THE Cookie

... from, um, 2 weeks ago.  One of these days I'll stop feeling guilty about not updating and just live in the present.  But I have thoughts to share!

My last trip to Dallas absolutely flew by because I was so busy at work.  This has both positive and negative aspects to it.  One negative is having no free time to blog or watch endless episodes of The Office on Tuesday nights, but the positive is that it's over before I know it and I get to come back to planet earth New York.  It's funny, but every single time we land at LGA, I'm still amazed by the view.  It never gets old.  It's like, "Aaaahh, homecoming."  I like trying to figure out where we are and which bridges are which.

Anyway, not only was it a busy work week, but I was banished to the lowly Doubletree.  I used to stay at the Doubletree because it's where my project manager stays, and he's been on projects in Dallas for almost 3 years now, so I figured he knew a thing or 2 about the hotel situation.  I neglected to factor in that he's sort of strange and masochistic.

Exhibit A: Chicken.  The "chicken" that they serve in the cafeteria may or may not be derived from one or more of the following: chicken, dog, ferret, gerbil, donkey, sand.  I tried it twice, and then I said goodbye to chicken for the rest of my lunchtime career.  Tim agrees.  It is GROSS.  The worst chicken dish?  The Thai stir-fry with chicken.  So, what does Tim eat every Wednesday?  Thai stir-fry with chicken, of course!  I've asked why.  There's no good answer.

Exhibit B: Doubletree.  The Doubletree is nice enough.  They have free breakfast, delightful pillows, wifi, and a bar downstairs if you get desperate.  The rooms, however, are poorly lit, a little musty, and sometimes I find spiders.  (Fine, once I found a spider.  But it was a daddy long legs so I think it counts twice.)  Also, the workout room is itty bitty and one of the treadmills "skips" sometimes, making eventual injury seem all but guaranteed.  The Hilton, on the other hand is like a gift from heaven.  It's clean, new, has a cool view of the city, an Executive Lounge for Gold status members such as yours truly (I'm brushing that dirt off my shoulder), and free drinks!  And a real gym, like the size of the one I go to at home.  And Whole Foods is essentially around the corner!  Anyway, my point, after all this rambling, is that Tim has also stayed at the Hilton, agrees that it's superior, and continues to stay at the Doubletree for what I can only imagine are obscure and senseless reasons.

I caught on pretty quickly and have never looked back on the Doubletree, until... THE HILTON WAS BOOKED UP.  DUH NUH NUH!  So, I grudgingly checked into the Doubletree, pleasantly surprised to remember that there would be a silver lining after all...

The Doubletree Cookie.  They give you one of these hot, gooey, half-baked monsters at check-in.  I don't even want to discuss what percentage of this beautiful morsel is composed of butter, so let's just leave this one at "YUM."  When I stayed at the Doubletree regularly I used to have Cookie Monday every night when I checked in.  I would bring a light dinner to eat on the plane so as to leave room for dessert, then I would have my cookie and a cup of chamomile tea when I got to my room.  This sort of helped me feel less grumpy about starting the week away from home.  It was a nice tradition, but the Hilton's amenities more than make up for the baked good sacrifice.  Although, I gotta say... this is one helluva cookie.  Aaaaamen.

I also had some oatmeal troubles that week.  Yes, oatmeal troubles.  The OTHER silver lining to staying at the Doubletree is that they have oatmeal for breakfast downstairs.  For free!  And nice little fruit cups with watermelon and pineapple.  However, as I sat at work on Tuesday contemplating why I was still not hungry for lunch at 12:30 (I usually start grumbling around 11), I thought, "Did I really have that much oatmeal?"  And then the realization hit: that oatmeal was extra heavy that day... it was just a little too creamy... suspiciously creamy... it was made with MILK!  I asked the next morning, and it was confirmed.  Milk.  I'm ok with a little milk in things, but my tummy isn't crazy about dairy in general.  And I had no idea how much milk was in it, so I had no idea if it was even remotely healthy anymore.  And so, I was forced back to Starbucks and their extra instant oats.  It's masked well by the nuts and dried fruit, but the Doubletree oats are way better.  Because, of course, they're not actually healthy.  What about the cafeteria, you ask?  It's a good option, but means that I have to make 2 stops: one for coffee and then one downstairs at the cafeteria.  And so, the oat dilemma continues.

I added some Whole Foods granola to that.  Loooove buying bulk!  But this one was a little too sweet.  Natural Granola or something?  Gotta try something else this week.  And that's a Xmas Blend from Starbucks in the back... deeeeelish.  I'm not crazy about Starbucks's regular Pike Place roast, but the other ones are usually good.  And I really enjoy the holiday-spirited cups!  Yum yum!  Coming up next... car review, eating at home, and back to Texas I go.