Ins and Outs

It's so hard to keep up with trends. It's practically a full-time job. Plastic bags...out. Reusable canvas bags...in. Disposable paper plates.....out. Bamboo plates.....in. Red lips....out. Nude lips....in. Food....clothes.....it's all so complicated. I totally bypassed the tiramisu years, the half-caf, double shot, non-fat, sugar-free vanilla mocha venti latte breve stuff. I'm glad I don't drink coffee. The ordering seems so stressful-- fraught with so many decisions--that's why Diet Cherry Coke is so great. Simple, straightforward--no decisions--unless over ice with a straw counts. Then there are the clothes. Just a few years ago everything was solid colors. This year it's all about the print. I was sure black would always be the new black...until I (and the rest of the world) discovered chocolate brown. And then pink became the new black. I recently heard that the new black is........black. So hard to keep up. Even fruit goes in and out of style. Take pomegranates, for example. No really--take them. So mysterious, so difficult. Last year's fruit of the year. Oprah's talkin' pomtinis, pom (soooo cute, isn't it?) juice is filled with anti-oxidants. Surely a shot of vodka or two with it has multiple health benefits, too, right? One website even has the secret to getting the seeds out without having your kitchen look like you committed a murder in it. I know the secret. Do you? But this year the pomegranate has dropped out of sight. Yep--this year it's all about the fig. The fig is the new pomegranate. Figs are actually the new black. You heard it here first. I'm just waiting to hear Oprah gush about this fabulous new drink--the figtini. Then I'll know to be on the lookout for the new hot fruit. Maybe 2008 will be the comeback year for the ugli fruit. Or maybe it's the kiwi's turn. The ugli-tini or the kiwi-tini? It's all up for grabs.