platter because they use both flour chips and corn chips. I told her just to use the corn ones. Instead, she asked the cooks about it and informed me that even the corn chips might not be safe. She replaced the chips for their wedge fries and I had those covered in the nacho toppings. It was pretty great. I could have gotten really sick if she didn’t double check like that. Go waitress!
  • AND they also have a lovely allergen alert system:

We will be going there without fear from now on!

Red Robin’s G-Free Grade = A

Sunday Scribbling: Yes

January 24th, 2010 § no comments

Sunday Scribbling this week asks an interesting question: What have you said yes to that changed your life?

Aside from the magical, “yes, I will marry you” I said 2 years ago, I think the 2nd best thing I agreed to recently was buying an iPhone and convincing my husband that Apple was, in fact, amazing and not evil.

Since we have gotten iPhones, we have both been taken over by the wonderful world of Apps.  I love useful apps.  I’m not a fan of just installing anything because it’s free or interesting if I won’t use it more than the one time.  I will gladly pay money if it’s something I’ll use for a good amount of time.  I love talking about apps, seeing what apps my friends have & like, I have compiled some of my favorites.

Luciana’s Favorite iPhone Apps, Edition 1

  1. Facebook (free)- because I’m addicted and love checking it from anywhere, anytime. fb
  2. Slacker Radio (free) – this is the best radio out there.  It’s highly customizable.  Not like Pandora, where you can choose exact artists to start with, but you “like” certain artists and songs as they appear and you can alter the frequency you hear these artists.  You can also choose the popularity of the songs Slacker chooses for you.  They have a lot of genres to pick from and give you plenty of regenerative “skips”. Comedy and movie scores are my current favorites.  Very awesome for when I’m at work!
  3. Flight Control ($.99) – Best. Game. Ever. I highly recommend trying this game out.  It’s simply guiding airplanes into the landing strip…  it gets progressively harder, has a few maps to choose from and it’s very addicting.
  4. Catan ($4.99) - if you love the board game, you will love this app.  It’s basically the game in it’s entirety, but on the phone.  You can play with 2-3 AI’s or 2-3 other people.  The only thing this game lacks is the ability to connect to other phones for multi-player – right now, you have to just pass the phone.  I’m sure that change will be patched in time.
  5. BigOven (free) - this is a large recipe database.  It is the best one I’ve found so far (that’s free).  You can even put in some leftover foods and it will try to find a way to make them into a meal.  If anyone knows of a better one, I’d like the info!
  6. Amazon (free) – I love buying things on Amazon.com and this app is just a smaller, faster version of the website.
  7. Sim City ($2.99) – I put this on the list because I know my husband loves it.  He stays up until 4am playing this sometimes… It’s almost exactly like the PC game: build a city and make your little people happy.

I’ve been looking for a good g-free app, but that hasn’t been found yet.  I’m always looking for another addicting game or handy app so let me know your favorites!  Now, the question will be “yes or no?” to whether the app is worth our money or not!

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Blessed

January 16th, 2010 § no comments

Sometimes I shock myself with the amount of compassion I can feel.  I know I”m so blessed and maybe I’m just growing up and realizing how much I really have and how many people actually have nothing…  But lately I have such a heavy heart for people less fortunate than I am.

My family might be broken, but I can see a little neighbor girl’s family in pain and unraveling.  There’s nothing I can do for her (unless I suspect abuse, which I don’t yet) except pray.  I hear her cry many mornings when her mom screams at her to get her “f*cking boots on”.  Every morning this little girl has to go to school with tear stained cheeks, probably feeling alone and unloved.  I remember what it was like to have a parent on edge who yelled a lot.  Maybe that’s her situation, that will get better.  Maybe it will get worse.  I don’t know.  I don’t even know her name.  I know that I get teary when I think about her and hope someday I’ll be able to help her in a tangible way.

