Gourmet Spices and Books
I never did a formal trip recap (oops) but I’m still thinking about the day we spent walking around Evanston (just north of Chicago, where the Northwestern campus is located). In addition to a coffeeshop where I got one of my delicious Earl Grey teas, we went to a gourmet spice shop called Penzeys. This was SO FUN- they had sample jars of spices that you could smell, and it was like walking around Bath and Body Works smelling all the candles, but better. In November Penzeys spoke out against the Republican party- “Going forward we would still be glad to have you as customers, but we’re done pretending the Republican Party’s embrace of cruelty, racism, Covid lies, climate change denial, and threats to democracy are anything other than the risks they legitimately are.” Trump countered by calling their spices a “terrible, overpriced product.” For a while they proudly put that quote (and the source) in their front window. Hee hee! I was disappointed that it’s no longer there, but the whole store has a very progressive vibe. They had five or six different kinds of cinnamon, and we had fun smelling them all and picking our favorite. We bought cinnamon, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. We could have bought so many other spices, but I had to reign it in- we bought the things we use the most. But I’ll be back! After that, we found a bookstore! We browsed here for a long time. I didn’t get any books, but my son got a couple things and I got a card. We left the bookstore, walked about half a block, and discovered a USED bookstore!!! Now- if I had been alone I would have spent another hour in there. But certain members of our party (of the gender that have a limited shopping tolerance) were pushing to go eat dinner. But I’ll be back there, as well. Just when will I be back, you ask? Well. Originally I thought my son was going back at the beginning of September (Northwestern starts late because they’re on the quarter system). But his lease starts August 15th, and he would like to go back then so he has a month to get settled before school starts. I had been assuming I would go with him, but he told me, in the most gentle way possible, that he doesn’t actually need me to go. What? I… oh. Yes, he doesn’t need me to fly on the plane with him, or drive the hour from my sister’s place to his house. He also doesn’t need me to help unload a carful of stuff, and if there’s anything he doesn’t have, he can drive himself to the store to get it. It took me a while to adjust to this realization, but honestly, mid-August is not a great time for me to go anyway. Between having pinkeye (Covid?), taking a vacation and THEN having jury duty, I would rather not take more time off work so soon. I HAVE A BETTER IDEA! Now I’m planning a trip up in October. Dates are TBD- maybe it could coincide with an NU concert. I’ll (maybe? hopefully?) get some nice fall weather (ooooh!) I can see my son, AND return to the spice shop and bookstores. It will be a short trip- probably just a weekend, but I’m already excited about it. What would you buy at a gourmet spice shop? Top photo by Akhil Chandran on Unsplash
Eating on the Road
The burning question is: did I follow my diet while traveling? NO I DIDN’T. I didn’t go entirely off the rails- I did follow it when possible, but I strayed when it seemed necessary… and I have no regrets! (Just as w reminder- I’ve been following an anti-candida diet for the past seven weeks to try and fix some digestive issues). It all started with my flight to Texas. I arrived at the airport, marched straight to the Starbucks, and ordered an EARL GREY TEA. I was a little afraid it wouldn’t be as good as I remembered. But that was foolish- it actually tasted even better than ever. Even the aroma of the bergamot was heavenly. I thoroughly enjoyed this tea, down to the last sip. The first day in Texas, I had dinner with my son and his girlfriend. We went to a Mexican place that seemed to accommodate everyone’s needs. Isabel has been doing Whole 30, but she said “I’m just going to cheat and have some chips tonight.” OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, GIVE ME A CHIP RIGHT NOW. I mean, if she’s cheating, I’M cheating. The funny thing is, the chips weren’t that great. So I did have some, but wasn’t tempted to eat too many of them. Next day- driving day #1 and we stopped at Vegan Nom in Austin. No regrets! Vegan Nom is an iconic taco place that we’ve eaten at several times. It’s very possible I’ll never be back in Texas again, so I wasn’t going to miss this fun experience. Next stop- Waco! My son had some loose ends to tie up, and while he did that I went to a coffeeshop to get us caffeine for the drive ahead. We were there in May for graduation, and they had one of the best Earl Greys I’ve ever had. Not only did I get one, but I asked what kind it was, and they let me take a photo. When this diet is over, I will be ordering Rishi tea! I’ll just condense this by saying, I had Earl Grey every single day of the trip. Knowing that I would be going back on the diet soon, I savored every single sip. I had several more from Starbucks, and one from a coffeeshop in Evanston. Other than that, I had a veggie burger when we ate at a restaurant. It had a bun, which is not on the diet, but oh well. I will say that everyone else ordered drinks- my sister and brother in law got an IPA that they said is their absolute favorite. I did not get one! I had a moment of sadness, but you know what- after that I forgot all about it, even when they were drinking. I was focused on the food and conversation and didn’t miss the beer. BUT! At my sister’s house I did have this: A non-alcoholic IPA and it was SO GOOD. When I’m done with this diet, I’m definitely getting this to drink at home. Here you can see I had pizza and my Go beer on the last night: So now I’m home and back on the diet, armed with some new supplements: I’ll do it for another month, and reassess the situation again. But here’s what I learned from the trip: I was happy to go off the diet, food-wise, but only because it was the most convenient and fun option. If there had been diet-friendly foods available and it was just as convenient, I would have eaten those and been equally happy. The one thing that did make a huge difference was the tea. I just love Earl Grey, and not having it for seven weeks made it even more enjoyable. Now I’m back to drinking green tea, and… bleh. Unfortunately an anti-candida diet is all or nothing- you can’t do it successfully and make little exceptions. I’m okay with it for now, knowing it’s temporary. But the very first thing I’ll add back when I can is the Earl Grey. Sigh. What is the ONE THING you would be most sad to give up? – It’s officially Earl Grey tea for me. Ever tried Go beer? – They have all different kinds and I can vouch for the IPA.
