I Think It's Finally Over

My Christmas rush, that is. I took two bags full of packages to Office Depot early yesterday morning where I love that I can drop all my mail off, so much easier than driving to either of the post offices, both 7 miles away from the house in opposite directions. And considering that most days I don't have a car available, that would be a really really long walk or bike ride.

Then I came home and worked on more orders and made a second trip with a few more packages to Office Depot before the 3:30pm pickup, then worked on the final few orders and will take them over to drop off a little later this morning.

And no new orders in the queue.

I am ready for a little break, there are a lot of new spring things that I want to work on and the bathroom is in need of a good cleaning. Not that I'm anxious to do that, I don't mind most any type of cleaning but something about the bathroom has me putting it off day after day until you just can't stand it anymore.

We've eaten out a bunch these past two days, Keith wasn't watching his start count on trips out and ended up on forced layoff rest days yesterday and today and is lined up for an evening train tonight. We need to get the car smogged which means a tune up first so hopefully it will pass. He took the car over yesterday but they were too busy to get to it, so has taken it back over this morning and will either go get some breakfast while he waits or walk back home. We are hoping it won't cost too much money to get it all done and ready for new tags. Then of course we have to pay for the tags.

Anyway, eating out.

I picked him up from work Sunday evening and there was really nothing in the house to fix for dinner so we went to Spencers for ho hum just adequate food. He got some ribs that he did like and I had some bbq chicken that was just chicken. Then yesterday we went to Coco's for lunch and then last night took Joe and Elizabeth to Red Lobster, a place that I had only eaten at once before, it being a bit pricey and I'm not all that big on seafood.

We had a really nice attentive waitress and each of us got the two item combo but after having one of their (yum) cheddar bay biscuits and the salad that comes with the dinner it was hard to finish my two items, coconut shrimp and salmon. I shared the coconut shrimp with everyone else, good shrimp but I was just getting too full to eat it all. I don't really like the actual shrimp part of shrimp, but the coconut crispy coating was very good. I like fried shrimp but really only for the cocktail sauce that you dip it in. Kind of like a kid with a bowl full of carrots and ranch dip. Stick the carrot in the dip, lick it off and re-dip.

So, I think we've spent enough money on eating out despite my dream of eating all my meals out so that I never have to cook again.

We Should Just Eat Out Every Night

So, I went up to the store to get ingredients for a nice cool summery green salad for dinner tonight. Lettuce, carrots, red pepper, radishes, tomatoes, bacon bits, dressing, and a bag of those crunchy tortilla strips-oops, forgot shredded cheese-and some frozen texas toast (no, I'm NOT going to make my own Texas Toast) and it came to $17.00 and some change.

We could go out and get salads for about $25.00 for the entire meal (with free cookies at Spencers).

Hmmmm.....make it myself, or eat out, make it myself, or eat out?

But, we will probably get two actual salad dinners out of all the ingredients provided we still feel like eating salad tomorrow night and all the leftovers don't just get thrown out at the end of the week.

I really hate figuring out what to eat sometimes. If I didn't get excruciatingly hungry and could find a magic pill that would fill me up and give me all my nutritional needs I'd be happy. Eating is just getting kind of boring and a chore, especially the cooking and cleaning and shopping parts. Much easier to just go to a restaurant where you don't have to do anything but sit there, order, eat, and then pay for it and leave. And somebody else has to do the cooking and cleaning part.

Cheaper?

Is it about the same price for the two of us to go out to eat or fix something at home? I really don't like to cook anymore, it's boring and makes a big mess that you have to clean up, and I really don't like to shop for the food to cook with anymore, its boring and makes a big mess that you have to clean up when you bring all those grocery bags in.

So, yesterday I went to Vons for the ingredients for southwestern chicken salad, and yes, I know it would be cheaper if I cooked my own chicken and shredded my own cheese, and chopped up my own lettuce, and cooked my own beans from dried, and grew my own corn-BUT I don't WANT to!

So, by the time I bought packaged southwestern chicken strips, canned corn and black beans, shredded cheese, bagged salad, grape tomatoes, tortilla chips, some coffee creamer and a People magazine-my weekly addiction-it came out to $35.00.

And, instead of fixing the salad for last night's dinner, we went down the road to Spencers Restaurant and each had a big salad, Keith had 2 beers, I had iced tea, and Keith also had an appetizer of a cheese quesadilla, and it came to-you guessed it-$35.00. (plus a $5.00 tip)

So, for about the same price and no work, you get dinner for two complete with a free homemade cookie for dessert (or ice cream), and since this is a locally owned restaurant we are helping the local economy by patronizing them.
See, I can justify eating out EVERY DAY NOW!!

Tonight we will have the southwestern chicken salad, though. Even though I will not enjoy fixing it or cleaning up after it.