Culinary Tour Anyone?

Last weekend, our good friend Kerry came to visit us in NC for the first time. He's a west coaster, former classmate of my husband's, groomsman in our wedding and all around great guy. I do believe this was his first trip to NC, so I thought we'd show him what it's all about. In a relatively short span of time (o.k., I admit, it was only about 24 hours), we introduced him to:

1. Cheerwine

2. Hush puppies

3. Shrimp and grits (Crook's, of course)

4. my homemade biscuit cinnamon rolls

5. Five Guys Burgers

6. Locopops
in addition to mountain biking, a tour of the oldest public university in the US, and a little more college basketball than he's used to.

Of course, I didn't immediately come to know all these things upon my arrival in NC 12 years ago, but I'm much more well versed now on the culinary pleasures of living in this state. For that, I have some great NC friends to thank, some native, some not.

Anyone else want to come visit?

Could it really be fall?

Today I did a few things that I haven't done for a very long time...

1. Run on the treadmill. While it's been a long, hot summer, I haven't needed to run on the treadmill until today. All this rain is a welcome friend but it's a little soggy out there. Kudos to the Chapel Hill Carrboro Y for the awesome new treadmills-with personal TV/radio and ipod docks. Sweet.
2. Wear long pants on my day off.
3. Wear long sleeves.
4. Wear a RAINCOAT
5. Get a hot coffee. Decaf, nonfat latte from Starbucks. Sweet nectar of the gods, so happy to taste you again.


I'm ready for fall.

Pet Peeve du Jour

One of my big pet peeves is email addresses for folks who work in corporations. Specifically, the middle initial. Most of them go like this;
jeandersen "@" blahblahblah dot com.
My problem is that I don't usually enter the full entry in my address book for people whose email addresses are their names. So when I try to find them, I suddenly have to remember their middle initial or I end up scrolling through dozens of "M"s (or whatever) to find the person. Waste. Of. Time. Just use something else (like the full name or a number after the name). Make my life easier, please. I'm just sayin'.

Tour of the Friendly Confines

On a recent trip to Chicago, I checked to see if my favorite baseball team, the Cubs, were in town. Sadly, they were not. On a hunch, I checked to see if there were tours of Wrigley available and low and behold, there were. My friends were game, and we reserved our online tickets for $25 each.

While we arrived via the El in pouring rain, the excitement for me was palpable. The tour started in the Sheffield Grill, a restaurant within the ballpark. It started with a short DVD about the Wrigley, with snippets of past games, other sports played there (did you know the Bears played 51 seasons at Wrigley? and there has been hockey, soccer and ski jumping there?). Our tour guide, John, said a few words and off we went.
We first went by the batting cages and then to the bleachers where we heard some history of the Cubs, Wrigley, the owners, the national league and such things as the manually controlled scoreboard and the famous ivy. We learned about the neighboring buildings with bleachers on top and their relationship (now formal) with the Cubs organization. We then strolled around right field, up to a deck area and finally through the aperture to view the ballpark from above home plate.
We learned a bit about who sits where and then...wait for it...we got to sit IN THE PRESS BOX. Right next to where Harry Carey used to broadcast from. It was amazing. Saw the organ where live organ music still plays (first ballpark to do so).

We visited the locker rooms, first the visitors and then the Cubs. I stood in the Cubs locker room. Right next to Ryne Sandberg's jersey. Sigh. It was amazing. We then passed this secret little sink and urinal and made our way outside. We sat in the dugout. The actual Cubs dugout. We stood on the field. Sigh again. It was wonderful.
The ambassador staff was professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Our admission went to Cubs Care, mainly offering baseball programs to underprivileged and disabled youth. Outstanding.

If you are visiting Chicago, or if you live there I am betting you haven't done this yet. Do it. It's that special.

Orange Leaf Review

We have a new frozen yogurt store in our neck of the woods. It's called Orange Leaf Yogurt, and it's located in Timberlyne Shopping Center. We visited it today for the first time.
This particular frozen yogurt store is a little different (I speak as an authority as a former employee of TCBY) in that you serve yourself. This is just a little dangerous, as it's hard to effectively control consumption for a couple of reasons:
1. They only have large cups, VERY large cups. Larger than the average "large" at other yogurt stores. The only other size is VERY extra large. It's hard to get the perspective right with such a large cup.
2. They have many, many toppings including candy, fruit, nuts, etc. The bad part about this is that they cut the candy in very large chunks. You'd be able to use less if they were cut smaller.
Toppings are also self serve.
3. They have many yogurt flavors to choose from: probably at least 10 or 12 flavors plus 5 or 6 swirls. You have to try more than one!
4. They charge by the ounce. When I was getting my yogurt, I restrained myself in serving (I am, after all an experienced yogurt server!) but wanted to try a few different flavors. I had a little bit of granola and a few chunks of Butterfingers. My total was about $3.50. Not bad, but again, I restrained myself and had plenty to eat.

The decor is ultra modern, clean and attractive (and orange, of course). Overall, a fun place for a nice dessert. The kids LOVED it (but what frozen confection do they not love?), and I thought the yogurt was very good. I like it when local businesses succeed, so give it a try. I'd certainly go back, despite the negatives.

Speedway

Today my friend Julie and I ran on a racetrack. A historic racetrack just a few miles from my house. Who knew?

Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsborough was one of the first 2 NASCAR racetracks, built in 1949, the inaugural season for NASCAR. It is now a nature trail, Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail to be exact, with the center oval filled with 40 year old trees. The main trail is .3 miles from the parking lot and is a .7 mile oval. There are several other surrounding trails, a total of 3 miles. Not hilly at all, it's my favorite surface to run on...mulched with crushed gravel and pine needles. The trail is beautiful, coursing along the Eno River. You can even see the old grandstands and the flag stand where the checkered flag was once waved.

You might be wondering if being on a speedway made us speedier. Well, not really but it was cool nonetheless. Check it out.

Pet Adoption

We recently adopted another dog from the Orange County Animal Shelter. I have to say, it was a very pleasant experience, and as they say, such a deal!

The adoption fee for dogs is $113, or $138 including a microchip. Wow. Microchip for $25? It was way, way more than that at the vet for our other dog. And to top it off, this fee included neutering (or spaying) which would cost a few hundred dollars elsewhere. Our dog also had his first shots and exam there.

The staff was extremely helpful, patient and understanding. They guided us through a few "meet and greets" and provided us with as much background as they could for our new friend.

While I know that not every dog is right for every family (I really encourage you to research the breeds they identify your dog as prior to adopting), you can see what they have online from day to day. Certain breeds will go quickly (within a day) so hop to it!

Jerry Brown...or shall I say Scary Brown?

In this recent article, I discovered that former California Governor Jerry Brown is actually running for Governor of California again. Interesting.

As you might know, Brown has an odd history with politics...he dated Linda Ronstadt while he was the Governor, and was actually called "Gov. Moonbeam". He ran for President 3 times. The last time, in 1992, he was famous for having a 1-800 number for fundraising. Very unconventional at the time.

What you may not know, is I have had a personal run-in with the former Governor. In early 1993, my friend Becky and I were eating in a small cafe in San Francisco. I noticed Brown sitting in the corner with a somewhat skanky looking blond woman. I nudged my friend, who couldn't quite place him ("is that a famous podiatrist?"). We happily went on eating our gourmet sandwiches until a while later someone stepped on my foot. I looked up and low and behold, it was Jerry Brown. Stepping on my foot. You know what he said? Instead of "Excuse me" or "I'm so sorry" or even "Pardon me" he said "Oh, sorry, well, how could I not step on your foot... it's so big!"

Stunned. Flabbergasted. Shocked. Speechless. I'm not a big fan of Arnold, but given the choice (which I am not) I would certainly not vote for the 72 year old Moonbeam-foot stepper-insulter for Governor. I just don't think anyone that socially inept should be hold office.

In case you are wondering, yes, I have big feet, but they were only a size 10 (at the time). Now they are a tiny bit bigger....

Baby Tender Love

Before you think this is a strange title for a blog, you have to hear about my doll. The Christmas when I was four, I received this doll, Baby Tender Love, along with her changing table. She was dressed in this exact outfit (which I always thought my Mom sewed for me but alas, the Internet has proved me wrong). The coolest thing about said doll (in an era when dolls had to do something to be cool): she pees. To be more specific, you put water in a bottle in a hole in her mouth, and it runs out her bottom. (Come to think of it, I think she had diapers, too, but I only had a limited amount of them so I basically had to feed her over the sink).

So guess what? I still have Baby Tender Love. My two daughters have never, ever liked dolls. They are now much too old for dolls, but my eleven year old recently took a babysitting class. Required supplies: a baby doll. Ha.

The day of the class I hunted down the doll and sent it off with A. She proclaimed it "creepy" but passed the class anyway. Now, she REALLY hates it and freaks out every time I just happen to accidentally leave it in her room, maybe under her covers... What's the big deal? So her skin is rubber and her limbs don't move. She was MY doll and I loved her. No idea why kids today can't see that.

Spinning. It's not your regular cycle.

My friend Julie invited me to a class this morning at the Y called CardioPump. It consisted of about 45 minutes of spinning and then about 55 minutes of weights. Wow. I learned a few important things this morning.
1. A spinning class is in no way, shape or form like spinning on a stationary bike.
2. Despite what I told myself before entering the class, you can't fake it.
3. They make you (gasp) stand up on the bike (and it makes your quad scream).
4. Always, always bring a towel.
5. Channeling your inner Lance is helpful.
All in all, a crazy good but hard work out. I'll definitely try and go again...that is if I can walk tomorrow.

Pentago

My kids got a great new game for Christmas. Amongst all the other electronically powered toys like Zero Gravity Cars, Rockband and various Wii games, they received an extraordinary game called Pentago.

Pentago is so simple it's brilliant. "Minutes to Learn, Years to Master" is it's tag line and couldn't be more true. Two players, two colors of marbles and a board with sections that twist. Place a marble, twist a section. Try to get 5 of your marbles in a row. Easy to play but lots of strategy if you really want to think about it. This game has received numerous awards, all well deserved in my opinion. Check it out, great for all ages.

It's the LAW, people!

Today was a rainy, cold, dark day. On my trip from my office in Chapel Hill to the Surgery Center in Durham, I saw 8 (EIGHT) cars without their lights on. On the way home, I saw an additional 3, one of which was a Town of Chapel Hill vehicle.
According to North Carolina State Law, and the law of many (if not all) other states, if you have your windshield wipers on, you MUST HAVE YOUR LIGHTS ON. Get with it people!