Working on my Night Cheese

I think that maybe one of my granddaughters one day when helping write my obituary will say, "Don't forget to say that in 2012 she discovered that if you google 'Mike Cosper's wife' Tina Fey's picture picture popped up. She was really proud of that".

We love Tina Fey and 30 Rock.

When I was a new mom and staying up late with a crying baby, I watched the 1st and then the 2nd season of 30 rock on repeat. Over the last couple months, we have been watching the series over to prepare for tonight's series finale.

There are no spoilers for the last episode, but there ARE spoilers from last weeks episode so beware.

Tina Fey is the writer, producer and star of the show 30 Rock. She wrote a Liz Lemon character that many ladies in America in their late 20s- mid 50s are partly proud and partly sad to want to mimic. So many of us want to be Liz Lemon. We cheer when she does something we have done that we are proud of. We cringe when she does something that hits too close to home...something we wouldn't want to admit like the amount of cheese we can eat while catching up on our DVR, a bathroom door blowing open while Don Draper is in the next room, or eating an ice cream sundae on your treadmill.

My husband wrote a post after we read Tina Fey's book "Bossypants" The Bossypants Guide to Getting Ready For Sunday at the Gospel Coalition (and this is why her picture pops up when you google as above!).

As my husband writes about the book, Bossypants...

"is somewhat like an episode of her TV show, 30 Rock. The show defies genres, sometimes driven by romantic comedy, sometimes by classic sitcom ensemble dynamics, and sometimes by seventh-grade bathroom humor. Her book, in similar form, ranges from a poignant memoir to absurd comedy. It’s foul-mouthed, honest, and a touch insecure, which is probably also true of Fey."

In Tina's tribute to one of her comedy hero's David Letterman at the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2012 Tina Fey said "Dave is someone you watch not just because you like him, but because you fantasize that he would like you."

I agree. And I will say the same about her. Tina Fey, you are someone we watch, not just because we like you, but because we fantasize that you would like us.

You could spend hours today looking up and laughing at Tina Fey and 30 rock videos. 

"I want to go to there."

"Is that a thing?"

"I think that is a thing."

“I wolfed my Teamster sub for you!"

"...three weddings in one day, I’m going to be in Spanx for 12 hours. My elastic line is gonna get infected again.”

"Blerg."

Perhaps one of my favorite moments of the series, Kenneth's Muppet Vision.

How could I not list Tracy's "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah,"  the Mexican Cheetos "Sabor de Soledad" that made Tina have a false positive pregnancy test, or Liz Lemon in Jury duty , Cheesey blasters, or working on her night cheese. 

It has been said that the part of Jack Donaghy was originally just in the pilot, but Alec Baldwin loved it so much he wanted in on the whole series. In Rolling Stone he said, he felt a lull in season 5 and thought about leaving, but season 6 was so good, and by the end of last season he was so sad to see it end he offered to take a pay cut to keep the show going. In reflecting on his character I was surprised how surprised I was with Jack finally getting a promotion he always worked for. I think that took some great writing that for 7 seasons you knew what his end goal was and he agonized to get it and then he does.  You weren't often frustrated that this seemed to be what his story was leading up to.

If you are a fan of Alec Baldwin and a fan of great radio shows like "This American Life", PLEASE look up, Here's the Thing.  It is so great the way he can talk to actors and performers in a way that just a hosting personality can't.

Elaine Stritch played Jack's mother and was in the original cast of Company in 1970. Do you not see early Collen Donaghy there?

The guest stars on this show are mind boggling and so well crafted. To get Carrie Fisher to say to you on national television, "Help me Liz Lemon, you're my only hope" must have been a dream come true.

The abundance of great characters and guest stars reminds me of Seinfeild. I could go on and about some of Liz Lemon's love interests, Steve Martin, Wesley Snipes, Carol Burnette, Chris Chros... Hilarious.

The LA Times says of the cast,  "If each character had her or his own sort of intelligence, or survival instinct, each also had a special sort of stupidity." Go read that article, 30 Rock Just Got Better. It is one of my favorite pieces written this week and sums up the show better than I could.
 
(A spoiler to LAST weeks episode is here)
Last week's episode almost could have been the finale, but that would have been too neat and clean for the writers of 30 Rock. When we watched the 2nd to last episode, Mike and I looked at each with the Willy Wonka stuff going on and said, "It's Kenneth. IT'S HIM." Then when Liz and Chris go to meet their kids and Janet said, "Cam-a-Raw" and Terry said, "Liz Lemon, I will not be able to go to school on account of my sick lizard"... it was so unexpected yet the puzzle piece fit nicely.


Lastly. If Liz Lemon, the women who said, "I am going to go talk to some food about this", is going out on a high note, what would be the best thing to do that? How about Ben and Jerry's giving your show it's own flavor? I am not sure if the new flavor is gluten free yet, if it is not, I am gonna buy some anyway and make ask Mike to eat it like Jack made Liz eat that steak after his heart attack. If it IS gluten free I am gonna eat that ice cream like it is sandwich day. 

Thanks for the laughs Tina Fey. 


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What are you going to miss? What are your favorite moments?

Dear Terri, (my musings on going gluten free and/or living with disease)

I asked my friend if I could do a mash up of the letter I was writing her as she potentially has Celiac disease and the informational Gluten free post I had been writing for a while. She agreed. Read her words about it here.

