Friday Randomness
OK, it’s Friday afternoon and I haven’t even been keeping up with my own comments on this blog, let alone coming to your place. I will say that I just went to a couple of blogs, Engie’s and Sarah’s, and I can’t comment there. (Engie, congrats to Dr. BB on his award! Sarah, Minnie’s hair is SO CUTE) I guess it’s a blogger thing? I hope it resolves soon and is simple! Now on to the randomness around here.
I’ve taken to grocery shopping online recently, since my newest credit card gives me 3x points if I purchase online instead of going inside. It’s a win-win, because this way I don’t buy potato chips. Anyway, I was trying to buy limes, which spellcheck kept changing to ‘love’, and look at the top item! Avocados! Yes, I DO love avocados! I don’t know if this means the computer is super smart or super dumb.
Ted went on a business trip this week, and he flew out of our tiny local airport. It’s mostly small individual planes, the kind with 2 or 3 seats, privately owned. We used to go there when Maya was little, because they had an observation deck you could stand on and watch the planes take off and land. Well now we have a hanger (I want to call it an airport, but it’s probably too small for that…it’s called ‘Buchanan Field, not Concord Airport.) It’s very small. This is the brand new TSA area. Before it was built, you didn’t even go through TSA to get on your flight.
The only airline is JSX, and they mostly fly direct to Burbank and Las Vegas from our ‘airport’, which was handy because Ted was going to Burbank. It was really easy to pick him up and drop him off (not in that order). It’s about 10 minutes from our house, and there’s no problem parking. Plus, I could go inside and wait like in the old days of flying. Pretty cool!
This is the plane Ted flew out on on Monday. Sorry for the blurry window blinds in the foreground.
Our kinda fancy suburb has a very fancy new chocolate shop, Läderach. I was downtown picking up some euros to send my sister’s youngest for their birthday, because they are going to college in Ireland and I didn’t know how a check would work and besides, this particular kid takes about 4 months to cash a check at home, talk about overseas, so I figured cash was king. While in the area, I stopped by Läderach to get some fancy chocolates for my FIL’s birthday. Seriously yummy chocolate. I didn’t buy the FrishSchoggi from a big sheet, like you see pictured, but instead bought a little bag of individually wrapped ones. What does one do with a big sheet of chocolate? Maybe break it into artisan looking shards and be all Martha Stewart I guess. I’ll tell you, I felt very fancy buying euros and Swiss chocolates.
We’re celebrating my FIL’s birthday on Monday, and I will be throwing caution to the wind and making a green salad. I will source the lettuce from our local Farmer’s Market, however, so hopefully that will be safe. I’m making my step-mom’s salad, which has lettuce, herbs, avocados, apples, dried cranberries, and feta. It’s delicious.
Calling all Gilmore Girls fans. Our neighboring town is having a GG themed fall festival in October. When I told Ted I didn’t think I want to go, he looked at me like I have 2 heads. I have watched that show SO MANY TIMES, and am currently watching it again. And I adore Kelly Bishop. It just feels like it will be super crowded and I don’t like that. As I think about it more, though, I suspect I will end up going. I’m super predictable. Watching it now, I’m struck by how young Lorelie is. I mean, I’m about a year older than Lauren Graham, so when the show was on and she was in her early 30s, so was I, but that was 26 years ago, and while Lauren and I have aged, Lorelai has not (unless you count the 4 seasons thing on Netflix, which I do, but I’m not currently watching that). Want to come with me?
I like this recycling bin and its message of hope. My town is so fancy, the store across the street on the right is a Tiffany store, and the one on the left is Neiman Marcus, though that building has been empty for a while now. We do not live in this part of town. We live on the opposite side of town.
We had some beautiful rain yesterday! It rarely rains this time of year, and it wasn’t like we got measurable rain, but it was a gentle rain that lasted long enough that I could fall asleep listening to it, and the car in our uncovered spot looked like shit in the morning, so I had to take it for a car wash. Ted usually takes care of such things, but he wasn’t home yet. Gosh, getting your car washed is expensive, and then the dryer doesn’t even dry anything so it’s covered in water stains. Frustrating waste of $17. (I mean, not a total waste, it did look a lot better, just not as good as I thought it should look, which is perfect.)
