Monday Monday 2.4.2008

Oh Monday,
I know that most of you are still coming off the high of a Giants victory on Superbowl Sunday, but alas the working world goes on. And as such, we go back to another Monday at the grindstone and of course that means another exciting rendition of your Monday Monday Email.

Before I move to delivering the weekend's always exciting activities, I feel that I must make mention of a series of good lunches that I had last week.

Monday - I went to Potbelly's for a Turkey and Bacon sub (don't forget to sprinkle the Italian Seasoning). If you've never been to a Potbelly's and are in driving range, I recommend it as your next sub night's eatery (note to friends and family in the Albany area - I'm not aware of one). Anyway - it's of course the toasted bread that makes the sandwich.
Tuesday - I went to Fuddruckers, which unfortunately comes in last in the rankings of last week's lunching. I had a spicy chicken sandwich and fries.
Wednesday - Back on target with a new stop at Salad Creations in the Annapolis Mall. This Subway style stop has a long list of salads to choose from or you can choose the custom route for 6.99. I went custom and enjoyed a bed of Spring Mix topped with apples, cucumbers, mozzarella cheese and a Garlic Vinaigrette. This little Quick Service Restaurant just entered the realm of a once a week stop for me.
Thursday - I rounded off the week with a visit to Panera Bread. There is one in almost every mid to large size town these days, and for some reason the one in Annapolis had eluded me for the almost 8 months of my tenure here. I had a Caesar Salad.

Also on the subject of food, today marks my one week hiatus from Caffeine. No soda, no tea, no nothing - just flavored waters, lemonade, and juices.

Maggie and I spent the weekend at home in South Carolina - something that is beginning to feel like more of a visit than actually going home. The household projects were few, but we managed to tie up a few loose ends and pay all the bills we still receive via the USPS. On the subject of the USPS (rant beginning here), it feels like such a waste of money every time I spend 41 cents (or whatever the going rate is now) on the sending of a bill that I already don't want to pay (rant ending here).


For me, the weekend gave me some time to practice my bread making skills. I baked four loaves of bread with two different recipes. I was prompted to do this because for Christmas Maggie got me an Olive Oil of the Month Club membership. . .and I finally got the first shipment. I guess now that I'm baking bread as a highlight to my weekend, you could say that I'm rather domestic. Unfortunately for Maggie, although I have learned the art of baking - I still refuse to vacuum or do the laundry (however I folded one load this weekend because I'm a nice guy and Valentine's Day is coming). She is on the email list, so I'll also remind her that I clean the bathrooms :)

Again we relaxed the weekend away catching a movie with Dustin and Gerard on Friday night. We saw National Treasurer: Book of Secrets. Unlike most, I love a good sequel as I always wonder what happens to the characters next. Here we find an interesting plot filled with a good amount of action and a few characters left out of the original flick. It failed to have quite as many twists and turns as the original movie, but I was still attentive and happy with the ending. The previews sucked though, so I guess there are no good movies coming out.

We took a rare trip to the mall earlier on Friday night to find that JC Penny was having a 75% off sale. Could I walk away from this steal of a deal? Nope. Two sweaters, two pants and $40 bucks later and I didn't feel like I saved any money (thanks to Aunt Pam for the belated birthday card - these clothes only cost me half as much though). Maggie got a new pair a shoes, which has almost become a weekly occurrence since they keep falling apart.

Anyway, sorry to ramble. I should get to work helping these crazy Seaman figure out all their financial stuff. . .

Have a Good Week!

Ryan

P.S. - Trivia Question: Does anyone know without looking it up what the JC in JC Penny stands for?