There are some “firsts” which people love and hope will be the first in a long line. Like your first real paycheck. Other “firsts” are special because they may not – and should not – happen again. Your wedding day, for instance. Other firsts you may never want to encounter again – like your first funeral. Unfortunately, my “first” this weekend falls into the last category – my first accident (where I was the driver).
The only time I have been involved in an accident before was at Converse when Wendy, my sister and I were driving to the mountains. Wendy was the driver at the time and the car was totaled. No one was seriously hurt, however. This Friday night, however, I was the driver – no one was seriously hurt that I know of. This is how it happened.
This was the first day it snowed in Lancaster since we have been here. We woke to a white blanket. I dropped Gregg off at the train station, got home, changed, drove to work, came back, picked Giggs up to take him to the vet and then drove home again. Then at 6pm, I set off to pick Gregg up. It had been snowing all day but now the sun had gone down and the snow had turned to ice. When I drove up to the bridge I regularly cross, I saw up ahead 2 cars at the side of the road which had obviously been in an accident. Then suddenly the car in front of me skidded and rotated (eventually hitting the car in front of him). I hit my brakes to stop but the ice gave no traction and the car just kept going. So, I ended up hitting one of the cars pulled off to the side of the road (one of the ones already in an accident).
Thankfully, no one was hurt. I have mild bruises and a pain in the neck (literally) and it hurts when I laugh but that’s it. Our car, however, is in very bad shape – we have to wait till we know if it is salvageable. Now the only remnant is fear – I am terrified of driving in snow – or rather ice – again.
On the bright side, the rental car we have is awesome. It is a Buick with heated leather seats, XM radio and even heat for the steering wheel. Awesome!!!!
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone – and drive safely.
___________________
IN OTHER NEWS:
Work: Only one more full week of classes left. Cannot wait.
Thanksgiving: I made a turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing etc on Saturday. It was a nice way to forget the accident. We are going to CT for Thanksgiving but with the end of the semester almost here, we will stay only a short time. Have to prep for the last week, write exams, write study guides, grade papers etc.
NPSA: Went well. More on that later.
Giggs: He is now 9.8 pounds and almost a year old.
Showing posts with label Lancaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lancaster. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, now that I have your attention, I want to issue a spoiler alert: this post is not about the show. Nothing in my life is as dramatic as that show (which I have never seen) about a plane crash (thank goodness for that)!!!!! I thought I would write this after I got lost a couple of days ago.
I can navigate. I can drive. But I cannot navigate while driving. I am too busy watching the road to watch for the next turn or to look at street signs etc. Well, I have been taking the highway to drop Gregg off at the train station but getting to the highway is very exhausting. It is a one lane road with backed up traffic at all times. It takes me 15 minutes to simply get to and from the highway. So, Gregg found a new route which takes about 20 minutes all the way to the station and back. The problem was that I had to drive back by myself. This is the conversation Gregg and I had on the way to the station:
Gregg: “On the way back, simply take a left at the light and then another left. Then go straight.”
Nitu: “Where do I take the second left?”
Gregg: “At the first light after the first left.”
Nitu: “Wait, what? I am confused! Left, light, left!! Not left, right, left! Ok got it!!!”
Gregg: “It is so easy even you cannot get lost.”
15 minutes later I was calling Gregg. I was lost and needed directions to get back home. But this incident showed me how much I have grown as a driver. The first time I got lost, I kept driving and then called Gregg almost in tears. I had no idea where I was, not even a street name. It was difficult for Gregg to give me directions under the circumstances and I was extremely nervous till I was on a road I recognized again.
This time when I got lost I calmly noted the fact, figured out where I was, pulled into a deserted parking lot, parked, called Gregg, got return directions and followed them to the “t” till I got home. No crying, no nervousness!!! In fact, I was laughing about our earlier conversation.
I am not a seasoned driver yet but certainly my temperament is improving. Does this not show an immense growth on my part? What do you do when you are lost?
I can navigate. I can drive. But I cannot navigate while driving. I am too busy watching the road to watch for the next turn or to look at street signs etc. Well, I have been taking the highway to drop Gregg off at the train station but getting to the highway is very exhausting. It is a one lane road with backed up traffic at all times. It takes me 15 minutes to simply get to and from the highway. So, Gregg found a new route which takes about 20 minutes all the way to the station and back. The problem was that I had to drive back by myself. This is the conversation Gregg and I had on the way to the station:
Gregg: “On the way back, simply take a left at the light and then another left. Then go straight.”
