jan milliman

In which I’m enthusiastic about enthusiasm.

So, the other day I was getting all a-twitter over an oddball local historical figure, as I have a tendency to do. I love the folks who share their own little obsessions or strange skills with the public and make life a little more interesting for the rest of us. And maybe I have a not-so-secret desire to be some sort of historical footnote myself.

Anyway, I was telling The Kiddo that I plan to make a trek to the central library branch to read a book of poetry written by new hero. The Kiddo looked at me in frustration and said “Mom! You’re getting too excited. This is going to wind up just like the Sully Burger.’

I was instantly snapped from my reverie. Some time ago, I hit upon the idea of sampling the signature burgers at the independent restaurants we stop by. I could keep a little log of the different creations and pick favorites. Maybe even blog about my findings.

The Sully Burger at nearby Sullivan’s Charbroil was the first on my list. They call themselves “The Home of the Sully Burger” so it has to be a good burger, right?

Well it wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was pretty disappointing. The Sully Burger consists of a charbroiled beef patty topped with American cheese on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. In other words, a cheeseburger. My enthusiasm sapped, that new hobby ended before it even began.

Then there was the recent incident with the “Pootie Tang” soundtrack. I won’t even go into whether or not watching the movie itself was a disappointment, since The Mister and I still debate its merits.

But there was a snippet a few seconds long of an Erykah Badu song that has stayed with me ever since I first watched the flick. And I figured at the very least there’d be another song or two to listen to when I’m channeling my inner Biggie Shorty. Maybe even some dialogue snippets. So, I finally ponied up the cash to get the disc, and, well … as Pootie would say, “Sa da tay!” (Although Erykah did not disappoint.)

But one can’t lead an enjoyable life without any enthusiasm. And even though anticipation often ends in disappointment, the lead-up itself is a source of pleasure. Without enthusiasm and anticipation, we’d have no progress and no oddball historical footnotes. So, I will refrain from curbing my enthusiasm and continue to savor my latest obsession.

On a completely unrelated note, what do you all think of a cat’s eye-style monocle?