The McRib Returns

I saw this headline on Yahoo and squealed with joy...

"THE McRIB RETURNS"

Seriously, SERIOUSLY?!!! OK, so I admit to being a bit of a food snob sometimes, but in this case I can't help myself! This is as close to manna from heaven as you can get. Juicy porky goodness, wrapped up in a soft white bun with little bits of spicy onion, swimming sweet BBQ sauce... yum. I'm so ready for my fix!

"It's like running through a field of four-leaf clovers. It's like finding a unicorn chillin' at the fountain of youth. It's like a hundred Christmases slathered in barbecue sauce. It's the return of the McDonald's McRib sandwich.

The McRib phenomenon is something special in fast food. It's an incredibly popular pork sandwich (cut to look like a short stack of ribs) that only appears once every so often. Despite fans clamoring for it to become a full-time member of the McDonald's menu, the folks at the Golden Arches unleash its pork-flavored fury only once in a while. That time is now.

The McRib (which contains 26 grams of fat, FYI), will appear at every Mickey D's for six weeks.Why is it so popular? An excellent article from Sharon Bernstein quotes one Brian Goodman, 27, of Grand Forks, N.D., talking about his devotion to the sandwich: "I am a huge fan of the McRib, and I am glad to have it back," he said. "I just happen to find this really gross, deformed pork patty to be delicious." That pretty much says it all.

Indeed, the McRib's cult following is something that many acknowledge, but few can explain. There may be basic psychology at play -- people want it all the time because they can only get it every so often. It's like a sandwich that plays hard to get."

- Mike Krumboltz writes for Yahoo!.

I have a funny memory of being big time pregnant with Spencer back in 98 and trying to order at the downtown Hanau, Germany McDonalds. The lady behind the counter kept pretending she couldn't understand what I was saying, even though McRib is pronounced "McRib" in German. I just kept saying it over and over... "McRib bitte, McRib!!!,... etc" She kept saying "Vas?" I got super hot under the collar so she got her manager to help me. I said "McRib bitte?" and he said, "Ya Ya, McRib" all disgusted. But you know he was thinking, "OK you, größe, ugly Amerikorean, I hope you choke on your McRib." I didn't though, I loved every bite!

August Babies

Our family births babies in cycles... even the in-laws can't escape. For example, my husband only has one brother-in-law (Gary) and one sister-in-law (Candice). It just happens that they have the EXACT same birthday. On top of the two in-law birthdays, Scott's grandmother's birthday is in Aug, my mother's birthday is in Aug (TODAY), my cute nephew Van's birthday was yesterday and I had two children almost exactly ten years apart in this most celebratory month! 1994 and 2004.

Phew.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout to all my people and wish them the happiest of happy birthdays, especially since we cannot manage to get cards out on time! We love you guys and will do better next year.

My August baby stats:

Oliver- born at 10 something in the morning... crazy hard labor and delivery, like 20 hours... with the help of forceps... 9lbs, 6oz and 22" long... most beautiful baby ever! Didn't sleep through the night for the next 5 years.

Sophia- born in the afternoon???... pretty easy labor and delivery, maybe 5 hours... 8lbs, 4oz and 21" long, I think... most high maintenance baby ever! Didn't sleep through the night for the next 5 years.

They love each other so much, it makes me teary.

Does Anyone Remember....

Do you guys ever have weird memories of things and no one else knows what the heck you are talking about? This happens to me a lot.

For example, does anyone remember those BYU short films from 70's? A few of them still live on (Johnny Lingo, John Baker's Last Race, Uncle Ben, The Phone Call), but a lot have simply disappeared. Like the movie about the brother and sister who kept fighting at the dinner table and then the brother got hit by a car and the sister was asked to give blood to save her brother's life. So, she did, but there's a twist... she thought that, "when you give your blood away, you die". Holy cow, she was willing to give her life for her brother?! Of course the little girl did not die, but that's not the point.

OK, how about this one. A little boy is on his way to school and is hit by a car (again?) and his parents are devastated. His father especially has trouble dealing with the loss and controlling his anger. He finally is able to forgive the young teenage driver when he sees a sign his son colored in his bedroom that simply says, "Love One Another". This one was based on a true story.

PLEASE tell me someone remembers.

How about "Blind Love". The story of the single gal with self esteem issues who marries a blind man. (Set in the 30's or 40's) He later has the opportunity to restore his sight through a revolutionary operation and she is super scared he won't love her when he sees her. Of course when he does see her for the first time, he loves her and thinks she is beautiful.

Help me.

Oh one last thing, does anyone remember those hair ties from the early 80's that were made out of 2 pieces of fluffy yarn, simply twisted together? I think Drew Barrymore wore them in E.T. If so, what were they called?