Some things never change...

This afternoon I had to make a quick trip home to change my clothes. Why? Well, I had been saving a glass of milk in my office to add to my tea at work; and, well, I let it go a little too long--about a week too long as a matter of fact. Then, when I tried to dispose of it I spilled it all over myself. I thought I could clean it off and go on as usual, but the smell of sour milk kept getting stronger. And the fact that the smell was coming from me was very disturbing.

Anyway, while I was zipping home in my trusty Corolla, I remembered my young self and something (one of the many things actually) I did in 7th grade when I was a youngin' growing up in the Big Woods (a la my favorite Little House book) of Rhode Island.

As one of our class assignments I had to bring in a food from another country. For some reason I had it stuck in my head that I would bring crumpets. The reason why I chose that food escapes me; though, undoubtedly, there was probably a literary influence. Where else would I have come across crumpets? So, have you ever read what crumpets are actually made of? Here're the "goods", and I use that term loosely:

1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk

So a quick glance at that list would tell you that they're pretty bland right? You've got 2 measly teaspoons of sugar for a lot of flour. That's why when people eat crumpets they eat them with butter and jam. All of a sudden the crumpet becomes much more appealing.

Well, no one told me this in 7th grade. So, I made them. I got a little worried when I saw how white and flat they looked. Then I tasted one....not good. I was mortified. But, as we all know, the show must go on, so I took them to school anyway. Oh, and by then I had become clued-in to the fact that I needed something to "spice" them up, so--since I didn't have any strawberry preserves--I put a dallop of Welch's Grape Jelly on each one. Yum, yum...

Long story short, I brought the crumpets to school and stowed them in my locker. When class time came the plan was to go get them from the locker and present the bounty--the pride of England!--to the class. That was the plan anyway. But, I never followed it. I left them in the locker. And how long do you think I left them in my locker, hmm? Oh, until the end of the school year when we had to clean out our lockers...yep.

So, yes, a leopard never changes its spots; a dog doesn't learn new tricks, and some things never change. Maybe those cliches aren't always true, but maybe sometimes they are. Embrace it.