Anniversary Post

They say that you have your whole life to write your first album, but only 12 months to write your second - and you have to do it while you're on tour. If that's true, then I had the equivalent of two or three albums' worth of material when I released my debut. By the time I started my cereal blog last year, I already had a long list of cereals I'd encountered, never mind the new ones popping up. I thought one year would be enough time to catch up; that by now my load would have begun to lighten. Yet there are just as many boxes of novelty cereals on top of my fridge now as there were a year ago! (And not the same ones).

I think by next year I'll know for sure whether I'll ever be able to catch up, or if novelty cereals really are that much of a booming industry. (I suspect it's the latter). Without exaggerating, if you average it out (because they tend to cluster around the holidays), I wouldn't be surprised if a new novelty cereal hit the shelves every single week of the year. I've been throwing out double reviews left and right, and I still can't keep up!

I have at least a dozen reviews waiting in the wings at any given time, and weekly slots filled up months in advance (always with a little wiggle room, to account for unexpected finds). Putting everything into place, and juggling which cereals I buy and when I eat them, is a puzzle I'm constantly turning over in the back of my mind. But you know what? It's a problem with low stakes, and a generous yield; working on it is a pleasant distraction that brings me comfort and joy.

Sure, it's a little stressful at times. I get positively exasperated when I spot an unexpected newcomer on the shelves when I'm already booked solid for a given season. Or when I can't find a cereal I'm specifically looking for that's proving to be elusive. But in the end, it is always with delight that I grab a box and cradle it on my way to the register. Because I know it means I have another cereal experiment to look forward to.

And with that, let me invite you to the sophomore year of my blog!