Whole Foods Haul

I may have spent slightly too much money yesterday. You know, just slightly.

But you see, it's all okay, because it's delicious!

No, wait, that's probably not a very prudent philosophy to adopt in my newly brokeass state.

Here's what I got (horrifying prices and all):

2lbs of strawberries - $4.99
2lbs of cherries - $9.93 (this was an accident--we thought it was $4.99 per bag)
Hummus - $2.49
Spinach dip - $2.99
2 packages of butternut squash ravioli - $3.69 each
Vegan cheese substitute - $4.49
Avocado and cucumber sushi - $6.79
Izze pomegranate sparkling juice - $4.49
2 jars vegetable pasta sauce - $1.99 each
Brown rice - $3.99
Whole wheat macaroni - $1.99
Whole wheat spaghetti - $1.39
Coconut flour - $6.49
Coconut oil - $6.99
Arrowroot flour - 6.49
2 cans of coconut milk - $2.49 each
Baking soda - $1.99
Snap pea crisps - $1.49
2 bags of pita chips - $2.19 each

A few of these items are for specific projects (the coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut milk, arrowroot flour, and baking soda), a few are going to be given away (the duplicate raviolis, pita chips, pasta sauce, vegan cheese, and half the hummus and spinach dip), a few more are "staple" items (fruit, rice, pasta), and everything else was purchased primarily because it looked good.

Speaking of looking good, check out these strawberries!

 

These were $3 cheaper than two pounds of the same brand at my local grocery store, and believe me, the ones at the grocery store barely look edible.

As gorgeous as the produce is at Whole Foods, I have two teeny tiny complaints:
1. It's not vegetarian. That's not really a problem, but for some reason I forget to check for "hidden" meat at Whole Foods. I made it out okay this time, but last time I was there I grabbed a couple of things without checking first.
2. It's freaking expensive! I spent twice what I typically spend in a weekly trip to the store. It's probably a good thing the nearest store is an hour away or I'd never stash away any money!

Do you shop at Whole Foods? What are your favorite products?

My Two Cents on Tipping

Some people say you're supposed to tip the kid who puts your orange juice and Wheat Thins in a plastic bag at the grocery store.

People like me disagree.

I'm probably going to piss people off with this post, but I don't care. These are MY two cents and if you don't appreciate them, leave them alone.

 

 

 

 

You should tip the pizza delivery guy.

Why? Because he was nice enough to drag his ass all the way from the nice warm pizza place into his car (that he just filled with gas for the eighth time this week) to drive through a blizzard to bring you an anchovyjalepenosausage pie that will proceed to stink up his car for a week (also known as fifteen fillups later). He delivered this pizza directly to your door, smiled, told you to enjoy your evening, and did not in any way mock you for wearing your M&M pajama pants at 6:30pm. That kid is also getting paid total crap from the pizza place and deserves a couple of bucks to buy himself some new tuneage to listen to next time he's shlepping a pizza to your house. (See http://tipthepizzaguy.com/ for more information.)

You should tip your waiter.

Why? Because when you sat down for a meal in a restaurant, you were paying for a) the building; b) the dishes; c) the hostess who so kindly didn't let the dude who came in 20 minutes after you get a table first; d) the chef who made your salad; e) the other chef who baked your bread; f) the other chef who prepared your main dish; and last but not least g) the bus boy who cleaned up after you. Your waiter was sweet, friendly, attentive, got you a new fork the second you dropped yours, acted as a liaison between you and the guy in the kitchen who only speaks Bengali, and had the courtesy not to spit in your food. He should be given an extra 20% for giving you individual attention and making your evening enjoyable.

You should not have to tip your hairstylist.

Why? Because you have already paid this person $100 and they were the only person to provide you service, I personally find it overkill to feel obligated to shell out an additional $20 for the same service. Now, if the sticker price on the haircut was $120 I wouldn't be bothered. I'd even be okay with paying $120 and then slipping my stylist an extra bill because she was absolutely amazing (and/or I was a total pain in the ass and she was polite enough to put up with me). My problem is getting dirty looks and botched bangs during my next visit if I didn't tack on the 20%+ tip. Add on tips for the shampoo girls and the salon assistants and the lady in the chair next to you who brought her shihtzu along and you've doubled the cost of your new 'do.

