Sunday, May 22, 2011

What Do You Wish You Were Doing Today?

I was reading Travel + Leisure Magazine today on my break at work and found myself idly thinking, "I'd like to be there right now," regarding some pretty picture of a hotel.

Then I thought, "No.  If I am to wish, I want it to be really good.  Today, I wish I were..."

Today, I wish I were doing something really comfortable

Like getting a head-to-toe massage in a beach-side cabana with the warm but refreshing breeze feathering across my skin.  With a drink?  No, not an alcoholic one, not today.  Today, it's cold and fruity, sweet and tart, and entirely healthful.  Today, there are steel drums playing in the distance, so that sometimes I hear them on the breeze, and sometimes I hear the waves.  I smell the salt air, the sun-warm sand.  I feel the tension being worked from each limb, my neck, my back, my feet.

This, this is what I wish I were doing today.

What do you wish you were doing today?

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mothers Day

So, a satisfied customer was leaving our store - a great guy, mid-forties, in a wheelchair, frequent customer - and on his way out, gave my manager and me a jaunty wave and wished us, "Happy Mothers Day!"

"You, too!" we chorused happily.

Durr.  General laughter.  "Erm, um, what do you say... THANK YOU!"

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

May the fourth!

... be with you.

Yes, I'm a geek.  Forgot to say it earlier.  Happy Star Wars day.  Have fun!

Tasting

Today at work, I tried the Squirrel nuts mentioned in yesterday's blog - the Truffle flavor.  We're talking actual mushroomy truffles, rather than the chocolate kind - though if you're into chocolate truffles, Williams-Sonoma sells an awesome confection that looks like a malted milk "robin's egg," but tastes like a little bite of chocolate heaven.  Those are only available at Easter, so you'll have to wait till next year for more; sorry.  But the wait is worth it.  Until then, Godiva will have to do.  ;)

Anyway, the truffle flavored almonds?  You should hear the moans of pleasure when people try these beauties!  Mysterious, dark and woodsy, they taste of real truffles.  If you've never tried truffles, there's nothing quite like them.  I think they're as rich as a good oyster, but vegetarian, and honestly worth the moaning they precipitate.

If you're stumped (haha, no squirrel pun intended) for a good gift idea, these are unusual and delicious, packaged in a delightfully chic black-and-gold canister, appropriate for men as well as ladies.  An awesome "hostess" gift, one they'll remember you for! 

Also, I tried two Tishbi jellies.  One was a red wine (I think cabernet) and the other a white (I think chardonnay) jelly.  Oh, my goodness!  The red tasted like wine, not sweet, or sugary, or syrupy.  All the flavors of a good red, but without a bite-y, tannin-ey taste.  I could eat it right out of the jar all day long.  This jelly would be excellent on buttered toast, possibly with tea to drink.  I think it would also rock a good red meat, either glazed in the oven with it, or spread on a cold leftover meat sandwich the next day.  That's good eatin'.

The white wine jelly was far more delicate and sweeter.  You could also use this on toast, but I would go with white toast rather than a hearty whole grain, and one of the milder teas to drink.  Not sure how or if I would use this in cooking, though I'm sure there are plenty of delicious combinations just waiting to be discovered.

Both jellies and the nuts can be found at the Annapolis, Maryland Williams-Sonoma.  They haven't appeared on Williams-Sonoma online, but that may just be a matter of time.  If you stop by our store, give me a holler!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

At Work Today

We were receiving cartons of product in the stockroom today.  Several new products arrived, including a variety of flavored nuts from the "Squirrel Brand" company.  We love it when new stuff arrives.

So my manager says in innocent glee, "Oh, Squirrel nuts!  I'd like to see those!"

I enjoy the people I work with.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Spring Awakening/Reviving/Reanimating

I woke up this past Monday morning, the very day after Easter, feeling somehow… alive.  Like a bear coming out of hibernation.  No… more like a spring flower emerging from the snow to bloom.  No, really… quite a lot like I imagine a person would feel returning from the dead.  Suddenly I could move.  And accomplish stuff.  And think!  I could contemplate actually doing the things I had longed to do all winter, but did not have the ability: visiting friends, blogging, doing anything more than slogging through part-time work (wonderful as it is, and wonderful as my co-workers are, it has been physically all I could manage), and best of all: once again having cognitive functions.  Yay, cognitive functions!

I can’t imagine that it’s the spring – boy, that would suck, seeing as we have winter every single year around here.

This past winter was one of, well, deep hibernation.  Healing from within.  Rest and recuperation.  And suddenly… here I am, world!

Here I am, me.  It is so nice to be me again.