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and I hope your blogs are accepting comments soon, and that your weather is not batshit crazy like I heard from some of my midwestern friends this morning.
42 Comments
Birchie
Yeah, it looks to me like blogger is having a bad day with comments. Oh well.
The front of my car is plastered with every bug that we met between here and Wyoming and back, and the car wash didn’t even put a dent in the carnage, so I’ll be carrying that souvenir of the trip for a while. We’ve gotten a ton of rain in the past two days and oh boy did we need it.
TGIF!
J
Oh the bugs! I remember when we drove from California to Philadelphia way back when! It was MONTHS before we got all of those bugs off of our car. Months.
I’m glad you finally got some rain.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I would want a whole sheet of chocolate and I could it it too. Tells you soemthing about me. Sigh.
I don’t even know if you can cash checks in Europe. I wouldn’t know how to do that…
Is it really 26 years when Gilmore Girls started. I can’t believe it. I guess time does move forward.
J
It sounds like I did the right thing with the Euros! I had forgotten that you said you had never written a check. I’m glad I didn’t go that way.
Those chocolate slabs are pretty darned tasty, let me tell you. But you get really excellent chocolate in Germany, too. Ours here in the US tends to be a little waxy. Not that I won’t eat it, but it’s not the same as European chocolates.
AC
You remind me that we lived near a flying club when I was a boy and we hung out there from time to time.
J
I did used to enjoy taking my daughter to watch the planes take off and land! The only thing was that as it’s such a small airport with no scheduled flights (that we knew of anyway, back in the day) that you might go and sit there for a bit before anything happened.
nance
Blogger was driving me nuts yesterday, not allowing comments–even my own replies to my Comments section. I ended up copy/pasting all my comments into Notepad, coming back today, and putting in my replies/comments. very frustrating, but so far not an issue today.
Those big sheets of chocolate! Heck yes I’d buy one and break it up like my Christmas Toffee.
Shopping online doesn’t appeal to me, but then again, I’m retired and have the time to go personally. I like wandering around the store–usually!–and getting inspired. Plus, my grocery store is always full of weird and random items in its Closeouts section, and I really enjoy being surprised and amused. I got Rick a nice navy hooded sweatshirt for 4 bucks yesterday. I think I’ll go back and get myself a nice big one to toss on and be cozy IF OUR WEATHER EVER STOPS BEING SO DAMN HOT AND HUMID.
J
Nance, I also enjoy going inside the grocery store. I think once I hit my threshold to get a $1,000 bonus off of this card, I will start going inside again with a different card that also gives me 3x the points. If I had your charming store to consider, I might just forgo the points and go inside anyway! As it is, we generally go to 2 grocery stores, and one of them does not have online ordering, so I’m only down one. It’s a lot faster though!
nance
I feel very strongly that if you come and visit me, we will have to go to my store, albeit one that is nearer the lakehouse. You will be so amused and charmed.
BTW–I paid $1 each for my avos yesterday at my grocery store. They had a ton in varying degrees of ripeness. I am craving…C R A V I N G guacamole. MMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
J
I am ALL IN for a visit to your grocery store! We once in a while get $1 avocados, but not often. YUM. Guac is the best.
ernie
Nance – I did the same thing, cutting and pasting my comments for my blog comments into a google doc on Friday. It worked the next day. I assumed it was user error and I was like WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
J
You are both very smart to do the copy/paste thing! I did that for Engie, but I just texted it to her and then I gave up on Blogger for the day.
Nicole MacPherson
Looks like blogger is fixed now, or at least I was able to leave a few comments anyway.
That little airport reminds me of when we were in South Africa! We flew out of a few tiny airports. One wasn’t even an airport. Or an airstrip. It was just some pavement in the middle of the bush.
I love that avocado love!
