Answering Nancy’s Point’s hopefully-soon-to-be-annual call for 15 random facts about bloggers! Had to look up what I wrote last year to see what the heck I said then. OK, here goes!
- I don’t think I’ve ever shared this here, but my name is Wendi Dennis, and I live (and am from) America’s Coolest Small Town (2014), Berlin, Maryland. It’s about 15 minutes from the beach—Ocean City, Maryland—hence, all the beach pictures I put on various Curmudgeon social media platforms.
- That said, being from Maryland, famous for Maryland crabs, I LOVE crab meat; but admit to not liking the typical steamed crab feast involving the picking of the meat out of the little buggers. Too much work when I’m too hungry—and I have no patience anyway.
- However, when I buy the crab meat already picked, I make a hell of a crab cake. Old Bay seasoning is important.
- I will one day get around to putting the info from random fact #1 on an about page on this blog. One day, when I stop procrastinating, or stop getting distracted by furry animals and shiny objects.
- I love artichokes, but up until a few days ago I only had them already prepared—as in the hearts from a package or salad bar somewhere. I roasted a fresh one the other day. It did not go so well. I need practice.
- I am addicted to iced mochas (or just mochas in the winter). I’m not fighting the addiction, I submit to it with pleasure.
- When asked I say my favorite color is green, yet I buy mostly black clothes and bright blue things. Hmmm.
- I’m kind of afraid of cows, which is not a great thing living in an area that has some farms with, you know, cows.
- I love to read, but never seem to have time. Or I fall asleep as soon as I sit down to read. Audible is the best thing for me these days. Currently listening to “My Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South” by Rick Bragg. Love it.
- One of Bragg’s essays in the book is in praise of sitting on the porch. He didn’t specify screened in or not, but I love sitting on screened in porches too, just to watch the world.
- I somehow manage to get syrup all over myself every time I eat pancakes. So I rarely eat them, though I do like them. If I go out for breakfast and have them, I want to go home and shower and change all my clothes, because I’m convinced I’m covered in syrup, whether I am or not! I call this syrup paranoia.
- Syrup Paranoia is an excellent rock band name (remember when Dave Barry’s columns would say this or that dumb phrase would be a great rock band name?). Who wants to join my band, Syrup Paranoia?
- As I mentioned on Facebook when I shared Nancy’s post the other day, the small c made a comment about loving clowns that made me remember a random fact about myself—I am afraid of clowns.
- Oddly enough, my grandmother gave me a toy clown doll when I was little and I loved it. Not sure what made me change!
- In my random 15 last year I said I don’t feel grown up. I still don’t. A year did NOT make any change in me, in spite of the fact I have gone through “the change” (as women in my below-the-Mason-Dixon-line call menopause).
Well that’s all I can think of for now! Hope I did not infect anyone with my syrup paranoia.
anotheronewiththecancer 
Love learning more about you and super excited to learn your name at last!
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Thank you, ha ha. Like I said, I’ve just been procrastinating so much on updating this site. Oh well, some day.
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I LOVE everything crab — crab cake, crab soup, crab legs, crab this and crab that. Pancake syrup is messy. I don’t eat a lot of pancakes, but when I do, I usually serve the syrup a little bit at a time. Now I’ll be thinking of you next time I have pancakes. I suspect that weirdos ruined the reputation for clowns, like that Gacy guy from the 1970’s, and perhaps some writers too. There are also horror movies made about them which may be one of the reasons why a lot of people aren’t fans. I can understand why clowns can be intimidating to some people though. There’s this clown who calls himself Puddles (Pity Party). He is a lot of fun. He performs all over the country, maybe you’d like some of his act.
It’s always nice to learn more about our online friends. Thanks for sharing about yourself! xoxo
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Oh man, the little bit of my syrup at a time method is my downfall–it seems to be when I pour it is how/when I get it all over. Whew, I’m nervous just thinking about it!
Yeah, it probably was the movies and news that made me fear clowns.
Thank YOU for sharing about yourself too!! xoxo
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Wendi, for the longest time I didn’t know your name, which is why I’d call you “Curmudge” in my comments. I still like the name “Curmudge” for you, although Wendi is a perfectly good name. Oh, and I like crabcakes too.
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Ha ha, I never had a nickname growing up, I guess I just wasn’t the type to have one? Too serious as a kid? Probably. So I gave myself one, ha! It’s all fine, call me either! Good to hear from you!
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Hi Wendi,
Thank you for joining in on my little blogging challenge. What fun to read your list. Your fear of cows made me chuckle. Come to think of it, I see cows sometimes when I am walking my dog and they do sorta scare me, too. I often wonder what I’d do if they get loose. Once in a while they sorta charge. I am not a fan of crab meat, although this is probably due to where I live. Sorta land-locked here. Plus, like you said, it’s so much work to get at it. Had it once or twice when I visited the West Coast. I don’t even know what crab cake is. Do you remember the clown in “Poltergeist”? That one scared me. It always seems like clowns in circuses or elsewhere have to try too hard… And I have been planning to update my site for ages. Someday… Thanks again for joining in.
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Thank you for offering this challenge–it is good to get out of my own head a little bit. Ha, can’t remember if I posted some pics on instagram or FB, or which page, but a little Lhasa I walk likes to challenge the nearby cows on our walk, so I took pictures–I’ll have to find them. The cows just looked at us in shock–could not believe such a little thing was coming after them. Just another episode in the zany life of pet sitting–all to go into my memoirs when I get around to it, in which, naturally I will have to change the names of the pets to protect the guilty.
Crab cakes are just crab, breadcrumbs, a binding agent and of course Old Bay — I use the recipe on the side of the Old Bay can as a starting off point, then I improvise.
Ugh I was all set to switch and upgrade this blog site, but the transfer would mean I would likely lose all my old posts, and I just don’t have the patience to deal with it right now. Bleh.
Thanks again.
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Did you know Southern Living Magazine named Berlin, MD one of the top 20 small southern towns to visit in 2016?
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Yes I did, I just saw it yesterday–thanks!
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I’m not paranoid about syrup, and I love pancakes, especially blueberry pancakes, but I would gladly join any band called Syrup Paranoia.
🙂 Kathi
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What a great name, right? Why didn’t I think of it when I was younger and the “right” age to start a band? ah, I guess I did not have the life experience that creates wisdom–a wisdom which includes the treachery of sticky foods.
Sorry I have an off the wall sense of humor sometimes!!W
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Love the “syrup paranoia.” I have olive oil paranoia. Great list!
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OMG I forgot about cooking oils–you are sooooo right. Argh! And after I posted this, I realized I have a knack for getting stickiness all over myself due to my love of iced mochas–as mentioned in the list. Maybe my random fact should just be: I’m messy, especially with food, which sucks because I love to cook! Good grief! 😌
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LOL!
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So I love this & also hope it becomes an annual thing. So fun to learn more. I also wear mostly black. And I love Syrup Paranoia LMAO!!! Would LOVE to visit MD and enjoy fresh crab cakes. Old Bay is the best for seafood seasoning! And also not even close to being grown up! =)
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I hope we make it an annual thing too! I have to really think sometimes about this stuff which seems so mundane to me and realize that it’s completely unknown to others.
As for syrup paranoia–well, if I’m not turning my crazy fears into something I can work with–what can I do, ha ha, ya know! Hey, if it cannot be a band name, I want it to be a real thing, a real phobia–or maybe it is, the fear of being sticky, I’ll have to look it up! Tho’ I’m not sure I have a phobia, I seem to always be sticky with food stuff! xoxo
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