Nitu: “Where do I take the second left?”
Gregg: “At the first light after the first left.”
Nitu: “Wait, what? I am confused! Left, light, left!! Not left, right, left! Ok got it!!!”
Gregg: “It is so easy even you cannot get lost.”
15 minutes later I was calling Gregg. I was lost and needed directions to get back home. But this incident showed me how much I have grown as a driver. The first time I got lost, I kept driving and then called Gregg almost in tears. I had no idea where I was, not even a street name. It was difficult for Gregg to give me directions under the circumstances and I was extremely nervous till I was on a road I recognized again.
This time when I got lost I calmly noted the fact, figured out where I was, pulled into a deserted parking lot, parked, called Gregg, got return directions and followed them to the “t” till I got home. No crying, no nervousness!!! In fact, I was laughing about our earlier conversation.
I am not a seasoned driver yet but certainly my temperament is improving. Does this not show an immense growth on my part? What do you do when you are lost?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Exploring Pennsylvania II - Lititz
This weekend we took our second day trip and went to Lititz. Lititz is a small town about 15 miles outside of Lancaster. Established as a Moravian town with strict social regulations in 1756, it has evolved into a BoBo (aka David Brooks) paradise today. We had heard about this picturesque town and wanted to see what all the fuss was about and we were not disappointed.
The town has beautiful old buildings and architecture perfectly showcased through a quaint town square. As you walk up and down Main Street, there is a row of shops selling everything from teas and coffees to books, clothes, decorations for a home and cafes. This is home to the Wilbur Chocolate Company and the first pretzel bakery in the United States. Gregg and I loved the beauty, old-world charm and new world products.
In addition, Lititz also has a grocery store called Stauffers which is somewhat like a Whole Foods. We have one closer to us but the one in Lititz is huge and very well stocked. Since we do not have a Whole Foods here, I was delighted to see their selection.
I certainly went a little crazy and completely blew my budget. But here is a partial list of what we bought during the course of the day:
1) 3 second-hand books (This Proud Heart and The Three Daughters by Madame Liang both by Pearl S. Buck and a book on 1984)
2) 3 (one-ounce) packs of tea leaves (three different ones from India). This was from a store which sells only teas and coffees from different countries and they are NOT tea bags.
3) A teapot (with an infuser built in)
4) Coffee (pumpkin spice)
5) Cheese (Humboldt-Fogg’s goat cheese with ashen center)
6) Dried cilantro (which plumps up when put into liquids)
7) Some very good cuts of steak
Overall, a great day!!! Now for the bad part…grading 60 tests.
The town has beautiful old buildings and architecture perfectly showcased through a quaint town square. As you walk up and down Main Street, there is a row of shops selling everything from teas and coffees to books, clothes, decorations for a home and cafes. This is home to the Wilbur Chocolate Company and the first pretzel bakery in the United States. Gregg and I loved the beauty, old-world charm and new world products.
In addition, Lititz also has a grocery store called Stauffers which is somewhat like a Whole Foods. We have one closer to us but the one in Lititz is huge and very well stocked. Since we do not have a Whole Foods here, I was delighted to see their selection.
I certainly went a little crazy and completely blew my budget. But here is a partial list of what we bought during the course of the day:
1) 3 second-hand books (This Proud Heart and The Three Daughters by Madame Liang both by Pearl S. Buck and a book on 1984)
2) 3 (one-ounce) packs of tea leaves (three different ones from India). This was from a store which sells only teas and coffees from different countries and they are NOT tea bags.
3) A teapot (with an infuser built in)
4) Coffee (pumpkin spice)
5) Cheese (Humboldt-Fogg’s goat cheese with ashen center)
6) Dried cilantro (which plumps up when put into liquids)
7) Some very good cuts of steak
Overall, a great day!!! Now for the bad part…grading 60 tests.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Exploring Pennsylvania
Since Gregg and I started our first full-time jobs together, we have had to make spending time together a priority. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Gregg is on the train or in Philly from 7am to 6pm (till 10pm on Mondays). Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am on campus from 12pm-6pm. While I know this is common for most couples, it is uncommon for us and we have been trying to compensate.
