Monday, April 4, 2011

Close-talking waitresses and Happy Endings, aka Take your celebrations where you can get 'em!

Yesterday, according to Google, was the 119th anniversary of the ice cream sundae.

I don't know about you, but I believe in celebrating the little things. Especially when it involves ice cream!

So, TG and I set out to find ourselves ice cream sundaes for lunch. The first place we went to looked like it might be fun: an ice cream parlor, maybe a little past its prime. Still, that could be "quaint," right? The front window display was lined with die-cast model cars, every make imaginable. Very cool...until you looked closely and saw all the tiny dead bugs littering the spaces between the cars.

Uh, no thanks.

We pressed on. Wound up at "Friendly's," a restaurant that truly lived up to its name. Also, since the slogan on their gift cards is "Friendly's, where ice cream makes the meal" we figured we'd have a good shot at finding a sudae there.

Sure, their promise of a "Happy Ending" worried us a bit at first...



...but when we realized it referred to a two-scoop ice cream sundae with choice of toppings, and not our likely demise after ingesting a meal there, we relaxed and settled into the experience.

Our waitress was the sweetest little old lady ever. Bit of a close-talker (you've seen that episode of Seinfeld, haven't you?), but her breath was fresh, so it was okay. Told us all about her regulars, mostly older widows, who apparently come in as much for the company as the food. She even gave one of them her phone number because she looked lonely and might need somebody to talk to after hours. Like I said, sweet. Maybe the tiniest bit creepy, but mostly sweet. 

The important thing is, our sundaes were perfect. I had a classic hot fudge with vanilla ice cream, and TG mixed it up with a scoop of vanilla & a scoop of chocolate beneath his hot fudge. We both, of course, had the whipped cream and cherry. Yum!

Celebration complete.

It's the little things, you know? Sure, that's a cliche, but cliches become cliches for a reason, right?

Have you celebrated anything small or silly lately? Hey, I know! Maybe we should make up a list, for the benefit of those who can't think of anything to celebrate. I'll start it, and you can add to it!

SMALL and/or SILLY THINGS TO CELEBRATE

~Living through Monday

~A good hair day

~A "good" rejection to a query or submission, one that contains enough encouragement that you don't give up

~The first crocuses of spring

~When the dog roaming the neighborhood poops in the annoying neighbor's yard instead of yours

~The boss is on vacation (which, as we all know, is almost as good as being on vacation yourself)

~No cavities!

What else can we add?  And don't forget to celebrate. I recommend ice cream, but anything chocolate will do in a pinch. 

17 comments:

Summer Frey said...

Finding a close parking spot! Or getting all green lights. How about when my cat goes a full day without breaking something?

All celebratory for me!!

Now for ice cream breakfast...

abby mumford said...

i am grateful for it not raining as i walked to work.

for the community of twitter telling me ways to find free boxes for moving.

and wouldn't you know, i bought a tub of ice cream yesterday? celebrations all around!

Kristina said...

Finding a roll of tp in the cupboard when you really, really need one. Getting the garbage/recycling out to the curb *just* ahead of the truck...bonus: showing your pjs to the neighborhood. A $20 in the pocket of last season's jacket...I could go on and on and on. :)

Thanks for the reminder to look for the good!

Patty Blount said...

After a tense March full of drama (Mom's medical appointments, Dad's moving out, brakes burning, etc., etc., etc., etc.), I've been celebrating every win over the software that curses my daily existence.

I work as a technical writer by day and am something of a power user, which doesn't work from a standard, corporate-issued laptop. I battle several crashes, hang ups, and reboots each day and every time I get something to work as designed, it's like a little reason to dance. :)

I am MOST grateful to folks like you who STILL follow me on twitter despite my rants.

Unknown said...

what am i grateful for?

right now, dunkin donuts' iced caramel lattes. i dont think id survive many mondays without them :)

Trisha Leigh said...

I love celebrating spring. The first weekend at the lake. Seeing a great movie. A day off work.

Anything that allows me a drink. :)

Jennifer Shirk said...

Ice cream sundaes for lunch is my idea of HEAVEN!!!!!!

I love celebrating things with ice cream too--or brownies, or cupcakes, or salt and vinegar potato chips. :-)

Bess Weatherby said...

Hmmm...I just made cookies and didn't burn them! That's celebratory-worth, eh?

Have a happy Monday! Is that an oxymoron?

Kimberly Sabatini said...

Ummm Love their Forbidden Chocolate with hot fudge and walnuts!!!! My little celebration of the moment...sitting down after a good run. :o)

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Fresh-baked cookies and dark chocolate-covered almonds. No, make that dark chocolate-covered ANYTHING. And jelly beans.

And I practically scream with delight when I catch all green lights.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Well, you know I like to celebrate a good martini by drinking it. Let's see -- I also celebrate choosing a read aloud book that makes my students beg me to "read another chapter" (and not just to get out of doing work), a right answer from a student who rarely gives one, and a thank you email from a parent for doing something small for their child that apparently meant a great deal.

Linda G. said...

Summer -- Oooh, close parking spot--yes! Cat not breaking anything--yes! Ice cream for breakfast--hell yes!!

Abby -- Ain't Twitter great? So useful! :)

Kristina -- LOL! At least you don't sleep in the nude. You could've given the neighbors a real show. ;)

Patty -- I so rarely win software battles. If I did, it would be cause for a huge celebration. And I love your rants. :)

Karla -- Mmmm. Iced caramel lattes. Yum!

Trisha -- LOL! I'm celebrating our 80-degree whether with a Manhattan as I type this. ;)

Jennifer -- Oh, my, yes on the salt and vinegar potato chips! Need the salty to balance out the sweet. :)

Bess -- Absolutely worth celebrating! And un-burnt cookies make any Monday better. :)

Kimmie -- LOL! A "good run"? Now, there's an oxymoron. ;)

Susan -- Dark chocolate anything--yes. Green lights--YES! Good ones. :)

Dianne -- Perfect way to celebrate a martini! ;)

Michele Shaw said...

The wind was howling yesterday, but the air was WARM! 77 degrees! I'll take it:)Happiness for me!

Jeffe Kennedy said...

Sounds *so* fun - I haven't had an ice cream sundae in forever. But I have been dragged to Friendly's on occasion. Very sweet, just a little creepy...

Unknown said...

Oh I'm so grateful that I found these almond thingies in the supermarket that are so yummy and nutritious at the same time. But I'm not so grateful of how much they cost! LOL.

Unknown said...

Opening a perfectly ripe avocado!

Linda G. said...

Michelle -- 77 sounds worth celebrating to me! :)

Jeffe -- I know, right? I felt kind of bad for being slightly creeped out, but there you are. The ice cream was good -- that's the main thing.

Monica -- Mmm. I love almonds, too. Chocolate-covered ones are the best. ;)

Nicole -- Yes! Ripe avocados are one of life's blessings.