Reading on the Road
Well… it’s good my recent trip wasn’t planned as a reading retreat, because I read two books I thought I was really going to love… and I liked them okay, but they were a little disappointing. First up… I feel really bad saying I didn’t love this book. I know it’s a classic, and everyone else seems to give it rave reviews. It was written in 1979, and the premise is, the main character, a young Black woman living in Los Angeles, goes back and forth in time to the early 1800s, where she lives the experience of a Black woman at that time. I think what I didn’t like was, since it’s billed as “science fiction” I wanted the story to be weirder. Like, once I accepted the premise of time travel, everything kind of played out like I thought it would. I will say it’s a good companion to Gone With the Wind. If you read that book and were lured into thinking slavery wasn’t really that bad, Kindred will set you straight, for sure. Next up… I really thought I would love this! It sounded so good, and everyone says Stephen King is a master storyteller. Well, there was one glaring thing about this book that bothered me. It takes place in 2021, and there was constant mention of Covid. This person wore a mask- this person didn’t. Are you vaxxed? Double vaxxed, Moderna. Pfizer. Covid is a hoax. People are dying. And, politics. Thank goodness we got rid of Trump. The democrats stole the election… and on and on. In the afterword, King says he purposely included these things because he feels a story is more realistic if it has real life details. For me, it was stressful and distracting. I read so I DON’T have to think about politics! I don’t want to relive Covid, and how divisive that was for our country. Every time it was mentioned- which was all the time, it took me out of the story. The story was… interesting. This is not a horror novel, but it was horrIBLE. People are disappearing, and what’s happening to them is gruesome. I did enjoy Holly’s character (when she wasn’t talking about Covid) and enjoyed the process of her investigation. I didn’t love this book, but I’ll definitely give Stephen King another chance. As soon as I got home, I dove into this book- I love it! I’m almost done, and everyone knows you can’t really judge a mystery until the very end, so I’ll talk about it next time. Now, let’s look at that photo of Holly again… Hey, what’s in that Starbucks cup? Muahahahaha! Coming up tomorrow… what I ate (and drank) on this trip. Have you read any of these books? Top photo by Life’s Captured Sparks on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Not Like Other Weeks
Phew- I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime since last Sunday- but in a good way! I started my trip last Saturday, where I flew to Texas, and the fun continued from there. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! Here’s how it all played out. Sunday As soon as I woke up, I did a Caroline Girvan abs workout, And then… Driving Day #1! We started in Round Top, Texas (where my son’s music festival was) and made our way north. The weather was so terrible- we were literally driving through a flash flood warning. People were being warned to stay off the roads unless they were evacuating. But we couldn’t stay where we were, so we persevered. Our goal was to get past Little Rock, and we made it- but not till around 11 pm. Long day! But believe it or not, we still had fun. It was all part of the adventure. Monday Up bright and early to use the hotel gym! Hahahaha…. just kidding. We got eight hours of sleep and got on the road again ASAP. After a few hours of driving, we passed the Illinois state line! We both cheered, and I said “I want to see corn fields!” Then I looked out the window, and… tada! After another fun day of driving, we made it to my sister’s by dinnertime. Tuesday Okay, this time I did get up early. I went for a 4 mile run in my sister’s neighborhood. It was fun, but the ground does a strange thing here… it seems to slope up and down alarmingly. Ha- what I’m saying is, there are HILLS! We don’t have that in South Florida. I was definitely huffing and puffing on this run. In the afternoon, we drove up to Evanston and walked all around the Northwestern campus! We also got a look at my son’s house (from the outside- his lease doesn’t start till August 15th). It’s such a beautiful area- he’s so excited to start living there. Wednesday On this day, we just relaxed at my sister and brother in law’s house. We needed a chill day after all the excitement. In the morning I did my hip stability exercises, and in the afternoon we went for a walk. Thursday Travel day! But first- I got out early for a 5 mile run. It had rained the day before, and this run was delightfully cool. And overcast! I was happy. Then we flew home! My son’s car will live at my sister’s for the next month, awaiting his return. Friday Oh, guess what- now I have jury duty! Luckily I didn’t have to go in today. PHEW. I needed a break after all the travel. In the afternoon I went to the gym for leg day! I discovered a hip thrust machine, which I’m very happy about. It’s much more convenient than struggling with a barbell. Saturday 4 mile run before work! To make up for all the hours I missed on my trip (and the hours I will miss next week for jury duty) I worked all day, 9-5. Perfect way to jump back into reality. Sunday On tap- again working 9-5. Also, upper body strength was non-existent last week, so I’ll fit that in somewhere. How was your week? Have you ever done federal jury duty?- I’m on call until next Friday. Sigh.