Giving Back

Every once in awhile a question is put before you, and you are faced with a dilemma, of how to react to said question.  A few months ago, a question appeared in a news feed on Facebook from my college alma mater,Wesley College, asking if any alumni would be interested in showing their art work at the annual Arts in the Parlor event.  I wanted to respond back right away with a "Yes, I am very interested, sign me up".  However, I decided to go home and think about it, because it would mean gathering pieces together, framing them, arranging a babysitter for the evening, etc...  When I got home, I could not get it out of my head, I realized I had not shown my work in an art show since my early 20s, and I had just watched a TED talk with Amanda Palmer about the art of asking.  I knew that I needed to go ahead and respond and say, "Yes, I am interested".  I mean what is the worst that could happen, they say, "Thank you, but we already have our artists," or "We are sorry but your work doesn't fit with the other work". Now, this isn't what they would actually say, it is what the fear in my head was saying they could possibly reply.  So I decided that this is the year, to put the fear out of my head, and move forward (if you are a regular follower of my blog, are you starting to feel like this is a recurring message?).  So, what did they say, they said "Yes".

And what followed was an amazing evening at the 4th annual Arts in the Parlor.  Not only did I get to showcase my work in a beautiful setting at the historic Schwartz Center (Dover, Delaware), but I also had the pleasure of witnessing first hand how the funds raised at this event benefit the growth of Wesley College students and its' community.  You see, Arts in the Parlor is a unique fundraising event that was created four years ago, that showcases artistic talents of students, staff, alumni and friends from the local community and benefits Wesley Student scholarships.



"This could be the Holy Grail of Motorcycles," as explained by my husband



Being a graduate of '09, I was able to see just how much transformation the college has seen in just a few years.  As I mentioned, this evening showcases artistic talents, that included a various assortment of the music and art programs.  It was so wonderful to see how far the music program has grown in such a short time since my graduation under the instruction of Dr. David Laganella and Dr. James Wilson.


 An added bonus was seeing the Wesley College Gospel Choir directed by Ms. Karla Jones, I was ready to be deep in worship at church with their renditions of "Mighty God" and "You Reign".






The evening was filled with so much talent, between the art work that awaited everyone's viewing in the second and third floor gallery rooms, and all the musical talent and the humorous poetry readings by Mr. James Rogin. It was truly a remarkable event and to think that I was afraid to answer the call to show my work.  I am so thankful that I chose to be a part of this celebration.




You see not only did I get to show my artwork, this was an opportunity for me to help raise money for students who are in need of scholarships so that they can continue their studies and succeed at their dreams.




Love sharing this moment with my son



Discussing art and motorcycles...while enjoying my paleo plate
(Special thanks to Steven Lewis, Director of Dining Services
and the chef for making my husband and I paleo friendly plates)

Wesley College in the Spring

What was also amazing about being a part of Arts in the Parlor was realizing that this community is still giving back to me. I deeply encourage you to make a contribution to your alma mater, you never know what a difference it will make in someone's life, as well as, your own. For information on Arts in the Parlor, please contact, Cathy Nosel via email: cathy.nosel@wesley.edu

If you would like to make a donation to Wesley College, please feel free to call (302)736-2467. Or email: Institutional Advancement, Wesley College, 120 North State Street, Dover, DE 19901.

Namaste Mother Earth

Namaste...Mother Earth and thank you! You see I was preparing for Earth Day, as well as, getting ready to plant my yearly vegetable and herb plants, when I discovered this delightful surprise...our Halloween pumpkin has seeded itself.  Now my husband and I discussed whether or not we should divide the plant, but we figured we would let mother nature continue to do her work. If you are not a gardener, or you feel you don't have a green thumb, I urge you today to at least try growing something for Mother Earth.

I know it may seem overwhelming to think of starting your own garden, but you can always start off with a patio planter or small herb garden.  As you know I love cooking, and it is so nice to have your own fresh herbs right at your finger tips. The flavors you get will enhance your food in ways you may never have imagined possible.  Even if you live in the city, you can always have a window box herb garden.


After having a garden that took up a good portion of our backyard for several years, we decided that we wanted boxed, raised beds.  We did this for a few reasons, mainly because we needed the yard as a play area for our son, but also it seemed smarter to have contained areas for specific vegetables and herbs. Lastly I must say that it has made weeding the garden so much easier, so if you are thinking of taking this on, I highly suggest raised beds.