Our other priority since we moved to PA has been to explore Lancaster and its surroundings. So far, we have mainly explored restaurants. Once we ventured to Harrisburg but that’s about it. So Gregg decided to combine our goals into a new rule: Saturdays are days we spend together doing something new and not working (at least till the evening).
In that spirit, we got up this morning and drove to Gifford Pinchot State Park. It is about 45 minutes from our house. It is on a lake and has trails and camp-grounds. We took Giggs with us. Once at the park, we spend about 90 minutes walking the “Lakeside Trail” with Giggs and then headed out. I do not usually like hiking but this was a swift easy walk around the park. It is located outside a very small cute town and we went to what was advertised as a Farmers’ Flea Market. True to its name, it turned out to be part farmers’ market and part flea market. We walked around there for a while where Giggs got a lot of attention. By this time, we were very tired, very hot and hungry. So, we got Giggs some water and snacks and then stopped at the Hillside Café for lunch. The place looked like just some diner from the outside but turned out to be quite nice and swanky inside – in spite of its name and location. Anything but a café. The food was very good – I had their BBQ ribs and Gregg had a fish platter. Huge portion sizes too. I highly recommend it.
On the whole, a wonderful day!! What made it better was that it was a cheap way to explore. The state park was free; we only paid for lunch and gas. We did not buy anything at the farmers’ market. Overall, I spent a wonderful day with Gregg and Giggs, did not spend much money, got some exercise and discovered a very beautiful hilly part of PA. What more could one ask for?
Our other priority since we moved to PA has been to explore Lancaster and its surroundings. So far, we have mainly explored restaurants. Once we ventured to Harrisburg but that’s about it. So Gregg decided to combine our goals into a new rule: Saturdays are days we spend together doing something new and not working (at least till the evening).
In that spirit, we got up this morning and drove to Gifford Pinchot State Park. It is about 45 minutes from our house. It is on a lake and has trails and camp-grounds. We took Giggs with us. Once at the park, we spend about 90 minutes walking the “Lakeside Trail” with Giggs and then headed out. I do not usually like hiking but this was a swift easy walk around the park. It is located outside a very small cute town and we went to what was advertised as a Farmers’ Flea Market. True to its name, it turned out to be part farmers’ market and part flea market. We walked around there for a while where Giggs got a lot of attention. By this time, we were very tired, very hot and hungry. So, we got Giggs some water and snacks and then stopped at the Hillside Café for lunch. The place looked like just some diner from the outside but turned out to be quite nice and swanky inside – in spite of its name and location. Anything but a café. The food was very good – I had their BBQ ribs and Gregg had a fish platter. Huge portion sizes too. I highly recommend it.
On the whole, a wonderful day!! What made it better was that it was a cheap way to explore. The state park was free; we only paid for lunch and gas. We did not buy anything at the farmers’ market. Overall, I spent a wonderful day with Gregg and Giggs, did not spend much money, got some exercise and discovered a very beautiful hilly part of PA. What more could one ask for?
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Exercise
As you know, exercise has never made my list of things to worry about. I do not like exercising and have always thought that it wastes time. Since I never exercise, my sporadic attempts at it leave me tired both mentally and physically. Therefore, I never get to the point where I experience the positives – the rush of energy, feeling good about myself, lethargy without exercise etc. This rejection of exercise is compounded by the fact that I have never felt a great desire to lose weight nor experienced any acute health problems due to my sedentary lifestyle. The only time in my life when I made an effort to exercise was in the months before my wedding because I was terrified that I would not be able to fit into my wedding dress.
However, exercise started becoming an issue last July when we moved to Farmville. With no friends around, with the pressure of a 3-4 teaching load for the first time and with the tenure-track application cycle, I felt stressed and irritable constantly. On top of that, this was the first time I did not walk anywhere. I started driving to school, not walking to campus as I did in Cville. I did not have to walk around campus much either. So, believe it or not, my lifestyle became even more sedentary than before. And I started putting on weight!!! All these reasons made us think of exercise more.
The question always was: what form of exercise regimen could I stick to? Gregg is more determined and will go out for walks. But I do not like walking outside when it is too cold or rainy. The other option is a gym membership – but I hate gyms. I do not like exercising in front of other people, I do not like fitting it in my schedule, and I do not like spending money on something I do not use. We could use the University gym but I do not like exercising around my students. The third option was to invest in some home exercise equipment. It would allow us to exercise every day in a private setting at any time we want. But we rejected that idea last year.