You should tip your hotel housekeeper.

Why? Because she had to pick up your soggy washcloths, vacuum around your stinky socks, and make your bed for you. These are all tasks YOU don't want to do, so someone else doing them willingly, silently, and well is unheard of. That brave soul deserves at the very least a few dollars and a great big THANK YOU if not a steak dinner and a pony.

You should not have to tip when picking up takeout.

Why? Because no one provided especially personal service to you. Rather than arranging your food on a plate with correct garnish and whathaveyou, it got dumped in a styrofoam container, shoved in a bag, and plopped down on the counter in front of you. If you feel that someone went out of their way to provide you special service, then absolutely, tip them, but if not, spend the extra dough on dessert instead.

You should not have to tip your janitor.

Why? Because taking out the trash and washing the windows at your office building are his job. Chances are you've never met the guy. If you have, you've both done the obligatory nod accompanied with "Hihowareyou" and then you're on your way. If you happen to be one of the rare few who have an actual relationship with the janitor, snag him next time you're sharing a birthday cake in the office and slip a little something extra in his Christmas card, but don't feel obligated to track him down and hand him a fiver just because he chucked your phone doodles in the recycling bin out back.

What are your thoughts on tipping? Who do you tip? Who do you not tip? Have you ever been tipped? Tell me in the comments!

I Haz a Bike

A few weeks ago I purchased a bicycle.

Here is what I have learned from having a bicycle in this short time frame:

1. You really can forget how to ride a bike.
I haven't been on a bicycle since age ten. I am now twenty. That's ten years bicycle-less for those of you who can't count. If you let ten years pass, yes, you really do forget how to ride a bike. I was able to enjoy the incredibly humiliating experience of attempting to relearn how to ride a "two wheeler" in the school parking lot while some random six year old was zipping and zooming in circles around the playground on her bike.

2. Bicycle seats hurt.
Especially when you hit a rock. Or run into a curb. Or when they're too tall for your shortness and you impale yourself with it in a very delicate area.

3. Cyclists are not accommodated.
At least, not where I'm from. The "bicycle path" my city advertises is an extra 8-inch-wide lane running beside the second-busiest road in town. It is full of leaves, old rain water, and Burger King cups.

4. Cyclists are excellent secret-keepers.
After many, many, many, many hours of Googling (yes, that is a word), I was able to discover several bike paths a 1-2 hour drive away. Most of them were rail-to-trail paths. Lots of them were in DC. A few more were dirt. It wasn't until I illegally trespassed into a road-blocked subdivision-to-be that I discovered a bike path, oh, one mile away from my house. Upon further exploration, I discovered this bike path runs through a nice quiet neighborhood in one direction and into a park in the other direction. Kudos to the dude who set that one up. No, really! He just needs a better publicist.

5. I am stupid.
During my latest bicycling expedition (see item #4), I biked approximately seven miles (according to Google). If you had asked me, I'd have guessed three. I was out for roughly one hour. If you had asked me, I probably would have said two and a half. I also could not for the life of me figure out how to use the seven gears on my bicycle. Which leads me to my next point....

6. I am out of shape.
I walk my bike up hills. I have no other option, really, unless I have an extra forty-two years to spend peddling up one hill. Supposedly the seven gears I procured with this bicycle are intended to help with this, but it didn't really work out for me. (First gear? Peddlepeddlepeddle = move half an inch. Sixth gear? Ppppeeeeddddddddlllleeee = move half an inch.) By the time I got home from my seven-mile excursion my face was bright red, my heart was pounding, and it took 20 minutes in an icy cold shower to cool down. Oh yeah, and my legs felt like jello.

