More Dribs and Drabs

Yes, I’m late again, not because of PoI this time, though (I only have about ten new episodes to watch in the second season, so I’m hoarding them). I was in Ft. Wayne, IN from Monday to Thursday getting ready for and delivering a workshop. It was my first time visiting Indiana. I didn’t get to experience much of the city because it was a work trip, but what I saw struck me as really pleasant. From the few conversations I had with the locals, life in Ft. Wayne is quiet and manageable. If you want to raise your kids at a slower pace and want them to experience whatever last vestiges of life that Norman Rockwell used to depict, Ft. Wayne is probably a good place to do it. There’s definitely more breathing room here than in any of the cities where I’ve lived, except maybe for Idaho Falls.

I stopped at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to pick up milk and other groceries. Because of some unevenness in travel, I only wanted the equivalent of a couple of those cartons of milk I used to get at lunch time in elementary school, but they are more difficult to find than I expected. I hit TJ’s first and settled for a carton of half and half, but I found a pint at Whole Foods. I started down the slippery slope to using heavy whipping cream in my lattes this morning when I combined half and half with whole milk (I think that makes it ¾ and ¼). Y’all. This is not going to end well.

Making cold brew coffee in my hotel room has turned into a regular thing I do on the road. If I get a normal-sized pod in the room (the size meant to go in a 12-cup drip machine), I can use one pod in the provided cup and get a decent cup of coffee in the morning. The earlier I can start the process, the better the coffee is in the morning, but I like a strong cup of coffee. If I only get the little pods (the kind meant to go in a single-cup machine), I use as many as they provide and might decrease the amount of water I pour into the paper cup or mug.

I bought two bottles of cold-brew coffee at Trader Joe’s, but then I discovered where they’ve been hiding the cold-brew coffee at Whole Foods – it’s with the specialty milk in the dairy section. You’ll definitely be seeing some product reviews in a future dribs and drabs post when I finally get through all of this cold-brew coffee. It’s finally winter here in Texas, and hot lattes have rocketed to the top of the preference list.

If circumstances force you to fly an airline with which you don’t have preferential status, try to book your flights on regional jets where there is no room in the overhead compartment for a carry-on rollerbag. Making sure there’s enough room for my bag on the plane is the only reason that it’s important to me to get on first. Gate checking is not ideal because of the complete clusterf* of trying to get your bag back, especially if you have a tight connection, but it eliminates the stress of trying to get on the plane first. I almost paid American Airlines for the privilege of boarding my flights in Group 1, but when I saw that I was flying on regional jets, a weight evaporated from my shoulders, plus I got the satisfaction of not paying an additional fee to an airline.

My dad returned to Abu Dhabi yesterday, so I have to learn to sleep in the house again by myself. I don’t know why I feel more secure when someone else is here. Everything I know about violent criminals I learned from television (it’s why I had to break up with Criminal Minds), and I’m pretty sure that a 70-year-old man, however spry and strong and active he is, is probably not much of a deterrent to a determined criminal. At least I’ve stopped saying something out loud right before I drift off to sleep – the adrenaline rush that comes from scaring yourself awake prior to figuring out that you’re the one who made the noise and that nobody has crept into your room to harm you is not conducive to rejuvenating rest.

I switched my hair color from light copper brown to medium cherry brown, and I love it. Because my hair is so dark, the dye only affects the gray hairs, and they are a lovely auburn now. I’ve always thought I had the disposition (if not the facial features) to get away with being a redhead. This is a socially acceptable, professional, credible way to make that dream come true.