Discovery 1: They have oatmeal at the AA cafeteria. GOOD oatmeal. I've only been working there since January... I'm not sure why you'd think I'd have figured that out by now. Oops. I would like to say, though, that it cost $2, and I'm not even sure it costs that much at Starbucks. So much for subsidies.
Discovery 2: Do not expect good food when you go out for lunch with people with bad taste. Today, the first day we have ever eaten lunch outside of the office, I was taken to a Chinese buffet. AACK! Why do people like those? I actually had a decent hot and sour soup and lots of steamed veggies, but it was not at all satisfying. I ended up having a mini Almond Joy at our meeting after lunch and then my Larabar (Chocolate Coconut Chew -- so good!) a few hours later. I did get a pretty sweet fortune from my fortune cookie. I hope it's on to something...
I'm ready for a change!
Discovery 3: People do not know how to drive in this city. Merging is not bad! Merging is not scary! JUST GO. I yelled at a lot of cars today. Better than yelling at people, no? I also saw the most ridiculous road sign today. Thanks to the slow moving traffic, I was able to snag a pic with my Blackberry, so I need to figure out how to get it on here.
And, lastly, Discovery 4: Spinning! Joanna introduced me to her friend David about a month ago. He lives in Dallas, but is a transplant from Westchester. We were cut from the same cloth, he and I. We talk food, GI tracts, more food, and travel. I really just enjoy having a peer to hang out with. Makes Dallas way more tolerable. Tonight we went to a spinning class at his gym! I haven't done spinning in years, and I remembered it being crazy hard, but this class wasn't bad at all. He said it was an easy class today, but I think we all know it's just because I'm such a super athlete. Obviously. I really enjoyed it either way and would love to go to more classes. This is why I need to join a real gym, with real facilities.
After spinning, we went for a sweaty dinner at Pei Wei, which is like Chipotle gone Chinese, kind of. Yes, 2 Chinese meals in one day. I am always grateful when people make recommendations, so I wasn't going to challenge David when he suggested it. And I actually REALLY liked it. It was light, fresh, and it felt like something I could have made for myself at home, which is what I crave when I travel. I got the Mandarin Kung Pao or something: brown rice (a TON of it), and stir-fried tofu, broccoli, snap peas, peanuts, and carrots. I mostly picked it for the peanuts. I don't remember exactly what the sauce was, but it was just the right amount of salty, sweet, and spicy. A big hit with me.
No pics because I don't want new friends to think I'm nuts, even if he is the best audience that I could imagine for this topic.
The night ended with a trip to Whole Foods because we were near my old hood by the Doubletree (before I discovered the infinitely superior hotel that I stay in now). The Whole Foods in that area is a lot better than the one I go to now, so I thought I'd bop in for nostalgic purposes. I got some granola, some "trail mix" (ok, fine, chocolate, raisins, and almonds), and the new Stonyfield flavor that I've been looking for!!!
Sadly, I have to confess that it was underwhelming. I think I prefer fruit (or flavor) on the bottom yogurts to pre-blended. It was good, just not life-changing, as I wish all of my yogurt experiences could be.
I also bought a red red lipstick at CVS for funsies. I was having trouble picking a color, and then I saw that L'Oreal had a celebrity selection, so I decided to go with Penelope Cruz's red. Will report back later on whether or not I instantly become a smoking hottie.
Wait, Chipotle meets Chinese food? HOLD THE PHONE. My mind is blown.
ReplyDeleteHaha you would like it! It's sort of what I imagine Noodles and Co is. It is definitively NOT a Chinese burrito, which is what I keep picturing when I put Chipotle and Chinese in the same sentence.
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