Dear Terri,

I am praying for you. I know the idea of going gluten free is daunting. Maggie's gaze above represents how you and I feel about Nord's donuts. And friend, I know you think you can't do it. I know you don't want to do it. So I am writing you and all those others with celiac disease and gluten intolerance that need it.
 
I have been meaning to blog about gluten free for others to be encouraged or spurred on. It has been about a year and a half now and still the smell of the donut, chocolate cake, or flour tortilla makes me tear up.

This is a true struggle, the balance of how I miss those delicious foods and the knowledge that so many others in the world don't even have options for enough food to be healthy or clean water. Where does that fit in in my life of sadness because I won't be able to have the birthday cake at a friends party? It is crazy and humbling. Yet still we are fortunate to live with too many options. We have been eating Oreos, rainbow bread, and Little Debbie's (yeah I said it) since we were kids.

Friend, we live in a broken world. Our bodies are broken. Just even 20 years ago you and I would have been exponentially less likely to have been suffering and diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease.

Many of our food manufacturers and much of our agriculture are broken.  There are things allowed in our food that are banned in other countries. I always question if that is some of the reason that so many of us are having so many diagnoses in our late 20s and early 30s. Perhaps one day our kids or grandkids will look back and know why we are sick now. What are all of these autoimmune diseases caused by?

Things are not what they should be. But you and I know they will be one day. You and I know Christ, and we know that on this side of heaven all things are broken. And we can't even process or wrap our minds around the glory of God and the goodness on the other side of heaven.

I pray that this letter will all be unneeded that your tests will come back that you do NOT have celiac disease (though as I can attest, thinking you have something and then being tested and finding out you don't is another mountain on this roller coaster of "well then what in the world is wrong with me" diagnosis game.)

But know this Terri Sue, you and your husband are some of the hardest workers we have ever known. You all get stuff done. If Celiac and gluten free is on your page in life, you are going to be fine. You will adapt well.

Here are my guidelines for you, which are not at all infallible, they are just my experiences speaking into your life and personality and how you might deal with this new diagnosis.

1. People will make fun of you or your disease.

People make fun of "Gluten Free" in media, TV shows, social networks and beyond. People who don't realize the extreme fatigue, stomach issues and migraines that come...they don't know that your small intestine might be so damaged from gluten that you are literally malnourished and may have vitamin deficiency to many other vital organs...they just make fun of it. They think of it as a fad and not a health crisis or a cure to disease. You have a thick skin, but just a warning...people like to make fun of all the allergy free needs of people like us, especially gluten free people, because Oprah did it once so, it must just be a fad right? Because we live in a cynical world that pokes fun when they haven't had to experience something like this in their life...and still pokes fun as a means of coping when they do have it in thier life.

2. People will avoid the issue.

Some people will feel weird about your disease. They will either joke like above or avoid the issue.

3. Some People will go out of their way to love you. And you will love them forever.

The night not so long ago that you brought me a bag full of GF cookies as we sat in the waiting room at the girl's dance class... The countless times you have emailed me or texted me about GF foods on sale. Do you even remember that was on your radar? You have so faithfully had it in mind to point me to gluten free coupons and sales. Our friend from church, Lauren Watson who is a baking ninja and has made me gourmet GF desserts. You will be so blessed by the friends like you and Lauren have been to me.

4. Don't try gluten free bread or pastries right away. 

They will depress you. They are not similar. Go cold turkey on those things for a few weeks THEN try them. Then they might seem wonderful.

5. Eat before you go or take a snack with you. 

Last year I didn't have anything around Thanksgiving and Christmas to substitute the sugar cookies and Pumpkin pie that I so often looked forward to.  This year I made a GF pumpkin pie the day before Thanksgiving this year. Then I carried it with it's foil cover with me to each function that week and it was wonderful. When you fly or go to a get together have some of these Go Picnic boxes on hand (make sure to get the GF ones). Volunteer to make Gluten free snacks for the get together you are going to so you can have something to eat.

6. Gluten is hiding. And that is exhausting. Take it one step at a time.

There is gluten in ketchup, soy sauce, broth, shampoos and lotions. Wheat and vitamin E that is derived from wheat does a lot of cool things and so it is in a lot of cool things. It makes things taste good and make your hair shiny and skin soft.  It is exhausting. Just take one step at a time. (Here is one list I use to help me figure out what I CAN have, Safe Gluten free food and ingredient list from celiac.com)

7. Find a few GF products and restaurants that have GF menus and fall in love with them.

 I have done a lot of the work for you. I'll post info later this week. To be continued...
8. You are not a different person than you were.

You are the same person you were. You may not believe me. I cried on the phone to our friend, Carrie the day I was diagnosed with RA 6 1/2 years ago. "I HAVE A DISEASE". But I was still the same person. It took me awhile to learn that. I was the same person I had been. I just had info, doctors and medical practices that could help me feel better than I had for years and years prior.

IF you get results that you have Celiac disease and have to go gluten free, just imagine how much better, how much more energy, how much more nourishment you will get from the food you can still eat. Terri, you will feel better. And dare I say one day you will laugh at how much better you feel without the the things we miss.

9. You are not defined by a disease. 

You are Terri. You may have celiac disease. You have a hyperthyroid. You are a loyal friend that has a wicked sense of humor. You have an amazing family that loves you and I will say it again, that you. are. the. perfect. match. for. the. one. and. only. Lachlan. Coffey.

But none of that defines you. You are defined by Christ. And that is all you need.

Matthew 11: 28-30
 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”