Not-So-Super Target

Not so much of a dig on Target as it is commentary on the retail curiosities of the east coast. There are a lot of goofy things about shopping out here -- liquor stores are run by the state ("the ABC Store") and sell only hard alcohol or Virginia sourced wines. Beer and wine are at the grocery store. And I've already discussed the lack of Taco Bell and Sonic.

Well, the Target stores are not Super Targets. They have a "pantry" area with some generic foodstuffs, but not the full fledged store. I don't know why this annoys me so much -- I didn't do much food shopping at Target before except to stock up every few months on Smart Ones frozen meals for $1.77 instead of Hy-Vee's $3. But, I've been on a search for the yummy Archer Farms hummus that my sister-in-law served at Thanksgiving and I can't find it.

I do have a half dozen different grocery store chains, natural food and gourmet food stores within 10 minutes drive that I can choose from, so I guess it's not that big of a hardship! I'm not sure if the Wal-Mart stores have the full food store or not, because that's a 15 minute drive that I don't intend to make. . . .

I was actually quite pleased with my recent trip to Target actually: I finally got that winter hat that I've been needing. Jason and I went to the mall on Sunday so I looked around there a little. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of looking at Nordstrom's. No, I don't need a $200 Juicy Couture stocking cap. . . .Instead, on Monday I got the winter closeout light blue cashmere hat at Target for $4.98! For good measure, I also got a cream colored knitted one since it was only $1.98. It's been really windy (and still cold) this week, so it's been nice to finally have the hat to keep my ears toasty!

Restaurant Week

We had date night in Dupont Circle last night to enjoy Restaurant Week at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Each January and August restaurants around the city participate in the event to draw crowds during historically slow times. It's a great chance to sample some of the more expensive places since lunch is only $20 and dinner is $30.

The key is to pick restaurants that are still serving some of their best entrees and without any upcharges for picking those entrees. We were very pleased with our visit to Ruth's Chris. We enjoyed bread, garden salads, 6 oz. filets (normally $33 by themselves), family style sides of creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms, and dessert. It was so much food, and it was so delicious! I won't discuss how the Scotch and wine increased the tally on our bill, but they were delicious, too. I'm definitely going to try to book here again in August.

After dinner, we walked around in Dupont Circle and did some window shopping before heading home.

Supremely Cool!

Today a co-worker and I took a short field trip to the United States Supreme Court (credits to Wikipedia for the photo -- I didn't take my camera so I wouldn't have to mess with getting a locker to store it since you can't take anything inside the chambers).


We saw about 15 minutes of oral arguments for "Quanta Computer, Inc. et al. v. LG Electronics, Inc.," which was a patent dispute over microchips. Normally, a visitor is granted 3-5 minutes to view the court, but our group was admitted about 10 minutes before that session was supposed to end at 11 a.m. I think the ushers assumed the session would wrap up at or prior to its scheduled time and intended to let us stay until the end to prevent disruption. Instead, we were ushered out about 5 minutes after 11 (which is when the next case was supposed to start but obviously would not). I'm glad we were sent in towards the end of the allotted hour because that's when the justices were asking a lot of questions and interacting with the speaker.


For anyone planning a visit to the Supreme Court while it's in session -- dress for the weather but otherwise pack lightly. We stood in a line outside on this plaza for an hour in the cold and wind before we got to ascend the pictured staircase. Then we went through security, checked our coats, security again, line again, and finally inside. The view is a bit obscured due to curtains (which presumably help drown out the shuffling of visitors in and out), but I could see all of the justices at some point as I moved around in my chair and strained my head. The sound was good though, since there were speakers mounted on the ceiling in the back of the chamber where we were.


A fun experience and one more thing to check off in my guide book!

Christmas Giving (and Re-Giving)

We had a small white elephant gift exchange at work in early December. The rule was to bring something that you had at home that you didn’t want there anymore. We spent an hour eating snacks in a conference room and exchanging the stories of the gifts. The best (or worst?) one was the person who brought in a box of old magazines – clearly meeting the requirement of something around home that you don’t want there anymore. Other gifts included a “Sweet Home Alabama” DVD, a pink “fur” purse (luckily, the co-worker with the 2-year old daughter got that one), multiple smelly lotions and potions, and an “As Seen on TV” miniature shaver.