My finances might be in poor condition, but we are not poor.  We have so much.  This country has so much.  We wipe our asses with $5 bills and the people in Haiti live off $2 a day.  I am more upset that people have no compassion than I am for the Haitians.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m so sad for them.  I donated my $10 via the Red Cross and I think we will again – because really, $10 is the *very* least we can do.  What I cannot stand is when people get upset at celebrities for helping others.  So what if an actor chooses to donate their money to the cause of their choice?  What are YOU doing with your money?  No one can help everyone all the time.  I think it’s wonderful that people with a lot of money can help where they do, no matter their reasons.  Many US shelters are open because of donation, not because they are profitable.  I would like everyone whining about celebrity charities lacking National priorities (ie, they should be “fixing” US problems before aiding others) to reflect on who they have charitably donated to with their time and money.  If it’s no one, then maybe you should try living on $2 and see how you feel about poor countries then.

I might be unemployed, but I’m marketable.  This last year has been particularly rough on my family as there are several unemployed parents.  Parents with high level degrees, work experience and strong work history.  We all know they will find work again though.  There are those people though, who can’t hold down a job and who are struggling to feed their families and have no hope of working anytime soon.  I’m so grateful for my chance to be able to go to school and have a degree.  I’m so grateful for my working experiences.  They have given me opportunities for the career experience I need to get started in entry level writing jobs and they have given me excellent references.  I feel so sad for everyone who feels hopeless and like they are running out of options.  I could still become a career counselor I suppose… Again, there’s nothing I can really do for people except pray for them.  Which feels so trivial.  I want to donate all my time and money instead… and if I didn’t have a husband or need a job to pay growing bills, I might be able to do all three.

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Banned Words?

January 6th, 2010 § 1 comment

Normally I don’t care about trivial linguistic debates.  Trivial debates include how to pronounce 2010, and the right & wrong of regional dialects.  (For the record it’s “twenty-ten” and “bubbler” is the correct term and it’s not the same as “water fountain” :P ) 

Most ridiculous is this list that’s put out every year of banned words and phrases from Lake Superior State University (basically some elite group has decided some words/phrases are overused or just plain silly so they want them banished).  This is a culmination of what should have been Tuesday’s Lang&Lit post and today’s Crabby post. 

I’m not thrilled with this list.  First, because it allows some group of people to decide what words should and shouldn’t be used for usually dumb reasons.  Second, because some words that are listed are the ones that I want to explore further when I decide to go to Grad School.  These words are what make languages evolve.  Third, because who cares?  Most of these words are “banned” because they’re simply overused or the old-fashioned elitists don’t like creativity.

Why are people so against creativity in language?  I’m as conservative as they come politically, but linguistically, I think I’m more liberal.  Don’t get me wrong, I love correcting grammar and using proper punctuation, but I think when it comes to syntax and new words: I love the changes and evolution.  “Slang” can be an interesting way to study a culture.  In language learning, you don’t truly speak like a native until you learn their slang.  This still means that in certain setting it’s always a bad idea to call your boss “dude” and type emails in all caps or all lowercase.  I think this goes for blogs, too.  STOP TYPING IN ALL LOWER CASE, YOU MORONS.  You aren’t writing a mass text to all your friends, you’re putting your thoughts into the internet for people to read and comment on – do it intelligently, especially if you’re writing about nothing except what you’re doing this weekend and your new haircut.

The 2010 list:

In these economic timeswhat times *aren’t* economic?  I can see how this is stupid. 
Stimulus - yes, it’s overused and yes, it probably wasn’t implemented correctly.  Maybe it should have been called a Hopeful Stimulus. 
Toxic assetsI had to look this one up… but I guess it means “bad loans”?  I don’t know… I kind of like the phrasing.
Too big to fail - makes no sense – get rid of it.
Transparency - meaning “obvious” – I think it works.
Appseriously?  What’s so wrong with abbreviations that are grammatically correct?  What else would refer to an iPhone application?  I’m guessing the people who made this list don’t have iPhones or this wouldn’t be even suggested.  They also must be bitter that they are technologically retarded and refuse to jump to the year 20-10. Ha.
Teachable momentthe main complaint I read about this word is that it’s applicable to too many situations… since when was that bad? It’s not a terrible phrase, & I don’t care if it leaves us but I’d like it if people had intelligent reasons for wanting it gone.
Obama words -I don’t like him but why not name silly things he thinks or does after him?  Didn’t everyone love doing that with Bush & Bushisms?  Oh, I forgot, we can only make fun of conservatives.  My bad.
Czar - “a high authority position”.  Not sure why people hated this one so much.  I don’t listen to the news so I wasn’t really annoyed by it.
Shovel-readymeaning “ready for implementation”. I think it sounds stupid so I support the vote to remove it.
Twitter/Tweet/Twitterholic -I’m fine with Twitter and the annoying people on it and their clever new terms.  What I’m not ok with is this comment from a random guy on the LSSUwebsite, “People tweet and retweet and I just heard the word ‘tweet’ so many times it lost all meaning.”  Since when does repetition make something LOSE meaning?  He’s from Mexico, we won’t take him too seriously.
Sexting* -  Sexy + texts. Makes perfect sense to me. I love this new word
Bromance*I’m a fan of all man-related blended words.  Mandals (man + sandals) is another personal favorite. This should never go away.
Chillaxin’* - Chill + relax. It also makes perfect sense.

