I got another "liked-it-a-lot-but-didn't-love-it" rejection email this morning, but at least I got to read this one while looking out a window in our rented house across beautiful, placid Lake Champlain.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Vermont Makes Me Happy
... even hokey Vermont, like the Ben & Jerry's factory tour. The flier I had said that each tour participant gets a free T-shirt and either a free pint of ice cream or a voucher for same. The flier LIED, people. We each got a single mini-scoop of the day's experimental flavor: pineapple and white chocolate. Not a combination I would recommend. And here's my question: do Ben and Jerry spend more time (a) making ice cream, (b) doing good in the world, or (c) patting themselves on the back for doing good in the world? It's a close call indeed. But I guess in this regard, making ice cream is not that different from making books. If you don't put yourself out there, it's not going to sell.
I got another "liked-it-a-lot-but-didn't-love-it" rejection email this morning, but at least I got to read this one while looking out a window in our rented house across beautiful, placid Lake Champlain.
And I got to read it while on vacation, very possibly for the last time, with my whole crew: one husband, two kids, two dogs. The one that's striking out on his own most immediately is my son. Either the night we get back to New Jersey or early the following morning, he's leaving to start his new life as a law student in DC. For the next few days, though, I'll have the privilege of watching him and my daughter engage in mock shoving matches across the table at restaurants, and THAT makes me happy too.
I got another "liked-it-a-lot-but-didn't-love-it" rejection email this morning, but at least I got to read this one while looking out a window in our rented house across beautiful, placid Lake Champlain.
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Ben and Jerry - What a let-down. Enjoy your vacation, in spite of it. And in spite of your almost-acceptance. Best of luck to your son. So exciting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Genevieve! As my friend Alice reminded me, B&J don't even own B&J any more. They sold to Unilever, so maybe they're not personally responsible for the fatuous little video they show you before the tour. Anyway, I still love Vermont. This morning my son went to a gym he learned about online. He paid $20, which gives him 24/7 access to the gym for a week, as well as to the bathroom in the owner's house next door because the gym doesn't have one. I repeat: I love Vermont.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're enjoying your vacation, Susan :) I've never been to Vermont, but all the Northeast looks so lovely!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the whole "Ben & Jerry's" thing. I actually worked for the company in an unofficial way: I did a lot of promotional face painting for a local owner of three stores, one in Ridgewood, one in Hoboken and one in Weehawken. I've done a lot of charity work for them too, doing it for free for events they have.
As far as the company, I love how they care about the environment, etc., but I think they can be a bit liberal iun certain ways. Anyway, their ice cream is delicious, but if they're now owned by Unilever, I wouldn't be surprised if more chemicals end up in their "natural" ice cream! lol Enjoy the rest of your vacation and good luck to your son!
Hey Donna! Liberal works for me, and I do believe them that they're still natural and Fair Trade, or I'm sure they wouldn't have sold to Unilever. But it just ain't the same... Oh well. Thanks for your post! I would have loved to see your B&J face painting!
DeleteI relate to everything you wrote in this post! I grew up and lived in NJ for many years. When I lived in the Boston area, I loved visiting Vermont (though I never made it to the B&J tour), my now 'grown-up' children still like to clown around with each other in public (in embarrassing ways, if possible), and I've been rejected (well, not ME, but my manuscripts) in gentle ways, and hopefully like you, I've never let that stop me from writing with my heart and soul.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Pam! I really enjoy your blog, and I hope you'll visit mine from time to time. I haven't yet allowed rejections from agents to stop me from writing, but oh, it's so tempting sometimes. Hence the blog, which keeps me going when all else fails!
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