Since we have moved to Lancaster, however, Giggs has cut down on our stress level but the sedentary nature of our lives has still been an issue. Besides, I am still putting on weight. So, finally, this weekend, we bought a treadmill for the apartment. All I plan to do is walk on it for 30-45 minutes a day. I walked on it on Saturday and Sunday and though I am sore and tired, I plan to keep using it.
I know that most people exercise. Why do you exercise, when do you exercise, how do you exercise? Any tips on exercising on a treadmill will also be appreciated.
However, exercise started becoming an issue last July when we moved to Farmville. With no friends around, with the pressure of a 3-4 teaching load for the first time and with the tenure-track application cycle, I felt stressed and irritable constantly. On top of that, this was the first time I did not walk anywhere. I started driving to school, not walking to campus as I did in Cville. I did not have to walk around campus much either. So, believe it or not, my lifestyle became even more sedentary than before. And I started putting on weight!!! All these reasons made us think of exercise more.
The question always was: what form of exercise regimen could I stick to? Gregg is more determined and will go out for walks. But I do not like walking outside when it is too cold or rainy. The other option is a gym membership – but I hate gyms. I do not like exercising in front of other people, I do not like fitting it in my schedule, and I do not like spending money on something I do not use. We could use the University gym but I do not like exercising around my students. The third option was to invest in some home exercise equipment. It would allow us to exercise every day in a private setting at any time we want. But we rejected that idea last year.
Since we have moved to Lancaster, however, Giggs has cut down on our stress level but the sedentary nature of our lives has still been an issue. Besides, I am still putting on weight. So, finally, this weekend, we bought a treadmill for the apartment. All I plan to do is walk on it for 30-45 minutes a day. I walked on it on Saturday and Sunday and though I am sore and tired, I plan to keep using it.
I know that most people exercise. Why do you exercise, when do you exercise, how do you exercise? Any tips on exercising on a treadmill will also be appreciated.
Fourth of July Weekend
Happy Fourth of July Weekend everyone!!! Gregg and I decided to spend the weekend being productive – in a wholistic way. On Friday, we got to hang out with Stacie, Evan and Sam. They were in Philly for the weekend and drove to Lancaster. It was Giggs’ first doggie play-date and given his hostile response to other dogs, I was not optimistic. But Stacie was very patient and came armed with a million treats and bones and toys. By the way, Stacie, Giggs has not let his rawhide bone go for the past 24 hours. Thanks for that!!
When Sam first walked in the door, Giggs started barking and this did not stop for the first 15 minutes. After that, he decided that he would walk over to Stacie who was sitting with Sam and accept some delicious salmon treats from her. It took 30-45 minutes of bribing Giggs with treats and threatening to spray him with water if he barked, for him to calm down enough to let him off his leash. After that, Giggs seemed to perk up, stopped barking and ran around the house checking to see where Sam was. However, the play-date was a little disappointing for Sam because Giggs refused to play with him. Poor Sam, he tried so hard. He sniffed Giggs (in some unmentionable places!!), he lay down, he rolled over – he tried to be as unthreatening as possible. Just for the record, Sam is 45 pounds to Giggs’ 7, so rough play might rightly have scared Giggs. A wagging tail from Sam is enough to knock Giggs over. However, Giggs did play when we took them outside – probably the space to run made him feel safer.
After a couple of hours when we were sure things were calm, we left the dogs at home (we separated them) and went out to get lunch. We went to the Iron Hill Brewery – it is a chain but limited to the PA, NJ, Delaware area. They brew a lot of their own beers. It was very nice catching up, I had not seen Stacie for almost a year – since APSA last year. Unfortunately, Stacie, Evan and Sam had to leave shortly after lunch but it was a great day for me nonetheless.
On Saturday, Gregg and I worked on our dissertations. I have to write a chapter on tragedy before APSA and Gregg is working on a chapter on our current President. The weird thing about writing a chapter of my dissertation for a conference is this: I have dual goals in mind. On one hand, I feel that if I reach 25-30 pages, I have a decent paper to present. On the other hand, it is not complete until I have covered the material I want to cover – and that has no page deadline. Right now, I am focusing on the first goal rather than the second.