We had an impromptu post-Christmas follow-up last week when one of my co-workers brought in the vanilla bath kit and a chocolate Santa figure (enjoyed by all once someone was willing to get it started). I walked away with a bath sponge and the ribbon tying together the cellophane. Once I realized what we were doing, I grabbed the white ceramic popcorn bowl that I received in the first gift exchange! (I had intended to leave it on my desk until I vacated this office. . . .in 2009.) It found a good home with someone who was thrilled to have it! And isn’t that the real purpose? Regifting is the ultimate environmental effort: finding someone who will use and enjoy the gift. It won’t sit around collecting dust or find its way to the landfill just yet.

I’m happy to report that I didn’t have to do any other regifting this holiday season (technically, there was one item, but I don’t believe that I fully accepted that gift since I never left with it. . . .) thanks to the practical and very well picked gift cards, food, and tickets that I received. I have actually started consuming/utilizing everything that I received for Christmas! Thanks to all!

Fog Blog

After beautiful days on Friday and Saturday, the warm air hitting the accumulated snow resulted in this foggy result on Sunday. It lasted both Sunday and Monday. The locals said it was because there was no wind to blow out the fog, and there was so much moisture on the ground (snow) to feed the fog.

It was pretty and creepy all at once. It was also annoying, as no flights went out of Madison on either day. My flight Monday was cancelled, and after much work to get somewhere on Monday, I just ended up on my original flight plan - just on Tuesday. So, I ended up with a 5 day weekend and 3 day work week. Rachel stayed at the kennel an extra night and seemed happy to get home on Tuesday evening.

I realized by 5 p.m. that my chances of flying out on Monday were zero since visibility was still zero. I requested a hotel voucher and got a coupon for a discounted rate. I got some take out from a nearby restaurant and settled in bed to watch TV and read. I checked out at 11 a.m. the next day - well rested and clean. When I arrived in D.C. it was 70 and sunny!

Wisconsin Winter Wonderland

We spent a fun and relaxing weekend in and around Gays Mills, Wisconsin (pop. 625) – where Jason’s employer, BAPI, is located. This was his third trip and my first. In cruise ship fashion, which is our more regular winter destination, I will arrange my days according to food and excursions.

Friday:
We had a nonstop flight from National to Madison on a clear, sunny day. At the Dollar rental car counter we were assigned the full size car we had reserved online (no skimping on the compact in the winter in Wisconsin – especially when you’re going to be driving the back roads) – a “silver Grand MarKEYS” according to the woman at Dollar. For you uninitiated, that’s the Mercury version of the Crown Victoria – the giant cars that are turned into police and highway patrol cruisers. This was certainly the first time in my life that I thought to myself, “But I really wanted the Ford Taurus. . . .” I was nervous about having a rear-wheeled drive vehicle in snow and ice but we “brought a heat wave” with us “from the south” and the roads were clear.

Lunch: Taco Bell! But it was a treat, because the Bell is only in mall food courts around here, so I have only had it once in 8 months. Thanks GPS Jill for finding me a Crunchwrap Supreme!

Snack: During our 2 hour drive to Gays Mills, we passed 3 Culver’s frozen custard restaurants. I was set on having frozen custard on this trip and was terribly disappointed to find out there weren’t any Ma & Pa’s custard houses. There’s a Culver’s in JoCo, so the thrill was gone and I never had custard during the trip.

Excursion: We got a tour of the office/plant from Jason’s boss. 57 people work at the Gays Mills facility and 1 person works offsite (in my house).

Dinner: We drove 20 miles to meet with another couple for dinner at a restaurant. It reminded me of Mr. Steak in Hutchinson.

Wildlife: Wild turkeys, hawks, deer, raccoon and opossum. That raccoon must have been freaked out by the MarKEYS because it ran straight down the middle of the road in the beam of the headlights instead of across to the other side. Eventually it allowed us to stop chasing it and pass it. The next night an opossum did the same thing!

Saturday:
Brunch: Butter brickle scones, omelets, and grapefruit baked with maple syrup by our B&B innkeepers, Pete and Nora, who are suburban Chicago transplants. I highly recommend their place (http://www.lonesomehollow.com/) – it’s worth making a weekend out of!