 If vegetables and herbs don't tickle your fancy, then you may want to just add some color along the pathways and borders of your walkways.  Now things to remember for those of you who are newbies...keep in mind before you even pick out flowers what type of sunlight the areas you are planting receive throughout the day. For instance, is there any shade, does the area receive full sun or part sun...these are things you want to keep in mind when picking out what you would like to plant.  I typically pick Impatiens for the edges of my pathways, but that is partly because we are fortunate to have the shade from two large Sycamore trees.  If we did not have that shade, I may be leaning more towards Vincas or Petunias. 

The other thing you want to keep in mind is if you want to plant Annuals or Perennials.  When you go to a garden center or greenhouse they should have it clearly designated so that you can shop in the right area. I recommend planting a little of both.  Perennials usually are a little more costly, but keep in mind they come back.  One more thing to keep in mind is a color scheme. You will find that you are drawn usually to a specific color, you want keep in mind adding a variety of color. 

 Once you have your gardens established, make sure you keep them weeded and watered.  Some people become overwhelmed by keeping their garden weeded, a way to help prevent that is to take 15 minutes a day and work in one area.  I am not always good at keeping up with this, but when I do it enables me to be free of weeding for hours on the weekends.

And don't be afraid to try things...that you may not be familiar with. For example, when I bought my plants this weekend at my local gardening center (Willey Farms, Townsend, Delaware)  Mr. George Hudnet of Soil Builder Earthworm Casting Organic Fertilizer was giving away free samples of earthworm casting, so I will be trying that in my gardens. If you are not sure what earthworm castings are then I suggest you go directly to Willey Farms' Facebook page and check out the link to Mr. Hudnet, it explains it all. (It is pretty awesome how Mother Nature works!)

Again, Mother Earth brought us another surprise in our backyard this year...nestled just above the drain pipe of our garage is bird's nest.  It is so much fun watching the bird swoop into the nest...especially to share this with my son. But it is also a reminder that I must get some reflector streamers for our blackberry, strawberry and blueberry bushes.  Otherwise we may not have any berries left, with the birds swooping all around.

So I hope that this has given you some encouragement to start your own garden as well as some helpful tips.  I hope you take the time to thank Mother Earth for all she provides this day...and remember the good in me sees the good in you..Namaste!

Meet Tart-tongued Badass Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan

     When my husband, Kyle came home to me and said, "I want to be paleo. I want us as a family to be paleo," I was a little apprehensive, not because I did not believe in paleo, but because I worried about getting bored with food.  Kyle had been listening to Angelo Coppola's podcast Latest In Paleo and reading Mark's Daily Apple by Mark Sisson.  I on the other hand, I am an avid reader and I wanted to explore paleo/primal diet on my own.  I firmly believe that to fully accept something one has to take the journey themselves (it is kind of like a grade school teacher telling you 2+2=4, but truly realizing what it means, not just an equation).  So I began reading, and quickly found myself wanting to make paleo not only a reality in our household, but also creative and enjoyable!   In my quest for more interesting paleo recipes, I discovered Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan when I happened upon her cookbook Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat.   What lured me to her book, was this  description, "The two essential tricks for happy, healthy eating are being prepared and avoiding boredom". 

     Once I had Well-Fed in hand and started reading it, I soon realized that, Melissa Joulwan was not only a talented cook but also a blogger, The Clothes Make the Girl. It was there that I learned just what an amazing woman, Joulwan is...I mean she helped start the Texas Roller girls, the original flat track roller derby which has since become a sport well-known for making girls confident and embrace style, sportiness and sexiness all at the same time (this is where "Melicious", Melissa's roller girl name comes in).  And do not even get me started on the posts she shares about her struggles and triumphs at the gym with all the heavy lifting! So I wrote Joulwan and asked if she would do me the honor of a Q &  A, get the lowdown on her inspirations in cooking and fashion and what music motivates her ambitiously bad ass workouts.

Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan standing against
the famous John Lennon Graffiti Wall in Prague

I love that the foreword to Well Fed begins with a quote from Julia Child, "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces- just good food from fresh ingredients." How much of an inspiration has Julia Child been for you?

