Disappointed

Well this sort of thing really creases me.

The other day, our neighbors gave us a small fortune in fresh lemons off the tree in their backyard. Wondering how we could put all those lemons to good use, I had a stroke of genius. I went to the store and picked up a simple little hand juicer so I could save the fresh lemon juice.

Only, when I tried to peel the label of the glass jar, this is what I ended up with:

NOTHING will get this gunk off. I tried scraping it and the glue just smeared. I soaked it in hot water - no good. I even pulled out the industrial solvent Goof Off but even that wouldn't work. You wanna know why? Because these people used the SAME GLUE NASA USES TO AFFIX THE HEAT TILES TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE. There is no sane reason why the label on a hand juicer needs to be THAT STUCK to the jar. It is just poor packaging plain and simple. And disappointing.

I am totally blogging about this, I thought to myself. People will pump their fists in solidarity and send me back-slapping e-mails.

So I stood there and juiced. And ruminated. And juiced. And stewed. And juiced some more.

Of course, I would have to start out by explaining how we have the greatest neighbors anyone could ask for. And how we stand at the fence sharing barley sodas and shooting the breeze from time to time . . .

I looked up from my juicing and noticed what a beautiful day it was outside and thought how nice it was that a paper-pusher like me got the chance to be doing something in the kitchen so elemental as juicing lemons . .

And then I will write about how I plan on marinating some chicken in the lemon juice over night and throwing it on the BBQ after work tomorrow . . . and how there is nothing like good grilled chicken in fresh lemon juice . .

I looked at the inside of a just-juiced lemon rind and saw that it was stripped bare - the juicer was working like a charm. This is so great . . . I should have thought of juicing lemons before . . .

Now where was I? Oh yeah, then I will come back around to the theme of the post which is disappointment and how . . . wait? Is that right?

I thought as a cool breeze wafted through the window along with the afternoon sun . . . Man, it really is a beautiful day . . . and this is pretty fun work all things considered . . .

Oh, yeah. Disappointment. What was it that got me so worked up a few minutes ago? That's right! The crummy label glue!

But now that I think about it, and all things considered, you would have to be a dope to let something so small as a gummy lable ruin such a peaceful moment. Oh that's right. I'm disappointed.

In myself.

Photo tour (for anyone who might be interested): This is the kitchen counter that our dear friends put in for us last year. Just to the left is the coffee maker. Just to the right is the sink with a window directly above it that looks out on our backyard. Just out of the frame to the left is a beautiful photo of two friends taken one winter day in Manhattan. Next to that is the cheap (and crummy) wireless speaker we bought 5 years ago to celebrate being in escrow on the house. Next to that, a framed picture of our beloved friends the Kesslers. Next, a photo of my mother feeding a giraffe at the Wild Animal Park. Next, the empty hummingbird feeder that has been there for a week - waiting for me to buy more mix and fill it. Next, a photo collage frame featuring our two cats who passed away. The wife gave it to me on my birthday at our favorite restaurant the day after one of them died. Next over, the cup has Annie's bottle brush in it.

In the foreground, the bowl was a wedding gift 17 years ago. The cutting board is from an Eddie Bauer picnic set that my mother bought for us as an engagement gift 17 years ago. Then, of course, the famed new juicer.

"Disappointed."

What a dope I am . . .