Discovery Saturday!

Yesterday was an odd day.  I worked a medic unit from 1800-0600 on Friday night, through to Saturday morning... and didn't touch my bunk.  I was dead tired when I got home, so I crawled into bed, canceling my bike ride I had planned.  I purposely woke up at 11, so I could get to the post office before they closed... after I ate some grub, I headed down to Frederick to run some errands.

This is where discoveries started to occur...

Discovery #1:  While slowly walking through Borders, saying my silent goodbyes to my favorite store, I came across a few authors I had heard of before but never found any books for.  Into my cart went Wendy Lyn Watson's "Scoop to Kill", Livia J. Washburn's "Killer Crab Cakes" and "The Pumpkin Muffin Murder", Sheila Connolly's "One Bad Apple", and Riley Adams' "Finger Lickin' Dead."  I had heard of each of these authors at different times, namely because they write fictional stories (mostly murder mysteries...) with a foodie twist.  Some take place in restaurants, some involved poisoned food, murderous chefs, or just have good recipes in them.  Obviously, I haven't read them yet, but soon as I do, I'll give a review...  Oh, and I also picked up a biography on Julia Child, "Appetite for Life" by Noel Riley Fitch.  Think that might be the first one I read... I mean, gotta pay homage to the Queen of the Kitchen, right?!

Discovery #2:  Wegmans.  They opened one up in Frederick about a month ago, and honestly, I wasn't interested.  From the stories I had heard, it sounded like an overpriced, over hyped, and over shopped store.  Not.  Me.  But... yesterday, I succumbed.  One word - WOW.  It's HUGE!!

Fresh foods.  Seafood counter.  Meat counter.  Deli counter.  Sushi counter.  A cafe.  Salad bars.  Cheese counter.  Bakery.  Regular groceries.  Vegan groceries.  Gluten-free groceries.  Kitchen supplies, including a full Le Creuset display.  Catering.  Tour guides.  Ok, well, maybe not that, but geesh, they should!  I will certainly be doing a follow-up post on JUST Wegmans.  I will tour, camera in hand, and let you all see FIRST HAND how wonderful this store is!  Still in shock... why did I wait?

Discovery #3:  Yogi Castle.  Frozen yogurt at its finest.  Wow, I now know where I will be stopping on a LOT of evenings after work.  I will do another follow-up post about this, too, but let me tell you - awesomeness.  Most are fat-free, sugar-free, or low-calorie varieties.  I had a banana and peanut butter mix, with some fresh blueberries and strawberries on top.  Love at first taste.

Today has been fairly lazy, cleaning and whatnot, but who knows, the day is still young.  Have a good Sunday!

Friday Ramblings

Ok, so I know it's Wednesday - but it's *MY* Friday... I have the next two days off, to go on a motorcycle trip for the weekend.  Looking forward to it, although I think my liver is already in pain...

Yesterday, as I was cutting through town to get to Borders, I passed a bright yellow pickup truck.  Low and behold, guess what I saw on the back bumper?  A CIA - Hyde Park parking pass!  Small world, huh?  As I passed, I saw that the driver was a "kid", at least by my reckoning.  Probably a current student, on summer break.  Weird when you think about how many people are surrounding you that you know nothing about...

When I got to Borders, it was quite the depressing scene.  Everyone was jolly, not even staff members seemed upset.  But to me, it was the end of a great thing.  If it hadn't been for Borders, I don't know how I would've gotten through school.  Near my college, there was a store open 24/7, which provided students a place for late night study sessions and research opportunities when the libraries all closed.  I hate to see what comes next, too, especially since I am not thrilled about all of the e-readers.  Will our children even know what it feels like to hold a book, to smell the paper and ink, to see the colorful pictures?  Or will they only know black and white text on a computer screen, devoid of a soul?  Sad... so very sad.


Source:  http://orlandpark.patch.com/articles/photos-massive-lines-form-during-borders-liquidation-sale#photo-7134262

Later last night, reading through some blogs, I found one that put another frown on my mood... Marcus Samuelsson did a nice article entitled "The Oncoming Decline of Culinary Schools" in which he opened my eyes to the perils of going to culinary school.  I had no idea it was that "bad" out there?  How do chefs make a living?!  But it really put a damper on my mood, and on my dreams of going to the CIA.  If I can't make a comfortable living doing what I love, then obviously, I should find something else to do, whether I love it or not.  Ultimately, if I can't afford to LIVE while away from work, then what's the point of being happy at your job?  Just depressing to think about it...

 Due to my trip this weekend, I refused to grocery shop last weekend, and haven't really cooked anything in a while.  Honestly, I've worked so many extra shifts at the station that I don't think I've been home at meal time in more than a week!  Hopefully, next week things will settle down and I will be able to get back to cooking.  I have a ton of recipes I want to try out, adapt and play with.

But since I am disconnecting from the digital world for a few days, have a good weekend!