Wednesday Randoms

• It's wonderful to hear the birds twerping outside after dusk. Combined with the indoor tweeting (mine and the feathered ones haha), it's the best.
• Oh boy, I'm getting a taste of my old fix in the name of the Lifetime Movie Network. Always gets sucked in to these poorly-acted, over dramatic 2hr movies. Noooo, of course I'm not watching one right now #yougotme
• The BSR is less than 2 weeks away. I'm practicing what's known as the taper week(s). It'll be fun the day of, but at this point I'm just looking forward to getting it over with.
• Why does every small, private mechanic/garage look like an episode of Hoarders hit by a tornado? My God, how do they work, walk, and find anything? They seem to be the same breed of person. Nice, slightly aloof, and see no issue with their office being mistaken as a trash dump. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
• I looked high and low for my Cake Pop baking set, relentlessly, and now that I got it, it's been sitting here idle! Shame on me for now taking some time and making some pops. I think I said I wanted to wait for an occasion, otherwise I'll eat them all myself!

That's all I got.

Wednesday Randoms

Wednesday, Wednesday

• Made a strawberry smoothie tonight and noticed it's a little on the bland side. I know those smoothie places dump syrup or some sort of sugary concoction to sweeten it up. And keep us wanting more at those insane prices they charge.
• 2 weeks and some days until Broad Street. I'm feeling pretty ready. Let's hope the weather cooperates. Not like the 5mile race I have this weekend, with a forecast of 57 and thunderstorms :(
• I like my new office and things are going well. I'm excited that, as expected, my job will evolve and change in the future due to better technology. This makes me very happen as I welcome anything that increases efficiency.
• Guess who was rear-ended for the 4th time last week? Yup, me! Pissed is an understatement. I'm devising a plan to deter the tailgaters and save my bumper. Plan is still in the works
• Tanked is an awesome show on Animal Planet. I remember we had a fresh water aquarium when I was younger. I always felt so sad for the fish who were obviously dying. We had a pretty good size algae sucker fish who mysteriously disappeared one day. We were mystified until a few weeks later we saw a dried up tail sticking out under the bottom of the aquarium stand. He jumped ship tank!
• Some great finds at Sephora this past weekend. I'll share those in another post.
• What is up with these ridiculous airline prices? $600+ got me a round trip direct flight to Dublin last September. What I'm seeing now will cost me $1200. Ugh. Glad I went when I did.
• Apparently in France political TV ads are forbidden. Lucky them. Wish we had that in this election year.
• Smoking is disgusting. Have I mentioned that lately? Maybe the robotic voice box commercials of people with holes in their throat will convince a few to quit. From what I smell, it isn't any of the people living near me.

Wednesday Randoms

A very busy Wednesday today... but not so busy I'd forget my WRs!

• Spring time means I've been noticing the beautiful Canada geese scoping out some nesting spots. One pair picked a little ledge in the grassy area near the 476 on-ramp. It's up on a hill, but once those little fuzzies are hatched, mama goose will need to be absolutely diligent when supervising so they don't waddle into traffic. Another pair picked the most perfect spot on the side of a pond I pass on the way to work everyday. Good for them. I look forward seeing the babies in a few weeks
• Speaking of the feathered friends, my birds are singing and so content lately. It' easy to be a proud parent when your children are so happy and well behaved (and also make beautiful music!)
• Got my Cake Pop baking set! Also picked up some chocolate and sprinkles and I can't wait to make a batch. I'll be sure to include some pics when I do. And you know I always follow up and keep my word.
• Well, reminiscent of my WRs from last year, Broad Street 2012 will be soon upon us! Having done this last year, I know what to expect and I'm much less concerned about the training. Less is more, I feel. Over training leads to injuries and wasted time. Got a 5 mile run at VF coming up next Sunday. I'll see how I fare and then make a call on whether I want to give the half marathon a shot at the end of May in Philly. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until fall, which allows several months to slack and fall off the training plan. We'll see.
• Can Pennsylvania pleeeease get its act together and bring back the Pizza Hut lunch buffet?? It would really make my day to pay $5 and show up weekly at a most delish buffet.
• Trader Joe's has this salad with an amazing ginger dressing. It's called the super spinach salad, or something like that. Some quinoa, tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, and lots of baby spinach. Might need to get another one tomorrow.
• When is Rock Center on NBC going to let me guest host? I know I won't have the smooth delivery of BWill, but I'm sure after a few lessons I could figure the whole journalism thing out. Just don't make me laugh.
• Vacation time is coming up. Need an awesome getaway!
• 'Sick of' List:
• The Kardashians. Again! We're sooo sick of you. ALL of you.
• Jennifer Hudson and her singing Weight Watchers commercials. We get it. You were fat, you stopped eating, and lost weight. What a concept! We don't need to hear you singing about it every other commercial.
• Hitting every red light on the way to work. I've analyzed my route and thought I had it figured out. Hmm.
• People who lack common sense. There are way, waaay too many of them.
• The big thank you of the week goes to Zyrtec, Flonase, and the inhaler which have reduced my allergies to a mere nuisance instead of a roadblock in my daily life.