Excursion: Snow-shoeing on the B&B’s property. We went through the valley then up the ridge having a great time trooping through the 3 feet of snow. On the way back down, after a few wrong turns into some steep tree-lined areas, I got the opportunity to try snow-sitting/sliding. My jeans were soaked, but it was fun!

Lunch: A quick stop at the C-Store for a slice of pizza. This is where the BAPI folks eat lunch on Mondays when the restaurant next door is closed.

Dinner: Joined Jason’s boss and family at their home.

Sunday:
Brunch: Banana-stuffed French toast, baked pears, and sausage links.

Excursion: The BAPI Holiday Party!! We drove 30 minutes to the bowling alley where I totally rocked the bumper bowling with my highest score ever – 149.

Dinner: 4 p.m. at the bowling alley. Buffet with French fries, macaroni salad, meatballs, prime rib and a whole smoked salmon laid out on a cookie sheet. No dessert, but I did spot the DQ on our way into town, so I got a hot fudge sundae on our way out! (FYI, no DQs or Sonics out here in DC, either.)

Monday:
Breakfast: Up early to get ready to go to work (Jason) and home (me). We would have been up earlier, but I didn’t set the alarm correctly, so we overslept almost an hour. Pete made us an egg scramble and Nora made us pumpkin loaf.

Excursion: A drive in a winter morning thunderstorm to drop off Jason at the office. I drove the rest of the way to Madison in rain and then FOG. But that gets a post of its own.

Metro's Special Fares

Metro fares increase on Monday. My commute currently costs a maximum of $2.60 one-way during rush hour (it's 10 cents less if I want to get some air and walk for 5 blocks) and $1.85 during off-peak (if I leave work after 7 p.m.). Rush hour now goes up to $3.10 but off-peak doesn’t change. If that’s true, I now have a lot more motivation to work until 7, since I normally stay until 6:30 anyway.

I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I think I still come out ahead in commute costs versus KC since I had to pay for gas and parking there. And my newspaper time is priceless! Since we live at the end of a line, I get a seat every day and settle in to read the Washington Post’s free daily.

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but my trip – including any waiting or walking – usually takes about 35-40 minutes in the morning (door-to-door) and 45-50 minutes at night.

I planned to do a little post about some of the special people that I’ve seen on the Metro (triggered by Booger Man on the way home tonight), but the fare story took too long. I’ll save that for another time. Let me just offer the following advice to that fella: failure to retrieve your target on the first (and second) try with your thumb does not give you the right to attempt an index finger full immersion. Yeah, seriously. And this guy was 50-plus. Somehow it may have been ok if he were seriously old and senile. Of course the real tragedy was that I couldn’t divert my eyes.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

It was dark, 20 degrees and blustery when Rachel and I went out at 7 a.m. I checked on weather.com when we got back inside and the "feels like" temperature was 15. Luckily, the sun came out shortly afterwards, but the wind was still biting when I walked to the train at 8:15. I took the train that arrives immediately across from my building and didn't even divert to the Starbucks on my way in. I think I will shop for a hat this weekend! :-)

P.S. I have officially made the dog walking transition to my fully outfitted orange Columbia ski coat (circa 1997 - remember it?). I've been wearing the outer shell all fall, but now it's all lined in and zipped together and worn with a purple K-State ski cap and fleece gloves (and usually pink Crocs on my feet). At least I look "interesting" as I freeze!

Happy New Year!

I am starting 2008 with a new appreciation for all of you who have had to spend part of your holiday in the airport each year. And, I hope all of you KC folks are enjoying the Sprint Center – those rental car fees are crazy expensive!

We had a great time in Kansas hanging out with family and friends for the Christmas holiday. In between all of the food and drinks in McPherson, we worked in a few games of Scrabble and some walks with Lucy (last year’s Christmas Corgi). In JoCo, we drove around in our old neighborhoods to see what had changed since we moved (strangely, a lot in just 7 months). We also got to hit up some of our favorite food spots – First Watch, Margarita’s, and grilling steaks with Koudeles.

Rachel spent the week with our K-State friends, the Websters, and had a great time! We are so grateful that they welcomed her into their home for the holidays while we were traveling.