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The Versatile Blogger Award
Yesterday afternoon was one of the busiest days I’ve had in the past 4 years. We must have seen 200 patients, and while my busier days seem to fly right by, this day was dragging quite slowly. I sat down at my desk to begin working charts when my phone notification went off. Normally I ignore it, but something told me to go ahead and check it. I’m most certainly glad that I did, too! It seems that the lovely the mmmmm family has nominated me for ‘The Versatile Blogger Award’. I have to admit, this totally made my day. Ok, ok… It actually made my year. What can I say? I’ve never been nominated for any kind of anything when it comes to blogging, so once I read, and reread my notification, I was elated! I’ve just recently started blogging, so the notion that someone thought my blog entertaining enough to nominate surely made me feel fantastic – and grateful. I feel a bit under-dressed as I graciously accept my nomination, but hey – my “thank you” is just as heartfelt in my scrubs as it would be in any evening gown. So thank you, thank you, thank you! You’ve made my day!
It feels good when someone relates. I know it shouldn’t matter, but it gives me a whopping sense of elation when I see that little orange notification icon at the top of my screen. Forget the Golden Ticket, Charlie! This is way better! So, thank you so much the mmmmm family for making my ultra-dreadful day into a day of joy! I appreciate all who have come my way and thank you for reading and for the follows. You guys are awesome!!!
So, I’m hoping that I am not too late on this one. Here are the rules:
- Display the Award Certificate on your blog.
- Announce your win with a post. Make sure you post a link back to me as a ‘thank you’ for the nomination.
- Present 15 awards to 15 deserving bloggers.
- Leave them a comment to let them know after you have linked them to a post.
- Post 7 interesting things about yourself.
7 Interesting things about moi? Well, let’s see…
- When I was 15, I managed to sneak from my home in SC to NC for Lollapalooza 93. I jammed front row to Arrested Development, Primus, and many other awesome bands. I even got my nose pierced! Once I returned home from my “church trip”, my new nose ring was promptly snatched out, and I was grounded for 6 months. It was totally worth it.
- I’ve never really lived anywhere long enough to establish a set social circle. This was one of the many “perks” of being a military brat.
- I drink at least 7 cups of coffee a day. If I wake up without coffee, my day is thrown into a total funk and everyone in my path is destined to share my misery.
- My son will never know this, but he is named after the lead singer of Duran Duran.
- I am excellent fisherman! Nothing beats fishing from your own dock in Southwest Florida.
- I spent an entire summer learning how to help build a staircase, lay sheetrock, and turn an attic into an extra bedroom. Of course, the incentive was that this extra bedroom would be my own private bedroom with my own Swatch telephone.
- I’ve wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon since I was 7 years old.
There ya go! A few tidbits about me. Now, without further adieu – here are my nominations:
Just Like Mom Used To Make
I would like to thank Dunkin Donuts for a dining experience reminiscent of meal time at Mom’s house. Who knew that some 15 years after leaving home and heading out into the great, big world of adulthood, this establishment would hold true to the old saying, “Just Like Mom Used To Make”? When I arrived yesterday morning, I was famished. The posted menu with all of it’s combos and pictures really made my mouth water, so much that I could hardly contain my excitement for the breakfast feast in which I was about to partake. That’s when I saw it, in all of it’s golden, flaky glory.
Combo #16 – Chicken, Bacon and Cheese Croissant with Hashbrowns & Large Drink.
Holy Cannoli, I’d never seen anything so breathtakingly delightful! I’d stumbled upon Saturday Morning Breakfast Heaven. Fantastic! Unable to further contain myself, I took my place at the counter.
The young lady who took my order was truly a treat. While I’ve never considered reverse psychology as a marketing strategy, I will say that she employed this new method without hesitation or restraint. “Is your tea home-brewed or is it instant?” I asked. “You don’t want that,” she answered. “Is it bad?” I asked. “No, I made it…” she replied. Her uncanny ability to assess my personal tastes without even having to look up from her cell phone was as close as I’ve come to mental telepathy in my 35 years on this planet. Let’s give credit where credit is due. She knew I probably wanted the tea, but sensed some hesitation in my voice. I get it. Tell me I don’t want it, and of course I’m going to want it even more! Kudos to you, young lady! “I’ll take a large sweet tea.” I continued with my order. “I’d also like the #16 – Chicken, Bacon & Cheese Croissant, please.” She hurried me along toward the end of the counter. “Your order will be up shortly.”
The wait was not long. I’m still reeling in shock that the young chef was able to create my food items in less than five minutes. After all, he put an immense amount of thought and effort into creating my meal. Not only did my meal come out after a few short minutes, but the young man preparing it took the liberty of deciding what it was that I really wanted, and what I did not actually want or need. “Order 177“, he called out. I practically hurdled the booth the get to the counter. There it was, my chicken croissant, basking in all of it’s glory.
Except it wasn’t a chicken croissant. There was no croissant at all, actually. I’ll admit, this threw me for a bit of a loop, as surely I had said “Chicken, Bacon & Cheese Croissant”. What was this before me? Dumbfounded, I asked. “Sir, I believe this may be the wrong order. I ordered a croissant, and this, well… I’m not sure what this is.”
He glanced down at the breakfast sandwich. “Yeah, it’s yours.”
I must be confused. “Well, no, actually I ordered the croissant…” I said as I nudged the sandwich closer to him. He nodded again. “Right. That’s it right there, ma’am“. He pushed the sandwich back toward me. “I made it on a hard roll for you instead of a croissant.”
You did wha?
If ever the universe were to come to a screeching halt, it did at that moment, as cars crashed and glass shattered. Babies screamed and buildings crumbled before me.
“You did what?” I stumbled. I reexamined my sandwich. Sure enough, in place of my buttery croissant stood a hard, powdery roll. Atop the roll lay a single piece of chicken, some bacon, cheese and...what’s this? Sauce.
Sensing the very real possibility that I may fly into cardiac arrest at any moment, the young man inquires, “Did you want the croissant?“. “Well yes. It is pictured on a croissant, and it is described as a croissant. Yes, yes… I would like a croissant. Could you tell me, please, exactly what is the sauce that is all over the chicken? I didn’t realize that it came with a sauce…”
“Oh, I added barbecue.” he smiles proudly.
“Does it normally come with barbecue?” I’m barking now. At this point, I fully expected Freddy Krueger to lunge over the counter. My breakfast dream had turned into a breakfast nightmare. This just couldn’t be.
“No, I thought barbecue sauce would be good,” he replies, “so I just added it.“
He pushed the sandwich back at me.
While I can’t say that I was particularly pleased at the time, I finally see the big picture. Dunkin Donuts, you’ve trained your employees well. As a matter of fact, your entire staff played an instrumental role in reminding me how much I missed eating at Mom’s. You knew what I didn’t know all along. It wasn’t the golden croissant or the plain chicken sandwich meat that I was longing for. It wasn’t the sweet tea or the hashbrowns in which I delighted. It was that down-home, “eat what you get or eat nothing at all” feel from my childhood that I yearned. “Just like Mom used to make.“
Trees Without Roots 