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Friday, September 3, 2010

Overheard

A recent conversation in my household:

Me: Did you throw my burnt sponge away?
Remi: Yes. It was dead.
Me: But I was going to take a picture of it for my blog.
Remi: I don't think it's just the sponge I should have thrown away...

Let's go back in time to last Tuesday evening. Yes, my sponge got burnt because (I'll let you decide):

A. We had nothing else to eat and I thought about cooking it up.
B. Juliette learned to play with matches.
C. I was disinfecting it in the microwave.
D. Charcoal makes a great dish detergent.

You know me well enough to realize it was C. Just another in a series of mishaps that can only happen to yours truly. But to be fair, I was (loosely) following instructions from a magazine tidbit about disinfecting your kitchen sponges. And since I do often notice that my sponges get that not-so-fresh smell after a while, I thought, why not. They said to rinse it and put some liquid detergent on it and microwave it 3 minutes. Ok, so I think I did it more like four and I smelled some smoke so stopped the timer. And used my metal tongs to take it out then doused it in the sink. It was never on fire, just charred. So that's the last time I follow seemingly good tips from magazines. From now on I'll just boil it. Or buy a new one.

But the above conversation between my hubby and me highlights an even deeper problem. The need to report ridiculous things on my blog. There, I'm doing it again! As I looked down at the burnt sponge in my sink, a smile started creeping over my face. This would make for a good post, I thought. Are there any other bloggers out there who are living this "I blog, therefore I am" kind of thought pattern? Always projecting ourselves onto the screen, always writing a phrase to sum up what we're living? Maybe I was always a bit like this, having a penchant for noting down my thoughts or writing running commentaries in my head. Sometimes I can't fully enjoy the moment unadulterated (like when I'm basking in the sun and watching ducks paddle by) because I'm thinking about how I might write about it.

Such is a blogger's fate. Stay tuned for more riveting burnt sponge moments.

6 comments:

Ksam said...

Ha, I totally do this too - in fact, one of my last posts on my old blog was pretty similar - about a quiche that had been forgotten in the oven and was blackened to a crisp!!

PS. I either put my sponge in the microwave for a minute, or otherwise I just run it through the dishwasher.

Amber said...

I'm guilty! I think that's why I keep one eye on my new neighbors and the other on my computer screen, in case they do something crazy or interesting and i'll have another chapter to add to their saga.
For the record, i'd never even thought about disinfecting a sponge. I think they cost about a euro for six at Carrefour, so into the bin they go when they start to get a little ripe.

Jessamyn said...

Don't be worried about your need to post. It's natural to want to share those thoughts - it's how we connect with the world. And it's lovely that you found something funny about the experience - that you didn't let failure or your husband's mocking stop you from wanting to talk about it.

Jenenz said...

I would have liked to seen the photo of the sponge. It's a part of life, experiments in the microwave.

I've heard of people using their dishwasher to cook their food. Like steaming salmon in one of those oven bags. I bet if you google, you can find creative ways to utilize the microwave and dishwasher.

Can't wait to see the next photo.

Crystal said...

A) I have also burnt a sponge trying to disinfect it in the microvwave. Sponges are cheap...I just buy new ones now.

B) Writing about life's little mishaps and funny stories is why we start blogs in the first place. I think everyone likes to put their life out there in some way, eager to have feedback from friends and strangers. It makes us feel connected (especially ex-pats) and can help fill the void of real life friendships when you are living somewhere that has limited access to "in the flesh" friend meet ups.

So keeping telling us about your blunders. We love reading about them! (even from work when we havent had internet at home for over 3 weeks...)

Anonymous said...

That was truely riviting!!!! I also think your writing is extremely entertaining and funny or why else would I click into your blog as I'm slam dunking a sandwich on Friday before my 20 minute lunch break is over and I have to go pick up 19 unruley children.
You should be famous, I mean it!
Love you