Callapidder Days

1. Finding out the winner of Next Food Network Star. C.(11) and I have been watching this season together, and are looking forward to the finale this weekend. I liked Aarti from early on, and C. has always rooted for Tom, so they are our top two picks. We were sad to see Brad get the boot a couple weeks ago, but he probably wouldn’t have won anyway. I’ll be very curious to see if this year’s winner ends up with a truly successful show. It seems that most winners have a few minutes of fame and then fade into mediocrity (Guy Fieri being the exception).

2. Fall. Yes, I think I’ve reached my saturation point when it comes to summer. I’m ready for crisp weather, jeans, and a more consistent routine. Baking with apples and possibly picking up knitting again also sound appealing.

3. Mockingjay. But before fall comes sneaking in, Suzanne Collins’ final book in the Hunger Games series should arrive. Due out the end of this month, Mockingjay is at the top of my want-to-read list. And yes, I’ve already pre-ordered it. Amazon promises to have it on my doorstep on the day of release. Don’t come visit me that afternoon…or for the next day or so. I’ll be otherwise engaged.

4. My skin to stop peeling. Two weekends ago, I spent a large part of Saturday out on a boat, on a lake. It quickly became obvious that I am far more used to sitting on a shady patio when, despite two applications of SPF 50 sunscreen, I got sunburned. Most of the burn has faded, but my forearms are still peeling. Yes, forearms. Who gets sunburned forearms? Me, that’s who.

5. The Sharpie Liquid Pencil to be available. I admit, I vastly prefer pens to pencils. But the new liquid pencil sounds like the perfect combination — erasable at first, but transforming to permanent within a few days. I’m curious. And since I’m addicted to office supplies, I’m sure I’ll be trying this out as soon as I can get my hands on one.

What are you waiting for?

I’ve blogged about grocery shopping and/or my grocery store a few times. Usually, it’s to complain. My complaints are not unfounded — it’s true that our store changes things (products, aisles, sections, everything) around far too often, and that the baggers continue to put things like raw meat in bags with things like fresh produce.

But, in the interest of fairness and niceness, I figured it was about time I blogged about a few things I actually appreciate about the grocery store I frequent.

1. Self-checkout

I am a big huge fan of the self-checkout lanes. In part, because I have the freedom to make sure the raw meat gets bagged separately, as is right and proper. But also because if I don’t have an overflowing cart, it’s usually faster for me to use a self-checkout register, where there is usually no line. Even scanning and bagging the groceries myself, I can get out of the store much more quickly than if I were standing in line at one of the full-service registers.

Admittedly, my progress can be held up by a certain 4-year-old who loves to “help” me scan the groceries (which usually results in an electronic voice scolding us to “Place item on belt” — L. just isn’t fast enough getting the scanned items to the conveyor). I’ve also run into trouble the one two three multiple times I have caused the machine to freeze up. I think I’m just too fast for the cash register sometimes and it gets overloaded, in which case I need to go pay at a different terminal.

But other than that, self-checkout is most awesome. So thank you, grocery store, for providing five or so self-checkout lanes for my convenience.

2. Free food samples

Now that summer is here, I more often than not have a kid or two along with me when I do my grocery shopping. My boys are pretty good shoppers, but still — is grocery shopping anybody’s favorite activity? Especially 11- and 4-year-old boys? I think not. So I find it incredibly nice of our grocery store to offer free samples during busy weekdays. The sample tables are scattered throughout the store, and there are often four or even five on any given day.  Just last week, C. (11) enjoyed part of a hot dog, some barbecue ribs, and some blue corn tortilla chips during our shopping trip. And only a few days ago, a nice lady gave L. (4) two yummy cookies, which got me through at least the next three aisles.

Yes, I realize that these samples are intended to persuade me to purchase additional food. But I’m a pretty staunch list-shopper. I make my list, I shop from it, and I go home. However, if they give us yummy food and a substantial coupon, I might be persuadable.

Either way, giving my kids free food samples while we shop is definitely cool. If I’m lucky, I can even get out of making lunch when we get home, because they’ve munched their way through the store.

