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Home » Culture and Criticism

Incomiiiiiing!

Submitted by on May 26, 2009 – 10:51 PM24 Comments

Welcome, new/temporary readers coming in from Kottke.org.   (And any other new readers, of course.)   Happy to have you, and hear your comments.   New readers and longtime companions, don’t forget to have a look at the FAQ, which is over to your right there in the sidebar.

Tomato Nation also has a Twitter feed; the username is “TomatoNation.”   Clever, no?

Also: stay tuned for the N Cereal AA, set to launch in a couple of weeks.   Bracketrix Emerita Keckler is taking mat leave for this round, but you’ll no doubt see her in the comments; joining me in the commentary booth is the estimable Wing Chun.   I’d like to look into a sponsorship of some sort for the cereal face-off — what this means for you, dear reader:   free stuff — so if any of y’all has contacts at Kellogg’s (or a milk company, or another breakfasty/snacky what-have-you that would like to use me as their cheap marketing hussy), please email or comment.

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24 Comments »

  • Soylent says:

    Kind of related, but I was thinking of your over 25 list as I watched the Murtaugh episode of How I Met Your Mother and wondered what your thoughts were

  • Tisha_ says:

    I have a 25 list related question.

    This part: “Give up your seat to those with disabilities or who are struggling with small children.”

    A million % yes! BUT, I had a related problem not long ago, and I need suggestions.

    So, I had to go to the doctor to get blood drawn for just your run of the mill bloodwork.

    Just typing the “b” word twice there, makes me wanna fall over.

    So, here’s my problem… I had been thinking about the b for like 2 months, so by the time I’m in the TINY waiting room, waiting for the b to be drawn, I was literally shaking and jiggling, to keep from passing out. I don’t know why, but it helps… to shake or jiggle my legs and hands and stuff (I probably look insane).

    And of course, there are only 7 seats in there. Thankfully, one was empty when I walked up. Then, of course, 10 minutes later, in walks a gentleman with a cane and obvios physical impairments, and his wife (both of these people are, I’d say, in their 50’s.)

    Again, thankfully, someone had just emptied one of the seats, to go get their own b drawn. So, the man with the cane sat down.

    His wife, was my problem… what to do??? I was the youngest person (by 25+ years) in the room, but if I had stood up at that point, I would have passed out. I felt so bad. I just sat there jiggling, and didn’t know what to do. What should I have done? Should I have explained why I didn’t give up my seat? Should I just have given up my seat and fallen over? To make matters worse, like, the 2nd oldest person in the room tried to give up his seat for her, but she wouldn’t take it, so they both ended up just standing around, trying to wait-out each other. After 15 minutes, the old man finally sat back down.

    Anyway, please advise me here. I truly was telling myself, “Get over it! You’re being a baby! You will be fine!” but I just couldn’t do it.

  • Karen says:

    You know, I enjoy the over 25 article, I always have, but I take issue with the, “…or stop eating cheese” part.

  • cayenne says:

    Cereal brackets – yay! Count Chocula ftw!!

  • SarahW says:

    Am I the only one who doesn’t see a sidebar at all, let alone one with an FAQ? Hmmm…

    I also love the 25 and Over article, but always took issue with the crashing with friends when traveling thing. Half the time I go somewhere it’s because I’m visiting someone, and I always just stay with them! I also host people at my place all the time, and I am pushing 30. Hotels are so expensive, I view it as a “that’s what friends are for” kind of thing, same with moving. But then again, I am poor as a church mouse. :-)

  • Amie says:

    @Tisha_ I always give people the benefit of the doubt in situations that, particularly in medical settings. I don’t know why they are there, so I can’t judge if they are more “deserving” of the seat or not. Illness and injury in those situations trump age alone. I had a friend who became physically disabled in an auto accident at a young age and she always felt guilty when she used the handicapped parking spots at shopping centers, even though she was justified in doing so, because sometimes little old ladies and gentlemen would give her the eye until/unless they noticed she had a physical impairment. Sometimes you can’t tell by looking at people, and unless they are being jackasses about it, I assume they have a need (for the seat, for the parking spot, to use the elevator instead of the stairs, etc).

