It’s “Junk Food Day”

Oh, I love this day. As I type this I’m wrangling a can of sour cream and onion Pringles (the ones in the green can) from my son. I know… cut the kid some slack. Right?

Potato chips are my vice. Ultimately, I like them to be substantial in shape and texture but that doesn’t mean I’ll turn down a yellow bag of Lay’s. They are my least favorite, but, hey, they’re still chips. Beggars can’t be choosers when we’re talking about potatoes fried in oil to create a crispy, crunchy, greasy treat.

My very favorite chip in the whole wide world is the now-defunct “O’Grady’s Au Gratin” chips. They existed solely in the 80’s and Frito Lay stopped manufacturing them after only a few glorious years of production. O’Grady’s were thick, deeply ridged, and covered in a delectable orange powder that they labeled as “au gratin” flavoring. They were flipping delicious. I’m not sure why they disappeared like a hillbilly chasing a UFO but for whatever reason, they’re gone.

Some people mourn the passing of JFK. Others get caught up in the glory days of their youth. I mourn the disappearance of O’Grady’s Au Gratin potato chips. I know, it’s time to move on. However, I might check eBay to see if there’s still a 20 year old bag of chips floating around out there. I’d definitely buy them. And I’d fight to the death like a hyena on the Serengeti if anyone tried to take them from me.

My son, Ben, is also a fan of chips. As explained earlier, he’s big into the Pringles in the Green Can. He also loves Cheetos. When he was a toddler and first diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, he would eat Cheetos with a fork. Of course, I have a picture:

This was right after his broviac catheter was placed (the tubies dangling from his chest). He wanted Cheetos in a bowl with a fork. Who were we to deny him that?

Foods with strong flavors are what Ben enjoys most. I’m not sure if this is an aftereffect of the chemotherapy or if he just takes after his mother. I guess we’ll see what food he’s interested in this time around. Boy, that makes me mad. Having to think about him going through this again just burns my bottom.

Speaking of treatment, we do have some more news. Ben will be getting his port placed tomorrow evening. We’ll check in at 3:30 PM and surgery is “scheduled” for 5:30 PM. No eating after 9:30 AM. Yuck. But we’ll get this part out of the way and be ready for chemo next week. Back at war. Getting our armor on. I should have bought that chainmail outfit at the Renaissance Festival after all.

Sadly, this is not a photo of yours truly. And since my husband isn’t home to help me with the “technical stuff” on the computer I wasn’t sure how to insert my face into this photo. Oh well. It’s still kinda funny. I do sorta want one of these. I wonder if it comes in any other colors?

All “strange sense of humor” aside, we’re getting ready to kick some cancer butt. Actually, Ben had a giant wad of bubblegum in his mouth earlier today. As he was chewing it, he said “I’m here to do two things. Chew bubblegum and kick some butt.” Then he spit out his gum and said, “And I’m all out of bubblegum.” I’m going to video tape him saying this but encourage him to say “kick some cancer butt”. It will be our mantra.

More tomorrow. 🙂