DawnPapuga.com — Reality 101

(L to R:  ChachiAKA8Bit, DjLunchbox, DocRemedy, and FatherSpoon)

As previously noted, I’m laid up with a nasty Kidney infection which means I couldn’t even make it to the YinzTeam game last night to cheer my friends on from the sidelines.  In short, that sucks.  Yeah, we’re all connected through the social media outlets and we’re able to keep tabs on one another throughout the day, but part of what makes the Pittsburgh New/Social media crowd so unique (at least in my eyes) is that we use those platforms to actually get together and have fun.  I’ve met some amazing people over the past year or two, and I’m thankful for all of them.

While balled up in what feels like a permanent question mark position, I got a text from @DjLunchbox to check my email.  The pictures I found waiting for me made me smile for the first time since I’ve been in the fetal position with this illness.  The one above is my favorite, and it means a lot to me.  And Father Spoon (aka Doogle) posted a run down of the madness that was the last regular season YinzGame–I understand there were planks to walk…

Thanks, yinz guys, for making me feel better and missed!  You really made my day.

It’s Friday, and that means another installment of the Friday Five!  Since we kicked this off last week we’ve added a few more folks wanting to join the fun.  There’s plenty of room in the pool, kids, dive right in!  Well, look before diving and remember that there’s no lifeguard on duty here.  Off we go!*

Friday Five for July 18th:  Bad Food

1.  What was the last meal that caused you to be ill?

I bought deli made Broccoli Au Gratin from a supermarket a few weeks back, and I’m relatively certain it caused my last bout of food poisoning.

2.  Are there any places you never dine anymore because of a bad experience hours after the meal?

Not that I can think of.  I’ve had bad experiences with wait staff, with other customers, and with parking lot availability, but I haven’t had many occasions where I’ve contracted food poisoning from a restaurant. 

3.  What’s your prescription for dealing with a food-caused illness?

A conveniently placed bucket, clear path to the bathroom, mint ginger ale, and either Pedialyte or Gatorade.  If you can keep Pepto down then good for you.  I also tend to turn off my phone and curl up in a ball. 

4.  When friends tell you about coming down with food-caused illnesses, do you avoid the places they name, or do you figure it’s a dice-roll wherever you go?

It depends on the friend, really.  If someone with a touchy stomach tells me about getting sick I might not take any pains to avoid the place.  If they contracted botchulism, that’s a different story.  But if it was just a mild case of food poisoning, and it was only one friend, I would probably still give the place a chance.  If it was a number of friends passing on this info over an extended period of time, I would probably avoid that restaurant.

5.  After numerous citations, a very, very popular restaurant that you’re quite fond of is shut down by the health department until it can get everything up to code. When the health department gives the restaurant the o.k. to reopen, do you go?

Ha… well… yes.  First thing that comes to mind with this question is the Chi-Chi’s incident.  I miss their Seafood Nachos like you wouldn’t believe!  And if they reopened anywhere within 3 hours of me, I’d likely make the hike for a Margarita, Seafood Nachos, and Fried Ice-Cream.

Who Else is Friday 5-ing?  (You know you want to join us…)

*As always, the Friday 5 questions were taken from Friday5.org.  If you join the fun, be sure to let me know so I can add you to the link list!  And don’t forget to send those questions in that you’re itching for us to answer!  Don’t worry, we’ll gladly pimp your blog for the effort. 

Everyone who has been through college has some kind of memory associated with food.  There are certain foods that, even today, I find myself balking at because I ate them to excess while in undergrad.  Sometimes it was out of convenience, other times it was out of necessity.  What foods do you associate with your college years?

1.  Ramen Noodles.  I’m pretty much over these little sodium-filled packs of “soup.”  Every once in a blue moon I find myself craving them… until I make them and remember exactly why I don’t eat them anymore.

2.  Mac and Cheese.  I could eat Mac and Cheese every day with no problem.  When I got bored, I’d add some flair:  Tuna and ketchup (Yes, I am aware that most people think that’s gross), chicken and broccoli, and even beef tips.  I can still eat Mac and Cheese on the rare occasion that it’s served somewhere (OMG the Sixth Penn Kitchen has the most addictive “home made” Mac and Cheese I’ve ever tasted!!), but I’m not likely to make it.

3.  Soup.  I still eat a lot of soup, but I practically survived college eating soup and drinking coffee.  Though it has been my favorite for as long as I can remember, I haven’t had Broccoli and cheese soup since I flipped my tassel.

4.  Pizza.  Some people never lose their love for the pizza.  I can now take it or leave it.  Unless we’re talking about Campiti’s… in that case I’ll have two larges to go in the brown paper bag, thank you.