Everyone Loves a Boston Girl

It’s no secret that I’m not exactly the biggest Sandra Lee fan. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate her for comedic value. And sometimes will even watch her for a good laugh (watching drunk people cook is always funny). But you know what? Michael Ruhlman wrote a really interesting piece about her for the Huffington Post that actually made me think. Here’s the gist of it:

“Nay, brethren, I say watch Sandra Lee if you like her, make her recipes, and make them again, because eventually, you are going to want more, and you are going to want better. I don’t care where you start, only that you start.

Even Thomas Keller wasn’t always Thomas Keller. He was once the cook who made ‘spinach’ fettuccine using green food coloring.

I don’t care where you start, only that you start. America will be ready for you, with fresh hog bellies to cure and ripe tomatoes at the farmers markets, with genuine, glorious Parmigiano-Regianno in almost every grocery store. America has only just begun to cook.”

Wow. There aren’t many people who could change my mind about Sandra Lee like Michael Ruhlman can. Of course, Sandra thinks Parmigiano and Regianno are two different things, but whatevs. You know, this makes total sense. I don’t consider myself a food snob, but maybe I have kind of been one. Especially with my hating on Sandy.

Sandra Lee is doing more than lots of people are doing these days. She’s cooking. And she’s trying to make it easy for you. So what if she drinks a gallon of vodka, decorates her kitchen in puke-worthy colors, and is obsessed with Cheez Whiz and Cool Whip?

I guess I’ll take back all the mean things I’ve said about Sandra Lee and give her a little credit. But please, Sandy, step away from the boxed cake and learn that mixing flour, sugar, butter, and some eggs is really just as easy (and twice as good). And that cake will taste way better with that semi-homemade martini of yours.

Hi, my name is Susie and I’m a Twitter addict. Though maybe not addict, because really, that’s such a dirty word. I’ll go with enthusiast, yes?. And as a Twitter enthusiast, you know what I absolutely cannot stand? When people claim Twitter is “dumb.” Ughhh just stop doing this. If you’re calling Twitter dumb, lame, stupid, pointless, etc. you’ve either never used it or you’re using it wrong.

Why you shouldn’t leave Twitter for the birds:

• All the people I follow on Twitter are basically my co-workers. I work from home and sometimes go crazy without human interaction. Sometimes I see something cool and need to share, sometimes I need a quick chat, and sometimes I just want to see what others are up to. Twitter is Ah-mazing for this. My Twitter followers are my co-workers. But less annoying because I can minimize them all if I’m not in the mood. They don’t have nasty stale coffee breath or annoying ring tones. They don’t heat up smelly Lean Cuisines in the microwave and they don’t read emails over my shoulder. Twitter? Thank you for giving me the best co-workers on Earth.

• If Twitter is dumb, it’s because the people you follow are dumb. So, follow different people. Duh. Saying Twitter is dumb is like saying your friends are dumb. Or that you have really, really bad taste. Why are you following people who don’t have anything interesting to say? No offense, but you’re dumb; not Twitter. If you follow the right people (for you), Twitter is anything but dumb. You can learn lots, discover new things, and hear the world’s news first. Not dumb.

• Ever have a question that you just can’t find the answer to? That Google can’t even help you out with? Ask Twitter. They’ll answer it for you. That’s not dumb, that’s smart.

• Obviously you already know how to make friends and you probably have like a billion of them. And you don’t need internet friends, right?? Well, then you’re not very smart. Because you can always use more friends. Or acquaintances, really. Networking is the key to life and Twitter is the key to networking. You never know who you’re going to meet on Twitter. You might just chat with them via Twitter, you might take the next step to email, and you might actually meet them in real life. The bottom line is, the relationships you make on Twitter could change your life. Why restrict yourself by not using it?

• Twitter got cupcakes delivered to me last week. CUPCAKES. Twitter, I’ll never quit you if you keep pulling stunts like this.

If that’s not enough to get you to join Twitter, well, Martha Stewart is even on there. And she says absolutely hilariously awesome things like this:

Now, tell me Twitter isn’t amazing.

By the way, you can follow me on there @Susie. Be my co-worker.

Among other things, my parents have always taught me that hard work will get me anywhere I want. I was going to write a whole post on that. Because it’s so, so true. And while it’s been my mantra for my entire life, it’s never been more true than of last year. Lucky for me, I love the work I do. But sometimes I’m still left feeling drained and tired.

But then I get confirmation that all my hard work is paying off and it just feels so wonderful. So, really I’m just here to brag right now. My hometown paper wrote this awesome article on me and Chels and our We are not Martha venture. It landed the front page and got us some attention… and hopefully some new opportunities. Working with your best friend on something you’re incredibly passionate about and ending up with memories like this? Dreams come true.

And it was fun. And yup, life is good.

That’s all for now.