We also walked 3 miles apiece on Saturday. We have made a new resolution – to exercise a little every day. The reasons for this and the best way to achieve this goal is something I will discuss in my next post. It was a big day for me – 3 miles for someone who never walks at all is a challenge.
Our goals for Sunday are more of the same – exercise a little, write a little, play with Giggs (which is part of our everyday lives now).
But this has been a fabulous weekend – hang out with friends, exercise (which is a new thing for me), play with your dog, and some work done on the dissertation. This is my idea of a well-rounded weekend.
What did everyone else do?
When Sam first walked in the door, Giggs started barking and this did not stop for the first 15 minutes. After that, he decided that he would walk over to Stacie who was sitting with Sam and accept some delicious salmon treats from her. It took 30-45 minutes of bribing Giggs with treats and threatening to spray him with water if he barked, for him to calm down enough to let him off his leash. After that, Giggs seemed to perk up, stopped barking and ran around the house checking to see where Sam was. However, the play-date was a little disappointing for Sam because Giggs refused to play with him. Poor Sam, he tried so hard. He sniffed Giggs (in some unmentionable places!!), he lay down, he rolled over – he tried to be as unthreatening as possible. Just for the record, Sam is 45 pounds to Giggs’ 7, so rough play might rightly have scared Giggs. A wagging tail from Sam is enough to knock Giggs over. However, Giggs did play when we took them outside – probably the space to run made him feel safer.
After a couple of hours when we were sure things were calm, we left the dogs at home (we separated them) and went out to get lunch. We went to the Iron Hill Brewery – it is a chain but limited to the PA, NJ, Delaware area. They brew a lot of their own beers. It was very nice catching up, I had not seen Stacie for almost a year – since APSA last year. Unfortunately, Stacie, Evan and Sam had to leave shortly after lunch but it was a great day for me nonetheless.
On Saturday, Gregg and I worked on our dissertations. I have to write a chapter on tragedy before APSA and Gregg is working on a chapter on our current President. The weird thing about writing a chapter of my dissertation for a conference is this: I have dual goals in mind. On one hand, I feel that if I reach 25-30 pages, I have a decent paper to present. On the other hand, it is not complete until I have covered the material I want to cover – and that has no page deadline. Right now, I am focusing on the first goal rather than the second.
We also walked 3 miles apiece on Saturday. We have made a new resolution – to exercise a little every day. The reasons for this and the best way to achieve this goal is something I will discuss in my next post. It was a big day for me – 3 miles for someone who never walks at all is a challenge.
Our goals for Sunday are more of the same – exercise a little, write a little, play with Giggs (which is part of our everyday lives now).
But this has been a fabulous weekend – hang out with friends, exercise (which is a new thing for me), play with your dog, and some work done on the dissertation. This is my idea of a well-rounded weekend.
What did everyone else do?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A WASPy Day
Jill’s blog is called: “Am I Waspy”? While I think this is a good question for Jill to ask herself, I have never had to ask myself this question. Clearly I am not a WASP. I am not White or Anglo-Saxon or Protestant. Nor do I have particularly WASPy tendencies: I do not like decorating or sewing or dressing up for a meal. I like cooking but setting tables and making flower arrangements is not for me. But this past Saturday, I had the closest thing to a WASPy day that I have ever had.
As I said before, Gregg’s parents came to Lancaster this weekend. Saturday was their guys’ day – and Gregg, his dad and his brother all went to Philly for the day. They were scheduled back around midnight after watching the Phillies game. So, what were his mom and I to do?
Not to be outdone, we decided to have a special day too. I had made reservations at this place: the House of Clarendon. It was to be an English High Tea. It turned out to exceed expectations. The tea they served was an English Breakfast from Piccadilly. It had a subtle aroma, a gentle mellow taste and was perfect with just a splash of milk. The food accompanying the tea was also perfect. As we all know, English tea is accompanied by finger foods. This place serves 7 savories and 7 sweets – all bite-sized – with the tea. I thought that 14 bite-sized pieces of food cannot possibly be filling. I was so wrong!!! Thank goodness, we did not have time to get breakfast before we went for tea at noon. The savories included spinach and cream cheese pinwheels, a chicken tartlet, sausage rolls, stuffed phyllo etc. At the end of this, I was already starting to feel satiated. But the 7 sweets put me over the edge. They included mini éclairs, scones with apricot, lemon and raspberry puffs and even a mint tea in a chocolate cup – and you are supposed to eat the cup after drinking the tea. All the food and the tea was served piece by piece and we just sat and relaxed and talked for two hours. This, combined with the fact that you have to dress up a little to go to this place, made me feel very WASPy. But we had a great time.