3. Tall people

I am not tall. I like to say I’m 5’3″, but I might actually be closer to 5’2″. Which means that while I can reach the top shelf at the grocery store, I can not reach the top-shelf items if the front row or two have been taken and the remaining items are at least halfway back on that uppermost shelf. (Yes, Black Beans and Grape Nuts, I’m talking to you.)

As it turns out, when I find myself in the “I’m too short to reach the food I need” dilemma, there is often a tall person in the aisle with me. A kind tall person, no less. And even though I tend to be quiet and shy, when it comes to obtaining the ingredients for this week’s Lime Chicken Tacos, I will speak up and ask for help. I’ve never had a tall person refuse my request, glare at me, or harumph about handing some canned goods to me.

For that I am grateful.

Okay, technically, I know that my grocery store does not intentionally provide tall shoppers to help short people like me. But clearly, they researched the area’s demographics and situated their store in such a way that there will nearly always be some helpful tall people around. Right?

Well, either way, tall, helpful people are very much appreciated by short, beans-buying customers such as myself.

*****

What about you? What is one thing your grocery store does right?

We still don’t know if it was really H1N1 that invaded our house last week, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter. We’re mostly recovered (though C had to start antibiotics this weekend because of a suspected secondary infection), but the memory of several miserable days is still strong.

And so, because I’m so nice, I’ve compiled a list of the things I did some things YOU can do, just in case you find yourself dealing with a H1N1 or a similar illness. Enjoy!

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Google every combination of the words “swine flu,” h1n1, symptoms, duration, treatment, mild, peak, immunity etc. that you can come up with. Result: you’ll learn that no one knows what they’re talking about. Every description of swine flu is different, and most doctors aren’t even really testing for it anymore. So…good luck. Just get rest and drink fluids.

Play mindless computer games until you can’t see straight. Farm Town and Bejeweled Blitz (both on Facebook) fit the bill well.

Think about how you’re never leaving your house again because of all the stupid germs out there and the insensitive sick people who are clearly not washing their hands enough. Or properly covering their mouths when they cough.

Be glad that at least now you don’t need the vaccine. At least you think you don’t. If the doctor guessed correctly. Which may or may not be the case.

Watch mindless TV. For starters, you can try Top Chef, The Dog Whisperer, and random Food Network shows.

Wonder whether Cesar Milan, Tom Colicchio, or Paula Deen have had the swine flu.

Test out Dog Whisperer techniques on your cat. Realize she’s too dumb to get it.

Attempt a Sudoku puzzle. Admit your brain is too foggy to successfully count to nine more than twice. Scribble out the whole puzzle and give up.

Visit the CDC’s flu page and try to predict whether this wave of the flu has peaked or if it will keep climbing.

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch: visit the App store and treat yourself to a 99 cent app about stargazing, or download the Starbucks app to use when you’re finally feeling better.

Enjoy the extra cuddles with your normally-squirmy 3-year-old.

Wonder if that slight wheeze you just heard come out of your mouth means you’re developing pneumonia. Google combinations of the words swine, h1n1, pneumonia, secondary infection, and symptoms. Decide you should be okay for now.

Clorox everything. Repeatedly. So your husband doesn’t get sick. But secretly resent him just a little bit because it’s not fair that you’re sick and he’s not.

Wake up one morning and realize you’re feeling much better. But not quite well enough to clean the house yet. Curl up with a good book and don’t tell anyone you’re better just yet. Enjoy the book and the quiet time.

I’ve been a pretty good girl lately — counting my calories, trying to move more.

During June and early July, well, I was not so good (I call that time in my life, “The Tremendously Stressful Time of Potty-Training” and I treated the stress with some extra chocolate, cheese, and random carbohydrates), but for the last month+, I’ve actually been exercising a bit of self-control, resulting in some slow-but-steady improvements on the scale.

So needless to say, I was caught off guard when I surfed over to Amazon.com today, only to find that they’re featuring a section on “High-Calorie Cuisine” books. Some of the offerings?