Be sure to check out past banished lists, the current list & people’s idiodic comments.

*I have a special place in my heart for blending as a way to make new words.  This was a hugely important way that Old English transformed into Modern & Present Day English.  The haters of blended words need to CHILLAX because languages change!  This is what I would like to study in Grad School – word formation and language evolution.

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‘09 Reflection

January 5th, 2010 § 3 comments

Thanks to a lovely blog I read, for reminding me of of my livejournal meme roots.  Everyone loves a good old-school survey.  If not to read, then to fill out.  I’d love to know other people’s answers even if you don’t care about mine :-)

Five things that 2009 taught me:: (1) Spending $$ out of your means is a bad idea  (2) Being married is a lot of work  (3) College degrees don’t get you a job very quickly like I thought  (4) Worthless people will never change  (5) It’s important to stay close to friends.  Life sucks without them.
Five personally significant events of 2009:: (1) My wedding!  (2) Adding on a new last name  (3) College graduation  (4) Being more social  (5) Learning to drive a manual car
Five things I want to do in 2010:: (1) Lose 40 lbs  (2) Find a solid job  (3) Eliminate most [if not all] debt (4) Write more  (5) Get a puppy
Five things I don’t want to do in 2010:: (1) Get pregnant  (2) Give birth  (3) Be unemployed  (4) Acquire more debt  (5) Have more family drama [not really in my control though]
Five things I love beyond all reason currently:: (1) My husband  (2) My sister  (3) iPhone  (4) Celebrity gossip  (5) New abundance of quality time with friends
Five things I don’t like with good reason currently:: (1) Family drama  (2) Local news  (3) High rent  (4) Cleaning the stove  (5) Being bored at work

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?  I went on a vacation with a boy & I learned to drive stick!
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  I usually don’t make resolutions because I’m bad at sticking with things
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?  Nope
4. Did anyone close to you die?  Nope
5. Travel?  Husband & I went to St. Croix, VI
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?  Feeling good about myself
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  January 10, 2009 – our wedding!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?  Graduating college
9. What was your biggest failure?  Gaining so much weight
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Nope
11. What was the best thing you bought?  An iPhone
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?  Mine.  I think I did an excellent job of learning to be a wifey this year.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  Most people’s
14. Where did most of your money go?  Our wedding & rent
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?  The wedding (duh)
16. What songs will always remind you of 2009?  “At Last” – Jamie’s version
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?  Happier – I was really stressed about wedding things last year
ii. thinner or fatter?  Fatter :-/
iii. richer or poorer?  Richer probably
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?  Work out & read
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?  Eat & solely play WoW
20. How will you be spending New Years?  Spent it with friends :-D
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?  No, I was already in love.
22. What was the best book you read?  old Michael Crichton novels and The Wideacre Trilogy by Phillipa Gregory
23. What was your greatest musical discovery?  Lady GaGa – ha!
24. What did you want and get?  an iPhone
25. What did you want and not get?  a puppy
26. What was your favorite film of this year?  not sure I saw anything worth remembering
27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?  I turned 23.  It was my golden birthday and was supposed to be wonderful but family drama got in the way.
28. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  Having someone to share in the best & worst part with me.
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?  Sweat pants.
30. What kept you sane?  Good friends to hang out with and my supportive husband.
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Steve Carrell – I discovered & fell in love with The Office!
32. What political issue stirred you the most?  Obama’s socialism
33. Who did you miss?  I missed an old high school friend that I don’t get to see much anymore
34. Who was the best new person you met?  Didn’t meet anyone new, but I got closer to Ms. Brittney & I’d have to say that was pretty wonderful
35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year

