Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hot dog storm, utensil magazine


On the weekend Serge mentioned that he hadn't had Ruffles chips with onion and sour cream dip in a long time and how he missed it. Well I missed it too so when I went to the market I picked up this bag of chips (I don't like Ruffles - too salty) because I thought it was like Ruffles. When we were eating them with the sour cream and onion dip Serge asked why I had bought flavored chips. I said that they were not flavored he was imagining things. Then he went and got the bag. Flavored with a hot dog, mustard and relish. Have you ever seen anything so retarded? They're not so bad, just kind of weird. Hot dog flavored potato chips.


Oh my but did we have a big storm blow through on Monday afternoon. Here is what the sky looked like before all hell broke loose. The sun would have been right there but it was so eerie and the sky was roiling. The rain and hail and wind spooked us so much that we retreated to the interior closet. Yesterday when I walked the dog there were tree limbs down all over the place. It wasn't a tornado but boy did the winds blow. The rain gauge measured 1.12 inches in 23 minutes. That's some storm right there!

Hey I've got another disagreement to bounce off of you. You know how the division of labor in our household works so well to avoid marital discord. Well I had a minor complaint this week and it's about the dishwasher. Remember he loads it up and I empty it out. Well when he loads the utensils he puts them in the little basket with the sharp edges and fork tines sticking up. I don't like this because I've stabbed myself inadvertently more than once so I asked him to put the sharp edges pointing down. He says they get cleaner sticking up. But the basket has holes all through it, surely they get clean pointing down I protest.  Moreover, I have to touch every part that will touch our mouths when I unload the utensils. So that's not very "clean" now is it? He said I just have to make sure I wash my hands before I unload. Comments please. How is it in your house?


Look, we got published! Thanks to Father Tony, we got to see this result of the photo shoot we did in New York back in May. It is for Pride magazine which is distributed for the gay pride week festivities. They feature several couples with a quote and this one was ours. We had a wicked hangover that morning but you'd never know it eh? Also I made a mistake on the quote. It should have said when you're married instead of when you marry. Oh well, the sentiment is the same. Happy hump day peeps! (I say that in solidarity for the employed readers. It's just another day to loaf around for me.)

31 comments:

Jim said...

I think we got that same storm on Monday....sheets of rain and very wild for a while.
Now to the utensil dilemma...I'm with you on this one! Sure there are holes in the carrier, but it can get pretty crowded down there and everything swished together....things can 'lodge' and get stuck. And also, it is safer. And besides, how dirty are you two?

Congrats on being published!
Jim

CoffeeDog said...

Love the pics!

We do our utensils upwards and downwards, best of both worlds.

Anonymous said...

If the utensil basket is removable, then pour the silverware and knives out on the counter or table before picking them up. Mine has a handle on it and I just dump everything into a drawer but your personalty type would need more order, right? Oh, you could wear gloves kept for the purpose of handling food and kitchen things then no germs or stab wounds. Ted

Anonymous said...

Our dishwasher has a basket for the utensils that holds the forks and spoons up but the knives down.

One would never know the picture was taken when you were hung over!

Birdie said...

When the kids were little, we put knives and forks pointy side down. Now that they're grown and should be able to avoid the points, we put them up to get cleaner. When I put them away, I wash my hands and grab them wherever.

Great shots on the magazine! Will you be able to get a copy?

Cubby said...

Were you on stage with Lawrence Welk during the photo shoot? Just wondering...

The pics of you two look great! The one of the storm -- not so much. Yikes!

John said...

That Don Quixote t-shirt is actually amazing. I want one.

jeremy said...

I side with Serge--untensils up. Ceramics / pots on bottom rack, glass / plastics top rack. And that little basket thing should have a handle for easy removal from the machine. So get it up to counter level and then put the silverware away. You're less likely to poke yourself that way.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, I totally get that dishwasher/utensil thing. It took me over a year to train my hubz not to put knives and forks in the rack with the business end up. It wasn't until I showed him how the butcher knife he put in slashed my finger that he corrected his ways.

Although once in a while he slips.

Franciscus van Munster said...

Definitely sharp objects pointing down. No discussion. Everything that goes into the dishwasher is just as clean on top as it is at the bottom, isn't it? Some very serious injuries have occurred because of sticking up knives. Very dangerous!!

There, hope that helps :-)

Mark My Words said...

You're lucky you can tell Serge he's imagining things. If I did that to H, I'd get the silent treatment.

Lol, you DID NOT run into your interior closet!

Always pointy-end down, except for forks. And right on about not touching parts that end up in the mouth (conditioning from being chewed out for doing so when I was a waiter).

dr. mo said...

Can I agree with both of you? I used to get my fingers torn to shreds until I got my hubby to understand that sharp stuff is dangerous. But you should always have clean hands when touching anything you put in your mouth or eyes, regardless of which end you're picking it up from; the germs do move around, you know.

And: fabulous photo, great quote, and I want a Don Quijote shirt too!

anne marie in philly said...

I second franck - this is the way it's done at my house. spouse fills and empties said (brand new) dishwasher with the removable basket.

congrats on being published...you 2 make a handsome couple...17 years...KEWL! and I second cubby here...it can only be lawrence welk returned from the dead!

Anonymous said...

restaurant training indicates that the hand must not touch the part of the utensil that goes in the mouth, but you know that. It is also correct that utensils will not get cleaned as well facing down!
you guys look great!
xx
d&n

rox said...

