A post in which I shop my way home

So I started the day today with no coffee.  "No big deal." I thought. "One day without it won't kill me."  Oh how wrong I was.  Apparently to rise and function at 6am, my body now requires coffee.  I kept thinking I would wake up, and it kept not happening.  I drove to work like a zombie. 

I hadn't gotten ready for work in time to go by Starbucks, so I just had to go on in and drink the awful coffee in the office.  Bleah.  But necessity is a mutha.  When I got to the coffee area, some asshat had started two pots of coffee without emptying the pots, and then walked off to leave them both to overflow down the cabinets and all over the floor.  So I spent twenty minutes or so cleaning that up, moving the coffee machine for the first time in, I would guess, about three months.  There were Jurassic raisins under there.  Gross.  And not a great way to start the day.

So then I got my coffee, and went in search of creamer.  There's always someone in the office that has a secret stash of the good stuff.  I hate that powdered white crap.  Eventually, I found a stash and begged some.  What was on offer was International Delight Butter Pecan Creamer, which was of course full of God-knows-what-all Dow Chemical nastiness; but not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I availed myself to the last of Christie's stash with much gratitude.  The new coffee they're using at the office was surprisingly palatable - who knew?  Of course that could have just been the paroxyms of a system on the brink of collapse.  I got through the morning.

Today was 'Employee Appreciation Day' at work.  Were I of a more cynical nature, I would be suspicious of it's proximity to the timing of the 'Best in the Upstate' employee surveys.  We were listed as one of the ten best places to work in the state last year, which the company has ballyhooed with wild and reckless abandon.  While I personally would have been more impressed if they had appreciated us by not raising our health insurance premiums again, I guess it was harmless enough.  There were a number of stupid contests (flying paper airplanes, guessing the number of M&Ms in a jar, etc) that straight people seem to find endlessly delightful, and which did not cost the company a sou to offer.  There were a number of emails that most people deleted without reading, and a series of 'prizes' awarded by lottery in the afternoon, which were largely plastic cups and other dreck that the vendors send constantly, and which you usually only have to wait for the premiums closet to be cleaned out to obtain.  I suppose the foregoing comments have just revealed a cynical nature I cannot deny.  They did offer us a free lunch in the cafeteria.  Unusually, they still had veggie burgers when I went downstairs, and they were actually quite good.  The potato salad on offer was really good too - made there out of red potatoes.  So I enjoyed the lunch anyway. 

I heard from Gary today, and he's planning on coming up this weekend, either Saturday night or Sunday morning.  Still (maddeningly) no details as to his dad's health, or how he was greeted by his family.  I guess I'll find out soon enough.  I am hopeful of good news since he sounded in good spirits.  I'm trying to decide what I'll make for breakfast on Sunday. 

Since I hadn't been to the store, and started the day yesterday by breaking my french press, there was plenty to do before I could go home today.  I went to Target because I figured I could get everything I wanted there, and happily that proved to be the case.  I needed french fried onions (for California Club sandwiches), and they didn't have Durkee, only French's.  That's really potAYto/potAHto to me, but French's has a new plastic package that is not recyclable.  Sigh.  Since when did that become necessary?  I bought them anyway, because I didn't feel like making another stop.

I was able to find a french press.  You really can't find one cheaper than $21 anywhere (my last one came from Wal-Mart, I am embarrassed to admit) except the flea market unless you get a mini, which I didn't want.  The latest one is a Bodum, which is the best brand.  I bought it becuse it was on clearance (marked down from $30 to, you guessed it, $21) because it's apparently a size they don't carry any longer.  This one is about 48oz.  So I guess I'll find out if that is great or is awkwardly large.

While I was at the store, I strolled through the kitchenware section, more out of habit than anything else. Of course now that I no longer need one, they have the GreenPans in the size I wanted.  They do cost about twice what I paid for mine.  I'm trying to decide if I'll pick one up anyway or not.  The one I bought in Savannah seems to work fine. There was not one Paula Deen pan on offer (after that had been about a quarter of the department six months ago).  Wow.  So much for 'phasing out' the line.  I guess in light of the new scandal that erupted about her today, they are glad to have it out of the store.  But still. 

On the way home, I had to stop off because I had forgotten to get lettuce (I can no longer shop without a list), and picked up some tater wedges to go with my sandwich.

I got home before it started raining (yay) and got everything in the house and put away.  By that time I was hungry, so I made my sandwich and ate taters.  Yum.  About the time I got finished, the satellite went out courtesy of the storm du jour.  I turned the TV off, put a DVD in the computer, and started washing glass.  I had raided the window ove the sink to fill the new cabinet, and it was in need of re-arranging and washing.

I also treated (again) the slow drain in the bathroom.  With limited success.

I made coffee for tomorrow and put it in the fridge to chill, having switched over to iced coffee for the summer as I am wont to do.

By the time I did all of that (the window is mysteriously full again, despite having about half of the glass in it) it was time for bed, and I was tired.