Jolie and Mak practicing stunts: Kids do not try this at home.

August 17, 2011: Vanilla Custard Day
Food of the Day for a Year Goal
Day: #42.

Wednesday, was Vanilla Custard Day; Cole arrived home from New Mexico; Angelia Jolieshowed up at my house ready to tour Chicago.Wednesday, was big day.

Let’s start with the obvious. You want to know if Cole had a good trip home. YEP! He made it through security in record time, TSA agents were professional and nice and did not hassle him, and the change of planes in Kansas City went flawlessly. (If my debit card statement is any indication, he enjoyed a number of snacks along the way.) Once the plane arrived, Cole called me and I swung by and picked him up curbside.

Airport “move along” employees—so called because that’s what they say: “Move along, move along”—stand on both sides of the arrival medium in their bright orange vests, blowing whistles to keep traffic moving. They barely allow you to bring your car to a complete stop so your passenger can hop in before blowing their shrill whistles at you. I applauded when the elderly man in front of us, who had stopped to pick up his elderly wife, shot back a the whistleblower, “Stuff it, you big ass, we are old.” I know. I know. Our safety is their number-one priority–give me strength!

Cole had not celebrated the Food of the Day in a whole week and was anxious to get back in the game, so we needed to stop and buy a couple of Boston cream donuts. Making vanilla custard intimidates me; what if my custard curdled?

Vanilla custard pastry filling makes Emily want to throw up, so she bought frozen vanilla custard at The Hole in the Wall in Oak Park, Il. I am big believer in improvising and, above all, doing what works.

Before I left to get Cole, a package from Ohio arrived. It was a white package, taped with care. Do you want to know what was inside the package? Ok, I will tell you.

Angelia Jolie was in the package.

The Jolie travels the world by mail and visits people who have asked to host her. She will be visiting for about a week while I photograph her Chicago adventures and pray that she does not fall into the jaws of one of my campers. She has a number on her the bottom of her boot (out of habit I look for these things), so saving myself with the old “switch the Jolie” scam is not possible. Omawarisan, the founder of the Jolie Project, is smart about those kinds of things…and I suspect he added the number himself. I will be keeping an eye on Jolie at all times; I do not want Chicago to be known as the city where Jolie met up with an untimely death, nor to do I want to be known as the blogger whose dogs mauled the beloved Jolie to death.

Reviewing profile picture options

Photographs of the Jolie Chicago visit will be sent to Blurt (the name of Oma’s blog) to be posted;  in return I will be part of the  Jolie Pez Project an important project for all of humanity. Really. Oma said so…. To find out more, the easiest thing to do is just click here: The Jolie Pez Project.

I brought Jolie with me to pick Cole up from the airport. He noticed her immediately and thought she was a Happy Meal toy, but I reminded him it was Smurf Week at McDonald’s. He then recognized the action figure from the movie Tomb Raider, which was a big fail in his movie book. (I let him go to a movie called Tomb Raider?)

When I explained the purpose of the Jolie visit, Cole smiled and said, “Cool. I guess she will be joining us for the Food of the Day.” Later that night he told me Jolie wanted to attend the very crowded Chicago Air and Water Show this weekend but felt she would be more comfortable if I bought premium pier tickets and parking. (Should I be very worried? or proud? )

Today is Soft Ice Cream Day, so I’m off to enjoy a little soft ice cream with Cole and Jolie. Let’s muse again tomorrow. Any suggestions about what Jolie might like to see in Chicago? Is she a White Sox fan or a Cubs fan? Do you think she would enjoy a trip to the American Girl store? Sears  Willis Tower? Billy Goat Tavern? Uno’s?

See you later, alligators. Remember, Odd loves company!

♥

Kb