7. Sedans are not bike-friendly.
I have a big sedan. I can fit my brother AND his bike in my back seat. My bike? Not so much. One would think the best solution to this problem would be to utilize one of the many bicycle racks on the market designed to adhere to your fossil-fuel-powered vehicle of choice. Think again. My fossil-fuel-powered vehicle of choice happens to have a very high trunk, which, with a bicycle rack attached, renders my rear window completely and utterly useless. I don't know about you, but I like having the capability to see behind me while driving. The obvious sight-friendly solution would seem to be a roof-mounted bicycle rack. However, being as out of shape as I am, lifting a bicycle over my head onto the roof of my car and holding it steady while attaching it securely just isn't within my physical capability. Last but not least, there is the option of chucking my bike into the back of my roommate's pickup truck, however (I just can't catch a break), he drives a stick shift and I....don't.

8. Biking is fun.
Perhaps it's just the endorphins talking (I do get endorphins from all this exercise, right? Right? RIGHT?) but cycling is fun! Especially the whooshing down hills bit. Also the not falling off when going around a curve bit. And the being outside bit. I think I may just stick with this bicycling thing.

25 Qs

I am a sucker for Youtube tags. As such, I have decided to give you the blogger version of the (one of many) 25 Questions Tag. Not that I got tagged or anything, but I wanted to do it anyway, so there.

1. Do you have any pets?
No, but when I grow up and have my great big house and my great big yard I want a sheepdog, either of the Polish Lowland or Old English variety.

2. Name three things that are physically close to you.
Computer, camera, blanket.

3. What's the weather like right now?
Gray. Very gray. We finally got some rain, but it was more drizzly than actual rain.

4. Do you drive? If so, have you crashed?
Yes, and yes. I was sideswiped in a hit and run accident about a year and a half ago. I still have the hole in the side of my car to prove it.

5. What time did you wake up this morning?
Well....I dragged my ass out of bed at 7ish, but I was not awake and functioning until 11ish.

6. When was the last time you showered?
Last night before bed.

7. What was the last movie you saw?
I rented "This is 40" last week. It SUCKED! Like, SUCKED. What the heck was the point of that movie?

8. What does you last text message say?
"Heading home."

9. What is your ringtone?
I never turn my ringtone on, I stick to vibrate, but I'm pretty sure it's still a piano version of Owl City's Fireflies.

10. Have you ever been to a different country?
Yes! I went to Canada last fall.

11. Do you like sushi.
Don't know, never tried it, but the concept of chowing down on a cold dead fish wrapped in seaweed just doesn't sound appetizing.

12. Where do you buy your groceries?
Primarily at Walmart, but occasionally I hit up Target (for snazzy macaroni and cheese) or Martins (for OJ).

13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?
No, not terribly big on self medicating. I keep a box of Sleepytime tea around, though. Does that count?

14. How many siblings do you have?
Four, technically, but I only grew up with the younger two.

15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
Both, but the only one functioning is the laptop. The circa-2002 eMachines desktop is slightly....under the weather.

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
Twenty one! I'm gonna party!

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?
No. I've been putting off the optometrist for, oh, two years now.

18. Do you color your hair?
I once used Lush's henna treatment.

19. What are you planning to do today?
Go to Walmart and purchase the aforementioned groceries.

20. When was the last time you cried?
I don't know....it's been a while....a month?

21. What is your perfect pizza topping?
Usually just cheese, but I just discovered roasted red peppers and pineapple. It's not so good cold, which is a bummer, but still warm it's delicious.

22. Which do you prefer, hamburgers or cheeseburgers?
Cheeseburgers, but I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat them.

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?
Of course! Although.....how late do you have to stay up the next day before it actually counts as an all-nighter and not just staying up late? Let me know in the comments!

24. What is your eye color?
Funny story about my eye color. I didn't know what color they were until I was 12ish and looked in the mirror only to discover that my eyes, contrary to what I had been told all my life, were green. Very dark green with navy blue around the edge of the iris, but definitely green.

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?
Yes, but I never drink either one of them so I'm not convinced I have a favorite.


That's it for the 25 questions of the day. If you answer these on your blog (or on Youtube, or paint your answers on a bridge) be sure to let me know so I can check them out!