Spooky Toddler.

Things could be worse... You could be this guy.

Fishwives Are Chatty...

"Can I get a pound of the raw shrimp?"

"Sure thing. Good deal on those today."

"I know. I was going to buy the pre-cooked ones, but I can't say 'no' to $5.99 a pound."

"Right. So what are you going to do with them? If you don't mind me asking..."

"I'm thinking stir fried rice."

"Oh, that sounds good. I'm a bit of a foodie myself."

"Yeah, that's why I'm here."

"Make sure you cook them all the way through."

"OK. Thanks."

"You got a good pairing knife?"

"Definitely."

"Soak 'em good, then cut out the veins and shells."

"OK."

"And save the shells for stock. It'll be more sweet than fishy."

"I'm probably not going to do that."

"You should."

"OK, I'll think about it. Anything else?"

"No, I think that's it. You cooking them tonight?"

"Yes."

"Good. What time?"

"Probably not until 8 or so."

"OK. Don't let them sit any longer than that."

"Got it. Thanks again... I gotta get back to work."


Then she showed up at my house that night to make sure I was cooking them the right way. Really.

The Neti Pot - It's like Metamucil for your sinuses.

Adventures in Grocery Shopping


I first noticed her in the parking log. She was wearing acid washed jeans. And staggering a bit as she walked.

She was probably in her early to mid-40s, but looked much older than that. I'm guessing she was the original owner of those jeans. Both she and those jeans had seen a lot of miles together.

She siddled up to me in the meat section. I don't know if she just had a different definition of "personal space" than the rest of us or if I was just in her way. I had been sick so I couldn't really be sure, but I thought I could smell alcohol.

She eventually found what she was looking for. She then proceeded to put her items in my cart and walk off with it.

Whoa.

...and this is why they don't bother stocking good produce at my Stop and Shop. If the average customer can't find their own cart, they're sure as hell not going to be able to tell the difference between a good pepper and a lousy one.

Survey Question of the Day

Should I grow a mustache?

Epic Battle

Giant Frog...


... vs. Killer Mantis!



Who will win?

Cookies

Cookies are the new pie...

Just Don't Let Them See the Little One...

Bethany Beach, Delaware has a strict "Reverse 'Logan's Run'" law. No one under 30 is allowed. The whole community is geared toward preserving its permanent residents and making them feel comfortable. Visitors are allowed, but watched closely.

Some of the locals...

Renew!

Possible Sandman

Luckily, Jen and I are over 30, so we're exempt. But we had to smuggle Little Man in and out of town.

We've got a runner...

I'd hate to think of what might have happened if they caught him.

Justice, Delaware Style

Ocean Mist

Spraying some Ocean up my nose today...

Last of the 2009 Taters

Four Days in the DE

We went to Delaware for a four day weekend last week. It was quite lovely.

Lots of nice boardwalks.

Being "The First State" and one of the original Thirteen Colonies, I expected it to be a little more "New Englandy". Delaware was more like "Florida North" than a Mid-Atlantic New England state. It's very flat. There's lots of beaches. The only culture is agriculture. There's tons of retired people (I would guess they're mostly ex-Navy and Air Force. They've just got that look about them.)

Wanna drive up on the beach and fish? Go for it.

Other than the first 1/3rd of the state, there's nowhere to work. I can definitely see the appeal of retiring there (no sales tax!), but I'm still a few years away from that.

Delaware is much more rural than I expected. Especially as you move away from the coast. There were farms! Lots of corn. And are those soy beans? Huh.

We were waaay down at the very end of Delaware. For the second smallest state, it was a lot longer than I expected. We took a short drive and found ourselves in Ocean City, Maryland. Which felt like a whole other planet.

Whoa.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first Five Guys Burgers and Fries experience. They make their burgers and fries from actual food! I almost ate Jen's burger out from under her. Good stuff.

The beaches were pretty sweet though. None of that rocky crap like we have here.

Little Man enjoys the beach.

And crabs. Oh man, does Delaware have crabs.

R.I.P., Pinchy.

Beachy

Delaware looks like this.