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I became a Julia Child fan fairly recently.  When I was growing up, my parents were my cooking heroes, but I fell hard for Julia Child in a very silly way.  First, I watched Julie and Julia and was smitten with Julia-Child-as-played-by-Meryl-Streep.  Then right around the time I was debating whether or not I could quit my day job, I read Julia's autobiography, My Life In France. She was a bold woman who ate up life with the same gusto that she tackled delicious food.  That book was tremendously inspiring, and shortly after I finished it, I took the leap from my corporate job to full-time writer.

As an avid reader, you share many of your favorite books with your readers/followers, where did your love of reading originate? Who encouraged you to hop on your skates and roller on down to the library? If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you, which would it be?

My dad was a big reader and my parents always encouraged my desire to be a writer- and being a writer means being a reader. I remember how excited I was when our little town got a branch of the library on the town square, and I'm pretty sure my mom took me the first day. I take full responsibility for the dorky activity of roller skating to the library. My poor parents! I was such a nerd--and they always let me be as weird as I wanted to be. They're awesome that way!

Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite book, and that would be my #1 choice for deserted island reading. Luckily, I have a copy on my phone, my Kindle, the trunk of my car, and about 18 different versions on my bookshelf. Just in case.

You grew up in rural Pennsylvania, did you ever indulge in Philly Cheesesteaks or Amish food growing up? And if so, have you been creatively thinking of a way to recreate any of those experiences? Like mmm...making a Philly Meatza Pie.

Honestly, my favorite Amish food is shoo-fly pie, and boy, oh boy! do I wish I could figure out how to make a paleo version of that! The other foods I love from Pennsylvania are the snacks I would get at the big farmer's market every weekend: crispy fried chicken livers, made-to-order french fries, juicy peaches. I guess I can still eat the peaches, at least!

In the paleo community you are someone who has been honest about growing up on savory foods like lasagna and meatballs. One of the questions I get asked when I share that I am living paleo is how do you live without pasta?  They always say I can't give up those grains. What I love in your book and on your blog is that you give readers a answer of substitution- spaghetti squash.  You are also deeply honest and do not hold back that although this is a substitute it does not have the same texture of pasta. Do you have any other suggestions on how to jump the hurdle on pastas? (Because like you said when you described Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day...some days are not salvageable, but we most keep moving forward!)

This is going to sound very Pollyanna, but I honestly prefer the taste of zucchini noodles to flour pasta now. Regular pasta just tastes so bland and feels like a blob of wet sand in my mouth. But..it's taken me almost 5 years to make this transition. It's a slow process. For others trying to make the transition, I'd recommend eating spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles and then, if you really, really crave pasta, you can occasionally eat a gluten-free variety---or try kelp noodles. They're not my thing, but lots of people like them.

Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

 

What can we expect in your upcoming cookbook?

 

Like the original Well Fed, Well Fed 2 is packed with international recipes that are free of gluten, grains, dairy, added sugar, and legumes. Basically, it's a collection of delicious things I've been eating for the two years since the first book came out. I'm really excited about 15 new meatball recipes and a bunch of stuff that can be made in about an hour, so there are lots of great weeknight options, plus a few "project" recipes for fun. Total, there are about 150 new recipes and meal ideas. We're really excited about getting it out in the world.

 

 

Moroccan Meatballs (Swashbuckle those meatballs like a pirate)

 

 

You experienced and still are experiencing a very traumatic ordeal when you discovered a nodule on your thyroid. What advice can you give to anyone suffering with thyroid issues? 

 

My #1 piece of advice is to not give up. Everyone's thyroid experience is unique, so you have to read a lot to be informed, find a doctor that will LISTEN, and then be open to experimenting on yourself. I've found the only way to experiment wisely is to eat very clean paleo so I have that foundation. Then I can play around with exercise habits, medication, etc., one variable at a time, and analyze how I feel. It can be a long, annoying road, but every little bit of info and self-knowledge helps.



You are getting ready to go back to Prague on another holiday (vacation), have you ever tried a liquor there that is served as an aperitif? I believe it is Becherovka or Slivovice, but I can't recall exactly (a friend of mine spent a semester abroad in Prague and brought this drink back and said we must try it and it must be served chilled). It had a very distinct taste, very citrus like in flavor. And if not, are there any drinks or food that you would recommend other travelers to experience if they venture to Prague?