After this tea, Gregg’s mom and I decided to take a nap. Unfortunately, I had not counted on Giggs being super-hyper after being left alone all day. So, my nap was rather short!!! Then, in the evening, we got up, got dressed all over again and went to the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster to watch a play – Brigadoon. I had never heard of it but it is a romantic play about a guy who falls in love with a woman who lives in an enchanted village in Scotland. The village appears to the outside world every 100 years and so when he decides not to stay with her, he is forgoing her forever. The question is: is he (and she) doomed to live with his decision forever or can they see each other again in spite of the enchantment. I will not spoil the ending for those who do not know it. Anyway, suffice it to say, that unlike the rest of the audience, I was torn. Everyone wanted them to get back together – I thought however that while second chances are good, maybe living with the consequences of one’s actions is a necessary lesson. But the acting and dancing and singing were really good and again, we had a very good time. It felt good to be dressed up, at a play, doing something cultural instead of sprawling in PJs in front of the TV at home.
After the play, we did do something un-WASPy – go home and pig out on pizza and Chinese food. But on the whole, it was a really nice day – and to me, the WASPiest things I have done so far.
As I said before, Gregg’s parents came to Lancaster this weekend. Saturday was their guys’ day – and Gregg, his dad and his brother all went to Philly for the day. They were scheduled back around midnight after watching the Phillies game. So, what were his mom and I to do?
Not to be outdone, we decided to have a special day too. I had made reservations at this place: the House of Clarendon. It was to be an English High Tea. It turned out to exceed expectations. The tea they served was an English Breakfast from Piccadilly. It had a subtle aroma, a gentle mellow taste and was perfect with just a splash of milk. The food accompanying the tea was also perfect. As we all know, English tea is accompanied by finger foods. This place serves 7 savories and 7 sweets – all bite-sized – with the tea. I thought that 14 bite-sized pieces of food cannot possibly be filling. I was so wrong!!! Thank goodness, we did not have time to get breakfast before we went for tea at noon. The savories included spinach and cream cheese pinwheels, a chicken tartlet, sausage rolls, stuffed phyllo etc. At the end of this, I was already starting to feel satiated. But the 7 sweets put me over the edge. They included mini éclairs, scones with apricot, lemon and raspberry puffs and even a mint tea in a chocolate cup – and you are supposed to eat the cup after drinking the tea. All the food and the tea was served piece by piece and we just sat and relaxed and talked for two hours. This, combined with the fact that you have to dress up a little to go to this place, made me feel very WASPy. But we had a great time.
After this tea, Gregg’s mom and I decided to take a nap. Unfortunately, I had not counted on Giggs being super-hyper after being left alone all day. So, my nap was rather short!!! Then, in the evening, we got up, got dressed all over again and went to the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster to watch a play – Brigadoon. I had never heard of it but it is a romantic play about a guy who falls in love with a woman who lives in an enchanted village in Scotland. The village appears to the outside world every 100 years and so when he decides not to stay with her, he is forgoing her forever. The question is: is he (and she) doomed to live with his decision forever or can they see each other again in spite of the enchantment. I will not spoil the ending for those who do not know it. Anyway, suffice it to say, that unlike the rest of the audience, I was torn. Everyone wanted them to get back together – I thought however that while second chances are good, maybe living with the consequences of one’s actions is a necessary lesson. But the acting and dancing and singing were really good and again, we had a very good time. It felt good to be dressed up, at a play, doing something cultural instead of sprawling in PJs in front of the TV at home.
After the play, we did do something un-WASPy – go home and pig out on pizza and Chinese food. But on the whole, it was a really nice day – and to me, the WASPiest things I have done so far.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Exploring Lancaster and The Problem of Choice
Gregg and I have some competing goals for this summer.
