Market Basket: Heaven or Hell?

I discovered Market Basket several months ago.  I discovered the good produce, low prices, clean organized store, but I also discovered the madness that is the phenomenon of Market Basket.  Lines to get parking spots, lines to get carts, lines to checkout that extend far back into the aisles.  The wait at the deli counter can be upwards of half an hour.

So I found a solution.  I go to the Burlington Market Basket at 7:00am, right when they open.  There are parking spots, and just a few elderly people there.  I have my first choice of sandwich meats, produce, breads, bagels, etc.  This is heaven.

On Sunday I experienced Hell.  I had to drive to Lynn to pick up the tickets for the Drag Show from Shawompa, and Burlington was completely out of the way home,  I desperately needed groceries and I only had $30 to spend.  I ask my friend is there a Market Basket nearby.  Turns out there's one basically on my route back to Waltham so I get directions and head there.

The Market Basket was huge.  I found a parking spot okay, but there were no shopping carts inside.  I had to go back out into the parking lot where the attendant let me take one of the carts he was bringing in.  The store is so crowded I'm trying to to have an anxiety attack.  I rush through, counting up how much each thing costs and trying to determine what we can go without for a week.  Then I see the lines.  The lines are backed up into the aisles with Market Basket Employees directing carts when and where to go.  I got stuck behind a guy who had his groceries literally in a wagon.  It was bigger than a Red Rider wagon but it was still a wagon. He opened up the can of whipped cream and sprayed some directly into his mouth.  He did this several times before switches to eating some rosat beef deli meat, following by what else, but sliced cheese.  I thought I was going to be ill.

Finally it was my turn and I paid for my items.  I pushed my cart out to my parking spot and loaded up my meager selection of groceries.  Unlike the people who literally left there carts in the middle of the parking lot, I put mine in a cart collection gate.  Then I left.  I took a wrong turn getting out of the lot and ended up lost in Chelsea.  Fortunately my good sense of direction led me back to Rt 16 and I made it home alive.

My First Drag Show

I had quite a weekend!  First the YES concert then tonight I saw my first Drag Show entitled Size Doesn't Matter with a picture of a banana on the front of the program.  It was a charity event put on by the Monday Night Bowling League to benefit Boston Living Center and Community Servings.  Boston Living Center helps out those who have HIV/AIDs.  Community Servings serves meals to people who are home-bound due to illness, originally AIDS, but has expanded to other illnesses.  There was a raffle and a silent auction as well as a couple of hours worth of performances.  It took place at Machine Nightclub in Boston on Boylston Street.

My friend, we'll call him by his stage name, Shawompa, performed two numbers. Get the Party Started, not the P!nk version but by Shelley something-or-other, and Proud Mary by Tina Turner.  She was fabulous!  How she can dance in those heels is beyond me.  The dresses were perfect, the wigs were perfect.  I'm just gobsmacked how good Shawompa was.

I loved the red tassel dress for the first number.  With the gloves and the mask...  What a way to open the show!  And that hair!  How did it stay on?!  I had a dazzling evening and am so proud of my friend who has severe stage fright.  I could never do that, perform in front of all those people much less in drag!

An Evening With YES! at Foxwoods

Last night my husband and I went to a concert at the MGM Theater in Foxwoods to see an Evening With YES!  He had a phenomenal time.  I had a good time.  I confess I'm not a YES fan but I don't dislike them either.  It was a good concert.  Not too long not too short with an encore that was just the right amount of time.  We bought the tickets a long time ago, back when I thought we could afford them.  As they were non-refundable I thought we should go.

We started off the evening with a long and traffic filled drive down to Mashantucket where we parked with relative ease at the MGM Grand.  Then we took the shuttle to Rainmaker Casino and ate at the Festival Buffet.  Since we couldn't really afford to eat there I made sure I pigged out sufficiently to justify the cost.  I hit the BBQ station first and enjoyed some steak, pulled pork, and sweet potatoes with some cornbread.  Mmm mmm good.  I next hit the "International" Stations where I had mashed potatoes, pot roast, rice pilaf, and fried chicken breast.  Then I went for the Asian and seafood counters where I got some Scezhuan String Beans, Spring Rolls, and of course fried clam strips.  For dessert I enjoyed cheesecake, Boston Creme Pie, and Coconut Cream Cake.  Ugh, I overate just a tad.