I’m so happy I haven’t had to deal with the whole lettuce thing that you have! Is it still going on?
J
I still don’t know why my computer or the app or whatever didn’t recognize limes. That was weird. But hey, avocados for the win!
The lettuce thing hasn’t hit us too hard in California, though it’s been rough in the midwest I think. I haven’t bought any bagged salad because of it, since my understanding is that that was the issue. I don’t really love bagged salads anyway. Our grocery store tells you where your produce comes from, so I can see if the lettuce is from the US or not. And I feel even safer getting it from the Farmer’s Market. Not as good as growing it yourself, to be sure! Is the lettuce thing still going on? Honestly I don’t know. I haven’t heard much about it, but I know of folks that are still avoiding it. And I keep reading about different foods that are dangerous. Tofu was the latest. I guess we’re supposed to eat air.
Elisabeth
I guess we’re supposed to eat air. Hahaha. Also… it’s true and a bit terrifying.
I remember being in my university genetics class and our teacher has a slide that said something like 67 ways eating carrots can give you cancer. SIGH. I can’t remember the take home message but it was basically that life is nuts and everything is dangerous and we just have to live in denial most of the time or we’ll go crazy with worry.
On that happy note. Yes! Blogger seems to be fixed. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to leave comments on Blogger blogs before it finally clicked that it must be a Blogger issue, not an Elisabeth issue.
Cooked, peeled beets. Never in my life have I seen those as a grocery item.
I do love pistachios! (And avocados and blueberries and even beets!)
J
The cooked peeled beets are better than canned I think. I don’t buy them often, but once in a while…I don’t like to cook beets. And I’m the only one here who eats them.
Yes, regarding blogger – at first I thought it was me, then I thought it was Engie’s blog and even sent her a text, then I tried Sarah’s and figure out that it was a blogger issue. Thank goodness it’s all resolved now.
UGH on how dangerous it is to eat or leave the house or stay home or just exist. I guess this has always been true. Carrots? SIGH. Mmmm. Pistachios are the best.
Lisa’s Yarns
I was able to comment on Engie’s blog this morning so the issue must be resolved! Blogger can be so persnickety and difficult.
That chocolate shop looks amazing. I don’t know what I would do with a giant sheet of chocolate – or how it wouldn’t shatter in transit from the store to home. Your town is very fancy!!
J
To be fair, they do break up the sheet of chocolate for you, I don’t think anyone takes it out of the store in a big sheet. The chocolate is so creamy and delicious.
Yes, Blogger is working today, which is good news!
jeanie
Blogger’s back, so that’s good! What a lovely chocolate shop. I haven’t shopped online since Covid but you’re right about the potato chips! I so miss the old days of flying. It was so uncomplicated and far more elegant.
J
OK, I found this comment in my spam, so ignore my reply to your second comment. Grocery shopping online for me is mostly illness related, so I don’t spread anything. But right now for my credit card reward, I’m doing it. It has it’s ups and downs! The up is no potato chips showing up in my bag!
Jeanie
Oops. Didn’t finish that comment. Hate it when I do that. Meant to add that I loved the cartoon about the paddle. Perfection!
J
I think your first comment got lost, but yes, great cartoon!
San
Is this downtown Walnut Creek? I’ve been to the Neiman Marcus once with a friend… the shop assistant encouraged us to try on things (hahaha), and she brought us champagne to the changing room (hahaha)… she was absolutely ok with the fact that we were NOT going to buy anything.
I love that Walt Whitman quote. And I also want to go to a GG themed festival, please and thank you.
J
I LOVE that you got such amazing service, including champagne, at the WC Neiman Marcus.
No one will be surprised to learn that the meet and greet tickets for the festival sold out immediately, but if you want to go and wander together, I am ALL IN!
Michelle G.
Your little airport looks delightful! I love that you could go in and wait with Ted. The chocolate slabs look wonderful. Your town sounds so lovely!
J
I do like living here, though it is very meteropolitan, there is a lot of ‘green space’ so we can look at the mountain and so on.
