That's so Ravens

[from cheezburger]

This made me smile! Pre-season starts in exactly 4 days!

Maryland Crabs!

Yesterday we planned to go to Hershey Park, land of chocolate, water slides, and roller coasters; basically, paradise. We made the plans back in March, and we'd spent months looking forward to it. As the special day approached though, things started looking grim. First, three of our group had to cancel, and we were down from seven to four. Then, there was the weather. All week long, we checked but the forecast religiously. I even changed my location to Hershey, PA on my phone's weather app. But the forecast never changed, and called for thunderstorms all day. We felt so let down, like little kids. I told my BFFs Shannon and Kelsey that we could do something else instead, an indoor activity

[Me, Shan, Kels, Spring 2010]

But none of us could think of anything fun to do indoors. I swear, there's something about the summer that makes staying inside sound like torture. Unless there's a 120F heat index, that is. Gross

Anyway, one of us suggested crabs, and after that, there was no other option. We had to get crabs. The end. Joe suggested Sue Island Dock Bar in Essex, MD, and within 5 minutes, we'd made a reservation.

We ate out on the dock, under a pavilion filled with picnic tables. It stormed a little while we were out there, but we didn't get too wet, and the breeze off of the water was really nice.

We ordered 3 dozen large males, a couple buckets of beer, and some corn. That's 9 crabs each! Waiting for crabs is torture, but we had beer and live music to entertain us!

[Me and Kels]

[Shan and Joe]

And they came out soon enough, steaming hot, spicy, sweet, salty, and delicious.

We dug right in, and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. And then, we ate more anyway, because you don't waste crabs! Sacrilege! 

 [Joe]

[Shan]

[Me]

 [Kels]

We were there for about 3 hours, enjoying the food, the atmosphere, the music, and each others' company. By the end, the table was quite messy, just as it should be. And as for us? We were just as messy as the table. I didn't quite make it to my 9 crabs, but I came close, eating eight, plus an ear of corn and two beers. 

I know they eat crabs all over the world, but nowhere does it like good old Maryland. There are a couple of ways to get crabs around here. You can go crabbing, catch the crabs yourself, steam them at home, and eat them on a picnic table in your back yard. This is probably the most authentic MD experience, but you have to have a lot of knowledge, skills and supplies to do this. You have to know how to swim, how to drive a boat, know a good spot, know how to actually catch the crabs, and how to cook 'em. You need the supplies, like licencing, the boat, the crabbing supplies, bushels for your loot, crab pots, mallets, etc. It's a big commitment and investment to be a crabber, and most people don't do this.

A little lower down on the crab status totem pole is buying crabs on the side of the road. Yes, the side of the road. A local commercial crabber will set up his truck on the side of the road with hand painted signs telling you that he's there, what he has, and how much the cheapest crabs cost. You'll see something like, "live crabs, $10," which probably refers to a dozen small females. But, you'll probably walk away spending 30 per dozen on large males. It's just how it is. For this, you only need cooking and eating skills and supplies.

[Summer 2010, Roadside crabs, live in the crab pot]

Then there's the seafood huts. You order crabs at these places, pick them up freshly steamed, and take them home to eat. You just need eating supplies and skills for this option.

Lastly, there are the crab shacks, one of which we went to last night. These are great because you don't need any supplies or skills at all. Except money, cause boy are they pricey! I'd say these are the most popular way to eat crabs, because they do all of the work for you.

If you like seafood, you have to come to the old line state and go to a crab house. It's something truly local and unique, and an experience you won't get sitting in a fancy sit-down seafood joint downtown. By the end of it, you'll have a full belly, you'll smell like The Bay for at least 48 hours, you'll have prune-y fingers and Old Bay in your hair, and you'll love every bit of it.

Football is Coming!

picture from cheezburger

Holy Crapola! The first pre-season game is less than a week away! Thursday August 11, at 7:30 pm, Ravens v Eagles! Guess who's shopping for beer and chicken wings this weekend?

CHIPS AND SALSA!

Today, I am having chips and salsa as the main course for my lunch. Pictured is an actual photo of my actual lunch. Technology is amazing.

Joe says that this is not an acceptable lunch. He thinks it doesn't count as a main course unless there's something more, like melted cheese, or guacamole. I say that's BULL! That makes it a different meal. Sure it'd be better than plain old chips and salsa, but that doesn't make chips and salsa any less of a meal! Plus, salsa counts as a vegetable, so it's almost the same as rice and veggies for lunch... right? I mean, same food groups...

Anyway, here is a poll to settle this, because the internet knows all. I'm currently my only follower, so this is pretty much a guaranteed victory for me. Also, I've given myself an advantage by making a yes/no question have 3 answer choices, which is totally not cheating. Winning.

Are chips and salsa an acceptable lunch entree?
why, certainly not without cheese not without guacamole
	Results

Sloppy Jo

I'm a sloppy Jo. Seriously. The "J" in "SJ" stands for "JO". No lie. And as for the sloppy part, I hate to clean. I will do anything to not clean, even things that take way more effort than cleaning itself. I have always, always, always been messy. My room was never clean as a kid, nor my desk in school, my locker, my folders, and as I got older, my car, my car trunk, my dorm room, my first apartment, etc. It's never disgustingly messy (OK, well sometimes), just never clean. This is especially troublesome when you live in a one bedroom apartment with another person. A person with whom you hope to live, harmoniously, for the rest of your freaking life.

Enter, the "15-minute rule." I begrudgingly set a timer for 15 minutes, and Joe and I clean until it beeps. Cleaning isn't so bad when it's finite. You can look at the timer at any moment, and see exactly how much longer you have to go. And, when the timer beeps, you can drop what you're doing, and walk, or run, away. Or throw your hands in the air, and say "HEEEYYYY-O! Gotta let go!"(Anyone?).

I love it. Well, I hate it; it's still cleaning after all. But I love the rule. Our apartment has never been as consistently clean. And often times, you just finish what you're in the middle of doing, and clean longer than 15 minutes.

The change that you see in your home in just 15 minutes of daily cleaning is pretty remarkable!

Any other Sloppy Jos out there? Dirty Dees? Messy Mabels? OK I just made those other names up. But seriously, any other tips for lazy girls like me to keep your home clean? Anyone try the "15-minute rule"?

-SJ