Becherovka is delicious! It's a liqueur made from something like 25 herbs. My husband Dave and I always say it tastes like Christmas! It's slightly sweet and spicy.  We also tried Slivovice, which is a plum brandy-- and we really, really, REALLY didn't care for it. The word "turpentine" came to mind.  There are three non-paleo treats that I love to enjoy in Prague: schnitzel in a pub, beer (!), and streudel from this tiny little bakery tucked away in a Soviet-era apartment complex in a residential area of the city. It's a trek to get there, and the reward for perseverance is the best apple, poppy, or cheese streudel I've ever eaten. On the paleo side, pork knuckle is a big hunk of roasted pork that's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside...plus lots of cabbage and sauerkraut!

What is your favorite Social Distortion song to listen to while working out? Are there any new artists you are following?

Social D's "Cold Feelings" is the perfect angry song for running, and "She's a Knockout" is also the perfect pace for a run.  My favorite current artist is Frank Turner. Check out the song, "Photosynthesis." The chorus is "I won't sit down/ I won't shut up/And most of all, I will not grow up".

The Clothes Make the Girl is your blog where you share recipes, triumphs and struggles @ the gym and stylish clothing, who has had the largest impact on you, in the fashion world?

My style is a mash up of '80s Madonna, Audrey Hepburn, the Ramones, and 1940s pinup girls....I love the bangs on Bettie Page, the boobs on Tura Satana, and the tasteful class of Audrey Hepburn. My favorite thing to wear is a little black dress and stompy black boots.

Melissa braving Prague's cold weather in a stylish faux fur hat

As you can see, Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan is a very unique, ambitious and determined  individual.  She definitely thinks out of the box, which is what makes her recipes so much fun (trust me, once you try one of her recipes, you too will find yourself getting a little more adventurous in the kitchen).  When you check out her blog, you will see a motto across the top of the page "Train hard. Eat Clean. Live Loud", it is simple and so true.  As someone who enjoys life and its many adventures, I really embrace the "Live Loud" part.  I am eagerly awaiting her next cookbook, Well Fed 2, which is due out October 2013! Until then, start training, get a copy of Well Fed and start living loud!!!



Discover more about Melissa:


Take a bite of her paleo cookbook.
http://www.clothesmakethegirl.com/wellfed


Read her blog.
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com


Connect with Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/melicious11
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheClothesMakeTheGirl
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/melissajoulwan
Instagram: @melicious11

Keep Calm and Stitch On

The Blanket my mother made

 So every now and then I get an itch to stitch something...sometimes it might be a small cross stitch, but every now and again I decide to take on a larger project.  The one that I am currently working on and feels like the end is never in sight, is one that appeared to me through something my mom had given me-a blanket. 

This blanket that my mother made me was made of material from several of my dresses and clothes as a baby and toddler. I have always loved this blanket, even though my mom was not happy with how it turned out.  Like so many of us, we often decide something should be quite easy and as we get under way with it, we realize it is much more challenging. However, I think it is always worth working through the challenge, it is so rewarding in the end.  My mom like myself, did a little research before starting this project and was steered in the wrong direction when it came to sewing the squares of fabric together (she was told to only leave a small amount of fabric, I believe it was a 1/4").  So over time, my mom has become very frustrated with this blanket, because the seems have come unraveled more than once, and I have restitched many of the squares. It was when my son was born that I realized what an amazing treasure my mother had given me, as I sat with him in those first few months and rocked him to sleep, we would always use this blanket to snuggle.  It was when he turned one, that I realized I did not want to just part with all his onesies (and since he is a boy, I knew keeping any in a hope chest or keepsake box, probably would not matter to him). So I decided I would try my hand at mimicking a t-shirt blanket and making him his own treasured blanket.