Through the good or lean years
And for all the in between years – come what way

Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you’ll let me love you
It’s for sure I’m gonna love you – all the way, all the way

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New Year, New Skill

January 1st, 2010 § no comments

Here is the journey I made making a gluten-free apple pie.  It wasn’t easy because gluten-free dough is ridiculous to work with. The pie looks a smidge burnt, but tastes amazing!

I started with this crust:

mix

Let’s be real, I wasn’t about to make the crust from scratch the first time I’m making a pie *ever*.  It’s from The Gluten Free Pantry brand and I bought mine at Health Hut, a local hippie store.  I’m sure other places have it, too.  I just followed the directions on the package… it was pretty easy. Not a big deal.  After I made the dough, I placed it in the fridge.  Cold dough is much easier to work with than warm dough (at least for gluten-free).  So I balled up 2 halves and wrapped them separately in plastic wrap.

This is when you’d want to start peeling and slicing 6-7 apples.  I recommend Granny Smith.  I put my slices in a bowl of cold lemon water to prevent browning.

pie-apples

After an hour or so, I took out one ball out and attempted to roll it out.  Not only was the dough tough to work with because it was hard and cold, but it was falling apart because it’s g-free.  Even after it warmed up a bit, the falling apart only got worse.  This is when my crabbies started.  I had to use a lot of rice flour to keep the counter and my rolling pin from even sticking in the slightest.  One small pull would cause the dough to fall apart.

pie-rolling

pie-flour

I used Ener-G brand rice flour because that’s what the hippie store had on sale, but I think any g-free flour will do.  After greasing a pie dish, I gently placed a half circle of rolled-out dough into the bottom.  The whole circle of dough will not lift off the counter without falling into pieces.  I pinched together the seams.  It’s a little messy but not terrible…

pie-bottom

Next, is the apple layering inside.  It’s hard to measure it out since I guesstimated with my mom’s recipe.  I started by cutting up a few Tbsp of Butter and putting it in the bottom followed by a few Tbsp of Sugar and a sprinkling of Cinnamon.

pie-layersapple

pie-layers

On top of that goes a layer of apples, then a sprinkling of 1 Tbsp of Rice Flour.  This gets repeated until the pile of apples is heaping over the pie dish level.  Arrange slices if needed so that mostly rounded edges are facing up, as to not poke through the top layer of dough.

This is the point of more crabbies.  By now, my 2nd ball of dough was too warm to work nice.  When I rolled out the pieces, it fell apart a lot more than before.

pie-ready

The top of my pie looks like a patchwork quilt…

The picture  is a little dark, but you can clearly see this is not pretty.  After sealing the edges and trying to press together the top, I brushed an egg white over the top.  Then sprinkled sugar all over it.  This seals the dough, makes the top shiny and also allows the sugar to stick.

The pie gets baked at 400* for about 20 min, then 350* for 10-20 more.  I baked mine a bit too long…

nastypie

That’s my beautiful sister gnawing on the edges.  She & my New Year’s Eve guests didn’t seem to mind the minor burns.  Overall reviews said it was tart, but in a good way.  I personally prefer sweet apple pie with lots of goo in the middle.  I had a medium amount of goo, so I will probably add more flour to the center layers next time.  I highly recommend this brand of pie crust – couldn’t even tell it was g-free!

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Sunday Scribbling: Brave

December 13th, 2009 § 5 comments

I think 2 things are very brave*. (1) Marriage and (2) Not settling.

Yes, another post about being married.  As our 1st Anniversary approaches, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to be married and how much I love it and the things I don’t like.