In our crazy house, I load the silverware up, but the knives down. Our holder is slotted, so it's the only way the steak knives etc. will go in. BUT as an added bit of OCD, I also group my forks, knives and spoons to make it easier to put everything away.

Maybe you should switch jobs for awhile...you load, Serge unload.

Nice spread! You look bold in your red shirt!

Christina said...

I love the photos! I read everyday but don't comment. Those photos are definitely comment worthy (OK ALL the Georgie ones are too!)

Christina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GayProf said...

My dishwasher always has the silverware pointed down. Too much clumsiness on my part would mean losing a finger, maybe even an eye, if I loaded the other way. I agree with you about the basket having holes in it, so I am not convinced about them being magically cleaner based on one direction or the other.

Great photos! Isn't it a bit odd, though, for a photo spread on couples they published you in separate shots?

Patricia said...

Oooooh that was quite a parting shot you gave us poor working slobs ;)

I don't have the slotted basket thingie, I have the open basket that goes the depth of the dishwasher. I know that stuff gets cleaner if loaded upside down but I still put mine in pointed down but I make sure each of the five or six compartments aren't too crowded.

May I have your autograph?

Blobby said...

That is a cool pic. The storm one.

Oh - and the bubble one too. I'm not sure how I feel about you not being together exactly. But you both look good and that's what is REALLY important.

Maurice said...

Great pics, but the storm one has me perplexed. That was during the daytime? I mean, it got very grey and spooky out here in "Upper Westmount" (as I like to call it) and it did rain hard, but nothing quite like that! Funny... you're just a couple of miles east on the same little island, and yet...

Anonymous, too said...

Believe it or not, check your dishwasher's owner's manual! Many contain instructions or tips on loading the machine for maximum cleaning and safety.

Love the shirts, but why did the photographer have you both stare off into nowhere? It makes you look like you're stoned out of your minds!

dykewife said...

we got a terrific storm last night. it dumped tons of rain, hail the size of pigeon eggs and the lightening just didn't stop. there was even a tornado watch for our area (saskatoon).

as to the cutlery dilemma, we put it in handle side up, points down for the same reason you prefer it. that's also because we happen to be a family of clutzes. it's just easier to avoid the pokes and such. we do that at work as well because after it goes through the sterilizer the ends people eat with aren't handled at all and stay clean.

Rick Bettencourt said...

I'm with Serge (sorry). I like to have them pointing up. Besides sometimes they slide through the bottom and get jammed.

Love the picture and the bubbles of you two.

Lemuel said...

You mean you've not had the horseradish flavored chips?! :-D On my son's first trip back home he brought some of those odd (to us) flavored chips with him and when we visited in May he had some more at his apartment. I'm sure the hot dog flavored ones were among them. During our time there I saw a big display of all the flavors in the grocery store near him. (Zehr's?)

Most regular silverware gets placed handle down in our dishwasher. The fork tines get stuck in the plastic "grid" at the bottom otherwise. But sharp knives get placed handle up so that we do not cut ourselves.

Nice picture(s?) of you and Serge. Were they taken separately or were you standing that far apart?

Java said...

Sharp knives go in the basket blade down, but everything else goes in handle down. I like the idea of lifting the basket out and dumping the utensils on a clean counter. I always wash my hands before I put away clean dishes, and nag my children to do the same.

Hot dog flavored chips? That's just weird. But then, peanut butter and jelly mixed together and used as a dip for stale (they're better stale) corn chips (Fritos) is weird too.

The storm picture looks great. I love a good storm, as long as I feel safe inside. We have at least one or two of those roiling black cloud storms every year. Thankfully we've never had any serious damage, though others in the area have.

Tony Adams said...

I think "marry" is preferable to "married" in this case. Pretend you intended it.

The "blades up or down" argument is inapplicable to us because the Baad Lamb refuses to use the dishwasher. I think he considers it a decadent presence in our homes.

To those who wonder why Serge and Richard are on separate pages, that is the style of this annual feature as shot by Marius Bugge. The Baad Lamb and I were on separate pages in last year's issue.

I'm glad I saw this post. It's reminding me to send you a copy of the issue. Also, last year Marius Bugge promised each of the subjects that he would give them one other photo from his session with us. This he did. Did he do that this year? Also, ask Joe how to get to an online version of the mag. It's not available to the public.Your pics are geat. Was Serge happy with them?

Will said...

Props to you both -- you look great in the pictures.

The manual that came with our dishwasher clearly directs the user to have the "business end" of all cutlery pointing UP. So does the manual of the big industrial Hobart dishwasher in the kitchen of Fritz's Center. I put a kitchen towel on a counter and empty the contents of the cutlery basket onto it, then put everything away without undue trauma or laceration.

that's J-O-S-H said...

That is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time! All that's missing is mah favorite dog in the world, Georgie!

Snooze said...

The Pride pic is lovely. I think the caption should have read, "Forced to move to where our union is legal"

As for cutlery, the public health department will tell you without hesitation that you are right - only handle the handles - so wash tines/blades down. In fact, it can be a restaurant violation for having disposable cutlery on display with tines/blades up.

S said...

Regarding the dishwasher debate... Just be happy Serge loads it (thereby helping to clean up). There are plenty of people who don't even do that.