Goal Numero Uno: Get work done on the dissertation
Goal Two: Be frugal
Goal Three: Explore Lancaster in particular and northern PA in general
While the first two goals go nicely together, they do not mesh very well with goal three. It is easy to stay at home, cook at home and work on your dissertation. But we like living in Lancaster – it is great to be in a town where you can go to a Barnes and Noble, an Indian restaurant or grocery store or get pizza delivered which is not from Papa John’s. Not that Gregg and I do any of this regularly but it is nice to have this option. So we want to get to know it better. Let me add that I am awful at directions and would never find my way around this town without some practice.
Anyway, Gregg and I understand that some of these goals are in tension and so we have been doing one new thing a week – a new Chinese restaurant, a new farmers’ market etc. (Gregg is trying to make me go to a game of the Lancaster Barnstormers soon – a tiny local baseball team). Anyway, out of all the activities we have done thus far, my favorite is the Central Market – the farmers’ market here in Lancaster. It is a huge building with a wide variety of stands – fruits, vegetables, meats, Amish specialties, even Greek foods, African foods etc. Whenever I enter the building I get hungry. We try to go on Fridays. Though they are open on Saturdays, the place is usually packed and we try to avoid it then.
Anyway, the farmers’ market is awesome for vegetables. My favorite is that they sell bags of peppers for $2. The bags are mixed (3 or 4 peppers in each) – 1 green, 1 red and 2 red for example. I love peppers and they are too expensive at the grocery store. They also have everything fresh which means they keep very well. You can also get a whole bag of tomatoes for $1.50.
The farmers’ market also allows us to fulfill one of Gregg’s favorite goals – support local businesses. Gregg and I have discussed how we should balance our own financial goals with support of local businesses. Obviously consumers have to pay more at small businesses than at stores like Wal-Mart. We hate supporting Wal-Mart but it had become a financial necessity. In Farmville, it was not only a financial necessity but literally our only option. But the Central Market allows us to achieve both goals. Vegetables and sometimes even meat and fish are cheaper at these local stands than at grocery stores. We do not have to buy these from Wal-Mart anymore. We can be both financially responsible and support local businesses.
What about you? What goals do you have that are in tension with each other?
Goal Numero Uno: Get work done on the dissertation
Goal Two: Be frugal
Goal Three: Explore Lancaster in particular and northern PA in general
While the first two goals go nicely together, they do not mesh very well with goal three. It is easy to stay at home, cook at home and work on your dissertation. But we like living in Lancaster – it is great to be in a town where you can go to a Barnes and Noble, an Indian restaurant or grocery store or get pizza delivered which is not from Papa John’s. Not that Gregg and I do any of this regularly but it is nice to have this option. So we want to get to know it better. Let me add that I am awful at directions and would never find my way around this town without some practice.
Anyway, Gregg and I understand that some of these goals are in tension and so we have been doing one new thing a week – a new Chinese restaurant, a new farmers’ market etc. (Gregg is trying to make me go to a game of the Lancaster Barnstormers soon – a tiny local baseball team). Anyway, out of all the activities we have done thus far, my favorite is the Central Market – the farmers’ market here in Lancaster. It is a huge building with a wide variety of stands – fruits, vegetables, meats, Amish specialties, even Greek foods, African foods etc. Whenever I enter the building I get hungry. We try to go on Fridays. Though they are open on Saturdays, the place is usually packed and we try to avoid it then.
Anyway, the farmers’ market is awesome for vegetables. My favorite is that they sell bags of peppers for $2. The bags are mixed (3 or 4 peppers in each) – 1 green, 1 red and 2 red for example. I love peppers and they are too expensive at the grocery store. They also have everything fresh which means they keep very well. You can also get a whole bag of tomatoes for $1.50.
The farmers’ market also allows us to fulfill one of Gregg’s favorite goals – support local businesses. Gregg and I have discussed how we should balance our own financial goals with support of local businesses. Obviously consumers have to pay more at small businesses than at stores like Wal-Mart. We hate supporting Wal-Mart but it had become a financial necessity. In Farmville, it was not only a financial necessity but literally our only option. But the Central Market allows us to achieve both goals. Vegetables and sometimes even meat and fish are cheaper at these local stands than at grocery stores. We do not have to buy these from Wal-Mart anymore. We can be both financially responsible and support local businesses.
What about you? What goals do you have that are in tension with each other?
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