Showing the handstiched mending

Keeping in mind the troubles my mom crossed in making my son's blanket, I decided early on there were certain things I was going to do, to try and alleviate those issues.  I made my own 6" x 6" pattern and began cutting up all of the onesies and tshirts from his first year that were sentimental.  Then I had to work out some sort of pattern, as you can see in the photo below.  Now mind you, the sewing skills I have are not seamstress skills, what I have are basic/beginner skills (skills that I learned through my years in 4-H, what my mother taught me and what I learned in my one semester of home economics  in public school)...so some of you may think the way I went about this blanket is wrong, and that is okay.  What I am getting at is I am using the skills I have and creating something for my son to treasure for the rest of his life. You see my mom sees the blanket she made me and looks at all the flaws, and what I see in it is all the love she has for me.  To me the blanket shows me that even though there is a stitch that was done that pulled the fabric in one spot of the blanket, and all the pieces that have unraveled and have needed mending, those are just a reminder that our relationships are not concrete and neither is love, it is always pulling us in different directions, and often we need to make sure we take time and work on our relationships and mend them, or they can become unraveled.

Right now I feel like this blanket is a giant albatross, because I am currently working on hand stitching the quilted fabric to the onesie/t-shirt portion of the blanket. But deep down I know it is well worth it, and stitching is very calming.  And I know in the end this will not just be a blanket for my son, but a treasure.
 

Laying out the pattern

Front and Back of Blanket sewn together

The Tedious Handstitching process

Keep Plodding On

"Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength"-Winston Churchill


April 9th, marks the day that Winston Churchill was made an honorary U.S. citizen by President John F. Kennedy.  During this ceremony President Kennedy described Churchill as a defender of freedom, a wartime leader, orator, historian, statesman and an Englishman.  Kennedy also stated that Churchill, "...mobilized the English language and sent it into battle".  The "let us go forward together," is probably Churchill's most famous quote, he used it during his May 13th, 1940 speech, when he addressed Britain to keep on fighting on against Hitler and his armies, even though they were invading and conquering most of Europe. Churchill also liked to use these phrases in everyday conversations to help keep morale up, KBO- Keep Buggering On and KPO- Keep Plodding On (he used this one around women as it was less offensive).

Personally, when I think about Churchill, I think back about the holiday (vacation) I spent with my dear friend, Emma, in 1999. Emma and I were taking in all the sites we could, and sometimes we hopped on the famous double decker red tour buses as a way to relax a bit, from pounding the pavement to catch the Underground (Tube Stations).  So there we were aboard the bus, when we both found ourselves listening to the guide give us little tidbits of info on each monument and statue we passed.  The one that has always stuck out in my mind from this trip, is the one of the Churchill statue in Parliament Square.  This is becuase the guide had shared some story about how there was rumor that Churchill had requested that there be some sort of electricity run through the statue so that no birds would shit on him, and if they did, they would be summoned to electroshock.  Of course, we just assumed the statue was kept cleaned as to appear that this were the case. Now this like I said is a rumor, but there was a purposal to have pins inserted into the head of the statue to keep the birds from sitting on Churchill's head (so truth be told, I think the tour guide misread his study guide for his tour info., and created that rumor himself).  Which makes me think of one of Churchill's witty sayings, "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on"- Churchill.

Anyway in honor of Churchill's honorary U.S. citizenship, I wanted to also share some of his famous quotes and the recipe for the Churchill Cocktail so you can raise a glass and join in the celebration of his life's achievements.

The Churchill Cocktail:
3 parts Scotch Whiskey (Churchill preferred Johnnie Walker)
1 part of freshly squeezed lime juice
1 part Sweet Vermouth
1 part Cointreau

Shake with ice, strain and serve in a chilled glass.

 

 

"We make a living by what we get, a life by what we give"

 

 

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts"

 

 

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen"





The Crabby Cocktail

Blue crab harvest season officially begins April 1st, so with that in mind, I thought it the perfect occassion to share with you my Crabby Cocktail.  It could also go by the names of Crab Ale, Redneck Water, Hillbilly Cocktail...or any other name you want to give it.

I created this over a Christmas holiday when I really wanted hot blue crabs, and the only time I really like to drink beer is with crabs.


Ingredients:
1 can or bottle of beer
Old Bay Seasoning

Sea Salt
1 Lemon, cut into wedges
and a chilled glass

Directions:
Put Old Bay seasoning and sea salt into a saucer or bowl. Moisten the edge of chilled glass with lemon wedge. Hold glass with rim down, dab the rim while slowly turning into the Old Bay/sea salt mixture, until the glass is rimmed with seasoning.  Then open beer, pour in and drink.