FMK

Thought I'd change it up and act like a real blogger, instead of just giving my weekly WRs (admittedly, they've been pretty weak recently. Oops.)

Looking at the title, I know what you're thinking. Nope, those three letters don't stand for "F*** My (hmmm... what could that K stand for?)"

Nope. Not it.

If you're part of a select group of people who spent 4 years jostling between the borders of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, a group forced to take 9 mandatory credits of Theology and Philosophy, and had these 3 letters represented on several lines of your college transcript, you know what it stands for.

Food Marketing (or FMK to those in the know) at St Joseph's University. A pricey degree that I really didn't enjoy earning, which still proudly sits behind the couch, in the envelope I received it in, the day of graduation a decade ago. That's a whole 'nother blog entry, the thoughts of a college do-over. I now work in an industry doing a job that's completely irrelevant to what I went to school for and it's going swell. No sarcasm there. I found myself a real sweet gig.

That's not to say I don't hold some kind of quasi-expertise in the almighty FMK subject matter. Allow me to share some wisdom. Subject matter: That behemoth of a grocery shopping experience also known as Wegman's, which opens near me in less than a month.

Can we say overwhelming? If you've never been to one, look at their website. YouTube some videos (I love turning nouns into verbs in this tech age). There are so many departments within departments, I couldn't find something as simple as a single chocolate chip cookie without viewing their 'by the pound' cookie bar selection this past weekend while visiting a Wegman's in Jersey.

While impressive and varied, magnificent and flawlessly maintained, I can't help to think the average family is not gonna be down with rollin up to the local madhouse Wegman's on a weekend to tackle the regular weekly shopping. It depends what demographic we're focusing on though; the 30-55yr old business man won't want to pull into the gourmet food circus on a Friday afternoon coming home from work to pick up hot dog buns and iced tea. The retired couple in their 70s will probably fall over looking at the prices in the prepared foods section, assuming they're on some sort of fixed income. The people most likely to really get on board are those like me- people in their 30s and anyone else with some disposable income to throw around and the word 'foodie' on their personal resume.

It has to cost some big bucks to keep the machine running. Food costs alone are insane, and that's coming from personal experience maintaining a weekly ledger when I worked in a bakery for several years. Unless your ordering and prediction of consumer purchases are spot on (and you're a part time psychic) you're writing off a chunk of that to the dreaded column known as 'shrink'. Loss. Waste. You not only waste ingredients, you waste the labor it costs to wash/chop/cook/bake/decorate/ship these products. I remember a boss of mine, a nice but completely scatterbrained woman, botching an order one Christmas and us throwing out about $700 worth of cakes. Not just $5 generic chainstore cakes, these were costly french pastry items that took time and money to create. It was a total mess, and a complete shame.

This isn't a prediction that Wegman's won't do well. Obviously they choose their locations carefully and keep expanding, so something is working for them. From a food marketing standpoint, and considering the economy is still limping from injuries sustained in 2008, what effect will farmer's markets, co-ops, and home gardens have on giants like Wegman's? Gas is nearing $4 a gallon. The middle class have become cost cutting connoisseurs the past few years. Is there some extra scratch in the bank to splurge on 8 varieties of hot wings, pre-cut veggies for grilling, and all the other extras which makes Wegman's stand out from the other not-so-fancy competitors?

Stay tuned... I'm not finished with this topic yet

Wednesday Randoms

• Hooked on River Monsters on Animal Planet. This cable thing isn't turning out to be too bad. Lucky for me, I have self control
• Finnnnnnally got my Cake Pop baking supplies! #YES Now I just have to wait and make them at a time where I won't be forced to eat them all myself
• New office location this week. Pretty happy with my setup, but recognizing the all too familiar atmosphere of the 'corporate office' (useless chitchat, inability to hide/avoid group functions). I knew I had such a gift the past 2 1/4 years off the grid. It was probably the most peaceful 2yrs of work I'll ever experience in my life
• Back on track for Broad Street. Looking to do 7mi this weekend. A new pair of shoes was in order. Still pissed I wasted the $$ on the Saucony pair, which I'll obviously still wear, but not for running.
• Craving some dark chocolate covered coconut eggs. Maybe it has to do with the Easter Bunny commercials I keep seeing every day...
• Waaay late on doing my taxes. That's what happens when you do things yourself. Put them off til the last minute. Just checked and I did them on April 9th last year. Maybe I'll do the same this year. You know, for shits and giggles.
• Time to start thinking/planning for vacation!
• I don't care how good the commercials make it look, I'm not eating seafood from the Old Country Buffet. Yes, you remember my snobby ways with seafood. 
• I love the antics the Today Show and GMA are pulling to outdo each other in the ratings. Today Show always get my vote, hands down.