Meander: to take a winding course; to wander idly. Come wander with me. Who knows where we'll go...books...movies...gardening...camping...happenings in my part of the world (the scenic Pacific Northwest)...
Computer has been gone getting reworked for a few days. But now it is back and seems to be doing OK, except that Jack hasn't been able to load my favorite game (Welltris). I seem to be going through a draggy spell. Anyone have some words of wisdom?
A few years back, when the coffee craze had really hit the northwest, a patient of ours who owns an espresso stand, brought us a treat when she came in for her dental appointment. Now, I had not drunk coffee in many a year, but a few sips of that yummy mocha was all it took to get me hooked! Going out and bringing back mochas became a favorite thing to do when we had some spare time. Gradually, it really took over and now we are trying to back off a bit! But that doesn't mean we haven't branched out to include all sorts of frozen concoctions in the hot weather. Now, I knew, in the way back of my mind that these were probably pretty similar to milk shakes as far as calories goes. But I did a really good job of denial. Until today. Lo and behold, the paper printed an article with some of the calorie counts. It was rather astounding, for example, a 16 oz Caramel Frappucinno with whipped cream has 430 calories. A 16 oz. Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino with whipped cream has 600 calories and 17 grams of fat . (Sorry, Zandra!) Yikes! Perhaps if I just didn't eat breakfast and lunch, I could still enjoy my mochas?????
New Chinese Buffet opened in Richland fairly recently. Heard some good things about it, so we decided to give it a try tonight. Oh my! It should be illegal to walk inside one of those places unless you have not eaten for 2 or 3 days! (Or, as Rob said, unless you have Ghandi-sized yourself.) Rows of long tables with everything imaginable, and some that isn't. The first table consisted of a strange combination of sushi and dessert (of all things) . I decided my sushi-eating Bellingham friends would enjoy it, but I left it alone. (Was too full by dessert time to partake in that half of the goodies.) Moved on to the main course: three tables (not including the Mongolian BBQ table, which I'll leave for another time.) The first thing I noticed was the amount of crab dishes. It was Bubba in Forest Gump all over again, with crab instead of shrimp. Alaskan King Crab Legs, crab wontons, crab puffs, seafood delight, fried crab - just to name a few. Followed by many kinds of shrimp, salmon, fried fish and fried squid. (No, I didn't have that.) One dish was fried shrimp, with the shells, legs and eyes still there! What is the ettiquette on this??? Does one eat the black beady little eyes or leave them staring up at you on the plate??? Chicken, boneless ribs and the usual rice, noodles and soups type entrees were also available. The most unusual we found was called a Bum. It looked like a peach, with little green leaves even, but was actually made of some type of marshmellow or merangue confection. Inside, where the pit would be, was chocolate. We managed to wheel ourselves home without the aid of wheelbarrows and are now pleasantly recovering. The trick, of course, is to eat just enough so that you are not in danger of exploding later on in the evening!
Driving in the East VS. driving in the West
Vacation at the beach food vs. Home food
Differences between the mid-Atlantic and the Pacific Northwest:
Old fashioned (according to my kids) Baby boomer looking to enjoy the second half with small pleasures (mochas, good books, and a serene natural setting)