  • Jennifer says:

    I love the over 25 article to pieces. It has been in my head a lot these days, especially as my (26 yr old who make the salary of a well-to-do 40 yr old) friend will be staying on my air mattress for the second weekend in three weeks. Granted, I’m in NYC, so I grant some leeway there, but good grief.

    @Tisha: Been there, though for other reasons. My suggestion: put your head between your knees. This will indicate your lack of well-being and help with the lightheadedness. :)

  • Katie says:

    The new comments to the article on Over 25 (which I have always loved and totally agree with – at the grand old age of 32) seem to have assumed you are a man.
    That interests me only because I think it is always very clear when an author is male or female, and despite knowing you are indeed of the female variety, anything that insightful, witty and etiquettely-and-socially-in-tune SURELY was written by a woman.
    Heh.
    PS For those interested in etiquette, can I recommend a site I have recently found that is hilarious – http://www.ettiquettehell.com

  • Keckler says:

    I will so second that Count Chocula win! I was craving it a few months ago and was beyond bummed I couldn’t find it at Safeway. Nor could I find Boo-Berry or Frankenberry (the hell?!), so I had to settle (and it was a total settle) for Coco Puffs.

    Not the same thing at all. Plus, it stabbed my mouth.

  • Tisha_ says:

    Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I wouldn’t feel so bad, if I had a REAL medical problem, but honestly… I’m just a big baby about blood (EW!)

    About the cereal, I must say that I really hope that the Yogurt Burst Cheerios (vanilla!!!) are on the list, beacuse they are so awesome. Oh, and frosted flakes, for sure!

  • autiger23 says:

    SarahW- The salient detail in both the moving thing and the staying with friends thing is that you can’t *expect* it anymore. If you are invited, that’s different. If you say, ‘hey, friend, I’m coming to your town next month’ and they say, ‘sweet, want to stay on my couch?’ that’s not the same as showing up on their doorstep, or expecting an invite and getting ticked when none is forthcoming.

    On moving, I’ve only ever asked my friends to help me with the large, awkward (but not heavy) things that I couldn’t manage myself. Everything else, rent a freaking dolly, strap three boxes on it at a time, and handle it yourself. I did it with three flights of stairs and still got it done in an afternoon. Then, when my friend showed up to help with the mattress and bookshelf, he was done in twenty minutes and I still took him out for supper. It’s called being responsible for your own crap. But that’s just my opinion, not standard practice. I only help people move who I know won’t be packing at the last minute (come on- plan your time properly when people are already doing you a huge favor) and who will rent a freaking truck big enough to get it all in one load. I knew someone who expected friends to on load and off load a small truck three times. Think about how much of the day it burned to have them going from one place to the other that many times besides the loading and unloading. A bigger truck only costs about $20 more per size upgrade. You end up spending more on the mileage with a small truck and more trips. Also, get two groups of people- one shift to load and the other to off load. That way you don’t waste the entire day for them.

    PS- I’ve moved 13 times in the last 15 years. There’s also a limit to how many times you are allowed to ask the same friends to help you move. My personal limit is once. Period. At the most, once every three to four years. Otherwise, see the part about renting a dolly for $45.

  • KAB says:

    The cereal bracket is probably the best bracket yet! God, I love cereal. Honey Bunches of Oats ROCKS. As do the various new varieties of Special K – with Stawberries, with Fruit and Yogurt, with Vanilla Almonds. Yum.

  • Krissa says:

    I’m so excited for N-Cereal-AA! My favorite since childhood is original Cheerios with 2% milk. Oh man, now I want a bowl RIGHT NOW and I only have skim milk anyway…pretty sure it’ll get slaughtered in the first round, if it even makes the brackets, but it will always be the winner in my heart!

    I’ve never had Count Chocula. I feel perhaps like I should remedy this situation.

  • Sandman says:

    Skim milk is a rip-off! Also, it’s grey. I better stock up on some Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs to get in shape for N-Cereal AA. Can’t wait!

