Sometimes, an article has such a great headline that I can’t resist reading it.

Does This Economy Make My Butt Look Big? in today’s AdAge talks about how the diet industry is suffering in this economy.

People send me things. Lots of (ahem) wonderful jokes and video clips. This one landed in my email box today from an old friend. I have to admit I was skeptical. Not that his sense of humor isn’t terrific, it’s just…. well, he thinks lots of things are funny.

But this had me laughing out loud. Literally.

This is a pin of my high school mascot – circa 1979. They called it a Miller. But clearly, folks, it’s a Beaver.

Who thought that was a good idea?

I can’t even imagine.

I can’t send a hello to Fightin’ Mad Mary’s husband anymore. Okay, I never did. But I would. (He’s very handsome!)

I can’t order more than one of anything – well, not in prose anyway.

I can’t talk to Sarah G. about her hobby.

I can’t discuss the major types of research – the kind that is interpretative or the kind that has lots of numbers.

I can’t talk about the figure-head of England and I can’t discuss the makeup line that I loved as a young woman.

I have something I want to know, but I can’t ask.

You don’t know how much you’ll miss it until it’s gone.

I don’t know what to do.

Letter #17 died on my beloved keyboard today.

I think I’m going to uit for the day.

Sigh.

More soon.

I used to love creamsicles. I went to Camp Milldale day camp when I was little and every afternoon in the scorching heat we got a creamsicle or a fudgesicle or something. I love a good fudgesicle, but those creamsicles are memorable. Very, very memorable. I’d know that flavor and consistency anywhere.

I remember a lot of other things about Milldale including the huge hill on the way to the pool and a girl my age named Gertrude. I’d never met anyone my age (or younger) named Gertrude before or since. If I recall correctly, she was very quiet and very nice.

But I digress.

What inspired me so very early this morning (I’m on my way to Amtrak to catch a train north for a meeting) was my daily Hungry Girl email.

Now I love Hungry Girl. Make no mistake.

But today she posted a drink recipe and wrote:

“This low-calorie cocktail tastes EXACTLY like those sherbet ‘n ice cream bars you used to eat as a kid… Mmmmmmmm!”

Now you tell me, if you put diet orange soda, orange-flavored vodka, Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup, and Cool Whip Free in a blender, will it taste exactly like sitting on the hill at Camp Milldale?

I think not. In fact, the Splenda alone is enough to….. well anyway. It might taste wonderful. It might be refreshing.

But it can’t taste like my memories of a sweet, creamy, orangy frozen treat.

more graph humor and song chart memes