poll: more chocolate

Had a crabby day yesterday. It was the kind of day where almost everything irritated me, from the obnoxious spam e-mails once again insisting that I wanted a large penis to the hassles I've had with Grocery Gateway trying to get a refund to problems I've been having with outgoing mail recently.

Have any of you ever had this kind of day? Inevitably it progresses to the point where every little thing that happens only serves to confirm my overall sense that the world was Out To Get Me.

"Did you SEE the way the traffic light turned red JUST AS I GOT TO THE CORNER?"

"Eep, just dropped my toast. Now, just watch it land on the buttered side down. SEE? SEE THAT?! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!!"

etc.

By late afternoon, even -I- felt like slapping myself around. Good thing Jeff wasn't around.

Then it was time to drop everything and take the subway up to Finch to meet Allison and Jodi for dinner. By the time I got to Bloor and Yonge, however, I was starting to de-froth. I also started to feel like the world's biggest whiner. I mean, it was only last week I was telling everyone how happy I was.

And so I did what I usually do in this kind of circumstance. Reminded myself of some of the bad times in my life, what that was like. Mentally compared that to what things are like now. I'm healthier and happier than I have been in a long time, and have a wonderful husband, family and friends.

And then I remind myself that I never ever want to become the kind of person that gets so obsessed with what are ultimately trivial irritations in life that she forgets the overall picture. I'm sure you've all met this kind of bitter cynic, the kind who is so afraid of life disappointments that she protects herself (or himself) with sarcasm and put-downs, both of herself and other people.

I think I'd rather suffer through a lifetime of penis enlargement spam mailings than become like that.

Anyway, by the time I got to Finch, I was fine. And hanging out with Allison and Jodi at the Pickle Barrel was way fun as usual, ending the day on a high note.

But back to chocolate...

I feel compelled to continue my chocolate poll from yesterday a step further, please forgive me. I actually added this poll question to yesterday's topic, but decided to delete it because I realized it deserved an entire Blathering to itself.

The poll:

Boxed chocolate: Choice and Strategies?

By boxed chocolate, I mean the boxes of chocolate typically used as gifts, often with two trays of a variety of chocolates, filled or otherwise. Some come with "maps" giving information about what types of chocolates there are in the collection, and how to identify them.

First of all, do you like boxed chocolates? Or do you prefer chocolate bars, where you get more of one specific type of chocolate? What is your favourite type of box chocolate? Do you use the chocolate map, or prefer to sample randomly? What are your favourite types? Least favourite?

My favourites: chocolate-covered cherries, and anything with dollops of caramel.

If you picked a chocolate, took a bit of out of it, disliked it, would you force yourself to eat the rest, or would you throw it out?

There are so many ways of comparing box chocolate and the strategy for approaching box chocolate to Real Life that I won't even try. Besides, you've probably already heard the most cliched examples already.

Links/News:

For those going to OVFF: The OVFF concom sent me guest bios and programming info this morning; I've posted it. FYI, someone else will be taking over hosting and maintaining the site after next weekend's conference.

One year ago, I was leaving for OVFF.

Two years ago, I was a speaker at the Surrey Writer's Workshop in B.C.

Four years ago, Tom and Andrea did Guest Blatherings.

Five years ago, Scott Snyder and Adam English did Guest Blatherings.

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Today's Blatherpics:

Helen (who posts as "antonlerchner" in Blatherchat) and Alec, who got married in London on Oct. 12th.