Thursday, June 09, 2005

move slowly yet be brave

That might become my motto. I really got something from PerfectMatch.

Also, if you didn't see the movie "Millions", I think you'll feel better when you get that taken care of. When you of that get that taken care.

My friend Dup said nice things about my writing on his blog. He had just written in his blog about how long you can live on a compliment. I will be riding "playful, profound and hilarious" on into I think my 40's. I will soon be 36. I am playful, profound and hilarious.

This is what happened with the ice cream cake. If not now, when? I'll tell you now. Although, if you're reading this, you probably know me and then there's a strong chance you'll have heard this story. My mom and I were sitting around one summer afternoon when I was home from college. We were in the mood for ice cream cake. Then it struck us that you don't have to luck into ice cream cake. You can go to Baskin Robbins and get one for no reason. But I don't think they know this at Baskin Robbins. At Baskin Robbins, they will automatically assume you have a reason, and they'll want to know what it is. I say this because I went immediately to Baskin Robbins, and said, "We want that ice cream cake," pointing to a mid-size rectangular number. And the girl got it out for me and said, "What do you want written on it?" And I panicked. In that moment, it seemed impossible to tell her that no, my mom and I are just going to eat it. I thought she would think that was too shockingly piggy or just out of bounds, somehow. But I wasn't in the mood to lie in that moment and make it be someone's birthday or anniversary or something. So, I told her to write "Sisu". Sisu is a Finnish word, it's like the Finnish national characteristic, and it translates loosely to something like 'true grit' or 'perseverance' or 'toughness'. (My mom is from Finland.) (I love how I think there are people out there reading this that don't know me and thus don't know this. The hubris!) So, I spelled it out for her, and thought that was it, we were done. But she wrote it really small with the icing, off to one side, like she was expecting more words, and then she looked up at me like, and then? But there wasn't anything else to say. So I told her to put exclamation points after it, however many it took to stretch it out enough to cover the cake. So I brought home this weird-ass cake that was like

sisu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and my mom was like, what's going on here? And I was like, never mind.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my god, oh my god I want a whole big fat book about you and your mom. I can't stop laughing.

Anonymous said...

oops! That anymous person is really just me. I forgot to put my name.

Anonymous said...

Sorry it kept preventing me from putting my name. Oh crap, it's after something, it has an agenda!

Anonymous said...

Tin-er!!! It's Aliss-er
That made me laugh so loud that the woman sitting next to me peered over her cube box and said," Are you all right?!"
As if I had just turned the corner down loony lane.
love you and thanks for that story!!!
I think there should be a reality show that follows you and your mom around in your day to day travels!!!

Lakota said...

I just found your blog, and it's really nice!!! That story is hilarious!!!

Tina Rowley said...

Thanks, Lakota!