Flashback to September, when I had my hysterectomy. I was revived at some point in the afternoon and moved into a hospital room, where I was reunited with my smartphone.
That’s where I saw the pitch to do an interview with a Cooking Channel host Annie Sibonney, about olives from Spain.
I like olives. I like ’em in martinis (which makes this a perfect subject for Two Drinks Away). But I’ve always enjoyed them as a snack. As kids, my sister and I would grab the big, black pitted ones and pop them on our fingers and play for a while before eating. (I always imagined them as guards at Buckingham Palace.) As an adult, I love the briny, Kalamata and other cured types of olives for tapenades and in cooking. And I’m of Spanish heritage (that is, if you trace my mom’s Sephardic Jewish family back about 500 years).
So I thought, why not? And I responded to the request with a commitment to write a post.
But a funny thing happened once I got off my painkillers and tried to resume my normal life: It’s been hard. I’ve come a long way since those first few days after my surgery, but I’m still surprised by the ridiculous things that end up causing me pain (including sitting at a desk). Actually, I don’t mind it so much when it’s stuff like vacuuming and taking the trash out… but I’ve been trying to conserve my energy for activities that pay (like my “day job” doing marketing for an IT company client). Blogging for fun has taken a definite back seat.
So here we are in December, and the poor publicist from the olive company – who was kind enough to make Sibonney’s video – is pleading to know when I’m finally going to publish it.
I really can’t let the year end without fulfilling my obligations, can I? Especially when we’re heading into high party season – and some of the olive-based snacks Sibonney demonstrates in this video are ideal for entertaining. (I, for one, cannot wait to try the olive and orange salad she displays… not to mention the olive oil and vermouth marinade she shows with a bowl of mixed olives.)
So, here is the video. I apologize to the patient publicist for the delay… and to the rest of you for my terrible pun: Happy H-Olive-Days!
Note: I was not compensated for this post – not in money or product. I truly wanted to write about olives. That was some good medication.