DB Stewart
Yes please to public Walt Whitman quotes (and other poets too). We all need the random inspiration!
J
Agreed!
StephLove
We’ve been buying lettuce, too, as long as it’s not bagged.
Beth, North, and I have been watching GG since they were in 8th grade (first time for all of us) and we still haven’t finished it now that they are a junior in college. We’re getting close, though! It’s been kind of like watching it in real time. Meanwhile, North is thinking of starting over at the beginning on their own, before we even finish.
J
Oh, starting over might be fun, even if you haven’t finished. Are you on the final season?
StephLove
Yes, just 5 or 6 episodes left. But then we’ll probably do the Year in the Life miniseries. My niece told us it’s not very good, but there are plot developments we’ll want to know about and I am a completist.
J
I agree it’s not fabulous, but definitely worth watching.
ernie
I was beside myself Friday evening when I was trying to reply to comments on my blog. I figured it was something up with me, or our internet, but I’d just ordered shoes online for a wedding and that worked. Weird. I was glad it seemed to be fixed on Saturday.
If Curly was anywhere near that Gilmore Girl fest, she’d be there in a heartbeat. I hadn’t seen that show in years, and then rewatched some of it with Curly when she discovered it.
Those chocolate sheets would be so tempting.
The weather here last week was nuts. So incredibly hot – totally over board for Sept. this weekend the weather is upper 70s, sunny, and perfect. It’s been a great weekend to have three days to enjoy it.
J
I’m glad the weather has mellowed out for you! The GG festival sold out pretty fast. I guess there are free things that anyone can go to, but you don’t see anyone famous. If you want to meet Emily, those tickets are gone (and were probably more than I wanted to pay anyway.)
Margaret
That’s an uplifting message on the garbage can. We need that. Apparently, my area got some rain while I was in Ireland. It’s fun to buy fancy chocolates although I’ve sometimes been disappointed in them.
J
Fancy chocolates are often disappointing, but these are really good.
Diane
Can you believe I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls??? But it’s such a cultural touchpoint, I think. I remember once maybe 15 years ago, I had to direct an opera scene and I told the young singers that the sung dialogue had to move quickly like on Gilmore Girls and all I got was blank stares. I was sure they would get the reference. Oh well.
Maybe I should watch it while we still have Netflix. Should I just start at the beginning?
J
Do you have Hulu? GG is no longer on Netflix. If you decide to watch, definitely start from the beginning. I think season 1 is probably the best.
Stephany
Oh, I would be there in a HEARTBEAT at that fall festival. To see Kelly Bishop???? I would die. I love her so much!
It’s weird to think about the age of people. Like, the characters in Friends were SO YOUNG and it’s weird to think of how accomplished they were in their mid-twenties, lol. Howwwww. And don’t even get me started on the ages of the Golden Girls.
J
She’s the best, right? She’s the one I would want to see for sure.
Anne
Um. I’ve never watched Gilmore Girls. I have no idea who Kelly Bishop is, nor do I have a clue about (checks notes) Lorelie and Lauren Graham. If you can’t tell, I live under a TV show and movie rock. It’s pretty pathetic—the list of movies and shows I have not seen is far, far longer than the list of those I have. On the other hand, I won’t need a ticket to the festival, so there are more for people who do watch the show? (I completely understand if this means you will never talk to me again…:>)
Search algorithms are wild. My grocery store app always shows me the generic and super-cheap stuff (e.g., store brand coffee) before the good stuff. Maybe it’s trying to send a message?
J
Anne, I was late to watching Gilmore Girls because when it was first on, it was at the same time as Buffy. Buffy is always going to win. I remember you loved Buffy, so no judgement on missing Gilmore Girls, you made the correct choice. I started watching in syndication after the series had ended. The thing to know about GG is that Kelly Bishop plays the mom / grandma, and she is perfection. I would NOT want her as a mother or a grandmother, but boy, the quips! Things like, “Your father doesn’t know what he wants. He’s get his hair cut at the butcher if I let him.” She is 85% of why I watch the show.