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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Oh...rilly?

An R2-D2 thumb drive!
Yesterday was an errand day. I needed alizarin crimson BADLY, light bulbs, black tea and a thumb drive. Here’s what I found in the checkout line at both the big box craft shop and office supply store – CANDY. What better temptress than rows of cheap sugar treats, promising fast, easy happiness, all wrapped up in gaudy, flash colors?

This is just criminal smart. Devilishly crafty levels of dastardly marketeering brilliance went into this. CLEARLY! Waiting in a long line? What better way to soothe and distract your taxed and annoyed soul than with no-commitment, cut-rate chocolate?

It continues to blow my tiny mind that I manage to refrain from indulgence. A strong part of me knows, is well aware, of the mountains of guilt I’ll suffer if buy AND eat that Almond Joy or Kit Kat.

Candy Guilt, by the by, is NOT all about the empty calories, better spent elsewhere. Oh my no! There’s the whole Fair-trade thing – they’re not. The longer I voyage on this spinning planet, the more I’m unable to ignore where and how things are made – where everything comes from.  Am I perfectly consistent in my earth-dwellers mindfulness? Of course not but I try and NOT picking up a pack of Reese’s cups while on line at Staple’s seems like  doable abstinence.

THIS however, at left, was WAY more of a struggle – Nique’s Vegan Peppermint Bark Cheesecake. I saw it when we were at our Black Tea buying stop and very nearly succumbed to MONDO temptation. Peppermint Bark AND cheesecake? Jesus, that's just a heinously cruel jezebel of a dessert to put in my path. Incredibly, I was able to walk away. Yes, I SO deserve a fuckin' medal...I'm tellin' you!

At the end of our Big Box Americana tour, Della and I began our lunchie mission. Starzzz was my first choice but the tiny parking lot was full AND it was too damn cold to park elsewhere and walk. Off to the Nantasket and the Red Parrot we rode. It was closed! Why? For MLK Day maybe? No clue.

The wind off the ocean was howling, beyond icy and sharper than a serpent’s tooth. Even the gulls were having a hard time on their flight paths. Obvs, no beach walking for us BUT the bleak panorama was still overwhelmingly beautiful in a scary kind of way.

After our mega brief wave watching, we made our way back to Quincy. Our new lunch destination was La Paloma – my fave, local Mexican restaurant BUT they were also closed! Sheesh. I was beginning to believe the gods did NOT want us to dine out.  On our fourth try we found an open bistro. PHEW! The joint was dark, as though they were only provisionally open for biz but the food was awesome (I had the oceana burrito and *WOWZERS* it was fab!).

Today's a fresh day. It's warmer (in the 30s!), sunny and more cousins arrive soon! We'll do something a bit more exciting. Perhaps the Fuller Craft Museum and lunch? Yup, I am scintillating, no?