  • tulip says:

    Aw. My Grandma (god rest her soul) used to keep a hidden box of Count Chocula at her house just for me. Makes me tear up a little remembering that.
    My mom was a small bowl of Frosted Flakes before bedtime gal and I have to say that I am with Krissa on the Cheerios with 2% milk. I have to add sugar sprinkles though.
    Go N-Cereal_AA! I can’t wait!

  • Ash says:

    I have just read the newer comments to the “25 and Over” article. I loved that article when I first read it and four years later, the points are even more salient. But then again, I could be well on my way to becoming a grumpy old curmudgeon.

    What struck me though, reader many of the newer comments was how much I love the good ol’ TN readership. Thoughtful replies, respectful disagreement and a willingness to look at another point of view, no matter how personally challenging it might be. Oh, add having a good sense of humour to that list.

    So many of the newer voices replying to that article lacked all of those qualities. And then some. I think that is all I’ll say on that. Trying very hard not to use the expletives that kept coming up when reading the inanity.

    The upside is that I get to see Sars bitchslap them back into place.

    So I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for ‘just being you’. For me, you make the world feel that it is a nicer, funnier, thoughtful, kinder and relatively saner place.

  • Jaime says:

    Ash: You too, huh? I’m glad to know I’m not alone. You were much more diplomatic than I would have been.

    I’ve been looking forward to the NCerealAA since Sars first floated it as a possibility. It will be a good excuse to splurge on the sugar-y cereals I don’t usually let myself have, the same way I binged on cheese during the inaugural NCheeseAA event. (Dozens of amazing-sounding cheeses in that bracket, and what did I have to have first? Port Wine spread. Yeah, I’m classy.)

  • Sandman says:

    @ Katie: ” … despite knowing you are indeed of the female variety, anything that insightful, witty and etiquettely-and-socially-in-tune SURELY was written by a woman.”

    Hey, now! Not that I disagree; heh. Some demurrer seemed called for.

  • Krissa says:

    @Sandman – it IS grey, you are correct. My roommate has a bit of a delicate relationship with lactose, so we compromise – we can do skim, but only organic. Somehow organic skim milk still tastes like milk – much moreso than non-organic. Not sure why.

    Comments at 25 and Over – agreed, Ash. I had to stop checking it because it was making me want to hit back, and that goes against my Tomato Nationalist’s heart! :)

  • Annie F. says:

    Skim milk is delish! I can’t drink even 2% anymore… (I never liked the full fat milk, too thick over my Cocoa Pebbles).

    @SarahW…of course you can have friends stay with you, and you stay with friends. That’s not the point Sars is making…she is saying you shouldn’t *expect* to stay with that friend. It is one thing if your friend says to you,”You need to come visit me,” and you book your tickets; it is presumed that you will be saying with said friend. But if you say,”Hey, I’m coming to town…”, you need to expressly ask or be invited. This distinction is important, and it definitely involves moving from the backpacker mentality of youth. It always shocks me when people my age assume these things.

    FWIW…I am 30+ and totally curmudgeonly, and love this list, even the thank you notes! :-)

  • Sandman says:

    Hey, I’ve been laughing randomly over “wearing a tie. MADE OF THANK-YOU NOTES” for some days now. And I’m equally grateful for the reasoned, friendly, supportive tone – not to mention the awesome sense of humour – of the ‘Nation. Visiting other spots makes me realize what a rare thing such a point of sanity is on the Internerd. Curmudgeon salute!

  • Sarah D. Bunting says:

    @Sandman: If you’re not naming your own band Curmudgeon Salute, consider it stolen.

  • Shannon in CA says:

    Now featured on the “Tomato Nation: 25 and Over” Summer Concert Series: “Curmudgeon Salute” promoting their debut album “Wearing a necktie. MADE OF THANK-YOU NOTES”. Contact your local tomato retailer for details.

  • Sandman says:

    Hee. It’s yours for the asking. Maybe Curmudgeon Salute could open for Six Figures of Damn! at ‘materPalooza later this summer?

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