*** On the side you could serve with Celery filled with bacon or even a deep fried pickle****

***Recommendations for beer selection***
The first time I tried this I used Yuengling Traditional Lager. Yes, I have actually drank this, when its the middle of winter and not crab season and you get a craving, this is a great way to satisfy it, especially if you are not a fan of Bloody Marys.
My other beers choices (which by the way do not fit my paleo/primal diet):
Dogfish 60 Minute IPA
Dogfish Punkin' Ale
Lancaster Brewing Co. Hop Hog IPA
Lancaster Brewing Co. Amish 4 Grain Pale Ale
Troegs Perpetual IPA
Troegs Seasonal Winter- Nugget Nectar
Troegs Seasonal Summer-Sunshine Pils

Obnoxxxious is Sexy

Okay so I am super excited for Saturday Night Live this weekend, why because Melissa McCarthy is hosting, of course!  Recently I read an article in which a critic was reviewing  McCarthy's recent film Identity Thief and said " [She] is a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious" (Rex Reed, The New York Observer). And I cannot help, but allow this to be an opportunity to discuss the issues of weight, society and what it means to be a successful comedian. 

And I am going to be honest with you here, for those of you who have known me most of my life know this, but for those of you who don't may not.  I am not skinny, or even a thin woman, nor have I ever been.  I could blame my height, my genetic disposition, or even that fact that I have been raised mostly on a Western diet chocked full of sugar, corn syrup and carbohydrates.  However, I believe that yes, some of these issues may be contributors to my weight and body type, but I do not feel they are the sole reasons.  I do not believe in using such issues as excuses, nor do I feel placing all my attention  and emphasize on those issues is a healthy way to live.  I believe that one first must accept self. By that I mean, being happy with yourself, knowing who you are, what you want, what drives you and motivates you...for some of us, that may be learning to laugh at ourselves, as most comedians will tell you.  My prime example, is Tina Fey, in her memoir Bossypants (which if you haven't read it, do it, its' full of stories that will make you laugh, and make you take a stroll down memory lane). I also feel our weight does not state who we are, we do. Critic Rex Reed, states that McCarthy is a gimmick comedian, if that were true, then all comedians are "gimmick" comedians. What's the gimmick? learning to laugh at yourself, while making others laugh with you. I know that Reed meant that McCarthy is using her weight as part of her gimmick, however I disagree.  I think she has accepted her weight, but I do not feel she uses it to market or brand herself.

What I am getting at is, and to respond to critic Reed, yes, some of us are "obnoxious".  I love being obnoxious...now I know this isn't an attribute shared by all. But let's just look at the word, and fix the spelling o-b-n-o-x-x-x-i-o-u-s.  Now that's how I like to look at the word, by adding the x's it makes you realize that obnoxious is something to take ownership of, because its not only annoyingly outrageous, its outrageously sexy.  Hmm. Mmm. That's right, sexy!  You see, when you aren't as drop dead gorgeous or super model material, like let's say as Halle Barry, Gisele Bundchen or Gwen Stefani (personally I just think she has some of the best legs ever!); you have to really know yourself and your talents, because we can't just pull a Sharon Stone move with our legs and make things happen.  And one of the best ways to go about this is learning to laugh at yourself, with yourself and with others about the not so "perfect" life.  Now, this may mean, while we are laughing at ourselves we come across as obnoxious, but for those of you who can relate, you know that this laughter is joyous and sexy.  I mean just ask any woman what she is looking for when seeking a man or husband, I guarantee most woman will say they want someone with a sense of humor, and vice verse of the opposite sex. And who does not find a sense of humor sexy?

I think Reed confuses what he sees as obnoxious, which obviously is weight with being a funny comedian.  McCarthy is successful, because she knows something about timing and delivering a line, not everyone can do this..and if you are wondering what I mean, watch SNL when someone who does not have a comedic background tries to be funny and just can't deliver.  I mean, when McCarthy played Linda in the Garlic Ranch Blast skit on her last guest hosting of SNL and says, "There's a Hidden Valley Ranch party in my mouth", I laughed my arse off, to the point I had tears in my eyes.  So please, Melissa McCarthy continue to bring us your obnoxxxiousness!!!