It’s a good thing I have been sick with the flu (and then bronchitis) the last two weeks. Had I been healthy, I would have had time to contemplate what I would write for my first post as an Inland Empire Family blogger. By contemplate, of course, I mean analyze with maniacal zeal using a complex decision matrix outlining the potential themes and motifs. It’s very similar to what I use to decide what I will make for dinner. No, instead of thinking about Inland Empire Family, I spent the last 14 days Googling things like, “What are the odds the flu will kill you” and by logical extension, “California Wills & Trusts formation.” Before I knew it, the deadline for my post arrived without me agonizing one minute. Thank you, virulent viremia.
The crux, naturally, is that now I’ve got nothing.
Not that readers of my blog, Pancakes and French Fries, expect anything less (more?). No, they have learned over the last two years that my blog is much like visiting an all you can eat buffet. You never know what you are going to get and, so long as you don’t analyze the contents of what you are eating too closely, you’ll be fine. Additionally, I’ll go ahead and disappoint the foodies among us right now by stating that, despite what the blog name and food analogies would suggest, this isn’t a food blog, either. Aside from a couple of kitchen experiments, my love of brie cheese, and references to the size of my thighs, I don’t write about food. What do I write about and what can you expect from me as an Inland Empire Family blogger? Well, I suppose that will become clearer when you learn the meaning behind my blog name.
In the spring of 1987, I was 14 years old and staying the night at the house of a friend. At around 2:00 in the morning, still bushy tailed and bright eyed after a night of boy talk, magazine reading, and Saturday Night Live, we decided to make ourselves a little snack. The problem? We couldn’t decide if we wanted something sweet or something savory. Pancakes…or French fries. Of course, at 14 years of age, that wasn’t exactly a deterrent. Instead, we did what any enterprising teenage girls would do: we made both. At 2:00 am.
The next morning(ish) we had a bit of explaining to do (maybe we could have cleaned up better). The utter confusion our menu selection induced was just enough to deflect attention away from the grease and syrup. To this day, that late night snack lives on in infamy with my friend’s family.
So what does this have to do with my blog?
I toyed with the idea of starting a blog for the better part of a year, but the thought of committing to one focus had me itching for my decision matrix. You hear repeatedly that great blogs have focus. Focus?! I usually skip lunch just to avoid the hassle of making a decision. In the end, I decided to be true to myself and write about whatever suits me. I try to write about nothing. Or everything. Just not something. Consider Pancakes and French Fries an homage to the indecisive: those creative individuals who love their spouse, and their kids, and fashion, and design, and cooking, and art, and science, and math, and are looking for someone else who loves it all, too.
I guess if I had to sum it up, I’d like to think Pancakes & French Fries, the blog, is a bit like the story that inspired the name. Spontaneous. Odd. A little bit sweet, a little bit savory. Like my life, and most likely your life, too.
|