We walked the mile back to the MGM Grand Theater and picked up our tickets.  Then we went and settled into our seats in the Right Mezzanine.  They were pretty good seats being only $20.  We waited patiently for the show to start and then there they were.  YES! live on stage.  I decided the lead singer looked a little like Viggo Mortensen.  They played two albums in their entirety and then my husband's favorite song for the encore.  I confess it was past my bedtime and I couldn't help yawning through most of the show.  But it wasn't because I was bored, just tired.

We got home at midnight and actually found a parking spot.  Yay, us!  We stayed up talking for awhile until Jason fell asleep.  Then I tooled around on the computer for a bit before going to bed myself.  The most interesting part of the night however was that I was hit on by a woman.  I'm starting to regret my short haircut.  It is not attracting mean, but women.  Which wouldn't be a problem if I were single or a lesbian, however I am neither.  And I don't react well to anybody hitting on me.  I get shy and then ignore them.  Oh well, she could have thought I was a bitch and I'm okay with that.  After all, I'm not all sweetness and flowers dispite what you may think.  ;)

That Pesky Sleep Eludes Me

It is a Saturday.  It is a Saturday in which Jason does not have to work.  Yet I woke up at 5am and cannot fall back asleep.  I'm not really sure why, as sleep is rarely a problem for me, but today, like last Sunday, the sandman didn't blow enough dust over me.

I took Monty and Twinkie to the vet on Thursday.  Twinkie is healthy, while Monty has an Upper Respiratory Infection.  Guess how you give antibiotics to a snake?  By injection.  Oh yes, every three days Jason will hold her down while I give her shots.  The good thing about this is it prepares me for my training as a vet tech.  I get to use my mad skills to make a pet better which is what I want to do.  She doesn't like the shots, she takes after her father like that.  And by father I mean Jason.  He is petrified of needles.

I'll keep it short and sweet this morning as I type in the dark.  Happy Easter/Passover everyone!

Sometimes Life Will Kick You In The Pants...

Dear all, you are all my dearest friends, I know, so I am not afraid to share this with you.  Life is hard.  That profound statement will, I think, ring through to most people.  Life isn't meant to be easy.  Easy is boring.  That being said I wish that life were a little more boring sometimes.  I'm still trying to get into school, though whether or not I can make it work financially is left to be seen.  If I am accepted I will have to wait for my financial aid package.  In the meantime I am going to get a part time job.  I have applied to PetSmart already and I will apply to more places as they occur to me.  Petco is next on my list.  I haven't given up on volunteering, I'm still waiting to hear back from the MSPCA.  But that will most likely only be for a few hours a week.  So I need something that pays to occupy more of my time.

I need to get used to being up and busy all day.  As I sit here at my husband's dealership, waiting for him to get off of work, I find myself trying to come up with ways to improve my quality of life and prepare for being a full time student again.  I want to do well.  I need to do well.  I am telling myself that I will excel at school because the outcome means I get to work with animals and people who love animals all day.  I will have a clean apartment to study in and I will have a loving husband who will make sure I stick to my studies, because I literally cannot afford to fail.  What with student loans and such if I fail, I need to pay back failure and that's just like a slap in the face.

I am very proud of my husband for landing such a great job, working with great people.  I have a new friend, who is the Showroom Coordinator at Honda Village.  I arrive early to pick up my husband and chat with my new friend every day.  He is a very funny, talented man, and I'm happy I'm getting to know him.  As for my husband's boss, he is a great boss.  Very friendly and organized, and understanding.  A few days ago I was violently ill and needed to be seen by a doctor.  Jason's boss didn't give him any trouble so that he could take care of me and drive me to the hospital.  Soon Jason will reach his 90 days at Honda Village which means he will get full benefits and will no longer be on probation.  Yay!

The piggies are all well.  I have started a new page on Facebook called "I Love Guinea Pigs", and I post cute pictures of the piggies on there.  Snickers is getting bigger and she is getting much more active.  She's no longer the timid little guinea pig baby that would sleep on Jason's chest, oh no!  She goes scampering around the bed, popcorning and having a blast.  We fed the snakes last night and they all ate, though Twinkie, our new Caramel Albino Ball Python had a little bit of trouble adjusting to the frozen mice.  She is used to live mice.  Yuck.

Mount Ida College, Here I Come!