Choosing to permanently tolerate the worst of someone because you love their best is a brave decision.  Key word: permanently.  I heard someone say once that for “better or for worse” doesn’t mean “for better or until someone screws up” (maybe I even made that one up!).  I knew what I was getting into when I got married and even in Year 1, there were some times I wouldn’t have minded a do-over with someone new.  But backing out when it’s not pretty isn’t brave… it’s completely the opposite.  Forging ahead together when life is ugly is just as brave to me, as something cliche like being a solider or firefighter.   They don’t get to pick and choose the “good” parts of their job, why should a couple (or one of them) get to choose only the “good” parts to stick around for?

The other side of that is choosing not to settle for just anyone.  Dating doesn’t have to be a super serious venture all the time.  Even in adulthood, I don’t think it’s necessary to foresee possible marriage with every single person you go out with.  But it’s definitely cowardice to be with someone just because they make your life less lonely.  No one NEEDS someone else to be a whole person.  We are all whole people, alone.  The brave choice is to be single until someone worth your time comes along.  They are the one that should take up your time&energy.  Time&energy shouldn’t be wasted on someone you will obviously never have a future with (either because you know you won’t want to, or because it doesn’t look promising).  Being brave and not settling could apply to anything, really.  But in today’s economy I’m not going to say that you should hold out for a dream job when McDonald’s wants to hire you.  Use your head people!

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

Ruth 1:16-17

*This idea has been sparked by:

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10 People I Like, part 1 of 1.

December 10th, 2009 § no comments

Barbara Walters had her “10 most interesting people” interviews. I don’t know the art of interviewing people, but I don’t think Barbara should really be on the air anymore. She’s grotesque to look at, no? And her voice is annoying.  Also, I went away from the special, only interested in half the people.  The others were just “popular” and not interesting.  I don’t know about interesting, but I do know there are 10 people I’d love to meet and talk to.

10 people (dead&alive) I would want to meet and maybe amateurishly interview:

(in no order)

Anneliese Marie Frank – Better known as Anne Frank. She has been my favorite person since 5th grade when I read and fell in love with her story. One project in high school involved dressing up as a historical person, learning everything about them and becoming them. We were interviewed as our person and had to answer as them. I think I knew Anne Frank inside and out. It was awesome. Anyway, she made me love writing and reading and helped me deal with my own troubles growing up.

Noam Chomsky – best known for being the “father” of linguistics. I’m really fascinated with language acquisition and Chomsky started the debates for all sides with his strongly universal stance regarding grammar rules. Basically, that all humans have the innate ability for language learning. Others who disagree say we don’t and that it’s relative to the person, hence the name “relativism.”

Lauren Conrad – mostly because I’d like to know what it was REALLY like on The Hills. On camera and off. I’d love to know how much of that show was real and how much & what wasn’t. Also, she wrote a book about nothing special and if she can, I can!

Heidi Montag Pratt – also would like her take on The Hills. And I want to see what she looks like up close. Plus, she&her sort-of interesting husband just wrote a book and I will need to have connections.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck – I think she’s just lovely. I hate that she never is allowed to finish her sentences on The View, even though she’s the only one with a college education… HMM. I’d love to talk to her about celiac disease, g-free things and her political views since they are changing and I’d like to know why.

Sarah Palin – a smart conservative lady who doesn’t get the respect she deserves. What’s funny is she’s also smarter than the people who make fun of her. I look forward to reading her book and I think she has some good stuff to say. I want to know where she got her kid’s names, too. As I am an avid fan of weird names!

Steve Carell – do I really need to explain that I wanna meet him because he’s hilarious?

Britney Spears – she seems interesting and I bet she has some fun stories.

Michael Crichton – America’s greatest author. I don’t care about those “classic” authors who wrote the “Great American Novels” because (1) most of those books are boring and (2)Michael Crichton’s books are ridiculously well researched, informative and entertaining. He is terribly fascinating with his various background experiences and writing skill. I would have loved to meet him before he died.

JRR Tolkien – he made up his own language. He should get an award for just that! But he also created worlds&characters that turned into some of the greatest stories of all time. The Lord of the Rings books (& the Silmarillion) really changed how I saw fantasy lit. He and Crichton are really tied for best author, but Tolkien can be Britain’s greatest author, since America has one.

*Notice most have written books, either intentional or not. I like writers :)

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