SPLAT!

Oh the joy of celebrating life with pie(s) in the face. In this case, there were two: one was chocolate, the other banana cream.

These were home-made, and from what little actually made it into my mouth, absolutely delicious.

As some of my long time friends know, for many years I carried out the tradition of getting a pie in the face each year on my birthday. I THOUGHT I was all done with this silly bit of nonsense once I turned 50. Last week I celebrated my 54th birthday, so it has been a while since the last time I did this. However, this was my BEST birthday in many years. Between landing my new job and making some excellent connections with people I care about, it just felt like everything in my life is swimming with blessings right now. I was so grateful and giddy with how things unfolded, what can I say...it just made me want to do another pie. Only this time I did it with a twist.

Last week we had mid-term exams in my Introductory Sociology class. I told my students that anyone who earned a perfect score on the test would get to hit me in the face with a pie. How's that for incentive for students to study?? There were two students who made it, so they each got their own pie. At the end of class tonight the whole group went with me outside to the college lawn and there we did the official SPLAT. It was great. Sticky, for sure, but great.

Life is sweet - and if you don't believe me - honestly, there's nothing to kick start your sense of humor like a nice gooey pie in the face.

National Pie Day immoralized

Anyone who has read this blog regularly knows I have a writer friend in Buffalo, NY by the name of Kelly Sedinger (AKA Jaquandor) who maintains the blog Byzantiam Shores. Kelly and I chat on occasion via facebook and shuffle e-mails back and forth on a variety of topics. What you may not know is how we were introduced. We share a common appreciation for a good Pie In The Face. I've written on this blog about how I have the quirky tradition of getting hit by a pie for my birthday each year. Kelly doesn't reserve it for birthdays, but has on occasion enjoyed a good gooey smack. Apparently a couple years ago he did a google search for Pie-in-the-face which led him to me. We've been talking ever since.

Anyway, since January 23rd was designated as National Pie Day, rather than spend the day baking, Kelly decided it was a suitable time to honor with a grand scale pie assault. I must admit, I was IMPRESSED when I saw the evidence. I have never done multiple pies in one event. It appears from the video that he enjoyed it thoroughly.

Because we live a continent apart Kelly and I have yet to meet in person. But we both are determined that one day we will, and of course when it happens, we plan to make one heck of a mess with a mutual pie assault.

You can see Kelly Sedinger's 2009 National Pie Day celebration over on YouTube at THIS link.

I totally support mutually agreed upon pie-in-the-face frivolity. Here are some grand examples of that.

SOUPY SALES

Barbara Mandrell

(One of my all time favorites is Lucille Ball, but I could not find an image of her classic pie work.)

I do NOT support sneak attack assult pies like these:

ANITA BRYANT

BILL GATES

So as long as it's done by mutual consent and all in good fun - Let the pies fly!

Sputnik Baby Gets Creamed

My big brother Andy and me getting ready to do the deed with my Happy PieHere it Comes! Messy Face!

Fifty years ago today Sputnik, the first ever earth satellite, was launched into space. Fifty years ago today I was launched onto this earth. Today I celebrated with my usual tradition - by getting a pie in the face.

I have had a few different people ask me why I pie. It's sort of a long story. But it's something fun that keeps me from taking myself too seriously. My 50 year pie was particularly yummy - with a Nilla Vanilla cookie crust and fruit on top! What didn't go splat all over my face got eaten with mangos, blueberries and papaya.

As far as sharing a birthday with Sputnik goes, it has been an intriguing adventure coming of age during a time on this planet of break through science and all sorts of inventions. Communications, travel, and data processing have shifted exponentially during my lifetime. I well recall the days when a computer with equivalent processing power to what I am using right now on my trusty laptop (Dell Inspiron 9200) would take up a whole room. Tomorrow I will fly from Boise to Phoenix in just a few hours - something that these days is considered common place. I can share ideas of all this within minutes to people all over the world by posting it to this silly little blog.

I cannot help but ponder what sort of changes and shifts in the world will happen over the NEXT fifty years. What sort of planet will my grandchildren have to grow up in?

I'm pretty satisfied with my life at aged fifty. I am blessed to be in reasonably good health and have enough material abundance to not have to worry about how I will meet my needs. I live in a country that despite many problems is relatively safe and abounding in freedom. I am married to a man who even after nearly 26 years still makes me go weak in the knees with his smile. Life is good. I have just enough problems to keep me awake and paying attention, sufficient adversity to keep me from taking how good I really have it all for granted.

I've had a good birthday. Now I better go wash the whip cream out of my hair.

Pie Face

Next week I will celebrate my 49th birthday. This is my crossing over mark to start living out my 50th year.....zowie! Hard to believe it. So I've been thinking some on where I am, where I want to be, what I want to do before my light goes out.

One of the strange traditions I have is that each year on my birthday I have a friend give me a pie in the face. Odd, but true. It began with a pie from my brother the year I turned 19 and has been going on ever since. I missed a few years along the way... but I've definitely had my share of pies. I've had fruit pies and cream pies. The past few years I've done it with just whip cream in a pan; Why waste good pie?

It's a bit of a rediculous tradition I suppose, but it has been fun and keeps me from taking myself too seriously!