I have decided that I need to change my direction in life.  I have been on a road going nowhere.  Unemployed and sitting at home day after day.  But that is going to end soon!  My decision is to find a job doing what I love, and what I love doing is taking care of animals.  So I'm going to be a Veterinary Technician.  I've looked online and there's a great school that offers Vet Tech degrees in Newton, which is the same city where Jason works.  It's Mount Ida College.  I've already submitted my application and Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA), and I'm working on getting test scores and transcripts sent over.  Northeastern will process my request electronically but University of Toronto and Arlington High School require actual written signatures, so I need to get those requests off in the mail.  The College Board's website is frustratingly circular because I haven't taken the SATs in over a decade.  But I will prevail and figure it out!

My college essay is going to be a challenge in picking a topic, but I'm confident in my writing skills, especially with my sister the English BA's proofreading the paper.  I think I should talk about how I've been challenged with life for the last decade and a half, and how taking care of my pets really has helped me out.  It's true!  My piggies are a great source of love and peace.  And so I'm going to apply that on a greater scale and help other people with their pets.  It's a great choice for me and probably a much better match than being an Admin or a Buyer.  While I was good at those jobs, it was hard to be passionate about them.  Although, working at a pharmaceutical company I was proud to make a difference in patient's lives by doing my little bit for the company.  So I suppose I was a little passionate, just not quite AS passionate as I am about animals.

Then there's the recommendation.  I've asked my former boss of 6 and 1/2 years to write a recommendation because frankly, I don't think there's a high school teacher who will remember me other than one, and even he probably wouldn't know what to write because it's been so long.  Nevertheless, I will have one recommendation.

I picture myself working at a local animal hospital or veterinarians' office.  Making a difference not just in the people's lives, but in their pet's lives.  And I picture myself happy.  That's the most important thing.  I will be happy at home with the love of my life and our "children", and I will be happy professionally.  So Mount Ida, take notice, I am coming your way!

A Night At The Oscars 2013; The Red Carpet

Tonight is that magical night, Oscar Night.  I love the Oscars, not just because it honors some of the greatest movies, but because of the fashion.  I'm watching the ABC Red Carpet Presentation first, and then I will flow directly into the Oscar Ceremony.

First up, I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I'm not a fan of the bottom of her dress.  I like the color on her, and the top is very chic, but the poofiness of the bottom just seems a little odd to me.  Zoe Saldana is wearing a very interesting dress, I like the color and the slit up the front.  I love her long dangly earrings.  And her hair is very sleek, she looks well put together.  Catherine Zeta-Jones looks like a really sexy Oscar in that gold dress.  Her earrings are sparkly but look heavy and painful.  

Oh Goody, Daniel Radcliffe!  He's talking so fast!  And he could use a bit of a shave.  Naomi Watts, I'm not a fan of the sequin dress which is odd for me. It's not the sequins, it's the shape. I must say I want to see her movie.  It seems really moving.

Okay, I had to make dinner for Jason so I missed a few stars.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is on now.  He has fun socks on!  I couldn't see what they were but they were fun.  

Anyway, they're doing a little montage right now.  I haven't seen many of the movies up this year.  I want to see Silver Linings Playbook because I love Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.  I want Ms. Lawrence to win because I loved her in the Hunger Games.  

Bradley Cooper looks dreamy.  I hope he wins.  I can say that now because I forgot who else is nominated. Nicole Kidman's dress is fun and sexy.  It's kind of blackish goldish sequinny fun.  Again with the heavy earrings though.  I love a classic updo.  Nicely done Nicole's stylist.  Hate Charlize Theron's dress.  Hate.  The color, the little flair at the hips, hate.  I'm a hater, what can I say?

That's a cool idea to have the college students give out the Oscars.  It's a dream come true for these young adults.  I wish I had won that contest, but let's face it, if I had to carry the Oscars out I would fall flat on my face.  I can't wear heels and I'm the clumsiest person I know.

I just saw Jennifer Garner's necklace.  So pretty!  I wish I'd seen her whole outfit.  Hugh Jackman is strong!  He looks very handsome and I love his accent.  

Okay, I'm bored with this.  I think I'm going to stop even though there's still another 35 minutes of Red Carpet.  Sorry folks.  I think I'm going to bed.  Tomorrow's a work day for Jason which means I have to get up at 5:15 am.